He stopped before entering his room. “Nixon should really have been eliminated. You know it as well as I do. It goes against your professionalism and my good judgment. Why?”

Because she hadn’t wanted to see Gallo do it. Yes, Nixon was scum and would cause them trouble, but she was holding on to her faith in Gallo by a very tentative grip. She had not been shocked by Gallo’s savagery, but it had made her wary.

“Never mind.” His gaze was on her face. “I think I know.” He shrugged. “I couldn’t expect anything else.”

“No, you couldn’t.” She went next door to her own room. “I should be ready to go in ten minutes. But I’m going to call Venable and tell him where we’re going and see if he can pave the way for us.”

“Good idea. Fifteen minutes then.”

But there was a missed call on her phone when she picked up her cell to call Venable.

Eve.

She stiffened, then drew a deep breath.

She pressed the return call. “I just got your call. Did I wake you?”

“No. We’re not doing much sleeping right now.” Eve was silent. “You said to start with the premise that we were wrong about Gallo being guilty and work from there.”

“But can you do that, Eve?”

“I’m trying. Joe says that we should trust you. That wasn’t easy for him.” She paused. “And either way, it’s not easy for me. I trusted Gallo, and it hurt me to think that I’d been a fool. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons that I was so stubborn about not changing my mind when you were defending him.”

“I can understand that,” Catherine said. “And I can’t tell you I’m 100 percent sure that I’m right. How can I be when Gallo isn’t even sure? But I’m 75 percent sure, and before I’m done, I’m going to know.”

“You’re going after Thomas Jacobs.”

“You bet I am. I see you put two and two together.”

“Joe and I decided he would be one of the only people who would know for certain why Queen hired Paul Black to take the blame for Bonnie’s killing. And we tracked you to the Chicago airport and found out that there was a flight to the East Coast about the time I talked to you on the phone.” She added. “Nonstop to Washington, D.C. Have you contacted Jacobs yet?”

“Not yet. We think he’s on a flight to New Orleans. We’re going to be right behind him.” She hesitated, then asked the question. “What are you going to do, Eve?”

“You mean am I going to notify the police that they can pick up Gallo in New Orleans?” she asked. “No, Joe said I should trust you. Dear God, I want to trust you, Catherine. And I want to trust Gallo.” She drew a shaky breath. “Joe left the hospital this morning. I’m going to talk to him now, but I think he’s going to agree that we’re not going to let the police interfere with what’s between us. I imagine we’ll see you in New Orleans.”

“I’m glad, Eve.”

“Don’t be too happy. When Joe came out of his coma, he said he thought we were heading toward the end, that Bonnie told him that was happening. But I just don’t know.” Her voice was uneven. “What I’m feeling is too damn tentative. I’m wobbling back and forth like a weather vane.”

“What about Jane? Is she coming?”

“No, she’s mad as hell, but I won’t let her run the risk.”

Catherine could see that Jane would be angry as well as worried to death. “She didn’t impress me as someone who would take foolish chances. I agree that the situation may—”

“The situation may be pure hell. I’ve got a gut feeling that it probably will be. Joe almost lost his life. If we’re heading for the end of the search, Jane’s not going to be caught up in any of it,” Eve said fiercely. “I’ll call you when we reach New Orleans.” She hung up.

Catherine slowly pressed the disconnect.

“We’re heading toward the end. Bonnie told him that was happening.”

Bonnie, again.

Catherine seemed to be the only one who was not being affected by that small seven-year-old child who had died those many years ago.

Joe, whom Catherine respected as a friend and professional, was evidently accepting the same bizarre concept as Eve and Gallo. Bonnie, returned from the dead. Bonnie, the ghost, the beloved spirit.

“Catherine?” Gallo had opened the connecting door, his gaze searching her expression. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” She glanced at her watch. “Sorry. I haven’t called Venable yet. But I can do it on the way to the airport.” She threw her suitcase on the bed and started tossing items of clothing into it. “This won’t take me long.”

He leaned against the doorjamb. “I asked if you were all right.”

She nodded jerkily. “That was Eve on the phone. She said she and Joe would see us in New Orleans.”

He went still. “You told her?”

“She said she wasn’t going to call the police.” She looked up from her packing. “She’s going to give us a chance. Though she still has her doubts.”

“I can imagine.”

Because he still had his own doubts and was fighting desperately to put them aside. Catherine had a few doubts herself, dammit, but she wouldn’t give up either faith or determination. If she was the only one driving this show, then so be it.

“Joe is on our side.” She fastened the suitcase. “Sort of. Maybe. I guess we take what we can get. When are our airline reservations?”

“In another three hours. I could have gotten a connection through Atlanta a little earlier, but it would have only been arriving an hour before the nonstop.”

“An hour isn’t going to make a difference.” She picked up her suitcase. “Let’s go.”

*   *   *

BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE nine hours. The entire Gulf Coast was fogged in, and their Delta flight had a six-hour delay. They didn’t arrive in New Orleans until close to noon. It was still damp and foggy when the plane landed at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, and the forecast was for more heavy fog later in the day.

“Where do we go from here?” Catherine asked as she retrieved her bag. “Where’s this casino? A high-rise off Bourbon Street or a riverboat on the river?”

“Neither, it’s outside the city. The Cadalon is across the Mississippi and has a very exclusive clientele of jet-setters and high rollers. We’ll register at the hotel as man and wife. We’ll use the Brookman name I used on the airline ticket.” He checked his watch. “It’s a little early for play, but in a few hours the casino should be humming. We should wait until after midnight to make a play. Though probably Jacobs is at the tables right now. He’s going to be very focused.”

“You should know a lot about casinos. You made a great deal of money from them, didn’t you?”

He nodded. “I taught myself card counting in prison. It’s the most valuable lesson I learned in that rathole.”

“It’s going to be difficult extricating him from a crowded casino. Have you thought about a plan for taking him?”

“A tentative plan.” He smiled as he opened the door for her. “But I’m sure that you have one that’s not at all tentative. You were very quiet on the plane.”

She shrugged. “Simplicity is best. We find out in what room he’s playing. I go in and pretend to greet him. He falls unconscious, and we are very upset. He’s obviously ill, and we have to get him to a hospital. We take him away from the casino. End of scene.”

“Yes, very simple,” Gallo said dryly. “Up to the time that he falls unconscious. That might get a little complicated. One of your friend Hu Chang’s magic potions? Hypodermic?”

She nodded. “It will keep him out for at least twenty minutes. That should give us time to get him away from the casino.”

Gallo opened the passenger door of the rental car for her. “Unless the casino manager wants to handle his transfer to the hospital himself to prevent liability issues.”

“That’s why I allowed twenty minutes. Otherwise, we could have Jacobs out of there in seven. I’ve had Venable send me a dossier on the manager of the casino. I’ll study it and see how I can get around him.” She looked at him as she got into the car. “Or I’ll let you handle it. I’d judge you’re very good at manipulating people to suit yourself. I’ll do everything else. You get us out of that casino before Jacobs wakes up.”