The Perfect Witness (25 page)

“Death. The priest, Thorne. So many deaths. Death all around us.”

“And you killed a man who might have killed me.”

“Yes, I thought I’d hate it. I didn’t. I just wanted to make sure there would be no more deaths.”

“I’m grateful that it was my neck you saved to demonstrate that belief. But you may feel differently later.”

“I don’t think so. I told the priest that I didn’t know if I could forgive the people who trespassed against Lee and Natalie.” She was beginning to shiver, and she instinctively slid her arms around him to embrace his warmth. “Trespass? They
killed
them. No one has the right to kill someone else. Not if they’re good and kind like Lee and Natalie. Not if they’re like Father Elwyn, who only wanted to help, not hurt. And it goes on and on, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, until you stop it.”

“And that’s killing, too.” She looked up into his face. “Why?” She was starting to shake, waves and waves of violent trembling. She had to hold on to him to keep from falling. “It goes on and on. Not only the killing but the ugliness, the desecration. I can’t let it happen anymore.”

“You saved McKeller. Hell, you saved me. That’s enough for today. We’ll work on the rest of the world tomorrow.” He lifted her in his arms and carried her into the adjoining examination room. “Now you’re going to lie here and pretend today was a bad memory you have to block.”

“I’ll never be able to block it. I don’t want to block it. People died, and I have to do something…”

He moved down to lie beside her. “Just for an hour. You need to heal. I don’t want to do it for you.” He held her so tight that she felt as if she were being absorbed into his body. “Go blank. You can’t do anything while you’re shaking like this. Doesn’t that make sense?”

“Yes.” She nestled closer, so that she could feel that strength. “But I don’t know if I can—”

“You can do anything. I told you, I watched you today.”

“Liar. Everything was moving too fast for you to—”

“Then I felt you. Every movement you made seemed part of me.” His fingers were tangled in her hair. “Just as it is right now.” His lips brushed her temple. “Can’t you feel it, too?”

She did feel it. The shaking was beginning to subside, and she was only aware of the bonding, the sensation of being part of his body, part of his mind. It was so much stronger than it had been years ago …

But she had to be sure that she still had control through this comfort that was close to salvation. “No tricks?”

He pulled her even closer. He whispered, “Absolutely no tricks, Allie.”

*   *   *

MANDAK HEARD MEGAN COME
into the outer office over two hours later.

He carefully shifted away from Allie and got off the table. She had been sleeping for over an hour, but she needed more. He covered her with the blanket draped over the chair and moved quietly toward the door.

Megan was at the desk writing up her notes and glanced up as he came into the office. “Mission accomplished?”

“It’s not that simple. McKeller?”

“My job wasn’t that simple either, but I did what I set out to do.” She glanced at the door. “Rough day for her?”

“The roughest.”

“I thought so.” She got up from the desk and went to the coffee bar. “Shell-shocked.” She poured two cups of coffee and brought them back and handed him one. “Renata told me that all our hopes are riding on Allie.”

“Not all.” He took a drink of coffee. “But a hell of a lot.”

“She’s not going to be much good to us if she goes into a tailspin. Praland will eat her alive.”

“No he won’t,” Mandak said harshly. “I’d let Praland keep that ledger another ten years before I’d let anything happen to her.”

Megan gave a low whistle. “Renata said that she thought you should have given Allie to her. Are you getting a little too involved? Judging by today, she may be—”

“Judging by today, she was magnificent,” Mandak said curtly. “I couldn’t have asked for anything else from her. If you’d been there, you would have thought the same thing.”

“If you say so.” She sat down and lifted her cup to her lips. “I’m just tired of patching up people like McKeller. Those kids I had to treat nearly broke my heart. Praland has to be stopped.”

“That’s what Allie said. The killing has to stop.” His lips twisted. “She went through a trial by fire today. It made everything much clearer to her.”

“The fire touched you, too,” Megan said. “You’re hurting, Mandak.”

He shrugged. “I knew it was coming from the beginning. But I put the play into motion, and now I can’t stop it even if I wanted to.” He met Megan’s eyes. “I did all I could with Allie, but she could use someone to talk to whom she can trust.”

“And that isn’t you?”

“We have a history. But it’s complicated.”

“I can see how it would be.” She nodded. “I’ll be there when she wakes up. We’ll see how it goes.” She sat down at her desk again. “Now get out of here. Go to the bunkhouse and get a shower and a few hours sleep yourself. You look like hell. Allie doesn’t need any reminders of what the two of you went through.”

“As you command.” He moved toward the examination room. “I’ll just check to make sure she’s okay and still sleeping.”

Megan nodded. “How very protective. Not at all like the hard-ass we know and love.” She was already absorbed in her paperwork. “By all means, make certain that your charge is well and in the arms of Morpheus.”

He quietly opened the door and moved to stand beside the table. Allie was curled up, sound asleep, her lips slightly parted, her breathing deep and steady.

He wanted to reach out and touch her, make contact in some way.

Protective? Hell, yes. It had nearly killed him to watch the horror that she had gone through today. It had even been worse to know that he had to stand by and not take over. She had been so fragilely balanced that he had known that he had to be careful not to disturb that balance.

Are you getting a little too involved?

Megan’s question was almost ironic. How could he help but be involved? Allie had been his main concern and passion for seven years. And these last days had shown him a different Allie than the one he’d grown to know.

Dangerous.

He had told Megan he would delay the mission he had worked so hard to complete to save Allie. It had come impulsively out of his lips, but he had known that it was true.

Back off.

There were too many lives at stake. Praland had to be killed. The ledger had to be found.

And he had to find a way to keep Megan alive through all of it.

*   *   *

“HI, ALLIE.” MEGAN SMILED AS
Allie drowsily opened her eyes. “Remember me? I thought I’d be here to give you good news when you woke. McKeller is doing fine and having a snack even as we speak.”

“That’s wonderful.” But she was feeling terribly alone and suddenly anxious. She looked around the room. “Where’s Mandak?”

“I sent him to get some rest.” She made a face. “And a shower. You need one, too. You can use the shower adjoining my office.” She got to her feet. “But, first, I’ll get you a cup of coffee to wake you up. How do you take it?”

“Black.”

“Right.” Megan disappeared into the office.

Allie slowly sat up and swung her legs off the table. That feeling of anxiety at Mandak’s absence she had experienced was making her uneasy. She had to stand on her own feet. She couldn’t depend on Mandak to—

“Here we are.” Megan came into the room and handed her the cup of coffee. “Drink it. The caffeine will do you good.” She sat back down in the chair she’d vacated. “I wanted you to sleep but I knew that you were too on edge to really relax. That’s why I had to count on Mandak.” She smiled. “But no problem. I’ve found I can always do that.”

“Can you?” She sipped the hot coffee. “Have you known him a long time?”

“Yes. He’s been in and out of Tanzania all the time I’ve run this clinic. When Renata needed him, he was there for her. He’s the one who rescued those children from Praland’s bordello in Madagascar.”

“I didn’t know that. He only mentioned there was a rescue.” She studied Megan. “That sounds like you’ve been working here for some time. Why? Because you’re part of this Devanez family?”

“I’ve never really thought of myself in that light. I only found out that I was descended from the Devanezes after I was an adult and out of medical school. By then I had other issues connected to what I discovered about myself that seemed more important to me.”

Allie asked bluntly, “You mean you found out you were a freak like me?”

“No, I found out that I wasn’t like everyone else. Which is a different thing entirely,” Megan said quietly. “Though I had a few problems adjusting, and I admit that word jumped up in my mind several times. But since I married Neal Grady, a man who is also what you call a freak and works closely with Renata, I guess I’m pretty close to that adjustment.” She shook her head. “And I’m definitely not like you, Allie. You have a gift that Renata and Mandak and all the rest of the clan are counting on to help save lives.” She smiled. “I would have given anything to be able to do that. I’m a doctor. I couldn’t understand if I had to have some kind of bizarre gift, I couldn’t be a healer.”

She asked skeptically, “Are there really healers?”

“Oh, yes. I know of at least two. One helps out at St. Jude’s in Memphis.”

Allie was silent a moment. “If you’re not a healer, what kind of weird gift do—”

“You might say I’m a facilitator. They call me a Pandora.”

“And what is that?”

“Under certain circumstances, I’m able to touch people and bring out whatever psychic talents they possess.” She shrugged. “Which causes a multitude of problems. I don’t discuss it. We all have our own crosses to bear. I’ve been trying to find out how to get control for years. I’ve had moderate success, but I have a long way to go.” She smiled. “So you’re not the only one with problems, and Mandak has been there helping, training you, for a long time.”

“I never asked him to do it.”

“No,” Megan said. “And it’s not fair to you, but that’s the way it is. What’s happening to those people Praland is targeting isn’t fair, either.” Her expression became shadowed. “I originally came to Tanzania to see if I could help find some of the victims targeted by Molino and Praland. My mother was one of those victims. She was murdered.”

“I’m sorry. And did you find the other victims?”

“A few of them. But by then Praland had taken over the operation of the gang, and everything was getting worse. What started out as a quick job became…” She made a motion with one hand to indicate the exam room. “Became this clinic to try to do what I could to keep some of the pain and violence in check.”

“It seems you did it. You might have saved McKeller.”

“He wasn’t that bad. But I have saved others.” She met Allie’s eyes. “But those are temporary fixes. We have to get rid of Praland to make sure that none of it happens again.”

Allie’s lips twisted. “I’ve just had a terrible lesson to that effect. I know what Mandak expects. I know what Renata wants from me. You don’t have to lecture me, Megan.”

“I wasn’t lecturing.” She got to her feet. “I just wanted you to see the problem from my point of view. And have you know that I’ll help you in any way I can.” She moved toward the door. “Now I’ll go check on McKeller and stop by the bunkhouse to tell Mandak you’re awake. Your duffel is in the office bathroom. You’ll probably want to throw those clothes you’re wearing in the trash.”

Allie looked down at her torn and filthy shirt and pants. “What there is left of them.”

“Exactly.”

She jumped off the table and followed Megan into the outer office. “And I want to stop in and see McKeller if that’s okay.”

“For a few minutes. He’ll be glad to see you. He was asking about you.”

“I don’t see how he could even remember me. He was in such pain yesterday.”

“People have a habit of remembering kindness … and caring. In the end, we have to forget the horrors and cling to the love.”

“Who is this?” Allie had stopped beside the bulletin board beside the bathroom door. She was looking at a photo of a fair-haired child of about ten or eleven. The little girl was smiling, her face brimming with happiness. “She’s beautiful. Your daughter?”

“No, Neal and I have no children. It didn’t seem the time.” She came over to the bulletin board and gently touched the photo with one finger. “Her name is Elizabeth Delft. I asked her parents to send me a photo of her. Not that I wouldn’t remember her. I just wanted to remind myself why I was here when the times got bad.” She turned away. “She was one of the children Mandak brought to me. We were able to save the rest, but she died of complications from a drug overdose. It was not a merciful death.”

She left the office.

Allie stood there, frozen, staring at the photo after the door had closed behind Megan.

She had always been touched and angry about the stories about those children who had been victimized, but this hit home in an entirely personal way. That beautiful child …

She reached out and gently touched the photo as Megan had done.

Hello, Elizabeth. I’ll say a prayer for you to Lee and Natalie. Maybe they’ll be able to find you and help you as they did me.

Then she turned away and went into the bathroom. Her muscles were stiff and sore, not surprising considering what she had been through.

She avoided looking in the mirror except for one brief glance before she got into the shower. Dark circles beneath her eyes. Her jaw firm and set. She looked … harder.

And that was how she felt. Stark and bare. As if all the softness had been trimmed away.

Leaving what behind?

God only knew.

*   *   *

“IT’S NOT MY FAULT, PRALAND,”
Aman Kobu said desperately. “I told you that I thought they were heading for Talboa. I used my men as you told me. We even managed to take out McKeller going back to the embassy. But the men I picked up in the village weren’t adequate. You should have sent me—”

“Mandak and the woman got away?” Praland asked softly. “Now how did that happen, Kobu? You killed a priest, a pilot, and the clerk from the embassy. All people I did not give a damn about. Yet Mandak flew away as if you didn’t exist.” He paused. “Which is what I’m beginning to wish would happen.”