Taking Eve(7)
Ryan would go home.
And hopefully the person who had shoved him into that grave would go straight to hell.
“Brown eyes, Ryan…” She always used brown because they were more common than lighter shades. She carefully put the glass eyes into the orbits. “What a handsome little boy you are…”
Birmingham, Alabama
“WE’RE GETTING CLOSE, KEVIN,” Doane murmured, turning on his lights as he got on the freeway. “The next state. I’ll have to stop once we’re over the border and steal a license plate. Venable will know that I’ve left Colorado by now. It wouldn’t be smart to let him know where we’re heading, would it? You’d have probably changed the plate before now. And once we reach the lake cottage, I’ll definitely have to change cars. Or maybe a truck … You were always better at this than I was.” He turned on his computer on the seat beside him. “But I’m trying, Kevin. I worked it all out. I won’t let you down.” He typed in a quick e-mail to Blick on the computer. “In place?”
No answer.
Doane could feel a trace of panic surge through him. “It will be okay, Kevin. It takes time. Blick won’t let us down. We’ve been planning this for months. I’ve told him exactly what to do.”
His computer suddenly pinged. Blick.
“In place.”
Relief flooded Doane. “You see, I told you. He’s steady. He’ll do the job,” he murmured as he got on the freeway. “I just have to keep him from killing her…”
Lake Cottage
EVE GLANCED AT THE CLOCK across the room—6:10 P.M.
Time to shower and head for the airport.
She wiped the clay from her hands on the cloth she kept on the worktable beside the reconstruction. “Okay, Ryan. That’s as good as I can do. No, as good as we can do. You helped a lot.” Coffee, first. She hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since lunch, and she didn’t know how long it would be before Jane got out of Customs.
She popped in a Southern Pecan K-cup in her Keurig. She didn’t need anything stronger, and she liked the smell of the brew. These single-cup coffeemakers were a miracle on the par with—
Her cell phone rang. Jane.
“Don’t tell me your flight got in early. I haven’t left the cottage yet.”
“No, I’m in San Juan.”
Eve stiffened with shock. “What?”
“I know. I meant to call you earlier, but there was an emergency, and I had to arrange to leave London. I got a lift on a private jet.”
“Why on earth?”
“Toby. My dog’s sick, Eve.” Her voice was shaking. “The vet in London didn’t know what was wrong. Toby’s just getting weaker and weaker. The vet can’t pin it down, and nothing he’s tried has helped. None of the tests are conclusive. He suggested I put him to sleep. I told him to go to hell.”
“I can see you doing that.” Toby was Jane’s beloved pet, half-dog, half-wolf, and totally endearing. Eve had taken care of Toby herself when Jane had been unable to have her dog with her, and she loved him almost as much as Jane did. “Couldn’t you go to another vet?”
“Eldridge is the best. He’s just giving up too easily. I won’t give up. So we practically smuggled Toby out of London to avoid all the red tape and took off.”
“Toby’s not a young dog any longer, Jane,” she said gently. “You’ve had him since you were just a kid yourself.”
“That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have his chance.” Jane paused. “We’re on our way to Summer Island. I’m taking him to Sarah Logan. I just hope he’s alive when I get there.”
“You’re taking him to the island? Did you call Sarah?”
“Yes, she said that she couldn’t promise miracles, but they have some terrific vets and a few extraordinary consultants who might be able to help.” She added, “Miracles. You know me, Eve. I’m not one to trust in miracles, and I had a hard time believing that the experimental research center Sarah and her husband set up on that island could be all that she promised it to be.”
“Sarah always tells the truth.”
“But dogs that are able to heal and extend life to an undetermined span? That’s pretty hard to swallow.”
“Sarah had trouble herself until she saw the effects on her golden retriever, Monty. She said he acts like a five-year-old, and he’s Toby’s father.”
“I don’t care about any sudden rejuvenation. I only want to keep Toby alive and with me for a little while longer. If Sarah’s started a clinic on that island, it’s got to be a great one.”