Bonnie by Iris Johansen Page A

collapsed back in the chair and drew a shaky breath. She felt vulnerable and hot and bewildered. Those moments with Gallo had been explosive, and she had not come out well. She had responded, not been aggressive. She had not been in control. She should have asked him questions instead of trying to puzzle him out and being swayed by what he was clearly feeling.
    What she was feeling.
    Dammit, she’d have to go after him and make him—
    She heard the sound of a car starting outside.
    “No!” She jumped to her feet and ran out of the kitchen, down the hall, and threw open the front door.
    Gallo was already driving the car out of the driveway and toward the road.
    “Gallo!”
    He didn’t answer, and, the next moment, the car disappeared around the curve of the road.
    “Catherine?” Eve was behind her. “What’s wrong?”
    Catherine threw her arm out toward the road. “That’s what’s wrong. He’s gone. He took off.”
    “Gallo?” Joe said as he came out of the living room.
    “Who else? Did he say good-bye? Did he explain more than muttering a lot of disjointed garbage? No.” She went back to the kitchen, tossed the water from the pan out the door, and sat down. She glared at Eve and Joe, who had followed her from the front door. “But he’s not going to get away with it. I’m going to go after him.” She opened the first-aid kit she’d set out in readiness to bandage the cuts on her feet. “But first we’re going to find out everything we can put together about the man who killed Jacobs. Dammit, Jacobs was scared because he knew who killed Bonnie. I know it. If we’d had just a little more time, we’d have made him tell us everything. It had to be that man we lost in the bayou. We’re close, Eve.”
    “But Gallo may be closer.”
    “Not for long, dammit,” she said through clenched teeth.

CHAPTER
    4
    “LET ME HELP YOU WITH THOSE bandages.” Eve knelt by Catherine’s chair and lifted her foot. “Those cuts look more annoying than serious.” She used the antiseptic, then laid it down again. “Though you shouldn’t have run after Gallo. We have to cleanse them again.”
    “I can do this.” Catherine ran her fingers through her hair. “Everyone is treating me like an invalid. Gallo was—” She drew a deep breath. “Thanks, Eve. I’m a little upset.”
    She was more than a little upset, Eve thought. Catherine valued her professional coolness, and she was not displaying that quality at the moment. Who could blame her? Eve was upset as well. Joe’s accusations had been very disturbing. “Just what did Gallo say to you?”
    “I told you, no explanations.” She paused, watching Eve cleanse the cuts. “All he said is that he never meant me to be hurt. I believed him.”
    “I saw his face,” Joe said from where he stood in the doorway. “And he could have thrown that knife before he did. Why are you being so stubborn?”
    “Because I saw his face, too,” Catherine said. “Five minutes ago, when he told me that you were wrong and that he never meant me to be killed. I’ve got to go with what I think and feel.” She looked down at Eve. “But I believe Joe when he said that he could have thrown that knife before he did. Joe doesn’t make mistakes like that. And Gallo’s behavior is definitely suspect since he’s acting as weird as hell.” Her glance shifted to Joe. “We just have to figure out why he’s behaving like that.”
    “Give me a few minutes alone with him, and we won’t have to bother figuring out anything.”
    “We’d have to catch him to let you talk to him,” Eve said. “And maybe that’s why he took off. He didn’t want to cause any conflict.”
    “Really?” Joe’s tone was skeptical. “I’ve never noticed he’s particularly peace-loving.” But he was studying Eve’s expression. “Are you weighing in with Catherine on this?”
    “I’m trying to get to the bottom of what Gallo is up to. You can’t both be wrong. Since I trust both of you, there