Silencing Eve

going to set off those explosions until after Zander is executed.” She moistened her lips. “And Zander isn’t going to be killed until Doane kills Eve. He wants him to see Eve die. It’s all connected.”
    “Yeah, let’s see, we find out where the nukes are stashed here in Chicago and have them disabled,” Caleb’s lips twisted. “Then we follow Harriet when she heads for Seattle and joins Doane. We rescue Eve, kill the bad guys, then have the nukes in Seattle disabled. Piece of cake.”
    “I know it’s a nightmare.” And his listing of those nightmare elements was causing her desperation to soar. “You can opt out, Caleb,” Jane said. “I’ve told you that before.”
    “Same answer,” he said shortly. “But somebody had to outline the problems. Trevor is ready to leap tall buildings with a single bound for you. Well, I’m not Superman, but I’m damn good, and I have a few talents he lacks. There’s a job to be done, and I’ll do it.” He smiled recklessly as he glanced at Trevor. “I’ll even work with you to do it.” He looked down at the photos on Margaret’s phone. “Two very famous clocks here in Chicago. Which one do we try first?”
    “Neither one,” Margaret said. “I’m heading for Wrigley Field right after breakfast to check out that clock at the stadium. You tend to Harriet Weber and let me do the advance work.”
    “Advance work?” Trevor’s brows rose. “And that is?”
    “Rats,” Margaret said flatly. “I took a look at that clock. It’s in the scoreboard and maintenance has to be done on the scoreboard and the clock. That means that there are places inside where a device could be placed. I don’t think it would take that much space.”
    “Rats,” Trevor prompted.
    “There are rats everywhere,” Margaret said. “Particularly around the rivers and lakes. Rats are always hungry and looking for food. They don’t care what it is and will try anything.”
    “Even a nuclear cocktail?” Caleb asked.
    “Anything,” Margaret repeated. “And they may remember the taste, or the death of another rat from ingesting, or location. If there were human food scraps in the area where the device was planted, it would be particularly memorable.”
    “You mean if Kevin dropped a few bites of a McDonald’s Big Mac when he was planting the bomb, it might be a giveaway?” Jane asked. “That was over five years ago, Margaret. How long do rats live?”
    “Wild rats can live from five to seven years.” She shrugged. “I’m not hoping for that kind of contact. But you can never tell. Rats tend to breed in the same area if food is readily available, and a baseball stadium and an office complex have that advantage. There might be places in either that they use as a pathway or—”
    “And you expect to be able to pin those rats down to a location?” Trevor said skeptically.
    “Possibly. It’s worth a shot. At least, I won’t attract much attention the way you would. Both you and Caleb are very memorable. People generally sort of take me for granted.” She made a face. “As for the rest, no promises. Rats aren’t really reliable.”
    “Pity,” Caleb murmured. “If they were, I think you might pull it off.”
    “Really?” Margaret tilted her head. “You mean it?”
    “You’re remarkable,” Caleb said. “Annoying but definitely remarkable. And Jane told us about the way you charmed that wolf in the mountains.”
    “You don’t charm wolves; you accept them and hope they accept—”
    The machine on the table by the balcony doors pinged softly.
    “Our Harriet’s moving.” Caleb rose swiftly to his feet. “It may take her a while to shower and dress, but I’m not going to take a chance. I’ll go down and watch the suite until she takes off to meet Cartland.” He glanced at Jane. “Stay here. The last thing we want is for Harriet to see you. I’ll call you when she’s left the hotel.”
    The next moment the door closed behind him.
    Stay here?
    Jane got to her feet. She did not want to stay here. She wanted to be on the move, part of the action. But there was no doubt it was the sensible thing to do. At least, she was here in the same hotel as Harriet, close to the action and not parked “safely” a block away.
    “Jane,” Trevor said.
    “I know, I know. I’ll do what’s smart and discreet.” She turned to Margaret. “Okay. But I’ll go with you to Wrigley Field. Maybe I can do something to—”
    “Perhaps we’d do better to stay here and