"Eight Days to Live" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johansen Iris)

FOUR

Paris

Day Two

VENABLE CALLED MACDUFF JUST after noon that day. “I need to talk to Jock Gavin.”

“Then why are you calling me?”

“Because if I didn’t, you’d accuse me of going around you and trying to victimize the poor boy.”

“He’s a man, not a boy.”

“Then let him protect himself,” Venable said sourly. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I gave him the option of saying no.”

“After you set up a scenario that made it impossible for him to refuse.” He added impatiently, “So why do you want to talk to him?” He glanced at Jock, who was sitting in a chair a few feet away. “I’m turning up the volume and putting you on speaker. Don’t say anything to me that you don’t want him to hear. Or do you want me to hang up, Jock?”

Jock shook his head. “I have no secrets from you.”

“Not today. Yesterday was a different matter,” MacDuff said dryly. “Talk, Venable.”

“I want to know about Ted Weismann.”

“You should know all there is to know about him,” Jock said. “He’s your informant. You paid him to introduce me into Sang Noir.”

“I know he’s greedy, and his information always panned out. You were around him for over two weeks before you took off for Paris.”

“That doesn’t mean that I know much about him. I wasn’t concentrating on Weismann while I was there. What’s the problem?”

“The problem is that the minute you took down Folard, Weismann had to go on the run or end up like Celine Denarve. Millet was there and recognized you, and he made the connection. I knew it would happen. One way or another, I was preparing to lose my informant.”

“And?”

“Weismann contacted me and wants to make a deal. No more dribbling bits of information. He’s prepared to spill his guts for a large enough sum that would permit him to find a hiding place that would be luxurious enough to make it worth the risk.”

“And what’s your question to me?”

“Just how much does he know? Would I be wasting money?”

Jock thought about it. “It’s possible. I got the impression he wasn’t as deeply into the group’s confidence as the core eight. But he’s very personable, and Millet did send him out a couple times to scope out possible jobs. A man who regards information as cash and loves money would make it his business to find out all he could. And why would he have been willing to introduce me to his fine friends when he knew I’d possibly have to blow them away? He might have acquired enough information to be ready to step away from them and go into retirement.”

“So that he could make me pay through the nose.”

“It’s all supposition, of course.” Jock paused. “I don’t know if Weismann is a good bet for you. I do know he’s clever and self-serving. He was probably keeping an eye on me to see when I was going to make my move.” He was silent a moment. “Clever enough to dangle something out there to tempt you. What was it, Venable?”

For a moment MacDuff thought Venable wasn’t going to answer.

“He said that he knew why Jane MacGuire was targeted.” He paused. “And who sent Millet that article and hired him for a possible future kill.”

“Then pay it,” MacDuff said harshly. “If he’s lying, then take the hit. You owe it to her. You screwed up.”

“I’ll consider it. If she agrees to cooperate. If you agree to cooperate.”

“A deal?” MacDuff asked. “Forget it. You’re not going to use me. You’re not going to use Jock. And you’re sure as hell not going to use Jane.”

“Why don’t you take that up with her? Weismann sent me a bit of information to prove his good faith. He said to tell Jane MacGuire that the order had gone out for a total on her.”

“Total?” MacDuff repeated. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Total extermination,” Jock said slowly. “Family, friends, coworkers. Wipe every trace of the target from the face of the earth.”

MacDuff glanced at him. “You’re familiar with the term?”

“Yes, the Sang Noir wasn’t shy about talking about total extermination while I was with them. They were very proud of the concept. But it was a punishment levied only against special enemies. I heard they’d actually only used it once.”

“Who?”

“Juan Parillo, a police chief in Nardez, Venezuela. It’s a small city outside Caracas. He supposedly tortured and killed one of the Sang Noir group three years ago. They wanted to make an example of him.”

“And what did that mean?”

“They killed Parillo, his wife, his brother, and his three children. Then they systematically went down the list and murdered two of his officers and their families. They even took out his next-door neighbors because they were reputed to be his best friends.”

“Wiped from the face of the earth,” MacDuff repeated. “Everyone close to him…”

“I told you the Sang Noir was ugly,” Venable said. “And crazy as hell.”

“Celine Denarve,” Jock said. “She was Jane’s friend and coworker. A double reason for them to kill her if Jane had been targeted for a total.” He suddenly straightened. “But that wouldn’t be good enough for them. It would only be a token.” He looked at MacDuff. “Celine Denarve has a sister. She was supposed to meet with Jane today.”

“NO, YVETTE’S NOT HERE YET,” Jane said when MacDuff phoned her. “She called me at nine and said she was on the road.” She paused. “Why do you ask?”

“She was driving from Lyon?”

“Yes, I told her I’d meet her if she decided to take the train instead. She’s really too upset to be driving. I’ve been a little worried. She said she’d be here by eleven.”

“Do you have a number to call her back?”

“Yes.” She frowned. “What’s happening, MacDuff?”

“I hope nothing is happening. Call her back and make sure she’s okay. Get back to me.” He hung up.

Jane pressed the disconnect. She’d been a little worried, but now she was afraid. MacDuff didn’t cry wolf unless the wolf was leaping in for the kill. She quickly checked Yvette’s number and dialed.

Nothing.

She tried again.

Voice mail. Yvette’s voice, cheerful, casual. So different than the shock and near hysteria that had shaded her voice when Jane had talked to her.

She hung up and called MacDuff back. “I can’t get hold of Yvette. Now, dammit, tell me why you’re worried about her.”

“It appears that you’ve become a special case to the Sang Noir. Let me call Venable back and have him check on the logical route she would take and the car she should be driving. Jock and I will start looking for her.”

“What do you mean ‘special’-” She stopped. “Another one? You’re saying that Yvette may be another victim?”

“I don’t know. I just don’t think we can take the chance. I don’t have time to go into it now with you. I’ve got to call Venable. I may be wrong. She may walk in the door of the gallery in the next five minutes.”

“If she doesn’t, I’m going with you.” She hung up. Dear God, it was too horrible to be true.

Let it not be true.

Please walk in that door, Yvette.

FORTY MINUTES LATER JOCK, MacDuff, and Jane were on the A6 leaving Paris.

“It’s a black 2005 Volvo,” Jock said as he hung up the phone from talking to Venable. “And Yvette Denarve stopped at a gas station on A6 and used her credit card over three hours ago.”

“I’m going to call her again,” Jane said. “Maybe she just had a flat tire. It’s possible.”

“Yes, it’s possible,” MacDuff said. “Look sharp, Jock. See if you see any sign of the car in trees or at the side of the road.”

“We don’t have any cliffs or sharp inclines around here,” Jock said. “Even if she had brake trouble, there wouldn’t be too much danger.”

He’s right, Jane thought. Level ground and plateaus. But it wasn’t the terrain they were concerned about.

A black Volvo.

MacDuff was driving slowly so that they could keep an eye out for the car.

Two miles.

Five.

Seven.

“There it is!” Jock pointed to a stand of trees up ahead. “But I don’t see anyone in the car.”

The black Volvo was a good hundred yards off the highway, Jane noticed. Not good. How could Yvette have driven that far into the woods if she’d had car trouble?

“I don’t like this.” MacDuff parked by the side of the highway. “Jock and I will scope it out. You stay here.”

But Jane was already out of the car and heading for the Volvo.

“Or not,” MacDuff said as he got out of the driver’s seat. “Have it your own way.”

“I will. It’s broad daylight and those pines are too thin for anyone to be hiding behind. I just hope that Yvette is in-” She had reached the car and saw that the entire driver’s side was smashed as if sideswiped. She felt a rush of panic. Her gaze flew to the interior of the Volvo. “No one’s in the car.”

“Then we’d better fan out and see if we can find any trace.” Jock glanced inside the car. “No blood. That’s good.”

“Yes.” She glanced around the area. Tall scraggy pines were scattered over the entire plateau. It was broad daylight but the trees were casting dark shadows. It was terrible to have to think that an absence of blood was a good thing. “I hope.”

“But the car wouldn’t have been pushed this far by a glancing hit.” Jock was heading toward the deeper woods. “It would have had to be driven.”

Jane didn’t want to hear her own thoughts put into words. She moved toward the trees to the left of the car, her gaze raking the shrubs, then the ground.

“Jock!”

It was MacDuff calling from the other side of the stand of trees.

She stopped. “MacDuff?”

“Stay where you are, Jane,” MacDuff said. “You don’t want to see this.”

She closed her eyes for an instant. No, she didn’t want to see it. She didn’t want it to be true. Her lids flicked open. Face it. She started in the direction from where she’d heard MacDuff’s voice.

MacDuff’s and Jock’s backs were to her as she pushed through the shrubbery. They were looking down at a woman in black slacks and a green-striped blouse.

Dear God.

It was true and there was no running away from it.

“She’s dead?” Jane whispered.

Jock looked over his shoulder. “Oh, yes. It’s not pretty, Jane.”

“I told you not to come. Do you ever pay attention to what I ask?” MacDuff said.

“No.” She took a step closer, her gaze fixed on the body of the woman. “What did they-” She inhaled sharply. “My God.” Her stomach lurched. “What happened to her head?”

“We haven’t discovered that yet,” MacDuff said. “But it was taken off cleanly, probably by a blow with an axe.”

“Decapitated,” she said numbly. She couldn’t take her gaze from the headless woman.

Blood.

Jagged flesh, bone.

Lord, she felt sick.

“Seen enough?” MacDuff asked roughly. He stepped closer and spun her around to face the road. “Go back to the car. Lock the doors. We’ll keep an eye on you until you reach it. Jock and I will do a search of the woods to see if we can find her-” He stopped. “If you want to do something, call Venable and tell him to get his people out here. I’m not having you wait for the police.”

“We shouldn’t leave her like-”

“No,” MacDuff said. “You’re out of here.” He turned back to Jock. “Let’s do it.”

Jane hesitated, then slowly started toward the car. Just put one foot in front of the other and don’t look back. She had no desire to stay here with that headless corpse who had once been Yvette Denarve. Somehow, that act robbed death of all dignity. No one should be allowed to do that to a human being. Life had meaning. The end of life should also have meaning.

Then do all the things that would show respect and make Yvette’s death important.

She got in the car, locked the doors, then leaned back and closed her eyes.

Blood. Headless. Horror.

Her eyes flicked open again. Would she ever be able to close her eyes without seeing Yvette’s mutilated body?

Dammit, don’t think of yourself. Think about that poor woman. Try to do something for her.

She reached for her phone to call Venable.

MACDUFF AND JOCK DIDN’T COME BACK to the car for another thirty minutes.

“No luck,” MacDuff said briefly as he got into the driver’s seat. “They must have taken her head with them. Unless they buried it. And I didn’t see any turned earth.”

Jane had thought that Yvette’s death couldn’t be any more horrible, but she was wrong. The idea of someone’s carrying that poor woman’s head around like a trophy was beyond atrocious. “Why?” she whispered. “Why would they do that? It’s like something from the time of the barbarians.”

“We have quite a few barbarians strolling around right now,” Jock said. “What did Venable say?”

“He told me he’d have a team out here within the hour.” She paused. “He said that maybe we should believe that Weismann had the goods.”

MacDuff started the car. “Weismann is a self-serving son of a bitch. But he may be able to tell us what we need to know.”

“Like why Yvette Denarve had to die?”

“I think we have to assume that Weismann may have been right about the reason she was targeted.”

Total extermination. On the way here, MacDuff had told her about Weismann’s message, and she had found it as incredible as everything else connected to this nightmare. She shook her head. “I can’t believe that.”

“Because you’re in shock. Let it sink in, then we’ll talk about it.”

She didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t want to think about it. She wanted everything to do with this horror to just go away.

And that horrible vision of Yvette Denarve’s headless corpse to fade from her memory.

AT THE GALLERY, THEY HAD to show identification to an officer at the entrance and cross the yellow crime-scene tape.

Marie Ressault, Celine’s assistant, came out of the office in the back. She was pale, her eyes red and swollen from weeping. “I was wondering where you were,” she said to Jane. “I thought that you’d be through talking to Yvette, and I could go over the funeral arrangements with her. Celine wanted to be cremated, you know.”

What should I say? Jane wondered. Sorry, there would be no discussions because Yvette had been murdered with as much shocking cruelty as her sister? “Yvette didn’t show up here. Maybe you should just go home, Marie.”

“I don’t know…” Marie shook her head. “I want to do the right thing.”

“Go home,” Jane said gently. “Celine would want you to rest. You can handle everything tomorrow.”

Marie nodded jerkily. “It’s so hard. I loved her, you know. Everyone loved her.” She straightened. “You’re right. Tell Yvette to call me when she gets here, and we’ll talk.” She headed for the front door. “There are cards of congratulations and boxes of flowers for you in the office. They’re on the table beside the door. They’ve been arriving all morning. They must have been sent last night before anyone heard about Celine…” Her voice broke, and she hurried out of the gallery.

“She obviously cared very much for Celine.” Jock was looking after her. “You can see how difficult it is for her. It’s right that you didn’t tell her about Celine’s sister.”

“She’ll have to know soon. I just wanted to give her a little recovery time.” The recovery time that Jane had been denied. Death upon death, shock after shock. “Like Marie, I want to do the right thing, but I’m not sure what that is. Everything’s a blur right now.” She started to turn toward the elevator. “I’ve got to finish with my suitcases, then come down and pack up those three paintings. At least, it will keep me busy until I can start thinking again. I seem to be having trouble with that-”

MacDuff muttered a curse.

She turned to look at him, but he was staring at something on the floor. “What’s wrong?” She followed his gaze. “Why did-”

A thin trickle of blood was running under the door of the office.

She stared at it, stunned.

Then she slowly moved toward the door.

“No,” MacDuff said sharply. He stepped in front of her.

“Don’t tell me no.” She pushed him aside and opened the door.

The blood was running slowly down the side of the table by the door. It was coming from a huge cardboard floral box on the table.

She slowly crossed the few feet to stand before the table.

“Don’t touch it.” Jock was there beside her, his hand on her arm. “Don’t open it. Please, Jane.”

“I have to open it.”

“No way,” MacDuff said. “Get her upstairs, Jock. Carry her if you have to do it.”

“No.” Jane jerked her arm away from Jock. She glanced at MacDuff, and said fiercely, “I’m not going to hide away from this. Keep your hands off me. I know what you’re thinking. I’m thinking the same thing. But I have to know.”

“Then let me do it,” Jock said.

“It’s not addressed to you,” she said bitterly. “It’s addressed to me, aimed at me.” She reached out with a shaking hand and untied the silver ribbon. She took a deep breath and then lifted the lid of the box.

Blasphemer.

The single word on the card nested in the green tissue paper.

The tissue paper now soaked in blood.

She stared down at the paper.

Do it.

She pushed aside the paper.

Dark eyes staring up at her, dark hair drenched in blood.

She flinched back.

“Jane.”

Her stomach was heaving.

“It shouldn’t have happened,” she whispered. She couldn’t stop staring down into Yvette Denarve’s eyes. “I didn’t know her, MacDuff. I hadn’t even met her.”

MacDuff pulled her back and stepped between her and that box on the table. “No, it shouldn’t have happened. And you shouldn’t have opened that damn box.” He took out his handkerchief and was wiping her hand. “Now get out of here and go upstairs.”

Why was he wiping her hand? She wondered dazedly. She looked down at the pristine white handkerchief and saw streaks of blood on it. Oh, yes, she’d gotten blood on her hand when she’d pushed the green tissue paper aside.

Yvette Denarve’s blood on her hands. Celine’s blood on her hands.

“Go upstairs,” MacDuff repeated. “Jock and I will call Venable and take care of this.”

She wasn’t going to argue with him. It was one shock too many. She had to pull herself together before she could cope with any more.

And she would cope with it. Monstrosities like these couldn’t be allowed to happen.

“Yes. Take care of it.” Take care of the remains of an innocent woman who had done nothing to deserve this butchery. She wheeled and half staggered toward the elevator. “And then come and talk to me.”

IT WAS OVER THREE HOURS LATER that MacDuff and Jock stepped out of the elevator.

MacDuff gazed at Jane searchingly. “Are you okay?”

“No,” Jane said. “I’m not okay. I threw up twice, and I couldn’t stop shaking for over an hour. I’m still sick and I’m angry and I’m scared to death.” She got up from the couch and headed for the kitchen. “I just made coffee. First, I had to take a shower. Though I was tempted to leave those traces of blood on my hands to remind me what they did to her.” She glanced at him as she poured coffee into the cups. “But I didn’t need any reminders. This is going to be with me for the rest of my life. And that’s why I’m so angry that every other emotion I’m feeling is fading into the background.”

“None of this is your fault, Jane,” Jock said.

She knew that was true, but it was difficult getting over that first feeling when she had looked down and seen the blood on her hands. “Not directly. But I have to have been the trigger,” she said. “Even if it was those monsters that actually did the killing.” She handed MacDuff the cup, making an effort to keep her hands from shaking. She couldn’t give in to weakness. The time was past when she could allow herself that luxury. “How did that flower box get here? It couldn’t have been more than a few hours from the time that they killed her. They had to work very quickly.”

“The box was delivered by a man in a postal uniform together with a few other boxes and a bunch of cards. The box was heavy cardboard, and there was no blood on it when it was delivered. There were even a few utility bills for Celine in the mix. They had it all planned in advance.”

“Like they did Yvette’s death. They knew her sister would come to Paris when she heard that Celine was murdered.”

Jock nodded. “They were probably watching her to see if she would drive or take the train from Lyon.”

And Yvette had driven that highway, and they had brutally taken her life, taken her head, and thrown her body into the woods. The memory was causing her to shake again. She had to keep control.

“Was there any problem with-Did Venable take care of everything?”

He nodded. “He had someone here right away. He’ll arrange for her death to look like a traffic accident, and he won’t let anyone know the gory details.” His lips twisted. “That may piss Millet off. I’m sure the bloody bastard likes to take credit.”

“Good.” She handed a cup to Jock. “Yvette wasn’t married, but did she have anyone close to her besides Celine?”

“Not as far as Venable can find out. Why?”

“Because we can’t be sure who would be safe. The ugliness is spreading out like ripples from the center of a whirlpool. I wanted to be sure to protect anyone who needed to be protected.” She took a sip of her coffee. “And it seems as if anyone who even nodded at me on the street might fill that criteria. I want you to tell Venable that Marie Dessault has to be protected.” She looked at MacDuff. “And Joe and Eve will be close to the top of the list. I have to make sure to keep them safe. Will you help me?”

“Of course. How?”

“I’m going to bring them to MacDuff’s Run. The people in your villages and the estate are almost slavishly loyal to you. I can’t imagine anywhere they’d be safer.”

“Neither can I.” He paused. “That’s why I wanted you to come home with me.”

“I’ll have to come for a little while. Eve and Joe wouldn’t consent to go if I didn’t. I may have trouble getting them there anyway.” She had another thought. “Eve’s mother lives in Atlanta. It shouldn’t be as much of a threat for her, but I’ll have to make sure Joe arranges security for her at her condo.” She turned back to Jock. “And you’ll come to the Run, too. When you killed Folard, the chances are that you set yourself up for the same kind of retribution they’re dealing out to me. Isn’t that right?”

He nodded. “But I knew that was a possibility. I made the choice.”

“Well, you didn’t give me the choice. I won’t have your blood on my hands, too. And what about all the people who are close to you? How are you going to keep them from being hurt?”

“My mother is dead now,” Jock said. “I have no one close to me they can hurt.” He glanced at MacDuff. “Except the Laird, and he can take care of himself.” He smiled. “Unless you’d like me to stand over you and shoo all the wicked villains away? It would be my pleasure.”

“I believe I can handle my own protection,” MacDuff said. “I’ve managed a number of years without your help, Jock.”

“Aye,” Jock said solemnly. “But those years may be telling on you, and I’m just going into my prime.”

“You’ll go with us, Jock,” Jane said. “You said you would before.”

“Again, it will be my pleasure. That’s what I want to do.” His gaze narrowed on her face. “You’re functioning at high efficiency. I didn’t expect it after seeing you downstairs.”

“I was in shock when we found Yvette’s…” She had to stop before she could go on. “Head. I couldn’t believe that anyone could be that savage. I’ve been in a state of denial since I saw Celine nailed to that door. But I have to believe it now. I have to assume that they’ll do anything and everything that they feel like doing. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense to me.” Her lips tightened. “But they’re not going to hurt anyone else in my name. And I’m not going to stand by and let them kill one more person if I can stop it.” She put her cup down on the counter. “And I will stop them. It will just take a little time.”

“They don’t want to give you that time,” MacDuff said.

“That’s right.” She said. “Eight days till doomsday, didn’t you say?”

“Seven days now,” Jock said.

“And they’re killing everyone around me to prepare the way.” She frowned. “Why are they waiting? Why not kill me now? Even Folard thought he was committing some kind of a transgression by trying to kill me before April 1.” She glanced at Jock. “You got no hint about that when you were with them?”

He shook his head. “I was an outsider. They didn’t talk to me.”

“But this Ted Weismann says that he knows.”

“Yes.”

“Damn, there’s so much that we have to find out. Who’s the man who sent Millet that newspaper article? And to what kind of job is that article about me connected? We have to make Weismann tell us. Venable has to pay him.”

“I’ve told him that,” MacDuff said. “After Yvette Denarve’s death, I can’t imagine him not doing it.”

“We have to be sure. Shall I call him back or will you?”

His brows lifted. “I’ll do it.”

“And then make arrangements for us to go to MacDuff’s Run. Oh, and make sure Venable has men protecting Eve and Joe until I can get them there.”

“Whatever you say.” He tilted his head. “What a bossy bit of goods you are, Jane.”

“You bet I am.” She looked him in the eye. “Not too eager to claim me as a member of the family now?”

“On the contrary. You’re displaying all kinds of MacDuff characteristics. No one ever said we were a tame lot.” He turned to Jock. “We’d better get moving and pack up those three paintings for Jane. I want to have her out of here and at the Run within the next several hours.”

“Call Venable now,” Jane said. “I’ll pack my own paintings.”

“I can do both.”

“Venable first. Weismann is the key to all of this.” She turned away. “I have to know why it’s happening before I can stop it.”