Stalemate Read Online Free PDF Page A

went into the house. Eve was totally absorbed, her fingers flying over the features of her reconstruction. She didn't look up as he came into the room. She had forgotten everything but her Marty and the task of bringing him home.
    For once he was grateful for that single-minded dedication that was a key quality of Eve's. She wouldn't even realize that time was passing if Venable didn't get back to him right away.
    Eve carefully set the brown glass eyes into the sockets of the reconstruction and took a step back. It was the best she could do. She only hoped it would be good enough. "What about it, Marty?" she whispered. "You were a very handsome little boy, you know. Lord, I hope you have a safe haven somewhere now. I'll do the computer work and then we'll see if we can bring you home."
    "Finished?"
    She turned to see Joe sitting on the couch. She nodded and reached for the towel to wipe her hands. "Finished. It took a long time. It wasn't coming." She arched her back to ease the ache. "It's almost dark."
    "It was dark an hour ago."
    "Oh." She shook her head to clear it. It was always like this after she'd finished a reconstruction. Exhaustion, disorientation, and sadness. "Longer than I thought."
    But the world was coming back to her now. "Did you get through to Soldono? No, that's right, you were calling Venable."
    "Venable hasn't called me back yet. He doesn't know anything about why Soldono isn't answering his phone. Why don't you take a shower? I'll put a pizza in the oven and we'll--" Joe's cell phone rang. "Quinn." He listened for a moment. "Okay, call you back."
    "Something wrong?" Eve asked.
    "I don't know. Venable got an anonymous message on his voice mail."
    "What's that to do with us?"
    "It was only two words. 'Duncan. Porch.' "
    Her gaze flew to the screen door. "Porch." She was across the room in a heartbeat.
    Joe beat her to the door. "Get the hell away from there." His shove was not gentle. He opened the window to the right of the door, jerked the slender flashlight out of his pocket, and shone the beam out onto the shadowy porch. "Nothing. No one." He swung over the windowsill onto the porch and crouched low. The beam played over every inch of the porch. A moment later he straightened. "No one's here."
    "False alarm?"
    "I didn't say that." The beam of his flashlight was focused over a rectangular Styrofoam box before the front door. "But at least the delivery boy is gone."
    Eve jerked open the door and looked down at the box. Jesus, she was shaking. "What is it?"
    "No wires. That doesn't mean that it's not explosive."
    She bent down and touched the top of the box. "It's...cold."
    "Keep your hands off it. Evidence."
    "I don't care. Dammit, Montalvo wouldn't want to blow me up. Open it. If you have to preserve your damn evidence, do it. But open the box."
    "The two actions don't coincide. Oh, shit." He took his penknife and carefully cut the tape binding and slowly opened the lid. "Step back while I--"
    Blood.
    "Oh, my God," Eve whispered.
    Joe slammed the lid of the box shut.
    "No." Her voice was shaking. "I'm okay. Open it again."
    "You've seen it. It's a man's head."
    "Open it."
    He hesitated and then opened the box again. Brown eyes stared blindly up at her from the man's head lying in the box.
    "Gonzales?" she whispered.
    "I don't know. We have no idea what he looks like. It could be Soldono."
    She felt sick. "Why? I told him we'd talk."
    "He might be nuts. He might have recognized it as a stall. Who the hell knows?" He took out his phone. "But I do know I'm going to get a forensic team out here to examine this box."
    She nodded. "You're right. I probably shouldn't have asked you to--" She stopped, gazing down at the head. "Wait. There's something wrong."
    "Tell me about it. Very wrong. The bastard beheaded him."
    "No. The eyes..." She extended her hand toward the head.
    "Don't touch him."
    "I don't think..." She moistened her lips. "At least, the eyes..." Her fingertips touched the left eye. She drew a deep