Read Stalemate for Free Online Page B

"And it seems pretty trivial compared to your work."
    "Not to me. Art is both a joy and a healer. My reconstructions may offer closure but there's no joy."
    "You look tired. You've been working too hard again."
    "Maybe." She changed the subject. "What about you and Trevor?"
    Jane's smile faded. "What about us?"
    "Jane."
    She wrinkled her nose. "Okay. He's sexy. He's smart. We're great together." She paused. "And I'm scared to death of commitment. There's no hurry. There are a million things I want to do with my life before I settle down. Satisfied?"
    "Temporarily. Sorry if I seemed prying. I worry sometimes."
    "God knows I don't want you worrying about me. You have enough problems in your life." She glanced at Joe again. "Why is he on edge? He's trying to be offhand but he's..." She searched for a description. "Ready to spring."
    Eve should have known that Jane would sense the turbulence in both of them. Jane had grown up on the streets and she was both savvy and intuitive. Besides the fact that she was close to both of them. "He's being protective. There's a job I'm considering that he doesn't want me to take."
    "Then don't take it."
    "I probably won't." She changed the subject. "We're going back to Atlanta in the morning. Can you have dinner with us or are you going to be tied up with all these highfalutin art patrons?"
    "Screw them." Jane grinned. "I know who's important in my life. I'll meet you at the hotel at seven. Okay?"
    "Great." She put her glass down on a table. "Now I'd better let you mingle and influence people if I'm going to monopolize you this evening." She started to weave her way through the crowd toward Joe and Trevor.
    She was only a few steps into the throng when her cell phone rang.
    "Are you having a good time?" Montalvo asked.
    She stopped short, her hand tightening on the phone. "I was until I answered your call. What do you want?"
    "Your Jane is a wonderful artist and a beautiful girl. You must be very proud of her."
    "More than you could dream. What do you want?"
    "It's been three days since you gave me my deadline. I thought you deserved a report."
    "Are you going to tell me that you want more time?"
    "I said 'report.' Your little boy is Peter Dandlow. Nine years old. He's not from Macon. His parents lived in Valdosta, Georgia. He was reported missing five years ago. He was a latchkey kid and was supposed to call his mom at work when he got home from school. One day she didn't get the call. She never saw him again."
    She was so stunned she couldn't speak for a moment. "How did you find that out?"
    "Computer files of all the police-department records in the area. It's not easy to break into them but not impossible for a computer geek. I gave my men enough money to give them incentive to work hard and fast. Some of the cities' records were scanty so I sent a man into the precincts of a few of the towns to check through the back files in their morgues." He paused. "You did a great job on the reconstruction of the boy. You should be quite proud. I've sent a fax to your hotel with the boy's picture and your reconstruction. It should be there by now."
    She tried to keep her voice even. "How do I know that any of this is true? You could have doctored the photograph."
    He chuckled. "How suspicious you are. I approve. By all means, have Quinn check with the Valdosta police. For my part, I'm sure that Peter Dandlow is your victim. I've moved on to step two."
    "And what is that?"
    "I told you that I'd try to find the boy's killer. Now, two days isn't much time, but I've made certain strides already. I don't believe the boy was killed by his parents, although I understand it's not uncommon in these cases. His father left the boy's mother before he was born and the extent of the boy's injuries would indicate a certain strength and brutality. I could see the mother hitting the child and killing him but not a continuous pounding that--"
    "You actually believe you're going to be able to find his killer? No