Quicksand (15 page)

"Steady," Joe said quietly. "You wanted to see him. It's not pretty, is it?"

"I didn't expect it to be." It seemed terrible referring to this man who had been alive only hours ago as "it." "What's his name?"

"Ellis."

She moved forward. "And who is that red-haired man kneeling in front of him?"

"Cassidy."

"He's looking at the note." And so was she, trying desperately to make out the words on the bloodstained note.

Cassidy looked up as Eve and Joe approached. "You're Eve Duncan? I was going to come to the hotel and talk to you. Why the hell is he doing this?"

"Back off. I've told you what connection he has with Eve," Joe said. "There's no reason to bother her."

Eve shuddered as she looked at the dead man. "The note. Can you make out what it says? Is it the same?"

Cassidy shook his head. "It's longer than the others. But it's still addressed to you."

"What does it say?"

His gaze went back to the note. "Look for yourself."

She was looking, staring, making out word by word until she had the entire message.
Go home, Eve, Bonnie's waiting
.

She flinched back. "My God."

Joe's arm slid around her in support. "Will you get away from here now? Have you had enough?"

She nodded numbly. "I'll go." She turned and started back through the woods. Joe was silent for a moment. "It's just his way of putting a stake through your heart, Eve. Don't let him do it."

"Only partly," she said. "By killing that man he was taunting the searchers, but he was also sending me a message. He's gone. He's left the forest, Joe."

His gaze narrowed on her face. "Why do you think that?"

"He told me to go home. He's luring me away with the one bait he knows I can't resist. And he's impatient and doesn't want to have to wait until all of these searchers decide that he's no longer here. He wanted to tell me that if I go home he'll be waiting for me."

"It's possible," he said slowly.

"No, it's more than possible. He's telling me to go home to Atlanta where Bonnie was taken. He's teasing me with the idea that he might lead me to where he buried her."

"He'll never do it."

"Not if he can help it. But I told you what he said about giving me clues about where to find her. He could have decided to open a new game. But if he's left this forest, then we may never find him if he disappears as he's done in the past. We know more about him now and he's going to be even more careful. This may be our only chance."

"A chance to have him butcher you."

"A chance to bring Bonnie home."

"What if he decides it's not safe to leave the forest with all the guards around the perimeter?"

"You told me once you thought he'd be able to break through."

He started to curse. "You're going to do it, aren't you?"

"Why even ask? You know I will." She opened the door of the car. "I'm going home, Joe."
NINE

"SHE'S LEAVING," MIGUEL TOLD
Montalvo when he reached him on the phone. "She's heading for the airport. Quinn is with her."

"Of course he is," Montalvo said. "He wouldn't let her go into the lion's den alone."

"You think Kistle's gone?"

"If he wanted to go. You could, I could. And I'd bet he wanted out. It was getting too tight for fun. He couldn't spread his wings and swoop like an eagle. And he couldn't get near Eve. The notes were the only way to contact her and there couldn't be much satisfaction if he couldn't see her, hear her."

"Are you staying around to make sure?"

"Eve is sure. I trust her instincts. I'll talk to Cassidy and give him a heads-up that Kistle may have flown the coop. He won't give up the search until he makes sure, but that's his prerogative. I'll meet you at the airport in an hour."

EVE AND JOE ARRIVED AT THE
lake cottage at sunset. The sun was casting a scarlet mirror image on the lake. Beautiful, Eve thought wearily. It was good to see beauty when she had come from such ugliness.

Joe parked the car in front of the cottage and jumped out. "Stay here a minute." He took the porch steps two at a time and disappeared inside the cottage. He came out a few minutes later.

"It's secure." He opened the car door for her. "Go inside and lock the doors. You know where the pistol is. I'll go and pick up Toby from Jane's friend. I should be back in twenty minutes."

"I don't think Kistle would be that obvious," Eve said as she climbed the steps. She was already feeling a sense of peace and contentment. It was like being in the tranquil center of a hurricane. It seemed impossible that anything bad could happen here, where she'd been happy for so many years. "There's nothing subtle or clever about breaking into a house. I'll rummage through the freezer and see what I can find us to eat."

"Do that." Joe started the car turned and went back down the road. She went inside and locked the door before taking Carrie over to the easel and setting her up. One more night and she should be finished with the reconstruction. "Sorry, Carrie," she murmured. "It's not that you're not important to me. It's been a hell of a few days." That was an understatement. Horror and death and ugliness had stalked her from the moment she had taken the call from Kistle that first night.

Forget it. She was home. She needed to take a little time to get her breath and heal. Megan had talked about healing. Something about hibernating and—

But she didn't want to think about Megan either. To remember Megan was to remember those moments when she had been caught up in that other horror. To remember Megan was to be pulled into wondering about questions she'd avoided for all these years. She headed for the kitchen. She was sure there was some lasagna in the freezer. Joe liked lasagna. She'd make some garlic bread and they'd eat and talk and maybe the tension between them would ease.

Lord, she hoped it would ease.

MONTALVO CALLED AS SHE WAS
putting the bread in the oven.

She hesitated. She didn't want to talk to Montalvo right now. She wanted to keep the fragile serenity she had felt at this homecoming. But if she didn't talk to him now she'd have to talk to him later. She punched the button. "What do you want, Montalvo?"

"Many things. But at the moment I only want to tell you that you did the right thing by coming home. You looked frayed the last time I saw you and you value your home. You'll feel better there."

"Everyone values their home."

"Providing they have one. It takes more than four walls." He changed the subject. "I just wanted to call and tell you that I'm here in Atlanta if you need me. I'm at the Plaza and you have my cell number."

"I won't need you."

"You can never tell. If you don't want to see me, Miguel would be glad to stand in my place."

"You'd let him?"

"If I had to do it. Not willingly. But I have an uneasy feeling that you may need someone."

"I have Joe."

"Who is beyond compare. Call me if you need me." He hung up.

Dammit, she'd known he would manage to disturb her. He had been low-key and said nothing intimate or controversial and yet she was still uneasy.

She turned away from the stove and took down plates from the cabinet. Why did an offer from Montalvo to keep her safe make her feel just the opposite?

Get over it. He was an expert manipulator and those words had probably been carefully calculated.

"Smells good." Joe was on the porch and opened the door to let Toby into the house. The retriever tore immediately over to Eve licked her hand and then went over to his bowl and stared at her accusingly.

"Did Patty feed him?"

"I forgot to ask."

"Bad mistake." She sighed. "Give him some dog food while I dish up the lasagna."

"Right." Joe went to the dog food canister. "Though we could call Patty."

"I don't feel like calling his bluff tonight. Let him be happy." She wished making everyone happy would be that simple. People were a hell of a lot more complicated than dogs. "Was he good at Patty's?"

"Probably not. She doesn't care. She's besotted with the dog and spoils him rotten." He set the table. "We should probably board him."

"Yeah, sure." Joe was as crazy about Toby as the rest of the world was. He'd hire an army of dog-sitters before he'd board him. "And Jane would take a contract out on us. After all, he's her dog."

"He likes us a little too." Joe got the garlic bread and put it on a plate. "We're family, and that makes a difference."

Home and now family. The basic concepts seemed to be popping up in everyone's mind tonight. And Joe was being casual, almost normal, she noticed with relief. It was as if being here in a familiar place was taking the edge off, soothing him, as it had her. She set the lasagna on the table and sat down. "Yes, it makes a big difference." He didn't look at her as he dished her up a portion of lasagna. "I never really had a family before you and Jane. My parents were always off on a yachting trip or skiing somewhere or other. Not that I had anything to complain about. I had food and good schools and that's a hell of a lot more than you had growing up." He lifted his gaze to stare into her eyes. "I just wanted you to know that I value every day we've been together as a family. Whatever happens between us, I want you to believe that."

"I believe it." She reached across the table to cover his hand with her own. "Likewise." She squeezed his hand and then picked up her fork. "And it's going to go on forever."

"I'll be happy for one day at a time," Joe said. "Because I can't promise you I'll feel any different about Bonnie. I've watched you suffering for too long. And in the end that could break us, not Montalvo."

She could feel the shadows returning, chilling her. "Shut up, Joe." She handed him a piece of garlic bread. "I don't want to talk about Kistle, Montalvo, or Bonnie. I just want to have a good dinner and then go to bed. Can't we put everything else on hold?" He was silent a moment and then a slow smile lit his face. "Only if you eat a piece of this bread too. I refuse to be the only one in bed reeking of garlic."

JOE WAS SLEEPING.

Eve rolled over on her back to stare into the darkness. She wanted to go to sleep too, but it wasn't going to happen. Perhaps because she desperately wanted to continue on with the same warm, loving mood that had been present all evening. The conversation had been casual but affectionate, the sex had been hot yet heartbreakingly tender. Joe had held her for an hour before he'd drifted off to sleep.

Would it be the same in the morning? Probably not. Life would intrude and peace would vanish. She couldn't lie here brooding about it. She'd get up and get a glass of water and then maybe work on Carrie for a while.

She gently brushed her lips across Joe's shoulder and carefully got out of bed. She pulled on her robe and glided toward the door.

Toby was sleeping on the couch in the living room. He always jumped up there when they weren't around to keep him from it. He lifted his head, wagged his tail, and yawned.

"No, it's not morning." Eve got her glass of water. "And you have no business up there." She glanced at Carrie, then went out on the porch. Toby jumped down, followed her, and settled down on the top step. "But I'm not going to yell at you. I'm feeling mellow tonight." She stroked the retriever's head. "You were a big part in giving us a good evening. But don't think you can do it tomorrow."

He cuddled closer and licked her arm.

She should probably go back inside. Joe wouldn't like her being out on the porch without him. But as she'd told him, she didn't believe that Kistle would stalk her here. It might be unreasonable, but she felt as if she would be able to sense him if he was close to her. Unreasonable? There had been nothing reasonable about anything that had happened to her since Kistle had entered her life. There had only been darkness and threats and death. And he was still out there, waiting to do it again.

"HE'S NOT GOING TO WAIT
long,
Mama."

She turned to see Bonnie sitting on the porch swing with one leg tucked beneath the other. "I
know, baby. But that may be a good thing. It may be over soon."
She frowned. "I hope it will. Joe is so sad. I used to think you were the only sad one, but Joe is
hurting too. I wish I could help him."

"You can't help him. You're the problem. He said he wished you'd never been born."

"Because he loves you. Don't be angry with him."

"I'm not angry. I'm sad. Because he can't love you the way I do." Eve smiled faintly. "Of
course, I suppose you could always pay him a visit and let him get to know you."

"You're joking." She shook her head. "But I wish I could, Mama. I don't think it works that
way. You're the only one who can see me."

"Because I'm the one who's nuts?"

"Because you open yourself to me. I can feel your mind open and saying welcome. It's like
someone rolling out the red carpet at one of those Academy Awards ceremonies."

"Oh, yes, I'd spread the red carpet, strike up the band, and give you any gold statue I had on
hand."

"Would you? It sounds like a party."

"The very best party." She looked down at Toby, who was lying with his head on her knee. "If
you're a ghost, why isn't Toby barking and cowering? Aren't they supposed to be afraid of
spirits?"

"That's a myth. Besides, Toby knows me by now. He'd be silly to be scared of me."

"He's pretty silly most of the time anyway. He thinks he's still a puppy."

"Isn't that wonderful?"

"I guess it is." She looked down at Toby. "Childhood is a special magic time. Every minute
should be enjoyed."

"You're thinking about Bobby Joe."

"Yes, his childhood didn't last much longer than yours, baby."

"It was bad for him?"