Quinn - Iris Johansen [95]
Deal with it.
He was still standing at the window forty-five minutes later when Eve came back into the room.
“Jane wants to see you. I couldn’t talk her out of it.”
“You shouldn’t have tried.” He turned to face her. “She has a right to vent her emotions on both of us.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, she’ll be easy on me. She’ll only try persuasion. She’s been almost as protective of me as you.”
“And it’s been annoying you.” She grimaced. “I can’t help it, Joe.”
“I know. It will take a little time.” He paused. “If it will make you feel better, I’m feeling very strong. Sometimes stronger than I’ve ever felt before. There are moments when I’m not so good, but then I feel a kind of … surge. I can get through this, Eve.”
She took step closer and laid her head on his chest. “And you won’t take stupid chances?”
He chuckled. “Not too stupid.” He took a step back. “Now give me fifteen minutes, then I’ll face our tigress, Jane. Let’s go over those notes about the flights leaving from O’Hare and Milwaukee. I think I know who Gallo and Catherine are going after. I just want to verify by the destination.”
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
“NOT VERY PREPOSSESSING,” Catherine said as she looked up at the small two-story apartment building that looked more like a motel. “When I think of Georgetown, I think foreign diplomats and money.”
“That’s probably why he wanted an address in Georgetown. Even though he was short of cash most of the time, he needed to put up a front.” He was climbing the steps to the second level. “Apartment 26?”
“Yes.”
He stopped before the door. “Locked. And probably an alarm shared by the other apartment dwellers.” He leaned back against the jamb and crossed his arms across his chest. “Take care of it, Catherine.”
“How do you know I can?”
“I watched you on camera when you and Quinn were storming my house in Utah. You were obviously an expert. I was impressed. My alarm system was state-of-the-art. This will be a piece of cake for you.”
“You’re giving me orders again.” She was starting back down the stairs. “And I don’t think you’re an amateur, Gallo.”
“I’m not. But you’ll be faster. I’ll open the lock by the time you get back. Okay?”
She didn’t answer as she hurried down the steps and around the back of the apartment units. She would just as soon deactivate the alarm herself. She was accustomed to working alone, and Gallo was a little too domineering for her taste. His attitude was probably natural since he, too, was used to working alone. They would have to learn to keep pace with each other. She remembered that she’d had no real problem with working with Joe Quinn. But Joe had been her friend, and she’d respected him and felt comfortable with him.
There was no comfort about working with Gallo. She might respect his abilities, but there was a constant awareness that aroused an emotion that was close to antagonism whenever she was with him.
An antagonism caused by that physical disturbance that she couldn’t suppress or diminish.
She might not be able to suppress it, but she blocked it when she had a job to do.
Take out the alarms.
Piece of cake as Gallo had said. She was climbing the stairs four minutes later. The door was cracked open, and no Gallo.
She glided silently into the apartment and shut the door. She was instantly assaulted by darkness and the pungent smell of pepperoni.
“No other alarms in here,” Gallo said from across the room. He was going through the drawers of a desk, his LED flashlight piercing the darkness. “Very messy. Jacobs was either a complete slob or he was in a big hurry.” He took the Rolodex from the desk and stuffed it into his pocket. “No convenient receipts for airline tickets. I don’t see any credit-card receipts either.”
Catherine went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “German beer. A California wine.” She opened the bag on the second shelf. “And some kind of pasta in marinara sauce. He has international tastes as far as food is concerned.”
Gallo was heading for the bedroom. “I’ll go through the drawers of the