“Me? She hasn’t even reached the first rung. And you didn’t answer my question.”
And she wasn’t going to do it. She was going through enough bewilderment and soul-searching without bringing Caleb into the mix. She told him a half-truth. “I’ve just been doing some thinking. Everything around me seems to be changing. But I’ve been standing still. I’ve been reacting instead of acting. I’ve been wondering if I have to change, too.”
“In the present situation, I much prefer you to react.”
“And I wasn’t asking for your advice. You wanted an answer and I gave it to you.” She changed the subject. “How are things going with you? Did you find out anything else?”
“Well enough. Information? Palik has a lead on where the Romanos might be located. And I found out their interest in Dubai was centered on a medical center that caters to the richest and most influential patients in the country. They also wanted all the architectural drawings of the American Hospital at Dubai, plus all the personnel records of the staff.”
“Why?”
“That’s the next question and one I can hopefully ask the Romanos in the near future.”
“Then go do it and stop worrying about Lisa … or what Lisa’s doing to me. I promised you I’d take care of her. No sign of her following in your footsteps.”
“For which you’re grateful.”
“Fervently.” She paused. “Though lately she’s been much more charming and easy to get along with when she makes the effort. But it’s nothing like you.”
“Almost normal?” he asked mockingly.
“Right. Good night, Caleb.”
“Good night, Jane.” He was laughing as he hung up.
That’s all I needed, she thought with exasperation. The knowledge that both Lisa and Caleb were watching her and trying to decipher what she was thinking and might be doing was disconcerting. They were treating her as if they were the caregivers, when that was the role she’d chosen for herself.
Calm down.
It was kind of Lisa to be concerned. It was natural that Caleb would try to dominate everything and everyone around him. She decided to just ignore both their responses and try to regain the composure she’d had before Caleb’s call.
What composure?
Then just go back to trying to go to sleep … and the waiting.
CHAPTER
14
2:30 A.M.
Something was happening down by the campfire.
Soft conversation …
Was that a low bark?
Jane had been expecting it, Eve had warned her it was coming, but it still startled her. She tossed on her clothes and ran out of the tent.
Joe Quinn was silhouetted against the flames of the campfire and Eve was already beside him. She had Michael in her arms, but Joe was holding both of them close.
“They’re busy. Come and talk to me so I won’t feel neglected.” Margaret Douglas was sitting on the ground in front of the fire and jumped to her feet and gave Jane a hug. “After all, Joe told me that you’re to blame for rushing me over here with Juno. There are responsibilities involved here.”
Jane held her close for a moment. It seemed like a long time since she’d seen her friend Margaret. But all she’d had to do was to tell her she was needed and she’d come.
She took a step back. “Juno?”
“She’s lying over there on the bank beside the lake. She didn’t really like the trip over here and wanted to get back to nature.” She nodded at a large white dog, who was only a blur in the darkness. “Come meet her.” She led Jane toward the dog. “She’s a golden retriever but an English crème variety and has all the gentle, loving temperament you asked Eve to find.” She stopped by Juno and reached down and stroked her. “You can’t be with her for more than a few minutes and not realize that.”
Huge dark eyes were looking up at Jane, and Juno’s tail was wagging.
“Hello there,” Jane said softly. She knelt and rubbed the spot between the retriever’s eyes. She could see what Margaret meant. Those dark eyes were brimming with love and affection. “I hope we’ll be friends. You’re very beautiful, you know.”
Margaret chuckled. “She knows. But she still likes the attention.” She looked around her. “And I think she’ll like this place.”
“I’m glad you’re so familiar with her likes and dislikes,” Jane said drily. “Because I’m not at all sure she’s going to like the mist.”
“Neither am I. We can only hope.” Margaret’s face lit up as she smiled. Margaret always seems to be lit from within, Jane thought. She was only twenty-one but seemed younger, and her tan skin, blue eyes, and taffy-colored streaked hair made her appear to be touched with the gold of the sun. “Hey, and from what Eve told Joe, I’m still not sure what you need.” Margaret tilted her head. “I don’t think you do, either. But Juno is my best hope. I was at Summer Island and I had my choice of dogs, but you wanted sensitive, and Juno does therapy work in hospitals.” She added soberly, “And she lost the little girl who owned and loved her in an accident a few years ago. She’s very loving, Jane.”
“Love is good. You’re right: I don’t know what I want or need. I’m operating purely on instinct. I’m betting on a wild card and just have to hope it pays off.” Jane gave Juno a final pat, stood up, and walked back to Joe. “Thanks for bringing Margaret so quickly, Joe. I know after all this time maybe I shouldn’t feel this sense of urgency, but I do. It just seemed important that we do this now.”
“The urgency isn’t any more bizarre than the idea itself,” Joe said drily. “But who am I to argue? The entire thing with Cira is bizarre.” He kissed her forehead. “But you’re the one who will have to convince MacDuff that using dogs is better than transformers. He spent a small fortune on those Australian lights.”
“I don’t think they’ll work,” she said flatly. “That’s not the way Cira wants it. I realized that when I had that dream about her last night. I believe she was telling me how it was and how she wanted it to be. Or maybe just the only way it could be.”
“What’s going on here?” MacDuff had come out of his tent. He was half-dressed, but his shirt was open and his dark hair ruffled. “Hello, Quinn, why the hell are you here? Eve said that you weren’t coming for another week or—”
“A change of plans.” Joe pushed Jane gently toward MacDuff. “Orchestrated by Jane and Cira. I’ve brought you someone you should meet. This is Margaret Douglas, MacDuff. But I believe it’s over to you, Jane.”
Jane drew a deep breath and then strode up the hill to stand before MacDuff with fists clenched. “I don’t think the lights are going to work. I think you have to try another way.”
“Really?” he said coolly. “You didn’t mention anything about that opinion yesterday afternoon. What brought this on?”
“Cira.” She went on quickly, “I’d had a dream about her the night before.”
“Indeed?”
“And I didn’t want to mention it to you until I had everything in place. You’re so far along with that light system, and you can be very hard to convince.”
“You’re saying I’m hardheaded?”
“You know you are. Look, you were always so sure that those dreams I had about Cira meant something. I was the skeptical one. But there was something about what I saw that night that made me—I have to believe that maybe this one—we should at least try it, MacDuff.” She briefly told him the details of the dream, attempting not to leave out anything. “Don’t you see? It just seemed like the answer. The mist was just as bad during Cira’s time, but she found a way. Marcus’s dog, Galo, was able to get through the fog and find his way to the cave. I don’t know how. It could have been pure instinct. But he did it.”