“I know the blindfold probably makes you feel helpless.” He was lifting her into the truck and fastening the cuffs to the seat belt. “I’d hate it. We’ll take it off as soon as I get where we’re going.”
She did feel helpless, but she wasn’t going to admit it to Doane. He was once again pointing out how similar they were, and she wouldn’t admit that either.
Kevin? Bonnie?
Not the same. Never the same.
Or were they?
CHAPTER
9
“IT MAY BE THE RIGHT TRUCK,” Venable said to Joe as he came out of the farmhouse. “It was an old red Ford, parked down by the barn, and Mrs. Hallet, the farmer’s wife, thought she saw a late-model blue Chevy parked in the woods. It looks like he changed vehicles, but he didn’t leave the Chevy. He must have come back for it for some reason. I got the license-plate number of Hallet’s truck from her.” He handed Joe a slip of paper. “Call your headquarters and put an APB out on it.”
“If he hasn’t already changed cars again.” Joe reached for his phone. “And why ditch a late-model car for a truck that’s much older? All he’d have to do would be to change the license plates.”
“Which he probably did.”
“It doesn’t make sense. Unless he wanted to fit into the background of the countryside at the lake house. He appears to be very careful of details. And what about Hallet, the farmer who is missing? Did his wife hear anything about him yet?”
Venable shook his head. “The neighbors and a couple deputies are searching the woods now.”
“No one saw the thief?”
“I would have told you if they had.”
“Would you?” Joe asked bitterly as he started to dial the precinct. “I’m not sure that—” His phone signaled an incoming call. He glanced impatiently down at the ID.
Unknown.
He punched the access. “Quinn.”
“Joe.”
“Eve.” He froze. “My God.”
“Yes, listen, Joe, he’s only giving me a minute.” Eve was talking softly, urgently. “And I’m having to pay for that.”
“Where are you?”
“I can’t talk about that now. Jane. He says Jane is still alive? Is it true?”
“Yes, she’s at a hospital in San Juan. The wound wasn’t serious. How are you? Did he hurt you?”
“No. Drugs. He appears to be good at drugs. Ben? He said he dropped Ben at an urgent-care clinic. How is he?”
“Concussion. He’s as good as can be expected considering that he also suffered from exposure because the clinic didn’t find him for several hours.”
“But he’ll live?”
“He’ll live. What can you tell me about that bastard? Is he going to—Tell him if he hurts you, I’ll kill him … slowly.”
“He can hear you. I’m not in immediate danger, Joe. He wants something from me.”
“What?”
“The usual. What most people want from me. He’s trying to convince me that he has a heart of gold. I’m not buying it. But he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I can’t talk about that right now. If you want to keep me safe, make sure that there’s no way anyone can touch Jane. Because my cozy little deal with the bastard is off if they do. I’d kill him myself.”
“No, you won’t. My privilege. I’ll hunt him down and castrate him before I cut him into small pieces. Do you hear me, you son of a bitch?”
“He hears you. And he’s not pleased,” Eve said quickly. “I have to go now.”
“Listen, Eve. Don’t let him use us to make you do anything. I’ll take care of Jane and myself. You do what you have to do to get away from him.”
“And he didn’t like that either. My time is up. I love you.”
“And I love—” But she had already hung up. He pressed the disconnect and turned to Venable. “Call up one of your whiz-kid satellite units and see if you can trace that call.”
“I’m already on it,” Venable said. “I started when you picked up the call. I’ve just gotten through to the department. I don’t know if we can do it. She didn’t give us much time.”
“She didn’t have any choice,” Joe said. “Try, dammit.” He turned and started back toward the car.
She was alive.
Relief was zinging through him with a force that was making him dizzy. Why? He had been certain she was alive. He would have somehow known, felt it, if she had been taken from him. But what if fate had played one of her macabre tricks? Life wasn’t always kind, and all he knew was that he had wanted to fall to his knees when he heard her voice.