He smothered the surge of anger that exploded through him at the thought of that betrayal. Calm down. It was only a postponement. The important thing was that he had found the child, the one they called Cara Delaney. He leaned forward, his gaze focused on her face as she looked out the window at her cocky, little friend walking down the street swinging her book bag.
Yes.
He had been right to mark Cara. It had been a long time, but he’d finally found her. But seeing her in the flesh had erased any hint of doubt.
Because this time there was no mistake.
She was the one.
He took out his phone and dialed Salazar. “I’ve found her.”
“You’ve said that before and failed me. Why should I believe you now?”
Arrogant bastard. “Then don’t believe me. But I’m going after her anyway. I’d suggest that you be prepared to send someone to help me dispose of this particular body in case it might cause you extreme discomfort.” He paused. “And deposit that money in my account in the next few days. I may have to move fast.”
“Without proof that I’m going to get my money’s worth?”
“I’m sending you a photo I just took.” He pressed the button on his phone. “Proof enough?”
There was silence. “It … could be.”
“And the kid has an Aunt Elena. Elena Delaney. This time I went after her photo at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Last name different from our Elena Pasquez, but the first was the same. I suppose it was easier to change the fake ID. And the face was definitely our Elena. It took me a load of bribe money and weeks of going through their records before I found a picture of the bitch. Then all I had to do was stake out her apartment until I saw the kid.”
“What about the kid’s name?”
“Marnie? Come on, Elena wouldn’t be that stupid. She knows the kid has to enroll in school. She’s calling her Cara now. But, put it all together, and I’m much closer than the other marks I removed on pure speculation. You agree?”
“I agree that she might be a likely prospect,” Salazar said cautiously.
“Then send me the money. If you double the price, I’ll arrange for the body disposal.” He added, “Unless you want the head. That could be arranged.”
“I don’t want to wait for a few days. I want you to be done with this job and out of the country,” Salazar paused. “Because I think you blundered all the way on this job. Jenny wasn’t supposed to be found, and after they did find her, you should have made sure that there was no possibility she’d be recognized.”
“You’re wrong,” he said impatiently. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Okay, they found her, but that was because of some freak rainstorm. After Nalchek called in Eve Duncan, I blocked her as soon as I could. I made sure that Jenny wouldn’t be recognized. I did everything right.”
“Then why did I get a report that Eve Duncan has just shown up in Sonderville?”
Walsh’s hand tightened on the phone. “What?”
“You heard me. She and Quinn checked into a local hotel and made contact with Nalchek. She spent some time with him. So she evidently doesn’t consider herself blocked. Why didn’t you get rid of her at the same time you took the skull?”
“You don’t understand. There were difficulties. It wasn’t the right time. I was going to do it later.”
“All I understand is that you let her get finished with that damn reconstruction, then left her alive to talk about Jenny. I wanted her forgotten … except by her father. I wanted to see him roasting in the hell I created for him.”
“She will be forgotten. You won’t have to wait long before I—”
“I’ve waited too long already. Eight damn years. It was supposed to be a simple job. You put my ass on the line, and I’ve been walking a tightrope, thinking every minute I’d fall off and have her father come after me.”
Walsh opened his mouth to spit out his defense and thought better of it. He should tone it down. Salazar was not a force to take lightly. He didn’t need him to send one of his soldiers across the border to try to gut him. Not that he would succeed. No one was better at either surviving or the kill than he. “None of the delay was my fault. And I’ve been trying hard to rectify it since it happened.”
“If you hadn’t, I would have had you very painfully removed that first year after Jenny.”
“Do you think I don’t want to move faster? But I have to move carefully if I want to finish this up, so that it’s safe for you.”
“I don’t feel safe, Walsh.”
He lost his temper. “Then it’s your fault. You’ve been tying my hands for too long. Do you know what lengths I’ve had to go to, pussyfooting around to keep you safe? The minute that I got that tip from the bank officer that Elena was still in California for at least the first year after I killed Jenny, I never stopped searching for her and that brat. I went the extra mile in making sure you couldn’t be hurt no matter where it led me.”
Silence that was laden with menace. “Extra mile? And so you should have. And I don’t care if I’ve made it difficult for you.”
No, of course he didn’t. “Well, now it’s the end of the road, and I’m in control. Send me my money and be prepared to get me help for the disposal.”
Silence. “Excuses, again. We’ll see who is in control, Walsh.” Salazar hung up.
Bastard.
But Salazar was smart, and he wouldn’t take the chance of having Walsh exposed and himself with him. He’d get him help. He’d send the money.
Because he’d seen what Walsh had seen in that photo.
Cara Delaney’s bus was leaving the school parking lot now. Soon, she’d be safe within the doors of her apartment house.
And he was feeling frustrated and hungry. He’d scoped out her setup and knew that it would be hard to get to her. There were alarms, the little girl was very careful. It might take days of stalking before he could safely pounce.
But the pretty blonde with the ponytail who was so sure nothing could happen to her? She wasn’t careful at all.
He thought about it.
No, he decided reluctantly, he didn’t want any red flags that would alert Cara Delaney or her dear aunt Elena. He enjoyed the child kills, but he could control it.
He’d have to be patient and wait for Cara …
And he’d get her. Just like he’d put that bitch, Jenny, into the ground. Only this time, with Cara, there would be nothing to reconstruct. There wouldn’t be a skull with glittering green eyes that made him writhe with fury.
No, he would not think of that skull. He had thrown that reconstruction into his trunk so he wouldn’t have to look at it again. It had to be his imagination that had caused him to think he’d seen Jenny. Out of all the lives he’d taken over the years, why would Jenny be the only one who had come back to torment him? He didn’t believe in ghosts, so it had to be stress or some kind of weird primitive instinct because he was getting near to Cara.
So prove it to himself. Prove that Jenny had no power to stop him from doing whatever he wanted to do.
Get rid of the skull.
Yes, that would do it. Lately, he’d been thinking of keeping it or sending it to Salazar as a trophy. That would show her.
Do you hear me, Jenny? You’re nothing. You can’t stop me from killing Cara. You can’t stop me from destroying the last part of you that would prove you ever lived.
And destroying that interfering slut, Eve Duncan, along with her. He would show her that she couldn’t make him look like an amateur to Salazar. She’d be sorry that she’d decided to track him down. He couldn’t move on Cara Delaney yet, but he could go after Duncan.
How? It had to be a completely satisfying kill that would make him forget the frustration of the past days. Something … spectacular …
He didn’t even look back at the yellow school bus as he started his car and headed down the street.
* * *
“Hi.” Elena Delaney looked up with a smile as Cara walked into the apartment. She had on her black work pants, but she was wearing a pink T-shirt with a cocktail on the front that was the same color as the pink streak running through her brown hair. She was somewhere in her midthirties, but all of Cara’s friends thought she was younger. “Just in time. I just finished the spaghetti and meatballs. Put in the garlic bread for me, will you?”