Death's Door (36 page)

“You’re just sending out radio waves. With the right equipment, it isn’t difficult.”

“Wouldn’t they have to be nearby recording or something?” her mother asked.

“Not really. Technology these days is pretty amazing,” Paul replied. “They could amp the signal and pick it up miles away.”

“I was here about ten or fifteen minutes when Aspen began to bark,” Madison recalled.

“Coral Gables isn’t exactly next door to Palm Beach. That would give our guy time to get here. Could have been up the street, parked with his lights off.”

“You know, Mom, before you went to turn on the yard lights, I thought I saw something move in the bushes.”

Paul jumped to his feet. “I’ll have the guys see if there are any shoe prints in the soil.” He was out the door a second later.

“I’m terribly worried about you,” her mother said in a troubled voice. “I feel so helpless.”

She held her mother’s hand. “Please don’t worry. Just having you home makes a huge difference. I think if we get out the word that I am not Wyatt’s donor-conceived child, I’ll be safe. That doesn’t mean I don’t want this maniac caught, but at least I won’t be his target.”

“What makes you think it’s a man? Earlier you said Paul thought it might be a woman. A woman could have done this or any of the other killings.”

“Mom, if there’s one thing I’ve learned recently, it’s that I’m not sure of anything.”

I
T WAS ALMOST FOUR
in the morning when Paul drove Madison into the parking area behind the guesthouse. It was a tight fit with Aspen in the small space behind the sports car’s front seats. Paul didn’t mind. He’d do anything for Aspen. The dog had literally saved Madison’s life. Just like the bomb-sniffing German shepherds, the retriever had smelled something, but how he knew it was dangerous remained a mystery.

They’d spent hours at the station. Madison had been interviewed and Captain Callahan had been called in, even though it was late. He had to approve of Paul’s plan, which he did. Paul hadn’t expected any resistance. The guy was a publicity hound.

“Do you think they’ll find any prints on my car?” Madison asked. Her car had been taken to the yard for examination after the explosive device was removed.

He got out of the car and held his seat back so Aspen could jump out. “I doubt it. But the guy’s getting careless. Last time a neighbor called the police in time for us to realize Keith Brooks Smith had been murdered. Tonight he was tripped up by the smartest dog in the world.”

Madison was out of the car now. “We’d better let Aspen relieve himself. It’s been hours.” Aspen had stayed with them at the station; there hadn’t been time to take him out.

They skirted the guesthouse and walked along the beach trail the way they had on other nights. The sand glistened, the sea sparkled and the scent of gardenias hung in the air just as
before, but nothing was the same for Paul. A golf-ball-size lump formed in his throat and chest-swelling emotion welled up inside him. For a second he thought he might cry.

He’d come unbelievably close to losing Madison. Until now, he’d been running on pure adrenaline. Two nights without sleep and the knowledge that the person he loved the most could be taken away from him in a heartbeat shook him.

Madison released Aspen and the dog lumbered off and immediately lifted his leg on a bush. Paul pulled Madison into his arms. He didn’t kiss her; this wasn’t about sex. It was about love. He had an all-consuming need for her that he couldn’t control, let alone understand. It drove him to protect her, keep her safe at any cost.

“You can’t possibly know how much you mean to me,” he whispered, his lips against the hair covering her ear. “I almost lost you.”

Her arms were around him, hugging tight. “I’m sorry. I should have listened to you. Don’t be angry with me.”

He pulled back so he could see her face. She was always beautiful, but the moonlight gave her a dreamy glow. “I’m not angry. I was scared. Still am. I’ve got to get this bastard.”

“You think it’s a man?”

“Damned if I know. A woman could have put that device together.”

“What about the people with grudges against Wyatt?”

He shook his head. “The guy Trey and I went to see tonight, he’s one pissed-off nut. Claims the Xeria drug that launched Holbrook’s company had been his idea.”

“Is there any truth to his claim?”

“I don’t think so, but that doesn’t mean the guy couldn’t be delusional and believe it himself. He was just crazy enough for Trey and I to consider taking a closer look. Trouble is we were interviewing him when someone was attaching a bomb to your car.”

“Maybe it’s a team. A man and a woman.” Madison frowned. “Check to see if Savannah and Nathan have alibis. They were here at dinner. Wyatt and I went into the study to talk. I didn’t see them when I came out, but they could have still been around.”

“Do you suspect them?” He’d never really believed in women’s intuition, but he could be wrong.

“Not really, but Savannah doesn’t like me, and she’s not going to like me working with her father.”

“Come on, Aspen,” he called to the dog. “We’d better get to bed. We’ll need to get up early to speak with Wyatt before the press conference.”

His arm around her, they walked back to the house. He kept feeling he was missing something. A clue was eluding him.

S
OMETHING AWAKENED
Madison at seven. She was still in Paul’s arms. He’d been holding her all night. He was breathing lightly. For a moment she lay in the drowsy warmth of her bed and pretended last night had never happened.
Deal with it,
she told herself. She eased out of his grip and peered over the bed. Aspen was sleeping next to it.

Maybe it was just nerves, she thought as she got up and tiptoed into the bathroom. She was still jumpy and shell-shocked from last night. She went to the bathroom, slipped on her robe, then tiptoed down the hall to use the kitchen phone. She wanted to be sure Wyatt didn’t leave for the office before they could talk to him. She left the message with Tobias, who always arrived promptly at seven to have breakfast with Wyatt. The chauffeur drove the men to the office.

Aspen was at the French doors, tail wagging, expecting to go out. After last night, she didn’t dare go out alone with him.
He’s one smart dog,
she told herself.
Let him go on his own
. She opened the door and Aspen ambled out. He waited, expecting her to come with him the way she usually did.

“Don’t even
think
about going out there.” Paul’s voice came from behind her.

She turned, startled to see him. He slept without clothes and even though she’d seen him nude many times, there was something heart-stoppingly masculine about him. Only the red pocked bullet scar on his thigh marred the perfection. Actually, it didn’t, she decided. It made him seem more worldly.

His sex hung heavily between those powerful thighs. Her throat constricted as she realized she wanted to make love to him. Now wasn’t the time, she told herself.

“I wasn’t going out. I think Aspen’s smart enough to go on his own and come back. Don’t you?”

“You bet.”

“Go on,” she told Aspen. “I’ll pick up after you later.”

As if he understood, Aspen trotted away, his tail in the air like a golden plume.

“I called Tobias and told him that we needed to talk to Wyatt. We’re supposed to be there at eight.”

“We’d better get in the shower. It’s after seven.”

“Should I leave the door open for Aspen?” she asked.

“No. Lock it. He’s a smart boy. He’ll be waiting when we get out of the shower.”

Paul’s cell phone rang and he sprinted into the bedroom to grab it off the nightstand. While he answered, she headed into the bathroom.

“It’s my father,” he called to her. “I have to call him back from a landline.”

“Okay, I’m in the shower.” She turned on the water and stepped in.

A few moments later he joined her. “My father located another of Wyatt’s donor-conceived children. Right here in Miami.”

“How?” She shampooed her hair.

“Off a Web site where donor offspring can search for
siblings. The registry had posted Wyatt’s donor number. I should say numbers, since the clinic used more than one. A woman living in Delray Beach logged on last night, asking if she had siblings.”

“So she doesn’t know about Wyatt?”

“Not yet.” Paul was so tall he had to hunch over to get his head wet. “Don’t mention this to anyone. My father phoned the police and they contacted the Web site. Her profile has been taken off. An officer is on his way to see her to warn the woman.”

“How many other children do you think could be out there?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s an unregulated industry. You’re not supposed to have more than twelve siblings, but—get this—one man sired sixty-six. It’s like the Wild West. No one’s watching over these people.”

She closed her eyes and rinsed the suds out of her hair. When she opened them, Paul was staring at her. The heartrending tenderness in his gaze surprised her the way it had last night out on the beach. The look did ridiculous things to her pulse.

“You’re gorgeous even wet, without clothes or makeup.”

“You’re just saying that.” She pointed at his erection. “I know what you want.”

“Hey, I was too tired last night. Let me make it up to you now.”

She shuddered as he cradled her face with his hands and sighed as his lips hovered over hers.

M
ADISON WALKED
beside Paul into Wyatt’s home office, where Tobias and Wyatt were waiting for them. They sat down and Tobias poured them coffee from the carafe on the sideboard. She hoped the episode in the shower didn’t show on her face. Her body was still aching with pleasure, every nerve ending tingling.

“I have some news,” Madison said, accepting the cup from Tobias but directing her comments to Wyatt. “I’m sorry to tell you this after all you’ve done for me. It doesn’t seem fair, but…” She didn’t know how to tell him. Wyatt had gone out of his way for her and now she couldn’t do anything for him.

“What isn’t fair?” asked Wyatt, a concerned look on his face.

“I wish I could help you, but I can’t. My mother came home last night. I was not donor-conceived. My mother went to the clinic. That’s why her name is in the records. But she became pregnant. She sold her place to another woman.”

“Oh, no,” Tobias said.

“Do you know her name?” Wyatt asked.

“No. My mother might.”

“I’ll see what I can do to check it out,” Paul offered.

“I’m really sorry. I’ll still take the tests in case I can donate, but since I’m not a blood relative, it’s doubtful,” Madison said.

There was regret in Wyatt’s half smile. “You know, sometimes we talk ourselves into things. I thought I saw something of myself in you. I really believed you were my child.”

“You did?” She was unexpectedly touched. Wyatt didn’t seem to be that close to his own daughter, yet something about Madison had struck a chord with him.

“This doesn’t have to change our relationship,” Wyatt assured her. “Stay in the guesthouse until things are sorted out.”

“There’s more,” Paul said. “Last night someone put an explosive device under Madison’s car.” He went on to give them the details.

“I’m so sorry,” Wyatt said to Madison, a quaver in his voice. “I don’t know what to say. I never meant—”

“I know you didn’t,” Madison assured him.

“This killer is really deranged,” Tobias said, “and cowardly. Why kill innocent people?”

“He or she,” Paul responded, “gets a sadistic thrill out of watching Wyatt’s hopes for a prolonged life literally die.”

There was silence in the room for a moment. Somewhere in the distance a telephone rang.

“Here’s what was decided at police headquarters last night,” Paul told them. Madison already knew what he was going to say. “Captain Callahan is going to give a news conference. Your name hasn’t been associated with the deaths of Erin Wycoff and Keith Brooks Smith. Now it will be. He’ll also mention the possibility that the deaths in Boston are linked. Expect reporters and media attention.”

“I’ll call for extra security,” Tobias said. “We won’t let them in the building.”

“My father is already sending eight guys,” Paul said. “Just tell them what to do.”

“Maybe we should put another man on here,” Wyatt said.

“There is an upside to this publicity,” Madison said quietly. “Your donor number will be everywhere. You may find a match.”

“Or I’ll get more innocent people killed,” Wyatt said bitterly.

“A
RE YOU UPSET
?” Mike Tanner asked Madison as they walked out of the lawyer’s office toward his black SUV. Paul wasn’t trusting anyone but his father to guard Madison until the danger had passed. That should be tomorrow, after the press conference and the media had a chance to get out the story.

“I’m a little surprised but not angry or upset.” She looked at Mike and thought how handsome Paul would be when he was older. “I guess they plea-bargain all the time.”

When they’d arrived at the lawyer’s office, the attorney had told them that Chloe Larsen agreed to a deal. She gave up names of several ID theft rings to which she’d sold personal identification information. She was going to refund the money to Madison and enroll in a gambling addiction program. In
return, the district attorney agreed to allow Chloe to plead guilty to a much lesser charge that might result in little or no jail time.

“The D.A. plea-bargains every day. Saves them the cost of a trial, and sometimes it’s for the best.”

“Why did the FBI sign off on the deal?”

“They’re going after the rings Chloe gave up. They’ll shut down a dozen or more people. Unfortunately, that’s just a drop in the bucket. ID crooks are everywhere.” He opened the door of the SUV for her.

Interesting,
Madison thought as she climbed in. Mike let Paul drive that racy Porsche when he could have given him the SUV. He must really love his son. With a surge of guilt, she realized she talked constantly about herself. She’d asked Paul very little. He had mentioned, when she’d been discussing her mother, that his mother had left them when he was very young. Tonight she was finding out more.

They drove toward Total Trivia in silence. That was a difference between Paul and his father. Mike Tanner seemed not to like her. Perhaps she was imagining things, since she’d only met him this morning when he’d shown up after their talk with Wyatt to escort her to the attorney’s office.

“May I turn on the radio?” she asked. “It’s about time for the press conference. Maybe it’ll be on the news station.”

“Good idea.”

Back at her office, Madison packed her things. A few minutes later, she glanced up to see Chloe and Aiden coming through the reception area. Madison was still furious at Chloe for what she’d done and wondered if getting off so lightly would actually teach her a lesson. Chloe briefly met her eyes before making a beeline for the restroom.

Madison followed her. Chloe was dabbing at her red-rimmed eyes with a wet paper towel.

“I hope you’re satisfied.” Madison couldn’t keep the anger
out of her voice. “It’ll take me at least a year to straighten out the credit mess you caused. Don’t tell me that you didn’t know what you were doing would hurt people, because I’m not buying it.”

This time Chloe refused to make eye contact. “It wouldn’t have come to this if you’d sold out to Luis Estevez.”