Iris Johansen - Eve

“He evidently managed to convince you,” Joe said. “Let’s see if he can convince me when I catch up with the bastard. We didn’t see any vehicles leave the garage. How did he get away?”

She shook her head. “When he came to my room to tell me he was leaving, he had a backpack.”

“And how long ago was that?” Catherine asked.

“Fifteen minutes? I’m not sure. I’d followed him when he was going downstairs and ran back upstairs to throw on some clothes. Then I came down to see if I could open the doors and try to locate you.”

“And intercept me,” Joe said tightly.

She looked at him. “Yes. Even if he wasn’t here, he has guards on the property who might hurt you.”

“Bill Hanks, head of his security,” Catherine said. “Five others on the team. Besides the guards at the two checkpoints.”

“Queen, again?” Eve asked.

Catherine nodded. “I think he was planning a major assault. He’s not fond of John Gallo.”

“John’s not fond of him, either.”

“You said you followed him downstairs. Where did he go?”

Eve pointed to the door at the end of the hall. “I think it leads to the basement.”

Joe turned and headed for the door. “Stay with her, Catherine.”

Eve sat down on the bottom step. “I’m fine. You don’t have to guard me, Catherine. Go with him.”

“It’s easier to do what he says than to argue with him.” Catherine smiled. “Unless I have a reason to argue. I don’t right now. I’ll just let Joe work off some of that steam and let you fill me in while he’s not around.”

Eve nodded. “I can tell that his steam is scalding hot.” She frowned. “Dammit, it didn’t have to be this bad. I tried to get John to let me contact Joe and tell him I was all right.”

“I’m not sure that would have done much good. Joe would still have gone on the warpath.”

“But you might not have had to come with him. I’m sorry, Catherine. I didn’t intend to involve anyone but myself. John pulled the rug out from under me.”

“Well, I am involved. I started all of this by trying to solve all your problems. You should sock me.”

“I’ll think about it.” Eve grinned. “But I don’t believe that an-”

“What are you doing sitting on the steps?” Judy was coming down the hall, dressed in a navy robe and furry blue slippers. “For goodness’ sake, you look like an orphan sitting there, Eve. Come along to the kitchen. I’ve made coffee and I have doughnuts. They’re store bought, but they’re pretty good.” She turned to Catherine. “Who are you?”

“Catherine Ling. And you are?”

“Judy Clark,” Eve said. “She cooks for John Gallo.” She looked at Judy. “John’s left the property, Judy. You don’t have to wait on his guests any longer.”

“Yes, I do. John just called me and told me to take care of you.” She turned and moved down the hall. “So come on. I’ve told Bill Hanks to come to the house. John wants me to smooth the way and make sure there’s no trouble.”

“Why would he do that?” Catherine asked as she caught up with the cook.

“How do I know?” Judy said. “He doesn’t usually mind causing his share of trouble. I just take orders.” She opened the door to reveal a pristine, clean, bright kitchen. “Sit down. There’s another one of you, isn’t there?”

“Joe went down in the basement to see if he could track Gallo.”

“John is long gone now. Pour your own coffee. I’ll go after this Joe. I don’t want him bumping into Hanks when I’m not around.” She turned, and her furry slippers flopped as she hurried back down the hall.

“A character?” Catherine asked Eve.

“Maybe. But I think I like her.” She poured coffee into two cups. “And evidently John trusts her.”

“Then are we sure that she’s not doping the coffee?”

“Trust you to think of that.” She lifted her cup to her lips. “Though, as a matter of fact, getting doped was how I got here. John thought he would avoid complications.”

“Gallo doped you?” Catherine looked at the cup in front of her. “Then I think I’ll pass on this.”

Eve couldn’t blame her. “Then go make a pot of your own. But Judy will probably go on the attack for messing around her kitchen.”

Catherine studied her. “You appear to be very at home here. Comfortable.”

“Not comfortable. I’m just not afraid.” She looked at Catherine over the rim of her cup. “John never intended to hurt me, Catherine. And he wouldn’t have left if he’d wanted to hurt you or Joe. He was trying to avoid trouble.”

“Then he shouldn’t have kidnapped you and brought you here. Not a good way to avoid problems.”

“I’m not defending him. He was arrogant and completely wrong.”

“Then why does it sound that way?”

Because Eve was more confused and divided than she’d ever been in her life. She took a swallow of coffee. “He didn’t kill Bonnie, Catherine.”

“Because he told you he didn’t? Queen thinks he’s a split personality.”

“From what I’ve heard about him, Queen may be a monster himself.”

“I won’t disagree with you. But he’s one of the monsters I deal with every day. Gallo is apparently a different breed.” Catherine picked up her cup. “Maybe I’ll chance this stuff. It doesn’t seem to have hurt you.”

“I was the official food taster?”

She grinned. “Well, you were going to do it anyway.” She sipped the coffee. “And maybe the dope is in the store-bought doughnuts.”

Eve smiled back at her. “Then we’ll skip them.” Lord, she was glad that Catherine had come with Joe. She needed her to lighten the tension gripping her as she waited for the confrontation with Joe. “John didn’t kill her, Catherine. I know it.”

“You couldn’t know it unless he’d prove it. Did he?”

A wild story about a little girl who sang songs to him in prison. “All the Pretty Little Horses.” A wild story she believed with all her heart. “No, he didn’t prove anything.”

“You were very emotionally attached to him as a teenager. Could that have influenced you?”

“I keep telling you, it was no love affair.” But it had turned into a love story for both of them. Though not for each other. A love story about Bonnie. “He didn’t do it.” She finished her coffee. “He’s trying to find out who did kill her.”

Catherine stared at her. “He told you that? Queen said he was very clever. Eve, he’d realize that was the most persuasive thing he could say that would make you believe he wasn’t her killer. You’d identify with him immediately.”

And Eve knew that was true. It didn’t make any difference. “I believe him.”

Catherine shook her head. “Look at it objectively from my point of view, Joe’s point of view. Gallo finds out that we’re on his trail. He has a choice of going deeper undercover, killing you and everyone connected with you, or convincing you that he’s not really the bad guy as you’ve been told. The first two choices are messy and would interfere with this nice life he’s built for himself. So he looks for a way to get you away to himself and go for option three.”

“He didn’t kill her.” Eve saw the impatience on Catherine’s face, and added, “I know you think I’m being unreasonable. You’re right. Reason has nothing to do with this. But he loved Bonnie, and he would never murder her.”

“He couldn’t have loved her. He didn’t know her.”

Eve couldn’t explain without seeming even more irrational than Catherine thought her to be. She could only repeat. “He didn’t kill her. If it will make you feel better, I’m not going to let him off with just accepting that as fact. There are so many things about this I don’t understand, but I think he’s way ahead of me in the search for Bonnie’s murderer. I believe he knows who did kill her, and I’m going after him and make him tell me who it is.”