attention from her and gather any clues out there.” Joe turned at the door. “Newell, you stay here with Beth and Eve. I should be back in an hour or two.” He looked at Eve. “I’ll call you from the accident scene and let you know what’s happening.”
“You’d better.” She made a face. “I’m not all pleased at staying here and holding down the fort. I believe that position is vastly overrated.”
“But you’ll do it.” He glanced at Beth. “You have a reason to hold down this particular fort. Keep safe, Eve.” The door shut behind him, and he strode toward the car parked at the curb. He paused before he opened the driver’s door to look up and down the street.
Nothing.
Yet he was still uneasy even though he had no reason to be. There had been no sign that Drogan had been able to follow them to L.A. from the Seventeen Mile Drive. He had even checked the car for bugs before they left the Strip and found nothing. However, there were all kinds of devices available these days that weren’t detectable except with equally sophisticated equipment.
But Drogan had been very busy if he’d managed to kill both Gelber and Pierce in the span of such a short time. It wasn’t likely he’d have also been able to stake out Beth in Valencia.
Not likely. But possible.
He glanced back at the glowing windows of the house he’d just left as he backed out of the driveway. It appeared warm and cozy and safe. It would be okay, he told himself. Newell was there, and he would be on guard.
His cell phone rang as he drove toward the subdivision entrance.
Kendra.
“You persisted in telling us how busy you are, Kendra,” he said when he picked up the call. “But you seem to have plenty of time to harass us.”
“What a treasure is gratitude,” Kendra said sarcastically. “And you don’t know anything about harassment. It’s an art form. I’ll have to teach you someday.”
“I am grateful,” Joe said quietly. “And Eve is even more grateful than I am. But she wants to keep you out of this. Things are a bit dicey.”
“You mean like Pierce’s ending up smashed into a telephone pole?”
“You saw the news story.”
“Why else would I be calling you? It’s all over the news channels. Look, I know how Eve feels, and I’ve been trying to respect it. On the surface, Pierce’s getting killed could actually seem to make it safer for Beth and Eve. If you tell me that’s true, then I’ll reconsider my plans.”
“What plans?” he asked warily.
She ignored the question. “Is the fact that Pierce bought it going to make Drogan less of a danger to you?”
She wasn’t going to give up until she had the answer. What the hell. Talk to her. That uneasiness was still with him, and he wanted to surround Eve and Beth with every barrier he could find. Kendra could be one hell of a valuable barrier. “No, someone else has entered into the mix.”
“Nelda Avery. Rick Avery. Which one?” Kendra asked. “I was wondering whether they’d come out of their golden shells and take over the action. Pierce seems to have been a royal screwup.”
“I think Nelda Avery is tired of hiding in the shadows and paying hush money. She wants a new deck and is determined to get it. But the stakes are very high for her as well as her son.” He paused. “She committed the murder that started all this business rolling.”
Kendra gave a low whistle. “Yeah, that would give her a giant stake. Should I know anything else before I get there?”
“You’re coming here?”
“I’m on my way. I just got on the San Diego Freeway. Where am I going?”
He chuckled. “Yes, that would be a good thing to know. Valencia. You know that Eve’s not going to be pleased with either one of us.”
“She’ll get over it. Are you going to the site of Pierce’s smashup?”
“I just left the house. I thought I’d see if I could find out anything from examining the wreckage.”
“I’d have a better chance. But I can go to the impound lot later and take a look if you don’t see anything.”
“Which you don’t think I will?” he asked dryly, with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. Kendra was moving with her usual full head of steam. “I’ll try to prove you wrong. How soon will you be here?”
“About an hour, maybe less. Keep me informed.”
“Why, Kendra? Why are you being so determined