Blind Alley (8 page)

"Good night, Jane. Sleep well."

"I'll try." She smiled at her over her shoulder. "And if I don't, then I'll come running."

"I'll always be here for you."

Jane was still feeling the warmth engendered by those words when she reached her bedroom. Yes, Eve would always be there to comfort and support her. She had never had anyone to trust before Eve had come into her life, and after the confidences tonight, she felt closer to her than ever.

Now to go to bed and get to sleep and hope that she wouldn't be pulled back into that other place. Not yet. Each dream was becoming increasingly draining. It was like being on a treadmill whose speed kept escalating. She needed to recover strength before she faced it again.

"I'm coming," she murmured as she pulled the covers up. "Just give me a little rest. I'm not abandoning you, Cira___"

Chapter Five

It was too damn dark and they hadn't turned on the porch light. Aldo lowered the binoculars with profound disappointment. When the two women had come out on the porch, he'd thought he'd be able to see them clearly but they'd both only been a shadowy blur.

But he knew which one was Jane MacGuire. He could feel the exquisite life force, the singing strength, the poetry that was such a part of her. When she'd knelt before the other woman and laid her head on her lap, it had been so characteristic, so familiar. She could move the heart with a gesture, control those around her with a smile or a tear, he thought bitterly.

She was doing that now with the woman who must be Eve Duncan. The woman was still staring after her and Aldo could almost feel the love radiating between them. He had not been surprised when he'd discovered that Jane lived with the same forensic sculptor who had reconstructed Caroline Halliburton. It had just been another sign that the circle was tightening.

Even the police car parked down the road had not intimidated him. He could move in these woods as silently as a forest animal. And those policemen standing guard were only an indication that she knew he was near and was filled with fear.

As she should be.

Joe was lying still in the darkness when Eve slipped into bed but she could sense that he wasn't sleeping.

"Jane had another nightmare," she said as she pulled the blanket over her. "I had to talk to her."

"And?"

"Running down a tunnel, unable to breathe, someone in the tunnel with her but no threat." She cuddled closer and laid her head on his shoulder. "It sounds like typical stuff but nothing's ever typical about Jane. We'll have to keep an eye on her."

"I don't think there's any question about that," Joe said dryly. "Particularly under the circumstances. And if it was as typical as you're saying, I don't think you'd have been out there on the porch for so long."

Eve was silent a moment. "She says sometimes she's not sure it's a dream."

"Now, that's not commonplace."

"And a little scary?"

"No, it just has to be handled." He gently stroked the hair at her temple. "You had your share of dreams about Bonnie and we fought our way through."

Oh, yes, she remembered those first years after Bonnie's kidnapping when he'd been her rock in a seething whirlpool of despair. But she hadn't shared these last years of healing dreams of Bonnie with him. It was too bizarre. How would he handle those visions if she did?

"Eve?"

"What if she's right, Joe? Sometimes I wonder.... How do we know what are dreams and what's real?"

"I know." His lips brushed her forehead. "Don't get all philosophical on me. You want to know about reality? Ask a hardheaded cop like me. We live and breathe it."

"That's right, you do."

He must have sensed the slight mental withdrawal because his arm tightened around her. "Okay, I'm not the most sensitive guy in the world. But I'm here for you and Jane. So take what I can give you."

"You are sensitive, Joe."

He chuckled. "Yeah, sure. The only reason I'm sensitive to you is that I love you so damn much that you can't take a breath without me knowing about it. Otherwise, I'm a tough son of a bitch and that's the way I want to stay. Tough isn't bad. Not if it keeps you and Jane safe."

That was Joe, she thought. Loyal, smart, and denying any hint of softness. Jesus, she loved him. She turned her head and kissed him. "No, tough isn't bad," she whispered. But she knew she wasn't going to tell him tonight.

Not yet, Bonnie ...

I'm on my way," Bartlett said. "I'm changing planes at Kennedy now. I couldn't get on the direct flight but I should be at Atlanta in a couple hours. Unless the police pick me up."

"I think you're still safe," Trevor said. "They would have stopped you from entering the country if Quinn had been able to trace your connection with me."

"That's comforting. Where am I supposed to meet you?"

"The lobby of the Best Western Hotel at Lake Lanier. Don't check in. We'll be leaving right away."

"And where are we going?"

"Quinn's lake house. Well, not the house itself. I've been sleeping in the woods for the past two nights."

"Why? As I recall, I leased you a nice comfortable lodge north of the city. I was quite proud of how thoroughly I buried the paperwork."

"I have to keep close to her. Sooner or later Aldo will show up there." He paused. "He may be there now. But I haven't run across him yet. Quinn's got a lot of acreage and Aldo is woods savvy."

"So are you. But then I haven't come across anything you're not good at. It's very depressing. Of course, you're not as well versed in the outdoors as you are in a casino. I'd judge the odds aren't nearly as good. But what do I know? You've proved me wrong before. However, I'm here to state that I'm not looking forward to any damp, earthy sojourn in the forest primeval."

"You'll adjust."

"Promises. I'll see you at nine at the hotel if you don't get your ass caught flitting around there." Bartlett hung up.

Trevor pressed the disconnect and looked out over the lake. Jane was in that cottage. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon and she should have been in school, they were keeping her home, keeping her safe.

Or so they thought. There was no safety where Aldo was concerned. He was totally relentless and his patience was inexhaustible.

So that's how patient Trevor must be. Jesus, it was hard. He'd never been this close before. Well, he had to be patient. Jane MacGuire was a bright beacon that Aldo wouldn't be able to resist and he only had to watch until the bastard ventured too close to the flame.

Aldo would want to kill Jane with all due ceremony. No long-range rifle shot for him. And if he was right, the chances were good that Trevor would have time to get him before he could murder the girl.

"The odds aren't nearly as good."

Well, Bartlett was wrong. The odds were always as good as the effort you made to make them come up a winner. He just had to divorce himself from all emotion and use intellect and logic. He had to forget that moment when he'd looked at Jane and seen the spirit and the vitality that shone from her face. She mustn't matter to him as a person, only as a means to an end. He'd made one mistake. He couldn't afford another one.

Or Jane MacGuire would be dead within the next few days.

It's definitely volcanic ash forensics found with Caroline Halliburton's body," Christy said when Joe picked up the phone. "We're trying to determine from which volcano. No luck yet."

"Scotland Yard can't help?"

"No conclusions about the ashes found with the other victims."

"That's what Trevor said. How the hell did he know if he's not connected with the Yard?"

"There's the obvious answer."

"Yeah." And he should accept the probability. To hell with instinct. His training should dictate what he thought in this case. "Any report on Trevor?"

"Not yet. No info on a Mark Trevor in their data banks and it takes a long time to get a photo match from a sketch. No report on the fingerprints either. They sent them out to Interpol. I'll let you know when I hear something."

"You'd better."

"How's Jane?"

"Restless, impatient. A hell of a lot better than Eve and me. She doesn't like being cooped up."

"That sounds like Jane." Christy chuckled. "But she's not dumb, Joe. She's not going to do anything foolish."

"What she considers foolish may not be what I consider foolish. She won't stay in the cottage. She says that having a police escort constantly on her heels is enough of a hassle without being made a total prisoner."

"A visible police guard is usually an effective deterrent, Joe."

"Usually." He went to the window and watched Jane as she strolled down the lake path. Mac and Brian were several yards behind her but in clear sight and Toby was gamboling beside her. "I don't like to count on it. Get back to me the minute you hear anything."

"Any news?" Eve asked as he hung up the phone.

"Volcanic ash. No location determined." He turned to face her. "Nothing on Trevor."

"Dammit." She joined him at the window. "What's the use of all this technology if they can't pull up information when you need it?"

"Trevor impressed me as being very smart. He may not have any criminal record."

"Yes, he's smart. But he tipped his hand with us. And if he made one mistake, then he could have made others." She frowned.

"And no one is an island in this day and age. What about the fingerprints? Even if he doesn't have a criminal record, he must have gone to school, gotten a driver's license. Something..."

"We're checking." He slipped his arm around her waist, his gaze on Jane, who had just sat down on a log beside the lake. "It's only a matter of time."

He should be in hiding, Aldo thought. It was daylight and there might be more policemen than the two following the girl combing the woods. Screw it. He'd go to ground soon but he'd take this moment. It was the first time he'd been able to see her clearly.

He gazed hungrily at the girl sitting on the log across the lake. She appeared totally unafraid and was truly exquisite. So confident in her youth and power. The young always thought they were immortal, but she should know better. Had she no memory?

She must remember. She was just displaying her usual arrogance. She wouldn't admit to fear because she'd look upon it as a defeat.

But she'd admit it soon. She'd look into his eyes and he'd see the terror.

It was only a matter of time.

Was he out there?

Jane stared at the woods across the lake. She couldn't see anything, but she felt... something. It was weird to think of a man stalking you, wanting to kill you for no reason other than that he didn't like your face. It was crazy and she should be more afraid.

She felt more than just fear. She was filled with curiosity and excitement and anger. The idea of prey and hunter intrigued her. What would he do if she became the stalker? If she tried to turn the tables on that creep?

Not that she'd do anything like that, she thought regretfully. Eve and Joe would have a cow and there was no way she'd worry them. Eve was already too concerned about her after their talk last night. She'd understood Jane more than anyone else would have but in spite of her saying she had no right to judge, it had still troubled her. No, she wouldn't willingly cause Eve any more worry.

But the key word was willingly. It wouldn't be her fault if she was drawn into the whirlpool Aldo was stirring. And she couldn't be expected not to fight back, could she?

Jane picked up a rock and sent it skimming over the surface of the lake.

Did you see that? Are you watching, Aldo? Yes, he was watching. She could feel it. He was close and getting closer. She would be forced to confront him soon. It was only a matter of time.

We've got a report on Mark Trevor," Christy said when she called that night. "Interpol came through."

Joe signaled Eve to pick up the extension. "Criminal record?"

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean 'not exactly'? He has a record or he doesn't."

"He was on their watch list because of casino activity in Monte Carlo. Among other talents, he's a superb card counter. He took several casinos on the Riviera to the cleaners before they caught on to what he was doing and banned him. Since card counting is a talent and not a criminal activity they couldn't charge him, but the local police wanted to keep their eye on him. There was every chance one of the casinos would take a contract out on him."

"No other charges?"

"Not so far as we can find out. But he must have forged identity documents as he moved from country to country. The name he used in Monte Carlo was Hugh Trent."

"A British citizen?"

"No, the Brits can't believe they wouldn't have been able to find some record in their computers. They're very frustrated because they regard it as an insult to their professionalism."

"He sounded British."

"The casino in Monte Carlo thought he was French. The one in Germany was sure he was German. He evidently speaks several languages fluently. Every report indicates that he appeared to be well educated, brilliant, and slick as glass."

"And he doesn't have any history of violence?"

"I didn't say that. When the Zurich casino was looking for Trevor to squeeze some of their money out of him, they ran across one of his contacts, Jack Cornell, who said he fought with him when he was a mercenary in Colombia. That was over ten years ago and Trevor wasn't much more than a kid, but he was one lethal son of a bitch."

"And still may be. The military can be a great training ground."

"You should know. You were in the SEALs, weren't you?"

"Yes." He paused. "And, kid or not, he could well have been seduced by the dark side."

"Dark side? Come on. You sound like something out of Star Wars."

"Do I? The phrase struck a note when I first heard it. Violence can be addictive if you don't pull yourself away fast."