“And you found Jenny,” Margaret said softly. “No wonder you were so determined to find her identity. You thought it would lead you to the man who was responsible for your grandfather’s death.”
“Partly. I didn’t lie to Eve. Seeing that little girl made me sick, and I felt the same guilt my grandfather had felt.”
“It wasn’t your crime,” Margaret said.
“I suppressed information. Even though I didn’t know for sure that there was a body buried in that forest, and I still kept searching. I set up my grandfather’s estate so that there would never be a possibility of any other human trafficking. And I tried to relocate the remaining laborers who hadn’t already been moved to other areas by the cartel.” He grimaced. “But for years, I protected my grandfather’s memory so that it wouldn’t hurt my family. That was all that was important to me.” He looked at Joe. “You know as well as I do that’s not acceptable.”
Joe nodded. “Absolutely. Not that I wouldn’t feel the same way under similar circumstances. It’s a basic primitive drive to protect the tribe.” He smiled faintly. “And I’m very primitive.”
Nalchek went still. “And that means?”
“You discovered a crime that had happened in the past and assured that it would not happen again. The man who perpetrated it is now dead and cannot be prosecuted. You bent every effort toward finding the killer of one child and protecting another child.” He turned toward the door. “It’s not my case. This isn’t my jurisdiction. And I need to go and make sure Eve is having a good night. You’ll have to take care of it yourself.”
Nalchek and Margaret watched as he walked down the hall.
“Does that mean you’re off the hook?” Margaret asked.
“No, it means that he handed the hook to me,” Nalchek said. “Not safe, considering my past record.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“Well, I’m not going to hurt my family after all I’ve done to protect them.” He left the waiting room and started down the hall. “I’ll turn in my resignation as sheriff and say that I intend to go back to the university and work toward an advanced degree. Everyone will understand, considering the fact that they’ve all been thinking I’ve been behaving a little weird about this case anyway.”
“You’re really going back to school?”
He shook his head. “Not right now. I just need to keep away from my family for a while. They know me too well, they see too deep. I don’t know where I’m going. Someplace far away from everywhere to clear my head and see where the wind takes me.”
“I know a place like that.”
He turned to look at her. “You do?”
“Summer Island. It’s an island in the Caribbean where I spent a little time. It’s perfectly beautiful, and they do wonderful experimental work on animals. They have a good security force, but I know that a man like you would be a welcome addition.”
“Interesting idea.”
“I thought you might think so.” She went past him toward Eve’s room. “I used it as a haven when I needed it. I’ve been tempted to do it again.”
His eyes narrowed on her face. “How tempted?”
“That would be telling.” Her eyes were twinkling as she looked over her shoulder. “But you should be relieved to know that there’s not one coyote on Summer Island.”
* * *
“Cara Delaney is out in the waiting room,” Joe said when he entered Eve’s hospital room the next morning. “I got her a breakfast at McDonald’s and sat her down with her iPad. She wanted to come back to you, but I told her that there will be doctors and nurses bustling in and out all morning.” He sat down in the chair beside her bed. “We have to talk about her, and we don’t have much time. I figure they’ll release you by early afternoon, and something’s got to be settled before they do.”
“I’ll second that.” She took his hand. “What’s going to happen if we don’t step in?”
“It depends on whether ICE finds out that Cara Delaney is Marnie Castino. So far, no one of us has made a statement to that effect. If they do find out, she’ll be deported straight to the loving arms of that cartel scumbag of a father.”
“If she lives that long. She could be torn between those damn warring cartels. Walsh’s employer was a member of the Salazar family. If he hears Walsh is dead, what’s to stop him from hiring someone else to kill Cara before her family is even notified.”
Joe nodded. “All that is true. So what do you want to do?”
“Keep Cara safe. Keep her as far away from Mexico and Castino and Salazar as possible.”
He smiled. “That was my first guess. Ways and means?”
She hesitated. “Play it by ear?”
“Send her to a private school?”
“No,” she said sharply.
He threw back his head and laughed. “I didn’t think so. I was just testing you. You want to take her home with us.”
“It may only be for a little while. Just until we can get her happily settled.”
“And it may be for a long, long time.” He leaned forward and kissed her. “Another Jane, Eve? Our Jane was only a little younger than Cara when we took her in.”
“There will never be another Jane. Just as there will never be another Cara. We know where Jane is in our lives, and it’s all love. Cara is a clean slate, and we don’t know what will be eventually written in the relationship.” She frowned. “But how do you feel about it, Joe? She’s had a troubled life, it could be … difficult. Even if it’s for only a short time.”
“I’ve only spent the morning with her. She’s quiet and withdrawn and polite. She appeared very grateful I didn’t drop her when she threw herself into my arms. The rest I’ll have to learn with experience. But I didn’t know much more when we adopted Jane.” He smiled. “But she’ll be a challenge. Just keeping her alive will be a task in itself.”
She shuddered. “I wish you hadn’t said that.”
“Face it. You haven’t chosen an easy way. But we can make it work and keep her safe.”
She nodded. “She said that Jenny told her I’d need her. And that she’d need me.”
“It might be true. You’ve been feeling a little lonely since Jane left home. And Cara certainly is going to need you.”
“Us,” she corrected.
He nodded. “Us.” He got to his feet. “And now I’ll go and talk to Nalchek and Margaret and make sure that they don’t disclose anything to local law enforcement. Then I’ll arrange to whisk Cara away from here as if she’d never been. Preferably before Salazar finds out that Walsh is dead.”
“I guess I’d better talk to Cara. Would you send her to me?” She made a face. “Though I should really get up and go to her. It’s ridiculous that I’m still lolling in this bed. I shouldn’t have given in and let you talk me into a full exam. You know those idiotic tests aren’t going to find anything, Joe.”
“Can’t be too careful. I figured it couldn’t hurt. You’re always too busy to go in to see the doctor.” He headed for the door. “We’ll get the results in another hour or so.”
“Joe.”
He looked over his shoulder. “Yes.”
“Come back here.”
He tilted his head as he saw her expression. “Delighted.” He whirled, and the next moment, he was beside her, lifting her, kissing her. “Hey, did I forget something?”
“No, I did.” She kissed him again. “I forgot to tell you that most of the time you meet my every wish and that I’m damn grateful.” She pushed him away. “And that I love you, Joe Quinn.”
“Most of the time?”
“You were supposed to stay in San Francisco at that hospital. Instead, you came flying up here smack in the middle of the fray. That was definitely not according to what I wanted, and you know it.”
“Yep, but you knew there was a strong possibility. I’ll just have to make it up to you in other ways to lull you into forgetting it.” He straightened and turned toward the door. “And I’ll start doing that right away, after I send Cara in to see you.”
* * *
“So what do you say, Cara?” Eve asked quietly. “Is it something you might want to do?”
She didn’t speak for a moment. “I’d live with you?”
“At least for a while. You wouldn’t have to be committed to us for the long haul. We could try it out and see how you liked it.”