Body of Lies Read Free Page B

Taking any more time would be irresponsible. He could allow himself three days to find another option.
    Then he would have to kill the child.
    “I need to talk to you.” Jane’s voice was hesitant. “Could you spare a moment, Eve?”
    “I don’t have time to—” Eve looked up from the skull she was charting and saw that Jane was so pale her freckles stood out. “What’s wrong? Is it Toby?”
    “Toby’s fine.” Jane moistened her lips. “I didn’t know what to do. I thought about telling Joe, but it’s really you . . . I tried to fix it, but I couldn’t. And then I didn’t want you to go up and see—I had to tell you.”
    “What are you talking about, Jane?”
    “Will you come with me?” Jane moved toward the door. “You have to see—”
    “See what?”
    “Bonnie . . .”
    “What do you mean—”
    Jane was gone, running down the porch steps and down the path.
    “Jane!”
    Eve ran after her but didn’t catch up until she was almost up the hill. “Why are you—”
    Then she saw it.
    “I didn’t know what to do.” Jane’s voice was uneven. “I tried to clean it up.”
    Blood smeared, dripping over the headstone.
    Eve shuddered. “What did you— What happened here?”
    “I don’t know. I came up today to clean off the weeds and it was like this. No, not like this. I made it worse. I’m sorry, Eve.”
    “Blood.”
    “No, I don’t think so. At first, I thought . . . But it’s paint or something.” She edged closer to Eve. “I couldn’t get it off.”
    “Paint?”
    Jane nodded. “Someone drew a big X through Bonnie’s name and everything else on the tombstone.” She took Eve’s hand. “Who would do this to you?”
    Eve couldn’t imagine who would commit a horror like this. She felt . . . bruised. “I don’t know.” It was hard to think. “Maybe some kid who thought it was funny to desecrate a grave.” But not her Bonnie’s grave. Not her Bonnie. “I can’t think of anyone else.”
    “I’m gonna get him,” Jane said fiercely. “Maybe he’ll come back. I’ll wait here and when he does, I’m gonna get him.”
    Eve shook her head. “It would only make it worse.” She turned away. “Come on, we’ll get back to the cottage and see if we can find something to clean it off with.”
    Jane fell into step with her. “We’ll tell Joe as soon as he gets home. He’ll get him.”
    “Not until we clean up the tombstone.”
    “You’re afraid he’ll be so mad, he’ll do something to him. He should do something. I’ll help him.”
    Jesus, she couldn’t handle this right now. Eve knew very well Joe’s response would be just as violent and protective as Jane’s, and she was too shaky to play peacemaker. Besides, she didn’t want to be a peacemaker. Shock was quickly being replaced by anger. She wanted to wring that sicko kid’s neck. Not a good example for Jane. And Joe was an ex-SEAL and would think little of doing just that. “Just go to the shed and see what you can find. There may be some turpentine left from last spring when we painted the porch.”
    “Having trouble?”
    George Capel glanced impatiently at the man in a blue Saturn who had cruised to a stop beside him on the side of the road. What a stupid question, when he was standing here with his head under the hood of the Mercedes. “Not unless you’re a mechanic. It’s dead as a doornail.”
    “Sorry. I’m a computer salesman.” The man in the Saturn grimaced. “And believe me I’ve had my share of breakdowns. I remember once in Macon, it was the middle of the night and I—” He stopped. “But you’re not interested in that. What about a jump?”
    “We can try.” Capel glanced at the man’s neat blue suit. “Better be careful. I’ve already got grease on my shirt.”
    The man smiled. “I’m always careful.”
    Ten minutes later Capel was cursing a blue streak when the car still failed to start. “Piece of crap. For God’s sake, it’s a Mercedes. Do you know how much this car cost