Deep Waters (13 page)

Her eyes widened above the tissue that she held to her nose. “Dinner?”

The door swung open at that moment. Irritated by the interruption, Elias glanced toward the front of the shop. The last thing he wanted right now was a customer.

A florid-faced man dressed in gentlemen's-cut slacks, a white shirt that strained at the buttons, and taupe nubuck shoes stood in the entrance. His eyes gleamed determinedly behind the lenses of oversized aviator glasses. He carried an expensive leather
briefcase in one chubby hand. The square, diamond-studded ring on his left pinky was so large that Elias could see it very clearly from where he stood in the middle of the shop.

Charity blew her nose and turned quickly. “Oh, hello, Leighton. What are you doing here? Have you met Elias Winters? Elias, this is Leighton Pitt. The owner of Pitt Realty.”

Elias nodded brusquely. “Pitt.”

“Winters,” Leighton sang out in a jovial voice that boomed off the walls. “Pleased to meet you.” He started forward, broad hand outstretched.

Elias shook hands reluctantly and as briefly as possible. As he had feared, Leighton's palm was unpleasantly damp. As soon as the ancient ritual was completed, Elias surreptitiously wiped his hand off on the side of his jeans. He caught the amused glint in Charity's eyes just as he finished.

“Charity,” Leighton turned to her. “Nice to see you. Fantastic day, isn't it? Been a chilly summer. Hope we get to keep this warm weather for a while.”

“Good for business,” Charity murmured politely.

“That it is, that it is.” Leighton swung back to Elias. “Winters, you're just the man I want to see. Can you spare a few minutes? I'd like to talk to you about a business matter that I think you'll find very interesting.”

“Can it wait?” Elias asked. “Charity was just giving me some tips on running this place.”

Leighton winked broadly and chuckled. “As if you need consulting advice when it comes to business.”

Charity glanced at her watch with an exaggerated expression of amazement. “Heavens, will you look at the time. Elias, I've got to run. I promised Newlin he could go to lunch early today. Arlene is coming over from the Voyagers' campground to join him.”

“About tonight,” Elias said grimly.

She gave him a brilliant smile. “As it happens, I'm free this evening.”

“Six-thirty,” he said swiftly. “I'll walk over and pick you up.”

“That's not necessary. I can find my own way. Your place isn't that far from mine.” She glanced at Leighton. “See you later, Leighton.”

He gave her a brisk nod, his attention clearly focused on whatever presentation he planned to make to Elias. “You bet. Enjoy the great weather while you can.”

Elias watched wistfully as Charity disappeared out the front door. She was wearing one of her floaty little cotton dresses again today, and the sunlight outside the shop revealed the sexy silhouette of her legs.

“Well, Winters, what say we get down to business, eh?”

Elias suppressed a groan as he turned back to his visitor. “If this is about real estate, I've already got a house.”

“I know, Hayden Stone's old place out on the bluff.” Leighton frowned. “You know, I could find you something in much better condition with a similar view.”

“Don't bother. The cottage suits me just fine.”

“Sure, you bet. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about today, anyway.”

“What did you want to discuss?”

Leighton glanced toward the door as if to make certain that they were still alone. Then he winked again. His teeth sparkled in a confidential, man-to-man smile. “I know who you are, Winters, and I think I can guess why you're here in town.”

“What a coincidence. I know who I am, too. And
I also know why I'm here. If that's all you wanted to talk about, I've got work to do.”

“Hey, hey, hey.” Leighton flapped his hand. “Take it easy. No offense intended. Just wanted you to realize that you're not the only one in town who knows the real score.”

“Real score?”

“Look, I'll level with you.” Leighton leaned in closer. The fragrance of a recently digested breath mint wafted through the air. “I'm aware that off-shore money is planning to move into Whispering Waters Cove in the next six months. I know all about the plans for a world-class resort and spa the company wants to develop here. Going to be built along the same lines as the properties the outfit developed in Hawaii, right? Except with an emphasis on golf instead of sunbathing, of course.”

Elias held his breath to avoid inhaling the odor of mint. “Is that a fact?”

“No need to play dumb.”

Elias thought of the kiss on the bluff. “But I do it so well.”

“Sure, sure.” Another wink. “I like a man with a sense of humor.”

“No one's ever accused me of having one.”

“Not everyone appreciates a keen wit.” Sweat glistened on Leighton's brow. “Let's put our cards on the table. I know you own a consulting company called Far Seas, and I know just what kind of consulting you do. Only one reason you'd be here in our little town.”

“What reason?”

Leighton gave him a very knowing look. “You're the advance man for the off-shore resort developer who wants to move in here to Whispering Waters Cove.”

“I see.”

“Don't worry.” Leighton held up a plump hand. The huge diamond glittered. “I won't try to pin you down. No questions asked. Man in your position has to keep a low profile. But, frankly, I wondered when you or someone like you would show up.”

“Did you?”

“Of course. Your client is getting ready to move. I just want you to know that you're not the only player in this situation. I've got a piece of the action, too. Or I will have, very soon.”

“Uh-huh.”

The smell of breath mint grew stronger as Leighton edged closer and lowered his voice. “Can't discuss the details yet. Like you, I've got to keep things quiet for a while longer. But I'll be able to speak more freely early next week. Bottom line here is that I'm the one you'll be dealing with when the ball starts rolling. Remember that.”

“Be hard to forget.”

Leighton chuckled. “You can say that again. Well, I'd better be going. Got an appointment. Just wanted to put you into the big picture before everything breaks loose. Hey, enjoy the weather. Summer doesn't usually last more than a few weeks around here.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

“We'll talk later.” Leighton turned and strode toward the door with a purposeful air. A man with a piece of the action. A player.

Crazy Otis shuffled back and forth on his perch and hissed softly.

Elias waited until Leighton had left the shop before he picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number in Seattle.

A woman answered in low, rich tones. “Thorgood,
Green, and Esteredge.” She reeled off the names of the partners in the law firm as if they had each been canonized.

“Craig Thorgood, please.”

“May I tell Mr. Thorgood who's calling?”

“Elias Winters.”

“Just a moment, Mr. Winters.”

Craig Thorgood came on the line. “What's up, Elias?”

His voice matched his office, rich and cultivated. The sort of voice that implied Thorgood had descended from several generations of old money and had followed a venerable family tradition when he had chosen to study law. Elias was one of the few people who knew that he had actually started out life on a farm in eastern Washington.

“Got time for a small job?”

“I've always got time to squeeze in a few extra billable hours. How small is the job?”

“I want you to find out whatever you can about a woman named Gwendolyn Pitt. Until a year ago she lived in Whispering Waters Cove. She's back here now, but I'd like to know where she's been for the past twelve months.”

“What kind of business is she in?”

Elias heard a faint squeak on the other end of the line and knew that Craig was leaning back in his chair. “At the moment she's running a spaceship cult. But she used to be in real estate.”

“Spaceship cult, huh? You do meet some interesting people in your line of work, Winters.”

“You don't know the half of it. Give me a call when you get something.”

“I will. How's the curio shop business?”

“Just the way I like it. Slow.”

Craig laughed. “I give you six months at the outside. You'll be back in Seattle by the first of spring.”

“I don't think so, Craig.”

Charity showed up on the doorstep looking like the Spirit of Summer Night in a pale, high-waisted dress made of a fabric that seemed lighter than air. Elias felt his stomach knot with anticipation. The low, rounded neckline and little cap sleeves of her dress were at once flirtatious and innocent. Her auburn hair was done up in a casual twist that allowed little wispy tendrils to flutter around her cheeks.

She carried a bottle of chilled sauvignon blanc. Feminine mischief sparkled in her eyes. Elias knew that she was feeling very much in control of the situation. What really worried him was that he was half afraid she might be right. He drew a deep breath and summoned his resolve.

“I didn't know if white wine would work with whatever's on the menu tonight,” she said as she handed him the bottle.

“This is a good night for sauvignon blanc.” He took the wine and opened the door wide to usher her inside. “Come in.”

“Thanks.” She glanced down and smiled when she saw his bare feet. Without a word she stepped out of her sandals, placed them neatly beside the door, and walked into the small front room and glanced around curiously. “What did Leighton Pitt want this afternoon?”

“He admired my sense of humor among other things.” Elias inhaled the scent of her as she brushed past him. The light skirt of her gauzy dress snagged briefly on his jeans. It was going to be a very long night.

“Free advice,” Charity murmured. “Don't believe everything a salesman tells you.”

“I'll remember that.”

Crazy Otis, ensconced on top of his cage, looked up from the wooden toy he was busily gnawing. He eyed Charity with a hard stare and then muttered a churlish greeting.

“It's easy to see why some scientists think birds are related to dinosaurs,” Charity remarked. “No manners at all.”

Elias put the wine on the counter. “Otis said hello, didn't he?”

“Who knows what he said? All Crazy Otis does is mutter and cackle.” Charity strolled over to the cage and surveyed Otis at close range. “But I have to admit that he's settled in quite nicely with you. I'm glad you two have hit it off. I was a tad worried about him for a while.”

“If you hadn't taken him in, he probably would have gone under completely.”

“I didn't really know what to do for a depressed parrot. I called a vet in Seattle, but he wasn't too helpful. So I just sort of followed my instincts.”

Otis tilted his head to eye her more closely. “Heh-heh-heh.”

Charity made a face. “Not that you've ever shown so much as an ounce of gratitude, Otis.”

“He's just too proud to admit he needed you,” Elias said.

“Yeah, right. You know, Hayden once told me that Otis could talk, but I've never heard him do anything except chuckle and hiss and mutter unintelligibly.”

Elias opened a drawer to find a corkscrew. “I'm sure Otis will talk if he ever has anything to say.”

“I won't hold my breath.” Charity turned away from Otis to examine the spare room. “I see your
furniture hasn't arrived yet. You should have said something. I could loan you a couple of chairs and a table. I brought all my stuff from Seattle.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I don't need any more furniture.”

That wasn't strictly true, he thought as he went to work with the corkscrew. A slightly larger bed would have been nice. Making love to Charity on the narrow futon would be a challenge. Of course, he wasn't going to have to worry about it tonight. Control was everything in Tal Kek Chara.

“I suppose this, uh, minimalist style goes with the obscure water philosophy.”

“Tal Kek Chara. Yes.”

“Tal Kek Chara. Is that what you call it?”

“Loosely translated, it means the Way of Water. The literal translation is a lot more complicated.” Elias suddenly realized that now that Hayden was dead, he was probably the only person left in the states who knew the exact translation of the ancient words. It was an eerie, lonely feeling.

“I see.” Charity leaned down to touch the heavy glass bowl half-filled with water that sat on the low table. “This is a nice piece. Very nice.”

Elias looked across the room to where she stood gazing down into the bowl. Something twisted inside him. “I gave it to Hayden a few years ago.”

“He obviously treasured it.” She ran her fingertip meditatively along the rim of the thick glass. “It's the only decorative item in the room.”

Elias thought about that. “I guess he must have liked it.” The tightness inside him relaxed. She was right. Hayden must have valued the bowl very highly to have kept it here in this otherwise spartan room.

Charity wandered across the small space to the kitchen area. “We were discussing Leighton. Did he
compliment you on your humor in order to try to sell you some real estate today?”

“No. He informed me that he's a player.”

“A player?”

“A mover-and-shaker. Wheeler-dealer. Big man here in town. A guy in the know.”

“Hmm. Any particular reason why he would make a special trip down to the pier to announce that to you?”

Elias took two glasses out of the cupboard. “He seems to think that things are going to get hot here in Whispering Waters Cove.”

She shrugged. “That's certainly what the town council hopes will happen.”

“Pitt implied that he knows something specific. He says an off-shore developer intends to put in a golf resort and spa.”