Taking Eve(80)
“A cover-up? Venable?”
“Maybe. But covering up what? And why?”
“Blick seems fairly ordinary up to the time when he teamed up with that man in Turkey. And he was willing to risk being thrown into a Turkish jail to protect him. From what we’ve learned about Blick’s background, that’s unusual.”
“And maybe the reason that Blick only got a slap on the wrist and was shipped back to the U.S. was to protect Blick’s buddy, too,” Caleb said. “It’s a game of maybes and ifs, isn’t it? Anything else, Quinn? The connection with Venable?”
Joe shook his head. “Only that I’m doing a scan of the newspapers of those months Blick was in Turkey. I’ll keep on looking, but nothing of international importance occurred as far as I can see.”
“But Venable seldom operates on the surface,” Jane said.
Joe grimaced. “Almost never.” He paused. “There were two Muslim clerics who were killed in rather suspicious accidents in Istanbul. They were reputedly responsible for arranging for a suicide bomber to kill four U.S. Army border guards in Iraq.”
“A revenge killing.” Jane frowned. “That doesn’t sound like Venable. He wouldn’t let emotion rule. He’d have a reason before he’d turn loose a team that might spark an international incident.”
Joe nodded. “And there was also a story about the disappearance of a young student on her way from Istanbul to her parents’ home in Delhi. Take your pick.”
“That wouldn’t involve the CIA either.”
“Who the hell knows what he’d do?” Joe said. “But we’re going to find out. I’m tired of making guesses.” He checked his watch. “Time’s up. I’m going after him.” He turned to Caleb. “Stay with Jane. Don’t let her out—” His cell phone rang, and he stiffened as he read the ID. “Venable.”
He punched the volume and access. “Where the hell are you, Venable?”
“Not there obviously. I gather by your tone that you’re frustrated. You didn’t get very far with checking out Relling?”
“You knew I wouldn’t. No Doane. No Relling. You were very careful about erasing his records.”
“Yes, but sometimes there’s a slip,” Venable said. “I’m glad to know they did a good job.”
“So good I may break your neck if I find out that what you did made Eve a target.”
“I can understand that. I never meant it to happen, but I should have been more careful.” Venable added, “But you can tell me all that in person in a couple hours. I just called to let you know that I’m at General John Tarther’s house in Virginia to break the news to him about Doane, but I have a plane waiting, and I’ll be on my way back as soon as it’s done.”
“Tarther? Another hint to dangle? That won’t cut it.”
“I wouldn’t have mentioned his name if I hadn’t intended to take you into my confidence.”
“Everything, Venable.”
Venable paused, then finally said, “Everything.” He hung up.
“Who is Tarther?”
Jane turned to see Margaret standing at the bathroom door, fully dressed in jeans and shirt but her hair wrapped in a towel. Her eyes were sparkling with curiosity as she came forward. “General Tarther? I’ve never heard of him.”
“I’ve heard of him,” Jane said. “He was famous. But it was a long time ago. Iraq, Joe?”
Joe nodded as he hung up the phone. “And Afghanistan. He retired years ago.”
“What’s happening?” Margaret asked, removing the towel from her head. “I only got to hear the last few words. And why would this Tarther—”
“We don’t know,” Joe interrupted. “But it seems that we’re going to find out.”
“But am I going to find out? Are you going to let me help find Eve?” Margaret asked shrewdly.
“Why not?” Joe was suddenly smiling recklessly. “If you can prove you’re able to do it.” He took her arm and pulled her toward the door. “We have a couple hours before Venable gets here, and I don’t want to twiddle my thumbs waiting. Jane said that you have a talent that the rest of us don’t possess. Even if I believed her, I’m not sure that communing with forest creatures would be of any worth in tracking down Doane.”
“I’m not sure either. It’s never a certainty,” Margaret said. “Where are we going?”
“Into the woods. Dukes, one of Venable’s agents, had his throat cut about a mile from the lake. That’s all we know. The area was pristine clean. Forensics has been all over the area and not found anything yet. I want to know how he died and if Doane left any clues that we haven’t found.”