Hunting Eve by Iris Johansen Read Free Book Online Page A

have to be so touchy.”
    “Yes, I do.” He drew a ragged breath. “I didn’t mean to bark at you. I’m on edge. For a while we were fooling ourselves, thinking that Eve might not be in real danger. Doane kept everything low-key, and he’s always been plausible. But now we know Doane was willing to kill at least three people to get Eve.”
    “Eve’s smart. It doesn’t mean he’ll kill her.”
    “Not until he’s done with her.” Joe looked back at the floodlights on the lake. “But after that she’s a witness and a—”
    “I told you, she’s a smart woman. Either she’ll escape, or she’ll find a way to stay alive until we find her.”
    “I agree.” The woman who had spoken was standing in the doorway. She stepped forward and extended her hand. “I’m Jane MacGuire. You’re Kendra Michaels?”
    Kendra clasped her hand in both of hers, more as a gesture of comfort than greeting. Jane MacGuire was exuding a combination of strength and fragility at this moment. Kendra was not an instinctive caregiver, but she felt a sudden desire to shelter and protect. “Yes. Joe told me you’d been wounded. How are you feeling?”
    “Like I’ve been shot by a high-powered rifle.” Jane half smiled. “Aside from that, just fine.”
    Kendra smiled back. Jane was truly beautiful. She had Eve’s coloring, hazel eyes, red-brown hair, and fine features but while Eve was interesting-looking Jane had glamour. Although Jane was adopted, she also had some of Eve’s mannerisms, her purposeful walk, and the ability to deflect others’ concern while smiling through her pain. She might be a total person in her own right, but there was no doubt about it, Jane was every bit Eve’s daughter.
    Jane moved a step closer to her. “Eve told me about you. You impressed her. She’d be happy to know that you came here to help us.”
    “Nothing could have kept me away.”
    “We can use all the help we can get, but … you’re a music therapist, right? That’s your specialty?”
    Kendra sighed. It was coming. She had hoped to avoid it, particularly with Eve’s daughter. But Jane was so like Eve that she should have expected it. Explore. No trust. Perform. “Yes.”
    “I’m having difficulty understanding what you can do to help. I realize you did some amateur investigating work with Joe, but is it enough to prove value in our case?”
    Joe moved toward Jane. “I asked her to come here.”
    Jane’s eyes met Kendra’s with a hint of a challenge. She said softly, “Maybe there are too many cooks in the kitchen already.”
    “Jane, don’t be—” Joe stopped and smiled slightly. “What the hell, go ahead.”
    Kendra nodded. “Oh, we intend to, Quinn. It’s okay, I understand where she’s going. Believe me, I’ve been involved in enough investigations and seen too many crime scenes spoiled by investigators stepping all over each other. You’ve already had more than your share. You’ve had what, nineteen different law-enforcement officers here in the last day and a half? Eleven FBI, six local police, two CIA, give or take. Fourteen men and five women in all.”
    Jane wrinkled her brow and glanced at Joe. “Is that correct?”
    “Hell if I know, but it sounds about right.”
    Kendra jammed her hands into her pockets and walked slowly around Jane.
    “I know you were born here in Georgia, or at least lived here before you can remember. You’ve spent a lot of time in Europe, especially Paris, and probably lived there for a while. But you’ve been living in London for at least the past several months.”
    Jane glanced at Joe. “Did you or Eve tell her that?”
    “Possible. But I don’t think so.”
    Kendra shook her head. “In London, you lived in an older building, in a second-floor walk-up apartment. Or maybe even higher.”
    “Third floor,” Jane said. “And now you definitely have my attention.”
    “You used to have a very nice pair of Gucci sunglasses, but you misplaced them. You must have liked them.