Shattered Mirror (Eve Duncan #23)(7)
“Son of a bitch.” Joe was swearing softly. “Why didn’t I put that together?”
“You’ve had a few other things on your mind,” Eve said. “I’ve just been sitting here looking at that skull.”
“And thinking that putting that skull on Michael’s seat was a warning.”
“Or a prediction. Either way, I’m not letting that skull leave the house until I know who she is, maybe not then. He wanted me to have it, and he took a lot of trouble to do it. Perhaps it means something to him. Maybe he’ll come back for it.”
“That’s the last thing I want to happen,” Joe said. “I’ve already started to think about how to keep you and Michael safe.”
“I’m not worried. Like Michael says, you are the protection. You’ll just take extra precautions.”
“Damn right I will.”
“Then go and tell those forensic people they can’t have my skull. As you said, it may be a fight.”
“Screw it.” Joe turned away from her and headed back to her worktable. “Possession is nine-tenths. In this case, it’s a big number ten.”
CHAPTER
2
Eve took the black velvet cloth off the skull and started to set it up on the dais. “I’m surprised they left the cloth. It’s evidence,” she told Joe over her shoulder. “Those forensic techs weren’t pleased when they stomped out of here.”
“They took a sample. I’ll call and ask them if they want me to bring it to the precinct in the morning.” He checked his watch. “Which is only about six hours away.” He watched her work on the skull placement. “I know you’re eager, but you’re not going to start it tonight?”
She shook her head. “Tomorrow morning.” She stood back and wiped her hands on her towel. “Maybe after Michael goes to school. He takes my reconstructions as a matter of course, but he’s never seen me work on one that’s been burned and blackened like this. It might shake even him a bit.”
“I doubt it.” He put his arm around her waist. “But use your own judgment. Now come to bed. You need your rest.”
She let him lead her back to their room. She had to ask it. “You think he’s gone?”
“I know he’s gone. No footprints after they disappeared when they reached the main road. He probably had a car hidden there. And when I sent Forensics on their way, I took another look around.” He opened the bedroom door. “No one outside. The alarm is on, and you have me to watch your back.” He smiled. “And all your other exceptional physical attributes. Now get undressed and let me hold you.”
“I’m on it.” She was already undressing. A moment later, she was in bed and cuddling close to him. He felt so good, so safe.
No darkness here …
*
“Your breakfast is on the bar. It’s eggs and sausage,” Eve told Michael as he came into the living room. “Then you need to hurry a little. You’re not taking the bus from down the road. Your dad is going to take you to school today, and we don’t want to make him late for work. Okay?”
“Okay.” He’d crawled up on the stool and was eating his breakfast. “Why?”
“Just a change from the school bus. Everyone needs a change.” She gave him his orange juice. “He’ll be picking you up, too. Or I will if I’m not busy.”
“But maybe you will be busy.” His gaze had wandered to her studio worktable across the room to the black-draped skull. “I didn’t see that yesterday. You have a new one?”
“Yes.”
“A kid?”
“Not this time. I think it’s a young woman.”
“You don’t do many of those.” He finished his eggs. “Why?”
Because children were so much more vulnerable than grown-ups. But she didn’t want to say those sad words. She modified them. “When you’re grown-up, you can take better care of yourself.”
“But she couldn’t. Why not?”
“I don’t know. I’ll try to find out. Done? Go brush your teeth.”
He nodded and jumped off the stool, his gaze still on the black velvet cover on the skull. “May I see her?”
Caught. Eve gazed at him in a quandary. She’d wanted to avoid this. “You may want to wait until I get a little farther along. She was in a fire, and it’s a bit—it’s not like some others you’ve seen.”
“I want to see her. May I?”
She nodded. She had never tried to hide what she did and couldn’t start now. She went over to the worktable. “Sure. Come and meet her. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I won’t.” He followed her and rested his arms on her worktable. “Are you going to give her a name like you usually do?”
“Yes.”
“But you haven’t given her a name yet?”
“Not yet.” She pulled off the black velvet cloth, her gaze narrowed on his face to gauge his reaction. “I haven’t had time to think about it.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. No fear. No horror. Only intense interest and something else … “I told you that it wasn’t the same.”