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know."
    "That's not clear enough. Do you believe he would have kept his word about releasing Gonzales if you'd prodded me as he asked?"
    He hesitated. "Yes."
    "Okay, then tell Montalvo I'll send the photo in the next six hours. I'll consider five days an adequate time for him to find out what I need to know. Is that enough time for you?"
    "I hope it is."
    "So do I. One other thing. I want Venable to send me a complete dossier on Montalvo."
    "Why?"
    "He seems to know entirely too much about me; I need to know everything about him."
    "I'll tell Venable. He'll get it to you right away." He paused. "I'm sorry we had to involve you in this, Ms. Duncan. We did our best to avoid it."
    "I'm sorry too. Just get me the dossier." She hung up the phone and said to Joe, "Well?"
    "What do you want me to say?" he said curtly. "It's a mistake. He's going to suck you down and swallow you alive if you let him."
    "I won't let him." She stood up and went toward Marty's easel. "A photo isn't a commitment. He's going to do something I want very much and he's not asking anything in return." She bent over and opened the cabinet and started pulling out the photographic equipment. "And the delay could save lives."
    "Why five days?"
    "I didn't want to have to deal with him when we're going to Phoenix this weekend. And he wanted a test; I gave him a humdinger of a test. It gives Soldono enough time to get the Gonzales family out but it also limits the time I have to deal with Montalvo."
    "It would be a miracle if he pulled it off."
    Miracle. Joe had said only last night that to find Bonnie would be a miracle. It was almost as if he sensed that Montalvo had offered more than to bring Marty home. Perhaps he did have a premonition. Joe knew her so well....
    And why hadn't she told Joe what Montalvo had promised about Bonnie? She hadn't lied but she hadn't told him. Omission was also a lie.
    She could still tell him.
    She wouldn't lie to herself as well as Joe. She wasn't going to tell him because she knew what his reaction would be. She knew that he would worry, that he would try to stop her from even considering what Montalvo had said. It made no sense to involve Joe when she knew as well as he did that Montalvo's lure was a siren call that was totally false.
    Men like Montalvo dealt in death, not miracles.
    Chapter 3.
    The castle in the painting was wreathed in mists that seemed to be otherworldly.
    "MacDuff's Run?" Eve asked Jane. "You made it look like Camelot."
    Jane grinned. "That's how MacDuff sees it." She lifted her glass of wine to her lips. "It's like the song in the musical. Magic."
    "I'm surprised he doesn't want to buy the painting."
    "I didn't tell him I painted it." She tilted her head, appraising it. "I don't usually do landscapes, but I couldn't stop thinking about the place. Maybe it is a little magic. Do you like it?"
    "Very much." Eve looked around the crowded gallery. There wasn't any question the show was a success. Sold signs had been popping up on Jane's paintings all afternoon. "But I like all your paintings. I love the one of Toby sleeping on the hearth rug."
    "That's one of Toby's favorite sports these days. He'd rather count sheep than chase squirrels."
    "That's a dog's privilege. Toby isn't a puppy any longer. When are the two of you coming home for a while?"
    "Soon. Maybe next week. As soon as I get through here. I'm ready for a rest."
    "Good." Eve took a sip of her wine. "We miss you. How's Trevor?"
    "Fine." She smiled and waved at the man talking to Joe across the gallery. "He's just returned from Johannesburg. He promised he'd make the show."
    "He looks well."
    "He looks like a bloody movie star and every woman in the room is salivating," Jane said with a grin. "I always need Trevor present to give my shows star quality."
    "You've got star quality yourself. Ask any of those people who bought your paintings."
    Jane shrugged. "I can't see myself as a Rembrandt. I love the work, not the praise." Her glance shifted back to Eve.