Guilty Secrets (Campus Love and Murder Sorority Eyes Romance Book 1) (21 page)

"This is everything we know about Kublai Khan. A billionaire who enjoys a public reputation as a generous philanthropist, including the perks as a major benefactor of Kimberley University. Until two days ago we had a direct line into the shadow world of the real Kublai Khan. We were building up a case proving his involvement in laundering millions of dollars for various terrorist organizations around the world."

"What's that got to do with me?"

"Nothing, Ms. Loxley. Or should I say nothing right up until two days ago and the untimely death of Dean Rupert Everhardt. A death, out on Lake Kimberley, that we suspect you and your friends directly or indirectly participated in."

I scrunched up my toes in my shoes. My throat began to ache. I tried not to swallow.

"You're saying Dean Everhardt was killed in the explosion at the Ice Palace?"

"So it would appear. Did you interact with Everhardt that night?"

I decided to go with the truth as the best defense. For now, at least.

"I didn't even see the Dean. It was a masked ball. And there were a lot of guests."

Even before I finished my defense, it was clear Jackson wasn't interested in my answer.

"Ms. Loxley, thanks to your public exposé of the activities of the secret fraternity known as the Knights of Kimberley, we believe Kublai Khan had Dean Everhardt killed. So if you want to avoid the full weight of federal enforcement bearing down on you, please stop dancing around my questions and start cooperating."

I contemplated the full weight of federal law enforcement that was Special agent-in-charge Jackson bearing down on me and felt the bile in my stomach rise into my throat.

"That's a lot of weight for one small girl to bear, Special Agent Jackson. But what's in it for me?"

"What do you want?"

"I want to see your evidence against Sheriff Gunn. All of it. And now. Or I walk."

Jackson glanced at Ben.

Ben shrugged. He knew I'd do exactly that.

Jackson reached into the same drawer as earlier and produced another file. Thicker than the last. He handed it over.

As I went to take it, he held it just out of reach.

"Ms. Loxley, you better prepare yourself for a shock."

I nodded. He released the file.

I swallowed hard and opened it.

CHAPTER SIXTY THREE

I browsed through pages of ballistic reports. Photographs of a sniper rifle. Apparently a bullet found in my father's burned and charred body eight years ago, was an exact match for one tested with the rifle. The rifle had only one set of fingerprints.

Harry's fingerprints.

I looked up from the file. "How long have you had this evidence?"

"It turned up the morning after your masked ball."

"The morning you identified the body of Dean Everhardt?"

Jackson nodded.

"Quite the coincidence, wouldn't you say, Special Agent?"

"Indeed, Ms. Loxley."

"At Quantico we learned not to believe in coincidences."

"But they can be very convenient, you must admit, Ms. Loxley."

"Where was Harry at the time of my parents' deaths?"

"Gunn says he can't recall."

"Few people can recollect what they were doing eight weeks ago, let alone eight years, Special Agent."

Jackson and Ben stared at me in smug silence.

I sighed. "What exactly do you want of me?"

"We understand that Kublai Khan has, shall we say, a soft spot for you?"

I shrugged. "Maybe an innocent crush."

Jackson leaned forward. His chair strained at the exertion of supporting him.

"Exploit that innocent crush. Right now Khan is seeking out and destroying evidence that connects him to money laundering activities. Find me that evidence before Khan destroys it, or your boyfriend gets the electric chair. Are we clear?"

"What makes you think I'm capable?"

"I've read the F.B.I. file on you. Graduated top of your class at Quantico Academy. Gave up a promising career with the F.B.I. to find and bring to justice your sister's killer. Did you succeed?"

"You read newspapers."

"I read what you write in them. And what they tell me is you are something special Robyn Loxley. But it also tells me those around you suffer. Collateral damage. So we do this by the book. Got it?"

Not if he wanted results. I just wasn't a by the book kind of gal.

"How long do I have?"

He shrugged. "A day. A week at most. By then Khan will have cleaned his tracks completely."

"And if I find you that evidence to convict Khan, what do I get?"

"What do you want?"

"Exoneration for Sheriff Gunn."

"You don't know that he isn't the man who murdered your parents. All I can do is offer an open minded federal judge."

Ben smiled. "Lover boy gets to live the next fifteen to twenty in a six by eight room upstate. But at least he lives."

The Harry Gunn I knew and loved was no killer. I knew then, to prove his innocence I'd have to find the real killer.

"Special Agent Jackson, I want to see the file on the original investigation of my parents' deaths. Including the profile of the killer. Give me that, and we have a deal."

CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR

Ben gave me the file of the investigation into my parents' deaths. It included a profile of the killer based upon an interview by an unnamed witness.

Apparently the killer was known simply as Shard.

The witness testified that Shard adopted that moniker due to a love of old blues music and an obscure blues musician who died penniless young man. His name was Slick 'Ice' Shard.

The witness had no physical description of Shard the killer other than these: Shard was one of the top hundred greatest living snipers in the world. He was a blues music obsessive. He was under the age of thirty. Single. Very. Considered a prolific womanizer. No known family.

There was a footnote about how Shard had apparently taken a bullet from a target's body guard and lived to kill the intended mark and the body guard.

It all seemed to add to the mystic of the legend that became Shard.

And yet it wasn't much to go on.

The witness hinted at one suspected alias of Shard's. He was known to be living and working under an assumed identity within the Kimberley campus district.

The witness continued to refuse to identify Shard more specifically until a deal including the witness protection program was finalized. Apparently the deal was over monetary compensation for the witness. A lifestyle, reputedly as a west coast mobster, had to be upheld.

But before a deal could be finalized, the witness vanished. Never to be heard of again.

All in all, it wasn't much to go on. But it was a start. I knew what I had to do.

Somehow filter every male in the Kimberley area through a profile match. Quite how I was going achieve that when the F.B.I. had presumably tried and failed, I had no idea.

But the first thing I needed to do was speak with Harry.

"Take me to see Sheriff Gunn."

Ben sneered. "There's no time."

"Ben, take me to Gunn or the deal is off."

Jackson nodded. "Before you go see Sheriff Gunn, I want to know if there's a reason that you and Special Agent Ben Hudson cannot work closely together."

I felt my eyes widen. "Work together?"

Ben's smile remained a sneer. "It's part of the deal. Take it, or leave it."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. But interfere, put my life in jeopardy and I'll make you wish you'd never asked for my help. Understand?"

CHAPTER SIXTY FIVE

Ben nodded and led me down to the basement cells. At the reception, Ben asked a female agent to frisk me.

"Oh, Ben, your fiancée called to say you left your cell phone at her place."

Ben turned scarlet and nodded.

Frisking over with, Ben led me to the cells.

Harry sat behind a wall of bars. His head in his hands. When he heard footsteps approaching he looked up.

He saw me and his eyes lit up. Then he saw Ben and a dark cloud moved over his face.

We embraced through the bars and kissed.

Ben sneered, "Gunn, back away."

Reluctantly, Harry complied.

I turned to Ben, "Do you mind?"

He walked to the end of the corridor to chat with the female agent.

I turned back to Harry. "How are you?"

"What they're saying I did... I'm innocent, Robyn."

"I know, Harry."

"Any idea what's going on?"

I shrugged and whispered, "The F.B.I. suspect Dean Everhardt of money laundering."

Harry rolled his eyes. "They read your investigative article in the Kimberley Times."

"But what I didn't know was that Everhardt was laundering terrorist money for Kublai Khan. And now the Dean is dead. They think Khan had him killed."

Harry's eyes narrowed as he stared at me. He glanced over to Ben and back to me.

"What are you not telling me?"

"It's your only ticket out of here."

"Robyn?"

"They want me to get close to Khan. Find evidence on him."

"Find evidence, or plant it?"

"They're the F.B.I. They don't do things like that?"

"Oh no? What am I doing here then?"

"You can thank Khan for that."

Harry shook his head. "So knowing how bitter and vengeful Khan is, you still want to go ahead with your Ex’s gung-ho plan?"

"What choice do I have?"

"You know whatever deal they grant you, they won't let me out of here."

"I know. I'm working on that."

I heard footsteps walking toward me.

I whispered to Harry, "I love you.”

His eyes lit up and then quickly dimmed. "Maybe that's not such a good idea."

"What do you mean?"

"Be realistic. The evidence against me is good.

"But you're innocent."

"Only two people in the world believe that, Robyn."

Ben cleared his throat. "It's time."

I spun around on the balls of my feet. "Give us a moment."

Ben’s eyes seemed filled with scorn.

"Ben, please."

He shook his head. "Every second you waste with lover boy, is another nail in his coffin."

I hated knowing Ben was right.

I nodded and said my goodbye. Harry stepped back into the shadows of his cell and it was like watching his ghost slip away from me. I fought back tears and marched towards the exit.

It was time to find Shard.

CHAPTER SIXTY SIX

The ride back to campus from the F.B.I. Kimberley field office was filled with Ben's brooding silence.

After a few miles, he broke it. "Do you ever wonder if..."

"No."

"You didn't even let me finish. I was going to say-"

"Forget it. I'm with Harry now."

He pulled up outside Harry's cottage on the shore of Lake Kimberley.

He switched off the engine and turned in his seat towards me.

"Forget Sheriff Lover boy. One way or another he's out of your life. The sooner you get used to it, the better for all of us."

I opened the passenger door.

"I'll make my own way back."

He climbed out of the car.

"I want daily reports. No excuses."

"What if that's impossible?"

"Find a way."

I unlocked the front door of the cottage and stepped in. Ben followed.

"Wait outside. I won't be long."

He brushed by me and entered the cottage.

"Ben, did you hear me?"

"You're my responsibility. I need to check out the place."

"This chauvinist attitude of yours; it's not heroic and certainly not romantic."

Ben ignored me and gave each room the once over. Five minutes later he returned.

"I'll be in the car."

"It's best if we're not seen together."

He hesitated at the door. "Was it so bad; you and me? That you can't forgive me even now?"

I sighed. I'd fallen for his lost little boy act too many times.

"The good times never outweighed the bad times."

"But we were good together, for a while, right?"

"Tell it to your fiancée."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Figure it out, Ben."

I slammed the front door.

I went through Harry's record collection to get a sense of the scale and depth of knowledge a blues music obsessive would obtain. There were close to a thousand old vinyl records protected in individual plastic sleeves. I noted the room's temperature was different to the other rooms. The windows in his alcove were hermetically sealed.

So in essence Shard would have a similar environment for his collection. So now I knew what to look for to identify my parents' killer, I just had to find a way to attract Shard without getting myself killed.

I found myself in Harry's bedroom. It was just as we had left it. The luxurious soft Egyptian cotton cream sheets still emanated Harry's scent. I put aside the F.B.I. file on Kublai Khan and wrapped myself up in the sheets.

I felt the ripples of memories of giving my virginity to Harry. The masterful way he seduced me with his unwavering persistence. Saving my life on three occasions. Lurking in the shadows, looking out for me.

Making his final sensual play, only once he had secured my heart. Taking me here in his bedroom, on his antique four poster bed beside the log fireplace. His gentle but firm lovemaking bringing me to the heights of ecstasy before allowing me to plunge into a fearful abyss of pleasure.

Waking up in his arms with the beautiful view through the French doors to the lake was a dream come true. But now that dream seemed so fragile.

My body responded to the ripples of memories and soon I found the stirrings of love and lust between my legs. It was time for action. I sat up and viewed Khan's file once again.

There was something in the section about his recent financial investments that might hold a clue as to how to deliver the real Shard and save Harry. And perhaps at the same time, deliver Khan to the F.B.I.

According to the file, Khan had made a substantial investment in a new software company based in Kimberley University. The company had developed an online dating app. It was the brain child of several students.

Two names in particular I recognized. Charity Wilson my campus frenemy and my house mate Mai Ling.