Hunting Eve Read online

  “I’ll remember that.” Kendra stepped toward Joe and awkwardly put her hand on his arm. “You know, that kind of makes me feel special, too. Thanks, Quinn. I know that it’s naïve to tell you that everything is going to be okay, but I’ll do my best to make it that way.” She turned away quickly, instantly rejecting that moment of softness and headed for the door. “Keep me in the loop. Let me know everything you know. We’re all splintering in different directions to find Eve, and that’s not a bad thing. As long as we share information, the dominoes may start falling into place. We just have to cover every possibility. Good-bye, Quinn. I’ll be in touch.”

  The front door closed behind her, and a few minutes later, Joe heard her car pull out of the driveway.

  He sat down again and stared at the capsules in the glass.

  All the time and painstaking effort Doane had made to take Eve was exemplified in those listening devices.

  Son of a bitch.

  The anger and helplessness were growing by the moment. The little pieces of information and leads that they were finding were not enough, dammit.

  But at least Kendra had found out a few things that were promising.

  Maybe.

  His phone rang. Seth Caleb.

  What the hell? “Quinn.”

  “I’m with Jane at the hospital. I was bored, so I thought that I’d come out here in the hall and call you. She told me she’d call you again later, but I decided I’d take it off her list. She’s going to be busy.”

  “Is she sleeping now?”

  “No, she dozed for a while but now she’s wide-awake and in work mode.”

  “Work mode? You are not to convince her to leave that hospital, or I’ll strangle you.”

  “I couldn’t be less concerned about you, Quinn. I’m taking my orders from Margaret at the moment, and she’s far more intimidating. As it happens, all our goals coincide.”

  “Not if Jane’s not resting.”

  “She’ll rest eventually, and the work she’s doing will keep her at the hospital, where the doctors can keep an eye on her.”

  “What work?”

  “Something she’s evidently done before. She mentioned Cira.”

  “What?”

  “She had a dream about Eve, and she was in some mountain location. Jane is going through computer files and books to see if she can find any matching terrain.” He paused. “She doubts if anything is going to come of it, but she said it had results when she was searching for Cira. She’s pretty desperate.”

  “She would have to be. Even when Jane’s dreams of Cira seemed to have substance, she was still trying to find a practical reason why that was so and why she was having the dreams. She has problems with anything that’s not reality-based.” He added wearily, “But then we’re all getting desperate and ready to embrace anything that gives us hope.”

  “What about you, Quinn? Did you believe there was anything in Jane’s dreams of Cira that was … unusual?”

  “Hell, yes. Do I believe that experience would translate to help for Eve? I have no idea. I haven’t a clue why Jane’s dreams of Cira seemed to have historical and geographic details of which she would have no possible knowledge. I used to be a total realist like Jane, but these days, I only know that there’s nothing that’s not possible. I keep bumping into impossible.”

  “I’m surprised you admit that to me.”

  “Why? I don’t give a damn what you think about me. As a matter of fact, you’re one of the impossibles, with that blood thing.”

  “Point taken.” He paused. “I encouraged Jane to pursue this avenue. It seemed interesting and a way to keep her sedentary. I thought I’d let you know. I’m sure Jane will give you a call if it proves promising.” He hung up.

  Promising? Joe pressed the disconnect. He hoped to hell he’d hear something promising from someone. But at least Caleb had found a way to keep Jane safe until she was well.

  Maybe.

  If desperation was driving her as Joe thought, then she might become frustrated and give up the search for this dream location.

  But that wasn’t like Jane. She had bulldog tenacity when she was fighting for anything. It would be an obsessive determination if she was fighting to find Eve. He wished he could believe that dream of Jane’s would give them a hint, a lead, a path. Maybe what he’d told Caleb wasn’t entirely true and there were still strong elements of logic and realism that made him cynical of anything else.

  “I saw Kendra driving down the road.” Venable stood in the doorway. “Where was she going?”

  “Airport.” His lips twisted. “And then to Goldfork. Make sure your agents welcome her with open arms.”

  “I’ll see to it.” He came into the cottage. “She’s sharp, very sharp. Extraordinary. I don’t know if she’ll be able to find anything that my guys missed, but I’m willing to let her take a shot at it.” He went to the kitchen. “Mind if I grab a cup of coffee? It’s been a long night.”

  Joe nodded at the glass sitting on the coffee table. “She’s already found one thing. It appears that everything that’s happened in the cottage has been monitored.”

  Venable glanced at the devices in the water. “Shit.”

  “Yes. How long before you’re able to identify that metallic stuff from the trunk?”

  “I put a rush on it, but it takes as long as it takes.” He took his coffee cup from beneath the automatic coffeemaker and lifted it to his lips. “And I promised Kendra I’d call her as soon as it came in.” He made a face. “Otherwise, I think she’d have been down at the lab harassing the techs.”

  “No doubt about it,” Joe said. “Kendra’s philosophy is that you throw everything you have at the wall and hope something sticks. She threw that metallic dust, and she’s going to want to know if it stuck.” He looked down at the glass with the capsules. “She also said she couldn’t do anything more here. I don’t think I can either, Venable.”

  “And?”

  “Splinters. Kendra was talking about splinters. How we were all working at different points for the same goal, finding Eve. She’s right. One of those splinters was here. The car and any evidence we could locate. Then Kendra branched off to Goldfork. Another splinter, we knew that Doane would try to kill General Tarther and Lee Zander because they were responsible for the death of his son, Kevin. You even tried to protect the general.”

  “Tried. The bastard got to him anyway.”

  “But as far as we know, Doane hasn’t been able to kill Zander yet.” Joe’s lips twisted. “That’s a very sharp splinter to explore.”

  “More than you dream.” Venable’s eyes narrowed on Joe’s face. “It could be fatal.”

  “Why are you trying to ward me off Zander? You’ve been doing it since you told me about Zander and the general. He’s an assassin.”

  “I don’t want you dead.” He added, “At first, it was just that five years ago I’d made Zander a promise that I’d keep his identity secret if he didn’t go after Doane. I keep my word. Now, I’m having regrets about opening my mouth and not just trying to handle him myself.”

  “I want Zander’s address,” Joe said to Venable. “Now.”

  “Not smart, Quinn,” Venable said. “Let me handle him.”

  “The hell I will,” Joe said. “I have to get on the move. I can’t sit here any longer. Kendra is on her way to Goldfork, Doane’s safe house. You can’t get me that damn tower location and the general was picked off as cleanly as if you didn’t have anyone there protecting him. It’s all been on Doane’s side. I have to change it.”

  “Zander may not even be there.”

  “But someone will be there?”

  “Stang, his accountant and personal assistant.”

  “Then I’ll find out where Zander is and if he has any idea where Doane has Eve.” He added grimly. “And if Doane is going to go after Zander, then I’ll stay there and stake him out myself.”

  “What about Jane?”

  “Stop trying to put obstacles in my path. Seth
Caleb is there watching that she’s not doing too much. He said he’d keep her occupied.” He grimaced. “Which isn’t very reassuring, considering the source. And I think Mark Trevor called Jane yesterday and told her he’d be coming here within a day or two. Jane will have more help than she’s going to want. Give me Zander’s address.”

  Venable hesitated.

  “Venable.”

  Venable reached into his pocket for his phone and accessed Zander’s information. “I’ll send it to your phone.”

  “Good.” Joe turned. “Then I’m on my way.”

  “Quinn.”

  “Don’t try to stop me.”

  “I know better. Just be careful.” He hesitated. “Oh, hell. I can’t let you go without telling you. It could be a game changer somewhere along the way.”

  “What could be a game changer?”

  “The reason Doane took Eve in the first place.”

  “The reconstruction.”

  “No.” He grimaced. “The fact that Eve is Zander’s daughter.”

  Joe froze. “What? That’s not possible.”

  “Zander’s daughter, and Doane knows it. It would just be too coincidental that he would pick Eve to do the reconstruction on his son.”

  Joe shook his head. “That’s got to be bullshit. Eve didn’t know who her father was. I don’t think her mother did either.”

  “That would surprise me because Zander definitely knew about Eve. He told me about her five years ago. He always thought Doane would walk away from that safe house. He was looking at possible chinks in his armor that Doane might attempt to find. He thought Eve might be one. He told me if Doane ever split to look in Eve Duncan’s direction.”

  Joe was trying to take it all in, but he was too stunned. “And you never mentioned it to Eve? You’ve known it all these years, and you never told us.”

  “I wouldn’t mention it now if I didn’t have to. Eve has made a decent life for herself. She didn’t need to know that her father is probably the deadliest assassin I’ve ever run across. I didn’t know what kind of effect that would have on her.”

  “No effect. Nothing could change what she is or how she thinks about herself.”

  “And you?”

  “Are you crazy? Even if this crap is true, which I doubt, Eve stands alone.” He took a harsh breath. “But if he thinks it’s true, can I use it to get Zander to help me find Eve?”

  Venable shook his head. “He doesn’t care, Quinn. I’ve tried that card, and he doesn’t give a damn. I’ve never seen a colder bastard.”

  “I can be colder,” Joe said. “Watch me.”

  “That’s what I’ve been afraid of. The situation between Zander and Eve may be … complicated. Don’t jump until you know what’s going on with him.”

  “I don’t care what’s going on with him as long as I can use him to get to Eve.” He was going down the steps. “You just try to find out where that damn cell tower is.” He opened his car door. “By the time my flight reaches Vancouver, I want answers, Venable.”

  Rio Grande Forest

  Colorado

  THREAT. DANGER.

  Doane!

  Eve’s eyes flew open, jarred from sleep!

  Yes, Doane!

  He was coming toward her, slowly, creeping through the forest to catch her off guard.

  And he had caught her off guard. She had allowed herself just a few hours to nap and regain strength.

  Too long. Too long.

  He couldn’t be more than fifteen feet away from her.

  Run!

  She jumped to her feet and bolted.

  He was right behind her, his hand grabbing her shoulder. “Oh, no, Eve. I had you. You’re not going to—”

  Her elbow lashed backward, plowing into his stomach.

  He grunted, bending double with pain.

  His grasp on her shoulder loosened.

  She pulled free and ran.

  So close.

  She could hear him behind her.

  Keep running.

  He had not caught her though she had been helpless in those first few moments.

  Instinct. Self-preservation. Bonnie.

  Whatever had caused her to sense him and wake had saved her. She was making mistakes, but she was learning.

  She was not helpless now. She had will and determination and the strength of her body and mind.

  And she would not let him catch her.

  “How long do you think you can hold out, Eve?” Doane’s voice was mocking behind her. “I almost got you this morning, didn’t I? But I managed to grab your duffel with all those treasures that are helping you to survive.”

  Eve ran harder.

  She’d not had a chance to think about that loss. She had been forced to leave her duffel, blanket … and that spear she had made from the branch.

  They were treasures. She had planned on using that spear and maybe distracting Doane enough to get hold of his gun.

  Or give him a karate chop that would kill the son of a bitch.

  She had never thought she would plan to deliberately kill a human being. It had to be self-defense. It was always a last resort.

  But this was beginning to feel like a last resort. The hours of being hunted and the sound of his voice telling her that he was going to kill her had taken their toll.

  She would not let him kill her.

  She would not be captured and forced to deal with that hideous skull that had sometimes seemed as if it filled her world.

  Keep running. She had seen a vine-covered ravine up ahead where she could perhaps become lost in the heavy foliage.

  He thought she was getting weaker, that he was wearing her down.

  He was wrong. Perhaps that should have been the result of his stalking, but it had the opposite effect. She was feeling stronger, her body was becoming more agile, the muscles toned, her senses sharper. The berries and plants she’d found to eat had not been sufficient, but they’d warded off weakness. The worst enemy had been the cold and the early-morning frost, but she’d been able to withstand that, too. It would be harder now that she no longer had the blanket and extra clothing, but she’d get through it.

  So that she could be hunted another day?

  Sudden anger tore through her at the thought.

  No way.

  It was time she stopped being on the defensive and turned hunter herself.

  She would find another branch, make another weapon, find another opportunity.

  She would not let him beat her.

  Even if she had to kill him.

  CHAPTER

  6

  Goldfork, Colorado

  THE SUN WAS GOING DOWN when Kendra pulled up in front of the small house in a suburb that seemed to be composed of similar houses on every street. It had taken her almost as long to drive from the Denver Airport to Goldfork as it had to fly all the way from Atlanta. The town was located in a rural area just an hour from the Wyoming border, and it seemed an ordinary town and the people she saw on the streets also very ordinary. A typical American town in the beautiful state of Colorado.

  It went right along with the story Joe had told her about Doane and his five-year stay in this safe house. He had taken on the coloration of the place and his neighbors like a chameleon and lulled everyone into thinking he was a good guy and good neighbor and not the psychopath he had hidden so well.

  A young, uniformed police officer stood in front of Doane’s house, leaning against his gold-and-white patrol car. He waved her toward a patch of gravel that had obviously been used as a parking lot for other vehicles in the previous few days. Kendra stopped her rental car and climbed out. She took a deep breath, taking in the aroma of dozens of plants in the subalpine woods surrounding the subdivision.

  “May I help you?” The officer stepped toward her.

  “I’m Kendra Michaels. I was told you’d be expecting me.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Can I see your badge or official ID?”

  She showed him her California driver’s licen
se. “I’m afraid this is as official as it gets.”

  He checked her name against a list in a pocket notebook. “Thank you. They told me you’d be coming.” His smile revealed a front tooth that was a shade browner than the others. “I’m Officer Tim Rollins, Goldfork PD. I was told to extend every courtesy to you.”

  “Police? Isn’t this an FBI investigation?”

  “It is. We’re just providing assistance and support to secure the scene.”

  “Have there been a lot of people through here?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Pretty near every forensics specialty, K-9 units, bomb squad, you name it.”

  “Did they find anything?”

  “I don’t think so. I heard more than one agent say it was a waste of time to come here.”

  “Just what I need to hear after eight hours of traveling.”

  “Maybe you’ll do better.” He handed her a pair of evidence gloves and two disposable polypropylene surgical shoe covers. “Please put these on to avoid contaminating the scene.”

  “Sure.” Kendra smiled as she pulled the booties over her shoes. “Boy or girl?”

  “Ma’am?”

  “Your baby. Boy or girl?”

  He hesitated before replying. “Boy. Five months.”

  “Congratulations. How successful have you been keeping him on an organic diet?”

  “That’s my wife’s thing, not mine.” He wrinkled his brow. “Do you mind if I ask you how—”

  “There’s a bright orange spot on your belt buckle of a shade and texture of Gerber’s baby food organic carrots. No artificial coloring or flavoring, or added starch or salt, which gives it a different appearance and odor than other foods. And your child spit up on your left shoulder when you were holding him this morning.”

  He pulled on the shoulder of his uniform shirt. “Aw, man. I thought I got it all off.”

  “You did. I can’t see it.”

  “Then how did you—”

  “I can smell it. Don’t worry, I don’t think most other people can. He spit up his formula, but it’s a brand I’m not familiar with.”