Shattered Mirror (Eve Duncan #23)(64)

“I’m sure you do. So do I. That’s why I thought that I’d give you a chance to think about it before I made any overt moves. Give me some other way to get it done, or that’s the way we go.” He cut the connection.

How’s that for confrontation, Benoit?

*

“Shit,” Joe said. “Did you have to sign your own death warrant, Jock?”

“You may be exaggerating. It’s a practical way to go,” Jock said. “Norwalk wants Kaskov more than anyone else. If we dangle Kaskov in front of him, he may forget about Eve or Cara.”

“Dangle? No one dangles Kaskov.” Joe was silent. “Though I can see how tempting it—”

“No, Joe,” Eve said firmly, as she handed Jock his cup of tea. “What can you be thinking, Jock?”

“I’m thinking I have to get Cara out of the crosshairs.” He shrugged. “Oh, I’d try not to get Kaskov killed.” He smiled. “I thought I’d give him a chance to sacrifice for his beloved granddaughter. Of course, if he refused, it would look very bad for him, wouldn’t it? Do you think Cara would be so upset, she wouldn’t think she had to keep her promise to him? Pity.”

“No, she would not expect anyone to sacrifice themselves for her. You know that.”

He nodded regretfully. “It would only be an unexpected bonus. I didn’t really think Kaskov would go for it, but I wanted to throw it out and see if he could come up with anything else. He’s smart, and he likes challenges…” He added, “And he might care … something … about Cara.”

“That’s a huge admission for you.”

“I didn’t say what he felt. I’m just exploring every option.” He was silent. “I want this over. I don’t like what’s it’s doing to Cara. She’s not the same.”

“You can’t expect her to stay the same,” Eve said gently. “She’s growing up, and all this stress is forcing it to escalate at warp speed.”

“Then we have to get rid of the damn stress.” His lips tightened. “She has a right to enjoy these years. She had a nightmare childhood, and I thought when she was safe, she’d be able to live the life she should have.”

“I think she was living that life,” Eve said. “She had her music, she had us.” She hesitated. “She had you. But sometimes it’s a question of shifts and balances, and it all has to come from her.”

“No, it doesn’t. I’ll change the balance when I kill that son of a bitch,” he said recklessly. “Then she can go back to enjoying her life again.” He set his cup down on the coffee table. “Though she’ll probably argue about that, too. She seems to always be on edge with me these days.” He turned to Joe. “I want to take a look at that box that Sylvie’s skull was in. Can you take me down to the precinct today and get me into the evidence room?”

“Not today. Eve and I have to go to Michael’s first soccer game this afternoon.” He smiled at Eve. “Some things are too important to put off. Eve’s worried that Michael’s being cheated by all this ugly business. You should identify since you’re so concerned about Cara’s missing anything. But I’ll call ahead and get you permission to look at it on your own.”

“That will do.” He headed for the door. “Now that we know why Cara was a target, the only missing link is how Darcy and Sylvie fit in all this. I have Benoit looking into it, but maybe I can figure it out on my own if I examine that gold box.” He had a sudden thought and stopped as he opened the door. “Who’s going to be here with Cara and Darcy?”

“You mean besides half a dozen police officers milling around within calling distance?” Joe asked dryly. “I think that would be enough protection for our three-hour absence. I thought about it, Jock.”

“Aye, probably.” He frowned. “Still, maybe I’ll take them with me.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Joe asked. “You don’t trust anyone but yourself.”

Jock smiled. “Not true. I’d trust you, but you’re going off to play soccer.”

He swung the door shut behind him.

SATURDAY 4:40 P.M.

“We were pretty bad, weren’t we?” Michael was frowning up at Joe as he walked with Eve and Joe back to their car after the game. “The coach said we sort of fell apart, but we’ll be better the next time.”

“I’m sure you will,” Eve said. “I thought you were fine. You just have to become accustomed to all the action that’s going on around you. It’s distracting. Don’t worry. You’ll pick it up, bit by bit.”

“I’m not worrying. It was kind of fun. It didn’t matter if we lost.”

“Now that attitude does bother me,” Joe said. “Winning is important because competition always makes you perform better. And people should always reach the highest peak they can manage.”

“Says the ex-SEAL.” Eve chuckled. “So much for soothing his bruised ego.”

Joe looked down at Michael. “Climb the highest peak, or be satisfied with the roller coaster at Disney World?”

Michael thought about it. “Both.”

Eve laughed. “And I’m not going to delve into that. We might get in too deep. You did great, Michael. Next time, you’ll do even better.”