said, and that stuck out in living color. He was very tentative, but he didn’t really deny it. I might have been too woozy to figure out the whys and wherefores, but the fact that it was intentional became crystal clear as I thought about it. Evidently someone believed they had reason not to want me here. Zahra?”
“I’m not…sure. I knew Zahra wouldn’t want you here, but I didn’t believe she’d feel strongly enough to actually strike out at you. She just wants control of Robaku. She’s very careful of her image, and there’s no way she’d want even a suspicion touching her.”
“Yet Zahra Kiyani was in my hospital room this afternoon expressing her sympathy and her opinion that I should get the hell out of Dodge. Diplomatically, of course. Well, as diplomatically as she was capable of. But I was having trouble appreciating anything but the fact that she’d come running when there was a chance to get rid of me.” Now Eve was having trouble suppressing her anger. “I was so sick, and I was told I could have died. When I woke up, the entire world seemed only to want to get rid of me. It pissed me off, and I didn’t even know then that it had been a deliberate attempt. Then I got Gideon’s ‘distractions’ laid on me and his irritation that you weren’t behaving as everyone wanted you to.” She glared at Jill. “That about topped off my day. If you hadn’t come tonight, I was going to go after you. I’m mad as hell. I want answers, Jill.”
“That’s why I’m here.” She looked for a place to sit down, saw only the cot across the room. She shrugged, dropped to the floor, and crossed her legs tailor-fashion. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. There are still things I don’t know, but you’ll know what I know.”
“How refreshing. You’re not denying that someone tried to kill me?”
“I’m not denying it could have happened. But Novak said that the poisoning was done by an expert, and you weren’t meant to die. The mushrooms were blended with an additive from Egypt that altered the toxicity. They just meant to discourage you, just like they did me. It was meant to make you a little ill to encourage you to leave. That’s the only reason why I think there was even a possibility that Zahra might have anything to do with it. This was more of a threat than an attempt on your life. She’d use every threat before she’d endanger her position.”
“That threat was very painful. I thought I was dying. I couldn’t tell the difference at the time.” Eve went on to the next item on her agenda. “Novak. Jed Novak is the name of the CIA operative you gave me to reassure Joe. Gideon said he didn’t think Novak would let you talk to me. Do you work for the CIA?”
“No.” She grimaced. “Though Novak did do his best to keep me from coming here tonight. I told him I couldn’t do anything else, and we’d have to make other plans if you blew up. I’ve only known Novak since I came here to Maldara, but I’d heard enough about him to reach out when I needed him.”
“One of your friends in high places?”
“Novak operates on both levels. That’s why he’s so valuable.” She added wearily, “He’s gone to a lot of trouble and expense to set up the switch. He’s got a right to be angry with me. But I’m not like him, and I can’t go by his rules. Please believe me. I knew there might be some danger to you, but I thought we could get you out of here before it—”
“Became fatal?” Eve interrupted. “You’re not making your position any more sympathetic. And you’re certainly not making this situation less muddled. Now, I’m going to ask you questions, and you’re going to answer me clearly and concisely.”
“Whatever you say,” Jill said quietly.
“You said that doing these reconstructions was important to you, but that’s not the real reason why you put all your time and effort into luring me here. What was that reason?”
“I needed the best forensic sculptor in the world to come here to Maldara. I had a job that had to be done by the very best.”
“What job? Not the children?”
She shook her head. “But I knew that would bring you. I hoped that once you were here, I could persuade you to do the other