Iris Johansen - Bonnie

“Would she? I don’t believe you know her well enough to assume that.” But Catherine might have understood that black-and-white philosophy where evil was instantly punished. She had lived in the same deadly world as Gallo. “At any rate, Catherine and I are different in that respect. Get in the car, John.”

He gave one last glance at Temple and turned away. “We didn’t find out as much as I hoped from him.” He got into the car. “Other than it was Jacobs who was the payoff man. Jacobs often did the dirty work when he and Queen needed a job done. But how the hell did Uncle Ted become involved with Jacobs?”

Eve shrugged. “I have no idea. And we may not know until we catch up with Ted Danner. So why don’t you start making a list of possible people your uncle might have contacted?”

“I don’t think it will do much good.” He took her computer, opened a document, and started to type. “But I’ll try to remember.”

She reached for her phone. “And I’ll try to get in touch with Catherine and see if she’s managed to tap into the hospital records.”

“I’M AT THE RECORDS OFFICEnow,” Catherine said when she picked up Eve’s call. “Joe and I just got here. Venable was having trouble accessing records because the confidential aspect is sometimes doubled at a VA hospital. Some of these guys were special ops, and it’s best that no one gives al Qaeda a chance to ID who they are. They always have bull’s-eyes painted on them.”

“But you think you’ll be able to get them?”

“I’ll get them. Give me another twenty minutes. The records clerk isn’t a bad guy, he’s just careful. What do you want to know?”

“Temple was a bust. The only information he could give us was that Jacobs was the one who paid him for falsifying the records. He doesn’t know why. He also has no idea where Danner is now. We’re looking for any contacts we can find who will give us a lead. Nurses, doctors, therapists.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Catherine paused. “What did Gallo say when you told him that Danner was definitely alive and raising general hell?”

“What would you say if the only person you’d loved from the time you were a kid was turning out like this? Denial. Bewilderment. Even guilt toward you because he couldn’t force himself to kill Danner when he threw that knife.”

“Idiot. He stopped him, didn’t he? That’s all that’s important. I’ll call you when I get through these records.” Catherine hung up and turned to Joe. “Temple told them that Jacobs was the payoff man for the bogus death certificate. No other information. They want to see if we can find a possible contact with someone in the hospital who could tell us where Danner is now.”

“Then let’s get going,” Joe said as he gestured to the clerk sitting at his desk across the room. “Work some magic, Catherine.”

“No magic needed,” Catherine said. “Sincerity is the key word here. You could do it as well as I could.”

“I beg to differ,” Joe said dryly. “He might give in and give me what we want eventually, but not in twenty minutes as you promised Eve. Unless I got rough with him. But persuasion is always better, and you garnish persuasion with a certain glamour that makes it more palatable.”

She suddenly whirled on him. “‘Glamour’?” she repeated. “Bullshit. I hate it when you or anyone else assumes that I try to use seduction as the answer to every problem. I’m not a whore. I use my brains, not my body, to do my job.”

“Whew, I didn’t mean to cause an explosion.” Joe’s smile faded. “I know you’re not a whore, Catherine. I never meant to suggest anything like that. But I also know that you’re not too stupid to know what your effect is on the male population. It’s all one package. I’ve known that from the beginning. Eve thinks that it would offend your independence to ever use the fact that you’re a gorgeous woman to shift the balance in a fight. I told her I didn’t agree. It’s just another weapon that you have in your arsenal. You prefer not to use it, but you wouldn’t discount it if it came to life or death. You’re a survivor, like me. And you’re a very practical woman.”

She shouldn’t have lost her temper. That outburst had come out of nowhere. It had been a rough few weeks, and she was feeling ragged and frustrated. “Yes, I am.” She met his gaze. “I have to live. I have a son, Luke, to support and try to give a decent life. Would I do anything in the world to keep him safe? You bet I would. I’d steal or whore or kill. But you have to choose what’s important enough to you to blow all the barriers. So far I’ve only found one, Luke.” She smiled faintly. “And you’ve found Eve. Yeah, I’m like you, Joe.” She moved toward the clerk. “And you’re right, if necessary I’ll use the fact that men can be persuaded to give me what I want just on the chance they might get a chance to jump me. So let’s get that information and call Eve back.”

Providence, Georgia

THE SUN WAS GOING DOWNover the great canyon in a burst of glory. Light and beauty were all around Danner, but he could see only blackness.

Despair was washing over him in a great wave. He had come rushing back from seeing Father Barnabas to assure himself that he could still be saved; but even in this place, there was no solace. The darkness was creeping toward him, over hills, through the trees, blocking out the light.

“You’re wrong, Ted. The light is still here. You’re just not seeing it.”

He stiffened and whirled toward the hillside.

The little girl in the Bugs Bunny T-shirt, her red hair blazing in the failing light, stood there staring at him.

“No!” He whirled and ran away from her, stumbling, falling, picking himself up, and running again. His heart was beating so hard it was hurting him. He had to get away from her.

Why had she come? To torment him? To tell him that there were more demons for him to fight?

“Ted.”

She was following him.

He wouldn’t look at her. “Go away.” His voice cracked as he tried to control it. “I’ll do what you want. Give you anything. Just go away. ”

He knew she was speaking, but he closed her out as he ran through the hills.

Get away from her. Get away from the darkness.

Go back to the world and do her bidding.

Go back to the priest and force him to find out what he needed to know.

Go back and kill the demons.

“HERE IT IS, JOE.” CATHERINEpulled up the file on the hospital computer. “Theodore Danner.” She checked the date of entry and date of last treatment. “He was a patient here for a number of years. First, for his spinal injury, then follow-up rehabilitation. Eve said he was almost crippled when she met him. His surgery must have been very successful.”

“Apparently,” Joe said. “He was moving like a young man when we saw him at the bayou. Who was his surgeon?”

Catherine back-clicked. “Dr. Kevin Donnelly.” Then she frowned. “No, that’s not right.” She clicked back another page. “Dr. Michael Worzak did the spinal surgery. It was a brilliant success, total recovery. But it was the last mention of Worzak. All of these other pages are appointments with Kevin Donnelly.”

“Rehab?”

“No, there are notations of appointments with Donnelly even before the spinal surgery. They sent him to Donnelly on the recommendation of his doctor at the VA hospital in Milwaukee.” She frowned in puzzlement. “Maybe Donnelly wasn’t a surgeon and only did the preliminary. I’ll try to go back to the letter of recommendation and see why Donnelly was assigned as Danner’s physician. Danner must have been in tremendous pain. There’s a list of medications here administered to Danner that would choke a horse.” Her gaze traveled down the list. She stiffened. “Shit.”