Stalemate

by Iris Johansen

  “In a moment.” He picked up the tray Miguel had shoved hurriedly on the chest and carried it into the library. He set it on the table by the leather couch. “Miguel was very upset when you summoned me with such grimness. He’ll feel much better if he picks up an empty tray a little later. Won’t you oblige him?”

  She nodded. “I told you, I’ll eat. I’ll take care of myself. It’s part of the job.”

  He smiled faintly. “See that you do that part as well as you do the reconstruction.” He turned toward the door. “Call me if you need me.”

  She sat down and took the cover off the tray. “I believe I’ve demonstrated I’m not in the least hesitant about that.”

  She heard him chuckle as he left the library.

  11

  We can’t find Jane MacGuire,” Nekmon said when he came into the office. “She disappeared from her hotel in Phoenix a few nights ago.”

  Diaz muttered a curse. The response he’d gotten from Eve Duncan last night on the threat to her adopted daughter had been the strongest lead he’d had. Montalvo had probably known of that weakness and hurried to reinforce his position. “Find her.”

  “We’re looking.” Nekmon paused. “Sendak is here.”

  “He brought it?” Diaz asked.

  “He says he has.” Nekmon shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t verify.”

  Diaz smiled maliciously. “Coward.”

  “Shall I send him in?”

  “By all means.” He leaned back in his chair with a tingle of anticipation. Jane MacGuire wasn’t the only arrow to his bow. Eve Duncan was sitting behind those high walls thinking she was safe. She would never be safe.

  Montalvo would learn Diaz wasn’t to be stopped.

  The next evening Galen met Eve in the hall when she was going upstairs to shower and have dinner before she came back down to work.

  “You’ve emerged from your cave at last,” he said. “Miguel hasn’t let anyone in to see you all day.”

  “I didn’t tell him to do that. But I’m grateful that I wasn’t interrupted. It’s essential that I concentrate to get all the measurements exactly right.”

  “Have you seen Quinn today?”

  “No.” She looked away from him. “We agreed to disagree and I don’t feel welcome to just drop in. I checked with Miguel and he said he had a good night.”

  Galen gave a low whistle. “I thought that Quinn had been prodded to move at top speed.”

  “Is he?”

  “He was on his feet this morning and again this afternoon. Before dinner he sat in the chair by his window quizzing me on the details of Diaz’s setup.”

  “And you told him?”

  “He’d find out with or without me. I’d rather he have accurate information.”

  So would Eve, but the news that Joe was beginning to move at his customary top speed was filling her with panic. “How long do I have?”

  “With any other man I’d say maybe four days. With Quinn…” He shrugged. “Like I said, he’s motivated. How’s the reconstruction coming?”

  “Not fast enough, evidently. I’ll have to put in longer hours.”

  “It sounds to me as if you’re overdoing it now. How much sleep did you get last night?”

  “I don’t know. Four, maybe five hours. Enough.”

  “You said you had to be absolutely accurate. You have to have a clear head for—”

  “I have a clear head, dammit. What do you expect me to do? Get a solid eight hours of sleep when Joe could—” She stopped and drew a deep breath. “I’ll sleep when Nalia’s finished.” She started up the stairs. “Now let me get cleaned up and eat. I need to get back and start working.”

  Christ, Joe on his feet. Joe gaining more strength by the hour. Lord, it was ironic that ordinarily she would have been overjoyed at his progress. Not now. She had to worry about him pushing himself too hard and having a relapse. On the other hand she was in a panic that he’d be able to take action before she was finished with the reconstruction.

  He wouldn’t be able to do the latter if she kept working at lightning speed, she assured herself. She’d allow herself the minimum rest and give Montalvo his evidence before Joe got his chance at Diaz.

  “I wanted to see you, Eve.” Soldono rose from the bench opposite her room. “And Miguel wouldn’t let me into the library.”

  “Miguel must have been very persuasive. Evidently there must have been a queue outside the door.”

  “If you can call a gun persuasive.”

  She stared at him in disbelief. “He pulled a gun on you?”

  “No. He only glanced down at that gun he has in his holster and said he was ordered to use any means to keep you from being disturbed.”

  “He was bluffing.”

  “I’ve seen him in action. I wasn’t going to call his bluff.” He continued on, “I just wanted to tell you that I think I’ve found a source to get you away from the compound when you say the word.” He made a face. “I just wish I’d been able to tap that source when Montalvo was holding Gonzales. It might have prevented all this mess.”

  “I don’t deal in might-have-beens, Soldono. It didn’t happen and I’m walking another path now.” She opened her bedroom door. “And as long as Montalvo keeps his word about keeping my family safe, I’ll finish the reconstruction and hand it to him wrapped up in pink ribbons. So far Venable seems to be doing a good job.”

  “Venable?”

  “You didn’t know Venable made a deal with Montalvo to protect Jane and my mom?”

  “He’s my boss and he often doesn’t share every aspect of his cases with me. I’m just a peon.” He shook his head admiringly. “That crafty bastard. Montalvo had every base covered, didn’t he?” He turned away. “If you change your mind, let me know. Try to give me a little notice. It may take a bit of doing.”

  “I can’t see that giving notice will be an option if I have to leave in a hurry.” She shut the door behind her.

  Don’t think about Joe.

  Don’t try to second-guess the decision she’d made because Soldono had found a way out.

  Just focus, move quickly, and get the reconstruction done.

  Ten minutes later she was out of the shower and dressing hurriedly.

  Call Jane and talk to her before she went down?

  No, she’d called Jane and her mother this morning before she’d started work. Everything was fine and they’d only worry if she acted too anxious. She’d eat something and then get back to work.

  Miguel was on guard in front of the library when she reached it. “Good evening.” His smile was sunny. “I have a steak waiting to go under the broiler. How do you like it?”

  “Medium well-done.” She opened the door. “And you seem to have done a little roasting of my friends today as well.”

  “No threats. Just implications. I didn’t have to do that with Galen. He understood.”

  “I’m sure he did.”

  “And I let them talk to you after you came out of the library.” He turned away. “Please don’t get too involved with your work before I have a chance to bring you your steak.”

  She smiled faintly as she watched him hurry away. Miguel was a strange and fascinating individual and she was growing to like him more every day. She closed the door and turned on the lamp. Darkness had fallen since she’d left the room a short time ago. She moved over to stand before the dais. She’d draped the reconstruction with the black drop cloth as she always did when she left the library. She reached up to take it off the skull. Montalvo had not mentioned the practice after that first time but it only took her a second and if it held his pain at bay then it was worth—

  Teeth sinking into the cloth.

  Brown triangular head lunging at her.

  She jumped back and dropped the cloth.

  The snake turned and launched itself at her.

  It missed her by an inch.

  The snake launched again.

  Kill it. Kill it. Kill it.

  She ran across the room
, grabbed the brass lamp, and hurled it at the snake.

  The shade hit the snake but it kept gliding toward her.

  She darted toward the door.

  It was thrown open before she reached it.

  Montalvo took one quick look at the serpent and shoved her aside. “Jesus.”

  The snake sprang toward Montalvo.

  He shot it in the head.

  “My God.” He was breathing hard as he stared down at the snake. “Damn close.”

  “He kept coming. He just kept coming.” She was shaking uncontrollably. “He was under the drop cloth with the reconstruction. He sprang at—”

  “Did he bite you?”

  “I don’t think so. I didn’t feel—”

  “Don’t think. Tell me.” He grabbed her arms and looked closely at each of them. “I don’t see any marks.”

  “He bit into the cloth. I…dropped it.” She shook her head dazedly. “But he didn’t stop. I’ve never…He kept coming at me.”

  “They can be very aggressive.”

  “Ugly. I…don’t like snakes.”

  “It’s over. Stop shaking.”

  “Soon. I can’t seem to—”

  “God.” He pulled her into his arms and held her. “It’s okay. Don’t fight me. I didn’t want to do this. It could interfere.” He rocked her back and forth. “But I can’t stand you—”

  His body was warm and strong and she clung instinctively to that strength. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I wasn’t expecting that to—it frightened me.”

  “It should have frightened you.” He stroked her hair with rough gentleness. “Shh, it’s going to be fine. Nothing’s going to hurt you. I won’t let it.”

  She didn’t move for a few moments. It was good to stay here and share his strength. She’d move soon. She’d just give herself a short time to get over the shock of those dark frantic minutes.

  “What happened here?” Miguel was standing in the doorway and staring at the remains of the snake on the floor. “Another emergency? I’m beginning to think you’ll do anything to avoid eating one of my meals.”

  She stepped back out of Montalvo’s arms. “I guarantee I wouldn’t go to these lengths.” She tried to steady her voice. “Would you please…get rid of it? I don’t believe I can concentrate with that…thing lying there.”

  “Of course.” Miguel was studying the snake. “What is it, Colonel? I don’t recognize it. You could have left the head so that I—”

  “No, I couldn’t. It was a black mamba.”

  Miguel shook his head. “I don’t think so. They’re not common to this area.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Mamba,” Eve repeated. She knew she had read about them somewhere but she couldn’t remember any details. “Poisonous.”

  “Extremely.” Montalvo said to Miguel, “Search the room and make sure it didn’t bring a friend. Be careful.”

  “Don’t worry. I want to live to a ripe old age.” He smiled slyly. “Like you, Colonel.”

  “You won’t live another year if you keep jabbing at me.” He pulled Eve out into the hall. “Stay here until he’s finished. I don’t believe there’s another one but it doesn’t hurt to check.”

  “I’m not arguing. I can wait.” She tried to stop shivering. “I wouldn’t want to run into another snake like that again anytime soon.”

  “I’ll see that you don’t. After Miguel finishes the library, I’ll send him up to your bedroom.”

  She moistened her lips. “I take it you don’t think this was a stray serpent that wandered in from the jungle.”

  “The odds are astronomical against it. Mambas are found almost exclusively in Africa. We have poisonous snakes here, but not anything as deadly as the black mamba.”

  “It’s not black, it was sort of brown-gray.”

  “The inside of its mouth is black. I’m surprised you didn’t notice.”

  “I wasn’t color-oriented at that moment. Just how deadly is it?”

  “It’s the most dangerous snake in the world. If given a chance, it will slither away, but if it feels it’s cornered, it will strike over and over. When you pulled off the cloth, it felt under attack. You were almost face-to-face with him. Its venom attacks the respiratory system and is almost a hundred percent fatal unless you can quickly get to a hospital that has the antivenin.”

  “Jesus,” she whispered. “How does anyone survive a bite from one of them?”

  “Most people don’t. Particularly if they’re bitten on the throat or anywhere on the upper body. The poison is closer to the vital organs and travels fast. Too fast to get to medical help that might save them.” His eyes were narrowed on her face. “You’re still pale. Sit down.” He pushed her into a chair by the door. “I’ll get you a drink.”

  “Coffee. Just coffee.” She leaned back in the chair. “That snake should have struck my upper body. He was almost on a level with me. He must have been curled beneath the reconstruction.” She shuddered as she remembered that triangular head darting toward her. “I didn’t know I put my arm up to protect myself but that might have saved me. I had the drop cloth in my hand…”

  “And the mamba bit into the cloth instead of you.” He handed her the coffee. “Thank God.”

  She felt like echoing that sentiment. “How did it get there? The French doors?”

  “Probably. But not under its own steam. Someone carried it into the library and placed it under the drop cloth.”

  “One of Diaz’s men?”

  He shook his head. “My security is too tight to permit one of his men to wander in out of the jungle and drop off a package like that.”

  “It happened.”

  “Not that simply. It stinks of a payoff.”

  “He bribed one of your men?”

  “I hope I’m wrong.” His expression was grim. “I don’t believe I am. I can’t see any other explanation.”

  “No other snakes.” Miguel came out of the library. “The mamba was very large, over fourteen feet and probably carrying a big load of venom. Sendak?”

  “I’d bet on it. He delivered the snake to Diaz’s mole inside the compound to be tucked under the drop cloth.”

  “Who’s Sendak?” Eve asked.

  “An Ethiopian who sells his serpents for very high sums. I’ve run into him a few times over the years. One of his little friends killed a customer who was proving difficult for a rival of Diaz’s. I’m sure Diaz was intrigued by the possibilities.”

  “I’ll go up and check her bedroom,” Miguel said as he started for the stairs. “We wouldn’t want her to have a strange, exotic bedmate.”

  “No, we wouldn’t want that.” Montalvo’s intent gaze was on her face. “You’re frightened. That’s what he wanted. He meant you to feel unsure of my ability to protect you.”

  “A mamba hurling itself at my throat would have a tendency to do that,” she said dryly.

  “How badly are you frightened? What’s my damage-control ratio going to have to be?”

  “You’re impossible.” She got to her feet. “Screw your damage control. I don’t like snakes attacking me but I’m not going to be scared off by Diaz. You take care of my family and you find the snake charmer who put that mamba under that cloth with Nalia. I’ll handle my part.”

  “I’m sure you will.” A faint smile indented his lips. “And you can be sure that I’ll know who the Judas is in my camp in short order. He won’t bother you again.”

  That last sentence had an ominous ring. “I didn’t tell you to kill him. I just want to be able to keep on working with no threat hovering over me.”

  “I can’t promise you that will happen anytime soon. There will be a threat until Diaz is gone.”

  “Montalvo.”

  “Yes.”

  “You know what I said about how ridiculous you were to wear a gun in the house?”

  He nodded.

  “Erase it from your memory. I was damn glad you were wearing it tonight.”

  “So was I.” He turned and
walked away from her.

  She drew a deep breath, braced herself, and went back into the library.

  Everything in the room was as neat and orderly as if the incident had never happened, she noticed. Miguel had been busy. The remains of the snake had vanished. The lamp she had thrown at the serpent was back on the desk. Even the drop cloth had been whisked away.

  She went over to the dais and gazed at Nalia.

  Coffin-shaped, triangular head lunging toward her.

  She tensed and instinctively took a step back. Christ, she couldn’t work with that memory hanging over her.

  All right, play it over so that it couldn’t sneak up on her. She closed her eyes. Black mamba striking at her. The drop cloth falling from her hand. The lamp hurling through the air. The snake coming. Coming. Coming. Montalvo shooting the snake. The snake was dead. Nothing to fear. Nothing to fear.

  Gradually the panic faded away and she opened her eyes. It might return but not with the same force. “It’s gone, Nalia. We worked our way through it. But you’ll have to help me keep it from coming back.”

  Get to work. Do your job. She examined the work she’d done that day. She couldn’t see that any of the depth markers had been disturbed by the snake but she’d have to recheck them to make sure they were still accurate.

  “Okay, here we go again,” she murmured. “It was ugly using you that way. You had enough ugly things happen to you. You didn’t need this.”

  She carefully began to measure.

  “I hear you had a nocturnal visitor,” Galen said when she came down the stairs the next morning. His expression was sober. “You were lucky. I ran into one of those snakes in Africa while I was on a job once. Nasty.”

  “I hope you don’t mean that literally. If you did, Montalvo was lying about how deadly they are.”

  “He’s not lying. The mamba slid into one of my men’s bedroll. It bit him in the throat. He didn’t have a chance.”

  “It didn’t happen to me. I don’t want to think about it any more.” A sudden thought occurred to her. “How did you find out?”