Yes, Joe would protect her just as hed always done, and no one could do it better. He was different from when they had first met years before. Time had hammered every trace of boyishness out of him. Shortly after Frasers execution, he had resigned from his job as an agent in the FBI and joined the At-lanta ED. He was now a lieutenant detective. Hed never really told her why he had made the move. She had asked, but his answerthat hed wanted to jet-tison the pressure of the bureauhad never satisfied her. Joe could be a very private person, and she hadnt probed. All she knew was that he had always been there for her.
Even that night at the prison when she had felt more alone than ever.
She didnt want to think about that night. The despair and pain were still as raw as
So think about it anyway. She had learned the only way to survive the pain was to meet it head-on.
Fraser was dead.
Bonnie was lost.
She closed her eyes and let the agony wash over her. When it eased, she opened her eyes and moved toward the computer. Work always helped. Bonnie might be lost and never be found, but there were others
Youve got another one? Sandra Duncan stood in the doorway, dressed in pajamas and her favorite pink chenille robe. Her gaze was focused on the skull across the room. I thought I heard someone in the driveway. Youd think Joe would leave you alone.
I dont want to be left alone. Eve sat down at the desk. No problem. Its not a rush job. Go back to bed, Mom.
You go to bed. Sandra Duncan walked over to the skull. Is it a little girl?
Preadolescent.
She was silent a moment. Youre never going to find her, you know. Bonnies gone. Let it go, Eve.
I have let it go. I just do my job.
Bullshit.
Eve smiled. Go to bed.
Can I help? Make you a snack?
I have more respect for my digestive system than to let you sabotage it.
I do try. Sandra made a face. Some people werent meant to cook.
You have other talents.
Her mother nodded. Im a good court reporter and I nag damn well. Will you go to bed, or do I have to demonstrate?
Fifteen minutes more.
I guess Ill allow you that much slack. She moved toward the door. But Ill be listening to hear your bedroom door close. She paused and then said awkwardly, Im not coming home right away after work tomorrow night. Im going out to dinner.
Eve looked up in surprise. With whom?
Ron Fitzgerald. I told you about him. Hes a lawyer in the district attorneys office. I like him. Her tone was almost defiant. He makes me laugh.
Good. Id like to meet him.
Im not like you. Its been a long time since Ive been out with a man, and I need people. Im not a nun. For Gods sake, Im not even fifty. My life cant stop just because
Why are you acting so guilty? Have I ever said I wanted you to stay home? You have a right to do whatever you want to do.
Im acting guilty because I feel guilty. Sandra scowled. You could make it easier for me if you werent so hard on yourself. Youre the one whos a nun.
God, she wished her mother hadnt decided to go into this tonight. She was too tired to cope. Ive had a few relationships.
Until they got in the way of your work. Two weeks tops.
Mom.
Okay, okay. I just think its time for you to live a normal life again.
Whats normal for one person isnt always normal for another. She looked down at her com-puter screen. Now, scat. I want to finish this before I go to bed. Be sure you drop in tomorrow night and tell me all about your dinner.
So you can live vicariously? Sandra asked tartly. I may or may not.
You will.
Yeah, I will. Her mother sighed. Good night, Eve.
Good night, Mom.
Eve leaned back in her chair. She should have no-ticed her mother was becoming restless and unhappy. Emotional instability was always dangerous for a re-covering addict. But, dammit, Mom had been clean since Bonnies second birthday. Another gift that Bonnie had brought when she came into their lives.
She was probably exaggerating the problem. Growing up with an addict had made her deeply suspicious. Surely her mothers restlessness was both typical and healthy. The best thing that could happen to her was a solid, loving relationship.
So let Sandra run with it, but watch the situation closely.
She was staring blindly at the screen. She had done enough tonight. There could be little doubt the skull belonged to little Bobby Starnes.
She noticed the Logan insignia as she logged out and turned off the computer. Funny how you never paid any attention to things like that. Why the hell would Logan be asking questions about her? He probably wasnt. More than likely it was a mistake. Her life and Logans were at opposite ends of the spectrum.
She stood up and moved her shoulders to rid them of stiffness. Shed pack up Bobbys skull, take it and the report to the house, then ship them out the following morning. She never liked to have more than one skull in the lab at the same time. Joe laughed at her, but she felt she couldnt give her full attention to the job she was working on if she could see another skull silently waiting. So shed overnight Bobby Starnes and the re-port to Chicago and the day after tomorrow Bobbys parents would know that their son had come home, that he was no longer one of the lost ones.
Let it go, Eve.
Her mother didnt understand that the search for Bonnie had become woven into the fabric of her life and she could no longer tell which thread was Bonnie and which were the other lost ones. That probably made her a hell of a lot more unstable than her mother, she thought ruefully.
She walked across the room and stood before the shelf bearing the new skull.
What happened to you? she murmured as she removed the skulls ID tag and tossed it on the work-bench. An accident? Murder? She hoped it wasnt murder, but it usually was in these cases. It hurt her to think of the terror the child had suffered before death.