Silencing Eve (34 page)

“I was monitoring those machines, and Cartland called Harriet. He wouldn’t talk to her on the phone. She went down to the lobby to talk to him.”

“What? Did she leave the hotel?”

“No, that was what I was afraid would happen. I followed her down to the lobby. She talked to Cartland, then made a phone call and went back to her room.”

“Could you get close enough to hear the conversation?”

“No way. They were being supercareful.” She paused. “And when CartIand called her, he didn’t want her to talk on the phone. Does that suggest anything?”

“That Cartland might be afraid that her phone has been bugged,” Jane said. “
Shit.
” She turned to Trevor. “She may be on the run. She could take off at any time.”

“But not yet.” He stepped on the accelerator. “We should be back at the hotel in ten minutes.”

Seattle

CATHERINE SILENTLY OPENED
the door.

The sitting room was dark.

There was no sound.

But she knew Zander was in that room.

And Zander knew she was standing there.

“Really, Catherine, you’re making me feel harassed,” he said. “Though you’re very good. I didn’t even hear the door open.”

“You’re ready to make a move, aren’t you?” she asked. “I’ve been
feeling
it all day. And you didn’t want me to follow you. That means you found out something from that contact Slater you talked to last night. You know where Doane is.”

“No, I have no idea … yet.”

“But you
are
ready to move.” Catherine turned toward the corner from where his voice was coming, but she couldn’t make him out in the darkness. “You know something. I’m coming with you, Zander.”

“You’re not invited.”

“Too bad.” She glided forward. “Now let’s stop playing hide-and-seek. Turn on the lights.”

“But you have such a delightful voice coming out of the darkness. Very soft, very mysterious.”

“If you don’t take me with you, I’ll follow you.”

“I know you will.” His tone was regretful. “And I can’t allow you to do that.”

His voice was issuing from about a foot right of the corner of the room, she judged.

“You won’t kill me. Why should you? I’m on your side, on Eve’s side.”

“No one is on my side but me. I learned that a long time ago. And you would get in my way, Catherine. That could be a great danger.”

She could feel her heart pounding. “Okay, but I’m on Eve’s side. That means something to you.”

“Does it?”

“Yes. That man Slater told you something. What?”

“Would I lie to you?”

“Yes.”

He chuckled. “True, but in this case I’m not lying.” He added, “And why are you trying to move closer to me? That’s really not wise, Catherine.”

“I want you to be able to see me, touch me. I want you to remember who I am, all our conversations. I believe it’s much harder to strike down an antagonist you know.”

“Not for me.”

“Even you, Zander.” She paused. “You were waiting for me, weren’t you? Cat and mouse?”

“You’re much more like a sleek, beautiful panther than a mouse. But yes, I was waiting for you. Since you’re my bodyguard, I thought I should tell you something.”

“I can hardly wait to know what. You haven’t told me anything since I’ve been with you.”

“Don’t be sarcastic. Pay attention. Judging by your information from Jane MacGuire, once I’m taken, I figure that I’ll probably have from five to eight hours before Harriet Weber shows up to witness my execution. After she shows up, I think that Eve’s survival will be very dicey. In case something goes wrong with my calculations, it might be wise if you find that driftwood cottage. Purely as a backup, you understand.”

Shock jolted through her. “What the hell are you saying?”

“I’ve always intimidated Slater. He probably did know where to reach Doane, but he would never deal with me. But he’d put out the word that I was in town and where I could be found … for a price. By this time, Doane should have set up his ambush. I’d bet he’s outside now waiting for me to appear.”

“And you’re going to walk into it?” she asked in disbelief. “No, that’s a sure way to lose both Eve and you, dammit. I won’t let you do—”

“I told you, I’m the one in control, Catherine.”

“Not of Eve. You can commit suicide, but I won’t let you take Eve with you.” She gathered herself to leap. He’d be expecting it, but if she did a half—

“Find that cottage, Catherine. Just as a precaution…”

His voice was no longer coming from the corner, she realized in panic just a second before the edge of his hand came down on the back of her neck in a karate chop. He was behind her.

How the hell … The bastard had been throwing his voice and been behind her all the time …

Darkness.

*   *   *

A COLD, WET CLOTH
on the back of her neck …

She slowly opened her eyes.

“You’re going to be okay, Catherine.” Stang’s voice was relieved. “I didn’t think that Zander would—But then I’m never sure what he’s going to do.”

Anger shot through her as she struggled to sit up. She threw the wet cloth on the floor. “Neither do I, evidently.” She glared at him. “Did you know he’d set himself up?”

“No, he doesn’t confide in me.” Stang took the wet cloth and put it on the coffee table. “But I admit I suspected … something.”

“How long have I been out?”

“About fifteen minutes. Zander phoned me and told me to go into the sitting room, then hung up.” He made a face. “Considering what a bad temper Zander has been in for most of the day, I was a little concerned when I saw you lying on the floor.”

Fifteen minutes. There was no way that she would be able either to catch up or stop Zander. “I can see how you might be. I was an idiot.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I acted like a crass amateur. I wasn’t expecting magician’s tricks.” She said in disgust, “He threw his voice, for God’s sake. Did you know he could do that?”

“No, but it doesn’t surprise me. He’s an expert, and it would come in handy in his profession. Zander always takes time and effort to study ways to keep himself alive.”

“Like walking into the lion’s den?” she said. “That’s a weird way to stay alive. Like risking Eve?” Her lips tightened. “He even gave me an estimate on the number of hours Doane would allow him to live if he couldn’t manage to get away from him. Five to eight. That’s all the time he would have, that Eve would have.” She whispered, “Five to eight hours. How’s that for a deadline.”

Stang tilted his head. “Why would he tell you that? That doesn’t sound like Zander.”

“Just as a precaution, he said. He told me to find that driftwood cottage as backup.” Her hands clenched into fists. “He probably doesn’t believe Kevin’s cottage even exists. But he saddles me with setting up backup in case he screws up and Doane kills him. Or maybe he just wanted to keep me busy so that I wouldn’t chase after him.”

“Precaution,” Stang repeated thoughtfully. “I’ve never known Zander to rely on anyone else for backup. He’d regard it as a mistake to trust anyone but himself.” He smiled slightly. “You’re to be complimented, Catherine.”

“I don’t give a damn about compliments. I care about Eve.” She pulled out her phone and dialed Gallo. “Zander’s gone. I think he’s letting himself be taken by Doane. Or maybe not. What the hell do I know what the bastard will do? He’s put Eve in a spot, and I—” She drew a deep breath. “We have to find that cottage, Gallo.”

“Are you okay? You sound a little shaky.”

“I have a sore neck from a karate chop, and I’m angry and scared that Zander has set off a chain of events that we won’t be able to stop.”

“Karate chop?” Gallo echoed. “Zander? I believe that I need to—”

“Stop it, Gallo. That’s not important. Where are you and Joe? I’m at the Appleton Arms. I’ll pack and come to you.”

“No, we’ll come to you. What room?”

“Two-forty.”

“Stay where you are. Is anyone with you?”

“Stang.”

“That’s no protection. He’s in Zander’s pocket. We’ll be right there.”

“I don’t need your protection,” she said testily. “Though I was a fool about—”

Gallo had hung up.

Stang smiled. “I take it that Gallo doesn’t accept me as a suitable guardian for you. Very perceptive. Now, if the roles were reversed…”

“You’re employed by Zander. You have a certain loyalty to him.” She dropped down in a chair. “You could be as tough as Rambo, and Gallo would still not trust you.”

“Rambo. Rather dated but descriptive.” He grinned. “And no one would recognize me with a machete between my teeth. I never wanted to be anything but what I am. An accountant with a talent for the stock market.” He studied her. “Could I get you a glass of water, a cup of coffee? You still don’t look so hot.”

“I’m fine. I’m just angry with myself.”

“I’ll get you the water anyway.” He disappeared into the bathroom and came out with a glass of water. “You shouldn’t be upset.” He handed her the glass. “It was a lost cause to begin with. Zander is a law unto himself.”

“Bullshit.” She took a sip of water. “He’s a law until someone stops him. It will happen someday. It’s only a matter of time.” She met his eyes. “And then you’ll be looking for another job.”

“Yes.”

“Would it be a relief? I’ve watched you with Zander, and I can’t figure out your relationship. You’re on edge with him, and yet…” She shrugged. “You’d be much more comfortable if you didn’t have to deal with him.”

“Without doubt. But he does make life interesting. Now, I’m not one to embrace challenges, but I got used to walking the tightrope.” He added softly, “And you do love challenges, and being with Zander gave you a jolt of adrenaline, didn’t it?”

“I don’t need any jolts of adrenaline.”

He gazed at her quizzically.

“All right, I admit that he’s … unique.” She added, “But if you don’t like challenges, why did you come to work for him?”

“It seemed the thing to do at the time.”

“You’re evading answering. Money?”

“No, money was never a problem for me. The stock market is usually my friend. Are you sure you don’t want a cup of coffee?”

“No, I don’t. I want you to answer me.”

“Why are you so curious?”

“I’m not curious, I’m on the hunt,” she said curtly. “Zander took me down, but he left me with you. You’re all I’ve got right now. I may be able to use you in some way to get my own back and find Zander.” She shook her head in despair. “If Doane doesn’t already have him.”

“The chances are Doane does have him. Because that’s the way Zander wanted it.” He added gently, “And that may not be as bad as you’re thinking. Zander always has a plan.”

“And will that plan include Eve?
Talk
to me. Help me. Tell me everything you know about Zander. I tried to convince myself that he wanted her to live, but how can I be sure, dammit?”

“You can’t be sure.” He was silent a moment, his gaze on her face before he finally said, “You want to know why I came to work for Zander? Didn’t Venable tell you anything about me? I’m surprised he didn’t share. I’m sure he dug deep and hard about everyone surrounding Zander to find something he could use to manipulate him.” He grimaced. “But no one really regards me as being important in that area. No influence. I was probably just being watched to make sure I wouldn’t kill Zander at an inconvenient time.”

“
Kill
him?”

“My parents and my brother, Sean, ran a medical missionary in Africa. Good people. I loved them, but I didn’t understand them. They didn’t care about money or possessions and were perfectly satisfied working at that mission. On the other hand, I lived in New York, and I was fascinated by the game of acquiring money. I was very good at it.”

“What has this to do with Zander?”

“Patience. A terrorist group overthrew the tribal leaders in the village, and the mission and everyone connected to it were murdered. My parents were lucky. They were killed almost immediately. My brother Sean was taken prisoner and held for four days. He was not lucky. When they finally let me see him in the hospital, he was praying to die. After I saw him, I prayed with him. He died that night.”

His tone was without expression but Catherine could feel his pain. “I’m sorry.”

“So was I. Sorry and angry and wanting revenge. The government had rounded up the terrorists except for their leader, Abu Karr. He was in hiding in the jungle. No one could find him. The entire country was in an uproar about the massacre, and the president and his government were about to topple. The president was very dirty and involved with the pirates who raided the sea-lanes. He knew he had to give the people Abu Karr’s head to save his own. The American ambassador told Sean and me there was a rumor the president had hired Zander to go after Abu Karr and kill him.”

“And he did it?”

“Abu Karr was found shot in the head outside his cave. There was some controversy about whether Zander did it or not. The president claimed one of his generals found him and fired the shot. Zander was nowhere in the vicinity. A week later, the president was assassinated. So the question was did Zander kill the terrorist, then kill the president when he refused to pay? Or was the ambassador wrong, and Zander was not involved at all?”

“And what difference did it make?” Catherine said. “The beast was dead.”

“It made a difference to my brother,” he said quietly. “And that made a difference to me. Before he died, Sean made me promise that if Zander managed to kill Abu Karr, I would try to keep him safe, that I would never leave him until the day he died.”

“But you said you didn’t know if he killed him.”

“I still don’t. But I had to try to find out. I had money. I told you that was easy for me. I hired ballistic experts, and they studied the shot that killed Abu Karr. It was done at an extremely difficult angle, and the shooter would have had to be a magnificent shot. I hired local private detectives, and they found people who had seen a man of his description in two of the villages that bordered the jungle. It took a long time to get the report because Zander is like a shadow figure. I bribed people in the CIA, and they confirmed that Zander was in Africa at the time. They’d even had an agent report that Zander had something to do with the uprising.” He shrugged. “No proof either way, and Zander would never admit to anything. So I was left with making the decision myself.”