Iris Johansen - Chasing the Night

“What good will that do? You said that probably none of these clients had anything to do with Luke.”

“Probably. We don’t know anything yet. I’m just trying to explore those black holes. I’m paying particular attention to the early days after he took Luke. He made more calls than usual to her during that period. He must have been enjoying himself.” She shook her head. “What a terrible man he is, Eve.”

“Yes. What next, Kelly? How do you connect the dots?”

Kelly smiled faintly. “Catherine said that was what you did with your reconstructions. It’s strange that we work in the same way. I thought perhaps we might.”

Eve nodded. “I keep telling Catherine it’s science combined with instinct. What about you? Do you have hunches?”

“Everyone has hunches occasionally.” She looked down at her pad. “I try not to let them get in the way. In this case, dealing with a personality and not a concept, I’m going to have to rely on Rakovac’s background and personality to help me.”

Eve leaned back in the chair and gazed at her. Kelly was really incredible. Eve kept forgetting how young the girl was. She had been talking to Kelly as if she were an adult and professional on her own level. Yet hunched over that computer, with her blond hair tied back in a ponytail, Kelly appeared even younger than her fourteen years. “Like a puzzle. But I don’t know how realizing just how much of a bastard Rakovac can be is going to help you.”

“That’s not what I’m looking at. It’s the way he reacts, his past pattern of behavior. I’ve analyzed his behavior in the last nine years, then called Venable and had him send me his entire file. He’s…remarkable.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s totally self-serving and definitely has a God complex. But I was interested in the way he handled his business interests. He’s totally without any sense of loyalty. When he was a child, his father brought him up as a rebel and later was killed in the war. You would think he would have some feelings for the cause, but it didn’t happen. He betrayed Kelsov at the first opportunity to better himself. But after the betrayal, there’s some information that he may have worked a few deals with the rebels once he’d established himself with the mafia in Moscow. You’d think he’d be afraid of getting his throat cut by the rebels after what he’d done. But he’s totally fearless. Wherever the money was, wherever the power was, he was willing to take the chance to grasp it. Later, he did the same thing with the Pakistani government on a munitions deal. He jumped back and forth between Pakistan and India. There are several other instances where he went back and managed to use a client he’d treated shoddily in the past. I don’t know whether he regards it as a challenge or if that God complex is so extreme that he just thinks that he can get away with anything he chooses to do. He uses everyone and manages to keep all his balls in the air.” She looked up from her pad. “I think that may be what he’s doing now. Taking Luke was a big risk, but he did it anyway. Now this deal with Ali Dabala is very important to him, but he’s juggling his revenge against Catherine, and he’s not willing to give it up. Very dangerous but in keeping with his past behavior.”

“And how is all this analysis helping?”

“It shows me that he doesn’t deviate from his pattern.” She added, “And that we have to expect the unexpected about where Luke has been hidden away.”

“Did you tell all this to Catherine?”

“Of course, I’d never keep anything from Catherine. She’s why I’m here.”

“But you made a deal with Venable.”

“And I’ll keep it. But it’s Catherine who is important.”

Yes, it was Catherine who was important to Kelly. The girl’s single-minded devotion and stubbornness had led her down this strange path to this house in Russia. Well, how could she blame her? Not only had Catherine saved her life, but she seemed to have chosen her to fill her loneliness that was so apparent. “I believe we all realize that’s your main priority.”

Kelly nodded. “You’re thinking that I’m some kind of nut because I’ve been following her around like a lost puppy. I know Luke’s the only one who is important to Catherine right now. It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to bother her.”

“I don’t think you’re a nut,” Eve said gently. “I think you’re loyal and brave and trying to find something or someone.” She reached out and squeezed Kelly’s hand. “And I know that Catherine cares about you.”

“Me, too.” Kelly smiled. “And she’ll like me even more after I find Luke for her.” She looked back down at her computer. “Excuse me, Eve. I have to get back to work.”

She was dismissed, Eve realized, amused. Politely but definitely. Again, she could see similarities between her own work habits and Kelly’s. She hoped the girl did not become as obsessive about her work as Eve.

She had a chance of escaping that fate. Her own obsession had been triggered by Bonnie. She only prayed that Kelly’s life would not be marred and twisted so badly that it would draw her into cocooning herself away from all the things a young girl had the right to experience.

“Then I’ll leave you to it.” She got to her feet. “You seem to be much busier than I am at present. I’ll go twiddle my thumbs.”

“The ultimate torture for you?” Kelly grinned. “It can’t last long, Eve. Something’s going to break.”

She was afraid that was all too true. Yes, she was restless and wanted to be busier, but she was aware of Rakovac hovering, waiting, just over the horizon. This was the calm before the storm.

She just hoped that storm didn’t sweep them all away.

Catherine got the call from Rakovac six hours later. She was alone with Eve in the living room and put it on the speakerphone.

“You’ve been very clever,” he said when she picked up the call. “I thought it would take you a little longer to find that skeleton. Of course, I did leave you clues. But I was anticipating your running around frantically trying desperately to find your son. I was disappointed.”

“Too bad. And that skeleton was not my son.”

“You say that with complete conviction. I take it that Eve Duncan has completed her reconstruction. I thought I gave her enough time. She’s a professional and can work very quickly under pressure. Were you tremendously relieved?”

“You know I was.”

“My words concerning Luke’s death may have been exaggerated, but your relief is only temporary, you know. He will die, Catherine.”

“But he’s not dead yet.”

“Not yet.”

She couldn’t speak for a moment as the waves of relief struck her. It was the first time he had stated uncategorically that Luke was alive. “And he’s well?”

“It depends on what you call well. I took care to make sure that he wouldn’t resemble that cute little toddler that you knew and loved. He’s a young savage. He’s killed, you know.”

“For God’s sake, he’s only eleven years old.”

“I killed my first man on a raid when I was nine. As his guardian, I thought it fitting that he follow in my footsteps. So I set him on the proper path.”

“You bastard.”

“Now Catherine, you’ve been asking me questions about your Luke all these years. Yet when I oblige you, all I get is abuse.”

He had been lying and playing cat and mouse with her emotions since the moment he had taken Luke. The only reason he was giving her all the painful details was that it didn’t matter to him any longer. “No matter what you did to Luke, you couldn’t change him.”

He laughed. “How naïve you are. Life changes everyone, and I helped the process along. You’d be surprised what a corrupt little son of a bitch he’s become. And I use that term with complete accuracy. You’d never be able to recognize any of the qualities you think Luke possessed. Are you sure that you even want to make the attempt to regain your little darling?”