“She got to Goldfork even before I did. She recognized Blick from the photo in the dossier you gave to Quinn and Jane. I take it that he hasn’t been apprehended?”
“No sign of him. When did you last see him?”
“At Doane’s house.”
“Could he be following you?”
“Yes, but I’m fairly sure he’s not.”
“Okay, putting aside that bit of news … What in the hell was Blick doing back in Goldfork? It looks like he tried to destroy the house with that gas explosion.”
This was a bit awkward. “Actually, that was sort of my handiwork.”
Venable muttered a curse. “I suppose I should have known.”
“Why should you have known? It was purely in self-defense.” She paused. “Is there anything left of the house?”
“Yeah. Most of it is fine. Just a couple rooms upstairs were damaged. Evidence teams are there now. They really want to talk to you.”
“Later.” Kendra drove in silence for a moment. It would probably have been better for her if the place had burned to the ground. She had an idea what his next question was going to be. She wasn’t surprised when it came.
“So what did you find in that staircase, Kendra?”
“The staircase?”
“I received pictures. A panel on the landing was destroyed. More of your handiwork?”
“Yes.”
“So what did you find?”
She braced herself. She hated this. “Nothing. We were still fishing around in there when Blick showed up. I was just going to suggest that your people give it a closer look. Doane went to a lot of trouble to make that secret compartment.”
A long moment of silence. “We searched and came up with zilch. Are you positive you didn’t find the disk?”
“No disk.”
“Or anything else?”
Damn, she hated to lie. “I’m positive.”
Another pause. He didn’t believe her.
Tit for Tat. She wasn’t sure she believed anything he’d told her about that disk either.
She looked down at the tattered notebook on the console beside her. Not yet, Venable.
“Okay,” he finally said.
“Have the forensics guys pulled anything else from Doane’s car?”
“Not a lot. That was gold dust in the trunk, but it wasn’t especially pure.”
“Unprocessed?”
“It was processed, but not in the way that it usually is these days. They found traces of cyanide in it.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s actually not uncommon. Cyanide is one of the chemicals used to extract impurities from the gold. But the thing is that the gold dust we found in Doane’s car wasn’t processed like most gold is today.”
“What do you mean?”
“Most gold undergoes a type of electrolysis to further separate it from other minerals. That wasn’t done in this case. It’s almost as if…”
“What?”
“That the gold dust we found may have been processed over a hundred years ago.”
Kendra let that sink in for a moment. What in the hell was going on here? “Interesting.”
“Yeah. I’m not sure what it means, but I thought you’d like to know.”
“I do. Thanks.”
“Always willing to cooperate. Cooperation is very important, Kendra.” The words couldn’t have been more laden with sarcasm.
Sorry, Venable.
“So what’s your next move?” Venable asked. “Or am I allowed to ask?”
She hesitated while she decided whether or not to tell him. What the hell. “We’re going down to the southern part of the state, in the coverage area of the radio stations on Doane’s car stereo.”
“We’ve been looking at that part of the state ourselves. It’s a pretty big coverage area.”
“I know.”
“And did you say ‘we’?”
“Margaret is still with me.”
“Good God.” Venable chuckled. “It sounds like you’re a team. Shades of Thelma and Louise. How did that happen?”
“Long story. And we are not a team. Thelma and Louise? I find nothing laudatory in being compared to two idiotic women who drove off into the Grand Canyon. I’ll be in touch, Venable.”
Kendra cut the connection.
“Thelma and Louise?” Margaret asked drowsily. “Grand Canyon?”
Kendra glanced over and saw Margaret’s eyes were open. “I thought you were sound asleep. How much did you hear?”
“From the beginning. Only from your side, but it was enough to put most of the conversation together. I was sound asleep, but I seem to have a built-in alarm for things I need to hear. Thelma and Louise?”
“It’s an old movie. I’m not sure you were even born then, but it’s kind of a classic.”
“I like classics but more in the Frank Capra vein. That was a happier age. Anyone who drives a car into the Grand Canyon strikes of craziness or despair. Not my cup of tea.”
“I can see that. Not mine either. Which is why Venable’s comparison annoyed me.”
“One reason,” Margaret said quietly. “The main reason is that you’re still having trouble with my coming with you. You’ll get used to me, Kendra.” She smiled. “You might even be glad I came. I know that you like to work by yourself and be totally independent, but that can also be lonely.”
“I’m used to being lonely. I was blind until I was twenty.” She paused. “That sounded as if I was sorry for the way I grew up. I didn’t mean it like that. I had my mother, who was completely supportive and wonderful. I had a best friend, Olivia, and a few other friends who managed to tolerate my rather abrasive personality. The loneliness was my fault. There were times when I drew into myself and lived there.” She chuckled. “Because I was damn good company.”
“Really?” Margaret murmured demurely. “I haven’t noticed.”
“Ouch.” Kendra glanced at her in surprise. “That was a sharp little jab. Not what I was expecting from Miss Sunshine and Light.”
“Expect it. I’m only human. I believe in being cheerful and looking for the sun. But I also believe in being honest, and you left yourself wide open.” She straightened on the seat. “You can be abrasive, but I like it. It’s … stimulating.”
“I’m so glad I meet with your approval,” Kendra said dryly. “And I hope I’ve put your worries about my loneliness to rest.” She tilted her head. “What about you? Did I detect a hint of empathy? You appear to be something of a loner yourself.”
She shook her head. “No, I like people. I like to be with them and interact and feel their energy flow to me. The human race is a wonderful thing. Are you asking me if I need them?”
“Well, you seem to be leaning toward the animal kingdom.”
“I like animals, too. And they can be very restful in comparison to people. They have simpler motivations. Food, shelter, procreation are central. But they also have emotional responses and often a sense of humor.” She smiled. “It took me a while to be able to read those responses. After I ran away from home when I was eight, I lived off the land for three years. I was almost totally without human contact. That’s when I learned the most about them.”
“You ran away from home?”
“I didn’t have a wonderful, supportive mother like you. She died when I was born. My father … was not kind. I decided it was time to go away and cheat him of the welfare check he was getting for me.” She smiled cheerfully. “The only other attractive option was to persuade the Doberman down the street to tear his throat out.”
“I … see.”
“No, you don’t. You’re a little shocked that I’d say something like that much less think it. You’re getting a glimpse of my dark side, which pops out now and then.”
“I’m not shocked. I’m sorry that you were abused as a child. I hate it when children or animals are being hurt. That Doberman idea didn’t sound all that bad to me.”
“It was just a passing thought. I wouldn’t really get a helpless dog into trouble like that. I just couldn’t think of a way to do it myself.”
“Three years living off the land is a long time.”
“I enjoyed it. I was almost sorry when I decided I wanted to learn things that I couldn’t in the woods. But then I found this wonderful couple, Bill and Laura Skanner, who lived on a farm in the next county, didn’t believe that the law was always right, and thought that kids shouldn’t be caught in the middle. They liked me, and I liked them, and I stayed with them for two years.”