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"Okay." Jane didn’t have to be asked twice.
Sarah watched her run out into the field with Monty at her heels. "Monty likes her."
"She absolutely loves him.”
“She’s got good taste."
"Thanks for letting her trail along with you. She’s had it pretty rough. Being with Monty is good for her."
"It’s not her fault I’ve been railroaded into doing this." She looked pointedly at Eve. "It’s yours."
Eve flinched. "You’re right. So I might as well drive you as hard as I can while I’ve got you.
You’re not going to think any less of me."
"You have other sites in mind?"
"About eleven. They all have light in their names.”
“Eleven?"
Eve got out her city map and pointed to areas she’d circled. "Maybe twelve.”
“You’ll never make it in two days."
"We’ll do the ones closest to Debby Jordan’s church first. Is there any limit to how long Monty will be effective?"
"No, we worked for seventy-two hours straight in Tegucigalpa. But you saw how long it took to rule out just this field."
"Then we’d better get moving." Eve folded the map. "Moonlight Creek is just fifteen minutes from here. We need to search both sides of the bank."
"That will take even longer than this field."
Eve got into her car. "Call Monty and Jane."
Sarah stared at her for a moment and then smiled grudgingly. "You don’t know when you’re beaten, do you?"
"Do you?"
Sarah turned and called, "Jane, bring my dog back. We’ve got work to do."
They searched until almost midnight but managed to rule out only four other sites. Seven left.
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"That’s it." Sarah took the leash off Monty. "We’re calling it a day. I’m so tired, I can’t see anymore."
"You don’t have to see. Monty just has to smell." Sarah shook her head. "God, you’re one hard bitch.”
“I have to be." Eve looked at Jane, who was asleep in the backseat. Sarah’s gaze followed hers.
"He really kills kids?”
“He really does."
"Bastard."
"One more hour."
Sarah shook her head. "We can’t see. I could get Monty hurt. I don’t have that right."
"You said you worked longer in Honduras."
"We were trying to save lives, not find bodies." She gestured to Monty, and he jumped in to the Jeep. "We’re quitting for tonight."
"We didn’t cover as many sites as I hoped.”
“I told you we wouldn’t."
"I know. I just wanted… you’re not giving me enough time.”
“Too bad."
"Yes, it is."
Sarah got into the Jeep. "We’ll start at dawn tomorrow," she told Eve. "Dawn?"
"Don’t you want a full day?"
"Of course I do. But I thought that you—"
"Monty and I don’t work banker’s hours. I promised you two days. You’ll get them."
Before Eve could reply, Sarah’s Jeep was roaring down the road. She got into her car and headed home.
Sarah was tough but not as tough as Eve had first thought. She had worked tirelessly, to the point of exhaustion, and would get only a few hours sleep tonight before starting out again in the morning. Obviously, she had a soft spot for kids. Maybe Eve could persuade her to search more days and—
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Her digital phone rang.
"You’re keeping late hours," Dom said. "Are you becoming a little frantic, Eve?”
“You woke me up."
"Not unless you’re asleep at the wheel."
Don’t panic. It could have been a guess. "You haven’t called in a while. I was hoping I was rid of you."
"It’s been only a few days. I’ve enjoyed watching you scramble to find the lovely soprano."
"You’re bluffing. You don’t know where I am."
"I didn’t for a little while. You slipped out of Atlanta very quietly. But I knew it was only a matter of time before you figured out the identity of my soprano. I only had to stake out Debby Jordan’s home."
"I never went to her home."
"But one of John Logan’s men did. It was easy to track him to Logan and Logan to you. Is he the one who helped you get out of Atlanta?"
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
He chuckled. "You’re trying to protect him. I’m not annoyed with Logan. He’s just made the situation more interesting. Though I admit I was puzzled when you didn’t show up on the grieving widower’s doorstep and question him yourself. But I should have known you wouldn’t do the obvious thing. Using Sarah Patrick is a stroke of genius. Too bad you went to the wrong places."
"I’ll find her."
"I hope not too soon. I’m enjoying the hunt."
"Dammit, tell me where she is. You know you want me to find her.”
“Not yet. Every day is making you more tired, more tense, more angry. I want it to go on."
"I’ll find her tomorrow."
"That would disappoint me. I’d like the search to last at least a week."
“Then why don’t you go dig her up and bury her somewhere else?”
“You know moving a body is a killer’s worst mistake. I could be discovered, leave evidence.
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Anything. No, I think I’d do better to slow you down. Did I mention how much I liked the idea of you taking Jane wherever you go? She’s with you now, isn’t she?"
Eve didn’t answer.
"You’re growing closer, aren’t you? Older children are smarter. You’re able to talk to them.
Bonnie was a little too young for you to—"
"Shut up."
"You see how tense you are? This hunt is terribly exciting. I’m beginning to wonder if little Jane is redundant. Killing her would slow you down, wouldn’t it?"
"It would stop me in my tracks."
"No, I think you’d be angry enough with me to continue. Anger and sorrow are almost as good as fear."
Damn vampire. "I’m hanging up.”
“Maybe I’ll take the little girl tonight." Her hand tightened on the receiver.
“Yes, that would slow you. Look in your rearview mirror." Headlights.
“Do you see me?"
“It’s not you. One of Logan’s security men has been following us all day.”
“He lost you at the last search site. But I felt bound to keep you company.”
“You’re lying."
“How long until you get home?" She didn’t answer.
“You’d better hurry."
She pressed on the accelerator. “Yes, I think it’s time I took Jane." He was only bluffing.
Oh, God, the car behind her was going faster. Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt. Faster.
Ten blocks more to the house. Were the lights closer? Yes.
She went around the corner on two wheels.
Jane murmured something in the backseat as the car jerked. “Did I ever tell you how I kill children? I do it slowly, since every emotion they emit is pure and singing. They’re the only ones who deserve white. Fear and pain aren’t clouded as they are in adults. Do you think Jane will be The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02
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as brave as Bonnie?"
She wanted to kill him.
Four blocks.
"I hear you breathing. How frightened you are." Headlights blinding her in the rearview mirror.
She dropped the phone on the seat.
And stomped on the gas.
Gates up ahead.
The remote. Open the gates.
They were moving too slowly. The car was right on top of her. She almost tore through the gates.
Up the driveway.
The lights were still behind her. Coming through the gates. She screeched to a halt in front of the house and leaned on the horn. Come. Somebody come before he—
Knocking on the window. A face pressed against the glass. "Ms. Duncan. Are you okay?"
Herb Booker.
She rolled down the window.
Headlights were still glaring in her rearview mirror from the car parked behind her. The driver’s door was open.