Hide Away: An Eve Duncan Novel

by Iris Johansen

She got out of the huge bed and padded across the room to the adjoining room, where Cara was sleeping. She quietly opened the door and peeked at the girl in the bed across the room.

  She was fast asleep. It was clear Cara had not had the same problem as Eve. But then children usually slept well. She remembered Jane had no problems until she was in her teens, and Bonnie had been able to curl up anywhere and drop off. Eve had found her so many times in the hammock in the yard with her hand tucked beneath her cheek and her red curls mussed from play.

  Bonnie …

  Eve quietly closed the door and went over to the casement window that she had left thrown wide when she went to bed. She looked out at the forests and the hills beyond.

  “I haven’t heard from you, and it’s beginning to scare me, Bonnie. You told me once that you might not be able to come to me anymore,” she whispered. “Is it because you don’t think I’ll need you? I’ll always need you. I want this child. It’s a miracle. But I can’t let you go. We’ve been together too long. It would be like losing you all over again.”

  Silence.

  She touched her abdomen.

  Hey, tell Bonnie we need her. I don’t know if she had anything to do with making you come into our lives, but she might have. She’s pretty special, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she has influence. But we have to make sure that she sticks around for us, okay?

  No answer there, either.

  Of course not. What did she expect? The baby was trying to survive and become the child it was meant to be. It was Eve’s job to handle everything else. She was being ridiculous, and she should go to bed and try to sleep.

  She got as far as settling down in bed again. Then she was reaching for her phone and dialing.

  Joe answered immediately. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she said. “Everything. I just wanted to hear your voice and know that you were all right. We’re going to start off tomorrow trekking through some castle in the Highlands. I feel a million miles away from you right now.”

  “Me, too.” He paused. “You’re feeling okay?”

  “Strong. Very strong. I could lift mountains.”

  “Exaggerating a bit?”

  “A bit. But not that much. I remember I felt like this when I was pregnant with Bonnie. It was as if she was giving me her strength, too. The only problem was a few weeks when I couldn’t keep anything down. So stop worrying. Everything’s working out well with Manez?”

  “Hell, yes. He’s giving me more than I expected. Perhaps more than he expected. It may be a break for us.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Just rumors right now. I’ll let you know when I can confirm them.” He paused. “I got a call from Les Carmody at the Forensics Department a couple hours ago. They wanted to assure me that they were making progress and should be able to tell me something fairly soon.”

  Not good. “I thought you said that it might be another day.”

  “I’m a cop.” He grimaced. “They’re trying their best to help me out. There’s a good chance they’re already suspecting the truth since they can’t have recovered any trace of body parts yet. They just don’t want to raise my hopes.”

  “And Salazar will probably know almost as soon as you do that there was no one in that car.”

  “I’d bet on it. And I’ll be glad when you manage to lose yourself in those Highlands.” He changed the subject. “How is Jane doing?”

  “Better. Not as good as I’d like to see her, but she’s healing. We can’t ask for more than that right now.”

  “Does she know about the baby?”

  “Not yet. I’m waiting. She’s already trying to protect me. I don’t want her worrying any more than she is already.” She added teasingly, “And have her ask every time she talks to me if I’m surviving this pregnancy.”

  “Was that aimed at me?”

  “Gently. Lovingly.”

  “I’ll accept both with thanks. On that note, I’ll let you go so that you can get some sleep. Don’t overdo it tomorrow while you’re trekking over that ruin, even if you think you can lift mountains.”

  “Joe.”

  He laughed and hung up.

  She was smiling as she put her phone on the nightstand and turned over in bed. The news had not been all good, but merely talking to Joe made her feel a sense that they were on the move … and together.

  Don’t think that any minute Salazar and Franco might find out that they had been fooled.

  They would still have to find out where she and Cara had gone. That would take time.

  Lord, she hoped it would take enough time.

  * * *

  Joe hung up from talking to Eve and stared down at his phone. She had sounded good, but she would not have phoned if she hadn’t needed to touch base with him. Eve’s career as a forensic sculptor dominated her life, and she was used to working nonstop. She would never have chosen to uproot herself and go on this outlandish treasure hunt in the wilds of Scotland.

  But he had chosen for her, and she was trying to adjust and make it work for them.

  At possibly one of the most crucial points of her life.

  He wanted to be with her, dammit.

  Calm down. They were already involved and had involved Jane and Cara. It had to work.

  But push it along, make it happen sooner.

  He picked up his phone again and quickly dialed Manez.

  “Don’t you ever sleep?” Manez asked sourly when he picked up the phone. “You may be driven, but I need my rest after a day of dealing with this scum.”

  “You promised me an address.”

  “That was less than twelve hours ago. Nothing moves fast down here unless you want to end up hanging from a bridge without a head.”

  “Bullshit. You’re just as driven as I am. I’d bet you dove into squeezing all available informants the minute you hung up from me.”

  “That doesn’t mean I was able to tap into information that was accurate.”

  “Were you?”

  “Maybe. I’m still exploring the—”

  “Give me an address.”

  “I’d prefer to verify first.”

  “We may be running out of time. I need to get a handle on this.”

  “I don’t want you jetting down here and causing a blowup before I’m ready.”

  “I need that address.”

  Manez was silent. “Very well, but you don’t move without me.”

  “As long as you don’t drag your feet.”

  Manez sighed. “You’re a very difficult man, Quinn. The address is one forty-five El Camino Road.”

  GAELKAR CASTLE

  SCOTLAND

  “Good God, MacDuff. It’s magnificent.” Eve was gazing out the window of the Land Rover at the staggering beauty of the amethyst-slate mountains in the distance as they neared the castle. The dramatic towering starkness of the peaks, the barrenness that was the vast glens took her breath away. The sun was shining, and yet these Highlands still retained their moody, almost stormy, grandeur. “You didn’t tell me.”

  “It’s always best to be surprised.” He smiled at her. “You think Cira chose well for her new kingdom?”

  “You’d have to ask Jane. I think it probably suited her. There’s a wildness here that I can see her appreciating.”

  “I refuse to ask Jane. She won’t want to commit herself.”

  Eve looked back at Cara, who was sitting beside Jane. “Do you like it, Cara?”

  She nodded, her eyes fixed dreamily on the mountains. “So much music … And did you see the eagles?”

  “I’m afraid I didn’t notice either of those things. I was just taking in the general impact.” She turned back to MacDuff. “How long before we get to the castle?”

  “It’s just around the curve up ahead. It may disappoint you.”

  “It’s ruins, for goodness sake. Low expectations.”

  But she still found herself eager to see that castle built so long ago at the dawn of this land.r />
  “There it is.” MacDuff pulled to the side of the road and got out of the Land Rover. He looked up the hill at the ruins of the castle while they waited for Caleb and Jock, who had opted to come in Caleb’s car. “It’s not very large, but it’s in better shape than you would imagine for the lack of repair. That one wall of the battlements is as strong as when they built it. The dungeons are still entirely intact. Once the family left, they abandoned it. They were moving up in the world and concentrated all their energies on building their new home on the coast.”

  “MacDuff’s Run, the castle where you grew up?” Eve asked, as she and Cara got out to stand beside him. “I’m certain that anyone would agree it’s much more impressive than this one.”

  “I like it.” Cara’s gaze was fastened on the broken walls and tumbled stone of the castle. “It’s … nice.”

  MacDuff chuckled. “You constantly amaze me. You criticize my humble hunting lodge, which granted is not in wonderful condition, but you’re besotted with this ruin.”

  “I just think it feels like home,” Cara said simply.

  “Providing your home has a dungeon.” He turned to Jane. “What do you think? Does it feel like home?”

  “That’s a leading question.” She smiled at Cara. “But a castle can be a home as well as a fortress. When I was still trying to find out everything about Cira, I went on archaeological digs in Herculaneum. We had to be very careful not to destroy anything that would indicate how the people lived or died. We worked with spoons, carefully sifting.”

  “Is that what you’re going to do here?” Cara asked eagerly.

  Jane glanced at MacDuff. “It’s how I’d prefer to do it. It’s surprising what secrets can be revealed by using a spoon instead of a shovel. Since we have no idea where we’re going with this, it might be a good idea to see if we can get a clue.” She added, “But then, I’m not in charge.”

  “And you think I’m going to use a battering ram because I’m too impatient?”

  “I know about impatience,” Jane said. “I’ve been there. Ask Eve. It’s your show, MacDuff.”

  He nodded. “And maybe we’ll try a spoon … for a little while.”

  “Good.” Jane turned to Cara. “Then would you like to grovel in the dirt with me? Warning. You’ll have an aching back and bruised knees unless we can find someplace that sells knee pads.”

  “Could I do that?” Cara’s face was lit with excitement. “I saw a show on National Geo that had one of those college digs. It looked like fun.”

  “Like I said, sore knees. But I found it worth it. There’s no guarantee that we’ll find anything, but there’s always a chance.” She looked at Eve. “You’re invited, too.”

  “I didn’t expect you’d leave me out. It will give me something to do. I’m not accustomed to sitting around twiddling my thumbs.” Eve stood looking up at the hill. “Those people who built that castle didn’t know the meaning of twiddling their thumbs. You can almost sense the energy and determination. I wonder how much was done by hand.”

  “It was Cira’s home,” Jane said. “Her first taste of real freedom and power after being born a slave. She would have gotten down on her knees and laid those tiles herself. She would have rigged a pulley like the Egyptians to drag those stones in place. She probably loved this castle.”

  “Then why would she have left it?” Eve asked.

  “She didn’t, it was her descendants who finally decided they needed to take the next step. She built this place as a kingdom, but I’m sure that she instilled that thirst for power in those who came after her. She grew up in Herculaneum realizing how weak a woman could be if she didn’t have wealth and influence. She did the best she was able, became a famous actress, and gathered what wealth she could. Then, when the volcano erupted, she fled with everything she owned.” Jane smiled. “And some things she didn’t own. She probably hid out in the Highlands for a long time after she first arrived here until she thought she was safe. Then she decided it was time to start to build.”

  “Well, after her descendants decided to abandon this place, they apparently never looked back on what she’d built,” MacDuff said dryly. “We have no record of any of her family returning here after they reached the coast, where they built MacDuff’s Run.”

  “They might have looked back,” Jane said. “They liked money; you say the family earned their title by raiding and robbing along the border. If they didn’t take those coins with them, then I can see them going back to get them. Unless there was a reason not to do it.”

  “Can we find out?” Cara asked.

  “Maybe,” Jane said. “If they left us a clue one way or the other.”

  “The spoon?” Cara grinned.

  “The spoon,” Jane said solemnly. She turned back to the Land Rover. “Let’s start unloading our bags and supplies and get them up to the castle. I assume you didn’t arrange for help here either, MacDuff?”

  He nodded. “Jock and I will come back for the tents and camping supplies. Privacy appeared to be everything when Quinn called and asked me to take you. And it’s a good rule to follow when you’re going after a treasure trove, too.”

  “I can see that,” Eve said. “But that hill looks like a climb.” She was grabbing for her backpack. “Let’s get to it.”

  “I’ll do it.” Cara was already helping Jane with her backpack. She was moving with alacrity, and her expression was eager. Eve was glad to see it. There was nothing better than purpose to make time pass quickly and give one a sense of worth.

  “There’s Caleb,” Jane said as she watched his car come down the road toward them.

  Eve was aware that Jane’s easy casualness was abruptly gone. All she needed was to have Caleb show up on the scene, and she was charged, wary.

  Jane looked at Eve and shrugged. “What can I say?”

  “Nothing. I was just thinking that tutoring Cara in the art of the dig might be good for you, too.” She started up the road, letting the barren beauty and austerity of the hills around her reach out and touch her, take her into the misty earth and blue sky. For this instant she could almost believe she belonged here.

  Work.

  Distraction.

  It could be a solution for all of them.

  * * *

  Son of a bitch!

  “It’s not possible,” Franco said through his teeth. “It’s not true.” He hung up, breathing hard as the fury tore through him. But it was true and he knew it. Jessup, that greedy bastard in Forensics, wouldn’t lie to him. He knew what would happen to him if he did.

  So what did he do now?

  No choice.

  He dialed Salazar. “We have a problem. Forensics found no body parts in the Toyota.”

  Silence. Then Salazar began to swear.

  “You fool. How could you make a mistake like that?”

  “I’m not a fool.”

  “You’re worse, you stupid prick. You’re worse than Walsh ever was. Quinn played you. You lost the kid and Duncan.”

  He had no defense. He was humiliated. But he was going to kill Salazar for talking to him like that. “Not for long. I’ll go after Quinn and find out where he sent them. I won’t let him do this to me.”

  “He’s already done it.” Salazar’s voice was harsh. “You’ve been keeping track of Quinn?”

  “Of course, you wanted him dead.”

  “It’s good that you didn’t kill him yet. He’s the only one who knows where the kid is. Is he at the Lake Cottage?”

  “He left there to go to the precinct where he works. I followed him, but he didn’t come out. He’ll probably be back this evening.”

  “Probably? Find out for sure. I’ll cut your heart out if you lose him, too.” He hung up.

  He meant it, Franco knew. This last mistake had made his position impossible. Salazar might cut his heart out anyway no matter what he did. He would try to make amends by butchering Quinn, but he had to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Salazar would more than likely send one of his primo ki
llers to make sure that everyone knew he was a failure and what was done with a man who failed him.

  Get ahead of the game. He was smart. He could find out where Quinn had sent Duncan and the girl for safety. Then he could either tell Salazar or go ahead and take care of them himself.

  Then he would dispose of Quinn in the most brutal way possible, a true rematar, a bloodbath.

  And then he would start planning how he would rid himself of Salazar without having to contend with the other members of the cartel. He was in a better position to do that than ever before.

  He had an ace in the hole.

  It would all come together. He just had to move fast. First, find Eve Duncan and Castino’s brat.

  * * *

  “I need to talk to you,” Salazar said. “Tonight at ten.” He hung up.

  He hadn’t wanted to do this. This meeting was a risk when he didn’t need any more risks.

  He had no choice. Franco’s failure had put him in a corner. He might need help, and he wasn’t going to go through this alone.

  It would be all right, they’d work it out.

  All this hell would be worth it.

  He got to his feet and moved out onto the patio where his children were swimming in the pool. Beautiful children, he thought with satisfaction as he watched his son, Carlos, race across the pool. Three fine sons.

  Castino had never been able to produce sons, just those two puny daughters, who had caused him such a headache during these last years.

  But one child was dead and the other would soon be totally out of the picture, too. And then he would have his reward.

  Yes, and the meeting tonight would be worth the risk.

  MEXICO CITY

  One forty-five El Camino Road was an elegant creamy-tan stucco hacienda surrounded by trees behind a tall wrought-iron fence.

  And the fence wasn’t electrified, thank God, Joe realized, as he pulled himself up and over. He jumped to the ground, then darted behind the trees and made his way toward the house.

  A soft glow issued from the windows at the rear of the house. Salazar?

  There was no telling if Salazar would come to this house tonight, but, if what Manez said was true, there would never be a more likely time for him to show up. That was why Joe had jumped on a plane to fly down here when he’d been told the results from the Forensics Department.