16 Taking Eve (3 page)

She shivered suddenly and turned to go back into the house. Had Joe’s uneasiness been contagious, or was she feeling that same sense of something … not right?

Forget it. She had work to do.

She strode over to the dais, where her current reconstruction was displayed.

“We have to finish you right away, Ryan. Jane is coming,” she murmured. She always gave her skulls a name so that she could maintain a connection that would help her with the reconstruction. Her hands moved gently, sculpting, smoothing. She felt the same calming closeness as she usually did when working at bringing these lost ones back to the world that had abandoned them. It was as if their souls were trying to reach her, tell her, help her. “No disrespect. We did the big work last night and this morning. Just a little tidying up, then I’ll add the eyes…”

She had no idea who this little boy, who had been sent to her by the Bloomington Police Department, actually was. She estimated he was nine years old. He had been unearthed in a grave in a construction site, and no one had been able to offer a clue to his identity. Hopefully, once the photos were taken of the completed reconstruction, he would be identified.

And so would his murderer.

Ryan would go home.

And hopefully the person who had shoved him into that grave would go straight to hell.

“Brown eyes, Ryan…” She always used brown because they were more common than lighter shades. She carefully put the glass eyes into the orbits. “What a handsome little boy you are…”

Birmingham, Alabama

“WE’RE GETTING CLOSE, KEVIN,”
Doane murmured, turning on his lights as he got on the freeway. “The next state. I’ll have to stop once we’re over the border and steal a license plate. Venable will know that I’ve left Colorado by now. It wouldn’t be smart to let him know where we’re heading, would it? You’d have probably changed the plate before now. And once we reach the lake cottage, I’ll definitely have to change cars. Or maybe a truck … You were always better at this than I was.” He turned on his computer on the seat beside him. “But I’m trying, Kevin. I worked it all out. I won’t let you down.” He typed in a quick e-mail to Blick on the computer. “In place?”

No answer.

Doane could feel a trace of panic surge through him. “It will be okay, Kevin. It takes time. Blick won’t let us down. We’ve been planning this for months. I’ve told him exactly what to do.”

His computer suddenly pinged. Blick.

“In place.”

Relief flooded Doane. “You see, I told you. He’s steady. He’ll do the job,” he murmured as he got on the freeway. “I just have to keep him from killing her…”

Lake Cottage

EVE GLANCED AT THE CLOCK
across the room—6:10
P.M.

Time to shower and head for the airport.

She wiped the clay from her hands on the cloth she kept on the worktable beside the reconstruction. “Okay, Ryan. That’s as good as I can do. No, as good as
we
can do. You helped a lot.” Coffee, first. She hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since lunch, and she didn’t know how long it would be before Jane got out of Customs.

She popped in a Southern Pecan K-cup in her Keurig. She didn’t need anything stronger, and she liked the smell of the brew. These single-cup coffeemakers were a miracle on the par with—

Her cell phone rang. Jane.

“Don’t tell me your flight got in early. I haven’t left the cottage yet.”

“No, I’m in San Juan.”

Eve stiffened with shock. “What?”

“I know. I meant to call you earlier, but there was an emergency, and I had to arrange to leave London. I got a lift on a private jet.”

“Why on earth?”

“Toby. My dog’s sick, Eve.” Her voice was shaking. “The vet in London didn’t know what was wrong. Toby’s just getting weaker and weaker. The vet can’t pin it down, and nothing he’s tried has helped. None of the tests are conclusive. He suggested I put him to sleep. I told him to go to hell.”

“I can see you doing that.” Toby was Jane’s beloved pet, half-dog, half-wolf, and totally endearing. Eve had taken care of Toby herself when Jane had been unable to have her dog with her, and she loved him almost as much as Jane did. “Couldn’t you go to another vet?”

“Eldridge is the best. He’s just giving up too easily. I won’t give up. So we practically smuggled Toby out of London to avoid all the red tape and took off.”

“Toby’s not a young dog any longer, Jane,” she said gently. “You’ve had him since you were just a kid yourself.”

“That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have his chance.” Jane paused. “We’re on our way to Summer Island. I’m taking him to Sarah Logan. I just hope he’s alive when I get there.”

“You’re taking him to the island? Did you call Sarah?”

“Yes, she said that she couldn’t promise miracles, but they have some terrific vets and a few extraordinary consultants who might be able to help.” She added, “Miracles. You know me, Eve. I’m not one to trust in miracles, and I had a hard time believing that the experimental research center Sarah and her husband set up on that island could be all that she promised it to be.”

“Sarah always tells the truth.”

“But dogs that are able to heal and extend life to an undetermined span? That’s pretty hard to swallow.”

“Sarah had trouble herself until she saw the effects on her golden retriever, Monty. She said he acts like a five-year-old, and he’s Toby’s father.”

“I don’t care about any sudden rejuvenation. I only want to keep Toby alive and with me for a little while longer. If Sarah’s started a clinic on that island, it’s got to be a great one.”

“And you’re willing to close your eyes to what doesn’t strike you as reasonable and let Toby have his chance.”

“I love him. And Toby’s so full of love. Dogs like him should live forever.” She cleared her throat. “Do you know that Sarah said that they call the dogs that they have on the island the dogs of summer? She said that dogs should always live in the summer of life. Toby is heading toward his winter, but he’s not there yet. Maybe I can hold him back.”

“Maybe you can. Do you need me? I’ll hop on a plane and be there tomorrow.”

“No, we’re just refueling and checking our flight plan. I want to get Toby to the island as soon as possible. The island is only a tiny speck in the middle of the Caribbean, and you’d have to fly private, too.”

“And your point is?”

“That I can handle this myself. With any luck, Toby and I will be at the lake house in no time.”

“I hope so.” She had a sudden thought. “You said
we
smuggled. Who helped you get Toby out of the country?”

Silence. “Seth Caleb.”

Eve’s hand tightened on the phone. “And?”

“Nothing. No pound of flesh. He just showed up after I’d had the bad news from the vet and offered his services.”

“Just out of the blue. I’m wondering how he so conveniently found out about Toby. Knowing Seth Caleb, that makes me very uneasy.”

“But you’re always uneasy around Caleb. You’ve been that way since the day you met him.”

“And realized he … wasn’t like other people. For God’s sake, Jane. I watched him kill a man by controlling the blood flow to his heart.”

“The medical examiner never confirmed that happened. And Caleb saved Joe, didn’t he?”

“Yes, but he … I don’t like him around you.”

“You’re talking as if he’s some kind of vampire. He’s no such thing. He just has a kind of … talent.”

“And you find him fascinating.”

“So do you.”

“Yes.” She couldn’t deny it. “But it’s like watching a cobra weave back and forth.”

Jane chuckled. “There’s nothing snakelike about Seth. He’s more in the panther line. Yes, if I ever do a sketch of him, I’d make him a black panther.”

“But you’re trusting that panther to take your Toby to safety.” There was no use arguing with her. Eve had watched Seth Caleb’s effect on Jane, and it was both complicated and reckless. Most of the time, Jane realized how dangerous he could be to her and kept him at a distance. In the end, Jane would have to deal with him in her own way.

And if that deal did not turn out happily, Eve would have to go after Caleb and take care of him herself.

“Call me as soon as you reach the island and meet Sarah. I’ll be worried until I know about our Toby.”

“It will be all right.” Jane’s voice had a note of desperation. “It has to be fine. I won’t have it any other way. I’ll bring him to you. Bye, Eve. I love you.” She hung up.

Eve slowly pressed the disconnect. Lord, she wanted to be there with Jane. Toby was very important to her, and this might be a tragic ending for her old friend. Jane had grown up on the streets and in foster homes and had never allowed herself to trust anyone but Eve and Joe. The closest she had come was that zany half-wolf who had bounded into their hearts and lives and stayed there.

Until now.

Maybe it would be okay. Unlike Jane, Eve did believe in miracles. They weren’t always on the horizon, but there was a balance between horror and wonder. Miracles as well as disasters could happen. Sometimes it seemed impossible when you faced the tragedy of little boys like Ryan, but she had to believe because of Bonnie.

Bonnie, who had been taken from her in the most horrible way possible, kidnapped and dying when she was only seven. Yet she had been permitted to come back to comfort Eve and help her through life. Eve had first thought she was a dream, and only after years had she admitted that Bonnie was a spirit and accepted her presence in her life.

Accepted her with joy and gratitude.

Yes, there were miracles in this world.

Maybe Ryan would be someone’s miracle. “I hope so, Ryan.” She turned and picked up her cup of coffee. “I guess there’s no hurry about drinking this. Jane may be a few days. I’ll go out on the porch and sit down and enjoy the sunset.”

But the sun was already down when she went out on the porch. The dusk had fallen, and the lake looked silver-cold.

She shivered and took a sip of coffee.

It didn’t warm her.

She felt suddenly very alone. No Joe. No Jane.

She was being ridiculous. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been alone before. So what if the only entity she had to talk with at the moment was the skull of a dead child?

She turned quickly and went back into the house and slammed the door and locked it. “I’m heading for a long, hot shower, Ryan. Then I’ll come out and pack you in your FedEx box to be picked up tomorrow. Joe should be calling soon, and I’ll have to tell him about poor Toby. I’m sorry Jane won’t get a chance to see you. She’s an artist, and she might have made a wonderful sketch of you that could have led to everyone’s knowing who you are. But we’ll get there anyway…”

CHAPTER

2

San Juan, Puerto Rico

“THE PLANE’S READY.”

Jane turned to see Seth Caleb coming toward her across the tarmac. His silver-threaded dark hair was ruffled by the wind and he was dressed in jeans and a leather flight jacket and he should have looked casual, even unobtrusive. But Caleb never appeared unobtrusive no matter what he wore. He was always high-impact. His high cheekbones and deep-set dark eyes drew the attention and kept it focused. He radiated magnetism and charisma that was impossible to ignore. “Good. Did you check on Toby?”

“Resting quietly.” He glanced at her phone. “How did Eve take the news? She loves Toby, too, doesn’t she?”

“Of course. She would have jumped on the next plane if I’d asked her. I told her to stay home, that I’d bring Toby to her.” Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “And that’s what I’ll do. Just get me to that island.”

“Another hour and fifteen minutes,” Caleb said quietly. “But if the security on the island is as strict as you’ve told me, you’d better give Sarah Logan a call and tell her we’re on our way.”

“I will.” She climbed the steps of the Gulfstream jet. “I told Sarah that I’d be coming; I just didn’t tell her who was bringing me.”

His brows lifted. “But you told Eve, I assume? What did she say? Did she ask any questions? I can’t see her being comfortable with my having you in my clutches.”

“Don’t be absurd. I’m not in your clutches.”

“Only if you choose to be,” he said softly. “I promised you that a long time ago. But you’re understandably wary of me. I try to keep my word, but I have moments when the control slips.”

Jane had seen moments when that had happened, and it had frightened … and excited her. Neither response was wise to accept or encourage. Which was the reason she tried to keep her distance from Caleb. She had not seen him for almost a year before he had shown up in her apartment yesterday. “Stop this bullshit,” she said curtly. “I don’t want to deal with it right now. The only thing I want to think about is Toby.”

His smile faded. “I’ll back off. I know it’s not the time. I told you I slip occasionally. In spite of Eve’s suspicions about my wicked motives, I actually want to help you and Toby. I like your dog.”

She believed him. However, that didn’t mean that it was the entire truth. Seth Caleb had so many intricate facets to his character that he was like a juggler whose balls in the air could be pure gold or deepest ebony. “And I love him.” She fought to keep her voice steady. “Eve thought your sudden arrival on my doorstep was too convenient. I agree with her.”

“But you didn’t question me.”

“I didn’t care. You said you’d do anything I wanted to help Toby. You’re rich, you don’t care about dodging the law if it suits you, I could trust you if I handled you right. I didn’t have the money to rent a private jet myself.” She added baldly, “I needed you.”

“A circumstance much to be desired.” His tone was light. “So it was important that I continue it.”

“But now I’m going to ask you the question Eve would want me to ask. How did you know about Toby? I haven’t seen you in months.”

“I do hate to lose touch with people I care about.”

“Does that mean you’ve been watching me?”

“In a very safe, distant manner. How could I just walk away from you? You’re a very special woman, Jane. I know you find the thought of a relationship with me a little intimidating.”