“Talk to me. Why are you going after Danner? Does he know too much about you, maybe too much about what the Ezra Bonafel court case was all about?”
“I’m not supposed to discuss the court case.”
“To hell with that. I’m going to find out anyway. One of Catherine’s CIA buddies is investigating it. Sealed or not, he’ll know everything about it soon.”
Barnabas’s smile faded. “I’m sure he will. The CIA can be very efficient … and ruthless. But he’s got to be very careful.”
“Why?”
“Tell the CIA to drop it, Joe.”
“Talk to me. What was so bad in those transcripts that they sealed the records? Why did the judge do that?”
Father Barnabas was silent.
“Why?” Joe asked again. “Why did the judge do it?”
The priest finally shrugged. “Because I asked him to do it.”
“You did it? Why?”
“Because it would have hurt people who were vulnerable.” He shook his head. “You’re not going to give up, are you? If I tell you, will you call off those CIA bloodhounds?”
“Maybe. If I think you’re telling the truth. But you can be sure that I’ll let them dig until eternity if you don’t tell me anything.”
The priest smiled faintly. “You’re tough, Joe.” He looked away from him at the horizon over the ridge. “The Ezra Bonafel charge was brought by Ezra’s mother, Dorothy. She claimed I had imprinted false memories through hypnosis on Ezra. The memories were of sexual abuse inflicted on Ezra as a child by his father. She refused to believe that the abuse had happened … although Ezra believed she knew about it.”
“What made her think that the charge would stick?”
“I’d done a few papers in medical journals on the possibility of being able to imprint or erase memories. Ezra had blocked out what had happened to him as a child, but the memories began to come back to him during therapy. His mother went berserk. Actually, she was probably more unstable than Ezra. She loved Ezra and couldn’t admit even to herself that she would permit him to be hurt. She had to have someone to blame.”
“And that was you?”
“Oh, yes. She had to make Ezra believe that I was the enemy and not she. I knew she didn’t stand a chance of winning and that it was going to hurt her and Ezra far more than it did me. I tried to talk her out of pressing charges, but she wouldn’t agree. The best I could get was a trial with the least possible publicity in a small town south of Atlanta.”
“She lost the case?”
“Yes. And she suffered a nervous breakdown two weeks after the judge handed down his decision. Ezra stood by her. I believe the responsibility of taking care of her helped them both to heal.”
“And what helped you to heal?”
“The knowledge that I’d tried to do the right thing.” He grimaced. “But it brought me to the point that I realized that my patients sometimes needed more help than I was able to give. I had to do some serious thinking.” He looked back at Joe. “Don’t let those court records surface. It would hurt Ezra and his mother too much. Maybe God’s helped them to forget all that pain they went through.”
“No bitterness?”
“Why would I be bitter?”
Joe studied him in surprise for a moment. Because a woman had done her best to destroy him? No, he could tell that Father Barnabas was sincere. “No reason.”
“You believe me?”
“I believe you.” He turned away. “I can’t do anything else. Who am I to argue with a man Ben thinks is golden?”
Father Barnabas chuckled. “Not only do I ‘shine,’ but now I’m golden? I must be truly blessed.”
Joe glanced at him over his shoulder. “Do you know, I think you just might be at that.”
* * *
A FEW MOMENTS LATER, Joe sank down across from Ben at the fire. The boy was sitting with his chin resting on his raised knees, his gaze fixed on the fire.
Joe was silent for a moment. “Weren’t you even curious about where Ted Danner was going beyond that ridge?”
“No. I could tell he didn’t want to tell me. There are things I don’t like anyone else to know, too.” He smiled. “But he liked me to be here when he came back from the place. At first I thought he was just being nice to me, but I think maybe he was lonely like I was.”
“Past tense. You’re not lonely any longer?”
He shook his head. “I’m … full now.”
“What?”
“There were so many things I didn’t understand. Everyone around me seemed to see everything so clearly, and I couldn’t. And the things I could see, they couldn’t. I was different.”
Yes, he was, and Joe didn’t know what to answer. “Different isn’t always bad.”
“But I’m not different. I was wrong.” Ben smiled. “None of us are different on the inside. Or if we are, it’s only good.”
“And because of that, you’re not lonely any longer?”
“I think that’s it.” He was silent a moment. “I get confused. There’s so much that comes when she touches me.”
Joe stiffened. “She?”
“I didn’t tell you the truth.” Ben stared into the fire. “I told you that I didn’t know how I knew that when I woke up that first morning that everything was all right.”
“That was a lie?”
“That was the first night the dream came. She told me. She said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Ben. Not of anything. There are no demons unless you let them into your heart. Some things might hurt you, but they don’t matter. Look beyond them, and all you’ll see is all the beauty inside you.’” He smiled. “Fancy words, but somehow I knew what she meant. That was nice. It made me feel … safe.”
“Who is she, Ben?”
Ben looked at him. “Why do you ask me? You know her name. I knew when you were talking to me in the tent that she’d talked to you, too. I could feel it. It was almost as if I could see her beside you.”
“Did you?” Joe said, through the tightening in his throat. “Is that why you decided to bring us here?”
“I trust you,” he said simply. “You dream about her, too. You wouldn’t lie to me or do anything bad.”
“Listen, Ben, I’ll try to keep my promise to you. But I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“Neither do I. But she told me not to be afraid of anything. But you’re afraid, aren’t you, Joe?”
He wished he wasn’t afraid. He wished he could embrace the same glowing simplicity and faith as this boy who seemed to have reached out into the mist and touched Bonnie because of that same simplicity. But he didn’t have the right to sit and wait and hope. He was the one who had to take responsibility and not wait for help. It was Eve who was in danger.
And nothing must happen to her.
Joe nodded. “I’m afraid. But I’m glad you aren’t.”
Ben was studying him. “It’s the woman in the photo, it’s Eve.”
“Always.” He paused. “She’s Bonnie’s mother, Ben.”
His eyes widened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t think it would mean anything to you. I didn’t know about the dream.”
He nodded slowly. “Ted mustn’t hurt her. It would be bad.” Then his expression cleared. “But we can help her. And we mustn’t be afraid.”
Because Bonnie had told Ben that he shouldn’t fear anything.
“I’m going to sleep now.” Ben was curling up on the ground, facing the fire. “I like it here. Do you hear the wind through the trees? It’s kind of like a song…”
“Would you like some coffee?”
“No, I want to sleep. The times I’ve come here with Ted, the dreams have come. I think it’s easier for her here.…”
“You’ve had more than that one dream?”
He nodded, his eyes closing. “She talks to me. She tells me things. She teaches me. She makes me understand, and every time she leaves me I’m … bigger, fuller.”
“Do the dreams come eve
n when you’re not here?”
“Yes, but not as often.” He cradled his cheek beneath one hand. “She likes it here. The animals … the deer…”
“Eve would like to know that.”
“Tell her…”
He was asleep.
Joe gazed at the firelight playing over Ben’s face. Are you dreaming of Bonnie now? Is she with you? What is she teaching you?
But that was between Ben and Bonnie, and no one should interfere.
Dream, my friend …
He got to his feet and moved several yards away from the fire before he pulled out his phone. No dreams for him. He had work to do.
First, to find out was beyond that ridge. He checked the coordinates on his GPS and punched them into Google.
It took a minute for the overview to come on the screen.
“What the hell!”
CHAPTER
14
“IT’S JOE.” CATHERINE PUNCHED the access on her phone and turned up the volume for Gallo. “What’s happening? Did you find out anything at the camp?”
“Enough. How close are you to Danner?”
“The signs are getting fresher. We’re moving fast. I’d say a few hours.”
“That’s too long. You have to get closer to him. There’s too much territory, and you could lose him.”
“What?” Gallo said. “We’re doing the best we can. What do you mean? You have an idea where he’s headed?”
“Almost certainly. I’ll give you the coordinates I know.” Joe rattled off the coordinates. “But this is where I am. He won’t come directly here. There’s a lot of wild country around here, acres and acres. Low hills, flatlands, and a giant ridge.”
“What ridge?”
“Something weird. I’ll send you a photo of the area I Googled that’s beyond the ridge I’m facing now.”
“Those coordinates put Danner and Eve about six hours away from you,” Catherine said. “And Gallo and I are about eight hours.”
“You’d better be right on top of him when he gets here. We could miss him, dammit.”
“Why? If we know the approximate—” Her phone pinged, and she cut over to look at the topographical photo Joe had sent her. “Holy shit.” She showed the photo to Gallo, then cut back to the call from Joe. “It looks like the Grand Canyon.”
“Not nearly as grand, much smaller, but it’s wild enough to cause us a problem. If that’s where he’s taking Eve, we could wander around there and not find them until it’s too late.”
“If?”
“Like I told you, that area is only one part of the area he could be headed for. There’s too wide a choice. Check Danner’s exact projected destination from where you are now. He should have to commit very soon.”
“A Grand Canyon in Georgia?” Catherine asked. “Have you ever heard of it, Joe?”
“I have a vague memory,” Joe said. “I’ve never seen it. It’s one of the natural oddities that appeal to some tourists.”
“And how much territory are we going to have to worry about?”
“Surrounding hills, flatlands. Too much. It’s enough to be fatal to Eve if we’re not close enough. We have to narrow it down.”
“We’ll be right behind him.”
“Call me,” Joe said curtly. He hung up.
Catherine flipped back to the Google overview. “This isn’t good enough for anything. I’ll call Venable and see if he can get a satellite image of the canyon and surrounding area so we’ll have an accurate map.” She started to dial. “After that, we’ve got to get moving.” She could feel the blood pumping through her veins as the adrenaline surged. At last, they had a chance to get ahead of the bastard. “We made up a lot of the distance between us in the last few hours. We can—” Gallo was shaking his head. “What’s wrong? We can do it.”
“I don’t doubt you for a minute. You can move mountains. Or at least a minor Grand Canyon,” he said. “But we might catch up with him just a little too late. We can’t afford to do that.”
Her gaze was narrowed on his face. “What are you suggesting, Gallo?”
“I’m suggesting you go after Danner alone. I’ll cut back straight east until I get to a farm or ranch and borrow a vehicle and take off on the nearest highway or road that will take me to this canyon. I’ll be much faster than you on foot. As soon as he gets close enough to the canyon area so that you can see where he’s heading, you call me, and I’ll be there to meet him.” He tilted his head. “Much more practical?”
She thought about it from all angles. “Yes,” she said slowly.
“Then I’ll take off.” He started to turn, then whirled back to her. “Don’t try to get him by yourself, Catherine. Wait until we get to the canyon.”
“It would be questionable whether I’d even be able to reach him by the time he gets to the canyon area. I doubt if I’d be able to get ahead and ambush him.”
“But you’d do it if you got the chance.” He shook his head. “Call me. Let me help you, dammit.”
She gazed at him for a moment. “I’ll call you … and Joe.”
His lips twisted. “Because you still don’t trust me.”
“No, I don’t,” she said bluntly. “No one knows how you’re going to react until the moment you see Ted Danner. Not even you, Gallo.” She turned her back on him. “I’ll see you at the canyon.”
She could feel his gaze on her back until she turned the curve in the path. What did he expect? She would not tell him that she trusted him. She had eyes and a brain and the experience to know that nostalgia from the past could twist motives and emotions in the present. She would not be anything but honest with him.
But for that brief instant, she had wanted to tell him what he wanted to hear.
Forget it. That impulse might have been okay coming from another woman. Not her. Her entire life had been based on being totally herself and not giving one bit of that self away to anyone to buy affection or respect or a haven from fear. It didn’t matter that Gallo had an effect on her that was both powerful and unusual. She would fight to give him a chance. She would stand beside him and fight the enemy.
If he realized who that enemy was.
She had been trying hard not to think how she would feel if someone she loved suddenly became the enemy. That would be strange. She loved so few people in this world. Her son, Luke, Hu Chang, who had been friend and teacher, Eve …
Why was she thinking about this? She had a job to do.
If Gallo held any resentment that she could not lie to him, then he could deal with it.
She had another problem to deal with.
How fast could she get to Danner and Eve?
And how could she take Danner out when she got there?
* * *
DANNER WAS GROWING tenser, edgier with every mile that passed.
And Eve could see that the tension was having an effect on his finely balanced stability. He had not reached for his knife again, but she had seen him staring at her with frustration and impatience. He wanted this over.
Well, so did she. But she could not chance Danner’s ending it without her finding Bonnie. What if he changed his mind and decided that Eve’s death didn’t necessarily have to take place at the site he had chosen? He had been close to that decision only a short time ago. She had been able to distract him then, but she couldn’t be sure of doing it again by confronting him. She had to change tactics … and try to get help on board.
Focus. She had to get Danner to focus on his original plan and reinforce it.
She turned to face him. “You said we were close. Were you lying to me?”
“We’re close.” He raised his head, staring at the top of the trees. “I can feel the chill.”
“Chill. You’re afraid?” She grimaced. “Oh yes, your demons. You take me to my daughter, and I’ll protect you, Danner.”
“You won’t be able to do that.”
He meant because she’d be dead. She felt a chill herself. Ignore it. Get him to focus. “How close are
we?”
“An hour, maybe two.”
She moistened her lips. “And then you’ll kill me.”
He didn’t answer.
“Why are you waiting? Why drag me all the way down the state when you could have killed me at the church in Rome?”
“It’s … her place. I have to make sure that she knows I’m giving her what she wants.”
She was silent. “Yes, that would be important. You’re going through all this trouble, and you don’t even know if it’s what she wants.”
“I don’t know whether it makes a difference if I wait.”
She had thought that was the direction in which he was leaning. “It would make a difference.”
“How do you know?”
“She’s my daughter. You said that you saw us together and that you knew we were close. Wouldn’t I know her better than anyone?” She paused. “Don’t you think she’s the one who needs to make the decision?”
He shook his head. “She’s already made it. She led me to the church. It’s what she wants. I know it.”
Cross that argument out. His tone had been absolutely positive.
He thought that Bonnie wanted her to leave this life and cross over to the next.
Oh, Bonnie, it’s an argument that I’ve had with you all through the years, and I could never convince you. He has it all wrong.
Unless you’ve changed your mind.
“I’ll accept what you say,” she said quietly. “Perhaps you’re right. Because I do know that Bonnie wouldn’t want me to be murdered and thrown into a ditch somewhere like you did her.”
He flinched as if she’d struck him. “No. No. No. I didn’t.”
“You’re protesting too much. Why else would you be afraid of her?”
“She won’t leave me alone.”
“But she’ll leave you alone if you kill me?” Move carefully now. His eyes were glaring at her, and his hands were opening and closing at his sides. “So you take me to this ‘place’ and kill me to please my daughter. Am I going to be allowed to have some clergyman to bless my soul? What about calling your friend, Father Barnabas?”
“No,” he said hoarsely.
“No help to send my soul to heaven? Bonnie wouldn’t like that. Then what about letting me call the man I love to say good-bye? Joe and Bonnie have grown very close through the years. She wouldn’t be pleased that you’d deny me that final solace.”