“It confuses me, too.” She paused. “What … touched you today, Caleb?”
His smile was mocking. “Now that would be a revelation. There’s always a price for a revelation of my unique personality. You wouldn’t want to pay it.”
Would Jane want to pay it? Eve wondered.
“In time,” he said as if he had read her thoughts. “If I prepared the way.” He changed the subject. “Now tell me about Cara and that music that was luring me like a Lorelei the other evening. What do you intend to do about her when this is all over?”
GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA
Still no answer.
Joe frowned as he hung up the cell.
It was the third attempt to reach Jeff Brandel he’d made since he’d gotten on the road today. Straight to voicemail on the first two calls, this time no connection at all.
He didn’t like it.
Fifteen more minutes, and he’d be at the airport.
Nothing might be wrong.
But, dammit, he didn’t like it.
CHAPTER
8
GAINESVILLE AIRPORT
“I need to see Brandel,” Joe said as he strode into the small terminal that was more like an office. “Where is he?”
“In hangar Twelve E.” A lanky young brunette woman in jeans and a plaid shirt looked up from the paperwork in front of her. “He’s been there since this morning working on his plane. Should I call him for you?”
“I’ve been calling him.” He left the terminal and strode out on the tarmac.
Hangar 12E.
And the metal door was pulled down.
It was a nice day, why the hell pull down the door?
Three minutes later he found out the answer.
Blood.
He stood there gazing at the man tied to the chair, who must be Jeff Brandel. It was impossible to tell because his face was cut and burned, and one eye was gouged out. His mouth was duct-taped shut.
“My God.”
He moved closer and saw the drill beside the chair and the cuts on Brandel’s body. The death wound was from the machete piercing his chest, and the blood was still flowing from it. He had gone through hideous torture, and had obviously tried to withstand it. He was a good guy and had probably not wanted to break and endanger Eve and Cara.
But there was no sign of the man who had done this so there was every chance that he had gotten the information he needed before he had killed Brandel.
He felt the anger rise as he looked again at the pilot. Anger and fear.
“Shit.” He took out his phone and dialed Eve. “Brandel is dead. By the look of the body, he probably told them everything he knew.”
“Dear God, no…” She was silent, trying to cope. “He had a wife. He told me he’d just gotten married two months ago. I … liked him.”
“Yeah, so did I.” He turned away from Brandel and walked to the open door. “But that’s not important right now. Brandel talked. How much did he know? I only told him where he was to take you. Nothing else. Did you tell him anything?”
“No. He just said something about Cara and how he wanted kids and then about his wife.”
“He couldn’t hear anything you talked about with Cara?”
“No. The cockpit door was closed.” She paused. “But he had to have seen Jane pick us up at the hangar. He was still sitting on the runway and hadn’t pulled away yet.”
Joe muttered a curse. “Even if he had no idea who she was, they’ll be able to dig into our background and make a good guess fairly quickly.”
“But that’s all they’ll know. MacDuff wouldn’t have broadcast info about the hunt because he wouldn’t want to have to deal with any other treasure hunters. Jane certainly wouldn’t have talked about it. We arrived at the airport here in Scotland, then just vanished. It’s not that bad.”
“The hell it’s not. They’ll still be closer to you than I ever intended.”
“But not closer than you thought might happen. I remember that remark you made about a Special Forces unit to protect us.”
“Might happen. It wasn’t supposed to happen.” He looked back at Brandel. That wasn’t supposed to happen either, a good man had suffered and died. “I’m going to call MacDuff and warn him what’s going down. I wanted to tell you first.”
“I can tell him. I’m almost back to the castle.”
“Then go ahead and do it. I’ll call him later. I need to phone the precinct and report Brandel’s murder.” He paused. “And break the news to his wife.”
“I’m sorry. It’s not going to be easy.”
“None of it is easy,” he said roughly. “And I don’t want to stay here trying to heal wounds. I want to catch the next flight to you. I can’t even do that because it’s a sure thing I’m being followed. I can’t risk leading anyone to you.”
“Salazar and Franco,” she reminded him. “I know you’re feeling frustrated, but you might still be able to find them and take them down. Look how much you’ve already found out about Natalie Castino. We’re safe for now, Joe.”
“For now.” He was gazing down at Brandel’s bloody face. “I’ll do what I can here. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep from saying to hell with it and just taking off. Watch everything that’s going on around you. Take care.” He hung up.
Only he should be the one taking care of her, he thought in frustration. He shouldn’t be thousands of miles away. He couldn’t stand it.
He had to stand it.
He punched in the number for the precinct. “Joe Quinn. I need a forensic team and the medical examiner out here right away. I’ll give you the address…”
* * *
“Nasty. Real nasty.” Detective Pete Jalkown shook his head as he gazed at the covered gurney as it was wheeled out of the hangar. “You knew him?”
“Slightly. I hired him for a job.”
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with Eve?” Pete asked. “You know, the captain is very curious about that explosion. She was happy that Eve wasn’t in that car but definitely curious.”
“She’ll have to stay that way,” Joe said. “I’ll talk to her as soon as I’m free to do it.”
“If it were anyone but you, Quinn, you’d be in that interrogation room on general principle.” His glance shifted back to the medical examiner’s van. “And this isn’t going to make it any better. Serial killers are a big headache when the captain has to deal with the press.”
“Serial killer?”
“Possible,” Pete said. “Three hours ago we got a call from Travel-Rite Charter Service. They found one of their pilots, Zeke Dalkway, in the alley behind the terminal building. Worse condition than Brandel.”
“Torture?”
“Four fingers missing and someone spent a long time on him before they killed him.”
Because he hadn’t been able to give them the information as Brandel had, Joe thought bitterly.
“The captain is going to jump on those cases with both feet,” Pete said. “Much too visible and gory to ignore. It’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Not smart.”
Neither smart, nor discreet. Salazar had also jumped in with guns blazing. Nothing subtle about his attack mode. Patient for eight years of searching for Cara, but that patience had vanished overnight. He had gone for the jugular.
After he had spent the night with an angry Natalie Castino. Connection?
Blood and agony.
Two men ruthlessly tortured and dead because Joe had hired a pilot to help Eve and Cara escape. No more patience, no more careful planning to avoid confrontation. A complete change of modus operandi.
Yes, he could see a connection.
* * *
“I’ve got it!” Franco said as soon as Salazar picked up the phone. “You wanted it by tonight, I’m hours ahead of you.”
“Where are they?”
“Scotland. Brandel delivered them to Ardland Airport outside Edinburgh.”
“And where did they go from there?”
“He didn’t know. If he’d known, he would have told me.”
“I’m sure he would,” Salazar said. “But I need more than you’ve told me. You’ve given me a city and country. I need an address. I need them.”
“I have the description of the woman who met them at the hangar. I think it might be Jane MacGuire. She’s Duncan’s adopted daughter and lives in London. That’s pretty close.”
“An address.”
“I’m on it. I’m taking the next flight to Scotland. I’ll find them.”
“If I don’t find them first. I’ll see you in Scotland, Franco.”
Silence. “You’re going to Scotland? You don’t have to bother. I’ll take care of it.”
“That hasn’t been my experience so far. I’m allowing you the opportunity to convince me. Don’t disappoint me.” He added with a touch of cool menace, “In the meantime, I’ll be on the spot and making sure that doesn’t happen.”
* * *
Music, Eve thought drowsily. Faint, far away … beautiful …
Cara.
Far away?
Her eyes flew open.
Cara wasn’t in her bedroll a few yards away!
Easy. If she was playing her violin, then there was nothing seriously wrong.
She drew a deep breath. Her pulse was gradually steadying. Okay, find Cara.
She crawled out of the tent and knelt there, trying to locate the sound.
The stone wall near the top of the ruin.
Cara was sitting there, her violin tucked under her chin.
And the magic coming out of that instrument was breathtaking.
Eve should tell her to come back to the tent. Cara shouldn’t be out there by herself. It was all very well for Eve to tell Joe that they had a window of safety, but she wanted to keep that window guarded and close to her. She’d have to go and disturb that magic and bring Cara back to the tent.
Or maybe not.
There was a familiar figure climbing up the stone blocks toward the top of the wall. Moonlight poured over his fair hair and slim, powerful body.
Jock.
She felt a surge of relief and sat back down outside the tent.
Jock would handle it.
Cara was safe with Jock.
* * *
There was someone there in the darkness, Cara realized vaguely. Someone was below her, climbing the stones. The presence was friendly, warm, and comforting.
Eve?
Instant guilt.
She probably shouldn’t be doing this. She had thought if she got far enough away from the tent area that she wouldn’t disturb anyone. Darn it, that must not be true if Eve had to get up and come after her.
She sighed and stopped playing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother anyone. I’ll go back to—”
“As far as I know, you didn’t bother anyone. I just thought you might want company.” Jock Gavin climbed the last two stones and was standing there. He dropped down on the wall beside her. “Having trouble sleeping?”
She stared at him in shock. She hadn’t spoken to him since that night in the courtyard, but it wasn’t as if she hadn’t thought about him. He always seemed to be somewhere near, working with MacDuff, talking to Jane or Caleb. He was like the music, beautiful, warm, moving in and out, simple, complicated … stirring. Even when she wasn’t looking at him, she was aware of where he was, what he was doing.
“Cara?”
He was gazing at her inquiringly. What had he asked?
Sleep.
“Usually, I sleep fine.” She looked out at the hills. “But like I told you, there’s music all around us here. Sometimes I wake up…”
“And have to go join the music?”
She nodded. “Crazy, huh?”
“Not at all. I envy you. How does it feel?”
“It … fills me. Whenever anything goes wrong, it makes me able to take it and go on.”
“Everything?” he asked gently.
Elena. Jenny. Her index finger pressed hard on the violin string. “My sister and my friend were … killed. I didn’t think anything would help. But the music was still there.” She moistened her lips. “And somehow it became … part of them.”
“That’s a wonderful thing.”
She nodded. “I was so angry. I wanted to reach out and hurt. I still do. I went to church and prayed, but it didn’t help. But the music helps. Eve helps.” She looked at him. “You help, Jock.”
“Me?” His brows rose in surprise. “I’m happy to be of service, but I don’t see how that ever came to be.”
“You’re beautiful,” she said simply. “Like that Tchaikovsky I was just playing.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Why not? You know what you are. Lots of people must have told you.” She made a face. “MacDuff even made fun of me because he knew I was sort of dazzled. But it wasn’t because you were like one of those princes in Disney movies, it was because of what you are inside. It kind of … shines.”
“Really?” He was silent. “I’m flattered, but I’m not sure what you mean. And what you call my ‘shine’ could never come close to what I heard tonight.”
“It does for me.” But she didn’t know how to put it in words. She didn’t know why it had tumbled out. Yet it was strange that she didn’t regret it or feel embarrassed. Not with him. “There are so many bad people in the world who kill and do terrible things. But you wouldn’t do anything like that. Inside, you’re clean and bright and warm. Just being around you makes me feel like that, too. Like Eve. Like the music.”
He went still. “Cara. I’m not at all like Eve. The only similarity I have to your music is that I truly love it. I’m not what you think I am.”
“Yes, you are.” Her gaze went back to the violin she was holding. “Seth Caleb said something like that about you, but I don’t believe it.”
“Believe it,” he said quietly. “Look at me, Cara.”
Her gaze lifted to his face. It was hard, intense, and unsmiling. “I don’t know what you’re seeing, but it’s not the man you want me to be. I’ve been every bit as terrible and violent as the people who have hurt you in the past. I try to tell myself that I had excuses, and I was a victim, too.” His lips twisted. “But in the end we all have to accept responsibility for our own sins and try to come to terms and maybe change. There’s nothing beautiful about me, Cara.”
She gazed at him for a moment and shook her head. “You’re wrong.”
“You’re not listening to me.”
“Because I’d be afraid of you if you were bad. I had to learn that bad doesn’t always look like bad. I did learn that, so now I have to rely on what I feel. I’m not afraid of you, Jock.”
“Good. I would never do anything to hurt you. But you’re too young to be able to judge the entire picture. I’ve done terrible things, Cara.”
“But you wouldn’t do them now.”
He sighed. “How can I convince you? Yes, I would do them. It’s difficult to stop once you’ve had that taste on your tongue. But I hope I would only do it to protect. But that’s not a certainty, Cara.”
But how she was feeling was a certainty. She was trying to frantically adjust that certainty to what he was telling her. “Protect. That’s like the police or the FBI or the army or even those knights who lived here in this castle. They all did bad and bloody things, but it was for a good reason. Right?”
“Wrong. You’re talking about heroes. I’m no hero. But if I could be anyone’s hero, I’d want to be yours. I’d like to be your big brother, your knight, anything you want.” He added gently, “I wish I could tell you that I’d qualify. I’d like the idea of you finding someone in this world to trust besides Eve and your music.” He smiled. “Try MacDuff. He has some heroic qualities.”
She shook her head.
“Then you’re on your own. Caleb would be insulted if I tried to tell you that he’s a hero.” He snapped his fingers. “But you have Joe Quinn. He should
be more than sufficient.”
“I’m not looking for a hero. Don’t be silly. All I said was that I know you’re a good man.”
“Shining.”
She smiled. “Now you’re making fun of me.”
He smiled back at her. “Because you took me by surprise, and I’m on the defensive.” He dropped to the stones at her feet and linked his arms around his knees. “And I need soothing. Play me that Tchaikovsky that reminds you of me.”
“I thought you were coming up to tell me to go back to my tent.”
“Do you want to stop playing and go back down to reality?”
“No.”
“Then play me that Tchaikovsky.” He leaned his head back against the stones. “When you’re ready, we’ll go back.”
She tucked her violin beneath her chin, then stopped. “You’re not staying with me to protect me?”
“Why would I do that? That would be counter to everything I’ve been telling you. It would set me up to be a bloody hero.” He airily waved his hand. “So let me be selfish and completely self-absorbed. Soothe me, Cara…”
She looked down at him and slowly lifted her bow. Not a hero? She still thought he was wrong about that. But she wouldn’t argue with him anymore. He’d been so busy telling her all the things he couldn’t be to her that he wanted to be. Big brother, knight, surely somewhere in that mix was … friend.
She started to play.
* * *
“You’re awake,” Cara whispered as she settled down in her bedroll an hour later. “Is that my fault, Eve? Did you hear me?”
“I heard you,” Eve said. “You shouldn’t have gone without telling me. It might not be safe. The only reason I let you go alone when we were at the hunting lodge was that I knew it was safe. I can’t be sure of that here. I was going to come after you, but I saw Jock climbing the stones. I knew you’d be okay.”
“It seemed safe,” Cara said. “There wasn’t anyone around. It was beautiful. This is a wonderful place. Do you know, sometimes I look out at the hills and mountains and I see something, a rock, a tree … and then an hour later it’s gone. I know it’s probably shadows, but it seems kind of … mystical. And when I’m up there on the wall, I can see forever.”
Hide Away: An Eve Duncan Novel Page 15
