Iris Johansen - Chasing the Night

“I know. Life has a way of slipping in the unexpected just when we have everything neatly planned.” She looked after Kelly, who had gone out on the porch. “But it may not be safe to send her away now. If you’re still under surveillance, Rakovac will probably soon know about her and that she followed you here. Maybe he’ll think you have affection for her. Couldn’t that be dangerous?”

Catherine nodded. “Yes, dammit.”

“Then you have a big problem, and you’ll have to work with it.” She smiled at Kelly as she came back into the house. “Catherine will show you the bathroom while I make up the couch for you.”

“Thank you.” Kelly hesitated. “I don’t want to be a bother, Ms. Duncan. I had to come, but I never meant you to have to-”

“Eve,” she interrupted. “And I wouldn’t have told you to stay if you weren’t welcome. But it’s late, and we all need to get to sleep. We’ll settle everything in the morning. Good night, Kelly.”

“Good night, Eve.” Her voice was low and uneven. She turned to Catherine. “I’ll make it right. I promise. Just give me a chance.”

“Tomorrow.” Catherine led her across the living room toward the bathroom. “I’m not about to give you any encouragement. I like you, I want to help you, but you’re going to be a headache, and I have to find a remedy.” She opened the door of the bathroom and turned on the light. “I’ll see you in the morning. Try to get some sense into your stubborn-” She broke off as she saw Kelly’s expression. She was not crying, but she was very close. “Don’t look like that.” She pulled her close in a quick, hard hug and let her go. “Your mother is an idiot and doesn’t deserve you. Which doesn’t mean I’m going to give in to this idiocy. I just thought you should know that I’m your friend, and I’ll find a way to get you what you need.” She turned away. “Not necessarily what you want.”

“They’re one and the same,” Kelly said unevenly. “And I think you’ll see that you need me, too. I can help you find your son. I’m smart. I see patterns. Just let me show you.”

“No, you may want to help, but I’m alone in this. Good night, Kelly.” She shut the bathroom door and turned and went back to Eve. “Do you need help making up that couch?”

Eve shook her head. “It’s almost done. The couch practically makes into a bed with the press of a button. I’m not much of a house keeper, so I made sure everything around me is easy. Life is too difficult to have to work at the little things.” She stepped back and put a blanket on the foot of the bed. “That should be comfortable. Not that the poor kid will notice. She was almost numb with exhaustion.”

“She wasn’t too exhausted to manipulate her way into staying here tonight.”

“She tried to be honest with you.”

“I know,” Catherine said wearily. “Probably because she knew that I wouldn’t accept anything else.” She shook her head. “Or maybe not. Maybe that’s her nature. I’m pretty cynical. I haven’t known her for long.”

“Long enough for her to trust you.”

“She would have trusted the devil himself if he could have gotten her away from Munoz.”

“Possibly,” Eve said. “But I prefer to think the kid has excellent instincts. What is all this patterns business?”

“I’m not sure. Venable only said that she was brilliant and disturbingly inquisitive.” She reached for her phone and put it on speaker. “But I’m going to find out.”

“Good morning, Catherine.” Venable didn’t sound in the least drowsy in spite of the hour. “Did you like the little surprise package I left for you?”

“No. I don’t like you using her or using me. I want her out of here.”

“Actually, I had the feeling that she was using me. But it suited me to give her what she wanted. At any rate, she’s now your problem. Deal with her.”

“I could strangle you, Venable. She’s a kid. Even you wouldn’t want to throw her in Rakovac’s path.”

“Then perhaps the two of you had better keep a low profile and leave Rakovac to us.” He paused. “If you send her back to me, I can’t promise that she won’t run away. She was determined not to let her mother shove her into that rehabilitation home. Besides, there’s a slight chance she might be able to help you find Luke.”

“She’s a kid,” Catherine repeated flatly. “I don’t care how intelligent, she can’t offer me anything that I’d want to use.”

“Don’t be too sure. Did she tell you about the patterns?”

“Briefly. Not enough. You tell me.”

“Kelly’s thinking processes are different from anyone else’s. When she was a toddler, they found she was a whiz at mathematics.”

“And how would that help me?” Catherine asked impatiently.

“It was only the start. The educators began testing her, and they found that if they gave her a piece of a puzzle, she could construct the entire picture.”

“What kind of puzzle?”

“Any puzzle. Astronomy, mathematical, situational. You name it. She can see it all and project the ending. Her professors at William and Mary think that Einstein must have had that kind of brain. She’s incredible. That’s why her mother is so uneasy with her. Kelly can probably read her like a book.”

“Is that any reason to push her away? All the more reason to hold her close and help her work it out. It must have been frightening for her.”

“Yes, some puzzles aren’t pretty, are they? But Kelly had her father, and after his divorce, he was very protective of the girl.” He added dryly, “Believe me, I know. He wouldn’t let us near her.”

“Why would you-Of course, an ability like that would prove very valuable to the Company. I’m surprised you don’t want to whisk her away to one of your training camps.”

“I admit I was interested enough in what I heard about her to go to her school and talk to her professors. As I said, she’s very promising.”

“She’s a kid, Venable.”

“I didn’t do anything, did I?”

“Because she had her father to protect her.”

“I might have been able to get around him. And now her father has been removed from the equation.” He added quickly, “Not that I’ve been thinking about it. It wouldn’t be practical. All that media attention has spoiled her for any confidential use.”

“Otherwise, you’d do it.”

“Possibly.” He went on brusquely. “That’s not important since I can’t implement it. What might be beneficial is having her concentrate on your problem. Doesn’t it seem fitting that your Luke’s kidnapping should be resolved by another child who was also a victim?”

“Fitting and completely nuts.”

“Don’t be hardheaded. I think it would be poetic justice.” His tone became grave. “You may not believe this, but I sent her because I wanted to give you a chance before there are no more chances. Use her, Catherine. Use everything you’ve got.” He hung up.

“He sounded dead serious,” Eve said. “And foreboding.”

Catherine nodded. “Something ugly is going on with Rakovac. I’d bet that the situation is heating up.” She slowly put her phone in her pocket. “And Venable was trying to warn me that Luke may not have much time before the blowup.”

“And what can you do that you’re not doing?”

Catherine shook her head. “I don’t know. Move faster. Get really desperate and take a stab at using Kelly?” She looked at Eve. “The only thing I do know is that I have to know what Luke looks like so that I won’t get the wrong kid when I go after him. You’ll be finished tomorrow?”

“If everything goes right.” She didn’t speak for a moment. “I could keep Kelly with me after you leave.”