She opened her eyes and looked down at him. "What’s wrong?" He was staring down at the cabin miles below them. "Monty?"
She moved closer to the edge, and then she could see it too. Lights. A car approaching the cabin.
She stiffened. Eve Duncan again? She had thought she’d made herself more than clear yesterday. But Eve had impressed her as being very determined. Maybe she’d decided to drive out and give it another try. She was tempted to just stay up here until the woman got bored and went home.
Monty had other ideas.
He was already on the trail going down. "Did I say we were going down?" Child.
Monty loved kids, and he remembered the little girl Jane. Okay. Face Eve Duncan, be brief, get rid of her. Sarah started down the trail at a trot. "Wait for me, blast it." Child…
It was not Eve Duncan’s car.
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Madden?
She stopped abruptly, her heart pounding. "Monty."
Monty stopped, tensing as he heard the note of panic in her voice. He looked back at her. Fear?
Damn right she was scared. No child.
"I don’t think so."
What should she do? Run? Face Madden?
Even if she and Monty stayed away from the cabin for days, Madden would still be there when she got back. She knew from experience he was totally relentless.
Okay, face him. She could always disappear later.
She strode forward, Monty trotting anxiously beside her.
Help?
"No. It’s okay." Monty whimpered.
"I said it’s okay, dammit."
"Ms. Patrick?" A man was waiting by the cabin door. "I wonder if I can speak to you? My name is John Logan."
Not Madden.
Monty started to wag his tail as he sensed her relief.
"Always the optimist," she murmured. "He could be a bill collector, you know.”
“Ms. Patrick?"
She strode toward him. "It’s after nine at night, and Monty and I keep early hours. Call me in the morning."
"I’ve driven a long way, and I need to talk to you now." He smiled. "I assure you I’m very respectable."
His clothes and shoes were impeccable, but so were a lot of drug dealers‘. "I don’t like people dropping by late at night."
"Eve said you were difficult."
She should have known. "Eve Duncan? She asked you to come?” The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02
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“Not really. It was my idea, but she did ask for a little help." He gazed admiringly at Monty.
"Beautiful animal."
He was a beautiful animal himself. Sleek like a cougar. Cougars could be dangerous. "Yes, he is."
She opened the door. "And he’s tired. Good night, Mr. Logan."
"Wait." His smile faded. "Could I come in? I’m expecting a telephone call.”
“On my phone?"
"I took the liberty. It’s from someone you know. Senator Todd Madden?" She froze.
"May I come in?"
She went into the cabin and slammed the door.
He knocked. "It would really be better if I talk to you before he does. He is very smooth, but he can be unpleasant."
Madden and everything connected to him was never pleasant. Calm down. Face the problem.
She opened the door. "Come in." She sat down in the rocking chair. "Get to the point and then get out."
"I’ll be as quick as I can. Eve needs you to find a body buried somewhere in the area."
“Tell her to get someone else."
He shook his head. "She wants you. I can’t blame her. I had my people do some research on you. You’re quite remarkable."
"Am I?"
"Your work in Oklahoma City was incredible. And that earthquake in Iran last year that killed two thousand—you managed to save twenty-seven people buried in the rubble."
"And found sixty-eight dead.”
“You remember the number?"
"I remember some of the numbers. I remember all the faces.”
“Eve’s not going to make you look at the face of this cadaver.”
“I’ve always hated the word cadaver. It dehumanizes."
"All she wants you and Monty to do is locate the body. Then you can fade back into your little The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02
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home in the desert."
"It’s not that easy."
"You’ve worked with the police before on cadav— body searches. The Salt Lake City Police Department thinks very highly of you."
"Whoop-di-do."
He smiled. "Sergeant Levitz believes you can read that dog’s mind. He said it’s uncanny how you understand each other."
"Levitz isn’t very bright. All dog owner’s will tell you their pet can almost talk. When you’ve been with someone as long as Monty and I, you learn to understand each other."
"Still, you’ll admit it’s an unusually strong bond." He gazed at Monty, who was lying at her feet.
"Even I can see that."
She didn’t answer.
"And you’ve been through a lot together.”
“Yes. No body search."
He sighed. "We really need you. I’m afraid I’ll have to insist.”
“Screw you."
He checked his watch. "Is Madden very prompt? If so, he should be—" The phone rang.
She picked up the receiver. "Is he there?" Madden asked. "He’s here."
"He’s a very important man, Sarah. He has a lot of political connections. I don’t want to antagonize him, especially since pleasing him is such a simple matter."
"Simple for you."
"We’ve discussed this before. Logan assures me the task shouldn’t take more than a day or two."
"That’s too long. An hour is too long if it’s not a case of life and death.”
“I know you don’t like cadaver searches, but it’s necessary.”
“How do you know it’s not illegal?"
A pause. "Logan is a respectable businessman."
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With political connections. Sarah’s hand tightened on the receiver. "I don’t want to do this, Madden."
"But you will do it." His voice lowered to a silky murmur. "Because you know the consequences if you don’t, Sarah."
Son of a bitch.
“Two days. I’ll give them two days."
"That’s all I promised Logan. Good-bye, Sarah. Good hunting." He hung up.
She turned to Logan. "Two days.”
“Eve will be very happy."
"I don’t give a damn if she’s happy. I wish she’d never heard of me. I told her no and then she called you in to do her dirty work."
"Contacting Madden wasn’t her idea. I didn’t even tell her that Madden was the key. She wouldn’t have used it. She just wanted me to find out if there was something she could offer you that would entice you to do the job."
"But you did use it."
"I’m more ruthless than Eve. She wanted you, I got you." He glanced around the cabin. "You don’t have a TV or a radio?"
"I don’t need them."
"It keeps you a little uninformed.”
“Blessedly uninformed."
"Eve mentioned she didn’t see a TV." He held out the manila envelope he’d been carrying. "I believe you should know who you’re dealing with. This is a dossier on Eve Duncan, a newspaper article about Talladega and the murder of a security guard. It won’t tell you everything, but it gives you a good starting place."
"I’m not interested in Eve Duncan unless it will get me out of this job." He shook his head. "But it may make you more willing to do it. Eve’s trying to save a child’s life."
"By forcing me to find a dead body?"
"Unfortunately." He moved toward the door. "By the way, if I were you, I wouldn’t call the police and tell them where to find Eve. That would make me angry and I’d have to call Madden.
My impression is that he doesn’t give a damn about anything except his career. Am I right?"
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"Police?"
"Read the file." He opened the door. "I’ll tell Eve you’re delighted to be of service."