The Perfect Witness (24 page)

“And they’d be right.”

“Not if McKeller caught sight of them before they loosed their missile.” He was kneeling on the road examining the swerving tracks on the dirt road. “Not if he jumped out on one of those curves. It looks like no one in the SUV was in control for several yards along this stretch.”

Hope. Please let it be true.

“Then where is he?”

“I’ve no idea. But, judging by the distance McKeller traveled on the road before the explosion, Kobu must have sent a team of men to follow McKeller even before we went out on the lake. We’ve just got to hope that Kobu believed the report he received that McKeller was dead and didn’t try to take him captive.” He added bitterly, “Kobu knows how much Praland loves to toy with prisoners. He might think that he’d be excused for not bringing him bigger game.”

She remembered Kobu’s frantic expression as he’d been running toward them. “He seemed desperate.”

“I’m sure he is.” He was moving toward the side of the road. “Stay close. I’ll cover this side of the road and— Allie!”

“It’s quicker if we split up.” She was already moving to the other side of the steep incline on the opposite side of the road. “Even if he didn’t die in that explosion, we don’t how badly he could be hurt. Maybe they shot him before…” She trailed off as she slipped and slid down the incline. “I’ll call out if I see him.”

She could almost feel Mandak’s impatience and exasperation. Too bad.

Couldn’t he see that she had to do it?

If there was the slightest chance McKeller was alive, she had to move fast, they had to find him.

No more deaths.

But she could see no sign of life. No crumpled body, no McKeller struggling to crawl up the incline. She moved toward the edge of the jungle.

Nothing there either.

“Allie!”

“Here!” she answered Mandak. “Did you find him?”

“No, get up here, dammit.”

“I’m going back to where the road curves. There’s so much deep shrubbery and palms down here, he could be anywhere.”

Not in the inferno in that SUV, she prayed. Let him have had his chance. Let her find him.

But even if he was hurt, he might be able to hear her.

“McKeller!”

Nothing.

No sound.

“I’m on my way down,” Mandak called. “I’ve checked out the other side of the road and incline. He has to be on this side or nowhere.”

She paid no attention, as she tore through the palms. “McKeller!”

No answer.

Or was there?

She stopped to listen.

Nothing.

But there had been a sound, she
knew
it.

And it came again.

Low, more like a grunt than a call for help.

Where …

To the left, up closer to the road, where the grass was high and thick.

“McKeller!” She tore up the incline, pushing through the tall grass. “We’re here. We’re coming. Let me—”

Then she saw him.

Blood. McKeller’s face was bruised and bloody. His clothes were almost torn from his body from the sharpness of the rocks and the edge of the high grasses. His shoulder was twisted at an odd angle. His eyes were closed and they didn’t open as she ran forward to drop to her knees beside him.

“No,” she said fiercely. “Open your eyes, McKeller. I heard you. I know I heard you. You’re not going to die. Do you hear me? It’s not going to happen.”

“Allie.” Mandak was suddenly there, dropping down beside her. “Easy. Let me take a look at him.”

“I heard him, Mandak. That’s what brought me here. He’s going to be—”

McKeller’s eyes were slowly opening. They focused on Mandak. “Missile…”

“I know.” He was examining the wound on McKeller’s temple. “You jumped?”

“It seemed to be the thing to do.” McKeller’s gaze went to Allie. “I … heard you calling. I don’t think I was even conscious. But you seemed to want so badly … for me to answer.”

She nodded. “I had to find you.” She turned to Mandak. “We have to get him out of here. What if Kobu’s men come back? Can we move him to the helicopter?”

“It appears we’re going to do it whether we should or not.” He looked at McKeller. “I’m going to try to cause you as little pain as possible. I think your arm is broken and it may be out of the socket. You probably have a concussion. We’ll take care of all of that when we can. But we’ve got to get you out of here.” His hand went to McKeller’s neck. “It’ll just be a little twinge…”

“I don’t know what—” McKeller’s head slumped to one side. He was unconscious.

“I’ll need you to help, Allie.” Mandak was already levering, lifting McKeller’s limp body. “I want to damage him as little as possible, so I have to bear most of the weight of this broken arm and shoulder on this side of his body. Get on the other side and support him. It’s going to be a hell of a job getting him up this incline.”

She was already on McKeller’s other side, draping his arm over her shoulders. Limp. Very heavy. And Mandak was bearing most of his weight. “I can help more. Let me do it.”

“Too late.” He was dragging McKeller up the incline. “I don’t want to readjust. Just keep up with me.”

And that was more than enough challenge, she found. She had to keep her footing and try to bear what weight Mandak would allow her. It took fifteen minutes to get up to the level road and another twenty to reach the helicopter.

She was panting as she helped him arrange McKeller in the rear seat and fasten the seat belt. She shuddered as she looked at that crooked, broken shoulder. “That’s going to be agonizing. How long will he be out?”

“Probably not long enough.” He was getting into the pilot’s seat. “I can’t take him back to the embassy. He’s a target now. We just have to keep Praland thinking that Kobu managed to take him out.”

She fastened her seat belt. “So where do we take him?”

“Sargol, it’s a village on the coast where Renata has set up a clinic.”

“Safe?”

“Yes. It’s handled entirely by the family. We had to have a place in this country that would be safe from Praland.” His lips thinned. “There’s been a need in the last nine years. That’s where we took those children we rescued.”

“But McKeller will wake up before we get there?”

“Yes. At least thirty or forty minutes before we get to the village.” He lifted off. “Nothing I can do about it. I couldn’t take a chance on putting him out any longer. I can’t be certain he doesn’t have a concussion.”

“You did what you could.” She leaned back in the seat, trying to ward off the sudden exhaustion. “They didn’t kill him. That’s all that’s important. He’s alive. We’ll make sure he stays alive.”

“And you did more than your part to guarantee that, Allie.” He asked quietly, “Can you rest and trust me to make sure of that from now on? You know I can make all this go away for you.”

“No, don’t you dare do that!” He didn’t understand. Death was all around them. She couldn’t let go until at least McKeller was safe.

Or maybe he did understand. Because he turned away and looked straight ahead. “I’m familiar with every corner of that mind of yours. It’s going to be very painful for you when you see how much McKeller is going to suffer. If you change your mind, let me know.”

“I won’t change my mind.”

“I know,” he said grimly as he turned east toward the coast. “That would be too much to expect. And that only means I’ll have to watch both of you going through hell.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

WHEN THEY LANDED AT SARGOL,
four techs with a gurney ran out to the helicopter pad the minute it touched down.

“Get him to surgery.” Mandak jumped out of the helicopter and ran around to where they were trying to gently get McKeller out of the seat. “Is Megan here?”

“She’s on her way. She’s in surgery,” one of the techs said. “She had a gunshot wound to—”

McKeller screamed.

“You’re hurting him.” Allie was out of the helicopter, her eyes blazing. “Be careful. Can’t you see that his shoulder is—”

“They see,” Mandak said. “He’s safe now, Allie. They know what they’re doing. You can let him go.”

“They
hurt
him.” He was in such terrible pain. He’d been moaning and gasping for the last thirty minutes. And every minute had been a burning wound for Allie. And now he was still in agony. “How can I be sure that they know what they’re doing?”

“Because I say they do.” A woman in surgical blues was walking toward her. “I chose every one of these techs and watched their training.” She turned and motioned for the techs to take McKeller into the clinic. “Take X-rays, then get him ready for surgery. Give him a shot of morphine for the pain.” She turned back to Allie. “I’m Dr. Megan Blair; I’ll be taking care of the patient.” She looked at Mandak. “How was he injured, Mandak?”

“He jumped out of a speeding SUV and rolled down a steep incline. He was out when Allie found him. I thought maybe a concussion beside the obvious injury. I had to transport him immediately, and I couldn’t be careful.”

“That’s par for the course with most of the patients I get here,” she said wearily. She turned back to Allie. “He was unconscious?”

“No, I heard him. I know I heard him.”

Mandak shrugged. “Possible. I didn’t hear him. Or it could have been something else. She wanted to find him very much.” He smiled faintly. “Even McKeller said he felt as if he had to answer her.”

“What difference does it make?” Allie asked. “He’s here, and you have to make him better. He has to live, Dr. Blair.”

“Megan.” Her eyes narrowed on Allie’s face. “Both you and Mandak look as if you’ve gone through a war. How do you feel, Allie?”

“I’m fine. Just fine. It’s McKeller you have to worry about.”

Megan smiled gently. “Then I’d better go do my job, hadn’t I? I’m a very good doctor, Allie. You can trust me. I’ll let you know as soon as I make my examination. He means a great deal to you?”

“He can’t die. I won’t have him die, too.”

Megan’s expression changed to thoughtfulness as she studied Allie. She glanced at Mandak. “I’ll be busy with your friend McKeller. I believe I’ll have to leave everything else in your hands.”

He nodded. “I’ll need ammunition. Get that examination to me right away.”

She nodded. “You can wait in my office. I won’t be needing it while I’m in surgery.” She turned and hurried across the grounds after the techs.

“I think she’ll help him.” Allie’s gaze followed Megan until she disappeared into the clinic. “She seems … kind.” She rubbed her temple. “But I guess that doesn’t matter. How good is she, Mandak?”

“Very good. A fine surgeon, and she never gives up. She could practice anywhere in the world, but Renata convinced her to stay here.”

“Is she one of the Devanez family?”

“Yes, though she didn’t realize it until she was already a practicing MD.” He took her elbow and guided her toward the clinic. “Come on. We’ll go to Megan’s office to wait.”

“She said she’d be quick.”

“And she will.”

“He was hurting so terribly.”

“He’ll have had his pain shot by now. She wouldn’t allow the X-rays without it.”

He opened the door of the clinic, then an oak door immediately to the left. “Sit down.” He pushed her into a brown leather chair against the wall. “I’ll get you a cup of coffee. Megan always keeps a pot brewing.”

She shook her head.

“Okay.” He sat down beside her. “Then we’ll just wait.”

She sat very straight, her spine rigid.

Don’t let go.

Five minutes passed.

Ten.

Fifteen.

Megan suddenly popped her head into the office. “No serious damage. Minor concussion. Broken arm and shoulder. But I can put him back together, and he’ll only have a few aches when it rains.” She looked meaningfully at Mandak. “Now I have to get into surgery. Do your job. I don’t want to face another problem when I come out.” She smiled at Megan. “McKeller will be fine. I promise.” The door closed behind her.

Allie breathed a profound sigh of relief. “Thank God.”

“Yes,” he answered. “And Allie Girard.” He smiled. “And Megan, who has just sternly reminded me of my duty.”

“What duty?” She looked at him in alarm. “She said that McKeller is going to be fine. Wasn’t that—”

“My job isn’t McKeller,” he interrupted. “She’ll take care of him. She’s worried about you.”

“She shouldn’t be worried about me. I’m fine. I told her I was fine.”

“But she’s a good doctor and excellent at seeing through bullshit.” His lips thinned. “You’re sitting there so straight, you look as if you have a poker in your back. You’re exhausted. You’re torn apart. And you killed your first man today. But you won’t let go.”

“I’m fine.”

“Let go, Allie.”

“Shut up, Mandak.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the landscape print on the wall over his shoulder. Natalie had painted a landscape something like that a few years ago. Only her painting was much better.

Gates of Heaven.

The priest’s brains exploding, his body slumping to the side of the canoe.

“I’m not going to shut up.”

“Then I won’t listen to you.” Her breath was coming in short pants. Control it. She mustn’t lose control. If she did, she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to get it back. “I’m just going to sit here and wait until Megan gets McKeller out of surgery.”

“I can’t let you do that,” he said quietly. “I have to help you let go. Doctor’s orders.”

“Stop interfering.” Her gaze swung back to his face. “And don’t you play any of your tricks on me.”

“No tricks.” He reached out and pulled her to her feet. “I’m just going to help you give yourself permission to let yourself do what you won’t let me do. Talk to me.” He pulled her close, and his hand cupped the back of her neck. “For God’s sake,” he said roughly. “You feel as if you’re made of crystal that could break in a million pieces.”

“I won’t break.”

“No, you won’t. But you’re afraid that you will. That’s why you won’t let go.” His lips were pressed to her ear, and his words came with soft force. “But I watched you today, and I know what you are. You went through hell at Talboa, and God knows what hideous memories Kobu managed to stir in you. But you never quit. You kept with me all the way.” His lips brushed her temple. “No, you went past me.”