The Face of Deception Read Online Free PDF Page A

trying to be as honest as I can with you. I could have lied.”
    “Omission can also be a lie, and you're telling me practically nothing.” She stared directly into his eyes. “I don't trust you, Mr. Logan. Do you think this is the first time someone like you has come and asked me to verify a skeleton? Last year a Mr. Damaro paid me a call. He offered me a lot of money to come to Florida and sculpt a face on a skull he just happened to have in his possession. He said a friend had sent it to him from New Guinea. It was supposed to be an anthropological find. I called the Atlanta P.D. and it turned out that Mr. Damaro was really Juan Camez, a drug runner from Miami. His brother had disappeared two years ago and it was suspected he'd been killed by a rival organization. The skull was sent to Camez as a warning.”
    “Touching. I suppose drug runners have family feelings too.”
    “I don't think that's funny. Tell that to the kids they hook on heroin.”
    “I'm not arguing. But I assure you that I've no connection with organized crime.” He grimaced. “Well, I've used a bookie now and then.”
    “Is that supposed to disarm me?”
    “Disarming you would obviously take a total global agreement.” He stood up. “My ten minutes are up and I wouldn't want to impose. I'll let you think about the offer and call you later.”
    “I've already thought about it. The answer is no.”
    “We've only just opened negotiations. If you won't think about it, I will. There has to be something I can offer you that will make the job worth your while.” He stood looking at her with narrowed eyes. “Something about me is rubbing you the wrong way. What is it?”
    “Nothing. Other than the fact that you have a dead body you don't want anyone to know about.”
    “Anyone but you. I very much want
you
to know about it.” He shook his head. “No, there's something else. Tell me what it is so I can clear it up.”
    “Good night, Mr. Logan.”
    “Well, if you can't call me John, at least drop the Mr. You don't want anyone to think you're properly respectful.”
    “Good night, Logan.”
    “Good night, Eve.” He stopped at the pedestal and looked at the skull. “You know, he's beginning to grow on me.”
    “She's a girl.”
    His smile faded. “Sorry. It wasn't funny. I guess we all have our own way of dealing with what we become after death.”
    “Yes, we do. But sometimes we have to face it before we should. Mandy wasn't over twelve years old.”
    “Mandy? You know who she was?”
    She hadn't meant to let that slip. What the hell, it didn't matter. “No, but I usually give them names. Aren't you glad now that I turned you down? You wouldn't want an eccentric like me working on your skull.”
    “Oh, yes, I appreciate eccentrics. Half the men in my think tanks in San Jose are a little off center.” He moved toward the door. “By the way, that computer you're using is three years old. We have a newer version that's twice as fast. I'll send you one.”
    “No, thank you. This one works fine.”
    “Never refuse a bribe if you don't have to sign on the dotted line for return favors.” He opened the door. “And never leave your doors unlocked, as you did tonight. There's no telling who could have been waiting in here for you.”
    “I lock the lab up at night, but it would be inconvenient to keep it locked all the time. Everything in here has been insured, and I know how to protect myself.”
    He smiled. “I bet you do. I'll call you.”
    “I told you that I'm—”
    She was talking to air; he'd already closed the door behind him.
    She breathed a sigh of relief. Not that she had the slightest doubt she would hear from him again. She had never met a man more determined to get his own way. Even when his approach had been velvet soft, the steel had shown through. Well, she had dealt with powerhouse types before. All she had to do was stick to her guns and John Logan would eventually get discouraged and leave her alone.
    She stood up