Iris Johansen - Blood Game

“Do you think you’re special?” Schindler said. “He saved my neck two years ago when we were taking down a drug dealer. My daughter, Cindy, would have been an orphan and grown up alone in this shitty world.”

Norris didn’t speak for a moment. “That would have been a terrible thing. It is a shitty world that can kill young girls. If I could go back in time, I’d surround Nancy Jo with an army every time she set foot out the door.” He lifted his hand to his eyes. “I’m sorry. If you need extra labor, I’m putting everyone on my staff at your disposal. All you need to do is call.”

“Thanks. I may take you up on it.”

Norris closed his eyes as Schindler left the room.

A shitty world, he thought. He’d thought he was cynical before Nancy Jo’s death, but now he realized there had always been that streak of idealism present. He’d had dreams of changing the world. Or, at least, the corruption that was stagnating Washington.

Dreams.

They hadn’t stopped Quinn from being attacked and probably killed.

They hadn’t kept that ravening beast from murdering Nancy Jo.

Screw dreams.

He could feel the moisture sting his eyes. Dammit, it was here again; the pain, the disbelief, the loneliness.

Nancy Jo…

Oh, God, the loneliness.

No, not loneliness, he realized suddenly.

Comfort. Warmth. Laughter.

Nancy Jo telling him that horrible pun she’d heard at summer camp.

Nancy Jo lolling with him on the beach last summer, not talking, just sitting in silent companionship as the sun went down.

Nancy Jo standing beside him when he’d been sworn in as senator, her eyes glowing with pride.

Those memories should have been agonizing. Why weren’t they?

Comfort. Warmth. Laughter.

Remember, Daddy?

What the hell was happening? Imagination?

It didn’t matter. For the moment the pain was gone. That was all that was important. He closed his eyes and let the memories flow over him in a golden tide.

Memories?

No.

Nancy Jo…

“I’VE JUST TALKED TO YOUREve,” Jelak told Joe. “I was very upset that I couldn’t conclude my business with her immediately, Quinn. She reacted just as I thought she would when you wouldn’t speak to her.”

“So you came back to try to persuade me again,” Joe said. “Screw you.”

“There are persuasions and persuasions.” He checked the ropes binding Joe’s wrists and ankles. “I thoroughly enjoyed playing with you, but I’m too impatient to deal with your stubbornness. I’ve been waiting for Eve too long.” He smiled. “So we’re going to go to step two. I probably should have known that you’d respond to the mental, not the physical.”

“I won’t respond to you at all. You’re not worth it, Jelak.”

“You’ll change your mind,” he said softly. “I’m going to leave you for a while. Do you know where I’m going?”

“To hell, I hope.”

“If I did, I’d rule there.” Jelak smiled. “No, I was impressed by how concerned you were with my kills. Particularly Nancy Jo and Nicole. They appeared to touch you.”

Joe stiffened. “I’m a detective. Your kills aren’t any different from those of any other slimeballs I jerk off the streets.”

“I think they are. I’m willing to put it to the test.”

“What kind of a test?”

“I’m going to go and find a young girl, perhaps fifteen, or sixteen. It doesn’t matter that she’s not old enough to be interesting. I’m doing it for you, not me.”

“For me?”

“Yes, I’ll let you watch the ritual. You can decide if a young girl’s life is worth not speaking a few words on the telephone.”

“And those few words could mean that I’d be helping you get Eve here.”

“Yes, what a problem you’ll be facing. I’ll be interested to see how you handle it.” He turned toward the door. “What a responsibility. I must choose a very, very special girl for you, Quinn.”

The door closed behind him.

____________________

IT WAS ABOUT TIME.

Jane watched Caleb’s car pull into the driveway in front of the cottage and went down the steps to meet him. “Where have you been?”

“You missed me? I’ve only been gone a few hours.” He got out of the car. “I thought you’d call me if Eve heard from Jelak again.”

“Where have you been?” she repeated. “I didn’t miss you. But you’re the only one who knows how Jelak thinks.”

“And you need me.”

“I need to give Eve a little hope. She doesn’t have a large quantity of that commodity at the moment. Now where were you?”

“I went to talk to Megan.”

“For God’s sake, now? Is she going to look into a crystal ball and tell us where to find Joe?”

“Don’t be sarcastic. If she could, I’d ask her to do it. We don’t have many options.”

“Why did you go to see her?”

“I asked her to help me contact Nancy Jo.”

She shook her head. “You’ve lost me.”

“Eve told you about Quinn and Nancy Jo?”

“Yes.”

“What did you think about it?”

“I tried not to think about it. It was too bizarre when connected to Joe. I decided to file it away until Joe actually talked to me about it.” She looked at him. “Why?”

“I was there when Nancy Jo pointed Quinn to the motel where we found Jelak.”

“You see ghosts too?”

“No, but it was clear what was happening.”

“Nothing is clear about any of this.”

“Except Nancy Jo found Jelak once. She might be able to find him again. I went to Megan to see if she could help.”

“What did she say?”

“That she couldn’t hear or see Nancy Jo but that she believed Quinn when he said he could.” He grimaced. “So she’s no help to us.”

“Good God, I was hoping that you’d bring up something that was verging on reality. I’ve had enough of Jelak’s obsession that he’s a vampire. Now you’re telling me that we have to send Joe’s pet ghost after him?”

“No, I’m telling you that I’m hoping that we get lucky and can contact Nancy Jo.” He added soberly, “Because I don’t know what in hell to do if we can’t.”

Jane stared at him for a long moment. “You mean it.”

“Yes, I may think of something else. I won’t give up. But if Quinn was willing to use Nancy Jo, then that may be our best shot.”

Their best shot was a young girl who had been dead for days?

“So what do we do?”

“Quinn went to Allatoona to make contact with Nancy Jo. I thought I’d start there.”

“ We’ll start there,” Eve said.

They turned to see Eve standing on the porch. She came slowly down the steps. “Let’s go.”

“It’s a long shot,” Caleb said. “My Lord, is it a long shot. It will be like talking to the wind. How do you know if she’s listening, if she’s even there? And even if she finds out what we need, how can she tell us?”

“Do we have another solution?” Eve demanded. “If you do, tell me, and we’ll go for it. If you don’t, then I’ll take your long shot. I’ll take any way I can find.”

“You could let Caleb and me go to Allatoona alone,” Jane said. “It could be frustrating as hell. You don’t need that right now.”

Eve shook her head. “I’m going. You want to help, but you don’t really believe in spirits. How could you? It hasn’t touched you. I believe in Nancy Jo. Because Joe believed in her. Who knows? That may help.” She got into the passenger seat of Caleb’s car. “Or it may not. I’ve got to try. Get me there as quickly as you can, Caleb. We don’t know what’s happening with Joe.”

Jane stared at her for a moment before she climbed in the backseat. Eve was right. She was out of her depth. She could only offer support, not understanding. Eve might need that support if Allatoona was as nonproductive as she believed it was going to be. “Tell me what I can do.”