and close my eyes to the monster. But I’m not allowed to do that because I have to tell the story. And now you don’t get to do it either because I brought you into this. You have to get to know him. I’ll try to make it as brief as possible.” She paused. “Varak grew up in the slums of Johannesburg and was the first of three children born to Marta Varak, a worker in a local clothing factory. His father was a soldier who deserted Marta after eight years, and she became a whore to support her children. She treated them all well enough, but she was besotted with Nils. She spoiled him rotten, and he might have been the reason her husband deserted her. Nils didn’t like the competition, and there’s no telling what he did to push his father out the door. There was no doubt he was the perfect sociopath and was as smart as he had to be in every category. He had temper tantrums until he learned it didn’t get him what he wanted, then he became devious. But he had all the signs of a psychopath from the time he was a toddler. There were rumors that were never proved that he killed small neighborhood animals. Then, when he was nine years old, his eleven-month-old baby sister suffocated in her crib when he was supposed to be taking care of her. It was said to be accidental. His mother said the poor boy was devastated even though he always complained about her crying. The only family member Nils got along with was his younger brother, Oscar, because he let Nils totally dominate him. When he was fifteen, he took Oscar with him to Venezuela when he joined a rebel group as a mercenary. But when Nils formed his own army two years later, Oscar took off and went back to Johannesburg. He was evidently tired of being his brother’s punching bag.” Jill paused a moment. “You know the rest. Varak has been building his reputation country by country and one massacre at a time. Only the massacres and the butchery kept getting worse and worse. Maldara was just the last in the line of his bloodbaths.”
Eve looked back at the skull. “I hope this is Varak. Somehow we have to put an end to him, Jill.”
Jill nodded, her gaze on the reconstruction. “You’re working very quickly, aren’t you? As I said, you’re on fire. But you said three days…”
“I said maybe three days, he’s going very fast.” She took another drink of water. “But it may slow down as I do the fill-in. I have to be very careful.”
Jill was studying her expression. “But you don’t believe it will slow down, do you?”
Eve didn’t answer for a moment. “No, sometimes a work just takes off and leaves me far behind. I can’t seem to do anything wrong. This could be one of them.”
“So how long?”
Eve shook her head. “I have no idea. Right now it’s a fever. But sometimes a fever breaks.” She finished her water. “And I won’t know if I don’t get back to work.”
“I’m dismissed?” Jill asked. “When am I allowed to disturb you again?”
Eve started to put on another depth marker.
“When?” Jill persisted. “Next on my list is a cup of beef soup. I have to keep you strong. Give in, and the interruption will go faster. Tell me when it will be convenient.”
Jill obviously wasn’t going to surrender, Eve thought resignedly. “Before I begin the final sculpting.”
Jill’s eyes widened. “Shit. You’re going to finish tonight.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you are, aren’t you?”
“Perhaps. More likely tomorrow.”
“I think…tonight.” Jill’s gaze went to the reconstruction. “What did you say about sometimes a work’s just taking off?” She murmured, “Maybe we’re not the only ones who are impatient…”
* * *
Asarti
1:40 A.M.
“You’re sure the kitchen entrance is the safest?” Joe asked as he went down the path after Gideon. “I’ve always found less obvious—”
“Have I been wrong yet?” Gideon interrupted. “Face it, I’ve been bloody perfect. After Nassem dropped us off down the road, I led us right past those sentries, didn’t I? You shouldn’t mess with perfection, Quinn.” He’d reached the kitchen alcove, and his fingers were racing over the security panel. “Particularly since I’m not at all sure that I’m not the only perfect thing about this venture.”
“Perfection is overrated,” Joe said. “It doesn’t leave room for innovation.” Yet he couldn’t argue that Gideon had fulfilled every need. He had