"Venable?"
"You didn't know Venable made a deal with Montalvo to protect Jane and my mom?"
"He's my boss and he often doesn't share every aspect of his cases with me. I'm just a peon." He shook his head admiringly. "That crafty bastard. Montalvo had every base covered, didn't he?" He turned away. "If you change your mind, let me know. Try to give me a little notice. It may take a bit of doing."
"I can't see that giving notice will be an option if I have to leave in a hurry." She shut the door behind her.
Don't think about Joe.
Don't try to second-guess the decision she'd made because Soldono had found a way out.
Just focus, move quickly, and get the reconstruction done.
Ten minutes later she was out of the shower and dressing hurriedly.
Call Jane and talk to her before she went down?
No, she'd called Jane and her mother this morning before she'd started work. Everything was fine and they'd only worry if she acted too anxious. She'd eat something and then get back to work.
Miguel was on guard in front of the library when she reached it. "Good evening." His smile was sunny. "I have a steak waiting to go under the broiler. How do you like it?"
"Medium well-done." She opened the door. "And you seem to have done a little roasting of my friends today as well."
"No threats. Just implications. I didn't have to do that with Galen. He understood."
"I'm sure he did."
"And I let them talk to you after you came out of the library." He turned away. "Please don't get too involved with your work before I have a chance to bring you your steak."
She smiled faintly as she watched him hurry away. Miguel was a strange and fascinating individual and she was growing to like him more every day. She closed the door and turned on the lamp. Darkness had fallen since she'd left the room a short time ago. She moved over to stand before the dais. She'd draped the reconstruction with the black drop cloth as she always did when she left the library. She reached up to take it off the skull. Montalvo had not mentioned the practice after that first time but it only took her a second and if it held his pain at bay then it was worth-
Teeth sinking into the cloth.
Brown triangular head lunging at her.
She jumped back and dropped the cloth.
The snake turned and launched itself at her.
It missed her by an inch.
The snake launched again.
Kill it. Kill it. Kill it.
She ran across the room, grabbed the brass lamp, and hurled it at the snake.
The shade hit the snake but it kept gliding toward her.
She darted toward the door.
It was thrown open before she reached it.
Montalvo took one quick look at the serpent and shoved her aside. "Jesus."
The snake sprang toward Montalvo.
He shot it in the head.
"My God." He was breathing hard as he stared down at the snake. "Damn close."
"He kept coming. He just kept coming." She was shaking uncontrollably. "He was under the drop cloth with the reconstruction. He sprang at-"
"Did he bite you?"
"I don't think so. I didn't feel-"
"Don't think. Tell me." He grabbed her arms and looked closely at each of them. "I don't see any marks."
"He bit into the cloth. I… dropped it." She shook her head dazedly. "But he didn't stop. I've never… He kept coming at me."
"They can be very aggressive."
"Ugly. I… don't like snakes."
"It's over. Stop shaking."
"Soon. I can't seem to-"
"God." He pulled her into his arms and held her. "It's okay. Don't fight me. I didn't want to do this. It could interfere." He rocked her back and forth. "But I can't stand you-"
His body was warm and strong and she clung instinctively to that strength. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I wasn't expecting that to-it frightened me."
"It should have frightened you." He stroked her hair with rough gentleness. "Shh, it's going to be fine. Nothing's going to hurt you. I won't let it."
She didn't move for a few moments. It was good to stay here and share his strength. She'd move soon. She'd just give herself a short time to get over the shock of those dark frantic minutes.
"What happened here?" Miguel was standing in the doorway and staring at the remains of the snake on the floor. "Another emergency? I'm beginning to think you'll do anything to avoid eating one of my meals."
She stepped back out of Montalvo's arms. "I guarantee I wouldn't go to these lengths." She tried to steady her voice. "Would you please… get rid of it? I don't believe I can concentrate with that… thing lying there."
"Of course." Miguel was studying the snake. "What is it, Colonel? I don't recognize it. You could have left the head so that I-"
"No, I couldn't. It was a black mamba."
Miguel shook his head. "I don't think so. They're not common to this area."
"Exactly."
"Mamba," Eve repeated. She knew she had read about them somewhere but she couldn't remember any details. "Poisonous."
"Extremely." Montalvo said to Miguel, "Search the room and make sure it didn't bring a friend. Be careful."
"Don't worry I want to live to a ripe old age." He smiled slyly. "Like you, Colonel."
"You won't live another year if you keep jabbing at me." He pulled Eve out into the hall. "Stay here until he's finished. I don't believe there's another one but it doesn't hurt to check."
"I'm not arguing. 1 can wait." She tried to stop shivering. "I wouldn't want to run into another snake like that again anytime soon."
"I'll see that you don't. After Miguel finishes the library, I'll send him up to your bedroom."
She moistened her lips. "I take it you don't think this was a stray serpent that wandered in from the jungle."
"The odds are astronomical against it. Mambas are found almost exclusively in Africa. We have poisonous snakes here, but not anything as deadly as the black mamba."
"It's not black, it was sort of brown-gray."
"The inside of its mouth is black. I'm surprised you didn't notice."
"I wasn't color-oriented at that moment. Just how deadly is it?"
"It's the most dangerous snake in the world. If given a chance, it will slither away, but if it feels it's cornered, it will strike over and over. When you pulled off the cloth, it felt under attack. You were almost face-to-face with him. Its venom attacks the respiratory system and is almost a hundred percent fatal unless you can quickly get to a hospital that has the antivenin."
"Jesus," she whispered. "How does anyone survive a bite from one of them?"
"Most people don't. Particularly if they're bitten on the throat or anywhere on the upper body. The poison is closer to the vital organs and travels fast. Too fast to get to medical help that might save them." His eyes were narrowed on her face. "You're still pale. Sit down." He pushed her into a chair by the door. "I'll get you a drink."
"Coffee. Just coffee." She leaned back in the chair. "That snake should have struck my upper body. He was almost on a level with me. He must have been curled beneath the reconstruction." She shuddered as she remembered that triangular head darting toward her. "I didn't know I put my arm up to protect myself but that might have saved me. I had the drop cloth in my hand…"
"And the mamba bit into the cloth instead of you." He handed her the coffee. "Thank God."
She felt like echoing that sentiment. "How did it get there? The French doors?"
"Probably. But not under its own steam. Someone carried it into the library and placed it under the drop cloth."
"One of Diaz's men?"
He shook his head. "My security is too tight to permit one of his men to wander in out of the jungle and drop off a package like that."