Shattered Mirror (Eve Duncan #23)(71)

And a small curious hand dipping down into the water near those roots to explore …

*

The call came at noon that same day. Eve was still sitting on the porch, but Joe had come to be with her and was standing looking out at the lake.

No ID.

Her hand was trembling uncontrollably as she reached for the cell phone.

He’s alive. He’s alive. He’s alive. She was saying it over and over again to herself as a desperate mantra as she accessed the call and pressed the speaker button.

“Hello,” she said. Even to herself the word was only a breath of sound.

“You’re answering your own phone,” Norwalk said. “You’re stronger than I thought. I was afraid you might have collapsed, and I’d have to go through Quinn to make you take my call.”

She saw Joe tense to rigid attention.

“Norwalk. What kind of monster would do that?” Her voice was shaking as badly as her hands. “Innocents … Children…”

“There are no innocents in the world, Eve. There are just people who haven’t had opportunity to reach out and grab. I learned that as a child myself.”

Tell me he’s alive.

She couldn’t ask him. It might be a weapon she could use. He had to believe he was totally in control, that she was as without hope as he’d wanted her to be. He’d use anything to twist the knife.

“They’ll catch you,” she said harshly. “It’s not only Michael, over fifty people died in that square. Every law-enforcement agency in the country will be after you. They’ll hunt you down and kill you. There’s no place you can hide.”

“Do you think I’m an amateur? I’m very good at hiding, and I’ve had a long time to plan. No one will catch me.” He paused, and said softly, “And I have no intention of going on the run until I finish what I started. Sean would never forgive me. The square was just the opening shot, Eve. Did you know I had a few choice photos taken of you on the scene and sent to me? No, of course, you didn’t. You’ve been devastated by all this, haven’t you? You looked as if you were being tortured on the rack. I enjoyed those photos enormously.”

“Bastard.”

“Now you mustn’t make me angry with you. Be polite. I hold all the cards, Eve.”

Tell me he’s alive. Why didn’t he say the words?

“The game’s over as far as I’m concerned,” she said hoarsely. “All I have left to do is to bury what’s left of my son and find a way to help the police hunt you down.”

“You don’t want the police involved. That would be a mistake. And the game is far from over, this move was just to position all the players conveniently in place.”

“Fifty-two deaths?”

“You’re being overemotional, Eve. You mustn’t fall apart like this. Your son has much more control than you do. I wasn’t expecting that, but it’s far more convenient for me.”

She went rigid. She couldn’t breathe. Was it coming? Tell me. “Are you insane? My son is dead. You murdered him.”

“Did I? Then I wonder who’s staring at me right now with those huge brown eyes. He doesn’t talk a lot, but he stares at me all the time. It’s beginning to annoy me.”

“You’re lying.”

“But there’s the tiniest bit of hope, isn’t there?”

Dear God more than that. She was dizzy with hope. “No, because I realize that you want to bring me up so that you can crash me down.”

“True. But that comes later, after you’ve gone through hell trying to get this fine lad back to your loving arms.”

“You have to be lying.”

“No, I was in the back of the Emporium watching all the joy and frivolity. When the time came to put an end to it, I knocked the boy out with an injection and took him out the back way. We were out of the square a few minutes before it blew.” He added regretfully, “I didn’t really get a good look at my handiwork. It’s lucky that I have the photos.”

Now she could say the words she’d been keeping back. “He’s really alive?”

“Would I lie to you? Yes, I would, but not at the moment. You have to know what you have to do to keep the boy alive. Michael and I are together and will stay together for the foreseeable future. Your next move in the game is to come after him and try to get him away from me before I get impatient enough to dispose of him. Of course, there would be considerable pain before I got to that point. You wouldn’t want that to happen. Your son appears to have great affection for you. As I said, he seems very controlled for a child, and the only time I saw him cry was when I showed him those photos of you at the square.”

She could see how those photos would have hurt and disturbed Michael. “That was terribly cruel.”

“He deserved it. I wanted him to stop—” He broke off and said, “I’m in charge of him. I can do whatever I like. So come and get him, Eve. No police. No FBI. That would mean his immediate death. Step into my parlor. Positioning. I want you here. I want Cara Delaney here.”

“I won’t take your word for it that Michael is alive. Prove it.”

“I’m sending you a photo now with the usual boring newspaper to verify date.” He added, “And now I’ll let you talk to the little bastard.”