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But it was Joe who caught sight of the gleam of metal that was lodged half beneath a rock on the side of the hill.

Then he was digging frantically for it. Seconds later he freed the computer, which had MQ engraved on the cover.

“Michael’s computer,” he muttered as Caleb ran toward him.

“But it wasn’t Michael who buried it here.

Whoever did it didn’t want it to be found too quickly.

They didn’t want it to be noticed until they’d gotten safely away from this area.

” His hands were shaking as he opened the lid of the computer.

“But the bastards wanted to be sure we got the message loud and clear.” Then he froze as he read the first line scrawled on the computer screen.

“Only this isn’t addressed to me. The son of a bitch is trying to leave me out of it.

” His fingers bit into the laptop as his gaze flew over the message.

“He’s using Michael to get to Eve.” He closed his eyes as the rage swept over him. “I’m going to kill the asshole.”

“Who is it?” Caleb asked. “May I read it? And may I help you rid the world of him in the most painful way possible?”

“It’s Caldwell,” Joe said “And he starts the message, ‘Hello, Eve Duncan. How wonderful we can be together at last. I’m enjoying your son’s company, but he’s really no substitution.

’” Joe looked up and met Caleb’s eyes. “I’ll let you read the rest later.

But right now I’ve got to go over this with Eve and try to keep her sane and away from doing something crazy to get him back.

That’s not going to be easy. As for letting you help me get rid of him, I reserve that pleasure.

But I might call on you if the situation changes.

At the moment, you can thank those searchers for me and then go back to Jane and give her the bad news. ”

“She’ll want to go to Eve right away and help her get through this,” Caleb said. “And that’s not a bad idea.”

“Let me talk to Eve first. She may not be able to make any rational decisions about what she wants until she gets over the first shock.” He paused. “And Caldwell had a reason for taking Michael. We may have to negotiate.”

“Ransom?”

“He had a reason,” Joe repeated. “I’ve already told you how you can help.” He was moving deeper into the banks of heather and dialing Eve. “Let me get back to you, Caleb. In the end, you know all the decisions have to be made by Eve and me…”

“I know. I know.” Caleb was frowning as he turned away and headed back toward the administration building. “But don’t close us out. Remember, we love Michael, too. Let us know as soon as you need backup.”

Yes, everyone cared about Michael, Joe thought.

From the moment of his birth, he had reached out and touched all of them with his warmth and special presence.

But no one more than himself and Eve. And now he had to tell Eve that their son had been taken and might be in deadly danger.

The pain twisted inside him at the thought.

“Joe?” Eve was on the line. “I’ve been trying to call you. Have you reached the Atlanta airport yet?”

“Not yet.” Dear God, how he hated to hurt her. “Something has happened that I have to tell you about…”

“Gone?” Eve repeated dazedly. “Michael’s gone? But he can’t be gone. You all were coming here. I was so happy, I was almost giddy. And he was with you, Joe. He’s always safe when he’s with you.”

“Not this time,” Joe said huskily. “I failed you. I failed him. I was waiting right outside the residence hall and Caldwell and his men managed to go in the back emergency exit and bring him out that way.”

“You said it was Caldwell?” She was trying to think through a terrible, painful fog.

“Yes, and he left a message for us. Caldwell had a helicopter he landed on the lake side of the hill, and I found the message on Michael’s computer.

I’m emailing the letter to you. He made it very clear that his message and orders are aimed at you.

He obviously thought going after you directly was too risky with all the guards camping out at the Lake Cottage.

So he settled for Michael, whom he must have considered easy pickings.

An eleven-year-old kid that you love with your entire being.

Naturally, you’d do anything that he wanted to keep Michael from being hurt or killed. ”

She was already reading the email Joe had sent. It wasn’t long, but it could not have been more clear.

Hello, Eve Duncan. How wonderful we can be together at last. I’m enjoying your son’s company, but he’s really no substitute.

It was really quite rude of you to refuse to give me that death mask that I requested you make.

You’re such an artist. It would have been such a little thing for you, and it meant quite a bit to me.

You’ve put me in an uncomfortable position, and I really must insist you change your mind.

Otherwise, I’ll have to demonstrate to your son how uncomfortable I can make him.

It would be a shame because I have employees who are exceptional at that skill.

I permitted my friend Jossland to show the Boston police how good.

I’d hate to have to put your child through that agony.

Children are so fragile, aren’t they? So I will assume that you will have a change of heart and be prepared to give me what I require.

I will be in touch very soon. Please be ready to act promptly on my orders.

—Ezra Caldwell

Eve was shivering with panic when she finished reading the letter. “He’s a monster. I think he’d actually do that to Michael.”

“We won’t let him,” Joe said harshly. “We’ll make sure he doesn’t get the chance.”

“How?”

“I’ll bring in every organization I’m connected with to help catch the son of a bitch. I’ll be out there myself until I find where he’s keeping Michael. So will Caleb.”

“What if that’s not enough?” Eve asked. She couldn’t get over the sheer evil of Caldwell’s thoughts and words.

“I know that no one could have done any more than you to watch over Michael, but he was still taken. And that horror of a man might be able to somehow hurt him even more if we can’t stop him.

There has to be some way to—” She could feel the tears running down her cheeks now, and she had to stop.

“Michael is so smart. He won’t just take this lying down.

He’ll be fighting to help us if we give him the chance.

We’ve got to find a way to give him that chance. ”

“I know that, Eve,” Joe said. “I wish I was there with you now. I’ll get on the road as soon as I can, but I need a little time to see if I can get Scotland Yard stirring to try to locate that bastard.”

“Forget about me. Don’t try to rush home to hold my hand.

I’ve got all kinds of guards to take care of me.

Finding our son is more important anyway.

” Eve added dully, “Get here as soon as you can, but I’d rather you take every opportunity you can to find Michael.

He’s the only thing we should be worrying about now.

” She had to get off the phone before she totally broke down.

“Call me as soon as you find out anything.” She pressed DISCONNECT and just sat there almost in a stupor for a moment, staring at the empty screen.

It seemed incredible that she should feel like this. She needed every bit of her mental acuity not only to keep going in a world without Michael but also to bring him home.

I’ll take care of you, Mom.

Michael had said that. But now they had to take care of him. First they had to find him, and then they had to discover that magical way to bring him home.

So clear your head. Go over the possibilities.

What did Caldwell say he wanted? What might really be his objective?

The problem was that she didn’t know enough about him or his plans or why he wanted her to create that death mask.

She would be a fool to believe anything she’d been told; it had probably been meant only to lure her to do the mask.

Still, she had learned quite a bit from her talk with Celine Kelly and Alex Dominic.

What Celine had said about Dominic’s contacts and his knowledge of the backgrounds of all the players in this ugly game had also struck a chord.

It was obvious that she had meant what she said about Dominic being the only one to trust in that game.

Eve would have to think about how all the pieces fit together.

Only one thing was certain right now. She couldn’t afford to indulge in self-pity or discouragement when there were so many places this puzzle could take her and so much work to do.

The essential thing was to do what she needed to do first.

Hold on, Michael. Your Dad and I are trying everything we can to bring you home. You try, too, and I promise we’ll get there.

EXERCISE GYM

BON JAKA, AFRICA

TWO HOURS LATER

“You did very well, Kontara,” Dominic said as he strolled over to the mat where Celine had Kontara in a headlock. “Much better than yesterday. How did you feel about your progress?”

“Oh, splendid.” She struggled to turn her head so that she could look Celine in the eyes. “She only got me in a position where she could have broken my neck three times today. Will you please release me so that I can see if you’ve broken any bones?”

“I haven’t.” Celine grinned as she moved away from Kontara. “I was careful. I didn’t want to stop when you were doing so well. The only reason I gave you a sprained wrist yesterday was to teach you a lesson about getting cocky. All you need is one slip and you end up in the hospital.”

“How kind of you to show me the error of my ways.” Kontara added sarcastically, “Do you know how difficult it is to handle those cast-iron skillets I use in my cooking with a sprained wrist?”

“I can imagine.” Celine sat up. “But you did it, just as you did what you were supposed to do today on this mat. If it’s too much for you, why don’t you quit?”