Iris Johansen - Quicksand

"A lifetime ago. Cooperation is great, interference sucks."

"Either way, you've got us for the time being. And Cassidy isn't going to like it any more than you do. They jerked him off a case he'd been building for the last six months. See you." He hung up.

Joe turned to Dodsworth. "You're going to be contacted by an Agent Cassidy, FBI. He's going to assess the situation here."

Dodsworth frowned. "You called the FBI?"

"Not me." And Joe didn't know how the hell Venable had known about Kistle, much less decided to pressure the FBI. "But they're on the case anyway."

Dodsworth slowly nodded. "I'm glad."

Joe's brows lifted. "You are?"

"Did you think I'd tell them to go to hell? Dammit, I'm only a deputy in spite of what they're calling me. I'm feeling way out of my depth. I was in charge when two men died tonight. They were my responsibility. I want Kistle caught before he kills anyone else. The FBI's got all kinds of gadgets and databases that can help us, right?"

"Right." He paused. "But you might remember that all the manpower and techno wizardry didn't help at all when everyone was tracking down Eric Rudolph in North Carolina. He lasted two years and they had an army of agents after him. If a man is good in the woods, then the game often reverts to the basic laws of nature. He could last for months."

"How do you know?"

"I was a Navy SEAL. I've survived in worse environments than that forest with men after me." He changed the subject. "Go and have that talk with your sheriff's widow and then go get some sleep. You're going to need it once Cassidy and his agents appear on the scene."

"You don't like them coming?"

"I don't know. They may help. They may get in the way." Joe turned away and started dialing his phone. "But I don't like the idea of Venable sticking his oar in without my asking. I need to talk to him."

DAYLIGHT.

Darkness was safer. Darkness was his own, Kistle thought.

But should he go and kill to prove he could do it in broad daylight? It would take those country bumpkins off guard and maybe frighten them.

No, he'd already sent a chill through them with those kills at the bog. He could afford to rest and plan his next move.

Have they told you what I did for you, Eve?

It's not every woman who has the power of life or death.

Well, not life. But death, definitely death.

Are you coming? Of course, you are.

I'll have to rest now and then decide what to do to welcome you.

EVE SAW JOE AS SOON ASshe got off the plane.

He kissed her quick and hard, and then gave Jane a hug. "Neither one of you should be here. Eve's obsessed, Jane, but you don't have that excuse." He grabbed their bags and headed for the exit. "What do you think you're going to do? Trek out into those woods and hunt the bastard down?"

"It's a thought," Jane murmured.

"A lousy thought," Joe said curtly. "If Kistle doesn't shoot you, then one of those trigger-happy deputies will do it. They're nervous as hell."

"I'm not planning on going hunting," Eve said. "I just want to be close to wait until Kistle is caught." Something he had said caught her attention. "Why are the deputies so nervous?"

"Because they're not used to dealing with creeps like Kistle." He opened the door of the rental SUV and threw in their bags. "They were all full of moral indignation and piss and vinegar and thought they'd run him down in a few hours. Now they're probably scared and trying to pretend they're not."

"It's only been one day," Jane said. "And Kistle is the one on the run. No one should be scared yet." Her gaze narrowed on Joe's face. "Isn't that true?"

"Ask them." Joe started the SUV and backed out of the parking space. "I'm sure they think they have reason."

"And so do you," Eve said. "What's been happening here, Joe?"

"I've made reservations for you at the Brown Hotel," Joe said. "Its about four blocks from here. Dodsworth recommended it."

"Joe."

"And the FBI should be in town later today to assist. That forest should be crawling with agents by tonight."

"And you're not happy?"

"No." His lips twisted. "That local posse is enough to worry about. The FBI can be a hell of a lot more efficient and lethal. I don't want Kistle dead before he tells you what you want to know. I'll be damned if Bonnie is going to haunt us for the rest of our lives."

Eve stared at him in shock at the harshness of his words. "She doesn't have to haunt you, Joe. It's my problem."

"No, it isn't." He pulled into the parking space in front of the hotel. "What you feel, I feel. That's the way it is." He got out, opened the car doors, and handed them their luggage. "I'll call you later. I'm going back to Clayborne Forest." He glanced at Jane. "Take care of her."

Jane nodded. "Always." She glanced from Eve to Joe and then started toward the entrance. "I'll check us in, Eve. Ask the desk clerk for the room number."

"She's being diplomatic. She thinks we're going to argue." Joe started to turn away. "I'll call you later."

"Don't you drive off," Eve said. "You didn't answer me. There's something going on that you're not telling me." She braced herself before adding, "And there's something I should tell you. Montalvo nudged Venable into getting the FBI involved. He said that he wanted the best and most experienced men after Kistle."

Joe turned to look at her. "Montalvo called you and told you that?"

"Yes."

"And did you tell him it was none of his business?"

"No, I don't care who is involved if it means we can catch Kistle." She met his gaze. "I did say I didn't want to meet with Montalvo."

"But he wouldn't listen, would he? Is he on his way here?"

"He might already be here by now."

Joe nodded. "Why not? It's the perfect opportunity for him to bond with you. When Venable told me that Montalvo had made a deal with him, it was clear as glass."

She stiffened. "You already knew that Montalvo was responsible for the FBI being here? Why didn't you tell me? Was this some kind of test?"

"No."

"I think it was."

He shrugged. "Maybe I was curious."

"For God's sake, after all these years don't you know I wouldn't lie to you even by omission?"

"Yes, you would. Maybe not about another man, but you'd do it for Bonnie."

It was the second time he'd mentioned Bonnie with that same bitterness. "Not if I felt you were on my side, Joe."

"I'm always on your side," he said roughly. "And that sometimes means I have to be against Bonnie. Because your damn obsession is going to kill you someday." He opened the car door. "And that day could be today or tomorrow or next week. Kistle is fixating on you like a mad dog. It's only a matter of time before you end up with a stake through your heart too. I won't stand by and wait for it to happen."

"Stake? What are you talking about?"

"Kistle killed two deputies last night. He led them to a bog and when they were struggling in the quicksand, he shot them. Then he left notes on stakes he stabbed into their hearts."

"Quicksand," she whispered.

"Aren't you interested in what he wrote on those notes? Just three words." He paused. " For you, Eve ."

The words tore through her like a knife thrust. "No!"

"He wanted to hurt you. It does hurt you, doesn't it?"

"Of course it does," she said unevenly. "It makes me feel… responsible."

"I knew you'd feel like that." He added bitterly, "That's why I didn't want Dodsworth to tell you. I wanted it to be done gently by someone who loved you. I do love you, but I can't be gentle right now." He started the SUV. "So I end up by hurting you too. Kistle would be proud of me."

She watched him back out of the parking space, filled with a bewildering mixture of horror, sadness, anger… and fear.