Flames Of Deceit (16 page)

“Yes.” Mia sighed.

Jake walked around the shrubs and sat beside her. “We need to talk to Thomas Goldman.”

“It’s almost dark.” Eyes wide, she shivered. “I’d rather meet him in daylight.”

“What makes you think he’s the killer?” Jake studied the lines of tension marking her face. She looked tired. She hadn’t stopped since this event started. A few hours here and there to rest or do research, and then she was back to tracking the killer.

Did Phil Clark know how lucky he was to have Mia for a sister? “After looking at your files, I’d say Thomas Goldman is the top candidate for CEO.”

Head tilted, her brow arched. “So he had the most to lose.”

“Call him.”

When they arrived at the popular bar, He Just Left, there were so many people, Mia and Jake decided it was safe to enter bar together.

“We’re in disguise.” Jake insisted, urging Mia forward. “We’re safe.”

With the glasses on and his gelled hair combed back from his face, Jake didn’t look anything like the firefighter she’d first met. With the blonde wig on, she looked like a different person as well. “I hope we don’t miss him in this crowd.”

“Keep your eyes open.”

She watched the line of customers move slowly toward the outdoor bar. “I told him to meet me outside. But maybe we should check upstairs?”

“Nope.” Jake nudged her forward. “A man in his position follows orders. I don’t want you trapped inside. Keep watching. He’ll be here.”

Drink in her hand, Mia plowed through the crowd, aiming for the maple tree in the side yard. Laughter and music floated over a customers standing elbow to elbow. She shivered in the chilly evening air. “Do you see a green jacket?”

“Relax. We’re in the heart of Carolina territory.” Jake nodded to the blue and white UNC flags flying from all the fence supports. “A green coat will stand out a mile.”

“I’ll be glad when this is over.” Mia glanced around the crowd and gasped. Her blood turned to ice in her veins as she sputtered. “What’s he doing here?”

Hearing the tension her voice, Jake’s body went rigid. “Who?”

“Alan Yow just came through the gate.”

“Is he alone?” Jake tried to check the man out without looking obvious.

“In this crowd, I can’t tell.” she stood on tiptoe to get a better view.

“Ignore him. If he feels you staring at him he might get antsy.”

Ten minutes later, her heart thudding hard, Mia watched as man in a green jacket joined Yow at the outside bar.

“They’re together now,” Jake confirmed, lifting his glass.

“Here he comes.” Mia said into her glass as she lifted it to drink. “He’s alone.”

“I lost sight of Yow.” Jake mumbled, looked away from the man in green. “Don’t approach Goldman. Wait till we see what Yow is doing.”

“Goldman’s just standing there.” Mia said behind the cover of her glass. “He’s in plain sight and I don’t like waiting.”

“This could be a trap.” Jake checked the crowd but didn’t see any sign of Yow. “How do you want to handle this?”

“I’m going to talk to him.” Mia turned away, easing through the groups of chatting people, before finally stopping in front of Thomas Goldman. “Is this the green jacket you mentioned?”

Surprise glowed from the icy blue eyes in his handsome face. His perfectly groomed brown hair and elegant tie made the vice-president look out of place. Most of the crowd gathered at He Just Left wore sweat jackets or chunky collegiate looking sweaters. Holding her breath, Mia waited for Goldman to respond.

“They told me you were a brunette.” His words sounded sharp as ice cycles as his frosty gaze roamed over her blonde wig. “Why the disguise?”

“Thanks for meeting me.” Mia ignored his question as she attempted to take control of the conversation. “I wanted to ask you some about—“

“If you’re here to ask about Leigh Anne Saddler, forget it.” Goldman snapped.

“Is the topic of Pam Foley off limits, too?” Mia lifted her chin. “Stern-McHamlin lost two employees to tragedy. I just wanted to ask how your staff is reacting to the shock.”

“You expect me to believe that’s all you want, Ms. Clark? You should know, I’ve been warned. I’m well aware your brother is Senator Clark.”

Mia shrugged. “I still have to work for a living, even if my brother is a politician. I’d appreciate your cooperation.”

“Why pretend this isn’t about your brother? You’re digging around to find out what I know about his affair with Leigh Anne Saddler, right?”

“What affair,” Mia had never been more proud of her acting ability than she was at that moment. With her body seething in response to his jabs, she still managed to force words through stiff lips. “I heard Leigh Anne was dating a company VP.”

Holding her breath, anticipating his response, Mia swirled the drink in her glass. Dim lighting and flickering shadows kept her from being certain, but Goldman’s face seemed to lose color.

“Where did you hear that nonsense?” Goldman huffed on a sound intended for a laugh as his gaze bored into her. “If that’s your line of questioning, you’re way off base.”

“So, Leigh Anne didn’t date Edward Poole?” Mia cocked her chin, challenging him to deny facts she could prove. “Just as a reminder, I will be quoting you in the article I’m writing for the paper. So before you answer, I should tell you I have two sources confirming that information. One is Edward Poole.”

Goldman’s eyes flickered like ticker tape before he dropped his glance to the glass in hands the cold slick color of a corpse. “That’s right, I forgot about Edward. He’s such a fool.” Taking a swallow of his drink, Goldman’s gaze sliced over her. “If you already have two sources, Ms Clark, then you don’t need me.”

Praying she could stop him from clamming up and walking away, Mia rushed to respond. “Actually, I have three sources. Your input would make four statements representing the company. I didn’t want to leave your opinion out of my article.”

“What are you trying to trick me into saying, Ms. Clark? Leigh Anne and Pam are both dead. I am sorry. The company will miss them very much. If you wanted to hear more than that, you’re out of luck.”

Mia’s blood chilled under his frigid stare. “Is it true that you are the father of Leigh Anne’s unborn child?”

“Who told you that?” Goldman demanded, stepping so close his sleeve brushed against her breast, and causing ice pellets to form in her blood. “The autopsy results haven’t even been released, yet.”

“Your influence, I’m sure.” Mia angled her chin higher.

“Are you accusing the police department of bribery and corruption, Ms. Clark? Is that how you acquired the autopsy results before they were released to the public?”

“I have sources. I don’t need to wait for an announcement.” Mia tilted her head high. “I have it on good authority that you had an affair with Leigh Anne. That you sent her to seduce my brother.”

If eyes could freeze, Mia would turn to a glacier under his glowering stare. Shoulders rigid, she returned Goldman’s glare for long seconds, feeling her heart almost jump out of her chest.

Goldman barked a laugh. “Nice try, Ms. Clark. If you live long enough, with that imagination of yours, you’ll make a good reporter.”

“Is that a threat, Mr. Goldman?”

“No, young lady, I’m giving you advice. Hone your skills on local news. You’ll live to reach the top.” With a sneering tilt of his lips, Goldman wheeled and stomped away.

Knees wobbling, Mia gasped for air. Thomas Goldman had stared at her as if he wanted to choke the air out of her lungs. But that still didn’t make him a killer. She couldn’t go to the police without evidence that Goldman had killed those two women.

If she couldn’t prove Goldman was the murderer, how could she clear Phil?

“Are you all right?” Jake bumped against her back and paused. To anyone in the crowd they looked like strangers bumping into each other in the crowd, but every fiber in Mia’s body responded to Jake’s strength. His protectiveness made her feel strong.

“I’m fine. Freezing,” she shivered in the cool night air, “but I’m okay. Can we go, now?”

“What about Yow?” Jake asked as they eased through the crowd.

Mia stopped mid-step and stared back at the crowd gathered around the outdoor bar. “I forgot about him. Do you think he’s still here? Should we look for him?”

“He might be upstairs listening to the band.” Jake took her arm and urged her forward. “We need to get out of here.”

“Not together,” Mia pushed away from his side, “he might be watching.”

“Okay, but stay close.” Jake warned as turned and headed out of the gate to the sidewalk.

Mia was about five strides from the gate, and only two yards behind Jake, when someone grabbed her from behind, clamped a hand over her mouth, and started dragging her backwards.

She flung her arms and twisted, trying to grab hold of her captor, but nothing worked. Smothering from the gloved hand over her mouth and nose, darkness closed in on her. Not again. She couldn’t disappear with Jake in sight…

Jake.

Images of Jake filled her fuzzy head. Strength surged through her body. She didn’t want to lose Jake and her hopes for the future. And for what? To end up with her throat slashed like the other two women?

For men like Goldman and Poole? Men willing to lie and cheat to get their way, no matter who they hurt. Jake was worth a dozen of those men. She wanted to spend her life with him. Escaping now was her only hope.

Bending her right arm, Mia rammed a swift jab to the man’s stomach.

“Sonofabitch.” He grunted, loosening his grip.

Mia hit the ground hard.

“Jake,” she screamed, crawling away on hands and knees fast as she could.

Shuffling and scrapping noises sounded on the pavement behind her.

Jake’s footsteps thundered the sidewalk as he rushed toward her and fell on his knees beside her. “Mia, what happened? Did you fall?”

Angered by his assumption that she was just clumsy, Mia shoved to her feet and forced words past gritted teeth. “Someone grabbed me from behind and covered my mouth so I couldn’t scream.”

“Are you sure?” Jake searched the dark shadows lurking from trees and vehicles. “I was only a few feet ahead of you. I didn’t hear anything.”

Wanting to punch someone else in the middle, Mia stomped away, heading for the vehicle. “You think I made it up?”

Jake’s long legged stride brought his alongside her. “Did you get a look at him?”

“No.” She climbed in the car and slammed the door. “Let’s get out of here. Someone might call police.”

“He must have been watching the whole time.”

Her mouth dropped open as she turned to him. “Yow?”

“That’s too convenient,” Jake kept his eyes on the road. “We saw him at He Just Left, but so was half the population of Chapel Hill.”

“Okay, if it wasn’t Yow. Who was it?” Hugging her arms across her chest, she stared out at the night. “I’m tired of people grabbing me from behind.”

“Are you okay?” Jake glanced at her profile in the dimness of the Explorer’s interior, and then turned his attention back to the road. The twenty minutes since they left Chapel Hill had passed in silence.

Headlights dwindled as they traveled Hwy 15/501 out of town. Had the assailant hurt her? Frightened her?

“I’m relieved we got away before anyone called police.” Mia wiggled in her seat.

“With the band playing that loud, we don’t know if anyone even heard the commotion.” Jake glanced away from the road. “Talking to the police might be a good idea.”

Mia jerked around to face him. “We can’t. I’m not hurt. They wouldn’t believe me, anyway. The second they asked my name, they would start asking questions about Phil’s relationship to Leigh Anne Saddler.”

“We haven’t had a chance to go over your conversation with Phil. Do you think he told you the truth?” After long moments of silence, Jake sent her a glance.

Her sigh sounded loud in the dark interior of the SUV. Jake reached over and put his hand on hers. “I know it’s hard. He’s your brother. You love him. I get that, but ignore the emotions. Look at facts. Did Phil kill the model?”

“If,” her voice wobbled and she paused, drawing a quivering breath. “I don’t think he did, but just to figure out the situation. If he killed Leigh Anne, why would he admit to having an affair with her?”

“Passion? Arrogance?”

Mia swiped her cheeks with her sleeve. “I don’t understand how he could cheat on a wife and kids who love him? I-I can’t believe he stooped that low.”

“Try not to focus on that angle. You can deal with the personal issues after we solve the murders. We need to find out who wants to harm you.”

“How can the police miss all these incidents? We’re trying to be inconspicuous, but shouldn’t someone notice these attacks?” Mia paused to catch her breath and hammered her fist on her thigh. “Even if I went to the police, I don’t have one witness to back up my story.”

“You have me.” Jake arched a brow.

Mia snorted. “Right, a judge on the run and my partner in crime. Who would believe you? There’s not one shred of evidence in our favor.”

“You think Phil killed Leigh Anne?”

“No,” Mia’s voice boomed in the SUV’s interior. “I told you. I don’t believe that. You didn’t answer my question. If you think Phil killed Leigh Anne, then who killed Pam Foley?”

Jake glanced in her direction, sensing her tension from the forward thrust of her head as she leaned toward him. Man, he did not like having to do this, but he had to sort the facts.

“Phil said Pam seduced him. Maybe he killed both women.”

“Great. You’re judge and jury, now, are you?” Her words ripped through the darkness. “Phil said Pam was nice. He couldn’t resist Leigh Anne’s sex appeal. Does that sound like the words of a killer?”