Iris Johansen - Stalemate

"Proof," Armandariz said hoarsely. "We have no proof."

"Montalvo sent a tooth off for DNA confirmation," Eve said. "It will take time. He hoped the reconstruction would convince you. Diaz has found out I was doing the reconstruction and will be moving."

"Convince me without proof?"

"Look in the mirror. Your friend is right. Your bone structure and Nalia's are very similar." Her lips twisted. "Do you want me to reel off the probable tissue depth of every point in your skull? I could do it. I became so accustomed to working on Nalia that she seemed part of me. She became… my friend. It's a pity you weren't a friend to her." She took out the disc from the computer. "Do you ever dream about her, Armandariz?"

"No."

"You will from now on." She turned back to the reconstruction. "Because you know you're wrong. You're not going to be able to lie to yourself any longer." She picked up the reconstruction and started to put it in the box. "Let's go, Montalvo. I can't do-"

"Stop." Armandariz was staring at the skull. "Leave her."

She went rigid. "I can't do that. She's in my care."

Armandariz looked at Montalvo. "I'm keeping her, Montalvo."

Montalvo's gaze narrowed on Armandariz's face. "Why?"

"I'm keeping her."

"That's not good enough."

"Leave her." Manuel stepped forward. "I'll see that nothing happens to her. I'll consider it my duty."

"We need to bring her to a final resting place," Eve said. "She's not a card to be traded about."

"I know." Montalvo was studying Armandariz's expression. "Very well, we'll leave her for the time being. I'll come back for her tomorrow."

"Screw you," Armandariz said. "I'm keeping her. You took her away from me once. I won't let it happen again."

"Tomorrow." He took Eve's elbow and urged her toward the entrance. "Don't argue, Eve."

"Don't tell me that." She glanced angrily back over her shoulder at Armandariz. "This isn't a pretty statue of your daughter. This is part of her body. If you can't believe that, then give me the reconstruction."

Armandariz didn't answer, his gaze once more fastened on the skull.

"He does believe it," Manuel said as he stepped closer and placed his hand on Armandariz's shoulder. "Give him his time with her."

Eve hesitated, studying the older man's expression. His lips were tight, his face pale and strained, and his eyes… She whirled and strode ahead of Montalvo out of the tent.

"Is he right?" she asked Montalvo as soon as they were a few yards away. "Does Armandariz believe us?"

"You wouldn't have left that tent if you didn't think so," Montalvo said. "You did a great job, Eve."

"How soon before you can talk to him about going after Diaz?"

"As Manuel said, give him a little time with his daughter. He has to come to terms with her death and his own mistakes that hurt his precious cause."

"I don't have time. I need to help Joe."

"And you will. I'll get in touch with Miguel when we get back to the compound and see what he's found out."

"I'm still not sure Armandariz believed us."

"I am. He called the reconstruction 'her,' not 'it.' And he was as possessive as he always was with her. He hated the idea of her marrying me. He thought I stole her away from him."

"Did you?"

"Yes, I was a possessive bastard too. But now neither one of us has her."

She shook her head. "Now you both have her. As long as you love her memory."

He was silent a moment. "Maybe you're right."

"Of course I'm right." They had reached the jeep and she climbed into the passenger seat. "God knows I'm not right about a lot of things. I seem to be blundering on all sides these days. But I'm right about this."

Armandariz had not spoken for the last ten minutes. His gaze was focused on the face of the reconstruction.

"It wasn't your fault." Manuel sat down in the camp chair beside him. "She shouldn't have taken the chance she did. She should have waited until she could convince you that Diaz was crooked."

"She never waited for anything," Armandariz said. "I taught her to make a decision and then act on it. That's why she was such a good soldier." His fingers gently touched the line of her cheek. "I forgot how beautiful she was. I made myself forget. She does look like me, doesn't she?"

"Yes."

"I lied to that Duncan woman. I do dream about Nalia."

"It was none of her business."

"I dream about her when she was a small child, when she was mine. Before Montalvo came and took her away from me."

"Nalia always loved you. She kept Montalvo here because she knew he was valuable to the cause, valuable to you, Antonio."

"I know she loved me." His face twisted with pain. "But that bitch was right; I wasn't a good friend to her. I didn't want Montalvo to be right. I didn't want Nalia to be right about Diaz. I wanted her to trust my judgment as she had before she was married."

"Everyone makes mistakes," Manuel said. "Nalia was my friend. I should have questioned you and told you that perhaps we could be wrong." He grimaced. "But you're not often wrong, Antonio. I've gotten out of the habit of standing up to you." He paused. "What do we do about this?"

Armandariz shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know anything right now." His voice was uneven. "I don't want to think. I only want to sit here and look at my daughter who's come home to me."

Eve's cell phone rang after they were only a few miles from the encampment.

"Where are you, Eve?" Diaz asked when she answered. "I understand you've become involved in Montalvo's negotiations. Have you met with Armandariz yet?"

"How did you know that I was going to see Armandariz, Diaz?"

Montalvo's hands tensed on the steering wheel as his gaze flew to her face.

"I have people in Montalvo's camp. Did you doubt it when you met my little reptile friend? You're not safe from me wherever you are."

"Empty threats. You've tried to kill me twice and you didn't succeed."

Silence on the other end of the line. "You're making me angry. That's not a smart thing to do."

"Why are you calling me? If you know we're going to Armandariz's camp, then you must know I've finished the reconstruction." She paused. "And there's no doubt it's Nalia Armandariz."

"There's always doubt. Shall I tell you what you're going to tell my old friend Antonio? It's all a big lie. You sculpted the face that Montalvo told you to create. The skull was not that whore."

"Why should I do that?"

"Because it will please me. Armandariz will believe you because he wants it to be true. He likes our cozy relationship and he wants to keep it flourishing. All you have to do is tell him what a liar Montalvo is and he'll be very happy."

"But I don't want to please you."

"Of course you do. You don't care anything about Montalvo. He's nothing to you but a fat fee. I can match his money." His voice lowered. "And I can give you something he can't."

"What?"

"Your lover. Do you want to see Joe Quinn alive again?"

She stiffened as panic jolted through her. Christ.

"You're bluffing."

"I'd let you talk to him, but my men were a little rough when they captured him, and he's unconscious."

She tried to keep her voice steady. "How convenient."

"Of course, perhaps it's not their doing. It could be that nasty wound my man Duarte inflicted. Perhaps it's opened and he's bleeding to death. Should I ask my men to check?"

"You bastard."

"No curses. You must be polite to me. You wouldn't want to have a guilty conscience if I became so angry that I forgot about Armandariz and decided to punish you." His tone became terse. "If Armandariz makes any move on me, Quinn dies. If I talk to him and he seems to be waffling in his loyalty to me, Quinn dies. If Montalvo attacks me, Quinn dies. Is that understood?"