Iris Johansen - Blood Game

“If she’d gone with Nancy Jo, he might not have been able to grab her… Such a little thing to make a difference.”

Joe nodded. “Such a little thing.” He started to turn away.

“Wait.” Norris was silent for a moment. “I have to be kept in the loop. I’ll make it worth your while if you come to me first with any break in the case.”

So that he could go after the bastard himself. Nancy Jo had been right on the money.

“I’m sure the captain will keep you informed on the investigation,” Joe said. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to make some calls.”

“If you change your mind… Why did you go out to Allatoona again? Did you think you missed something?”

“No, I didn’t miss anything.” He paused. “But I have a hunch she was killed in the trees, not on the bank. I asked forensics to check it out. We should know in a few hours.”

“Why would you think that? You may be wasting time. He could be getting away while we ‘check’ out your hunches.”

“Or we could take a step closer,” Joe said. “I’m trusting my instincts. I’ll let you know if I’m right.”

He could feel Norris’s gaze on his back as he walked away from him. This case was going to be a headache in more ways than the obvious. Norris was going to be on his ass every minute of the day, and how much of what Nancy Jo had told Joe could he attribute to “instinct”? If he’d been forced to tell Norris that he had asked that the security tapes at the parking garage be scanned for a large light-colored Lincoln, he would have had a hell of a time explaining.

Well, he would just have to dance around the truth and try to avoid Norris as much as possible. It wouldn’t be easy considering the fact that Norris was hurting and angry and wanted to be in on every detail of the investigation. He couldn’t blame him. Joe would have felt the same in his shoes. Nancy Jo was definitely right in worrying about her father.

Damn, that last thought about Nancy Jo had come out of nowhere and been perfectly natural. As if he was accepting her as a living, thinking force.

He quickly edged away from that realization. Instead, he had to concentrate on the case, on the man who had killed Nancy Jo, try to find a link between Jelak and the killing.

And that meant he had to bite the bullet and call Montalvo.

“I JUST TALKED TO QUINN,”Montalvo said, when Eve picked up the phone. “I was going to call him anyway but it was gratifying that he made the first move.”

“I don’t know why. It doesn’t mean anything except that he wants to solve this case.”

“And wanted it enough to come to me for help. I’m not saying that it flattered my ego. I’m saying that the antagonism can’t be quite as strong as it used to be if he could bring himself to do it. It bodes well for our being able to work together.” He chuckled. “The first step in our burgeoning friendship.”

“The circumstances are different right now. I wouldn’t count on anything when we manage to catch this killer.”

“I never count on anything. I just work at making it happen.”

“Is that what you called to tell me?”

“No, I called to share what I told Quinn.”

“Joe will tell me.”

“But I want to do it first. I don’t want you to have to wait.”

“That’s not the way to feed a burgeoning friendship.”

“I have to strike a balance. Do you want to know or not?”

“Of course I want to know. What did you find out about Jelak?”

“It’s sketchy right now. I’ve been trying to build a picture but so far all we have is based on credit-card information. We’ve traced the trail back to Illinois.” He paused. “He checked into a motel outside Bloomburg three weeks ago.”

She stiffened. “Bloomburg? That’s where we got on the track of Henry Kistle. You say he was there?”

“According to Visa.”

“Kistle and Jelak? Is there some kind of connection between them? Did Kistle stay there?”

“No, he rented a flat in town. We can’t be sure, but so far there doesn’t appear to be any contact between them.”

“Then why was he there? There must have been a reason.” She was trying to work it out. “I suppose they could have been partners. They left Atlanta about the same time after Bonnie’s death.”

“But I had in-depth reports on Kistle. There was no mention of Jelak in any of them.”

“But you weren’t looking for any mention of Jelak. Why would you? Why would he suddenly pop up in Bloomburg if he didn’t have some kind of history with Kistle?”

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t still be digging, and Quinn would be looking upon me as if I were a brother.”

“Brother Cain, maybe.”

“Very good.” Montalvo laughed. “But I don’t mind the comparison. That was a very interesting relationship.” He added, “But Jelak had one other credit charge in Bloomburg than the motel. He took out a weekly membership at Gold’s Gym. But he only went there twice.”

“A gym?”

“I thought it a little peculiar too. Particularly since one of the times he went there was when we were all in town trying to hunt down Kistle.”

Peculiar and chilling, she thought. The idea of Jelak’s calmly going about his life to that extent, probably only miles from where she had stayed, without her having any idea of his presence. She had been totally focused on Henry Kistle, having no clue that there was another, maybe even greater, threat standing in the shadows. “And you told Joe this?”

“Every bit. But I was only a few steps ahead of him. He told me he was getting an order to trace back Jelak’s credit info as far back as he’d held the card. He should be receiving a report anytime.” He paused. “I asked to see the report. After all, turnabout is fair play. To my surprise, Quinn agreed. I suppose I thought he’d want to close me out.”

“Not with Jelak. He’s too close.”

“How close, Eve?” he asked softly. “What aren’t you telling me?”

She hesitated. But, as he’d said, turnabout was fair play. “You heard about the murder of Nancy Jo Norris? There was an object left here at the cottage that was meant to be a threat. It was connected to the girl’s murder. Why would her killer be targeting me? The coincidence was too strong when we knew that Jelak was in the area.”

He gave a low whistle. “Much too strong.” He was silent a moment. “And I don’t like it that he was near your cottage. I’m going to send Miguel out to keep an eye on it.”

“I don’t need Miguel. I have a police car parked practically right outside my door. And I have Joe.”

“Who is busy trying to find Jelak,” Montalvo said. “I’ll think about it. I may still send Miguel. If you won’t let me come?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so. I’ll call you when I know anything else.” He hung up.

All she needed was Montalvo hovering around the cottage, Eve thought as she hung up. Things were tense enough between her and Joe, and Joe was always on the verge of an explosion when Montalvo was around.

“Montalvo again?” Jane came out of the bedroom. “You always have the same expression after you finish talking to him. He usually manages to annoy you.” She plopped down on a chair. “Or stir you.”

“He wants to send Miguel to protect us.”

“Oh, that young friend of Montalvo’s?” She smiled. “I remember Miguel. I met him in Bloomburg. I liked him.”

“And he liked you. If I recall, he was smitten.”

“He’s just a kid, and he likes women. And he has no discrimination.” She tilted her head. “You must have told Montalvo about our goblet. He’s worried about you.”

“That’s part of it.” She had not told Jane anything about Joe’s visit to Megan’s last night or the personal turmoil that was tearing him apart. Only Joe had the right to confide in her. But she couldn’t keep her completely in the dark. “But Joe believes that Jelak may be Nancy Jo’s murderer.” She paused. “And that means the goblet was probably left by Jelak.”