Authors: Christy Evans
Lead-Pipe Cinch (27 page)
I reached deep inside, pulling myself back under control, focusing on breathing properly. I stretched the cramping leg as best I could in the tight confines of the Beetle, and concentrated on forcing the muscle to stretch out and relax.
The pain slowly subsided.
I drew a deep, ragged breath as I regained control of my racing heartbeat.
The files had only a few seconds to run.
As soon as they finished downloading, I covered my electronic tracks, slammed the laptop closed, and started the Beetle’s engine.
I left the lights off as I drove between the Whitlock office and the building next door. I reached the street and looked both ways. The street was empty.
I turned on the lights, pulled out into the street, and headed home. I had a long night ahead of me, digging through the masses of data I had just hijacked from Gregory’s computer.
And we were going back to work on the moat first thing tomorrow morning.
I sighed. Sleep was for wimps.
chapter 29
I rubbed my burning eyes and rolled my aching shoulders in small circles. The kitchen window glowed a dark gray with the hint of sunrise. Daisy roused herself from her bed in the corner of the living room and padded in to where I sat at the kitchen table.
She laid her head in my lap, offering comfort and begging to be petted at the same time. I scratched her behind the ears, feeling her wiry coat beneath my hand.
The notepad on the table next to me held several pages of notes, scribbles, questions, and impromptu math problems. As near as I could tell, Gregory Whitlock was deeply in debt and his situation had been deteriorating for several months.
Simply put, based on the files I’d downloaded—I couldn’t bring myself to admit I had stolen them—Gregory was on the verge of bankruptcy.
If he could hang on a few months, which wasn’t likely from what I saw, the completion of Clackamas Commons might bail him out. It still wouldn’t restore his financial health, but it would get him off life support.
Bankruptcy would be a harsh prospect for Gregory. He was in an industry where image meant at least as much as substance. The specter of reorganization—even a successful one—would threaten his livelihood as well as his self-image.
That just might make him desperate enough to kill.
I let out the dogs and staggered into the shower. I let the hot water run over my body, then slowly cooled the spray until the frigid water shocked me into a semblance of consciousness.
I was tired, but I’d pulled all-nighters before and I could do it again.
The sun still hadn’t made its appearance when I started the Beetle. I was early for work, but I could pick up a mocha on the way. The caffeine and sugar would give me a little boost to start the morning and I had an insulated carafe of coffee to keep me going through the day.
One problem with driving an older car: no cup holders. I balanced the steaming mocha against my thigh as I made my way through the woods to the McComb site.
A faint line of gold traced the horizon when I pulled into the gravel lot. The surrounding woods were quiet, the silence broken by the occasional call of an early-morning bird, or the rustle of a squirrel.
I leaned against the fender of the Beetle and sipped at the mocha. The beauty of the site washed over me as I stood there, surrounded by tall evergreens and the riotously colored oaks and vine maple.
I was going to have to decide what to do about Mom and Gregory. What was I going to tell her?
I knew the answer. I couldn’t divulge what I knew without telling her how I found out, and I wasn’t ready to do that. But what I could do, what I knew I
would
do, was tell her the truth about me and about Blake.
would
do, was tell her the truth about me and about Blake.
After work, before I lost my nerve, I would go see her and confess my failures. Mom was too trusting, but she wasn’t stupid. She had to know what Gregory’s financial situation was. She was too deeply involved not to. She would see the parallels between Blake and Gregory, and draw her own conclusion.
The thought of admitting to her how stupid I had been turned my stomach sour. Humiliation, even voluntary humiliation, wasn’t something I looked forward to.
But she had put her house on the line for me, and I would do whatever it took to protect my mother. She had already nearly lost everything because of one man—because my father was too soft-hearted to ask his patients to pay him.
I couldn’t let her lose everything again.
The line of gold on the horizon dimmed as storm clouds moved in. The weather report had called for overcast, but no rain. From the look of the clouds, they were probably wrong.
In the distance I heard a powerful engine laboring up the climb to the job site. It was still early for the crew, and it didn’t sound like Barry’s monster diesel. Someone was climbing the road to the site of Chad McComb’s castle.
With the weather closing in, we’d all end up turning around and going home. Maybe it was Sean, coming out to be sure we all got the message.
A purring Lincoln climbed the rise and pulled into the gravel lot near the Beetle. I was surprised to see Stan’s rental car. Hadn’t he said he was flying back to San Francisco last night?
Stan wasn’t alone. Maybe he had flown down to meet Blake’s replacement and come back to smooth the introductions with Chad McComb. It would be a sensible move if he wanted to work his way into Chad’s good graces, and his deep pockets.
“Figured I’d find you up here, Georgie Girl. I know how you like to get to the job earlier than everybody else.”
My answering chuckle died in my throat. Barbara Parks climbed out of the passenger side of the Lincoln.
She was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, loafers on her feet, and a scarf tossed elegantly around her throat. Without Richard beside her, her height was impressive. I hadn’t realized before what an imposing woman she was.
“Barbara. I didn’t expect to see you. Is everything all right?”
“I certainly hope so,” Stan said. Although the morning was chilly, sweat stood out on his forehead. “But there are some things we need to talk about.” He cleared his throat, a nervous sound I would have never expected from Stan Fischer. “We thought this would be a good time to talk to you. Alone.”
The last word hung in the air, an ominous sound.
He was right. I was alone. Completely. No one was due at the site for at least another half hour. My lizard brain tried to take over, telling me to run away.
“I didn’t realize you two knew each other,” I said. “But I guess it makes sense, since Barbara’s husband works for you.”
Barbara glared at me, and I wondered what I’d said wrong. She was quick to correct me.
“Stanley should be working for him. Richard is the best thing that company has going for it.”
I nodded. “That’s what I tried to tell him. Stan, I mean. Richard’s one of the best. Better than I was.”
“That’s for sure,” she said. Her voice dripped condescension. “He says you were good.” She shrugged. “Maybe you
were
, but he’s better, and he knows what he’s doing. There is no way they should bring you back into the company.”
were
, but he’s better, and he knows what he’s doing. There is no way they should bring you back into the company.”
I looked at Stan. He wouldn’t meet my gaze, looking out over the trees as though I wasn’t there.
“That’s what I told Stan. Isn’t it, Stan? I told you to bring Richard up here, that he should be doing this job.”
“She did say that.” Stan moved a few steps away, distancing himself from the growing confrontation. “Told me she wouldn’t take the job.”
“Right.” Barbara didn’t believe a word either of us was saying. “Then why did she come all the way down to San Francisco? To talk about dear, departed Blake? The Blake she abandoned when she ran away?”
Anger washed over me. “You don’t know anything about Blake and me!”
“I know what he told me. I know he refused to get serious about our relationship because he still had some crazy idea that you’d come back some day.”
Stan walked back and stood next to Barbara. He put a hand on her arm, rubbing and patting as though trying to soothe a petulant child.
“That doesn’t matter anymore, Barb. That was a long time ago. You have Richard now, right?”
“And all I’ve heard for the last two days is Georgie-this and Georgie-that. I’m sick of it already, and it’s going to get worse. A lot worse.” Her voice rose with each sentence, anger and resentment growing with each word.
“Barbara!” Stan shook the arm he’d been patting as he spoke her name sharply. “This isn’t about your personal problems. This is about Samurai, and what’s best for the company.”
Stan looked over at me and tried to turn on the charm. Did I mention he didn’t have any?
“Georgie Girl. We need your help. Samurai is having some little problems. Just a hiccup or two, really. But we need to keep everything on an even keel for a few weeks. That’s all.”
His wheedling tone brought back memories of another early-morning meeting. One where he’d invoked the same argument: what was best for Samurai.
The morning he claimed what was best was my resignation.
The lizard brain was screaming now. Something was definitely wrong. I forced myself to remain calm and asked levelly, “What can I do for you, Stan?”
He smiled, relief evident as his posture relaxed. “It’s about those buyout rumors. I know they’re wrong, you know they’re wrong. But the people back at Samurai, they don’t know it, and it would upset a lot of people if that came out right now. Besides”—I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he continued—“there
could
be a buyout. Just a little bit late.
could
be a buyout. Just a little bit late.
“Help us through this, Georgie Girl, and I can see to it that a settlement comes your way when we’re back on track.”
I looked from Stan to Barbara, trying to figure out the connection. “Okay,” I said. “But what does she have to do with all this? Why is she even here?”
“I needed a witness,” he lied. “I didn’t want anyone from Samurai involved, and Barbara was the only other person who knew you. I didn’t think you’d want to talk about this in front of a stranger, would you?”
“So,” I said slowly, “I tell Richard the rumors were true, everybody goes back to normal, you get the money you need from Chad, and we all live happily ever after?”
“See?” Stan beamed at Barbara. “I told you she was a smart girl.”
She shook her head. “It won’t work, Stan. She wanted Blake back, and look what happened. Pretty soon she’ll want Richard back. I can’t let that happen, Stan. I have too much invested in him.”
“Oh, c’mon,” Stan joshed. “You have to be able to cut your losses. I’ve done it a lot. Just pay what you have to and walk away.” He looked over at me. “That’s what we’ll do here, won’t we, Georgie? We’ll all walk away.”
He chuckled to himself, though I didn’t see anything remotely amusing about the situation. I was trapped on the top of a hill, miles from anyone, with a couple of crazy people who thought they could bribe me to cover up—what, exactly?
“What I don’t understand, Stan, is where those rumors came from, anyway. How did everyone get the idea I took an offer and walked away?”
His smug grin answered my question before his words. Now that he thought I’d accepted his plan, he wanted to let me know how clever he’d been. “Must have been Blake,” he said slyly. “After I told him you were leaving. And why.”
My stomach hollowed and I fought back the impulse to gag. “And that was when, Stan? The night before I talked to you?”
He nodded. “I was real sorry about it, too. But I tried to tell you two that an office romance wasn’t a good idea. You didn’t leave me much choice.
“You got to him, Georgie. He told me he was going to back your demands to the board. Couldn’t have the two of you doing that, so I did what I had to do.”
Barbara watched me, her face intense. I breathed deeply. I had to look calm, feel calm. Stan had fooled himself into believing I was on board with the plan, but she wasn’t as easily fooled.
Stan turned down the corners of his mouth, a mockery of real human emotion. “It hurt me, Georgie. It really did. I knew it wasn’t going to last anyway, but I’d have rather let you two find that out on your own.” He shook his head sadly.
“I know it hurt you both, but you got over it. I hear you have a new man in your life. So there was no real harm, was there?”
I shrugged my shoulders, and waved away his comment as though it didn’t matter. I didn’t want to argue with either Stan or Barbara while I was here alone. If I could stall a few minutes longer, someone was sure to arrive.
A fat raindrop hit my outstretched hand, mocking my confidence in the cavalry coming to my rescue. Instead of coming out to the site, Sean and Barry were probably calling everyone and reassigning them.
Nobody was coming to save me.
Barbara clutched her leather bag against her side, shielding it from the rain. She looked like she wanted to climb back into the shelter of the Lincoln, but she wouldn’t let me out of her sight.
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