Pulling his own silenced gun from his pocket, he pulled her to the bathroom and shoved her into the tub, holding her as she fought. “Just one question. Where is my cat?”
She twisted to stare up at him, defiant in her fear. “Dead,” she spat.
He clenched his jaw. “You bitch.” Then he shot her in the head, stepping back as she slumped. “I should have stayed single,” he murmured, panting. “Dammit.”
Now he’d have to explain to their friends where she’d gone.
Thursday, February 25, 7:00 a.m.
Coffee. Noah drew a deep breath, the aroma teasing him awake. Sex and coffee. He wasn’t sure a man needed a whole lot more than that. He rolled out of bed, a little creaky after tackling Dell, but his mind was alert. He hadn’t gotten any calls during the night, so Natalie Clooney and Kathy Kirk, Eve’s last two red-zone cases, were all right.
He still didn’t believe Donner had killed five women, but he had the very bad feeling that Farmer’s mocking “pow” and “night-night-Noah and his pretty Eve, too” were more than petty taunts. Donner was involved, or he wouldn’t have run.
Pulling on pants, he found Eve sitting in his kitchen wearing only his shirt, frowning at the morning’s newspaper headline. He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and stole a look down the shirt at her breasts. “I like you in my shirt,” he murmured.
She looked up over her shoulder, her dark eyes troubled. “Sit down.”
She gave him the front page and he hissed an oath. “I guess we expected this,” he said grimly. HAT SQUAD MURDER-SUICIDE, the headline read. He scanned the article, keeping his temper in check. “They make it sound like we know Jack did it.”
She got up to pour his coffee, then set a mug next to his elbow and leaned over his shoulder, her cheek pressed against his. It was the support and affection he’d craved, and greedily he took it in.
“They mention Farmer’s capture,” she murmured, “and his father’s murder a few pages in, but nobody’s tied their motive to Jack and Katie.”
“We should have tied it together for them last night.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“It’s an internal investigation now. They’ll have to clear Jack.”
“I called the hospital this morning. They’re not giving out any information.”
“Abbott said he’d call when he heard something. I guess no news at this point is still good news. I wish MSP never published that damn article. When you were untying Brock last night, Dell was screaming that the magazine made us look like gods.”
“I thought ‘white knights,’ when I first read it.” She kissed his temple. “You want some eggs? I can’t do omelets because I couldn’t find the knives.”
“You started talking in your sleep, so I got up and locked them in my gun safe. I’ll make you a key so you can get to them when you’re awake.”
She sighed wearily. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. We both bring baggage, Eve. We both have nightmares.” He hesitated. “Mine are especially bad whenever I go to the bar.”
Now she looked away. “So if we…” She picked at the shirt of his she wore. “If this continues, I’d have to quit.”
“I wouldn’t expect that, Eve. I know what Sal and Josie mean to you, and you to them. But I can’t visit you there.” He tugged on the tail of his shirt, pulling her to his lap. “If this continues, we’ll both give and take. In the grand scheme, your job, my knives, not a big deal.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I dreamed of him last night.”
“I know. It gave me chills.” Bone deep chills that had kept him awake for a while.
“I wish I could make them stop.”
“They’ll pass, Eve, the dreams and the voices. Mine took years, yours may take longer.” He took her hand, threaded their fingers together. “It’ll be all right.”
She pressed their joined hands to her lips. “I believe you.” Then she abruptly turned his hand over, her expression suddenly taut. “Dell Farmer wasn’t wearing a ring.”
Noah stared at his hand, his chest growing tight with dread. “No, he wasn’t.”
“David said the man who ran him off the road was wearing a ring, like yours. So either David was wrong, Farmer lost his ring, or…”
“Or somebody else ran David off the road.” He closed his eyes, trying to remember the scene at Harvey Sr.’s house. “The father wasn’t wearing one either.” He dug his cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll call Olivia.”
As he dialed, there was a knock at his front door. He opened his door to Olivia, holding her ringing phone. “We gotta talk, Web.” She pushed her way in before he could say another word, then stopped, her eyes gone wide. “Well, hello, darlin’.”
Eve halted her attempted flight and leaned against the wall, arms crossed, long legs bare. Her face was red, her scar visibly white. “Olivia,” she said, warningly.
“I was going to ask if you had a good night, Web, but I can see that you did.” She looked at Eve. “And next time my sister asks if you’re happy, I’ll know to say yes.”
Noah dragged one hand down his face. “Give us a minute to get dressed. There’s coffee in the pot. We need to talk to you about Dell Farmer.”
“That’s why I’m here. He was tracking your car, and Jack’s. I found the device under your engine block. Jack’s car had one, too.”
“Well, that explains a lot,” Noah said. “I wondered how he seemed to know when to follow us. He was at every victim’s scene and there when we interviewed the families.”
“I checked Katie’s cell LUDs,” Olivia said. “Lots of calls to Dell’s cell matching up to calls made between you and Jack, going back about three weeks.”
“Since MSP hit the stands,” Eve said, “and Katie hit on Jack.”
“She was tipping off Dell every time Jack got a call. Have you heard anything?”
“They won’t tell me anything,” Olivia said, “except that he’s not conscious.”
“Farmer wasn’t wearing a ring,” Noah said abruptly.
“Somebody else ran David off the road,” Eve said. “Somebody else was after me.”
Olivia didn’t look surprised. “Farmer wasn’t driving a black SUV last night. And he seemed to think it was really funny when we questioned him about it.”
“He said Donner ‘almost got you good tonight,’ ” Noah said slowly, a piece falling into place in his mind. “Did you trace any of his calls to that reporter from the Mirror?”
Olivia’s lips thinned. “The one who wrote that trash story on Jack? Yeah, his number’s in Dell’s call log, not fifteen minutes before the reporter showed up.”
“At the Bolyards’ house,” Noah said. “He knew that’s where we were. And that reporter’s first question wasn’t about the Bolyards’ homicide, it was about Jack.”
“Dell was there,” Eve said. “He saw something. He saw someone try to get you.”
“Get us,” Noah corrected. “That somebody tried to get you first, yesterday.”
“He was there, outside the Bolyards’,” Olivia said. “They both were. Dell and the killer. The other killer.” She scrunched her eyes. “Sorry, it’s been a long night.”
“Why? Why me?” Eve asked, but by the look in her eyes Noah knew she knew.
“It’s all about Shadowland,” he said. “Your test. Your subjects.”
“We almost got him coming out of Rachel’s,” Olivia said. “Because you alerted us.”
Eve leaned against the wall, stunned. “And now he wants me gone. Damn, why do I always get involved with these people? I’m a god-damn trouble magnet.”
“Dell started with the ‘pow’ shit when he heard me say Donner’s name, and the Bolyards told that TV reporter that it was Donner that followed Martha out that night.”
Eve shook her head. “I still can’t see Dr. Donner killing five women, Noah. I can’t.”
“I’m having trouble with it myself. But we won’t know until we find him, and he’s run.”