“He should know,” Joe said. “I think I can probably work with him, but he has to know the limits.” He met Nalchek’s gaze. “Got it?”
“Got it. Understood.” He paused. “And I’ll let you hang around unless you get in my way.” He smiled faintly. “I won’t cause Eve any problems because she’s on my wavelength.” He turned away. “But I don’t promise I’ll work with Margaret Douglas. She’s a little too—” He stopped and muttered a curse as he looked around. “Where the hell is she?”
“She’s slipped deeper into the woods while you and Joe were exchanging words and sizing each other up,” Eve said. “She warned me she’d probably do it. She didn’t want you around to get in her way.”
“The hell she didn’t.” He strode toward the trees. “I have no intention of letting her run her own show.”
“Too bad,” Joe said as he started after him. “Margaret has a tendency to close everyone out. Natural enough, since most people can’t follow where she goes anyway.”
“Literally or figuratively,” Eve said. “Back off, Nalchek. Give her a chance.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Is that an order?”
“Only if you insist on pushing it,” she said. “I want to work with you. But I have to see if Margaret can put us on the fast track. I’m afraid we don’t have much more time.”
“Why not?” His eyes were narrowed on her face. “You know something you haven’t told me.”
“No, I don’t know anything. We may have a few leads that might prove promising.”
“And you’re dangling them in front of me in exchange for what?” he asked grimly.
“Cooperation. Help Margaret. Don’t interfere. Then I’ll be glad to share whatever Joe found out about a man who might have killed your deputy.”
“You’re interfering with a murder investigation.”
“No, she’s just not helping with it.” Joe paused. “Yet.”
Nalchek stared him in the eye and didn’t speak for a long moment. “I want that information immediately.”
“You’ll get it,” Eve said. “As soon as you give me your word that you’ll work with us and not by yourself to try to catch him.” She smiled. “And Margaret gets her chance. I want your word.”
Another silence.
He nodded curtly. “Okay. As long as you don’t endanger my men or the investigation. If I see any sign of that happening, no deal.”
“You won’t see it happening,” Joe said. “We may want that son of a bitch more than you do.” He gestured to the trees. “Now, shall we join Margaret?”
Nalchek didn’t answer but strode ahead of them into the trees.
“Not pleased,” Joe murmured to Eve as he fell into step with her. “Can’t blame him. I’d feel the same way.”
So would Eve, but she couldn’t let it matter. How close was Walsh? Would he come here or go to Carmel? “Nalchek will have to get over it. He can’t have everything his own way.”
“He’s probably thinking the same thing about us,” Joe said dryly. “Let’s hope Margaret isn’t being too radically Margaret when he reaches her.”
*
Evidently, Margaret was moving fast, and it was taking Nalchek time to catch up with her.
It took Eve and Joe another ten minutes before they caught sight of Nalchek. He was standing still in the center of the trail in the densest area of the forest. He turned to face them. “She’s right up ahead,” he said. “She’s sitting by that stream, and she’s not trying to avoid us any longer.”
“She probably wasn’t trying to avoid us before,” Joe said. “She just didn’t want to have us disturb her concentration.”
“You sound as if you’re familiar with the way she operates.”
“He is,” Eve said. “More than I am. He was on hand months ago, when Margaret was trying to find me in the woods. I could have died except for her.”
“And you believe all of this crap, Quinn?”
“It’s hard as hell for me. I’m a pragmatic bastard.” He was silent. “Yeah, I believe something is going on with Margaret. I’m willing to go along with her.”