Iris Johansen - Chasing the Night

“And I’m not seeing any signs that you’re doing much to help, Venable,” Joe said. “Don’t you have any idea where Rakovac could be?”

“I’m working on it. I’m heading for Moscow now so that I’ll be on the spot,” Venable said. “But I don’t have your advantage, Catherine. He’s waving Luke like a toreador does his cape at a bull. You might be able to get close enough to gore him.”

“After we find those records,” Joe said grimly. “Catherine’s right, it’s not a win-win situation.”

“Those people in Lima didn’t have a chance. If you want to see a no-win situation, take a look at the photos of the aftereffects of that explosion on your computer. It looks like-” Venable stopped. “It’s hell. I don’t want to have to see the same thing happen on our turf. I’ll sacrifice Catherine’s son and all the rest of you if I can stop that from happening. Now find that son of a bitch. If you tell me where he is, I’ll send an army to get him. But you’d better be damn sure that you have those records before he can destroy them.” He hung up.

The room was silent as Catherine pressed the disconnect.

“I won’t give up Luke,” she said shakily. “Venable may be ready to sacrifice all of us for the general good, but not my little boy. I can’t do that.”

“I know,” Eve said. “Venable is desperate.”

“Not my son,” Catherine said. She gazed around the room at them. “I’m actually feeling guilty. I won’t feel guilty, dammit. I won’t. ”

“Venable wasn’t fair,” Joe said. “But the choice isn’t fair. I can see where he’s at.”

“Do you think I can’t?” She shook her head. “The way this damn scenario is shaping up, I may be blamed for Armageddon. Well, let them blame me. I won’t let my son be killed.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “But what about all those other children who will die if-”

“Enough of this.” Eve got to her feet. “Stop torturing yourself, Catherine. This isn’t only up to you. We’re in this together. We have to figure a way to get the records from Rakovac and still keep Luke safe.”

“All this worry about her son may be for nothing,” Natalie said baldly, speaking for the first time. “What if that skull in that case is her Luke?”

Kelsov flinched. “Natalie, no one can say that you mince words.”

“Why should I? It’s what you’re all thinking. You should kill Rakovac. That’s all that’s important.”

“In this case, it’s not all that’s important.” He turned to Catherine. “I apologize. Natalie is single-minded on the subject of Rakovac.”

“Aren’t we all,” Joe said. “Particularly now.” He turned to Eve. “I think we have to know very soon if Luke is going to be factor in this.”

She pushed back her chair. “I’ll start right away.”

“Could we get DNA instead?” Kelly asked.

“Not enough time,” Joe said. “It’s going to have to be up to Eve.” He glanced at Catherine. “If you’ll trust her.”

“Do you mean will I trust her not to put my son’s face on that skull no matter what is there?” Her lips twisted. “Tell me, how do you like the idea of that much responsibility, Eve?”

“I hate it,” Eve said. “But not enough to lie to you. If you think I will, then all of this is for nothing.” She crossed her arms across her chest and stared Catherine in the eye. “Well?”

Catherine hesitated and then slowly nodded. “I trust you. You’ll tell me the truth.” Her jaw squared. “And I’m going to tell all of you the truth. You want to keep all that horror from happening? So do I. But it’s up to you to save the world. I’m going to save my son. You make your choice, I make mine. They may not coincide. So you’d better watch out for me.” She started clearing the table. “Let’s get these dishes out of the way and leave Eve alone to get to work. Your worktable and your tools are over there by the window. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Keep everyone out of my space,” Eve said. “And keep me supplied with coffee.”

“And food,” Joe said. “She tends to forget about it.”

“I noticed that.” Catherine carried a stack of dishes to the sink. “When she was doing the age progression. I’ll see that she’s stoked and primed.”

“You make me sound like a machine,” Eve said ruefully.

“You’re no machine. You’re too human,” Catherine said. “Which I imagine is going to make this one of the most difficult jobs you’ve ever done.”

“We’ll get through it.” Eve moved over to the worktable and began to set out her equipment. “Together.”

“How long will it take?”

She shrugged. “At least a day and a half for the initial setup and depth measurements. After that, I never know for certain. The sculpting can go fast or slow. It depends on…” She made a face. “It’s not like the age progressions. That’s much more logical. The sculpting is more creative and tells the tale.” She looked at Catherine. “It’s during that part of the process that I could lie to you if I chose.”

“But you won’t choose,” Catherine said. “And since you’re going to take that long, I believe Kelly will be stuck with my help while she’s working on the Rakovac report.” She stared sternly at Kelly. “And no complaints.”

Kelly smiled. “I’m not complaining.”

“Joe?” Eve’s gaze was narrowed on his face. “I saw your expression when you were talking to Venable. You’re not going to sit around waiting for me to finish.”

He shook his head. “Everything has changed. I can’t let Rakovac cause a disaster of that scope. I’m a cop and it’s my job to protect. You’re safe here with Catherine and Kelsov and don’t need me. I’m calling Venable back to see what I can do about finding Rakovac on my own. I’m going into Moscow to start pushing Venable.” His lips tightened. “Though this time I don’t believe he’s going to take much pushing. He sounded scared shitless.”

“Why should he be different?” Eve said. “Let me know as soon as you find out anything.”

“If,” Joe substituted as he headed for the bedroom. “The word is definitely ‘if.’”

He was right, Catherine thought. She had thought there was uncertainty before, but now the prospects seemed infinitely worse. Darkness was all around them, and nothing was clear.

Except that the clock was ticking for Luke.

And for all those other thousands of innocent victims Rakovac was planning on destroying.

“Food,” Catherine said firmly. “You’ve skipped two meals, and I promised Joe I’d keep you fed.”

“‘Stoked,’” Eve said. “Isn’t that the term you used?”

“Whatever. You’ve been working for a solid twelve hours without a break.”

“I’m in a hurry. You’ll agree there’s a certain urgency to my getting this finished.”

“You still need food. I have a ham sandwich and a salad for you. Just eat it, and I won’t bother you again for another four or five hours. Okay?”

“Okay.” Eve wiped her hands on her cleansing cloth and moved away from the worktable to the kitchen table across the room. She needed the break anyway. Her eyes were stinging from focusing on the precise measurements, and the back of her neck was starting to ache. “What would you do if I said no?”

“Nag.” She sat down across from Eve. “The alternative is force-feeding, and I’m trying to avoid it. It tends to arouse massive resistance.” She lifted her cup of coffee to her lips. “But you wouldn’t let it go that far. You have the sense to know that you need fuel to keep on going.”

“There you go again. ‘Stoke.’ ‘Fuel.’” She picked up her sandwich. “But you’re right, I’m sensible. Sometimes.” Her gaze wandered back to the reconstruction on the table across the room. “I do tend to get involved.”