Quicksand (3 page)

"KEEP BEHIND THE YELLOW
tape," the policeman said roughly. "If you're that curious about forensic procedures, watch
CSI
or
Bones
."

"I'm sorry, sir," Miguel Vicente said sympathetically. "I heard the victim was a sheriff? One of your own. I can understand how you'd be upset. I was in the military and the bond is much the same."

"You don't look old enough to have been in the military. You can't be more than nineteen or twenty." The officer's gaze traveled over Miguel's slender body and lingered on his thickly bandaged hands. "Iraq?"

"Not all wars are in Iraq. But I've had friends die fighting beside me. I know how you must feel."

"Jim Jedroth was a damn fine officer and a great guy. We'll get the pervert who killed him. We're hunting the woods for him now." He turned and walked back toward the forensic team, who were making a chalk mark around the body. "Stay behind that tape, kid."

"Yes, sir. Whatever you say." Miguel pushed his way back through the crowd cordoned off from the crime scene. He didn't pull out his phone until he was on his way to his rental car parked down the street. He slowly dialed Montalvo's number, wincing with pain as he tried to make his fingers work. "We're too late, Colonel," he told Montalvo when he picked up the phone. "I think Kistle's on the run."

Montalvo muttered a curse. "You're sure?"

"There's a dead sheriff outside Kistle's flat and a deputy who's swearing vengeance on the pervert who killed him. He said they were hunting the woods for him now. I'd say that was a pretty good indication. I'll find out more, but I thought you'd want a report."

"Dammit, I thought we'd be able to rope Kistle in and hand him to Eve on a plate. We were so close."

"Evidently so were the local police. He must have been under suspicion."

"Why? Kistle is smart as hell. I'd bet they were alerted to watch him."

"Joe Quinn?"

"Probably. We knew he was doing his own investigation. I just didn't think he'd get there before we did."

"And you wanted to be first."

"I always want to be first."

"Particularly where Eve Duncan is concerned," Miguel said softly.

"I made her a promise."

"And she told you to forget it. Could it be you just want to be her hero? My, under the same circumstances I believe you'd accuse me of being sickeningly sentimental, Colonel."

"I keep my promises, you scamp. Now back off."

"Yes, sir." Miguel recognized by the thread of steel in Montalvo's voice it was time to change the subject. He had served under him since he was a young boy in the military compound Montalvo had run in Colombia and he would serve him again anywhere, anytime, for the rest of his life. That didn't mean he didn't know how tough Montalvo could be if he stepped beyond the allowed limitations. "Just an observation. What do you want me to do next?"

"Find out all you can about the sheriff's investigation into Kistle. I'll get a flight out tonight."

"Do you want me to go into the woods after Kistle? I may still be able to rope him in for Eve if I can keep from stumbling over the sheriff's deputies."

"Hell, no. I spent a small fortune on those operations on your hands. You're not even supposed to open a book, much less try guerrilla warfare."

"I'm bored. My hands are fine." He amended, "Well, not fine, but functional. An ingenious man like me can compensate."

"An ingenious man like you could end up with gangrene. Stay there, keep watching, and stay out of those woods."

"YOU THINK IT'S BONNIE'S
killer?" Jane gazed down into the coffee in her cup. "You told me once that you had dozens of crank calls confessing to Bonnie's killing right after she disappeared. Could this be another one?"

"Yes." Eve leaned wearily back in her chair. "The investigators Montalvo hired tapped a lot of prison inmates, who gave them information about friends or acquaintances who had actually told them they had killed Bonnie. They came up with three possible suspects. Maybe they were like the creeps who called me at the time. They could have wanted some sick glory among their peers."

"But you think it's possible?"

She nodded jerkily. "He called her a burning arrow in the darkness. Bonnie was— He sounded like he knew her."

"Or a clever sadist who wanted to make sure he'd hurt you."

"Yes, he definitely wanted to do that." She lifted her cup to her lips. "He didn't like Joe setting the police on him, and I was the nearest target." She thought about it. "No, it was more than that. He sounded . . . exhilarated."

"What do you know about Kistle?"

"Not as much as I'd like. The report Montalvo gave me was pretty scanty. There were three possible suspects his investigators turned up. Kistle was one of them. They traced Kistle from the time he was running drugs in Atlanta at the time of Bonnie's death to last year when he was living in Detroit. There were big gaps in the report. He must have moved around a lot and been smart enough to be able to change identities and obtain false documents whenever he liked. He just disappeared from view for long periods. We don't know where in the country he was living. Though he mentioned Colorado to me on the telephone."

I impersonated a sheriff once. It was in Fort Collins, Colorado. Children are taught to trust
policemen.

The memory brought back the same shock and sickness as when she'd first heard it. She wearily shook her head. "I need to know more. He used the name Kistle again when he showed up in Detroit last year. A few months later he left Detroit and there was no word until now."

"No prior arrests? No school records?"

"Nothing."

"Then Kistle can't be his real name."

Eve nodded. "We were trying to check his background, but we weren't getting very far. And we wanted to know where the bastard was
now.
Evidently Joe found him." Her lips tightened.

"And didn't tell me."

"It was a wrong move," Jane said. "But he only wanted what was best for you. He didn't want you to go through all that pain if Kistle wasn't the right man."

"I know that. It doesn't help. Bonnie is my daughter. He should have shared the—" She broke off as the phone rang. She jumped up to answer it. "It's Deputy Dodsworth," she told Jane as she picked up the handset. "Eve Duncan. Please. Tell me you got Kistle, Deputy."

"Not yet." His voice was grim. "I called the highway patrol and they set up roadblocks, but he drove into Clayborne Forest and abandoned his car. We're searching for him now. We're combing the entire area. We'll find him."

"And Sheriff Jedroth?"

"Dead. I jumped in the patrol car myself and drove over to Kistle's place where Jim was doing surveillance. The bastard stabbed him in the back. I don't know how the hell he did it. Jim was sharp, real sharp. He would have been—" The deputy cleared his throat. "He was a good man."

Eve said gently, "I'm sure he was. I'm sorry, Deputy."

"Yeah, me too. We grew up together." He drew a deep breath before he said, "I have questions to ask you. This telephone number is the same one the sheriff was using for Detective Joe Quinn. I want to speak to him."

"You'll be doing that in person in a few hours. He's on his way there. You can meet him at the airport. There can't be that many flights into Bloomburg."

"And you are Eve Duncan?"

"Yes, I told you that before. I live with Joe Quinn."

"And why should Kistle have—"

"Look, Joe must have told you or your sheriff enough about why we're after Kistle to satisfy you. I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about it right now. If you need to know anything else, ask Joe. Good-bye, Deputy." She hung up and turned back to Jane. "He got away. They still think they may be able to get him. He's running around in the woods somewhere." She sank back into her chair. "And Sheriff Jedroth was murdered, stabbed in the back while he was doing surveillance on Kistle."

"You're not surprised, are you? It wasn't likely that he'd have picked up the sheriff's cell phone in the lost and found."

"No, I'm not surprised." Eve lifted her cup to her lips. "Kistle was incredibly ugly. If you could have heard—" She broke off. She couldn't talk about it. Not now. She set her cup down and pushed back her chair. "I'm going outside for a walk."

"I'll go with you."

"No, I'll take my cell in case Joe calls me, but I need you to answer the house phone and call me if you hear anything about Kistle."

"And you want to be alone."

She nodded jerkily. "No offense. I'm grateful you were here. I just need—"

"For God's sake, you don't have to explain yourself to me. After all these years I'd think you'd know that. Get out of here. I'll hold down the fort." She nudged Toby with her foot. "Go with her, you lazy lug. Being with Toby is like being alone and yet he's good company."

"If you can get him moving," Eve said as she headed for the door. "I won't be long, Jane."

"I know."

Toby got to his feet, yawned, and trotted after Eve.

Eve took a deep breath of the sharp, clear air as she went out on the porch. That was better. She had needed something to brace her. She had needed to be alone. She didn't want to worry Jane any more than she had already. She was no longer shaking, but the muscles of her stomach were locked and tense and she felt a terrible sense of foreboding. It was stupid. If Kistle had killed Bonnie, there was nothing worse that he could do to her. Taunts were painful, but they paled in the reality of her little girl's death.

She went down the steps and started down the lake path.

A beautiful child.

Like a burning arrow.

Bonnie.

She stopped to look out over the glittering surface of the lake. She had spent so many years here since she had come to live with Joe. So peaceful and lovely. It had never failed to bring her a sense of serenity and inner strength. How Bonnie would have loved to be able to play and run beside this lake. She had missed so many things.

"
NOT SO MANY,
Mama."

Eve stopped on the path as she saw Bonnie sitting cross-legged on the ground beneath the oak
tree to the right of the path. She was wearing her Bugs Bunny T-shirt and the moonlight was
tangled in her curly red hair.

"
Of course you did," Eve said. "What do you know? You were only seven when you were
taken from me.
"

"
And can you be sure that what I've got now isn't better than those years you're so sorry I
missed?
"

"
Well, if you have it so good now, why are you flitting around haunting me? You must like it
here.
"

Bonnie's smile illuminated her face. "No, I just like being with you, Mama.
"
Eve felt an aching melting deep within her. "Oh, and I like being with you, baby.
"
Bonnie suddenly chuckled. "You said I was haunting you. Ghosts haunt. Are you finally
admitting that I'm a grade-A, genuine ghost?
"

"
Not necessarily. I'm sure hallucinations can haunt. Figments of the imagination are—" She
shook her head. "I don't want to argue about it now. You're here and that's all I care about.
"

"
You let him hurt you. You shouldn't have done that. Mama. He . . . likes it.
"

"
Is he the one, baby?
"

"
I don't know. I don't let myself think of that night. I've told you that before, Mama.
"

"
He wants me to believe he did.
"

"
Truth or lie. He knows it hurts you. He's going to keep on trying to hurt you. Stay away from
him." She frowned. "And stay away from the woman too. She can hurt you more than anyone.
"

"
What woman?
"

"
I don't . . . know. The box. The woman with the box." She shook her head. "Just stay here
where you're safe.
"

"
I can't do that. I have to find Kistle and make him tell me where you are. I have to bring you
home.
"

"
I'm home where I am now. You're the one who is lost. That's why I come. I can't let you stay
lost. It hurts me when you hurt.
"

"
Is that why you came tonight?
"

"
Maybe. But it's been a while since I was with you. I was missing you.
"

"
And I always miss you, Bonnie.
"

"
Yes, but you have Joe and Jane. You love them too." She looked back at the lights of the
cottage. "Jane is waiting for you to come back. She's worried about you. She wanted to come
with you, but she decided to give you your space." She paused. "She knows about me, doesn't
she, Mama?
"

"
Yes. It was accidental. I didn't even know she knew.
"

"
But you've still not told Joe?"

"
I will someday. He's a realist. It would be . . . difficult."
Bonnie smiled. "You're being defensive.
"

"
And you're being pushy. I'll tell him when the time is right."

"
Well, this isn't the right time. He'll be getting off that plane in Bloomburg soon and he's not
even going to be able to take a breath before he's pulled down into the quicksand." She lifted
her head. "Jane's answering the phone. You'd better go back to the cottage.
"
Eve's gaze followed hers to the cottage. "Quicksand. What do you mean, quick
—"
BONNIE WAS GONE.

Eve didn't need to look back at the oak tree to know that that small, beloved figure would no longer be there. She felt the familiar rush of sadness that seemed to fill the world. Yet with the sadness she could feel a sort of serenity and healing that was always present after Bonnie came to her. From the time a year after Bonnie's death when Eve had first begun to dream, or fantasize, or whatever term she could find to use for seeing Bonnie, it had been the same. No matter what she called the experience, it had saved Eve's sanity and perhaps her life. She had been spiraling downward into deep depression and had not been able to fight her way out. Then Bonnie had been there and life had begun to be bearable.