Dawn in Eclipse Bay (23 page)

“Guess I stepped in it back there,” Sean said.

“Yeah.”

“Sorry about that.”

Gabe braced a hand on the porch railing. “Not like it's a big secret.”

“Secrets like that are a little hard to keep here in Eclipse Bay. Especially when a Harte and a Madison are involved.”

“I know,” Gabe said.

Sean looked thoughtful. “Folks in town are sort of assuming that you're planning to marry her in order to get your hands on a piece of Harte Investments.”

“Dangerous things, assumptions.”

“You can say that again. I generally try to avoid them in my work, but once in a while I slip up.” Sean zipped his jacket and went down the steps. “I'll be in touch.”

A long time later Gabe awoke to the sound of rain on the roof. He knew at once that Lillian was not asleep.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“What's wrong?”

“I'm not sure.”

“I was afraid of this.” He levered himself up on one elbow and reached for her. “Are you upset because Sean Valentine guessed that we're sleeping together? Honey, this is a small town and we haven't exactly tried to hide.”

“It's not that.” She locked her hands behind her head and stared up into the shadows. “I mean, I'm not real thrilled with the fact that Sean and everyone else in town thinks you're trying to sucker me into marriage so that you can get your hands on a third of Harte Investments—”

“Valentine didn't say that. He just sort of observed that you and I are having an affair.”

“It's what he was thinking. But, to tell you the truth, I'm getting used to people thinking that.”

He wondered if that was a good thing. Did he want her thinking that their affair was fine just as it stood? “So, the gossip isn't what's keeping you awake?”

“No.”

“All right, why can't you sleep? The break-in?”

“Yes.”

He flattened his hand on her soft, warm belly. “There's nothing to worry about. I wired the mudroom door shut, remember? Besides, if the guy didn't find anything worth stealing the first time, he's not likely to come back.”

“I know.”

He did not like the disquiet that threaded her words.

“What is it?”

“Something like this happened to me in Portland.”

He stilled. “A break-in?”

“I discovered it when we went into town for the Montoya dinner. I got the feeling that someone had been inside my apartment.”

He sat up very fast. “Why the hell didn't you tell me? Did you call the cops?”

“No. There was no evidence. My door hadn't been forced open the way it was here. Nothing was missing.”

“You're sure?”

“Yes. I figured it was the cleaning people. I called them and I was right. A schedule mix-up. But there was a smear on the bedroom closet mirror and well—”

“Well, what?”

“I guess that after what happened tonight, I can't help wondering, that's all.”

“Remember what I said about the simple answer usually being the right one. Sounds like whoever cleaned your apartment left a smear. It happens. As long as there was no sign of forced entry or theft, I think we can assume that the break-in here had nothing to do with the cleaning day mix-up in Portland.”

“I'm sure you're right. Guess I'm just a little nervous after what happened, that's all. You know, what with one thing and another, I'm not getting a lot of painting done lately.”

He lay back against the pillows and gathered her against him. She snuggled close. He stroked her slowly, his hand gliding down her spine to the curve of her hip, letting himself enjoy the warmth and the sensual curves of her body.

“What you need is some artistic inspiration,” he whispered.

“You may be right.” She put an arm around him. “Unfortunately, it isn't always easy to find.”

He moved his hand on her again, savoring the shiver that went through her. Then he eased her onto her back and came down on top of her. “Luckily for you, I am prepared to give my all to art.”

Shortly before noon the next day, Lillian stood in the opening that separated the mudroom from the back hall and watched Gabe and the Willis brothers. The three men huddled around the broken lock with a solemn air. Their expressions were grave, their voices hushed and serious. A guy thing, she thought. You saw it whenever the male of the species was in the presence of a nonfunctioning piece of hardware or machinery.

“Looks like the work of an amateur.” Torrance Willis bent low to make a closer examination of the gouges in the door frame. “A real pro would have slipped right through this old lock without leaving a scratch. What d'ya say, Walt?”

Walter stooped to get a better look. “Yep. An amateur, all right.”

Lillian hid a grin. The Willis brothers were identical twins but in style and appearance they were opposites. With his completely shaved head, precisely pressed work clothes, and neat, mechanical movements, Walter always made her think of an efficient little robot. In contrast, Torrance was a genial slob. His long, straggly hair was cinched in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. His clothes were stained with what looked like several years' worth of oil, paint, grease, and some orange-red stuff that might have been pizza sauce.

“For what it's worth, Sean Valentine agrees with you.” Gabe studied the gouges. “Not that it tells us much.”

“If whoever broke in here is the same rat who hit Arizona on the head, I reckon he's long gone,” Walter said. “Be a damn fool to hang around Eclipse Bay now that the heat is on.”

“I hope you're right,” Gabe said. “But the important thing is to get something solid on this door. I don't want Lillian spending another night here with a busted lock.”

“No problem.” Torrance absently scratched the snake tattoo that slithered out from beneath the sleeve of his grimy work shirt. “After you called us this morning, we stopped off at the hardware store. Picked up just what we need. We'll have this fixed in no time.”

Walter selected some tools from a polished metal box. “Won't take long. We can fill in those gouge marks and paint 'em out for you, too.”

“That would be great,” Lillian said. “I really appreciate this. I know how busy you are with Dreamscape.”

“Rafe and Hannah would be the first to tell us to take care of this for you,” Walter said. “But I got to admit, they're keeping us real busy over there at the inn.”

“You got that right,” Torrance agreed. There was a groan of metal and wood as he leaned into the task of removing the broken lock. “Walt and me didn't even bother to bid on any of the work on the new wing of the institute. Knew we wouldn't have time.”

“Not that we was invited to bid, mind you.” Walter removed the new lock from its packaging. “Perry Decatur is runnin' things up there now. Doesn't like dealin' with local business if he can avoid it. Made it real clear he wanted to bring in out-of-town contractors. Said they were more
competitive
.”

“Like money's the most important aspect of a good job,” Torrance scoffed. “No respect for fine craftsmanship these days.”

“So you two didn't even get a slice of the project?” Gabe asked.

“Nope.” Walter positioned the new lock. “Not to say we don't get some work on the side from time to time. Lot of the folks employed up there are local. They know us. They call us when they got a plumbing problem or need a hot-water tank replaced. Those fancy out-of-town contractors aren't interested in the small jobs.”

“Claire Jensen mentioned that she had you take care of a clogged toilet for her,” Lillian said.

“Yep, she did, as a matter of fact.” Walter exchanged a meaningful look with Torrance. Both men smirked.

“What's the joke?” Gabe asked.

“Nothing much.” Torrance readied a drill. “Just that while Walt and me was in Claire's bathroom we couldn't help noticing that she had some birth control pills and a box of condoms under the bathroom sink.”

Lillian frowned. “Don't you think it's a little tacky to snoop in people's bathroom cupboards when they hire you to fix their plumbing?”

Walter had the grace to blush. “You're right. We shouldn't have said nothin' about it.”

“Why not?” Torrance said. “Not like it's news. That woman always did have what you'd call an active social life, even back in the old days. Remember how she used to sneak around with Larry Fulton?”

“Sure do,” Walter said. “The two of 'em used to crawl into the back of his dad's delivery van and go at it like a couple of bunnies.”

Lillian straightened in the doorway. “She ran around with Larry Fulton? But he's married.”

“This was back before he married Sheila Groves and took over his dad's grocery store,” Walter assured her.

“Way back when he was still in college. That sound right to you, Torrance?”

“Yep, sounds about right. Way I hear it, Claire hasn't changed much over the years.”

“I think that's enough gossip about Claire,” Gabe said.

He spoke quietly, but Walter and Torrance immediately changed the subject. Lillian smiled to herself. Everyone knew that whatever else you could say about the Madison men, they didn't kiss and tell. Apparently, they didn't listen to other masculine gossip about women either. That kind of old-fashioned chivalry was an extremely endearing trait in a man.

The following morning Arizona held her security briefing from her dimly lit hospital room. She certainly looked the part of the heroically wounded warrior, Lillian thought. The bandages around A.Z.'s head gave her a dashing air. It was clear from the glittering determination in her eyes that she was recovering rapidly.

Lillian was quite relieved to see Arizona looking so much better this morning. She and Gabe had received the phone call summoning them to A.Z.'s bedside half an hour ago, just as they were finishing breakfast.

The only other attendee present today was Photon from the Incandescent Body bakery. He stood in the corner, serene and silent in his strange robes and jewelry. His shaved head gleamed green in the light of a nearby monitor. Could have passed for a space alien, Lillian thought.

“Way I figure it,” Arizona said, “the institute spy followed me home because he spotted me taking my routine sector surveillance photos. I cover the whole town right out to the boundaries three mornings a week, you know. Check up on the institute daily, of course. I must have caught something on film that they didn't want anyone to see. When he saw his chance he knocked me out and stole my VPX 5000.”

“Don't worry about it, A.Z.,” Gabe said. “You can replace the camera and get back to your daily recon work in no time.”

“Forget the camera,” Arizona said. “Now that we know for sure that we're on to something, we've got to get inside.”

That sounded ominous, Lillian thought.

“Inside?” she repeated cautiously. “Inside what?”

“The new wing, of course. Listen up here.” Arizona's voice lowered. “Got no choice now. We need to get a firsthand look at whatever is going on in there. My guess is they've made the big move.”

Dread settled on Lillian. “Oh, I really don't think they've had time—”

“Probably brought 'em in with the HVAC equipment,” Arizona said.

“If that's the case,” Photon murmured, “whoever goes inside will have to search for a large freezer compartment somewhere in the new wing.”

“Right.” Arizona adjusted her position on the pillows, checked the door and then lowered her voice again, this time to a raspy whisper. She motioned with one hand. “Move in as close as you can. The institute probably has spies out there in the hall. Be easy enough to disguise them as orderlies or janitors.”

Lillian suppressed a sigh and obediently leaned over the bed. Gabe and Photon followed suit.

“We all know that they'll never let me or one of the Heralds step foot inside the institute.” Arizona gave Lillian and Gabe a meaningful look. “That leaves you two.”

Lillian gripped the bed rails. “Wait a second here, A.Z. We're not, uh, trained in this kind of work.”

“Don't worry, I'll give you a few pointers before you go in.”

“How do you plan to get us inside?” Gabe asked, looking interested.

Lillian frantically tried to get his attention but he pretended not to see her.

“I figure the Leaders of Tomorrow open-house event will give you both the perfect opportunity,” Arizona said. “Easy for you to get invites because one of you is a Harte and the other is a Madison. Perry Decatur and the folks who run the institute will fall all over themselves to get you there. You're both potential donors.”

Phonton nodded somberly. “An excellent plan.”

“Just might work, A.Z.,” Gabe said.

“But the new wing won't be open yet.” Lillian struggled to bring some common sense to the situation. “We won't be able to get in there.”

“Shouldn't be too hard,” Gabe said. “Everyone will be busy with the reception. Don't see why we can't slip out at some point and take a look at the area under construction.”

“It's settled then.” Arizona gave them a thumbs-up. “You two will go in the night of the open house.”

“What about a camera?” Lillian said quickly. “I don't have one and I doubt if Gabe has one either.”

“Could always get one of those little throwaway cameras they sell at the pier,” Gabe said helpfully.

“One of those gadgets won't do it,” Arizona said. “I'll give you my old VPX 4000. Fine piece of equipment. Lacks a few of the features of the 5000 but it'll get the job done. Remember, we need hard proof that they've stashed those frozen extraterrestrials in that new wing.”