Dark Tribute--An Eve Duncan Novel

by Iris Johansen

  Her hands clenched on the steering wheel. “What are you talking about?”

  “He’s a very bad man.” His gaze shifted to her face. “He hurt Cara. We’re going to have to stop him before he hurts Dad.”

  “It’s your dad who’s hunting Svardak. He’ll be fine, Michael.” She hoped desperately she was telling the truth. “And I’ll let you talk to him as soon as I reach him. It will be another couple hours before we get home.” She tossed the lap robe to him from the back of the seat. “Why don’t you cuddle down and try to nap for a while? I promise it’s going to be all right.”

  He gazed at her a moment, then he took the lap robe and leaned back against the headrest. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” He closed his eyes. “I forget sometimes. I know your way is best … But it’s the truth, Mom. He’s too close. We’ll have to stop it…”

  She didn’t answer.

  He had scared her.

  She was hundreds of miles from Joe, and Michael’s words had made her feel alone and helpless. She had wanted to turn the car around and race back to West Virginia.

  Keep calm.

  She had always known that Michael was special, but she had deliberately not probed below the surface. She wanted him to grow up happy and as normal as possible. But she couldn’t ignore those words he’d spoken tonight because the threat had been to Joe.

  She pressed her quick dial for Joe.

  No connection.

  She drew a deep breath. That lousy cell reception again.

  Give it another fifteen minutes.

  No connection.

  It was almost an hour before she got through.

  And Joe answered in two rings.

  “At last,” she said, relieved. “I’ve been trying to reach you all day. Where are you?”

  “Somewhere near Wheeling, I think. I’m moving north. I stopped at the local police department and asked questions. No real answers about Svardak. But there was a carjacking and killing of a farmer in the area earlier today. A handyman was also shot, but he might live. He said that it was done by two men in their thirties who left their Chevy when it ran out of gas and took the farmer’s truck. They were heading north, farther into the Appalachians.”

  “You think that they were connected to Svardak?”

  “I think it’s likely it might be two of the men who managed to get away from us at Lost Canyon. I told you that there were a number that we lost after the explosion. I ran the fingerprints the police took from their car and sent it to Interpol high priority. I should be getting an ID anytime now.”

  “They might not be going to join Svardak.”

  “They’re rats fleeing a sinking ship, and Svardak represents a very lucrative lifeboat. If he called them, they’d probably be there for him. And they’re careless, they’ve already given me a track to follow. It’s my only lead, but I have a hunch it’s a good one. I’m getting close, Eve.”

  He’s too close. She felt a chill as she remembered Michael’s words before he’d drifted off to sleep.

  “How are you?” Joe asked. “Are you and Cara on the road yet?”

  “I’m almost home.” She paused. “Cara didn’t come with me. She’s still at the Holiday Inn. She didn’t want to leave until you could come with her. She thinks Svardak will zero in on you.” She could hear him swearing. “I agree. But I couldn’t budge her. She said Kaskov would keep an eye on her.”

  “And you accepted that?”

  “I told you, she thought Svardak would go after her family. She used the Michael card on me.” She paused. “That’s why I’ve been trying to reach you. You might be the only one who can convince her to get out of there. I think she’ll come home if you come with her.”

  “I have to find Svardak.”

  “I know.” Don’t push. Though it was getting harder every minute. “It’s your decision. I thought you should know.”

  He was silent. “If I don’t get him now, he might slip away.”

  “Your decision.”

  “I’ll call her and see if I can persuade her.” He had a thought. “Jock. Did you call Jock?”

  “Naturally. He dropped everything and said he’d take care of it. But it might not do any good. She’s … changed. I think it has to be you.”

  “I’ll call Jock, too. And I was planning on calling the precinct and arranging protection for the lake cottage. That will have to stay in place regardless of what Cara does.”

  “Don’t bother. Cara took charge of that. Anyone they’d send would be stumbling over Kaskov’s men. Now she’s only worried about you.” Don’t ask him to come home. Don’t tell him to get the hell away from those mountains and come back to her. “We’re fine. I’ll take care of everything here. You take care of yourself. Let me know what you decide after you talk to Cara.”

  “You know I’ll call her right away.”

  “Not right this minute. I promised I’d let Michael talk to you when I finally got a connection. Heaven knows when I’ll get through again. I love you. Be safe.” She gently shook Michael, and he was instantly awake. Had he even been asleep? “Your dad,” she whispered as she pressed the speaker on the dashboard. “He’s okay. No problem.”

  “Hi, Dad.” Michael sat up straighter in his seat. “Mom is fine. I’m watching out for her. I had a great time at Catherine’s, but I’m glad I’m going home. When are you coming?”

  “Not right away. I have a few things to do here first. So you’ll have to take care of your mom a little longer.” He paused. “And take care of yourself, too. That’s important to me. I know you’re doing a good job. I promise things will get back to normal soon.”

  “I think they will, too. But things change, don’t they? I heard Mom say Cara had changed. Maybe normal won’t be the same.”

  Joe was silent. “Maybe it won’t. But then it would be up to us to make it even better than before. I believe we could think of ways to do that if we tried hard enough, don’t you?”

  “Sure. We can do anything. It’s just easier to do it if we’re together. Come home soon, okay?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “And Dad…” Michael hesitated. “Are there any churches up there in the mountains?”

  “There are churches everywhere. One in almost every town. When people are near all this natural beauty, they tend to want to express their appreciation. Why?”

  “Churches have crosses. I can’t think of anywhere else that has crosses.”

  “So?”

  “Nothing. I just don’t like you being near any crosses. It … bothers me.”

  Joe chuckled. “Weird. Then I’ll be sure to skip any church services while I’m up here in the mountains. I wouldn’t have the time anyway. Bye, Michael. Love you.” He cut the connection.

  “Churches?” Eve asked.

  “Maybe not a church,” Michael said as he covered up with the lap robe again. “It could be … something else. I’ll think about it.”

  “Why would it bother you anyway?”

  “It just does.” He closed his eyes. “I don’t know why. But now maybe he’ll think about me when he sees it, and that might help. It could be enough…”

  His words were frustrating, but she wasn’t going to interrogate him when that vagueness was obviously sincere. “Or maybe it won’t matter if your dad leaves there right away and brings Cara home to us.”

  “No, it wouldn’t matter then.”

  But Eve knew the odds were against that happening, and she had an idea that somehow Michael did, too.

  * * *

  “No,” Cara said precisely. “I hear you, Joe, but I’m staying here until Svardak is caught and we can go home together. No arguments.”

  “Bullshit. Of course, I’ll give you an argument. There’s no reason for you to be here. I told you that I have a firm lead, and I’ll be able to wrap this up in no time.”

  “Good. Then that means we’ll be able to go home all the sooner … together. Did Interpol come through with those names yet?”

  “Yes,” he
said curtly. “Liam Lacher, Liverpool, and Simon Abrams, Toronto. Both with very nasty records for the last decade or so. No obvious proof they worked for Svardak, but then Svardak had only minor offenses before he was put in that mental hospital. And he kept his record pristine clean after he escaped and started gathering a crew around him. But Lacher’s and Abram’s travel documents show that they were in the same cities as the victims when the killings took place. The connection to Svardak seems clear.”

  “Abrams…” There was something familiar about the name. She’d heard it before. Then she remembered where. “He was one of the sentries guarding the cabin. I didn’t see his face, it was cold, and he always had his hood pulled up. But it was when I was tied to that pine tree on the first night and Svardak said that it wouldn’t do me any good to call out to Abrams. That no one could help me…”

  “Charming,” Joe said harshly. “With memories like that, why aren’t you running like hell to find a cave to crawl into?”

  “Because I do have memories like that,” she said quietly. “And maybe they can help. They did this time, didn’t they? I was able to verify Abrams as one of his men.”

  “Yes, but that’s as far as I’d want you to go. Go home, Cara.”

  “When you’re ready to go with me. You and Eve saved my life and gave me that home. I’ll wait for you.”

  “Cara.”

  “No, Joe,” she said gently. “Search for Svardak, try to find him. But don’t expect me not to be here if you need me.”

  “I’m not going to let this go.”

  “I know you won’t. You’ll probably call Jock and ask him to bully me. You’ll call me again, and you may even sic Eve on me. But I won’t leave you. You wouldn’t leave me.”

  “Sure I would. I don’t want you here.” He added deliberately, “You’ll get in my way.”

  She knew he had only said those blunt words as a last resort. “Maybe. Or maybe I’ll find another way to help. Good night, Joe.”

  “It’s not a good night. I’ll get back to you.” He cut the connection.

  She set her phone on the nightstand and settled back on her pillows. She felt overpoweringly sad at having to refuse him. Joe was as close to a father as she had ever had. Father and wonderful friend and the self-appointed guardian of their family.

  But Svardak had taught her that sometimes roles had to be reversed. She couldn’t always be the child running to Joe to save her. If you cared about someone, you had to take responsibility for them. If sacrifices had to be made, you didn’t question them.

  And sacrifices might have to be made. She had been careful not to mention that possibility to Joe, Eve, or Jock. But it had been in her mind since she had opened her eyes in that hospital. Svardak had to be destroyed before any of them would be safe. She wanted desperately to live, but not at the cost Svardak might demand. Some prices were too high to pay. Marian Napier had taught her that truth.

  Don’t think about it now. It might not happen. Address the present problems, not future ones. Start plans in motion. She reached for her phone again.

  “Complaints?” Kaskov said when he answered her call. “What do you want now? I assure you that I put my best men on protecting Eve and the child. I contacted an associate in London, and Jane MacGuire will be absolutely safe. I haven’t been able to find Joe Quinn yet, but as soon as I do, I’ll have him—”

  “He’s somewhere near Wheeling, West Virginia,” she interrupted. “Moving north. He’s on the track of Liam Lacher and Simon Abrams, who evidently escaped the explosions on the mountain. They killed a farmer and took his truck and were seen heading into the Appalachians.” She paused. “Possibly to meet with Svardak. I need you to send someone up there to find them and help Joe if he needs it.”

  “Help Joe Quinn who’s an ex-SEAL and probably could mop up anyone I sent after him?” Kaskov asked mockingly. “Not an intelligent distribution of my resources.”

  “I don’t care about your resources. I want Joe safe. He has to be safe. There’s a small chance that he’ll come back here and try to get me to go to Eve before he goes after Svardak. But it’s too small to count on. He’ll probably talk Jock into standing temporary guard over me while he goes after Svardak. That means that the odds will be three against one even if Svardak isn’t able to gather anyone else. Get him help, Kaskov.”

  “Orders, Cara?” He thought about it. “But you’re probably right. From my reports, Jock is already hovering over you, and Quinn will probably guess that’s happening.”

  “Your reports? Oh, I forgot for a moment how important it is to you that Svardak not get the best of you again. Of course, you’re keeping an eye on me. I even told Eve that you would.”

  “Very wise. I’m sure it added enormous points to your arguments for her to leave you.”

  “Not particularly. She doesn’t trust you. But I had to take what I could get.”

  Silence. Then he chuckled. “Always honest. But you were far more polite before. It’s interesting how you’ve changed.”

  “I don’t mean to be impolite,” she said wearily. “I’ve always thought good manners were important, like the opening movement of a concerto. They prepare the way for what comes next. It’s just that there doesn’t seem time right now. And I believe that everything between us has to be very clear. It never really was before.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” He paused. “Not unusual when one realizes that you could never trust your mother, and I was only a stranger standing on the outside who used your talent to amuse me.”

  “But it didn’t really matter. I didn’t matter. You were there when Eve needed you. And Michael lived. Jock never realized that was all that was important.”

  “I wonder why,” he said mockingly. “When it appears to be crystal clear to you. Anyone should be able to see where his priorities lie. But perhaps Jock doesn’t wish to see too deeply in this situation. What do you think?”

  There was something in his tone. “What do you mean?”

  “What could I mean? When we’re being so honest and clear with each other.” His voice lowered silkily. “I take it that Svardak hasn’t called you yet?”

  She inhaled sharply. “Why would he do that? There’s no reason. My family is safe. He could threaten, but he couldn’t follow through.”

  “Yet you’ve been expecting it. You have a relationship with him. You believe he’ll go after you no matter what the circumstances. I was wondering if you’d be tempted to assure the safety of your family by striking first. I would.”

  “But I’m not you.”

  “No, you’re not. But you took a step closer when Svardak raised his serpent’s head. I found it interesting, but for some reason, it disturbed me.”

  “It didn’t disturb me. I’m not like you or my mother or any of my family. Jock told me once that I have my own soul and my own choices. I wouldn’t choose your way.”

  “But I believe your choices might disturb Jock even more than the possibilities that I found interesting. I always suspected you might prove to be an idealist.” His tone turned hard. “Idealists have the stupid habit of falling on their swords. I find the idea unacceptable. It would rob me of something I value.” He paused. “I’ll send men to make certain that Quinn is safe, but you’ll not play Svardak’s games. Do you understand?”

  “I understand. Thank you. Send Joe help, and perhaps there won’t be any games to play.”

  “You don’t believe that.”

  No, she didn’t. Svardak would never give up until he killed her. She had realized on that last day that nothing else would satisfy him. “I want to live. I’d like to believe it. Please let me know when your men make contact with Joe.” She pressed the disconnect.

  This seemed the night for her to hang up on brilliant, forceful men who wanted to dominate her, she thought bitterly. Even Kaskov had been giving her problems toward the end of the conversation. Amazing.

  She didn’t bother to set the phone back on the nightstand. Jock would probably be calling her soon to
reinforce the wisdom of Joe’s admonishment to go home.

  Another forceful man wanting his own way.

  No, another unique, wonderful man wanting to save her from Svardak.

  She stared into the darkness. Svardak was out there somewhere, a beast filled with hate, waiting for his chance to attack again. She could almost feel that vicious malice she had grown to know so well.

  But there’s so much goodness in the world, so many wonderful people. No one will let you survive for long. We’re waiting for you, too.

  But right now all she could feel was that hate reaching out to her in the darkness.

  LAKE KEDROW RANGER STATION WEST VIRGINIA

  “More coffee?” Svardak asked Abrams. “I believe there might be some frozen dinners in the freezer if you’re hungry. Evidently those rangers didn’t like driving all that distance to town for groceries.”

  “Maybe later,” Abrams said. “We picked up some burgers in Wheeling.”

  Both Abrams and Lacher were acting distinctly wary, Svardak thought as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He didn’t blame them. When Lacher and Abrams had driven up to the ranger station an hour ago, he had forced himself to be almost cordial. It probably wouldn’t last long. He was already losing patience. He’d thought that it might be expedient since he was wounded, short of men, and needed them, but they were not and never would be his equal. Abrams was barely tolerable. Lacher was shallow and stupid. “Suit yourself. I just wanted to offer you something after your long trip.”

  “Maybe we should leave this place,” Lacher said awkwardly. “One day’s drive, and we could be over the Canadian border. It’s not safe here.”

  “Is that your opinion?” Svardak asked. “How kind of you to share it with me. But I make the decisions, Lacher. Your job is only to listen and do what I say. Understood?”

  “Of course.” Lacher immediately backed down. “But you didn’t see what we went through on that mountain. I didn’t want anything to happen to you. It seems smarter to lay low for a while, then come back and hit them later.”

  “Smarter? Thank God I don’t pay you to have even a modicum of intelligence.” He turned to Abrams, who’d had the sense to keep silent. “What’s safer than hiding out here in the middle of this wilderness with the United States National Forest Service as a cover? Canada? I won’t let Kaskov and that bitch think they’ve got me on the run.” The mere idea was making his temper rise. “I’ll go after them as soon as I can. How many of my men can I still count on?”