Iris Johansen - Eve

“This is all guesswork.”

“Good guesses, logical guesses. This is the end of the story, Queen. Stop bullshitting me and let’s get down to cases. I’m expecting Black to contact me at any time and offer to trade Cara Clark for your ledger.”

He was silent. “I had nothing to do with him taking the kid. You know that Black can’t be controlled.”

“But you made a deal to put him on my trail.”

Another silence. “I didn’t like to be at your beck and call. I want that ledger. You’ve been holding it over my head too long. You should have expected it.”

“Oh, I did. But I didn’t expect him to murder and take a six-year-old to do it. You know as well as I do that he’ll kill that little girl. You’ve got to stop him.”

“I told him not to do it. I said it would be a mistake.”

“That’s not strong enough. You brought him down on Judy Clark’s family. Now you’ve got to do what you can to stop the damage.”

“You should have given me the ledger. None of this would have happened.”

“You want the ledger? I have it with me now. It’s within reach of my hand. But the moment Black kills that little girl, it will go to the Washington Post, and they’ll spread it all over their paper. It won’t be long until you’ll be toted off to a federal prison.”

“Wait. Give the ledger to Black. That would solve everything.”

“He’ll still kill the kid. No, you have to stop him. I want you to come personally and meet with him. I don’t care what you do to convince him, but do it.”

“I’ll call him and try to-”

“Meet him. Face-to-face. Are you frightened, Queen? Is Black too much for you?”

“I’m not scared.” Queen hesitated. “You’ll give me the ledger?”

“When this is over, I won’t give a damn about the ledger. But if Black kills that kid, then I’ll blow you out of the water, Queen. Get here and get here fast. I want you to run interference and get me that kid.”

“I could try to do it,” Queen said cautiously. “Though it would be better to-”

“Catch the first flight to Milwaukee. I’m sending you a photo of the ledger so that you’ll know I have it in my immediate possession.”

“It’s reasonable that you’d give me the ledger,” Queen said thoughtfully. “After all, you’ll find a way to get Black, and that’s what you’ve always wanted.”

“Very reasonable. Now get your ass here as soon as possible.” He hung up.

“He’s going to come,” Eve said.

John nodded. “Why not? It’s so ‘reasonable.’” He stood up. “Let’s go for that walk. I need to cool down.”

But he didn’t seem nearly as angry as he had after he’d heard about the attack on Judy Clark and her family. He was tense, not on the edge of explosion.

She fell into step with him as he strode down the lake path. “Will Queen be able to do anything with Black?”

“I doubt it. Black doesn’t pay any attention to anything but what he wants to do. But Queen may be able to run interference or cause a distraction.”

“That’s why you wanted him here?”

“No, I wanted him here because we’re coming to the end of the road, and I wanted him where I could reach out and take him.”

Her gaze flew to his face. “You’re going to kill him?”

“You don’t think he deserves it? Let’s go over the list. He sent me into that prison and let me rot there. Suicide missions. Protecting Black from being caught and tried for dozens of murders. He gave Black the address where he could find Judy Clark and her little girl.”

“I’m not arguing that he may deserve it. He’s committed terrible crimes, and he seems to have no conscience.” She looked out at the lake. “I’d just rather he be used to save Cara Clark if possible.”

“I’ll try to let him have his chance… first.”

But he would not change his mind about Queen’s death, she realized. And she was not sure she wanted him to. Queen was not the same brand of monster as Paul Black, but he was a monster just the same. “So we just wait for a call from Paul Black. I’d have thought he’d have contacted us already.”

“Black is unpredictable. He enjoys dragging out his kills. He’s probably enjoying himself right now.”

“You think he’s killed that little girl already?”

“If he decided it’s worth it to him to get Queen’s ledger, then he’ll keep her alive… until he gets it.”

And after that she was dead and thrown away like his other victims.

Like Bonnie.

“We’ve got to get her away from him.”

“Yes.” He had reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. He looked up a number and dialed.

“Who are you calling?”

“St. Louis County Hospital. I want to check on Judy. It would be nice if we could be sure that little girl will still have a mother if we can save her.”

Eve listened as he talked to the hospital authorities. When he hung up, she asked, “She’s still alive?”

He nodded. “But they wouldn’t give me any details. Hospitals are careful who they give information to these days. If there’s any chance to live, Judy will grab it. She’s always been a fighter.”

“And she’ll want to live for her daughter. She made Catherine promise to save her.”

John nodded. “Completely unfair to your friend, but that’s how the ruthless maternal streak works. You’d understand and empathize.”

“Absolutely.” She glanced at him. “And it is ruthless. I may be able to think rationally about Queen, but Paul Black is a different matter. I have to find Bonnie, and I have to kill her murderer. There’s no question about it.” She looked back at the lake and suddenly shivered. The water looked cold, the entire forest appeared silent and without warmth or life. Was it because she was thinking of death? Or was it some kind of harbinger of things to come?

“Are you cold?”

“A little.” She turned back to the cabin. “The sun is down. It’s time we went back.”

“You go on.” He leaned back against a tall pine. “I’ll stay here for a while. I’ll watch you until you get inside the cabin.”

She didn’t argue. She had an uneasy feeling that… it was almost as if she was being watched. But there could be no one watching in this very private sanctuary.

She glanced back over her shoulder to see John still leaning against the tree beside the lake. His gaze was on her, but there was a remoteness about him that was as chilling as everything surrounding him.

She was glad to get inside the cabin and slam the door. Imagination. They were getting close to Bonnie’s murderer, and Eve’s nerves were raw and on edge. It was no wonder that she wasn’t thinking with any degree of clarity.

The remedy was to get her mind working on a real problem and solution.

Catherine. She still had to call Catherine.

She reached for her phone and quickly dialed.

“I’m in Milwaukee. I just got off the plane from St. Louis,” Catherine said, when she picked up the call. “Where are you? Still at the Marriott?”

“No, we’re at a cabin in the woods about seventy miles from the city.” She paused. “Queen should be on his way to Milwaukee. John told him that he’d give him a ledger he desperately wants if he could get Black to release Cara Clark.”

“Fat chance. I saw what he did to that kid’s mother and grandmother. He likes what he does. I can’t see him giving up another kill because Queen wants him to do it.”

“Neither does John. But he’s hoping for a distraction.”

“And I’m thinking Queen will go for a double cross,” Catherine said. “But we might be able to use that, too.”

“Listen, Catherine, I know you have a stake in finding Black, too. But you can’t kill him until I can talk to him. I have to be certain he killed Bonnie. I have to know what happened and where I can find her.”