Another Notch in the Beltway (21 page)

“To you or the sex?”

“Both, I believe.”

“At least you're honest.”

“Always.”

She sighed. “I suppose I should feel bad about having sex when there's a dead body in my kitchen.”

“Why? You didn't make him dead or even wish him thus.”

“I guess I'm numb about the entire thing.”

“Do you question everything you feel? Don't you ever just go with it?”

“I've been going with and doing it a lot lately.”

“Are you bored or complaining?”

“No, if I could block out all the noise and concentrate on what's good, I'd probably be dead from happiness.”

“Well now, we can't have that, can we? Guess that's why there's a balance,” MP joked.

“You know what I mean.”

“I do, love.” He kissed her nose.

“I do feel better. Some of the tension has left, and now I'm tired.”

“I'll hold you.”

She sighed and snuggled into him.

“What are we going to do, Gerald?” Byron all but whined.

“I've got someone going over to that John Irving's house. Hopefully, we'll beat the local cops. Can't imagine there's too many of them, and if they're processing Lenore's house that should take a while. She's got a big house—”

“How do you know?” Maxwell interrupted.

“Said a palatial estate in the tabloid, so I figured it was big.” Morris lied with ease, no telltale stumble or body language to give him away.

Byron looked at him and nodded, “It's big all right. Has a pool and a hot tub in the backyard, too.”

“She's done well for herself.”

Maxwell snorted.

“Anyway,” Morris started again, “I'm hoping they get in and get anything linking you to Lenore out of there.”

“It might be too late. That picture I got came from somewhere, and you can't seem to trace it. If it's Corrine, I'm sure she already has copies of everything, probably in triplicate.”

“I bet the guy panicked when Finnegan confronted him.”

“Yeah, but even I wouldn't have been stupid enough to try and get the bugs out with the housekeeper there, especially when she wouldn't let him in.”

“Panic does strange things to people, Byron.”

“But Lenore probably wouldn't have even suspected bugs. The Irving guy could have gone over there one day to pretend to apologize or to beg for a second chance and get the bugs then.”

“Is that what you would have done?”

“Don't know.”

“Anyhow, we owe Lenore big-time. She could have not told us or spilled all to the cops, but she didn't.”

“She doesn't want to be linked to me, nor does Nathan. Lenore would do anything to protect that boy.”

“Why do you find that odd? Most parents would go to any means to protect their child. Even you're taking the extra step to try and get Jake that bone marrow transplant he needs.”

“I suppose.”

“Anyhow, that was a lucky break—that and the fact that the cleaning woman killed him. He can't talk to anyone.”

“Is that woman legal? Can we get her deported?”

Morris gave him a give-me-a-break look. “She's legal. I checked her out when Lenore hired her four, five years ago.”

“Did you check out this John Irving guy?”

“I did, and there was nothing that stood out about him. I'm guessing someone enlisted his help after they figured out he and Lenore were dating.”

“Couldn't have lasted long.”

“Six, eight weeks I'd guess.”

“What about this Finnegan guy?”

“Seems fine. Moral, family man,” his friend said, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Something I'm not, you mean.”

Morris shrugged.

“So we'll wait and see what our guy comes up with?” Maxwell asked.

“That's all we can do for now, that and hope we get there before the cops.”

“All right, I need to go and deal with Jack.”

“Is he going to go through with the transplant even though it's not a true match?”

“Don't know. He said he'd think about it. He's worried about graft-versus-host disease. It's a complication that occurs after a stem cell or bone marrow transplant in which the newly transplanted material attacks the recipient's body.”

Good Lord, he sounded like he memorized that from a textbook, Morris thought.

“Yes, but only identical twins are near-perfect matches, so no matter who it was, there'd be a risk,” Morris said.

“But Nate is further off the perfect spectrum than I'd hoped.”

“Expecting a miracle, Byron? Even if Nate was yours and Corrine's, there'd only be a 35 percent chance of a match.”

“I thought I was due for one,” Maxwell said dejectedly.

Morris wanted to rail and make fun of him, but Maxwell was too pathetic, so he let it go.

“If Jack wants the procedure, you'll let Nathan meet with him?”

“I don't know that I have a choice.”

Morris found himself wishing that Jack would go to sleep and never wake up.

****

“
Mo chuisle
, it's your phone.” MP gently nudged Lenore awake and handed it to her.

Sleepy and bleary-eyed, she answered. It was Walker.

“I see.”

“Well, that's not good.”

“I bet,” she laughed. “Let me know if anything else develops.”

“Oh, and before you hang up, I have news from Nate, too.” She told him about the not-quite match that might have to do.

“Will do, thanks.”

“Talk about a wake-up call,” Lenore said. “Byron already received a picture of Nate, and Morris hasn't been able to trace the origin. E-mail was nothing but a photo.”

“To taunt him? To say we know about your other son?” MP asked.

“Most likely. Morris said he'd take care of it, and Connor, I'm sure, didn't want to know how. Nor do I for that matter.”

The following day, Lenore and MP were finishing room service breakfast when the call from the Yardley PD came.

Lenore looked less than happy as MP watched her. She got off the phone furious.

“That SOB put a bug in the kitchen. It was bad enough that there was one in the office. I told you all about my dealings with Byron in the kitchen and, and, well—we've had some pretty energetic sex there too.”

At that he had to laugh. “Yes, and it's a recipe I'd like to whip up again.”

Taken by surprise at his response and humor to the situation, she calmed herself a tad. “It was wonderful, wasn't it?” Her eyes were bright at the memory.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, kissing her lips lightly. “It was off-the-charts sensational. I'm sure JI or whoever was listening was more than jealous.”

“This is ridiculous, MP. What if somebody leaks the audio?”

“I'd be lying if I said I didn't care. But the fact is we're two, single, consenting adults who happen to love one another, and if we want to make love in the kitchen, it's no one's business but ours. Plus, what was done is illegal so if the tapes are leaked and the cops find out who, he or she will be in trouble with the law.”

“I'll be mortified.”

“You'll get over it. There is nothing wrong with having sex and enjoying yourself.”

“Hopefully, it won't leak.”

“So only the two rooms were bugged?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that's good. Now I can ravish you in any room of the house in private.”

“You can.” Grinning, she let him kiss her again.

“They found nothing in JI's house. So, either Morris got to it before the cops, or there was nothing there to find. Irving could have had an office or worked in another location.”

“Don't think so. I don't see your gray man doing anything over the top.”

“But I'd never think he'd bug my house or stalk me either.”

“You have a point,” he conceded. “But I think someone approached him to do this. I don't think he was hired directly by the person who wanted information. I think there was a third party.”

“I know you do. But who wanted the information? Most likely Corrine. I think she's every bit as resourceful as Gerald Morris. But the point is, we can go home.”

“I like the sound of that. Is the place still a mess? Do we need to deal with clean-up or anything?”

“Uh, I didn't even ask. We'll have to see when we get there. I should have thought to ask about reporters, too. Shit, what is wrong with me?”

“Not your everyday routine,
mo chuisle
. Cut yourself some slack. We can stay here another night or at least the day and go home in the middle of the night before they come back, if they do.”

Her cell was going off. “It's Nik. It must have hit the news somewhere. I'm sure she has news alerts set up on us, or her crazy partner does.”

“Don't tell her about Maxwell.”

“I'll play it by ear,” she said as she engaged the call.

“Are you and MP okay?”

“Nik, we're fine. We weren't even there. My housekeeper was. She killed him.”

“Poor woman, but good for her. Some crazy guy demands to get into your house and won't leave? Stabbing him is a good alternative to a gun.”

“Um, I suppose.”

“I already asked my partner if he hired the asshole. He says no, and I tend to believe him. I can tell when he's lying.”

“I think John Irving was stalking me, Nik.” She told her agent about him following her at the Mercer Museum.

“Good thing the MF is dead.”

“I hate to agree, but I guess so.”

“Although why did he insist upon getting into your house if you weren't there?”

The police must not have released all the information. Nikko didn't seem to know about the bugs.

“Don't know,” she replied.

“Probably to wait for you to come home. Ambush you and MP or something.”

“It's possible. I think he was a wacko. I checked him out but…” She let the sentence trail off.

“Yeah, lots of them. One is my partner.”

“I'm sorry, Nikko. Is that getting any better?” Nik had found out that there wasn't much she could do about the partnership agreement that Howard and Nolan had entered into, so the office was like the War of the Roses. She had her side and he had his.

“Doll, don't be sorry. Not your fault he turned out to be a prick. I hope Howie comes back to haunt him.”

“Me, too,” she said sincerely, knowing the chances of that were minimal.

“But if Howard were still around, he would have shown his face before now. So I know that won't happen. I wish he would, though. I miss him,” Nikko said.

“I know you do, honey,” Lenore said softly.

“Enough of my pity party. Are you okay? I mean, the guy you dated is dead, he was stalking—”

“Honest, I'm fine. It's unsettling, to say the least, on several levels, as you've mentioned, but I'll be all right.”

“Finnegan dealing?”

“Yeah, he is. I don't know what I'd do without him.” She turned and flashed him one of her brilliant smiles. He returned one in kind, dimples making an appearance.

She turned her back so she wouldn't lose her train of thought.

“At least the news articles didn't mention LaSandra Lacy and MP Finnegan. They did use your name, Lenore Held, and it only seems to have hit your local papers, the
Bucks County Courier Time
and the
Philly Inquirer
, probably on the local news, too.”

“Could be worse, I suppose. We had to leave my house overnight and didn't even think to look for it on the news. It was a crazy day yesterday.”

“I'm sure. I'll let you go.”

“Thanks for checking on us.”

“We are not national news, only Bucks County and Philly,” she told MP.

“Good, we should be able to go home. If we see news people camped out, we'll keep going.”

“Sounds like a plan. I miss being home.”

“I know you do, lass.”

She went to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you, Michael Patrick Finnegan.”

He grinned. Her spontaneous declaration pleased him.

“I love you, too, Lenore Held.”

She lifted her head for a kiss.

****

“Lenore, let me go in first and see what's what,” MP said as they began to enter the kitchen through the garage entrance.

“Sweetheart, I'll be fine. I'm a mom and have seen and done all kinds of gross and ugly. I'll hold it together.”

“I have no doubt.” He liked that she called him sweetheart. She didn't use many endearments, but when she did, he saved them up, each a cherished memory.

The house smelled medicinal and lemony. While she didn't care for the odor, the kitchen was not trashed nor the dark tile floor stained or damaged.

“It could have been so much worse, MP. He could have killed Maria or held her hostage and waited for us to come home and—”

He knew where she was going and cut her off. “I know,
a chuisle
, but he didn't. With that imagination and brain of yours, you'll have us scared out of our wits in no time,” he teased.

“You're right. I want to work on the book,” she said. “Normalcy.”

“Whatever the lady would like.”

“That will have to wait for later.”

He raised an eyebrow at her and grinned, a sinful grin that had mischief step-dancing in his eyes.

They settled in her office with hot chocolate, a plate of cookies, and a great deal of creative energy.

“As soon as the meeting's over, lass, he's going to lock the door and take her hard and fast,” Michael Patrick said.

“She's counting on it,” Lenore said, delighted.

Wicked woman had on black stockings and a garter belt but no underwear and she made sure he knew it. The secret was for him and only him. He had to avert his eyes from her or lose his train of thought. They were working on staging and lighting and needed to get it right.