Final Target(65)

“I wish you had too. It might have helped you.”

She was silent a moment. “You’re trying to help me now. Why? We haven’t been the best of buddies.”

“Maybe I blame myself even if you don’t. I was caught off guard by Deschamps. After the theft and Jan’s death, I didn’t expect this to happen. I didn’t make the connection. Except for my head on a platter, I thought he had what he wanted.”

“And he wanted the Wind Dancer?”

“He was up on the catwalk, so he had to know the layout of the museum. Maybe he was planning on stealing the statue himself. He had to have done some pretty thorough advance work.”

“Did he follow us from Amsterdam?”

“I believe he knew ahead of time that we might be going after the Wind Dancer. He was waiting for us to set it up for him.”

“And how would he know that?”

“Jan’s phone was bugged for a time. It had to be Deschamps.”

“And he wanted the Wind Dancer enough to run the risk. Why?”

“There could be many reasons. He’s a mercenary. His entire career has been spent in pursuit of money.”

“You said he took millions from you already.”

“Millions aren’t that important anymore. You can make that on one drug deal. Your next-door neighbor can make it e-trading. But the Wind Dancer is priceless. For a man like Deschamps, it could be the ultimate score.” He shrugged. “Or it could be something else entirely. Who knows what’s important to him?”

“The Wind Dancer is important to him or he wouldn’t have been at the museum. But he’s not going to get it. Where is it? Where did you put it?”

“In the closet in an old box we found in the shed. It’s just going to be an albatross around our necks. We need to return it, Melissa.”

“No.” She stood up. “Why should we do that? As long as Deschamps wants it, we have the bait to trap him. I won’t give it up.” She looked him in the eye. “You should want Deschamps as much as I do. You told me you were going after him right after you kept your promise to Jessica.”

“I intend to do that. The situation has changed, but as soon as I make sure this place is safe for you and Cassie to—”

“Bullshit. I’m not hiding from the bastard who killed Jessica.”

“I guarantee I’ll see that he’s punished.”

“No, I’ll see that he’s punished.” Her lips thinned. “And no one is going to stand in my way, Travis. Now leave. I want to be alone for a little longer.”

She’s going to harden into pure steel.

Galen was right. She was changing, toughening. Not that she hadn’t always been strong, but now you could almost see the steel.

“Go on.” She turned to look at him. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to walk into the sea and drown or anything. I just have to work my way through this so I can think.”

“Come when you’re ready and we’ll talk.” He turned and walked back toward the cottage. Not that talking would do any good.

“You shouldn’t be here, sir.” Danley opened the limousine door as it pulled up in front of the hangar. “I was going to come and report to you as soon as we got the casket onto the plane.”

“You told me you’d kept the removal of her body from the media,” Andreas said. “It better be true. Where are you taking it?”

“Arlington.” He hesitated. “I wonder if you wouldn’t reconsider? We’ve reports the sister was very close to the deceased. She might decide to say a last good-bye.”

“The more evidence of what happened at the museum, the more likely the media will find out about the theft of the Wind Dancer. There may be a chance Travis wants to negotiate for the statue. Have you got the in-depth report on the sister yet?”

“Not yet, sir. Of course, we did preliminary work after they took Cassie, but she was considered of secondary importance.”

“Well, now she’s of primary importance.”

“We’ve located the van they rented in Antwerp. It was abandoned forty miles outside of Paris. That means they’ve changed to another vehicle. We’re checking all rental car agencies in the area. Though with Travis’s contacts, he could have obtained a car from other sources.”

“Let’s hope you have better luck than you’ve had to date.” He walked over to the casket. “Open it.”

“Sir?”

“Open it. I want to see her.”

Danley motioned to the man guarding the coffin, and the lid was lifted.

Danley probably thought he was some kind of ghoul, Andreas thought. He didn’t know why he wanted a last look at Jessica Riley’s face. Maybe just to assure himself that it was really her. The theft of the Wind Dancer was completely bewildering, and he couldn’t put the pieces together with Cassie’s kidnapping. And why would Jessica’s sister call and tip them off ? Some of the fingerprints at the museum had been Melissa’s; she had risked being caught in the same trap as Travis and her sister.