Blackwood had grey hair, blue eyes, and teeth as straight and as white as piano keys. His manicured hand lay on the tiger's back. He enjoyed the feeling of the soft black-and-gold fur and the taut muscles beneath the tiger's skin.
The phone rang, He punched a button and said, "I've been waiting for your call." "Sorry," a man said over the speaker. "I was hold ing off until we had better news."
"And do you have better news?" "No, sir. We haven't found her yet." "I'm very disappointed."
"We didn't expect her to abandon her camper in Salt Lake City after we fouled the engine. She didn't take a bus, train, or plane out of town. She didn't have enough cash to rent a car, and her credit cards were all cancelled. I suspect she's still in town some place."
"And I suspect you are wrong," Blackwood said coldly. The tiger tensed, feeling sparks of anger from his master's fingertips. "Did you search the camper?"
"Yes, sir. It was full of books and assorted junk, but we didn't find what you're looking for. If she has it, it's with her."
"She has it." Blackwood swept his blue eyes slowly around his study, taking in the huge hermetically sealed glass dioramas lining the walls. Each of them represented years of searching, a great deal of money and no small amount of risk. "And Wolfe?" he asked. "As far as we know he's still on the island. The Bishops took off this morning for the mainland, but Dr Wolfe wasn't with them. According to our source, they're picking up his niece and nephew."
"Ah, yes... The tragedy in the jungle. So, the chil dren are going to live with him?" "That's our understanding."
He was pleased to hear this. Raising two youngsters would certainly complicate things for Travis Wolfe. "Anything else?"
"Are you sending Butch out here to give us a hand?" "No. Butch is in the field on another assignment. He left yesterday and he'll be gone for some time."
"We could sure use some help here." "Just find the woman!" Blackwood terminated the call and looked down at his magnificent tiger. "Soon, Natasha," he whispered. "Very soon."