Iris Johansen - Silencing Eve

My daughter, Tamara, is always saying life is good no matter how tough it gets. But it is her strength and resilience and ability to find joy in every moment that makes life good for all of us close to her. She lights our lives in a very special way.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

MY SON, ROY, IS A CONSTANT help and inspiration to me even when were not collaborating on a book. Whenever you see that Kendra has done something particularly clever, you can bet Roy has had something to do with it.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

Atlanta Airport

DEAD.

Eve was dead.

The words kept drumming in Catherine Lings mind as she walked up the gateway to the terminal. No matter how many times she told herself it was true, she still couldnt believe it. Not Eve Duncan. Not her friend, the woman who had helped to save her son.

Agent Ling? A sandy-haired young man was running after Catherine as she headed for baggage. Im Brad Linden. He showed her his CIA credentials. Agent Venable sent me to pick you up and take you to the memorial service.

Then go get your car while I pick up my bag. Catherine Ling didnt stop as she strode ahead of him. And why the hell didnt Venable come and get me himself? I need to have a few choice words with him.

Hes at the service. Its going on right now. He didnt want to show disrespect. Im afraid youre a little late.

Because no one told me that Eve She broke off. He was gazing at her warily, and she knew she must be radiating all the ferocity and sadness she was feeling. There was no use ripping at Venables errand boy because Venable had left her in ignorance of Eves death or the search when she was kidnapped several days ago. He would only try to make excuses for the inexcusable. Yes, she had been undercover in the jungles of Colombia, but that didnt mean that she wouldnt have somehow extricated herself and come home to help find Eve. Venable should have gotten word to her. No, shed had to find out in Miami when shed retrieved her own computer and been hit in the gut with the news story in USA Today. Just have that car out front and get me to that memorial service ASAP, Linden.

While she was waiting for her bag, she scanned the story in USA Today again. What did she expect to find? She had practically memorized the damn story on the flight from Miami. She supposed that she was trying to find an answer when there was no answer. The actual story of Eves kidnapping and murder was fairly cut-and-dried. The murderer had obviously been unbalanced and ignited explosives at a ghost town in Colorado, where he had been holding Eve captive. Since the details were sparse, they had concentrated on Eve Duncan herself. Her background, her accomplishments, quotes from famous law-enforcement officials who had used her services. All were very worth reading, Catherine thought bitterly. It wasnt often that the media got a chance to spotlight a genuinely good person. Eve had been an illegitimate child born in the slums who had given birth herself at sixteen to a little girl, Bonnie. The child had changed her life. Eve had finished her education and straightened out her mother, who was on drugs. Then the world had come crashing down when her Bonnie, seven years old, had been kidnapped and killed. Yet Eve hadnt let it destroy her. She had gone back to school and studied forensic sculpting. Since then, she had become perhaps the most skilled forensic sculptor in the world. She had brought closure to thousands of families whose children would never have been identified without her help.

Never let a good deed go unpunished, Catherine thought. That old adage was too true in Eves case.

And, dammit, she was misting up again. She closed her computer and jammed it in her carry-on bag. She grabbed her phone and tried Joe Quinn again. Voice mail. Shed called him from the Miami Airport as soon as shed read the story about Eves memorial service being held today. It had gone to voice mail then, too. Shed left a message, but he hadnt called back. Maybe he didnt want to talk to her, she thought. Why should he? He had loved Eve with every ounce of his being, and he thought Catherine hadnt even cared enough to try to find her when that monster, Doane, had kidnapped her.

I cared, Joe. God, how I care. I would have come.

She wanted to kill Venable.

She might do it if he didnt have an explanation that she could tolerate.

And she wanted to release the tears that she had been forcing back since shed read that damn news story. Her friend was dead, and, somehow, she felt as if it was her fault, that if shed known, she might have been able to stop it. Lord, her eyes were stinging.

Not here. Not now.

When she was alone with her thoughts and memories of Eve and had gotten through this memorial service.

Not even a funeral because that crazy bastard had blown them both to bits.

She wished with all her heart that Doane was still alive and here, so that she could personally send him straight to hell.

But Venable had cheated her out of that pleasure, too, by not bringing her into the picture when Eve needed her most.

Damn him.

She grabbed her bag as it went around the carousel and headed for the door.

* * *

GOD, LING WAS GORGEOUS, Bradford thought as he pulled his car close to the curb where Catherine Ling was waiting impatiently. She was sleek and sexy, with shoulder-length dark hair and eyes tilted slightly, increasing the exotic magnetism she radiated. He knew she was the illegitimate daughter of an American soldier and a Korean whore who was half-Russian. Shed been born in Saigon but had grown up on the streets of Hong Kong. Hed heard stories about her from other agents, but hed never met her. The stories had been interesting but very, very lethal. She was sharp and independent and likely to run her own show when she was on a mission. Something Venable definitely didnt like but evidently tolerated because she got the job done. Shed been CIA since Venable had picked her up in Hong Kong when she was only fourteen. What was she now? Late twenties?

Got everything? He leaned over and opened the passenger door for her. Ill have you at Quinns lake cottage in thirty minutes. I just called Venable, and he said the service had just ended.

Dammit, I missed it? Im surprised you got through to him, she said sarcastically. How nice. Hes not been answering my calls.

Oops. Im sure thats just a technical error. He was very concerned about you. He hurriedly handed her his computer. Ive pulled up the files on Doane and the catastrophe at the ghost town. Venable was sure youd want to look them over.

I would have liked to look them over before the son of a bitch blew her up. She gazed blindly down at the computer. Youve read it. Fill me in.

Eve Duncan was kidnapped from her lake cottage home in north Atlanta several days ago. Because shes one of the foremost forensic sculptors in the world, it was assumed at the time that the kidnapper might be one of the nuts or serial killers shed targeted by her work.

But if Venable is involved, then thats not why she was killed, Catherine said grimly. Im surprised Eve let him pull her into a CIA mission.

She didnt. James Doane had been in a safe house in Goldfork, Colorado, and slipped away from the agent guarding him. When Venable realized he was gone, he thought there might be a possibility of his heading toward Eve Duncan, but he couldnt be sure that

Why? Why would he go after Eve?

Thats not in the report. Youll have to ask Venable.

You can bet I will. Venable fouled up and didnt protect Eve. Is that the truth?

Im sure there is an explanation. As I said, he wasnt sure Eve Duncan would be a target.