Silencing Eve

not unusual to try to salvage what you can.”
    “He’s telling himself that he’s being perfectly logical. I’m not needed; therefore, I should stay out of the way.”
    “And it hurts.”
    “I need to find her,” she said. “I have to find her.” She drew a long breath and tried to pull herself together. “Kendra left. Did she tell you she was leaving?”
    “Yes, she tried to tell me that I should leave, too. That I wasn’t needed and could be a liability.” She smiled. “I told her that I was never a liability.” She raised her hand as Jane started to speak. “But you’re probably going to say the same things that Kendra said. That’s fine, but it’s not going to change anything. I’ll just have to convince you how valuable I am and that you can’t do without me.” She tilted her head. “You read the journal, didn’t you?”
    “Yes.” She shuddered. “It was terrible.”
    She nodded. “I read it, too. And I may have picked up some things that Kendra and you missed. We all look at life from different viewpoints, and with a man like Kevin, the horror of his actions sometimes blur the intent and the reason for what he did. That can be important.”
    “And it doesn’t blur it for you?”
    “Of course it does. But I virtually grew up in the forests. Nature is brimming with horror as well as joy. I learned to accept both and try to make them work to help me to survive.” She cast another glance at Joe. “He’s right about your not going immediately after Zander. But there may be other paths.”
    “What paths? Why didn’t you say something before this?”
    “It wasn’t the time. I was going to speak to Kendra as soon as this brouhaha was over.” She lifted her shoulders. “But now she’s gone. Logical to the end.”
    “And probably right.”
    “I’ve never argued about that. It was a joy to watch her work.” She chuckled. “And it was even more of a joy to watch her try to cope with the fact that I’m not at all logical and still manage not to screw things up.”
    “You’re sorry she’s gone.”
    She nodded. “You’re always sorry when a friend leaves. But it’s not as if it will be forever. I never let a friend be lost for long. They’re too rare, particularly when I work so hard to get them to accept me as I am.” She smiled. “Like you, Jane.”
    “It took a while,” she said dryly. She had first met Margaret at an experimental animal clinic on an island in the Caribbean. Jane’s dog, Toby, had been gravely ill, and no one could diagnose the cause. Until Margaret, a tech, had strode into the exam room full of love and empathy and that strange gift that allowed her to dive deep below the surface and decipher the dog’s “impressions.” Though it sounded to Jane that impressions meant memories. Anyway, she had diagnosed Toby’s illness as poisoning and, to Jane’s deep gratitude, had set him on the way to recovery. “And the circumstances aren’t always in place to display that it’s not the method but the result that matters.”
    “That’s true. That’s why I used the word ‘rare.’” She changed the subject. “Kendra made several copies of that journal. Did she give you one?”
    “Yes, and the original that I’m turning over to Joe.”
    Margaret’s gaze narrowed on her face. “And judging by how upset you are at Joe, I don’t think you’re going to stick around the cottage for long.”
    She shook her head. “I’m packing up and leaving the cottage tonight. I’ll check into an airport hotel. He’s heading for Vancouver sometime after midnight anyway, but I don’t want to be here to argue with him again.” She paused, then said unsteadily, “It hurts too much.”
    “And you’ll be traveling with Trevor and Caleb?”
    “I don’t know about Mark Trevor. I’ll have to ask Caleb to fly me to Canada.”
    “I know about Trevor. He’s crazy about you. He won’t let you out of his sight.” She tilted her head. “Caleb? I’ve never been able to read him. I don’t know what he’s thinking most of the time. But I keep trying because it could be either terrible or wonderful, and I wouldn’t want to miss it.” She turned away. “I’ll go change and get my suitcase. Be sure to bring that extra copy of the journal. I need to go through it again. Do you want to take me to the hotel, or are you going to make me show up on my own?”
    Jane stared at her with exasperation. “I never said you could come along with us,