The Face of Deception (31 page)

You know I cant turn my back on her.

Oh, I know that. Nobody knows it better. I thought I could take it, but she dominates your god-damned life. Just why the hell did you marry me, Joe?

Youre upset. Well talk about this when I come home.

If you come home. If she doesnt get you killed. Diane slammed down the phone.

Jesus, hed made a mess of it. Why had he thought the marriage would work? Hed given her everything he could, everything hed thought she wanted. Hed tried to balance honesty with kindness, but Diane had pride, and no matter how he tried to avoid inflicting pain, it was inevitable. Everything Diane had said was true. She had every right to wonder why he had married her.

He hoped she never found out.

EIGHTEEN

The scent of the damp, mossy riverbank hit Logan as soon as he got out of the car. The smell of earth re-minded him of the cornfield in Maryland.

Not a particularly happy memory, Logan thought. A successful diversion, but he still remembered Eves face when she found out hed used her as bait.

Smells good, doesnt it? Gil breathed deeply as he started to walk toward the river. Reminds me of home.

The area appeared deserted and, at least, Gil had chosen a meeting place with no trees or cover. The gulf? Youre from Mobile, arent you?

A little town outside Mobile.

Deep South.

Where else did you think I learned to love Garth Brooks?

Logans gaze raked the bank. It should be therehellip; God, he wished there were moonlight. But you tell me country is universal.

But every universe has to have a home planet. He glanced at Logan. Relax. Its going to be okay. No one can approach us without us seeing them. If anyone but Maren shows we can take off.

And if were cut off from the car?

We can always swim.

Ive got a better idea. He breathed a sigh of re-lief as the moon came out from behind the clouds and he saw the gleam of stainless steel. I rented a speed-boat and arranged to have it brought downriver and staked out over there.

Gil started to laugh. I knew you would. God, youre anal, John.

Its better than swimming.

Do you think I wouldnt have done it myself if I hadnt known youd provide?

How the hell do I know what youd do? You arranged this damn-fool meeting. Why couldnt you just have him call you?

Because he may need more persuading. Its too easy to hang up a telephone.

And you have a death wish.

I have a death wish? The risk isnt as great for me as for you. Ive already taken one bullet this month. I figure that puts the odds on my side. You should have stayed in Georgia and let me handle it.

Logan didnt answer.

Of course, I realize that you were afraid some-thing might happen to me. Gil gave him a sly glance. Naturally, you didnt want anything to happen to a man of my brilliance and charisma.

No?

And besides, you dont have that many friends who are willing to put up with your lack of appre-ciation for the finer things of life. Yes, I should have known youd hop on a plane for purely selfish reasons.

Purely selfish.

Ah, you admit it.

You bet I do. I couldnt stand another day at Bainbridge. The only thing I could get on the radio was Hank Williams Jr. and that damn song Feed Jake.

Gil chuckled. God, really? Thats got to be my kind of town.

I agree. Ive got an airline ticket in my pocket for you. His lips tightened grimly. If you survive tonight.

Gils smile faded. This is worth the chance, John. I managed to shake Maren. I could see it.

Then, where is he?

Were early. I think hell be here.

Only forty minutes early. But there was no sign of movement on the bank of the canal or the river. If there was a trap, he couldnt see it.

Maybe Gil had succeeded in convincing Maren. It was possible. Perhaps in a hour all this would be over and their work on Bens skull would be of sec-ondary importance.

Lord, he hoped so.

But where the hell was Maren?

The security guard looked up from talking to the clerk at the information desk. Good night, Dr. Maren, he said, smiling. Late night.

Paperwork. Its the bane of my existence. Good night, Paul. He went out the glass doors and headed for his reserved space, where his classic 1957 Corvette was parked. The timing was right. Thirty minutes and hed be at the canal.

He pulled out of the lot and turned left. With any luck, it would be over before he got there. Timwick didnt really need him to act as bait to catch Price.

So why was he going? Was it truly Price who was to be caught in the trap?

The poison Price had injected was eating into him. Lisa. Death.

Stop it. It wasnt true. Price had given him suppo-sition, not proof. Lisa and he were bound together. She knew it as well as he did.

A red traffic light flashed on the cross street ahead.

Symbolic?

It wouldnt hurt to be cautious. He wouldnt go to the meeting with Price. Hed go to his house and wait for Lisa to call him and tell him what had hap-pened. The tension immediately left him with the decision. Hed turn right at the next intersection and in ten minutes hed be home and safe.

He braked as he neared the red light.

Nothing.

He pumped frantically.

The Corvette moved toward the intersection.

It was late. Maybe the traffic

A garbage truck was heading for the inter-section. Huge. Fast Oh, God, it was moving too fast to stop.

The truck hit the drivers side of the Corvette like a tank, driving the small car sideways into the street-light on the corner. It tore through the fiberglass, through flesh and bone and muscle.

Lisa.

The man coming toward them had Marens tall build and he was alone.

I told you I got to him, Gil murmured.

A low throbbing to the south.

Logans heart jumped. The hell you did.

The air.

Why hadnt he thought about the air? Logan thought, even as the brilliant blue lights of the heli-copter speared down at them out of the darkness.

Run for the boat! Keep low.

Gil was already streaking for the speedboat.

The man theyd thought was Maren was running toward them.

A bullet whistled by Logans ear.

Son of a bitch.

Gil was in the boat, untying the line from the stake.

The damn helicopter was almost on top of them, flooding the boat with cold blue light.

Logan jumped in the boat and turned on the throttle.

The water ahead of them was sprayed with bul-lets from above.

Stay low. Logan started zigzagging the boat across the water, trying to avoid the cone of light. If we can make it to that inlet, were home free. Theres a thick tree cover, and there are too many residences for them to keep shooting. Well ditch the boat and

Another spray of bullets, closer.

Too close.

Christ, that beam was like a spotlight. How could they miss?

Unless they wanted to miss.

Unless they were more valuable alive than dead.

The skull. Jesus, they needed the skull.

The speedboat tore into the inlet and was en-gulfed in shadows from the overhanging trees.

Not safe yet. Not as long as they remained in the boat. He pulled the boat close to the bank and cut the motor. He jumped out and grabbed the lead.

He could hear the helicopter overhead. Come on, well go up to the house and see what kind of transport we can

Gil was staring at him, his eyes glittering.

Gil?

Why hadnt Logan called?

Eve rolled over in bed and looked at the illumi-nated face of the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was almost three in the morning. Surely he could have picked up the damn phone and let her know he and Gil were safe.

If they were safe. If the trap hadnt been sprung.

Go to sleep. They were hundreds of miles away. She couldnt help by lying there, staring into the darkness.

And wishing she hadnt been so curt to Logan be-fore hed left.

My God, she was having all these morbid regrets, as if he werent on his way back to her.

Back to her? Back to Ben and the forensic testing, back to their joint purpose.

Never back to her.

Kessler knocked on her door at seven-thirty the next morning. Theres something you should see. He came into the motel room and switched on the televi-sion set. The Presidents press secretary just issued a statement. CNN is repeating it now. When a picture of Kevin Detwil appeared on the screen, Kessler mur-mured, Look at him. Even knowing its not Chadbourne, I still cant

The shot immediately switched to the group of reporters firing questions at Jim Douglas, Chadbournes press secretary.

It wasnt John Logan in the fire?

So Ive been told. The man who burned to death at Barrett House was Abdul Jamal.

And you think an assassination conspiracy is a possibility?

I wish I could say it wasnt. I assure you the President doesnt like the idea of being a target. But since the fire occurred at the time President Chadbourne was invited to visit Barrett House, Mr. Timwick tells me he has to consider the possibility and increase his security.

And Logan is suspected of instigating this conspiracy?

We sincerely hope not. Even though theyre on the opposite ends of the political spectrum, the Presi-dent has always held him in respect. Its his sincere wish that Logan will come forward and explain all this. He paused. Until that time, we must consider Logan a threat to both the President and the country. Jamal was a known terrorist and assassin and the Se-cret Service believes that the Presidents visit to Bar-rett House would have been a disastrous mistake.

We were told the body was almost entirely destroyed. How did you manage to match the DNA to Jamal?

Mr. Timwick asked that a check be made.

Then you already suspected that Jamal was at Barrett House.

When the President goes anywhere, we have to make sure the situation is secure. You all know how fanatically determined Logan has been to see that the President is not elected to a second term. When Mr. Timwick discovered that Mr. Logan may have had contact with Jamal on his last visit to Japan, he asked Bethesda to run a check on Jamal. He held up his hand. No more questions. The President wishes me to assure you that under no circumstances will this threat interfere with his attendance at the funeral of his good friend, nor with the execution of his duties as president. Jim Douglas turned and walked out of the room.

There was a final shot of the President in the Rose Garden, which must have been taken at some other time. He was smiling down at Lisa Chadbourne and she was smiling back with just the right amount of support and concern.

My God. Eve turned off the set and turned to Kessler. How hard are they looking for Logan?

Theyve pulled out all the stops. Hes a prime suspect. Kessler added, And you too.

She crossed her arms over her chest to keep from trembling. Now Im a terrorist as well as a murderer?

Youve been downgraded. Youre just an acces-sory. Logan is the murderer. They believe he had a falling-out with Jamal about the terms of the assassi-nation and killed him.

And burned down the house to hide it.

Correct.

Its completely preposterous. No one could believe a story like that. Logan is a respectable businessman. Why would he become involved with terrorists?

Im not so sure they wont believe it, Gary said slowly. The average person sitting before a televi-sion set has a tendency to accept what the authorities tell him, and people in general have no liking for big business. Havent you heard that the only way to get someone to accept a big lie is to tell some little truths along with it? Youll notice that Douglas stressed two points. Logans political fanaticism, and his visits out of the country. Theyve started with basic provable facts and layered in DNA science and the average Americans fear of foreign terrorists. Its a pretty complete package.

Complete enough to make it impossible for Logan to surface without danger of being shot on sight. She had it all planned. Eve still found it hard to believe. That was why, when that body was found in Barrett House, Detwil issued a statement praising Logan and revealing that hed planned to go there that weekend. We thought she was trying to have Maren switch the DNA to prove the body was Logans. Instead, she was setting this up.

He nodded. Identifying that body as Jamal makes your situation a hell of a lot more difficult.

Difficult. It made it a nightmare. Logan will be a target of every law enforcement body in the country.

Maybe he was already dead. Why hadnt he called her?

No, the media would have picked up on Logans capture or death. She suddenly remembered the press secretarys last words. What funeral? What was he talking about?