16 Taking Eve

by Iris Johansen

  “Don’t tell me that. Tell me what you can do for him. I didn’t bring him all this way to have you tell me he’s going to die. What’s wrong with him? With all these instruments and research files, surely you know more than that doctor in London.”

  “It could be several things, but it doesn’t fit in any one slot. Respiratory failure, but for what reason? His lungs look fine and so do—” She broke off. “I know you don’t want to hear details and guesses.”

  “No, I want you to tell me how you’re going to cure him,” she whispered. “You can find a way, right?”

  “Maybe. But first I have to find out what it is we have to cure.”

  “Then do it.”

  “I intend to make every effort. I’ve called in a consultant to help me, but I had to get your permission.” She checked her watch. “She should be here in another five minutes. I had to call and roust her out of bed.”

  “Why didn’t you have her here when we came from the airfield?” Caleb asked.

  “I didn’t know I’d need her. I had your vet’s records, and I trust myself in most cases. I thought I’d be able to make a diagnosis.” She shrugged. “And you’re having enough to deal with right now. I didn’t want to upset you unless it was necessary.”

  “Why should I be any more upset than I am right now?” Jane asked.

  “You didn’t trust me. Margaret is not very professional-appearing. You have to know that she—”

  “I hurried as quick as I could. Where is he, Devon?”

  Jane turned at the question to see a woman coming in the door. No, not a woman, she looked more like a young girl of not over nineteen or twenty. Her thin body was dressed in jeans and a loose white shirt, and her pale brown hair was shoulder length and glowed under the lights. Everything about her glowed, Jane thought absently. She was tanned a golden brown, with a sprinkling of freckles dusting her nose. Even her bare feet were tanned in the leather thongs.

  “He’s in the lab,” Devon said. “I had my assistant take him off the table and lay him on the floor for you.”

  “Good. I’ll go right in.” She started for the door. “You should have called me before you—”

  “Wait, Margaret,” Devon gestured to Jane. “You have to get permission. This is Jane MacGuire. Margaret Douglas. Margaret’s going to try to help your Toby.”

  “What?” Jane stared in disbelief. “This is your consultant? I thought she was a tech.”

  “Because I look so young?” Margaret wrinkled her nose. “I’m almost twenty.”

  “A great age,” Caleb said.

  She gave him a brilliant smile. “Old enough.” She turned back to Jane. “I can’t take much time to try to convince you I can help your Toby. Devon says he’s going downhill.” Her expression was suddenly grave. “So you’ll have to trust me. Will you do that?”

  “Why should I?”

  “Because I’ll treat your Toby with as much love and care as you give him.” She was holding Jane’s gaze. “And I can sometimes help.”

  “Only sometimes? That’s not good enough for me to—”

  “Please,” Margaret said softly.

  Radiance, warmth, blue eyes glowing with life and gentleness. Jane found she couldn’t look away from that face. She suddenly felt as if she was a part of the light that seemed to envelop the girl. She could feel the anxiety and edginess ebbing away from her.

  What the hell.

  She said jerkily, “You can go look at Toby, but I don’t want you doing anything without a vet’s okay.”

  “I won’t.” She gave that luminous smile again and moved toward the door. “You don’t mind if I have Monty with me, do you? He might help.” She didn’t wait for an answer but raised her voice. “Monty, come.”

  Shock. The golden retriever that bounded through the doorway at her call was so familiar to Jane. Familiar, yet not familiar.

  Monty acts like a five-year-old now, Sarah had told her.

  Jane had not really believed her. Monty was years older than his pup, Toby. She couldn’t imagine that he could be this spry when her Toby was arthritic and slow and had lost that wonderful vim and vigor. Yet here he was, and Jane could swear he looked no older than when she had first seen him all those years ago, when she had been a child of ten.

  “Okay if I use him?” Margaret was looking at Jane. “Sometimes, I can’t do it alone.”

  “Do what?” Jane instinctively started toward Monty. “Monty? Do you remember me?”

  The golden retriever gave a low woof, and his tail wagged, but he turned and trotted toward Margaret.

  “He remembers you,” Margaret said quietly. “He’ll greet you later; now he has a job to do.”

  Margaret and the golden disappeared into the exam room.

  “What the hell is happening?” Jane asked Devon in bewilderment. “Why do you think she can help?”

  “Because she’s done it before,” Devon said. “And I have to know what’s wrong with Toby before he can be treated.”

  “And she can tell you?”

  “Maybe. If Toby knows why he’s sick.”

  “If Toby knows…” She stared at her in disbelief. “Are you saying what I think you are?”

  “Interesting.” Caleb gave a low whistle. “You’re not going to like this, Jane.” He tilted his head. “A dog whisperer, Dr. Brady? That young girl can talk to dogs?”

  “Anyone can talk to dogs.” Devon made a face. “She seems to get answers. And not only dogs; she has an affinity with most animals.”

  “Get her away from Toby,” Jane said tightly. “I won’t have his time wasted with someone who thinks she’s a voodoo priestess.”

  “Did she really strike you that way?” Devon asked.

  “No, she’s appealing as hell, the girl next door, everyone’s best friend, but that doesn’t mean that she can help my Toby.”

  “It doesn’t mean that she can’t,” Devon said. “I can see why you’re suspicious. Do you think I wasn’t? When she showed up on the island, my first reaction was to throw her into the ocean. We always knew that the research might attract weirdos and she seemed a prime example.”

  “How did she even manage to get on the island with all your security?” Caleb asked. “I can see a plane’s being surrounded as soon as the landing gear hit the ground.”

  “She didn’t come by plane. She moored her speedboat on the other side of the island and hiked through the rain forest until she got to the hospital.”

  “And where did the speedboat come from?” Caleb asked. “There’s not another island anywhere near here.”

  “She said that her friend had a schooner and dropped her off.”

  “And who is this friend?”

  “She said that he wouldn’t want anyone to know who he was or that he’d gone out of his way to bring her near here.”

  “A smuggler?” Caleb was thinking about it. “Or maybe he was—”

  “Stop it.” Jane was tired of speculation. “I don’t care who he was. But it should have raised red flags that would keep you from welcoming her here.”

  “It did.” Devon shrugged. “But she asked for a chance to work with the dogs, and she convinced me that she could help take care of them.” She held up her hand. “She just took a job as kennel help. She didn’t claim any special abilities.”

  “That came later?” Caleb asked.

  Devon nodded. “I could tell you the stories, but all you need to know is that Margaret is fairly amazing. She still works with the dogs, but I occasionally call her if I need her.”

  “I can’t believe you’d trust her,” Jane said.

  “Yes, you can,” Devon said. “Everyone trusts Margaret. You let her go in and look at Toby, didn’t you?”

  “But that’s before I—” She headed for the exam-room door. “I’m going to see what she’s doing to him.”

  “Go ahead. She won’t mind,” Devon said. “Just let her keep on working with him.”

  “I don’t care if she’d mind or—” Jane stopped as sh
e opened the door.

  Margaret was on the floor holding Toby in her arms as he was stretched over her lap. Monty was lying quietly beside them, so close he was touching Toby.

  She looked up at Jane in the doorway and shook her head. “Not yet. Soon.” She was gently stroking Toby’s neck. “Soon…”

  Jane stiffened. What did she mean? Was Toby fading?

  “No,” Devon said behind her. “No danger. She’d tell you if it were near.”

  Toby’s eyes were open, and he was licking Margaret’s hand.

  “Shh, rest.” Margaret was hugging him, holding him closer. “You don’t have to show me.”

  Love.

  Jane could almost see the love bonding Margaret and Toby together as a visible force.

  “Satisfied?” Devon asked quietly.

  Jane nodded jerkily and backed out of the room. “How long?”

  “She said soon.” Devon strode toward the cabinet across the room. “Coffee?”

  Jane shook her head. “I don’t want anything. I just want to know. I’m feeling so damn helpless.”

  “Join the club.” She poured coffee into a Styrofoam cup. “It’s my worst nightmare. That’s why I let Margaret talk me into using her the first time she came and asked me to let her try to find out what was making my greyhound sick.”

  “And did she do it?”

  “Yes.” She sipped the coffee. “But it took two more cases before I stopped telling myself that it was coincidence or luck.” Her lips twisted. “I still use science first; and then whatever works.”

  “And Margaret Douglas usually works?” Caleb’s gaze was narrowed on Devon’s face. “But you’re still scared and shaky.”

  She shrugged. “I like to be in control. Control doesn’t seem to be a factor when Margaret is involved. I can’t be sure if she’s even in control of what’s going on. She told me once it was just nature. I’d be happier if there was—”

  “We have about four hours.” Margaret was standing in the doorway. “You’ll have to flush out Toby’s entire system and replace the blood.”

  Devon frowned. “Flush out the system?”

  “It’s poison,” Margaret said soberly. “Slow-acting but it’s had time to take hold and is probably attacking some of his organs. Get rid of it.”

  “Poison?” Jane repeated. “No way. He had toxicology tests in London.”

  “And I gave him a couple when I brought him in,” Devon said.

  “He’s not had any stomach issues,” Jane said. “And I’m supercareful of what he eats.”

  “Poison,” Margaret said again. “By injection in the ruff of his neck. You can probably find evidence if you look for it, Devon. But I wouldn’t take the time. We don’t have much left. I called Jeff, your assistant, and told him to get back out of bed and get here fast. Flush Toby out and give him a general antidote and antibiotic.”

  “You’re sure it’s poison?” Devon asked.

  “Toby’s sure. He remembers.” Her lips tightened grimly. “Whoever did it leaned down, petted him, then gave him the injection.”

  “That’s crazy,” Jane said. “I’d know if—” She stopped. Arguing wasn’t going to do any good. “Even if she’s right, this seems like a radical treatment, Devon.”

  “Not as radical as it sounds.”

  “Is it dangerous?”

  “Everything is dangerous in Toby’s state.” She put her cup down and headed for the exam room. “But doing nothing is the most dangerous of all.”

  “Could it be poison?”

  “A very sophisticated one, nothing simple. Or we would have been able to detect it.”

  “It’s poison,” Margaret said again. “Get that ugly stuff out of him, Devon.” She turned to Jane. “You go with her. If he starts to slip, Toby will want to come back to you.”

  “I’m not even sure I’m going to let—” She met Margaret’s gaze, and the memory of the sight of her with Toby in her arms surged back to her. So much love, so much caring, and that same glow of caring was staring out of the blue eyes gazing steadily into her own. “Is he going to—” She didn’t want to hear the answer. She turned on her heel and started after Devon. “He’s going to live, dammit. And I’m going to believe that somehow you know what you’re talking about. If you’re a phony, and this hurts Toby, I’m going to come after you.” She glanced at Devon as she passed her. “Now tell me what to do to help him. She said we only have four hours.”

  CHAPTER

  3

  Lake Cottage

  SOMEONE HAD FOLLOWED HIM, Doane realized, as he gazed down at the tracks.

  The man had stood in the shadows and watched Doane as he’d disposed of the car. Then he had slipped away.

  Did the fool think he hadn’t been aware of him? Kevin had taught him the art of hide-and-seek in the most dangerous game.

  This one probably was one of Venable’s men.

  So what did he do? What action to take. Ignore or pursue?

  The answer came to him immediately.

  Why, do what Kevin would do, of course.

  He moved silently through the woods.

  Summer Island

  THREE HOURS LATER, JANE CAME out of the exam room and sank down on the leather couch.

  “How is it going?” Caleb asked as he handed her a cup of coffee. “Anything I can do?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing anyone can do right now that’s not being done. This process could last for the next six or eight hours.” She rubbed her eyes. “They kicked me out. They said he might need me later, when he rouses, but not now.”

  “Then I’m sure you’ll be there for him. You’ve gone to extraordinary lengths so far.” He studied her. “And they may have kicked you out, but they can’t stop you thinking about him.”

  “How could I not think about him?”

  “By talking, not brooding.” He sat down in the chair across from her. “Talk to me, Jane. You care a great deal for Toby, don’t you?”

  “Yes.” She took a drink of coffee. “You probably don’t understand. Some people love animals, some people tolerate them, and some people don’t know why we go to so much trouble for them.”

  “And you think I’m trailing in the rear.” He grimaced. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  “Well?”

  He was silent for a long moment. “I’ve never had a pet I loved. Affection isn’t … easy for me. Passion, on the other hand, is no problem at all. I admire animals, I find them interesting, but I guess I may be too close to being an animal myself to accept a relationship like that.” He smiled. “I still have moments of savagery if you’ll recall.”

  She did recall. Their history together had been filled with isolated incidents that had sometimes frightened her. She had a sudden memory of his throwing the body of a man who had been attacking them down at her feet. His eyes had been as wild as the primitive action itself. She considered herself civilized, but those moments of fear of him had not lasted long. Was that due to his cleverness and magnetism, which made those moments fade so quickly? Or was it that he was a constant puzzle that her curiosity was trying to force her to solve?

  His lips turned up at the corners as he read her expression. “Oh, yes, you remember. We’re nothing alike, but, then, we don’t have to be. It tends to make our relationship more interesting.” His gaze went to the examination room. “And my heart may not be as soft as yours, but I don’t like the helpless being targeted. Your Toby was no threat to anyone. Why would anyone want to poison your dog?”

  “I still can’t believe anyone would.” She paused. “But Devon Brady did take a look at the skin beneath the hair on his neck while they were setting up the IV. There was a tiny place that could have been from a shot.” She frowned. “And I was trying to think how it could even have happened. Toby is always with me when I’m home at the apartment. When I have to be gone for a day, I check him into Nedra Carlisle’s Dog Day Care. He likes being with other dogs. They have slides and pools and trainers to play with the dogs.”


  His brows rose. “Day care?”

  She gave him a cool glance. “Don’t go there.”

  “I’m not. It’s just a new concept for me. When was the last time he was at this day care?”

  “A week ago.”

  “And Toby became ill?”

  “Five days ago.”

  “Slow-acting poison. It could have been given at this day care.”

  “Nedra and her people are totally trustworthy, or I wouldn’t have sent Toby there.”

  “But what about the other owners who bring their dogs there? What do you know about them?”

  Nothing. But it hadn’t seemed necessary that she know anything except about the people who ran the place. She supposed it would have been easy for one of the clients to go up to Toby and pet him … and then administer the poison. Easy and totally evil.

  “Why?” she whispered.

  “Revenge? Have you antagonized anyone lately who might want to get back at you?”

  She shook her head. “I’m an artist. And you know I keep pretty much to myself.”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t stop trouble from swirling around you, does it?” He was silent, thinking. “How long has it been since you’ve seen Eve and Joe?”

  “Several months.” She frowned. “You’re suggesting someone poisoned Toby because they want to hurt Eve or Joe?” She shook her head. “That’s really reaching.”

  “Probably. I’m just trying to put together a logical scenario.”

  “It doesn’t have to be logical. It could be some sicko.”

  “Who used a very sophisticated poison and waited until you put the dog in that fancy day care to do it. Which means that he knew your schedule.”

  “Then why not target me and not my Toby?”

  “I don’t know. Let me think about it.” He smiled. “It will give me something to do while you’re busy saving your Toby.”

  “I’m not saving him. Devon Brady is saving him, that dog-whisperer person is saving him. I’m just standing by in case I’m needed.” She rubbed her temple. “I wish I could be the one to be able to help him. I feel helpless.”

  “Have you called Eve yet?”

  “No, I don’t want to call until I have something positive to tell her.”