My Spy (18 page)

“I
LOOK
LIKE
A
SURFER.
” ANNIE
SQUINTED
IN
THE MIRROR, checking her hair from every angle. “It's got all kinds of colors. And what about these little spiky pieces around my face
?”

“They're perfect. You've always had wonderful cheekbones, but now they're a real knockout.”

First toe rings, now the bleached blond surfer look.

Annie studied the red tube top Taylor had insisted she wear with a skinny white linen skirt and a clingy red sweater.

In an odd kind of way, it all worked. Just like Taylor to suggest things that seemed crazy but pulled together with a bang.

“You like it.” Taylor gave Annie's hair a final snip. “Go on, admit it.”

“Yeah, I do. Give up writing and you'll make a mint down in the salon.” Annie studied her hair again and smiled. “It's got sort of a Meg Ryan thing about it now. Thanks for all this, Taylor. I feel like I could tackle the Mongol horde after that pampering.”

“Let's hope you don't have to. Don't ditch the toe ring, either. It's adorable.”

“I won't. It goes with the reckless blond look. Except I was never reckless.”

Only once.

With a man who couldn't remember a single detail.

Taylor swung her big bag over her shoulder and smiled. “Stick with me, kid. I'll give you lessons in reckless. I've been practicing all my life.” She looked away, her eyes unreadable. “Sometimes I think that's all I've done.”

“No way.” Because the air was charged with unspoken regrets, Annie took her sister's arm. “I can't image a better older sister.”

“When I was there. Which wasn't often.”

“You had your dreams, I had mine. Now you've got a wonderful career and I've got Summerwind. Things worked out just right.”

“I suppose they did,” Taylor said slowly. “You really love this place. It's amazing how everything shines. Even your staff seems to be having fun. That's quite a gift you have.”

“Almost as good as giving killer highlights.” Annie ruffled her hair, delighted by the wild sheen. It was her all right, the secret, hidden her that no one but Taylor had ever glimpsed beneath Annie's tidy, careful veneer. “I owe you,” she said.

“Don't worry, I'll collect tomorrow. Prepare for a serious makeover.”

“Makeover?” Annie said warily. “But you already did my hair. What more is there for you to change?”

Before Taylor could answer, she was drowned out by the shrill blast of the fire alarm.

T
HE
SOUND
CAME
FROM
THE
KITCHEN.
ANNIE
YANKED
ON HER
shoes and raced down the hall, with Taylor right behind her.

Zoe's staff was clustered outside the big kitchen's double doors, and there was no sign of smoke, Annie noted. Not that she would take any chances.

“Everyone outside.” Annie had to shout to be heard above the wail of the alarm. “You, too, Taylor.”

“No way,” her sister shouted back.

“What about you?” Reynaldo, her head groundskeeper, hovered anxiously at the doors to the kitchen. “If
you
stay, I stay. The fire trucks should arrive any minute.” He frowned. “Your hair is very nice.”

“Thanks. But we'll be lucky to see a fire truck inside of twenty minutes. The coast highway is down to one lane again, remember?” Annie reached for a fire extinguisher. “Outside, all of you.”

Her assistant pushed through the half circle, standing beside Reynaldo and looking at Annie. “Cool haircut. And I'm staying, too.”

“No way.” Annie looked up in relief as Izzy appeared at the side door. “Mr. Teague will take you outside, then he'll come back to help me. I assure you, we'll be fine.”

Taylor gave Izzy a thorough scrutiny, then reluctantly followed the uneasy group outside. After he secured the door, Izzy turned to scan the corridor. “No smoke in here.”

Annie was only a step behind him as he pushed open the big silver doors to the kitchen, where her chef was poised on a ladder above the ventilation hood.

“Zoe, what's going on?” Annie shouted.

“You tell me. This damned thing's been screaming ever since those two pool repairmen came through here to check the fuse box. I think maybe they crossed some wires.” She climbed another rung, peering up at the commercial smoke detector. “This unit looks okay. The green power light is on and the wires are intact. Only problem is there's no fire.”

“Let me take a look.” Izzy helped Zoe down, then climbed up. He traced the exterior wires, checked the contacts, and probed the alarm box gently.

Nothing happened.

He opened the metal lid, then gently closed it again.

The noise stopped.

Annie breathed a sigh of relief. “Now what?”

“I'm taking this puppy down to examine. I'd also like the name of the company who installed it.”

“I've got the information back in my office somewhere.” Annie stared at the gray metal unit. “We've never had problems with the alarms before.”

“It was probably your pool men at work, just like your chef said. Don't worry, I'll check the fuses and power lines while I'm here.”

“You can check power lines?”

Izzy chuckled at Annie's look of surprise. “It's not exactly Fermat's last theorem, you know. By the way, nice toe ring.”

Annie was saved from embarrassment when her assistant opened the outer door. “Is it safe to come back in?”

She was moved aside by Taylor, followed closely by Nikki Jerome.

“Have you found my suitcase yet?”

“I'm sorry, Ms. Jerome. We're still looking.”

“But those are my private things. My
underwear.
It's sick.”

“I understand perfectly, but—”

“How can you understand? It didn't
happen
to you.” The author opened and closed her hands. “I need to rest and relax, but I can't focus while my clothes are missing.”

Probably another complimentary night's stay would loosen her tension, Annie thought cynically. “I'll talk to my staff as soon as I'm done here.”

“What if he's doing something perverted with them?”

Perverted?

Behind her, Taylor rolled her eyes as Nikki Jerome shifted her book under her arm. “Just let me know if you hear anything.” She looked down at Annie's feet. “Nice toe ring. I see you like Hot Affair polish.”

Taylor beamed. “She
loves
Hot Affair polish.” She glanced at Izzy, who was leaning against the stove. “I don't believe we've met. I'm Taylor, Annie's sister. I understand you're checking Annie's wires.”

Annie heard the subtle innuendo, even if no one else did.

Izzy's lazy smile didn't waver. “Upgrading the security system. It's nice to meet you, Ms. O'Toole.”

“Call me Taylor, please.”

Annie was saved from more of her sister's questions when a white police cruiser pulled into the parking lot. “What does the sheriff want?”

“Beats me.” Her chef cleared her throat. “Maybe he wants to see your toe ring, like everybody else.”

A
NNIE
MET
THE
SHERIFF
AT
HER
DOOR,
SMILING
WARILY. “DID you come to tell me you'd caught the ax murderer
?”

The officer slid his cap back and scratched his head. “No one phoned in a murder.”

“Sorry, Buzz, that was a stupid joke. It's been a really long day.”

Buzz Kozinski was only a few inches taller than Annie, but his rugged frame made him seem much larger. “Nothing serious, I hope.”

“Clients, mostly. And according to my chef, rabbits are taking over the world.”

Buzz's eyes narrowed. “Rabbits?”

“Don't ask. The real problem is the fire alarm, which just went crazy for no apparent reason.”

“You want me to look at it?”

“Thanks, but someone's already checked. It appears that one of the workmen bumped the fuse box. On top of everything else, we're in the middle of installing new cedar whirlpools on the upper terrace.”

“So I noticed.” The sheriff leaned against the side of his cruiser. “By the way, nice haircut. Changed the color too, didn't you?”

“It was an impulse thing.”

Buzz rubbed his neck, looking faintly uncomfortable. “I hear you've got someone redoing your security.”

“Word travels fast.” Annie wondered if he had heard the rest of the gossip, linking her with the gorgeous mystery man who looked like Denzel Washington.

“Everything okay here?”

“Sure, Buzz. It's just usual maintenance. The fire alarm is a minor nuisance that we'll get sorted out.”

Annie motioned him inside, considering how to deflect his curiosity. “How about a double hot chocolate?”

“Only if you have one, too.”

She steered him to the dining room. “That stuff is loaded with chocolate, whipped cream, spices, all sorts of sinful calories.” She motioned to one of the kitchen staff. “Hot chocolate for two.”

As soon as the steaming cups were delivered, Buzz leaned back and studied her. “Nice toe ring.”

Annie studied her foot. “It was all Taylor's idea. Did you know she's staying this time, Buzz? She bought that house she was renting.”

“Well, it's about time she settled down. Maybe she can help you out here at Summerwind. You look tired.”

“Oh, shucks, you always know how to make a girl feel beautiful.”

“I mean it.” He toyed with his cuff. “I worry about you. I haven't forgotten how much I owe you for all the help you gave me when Emmalou—” His fingers tightened.

“Buzz, you don't need to go into this.”

“The hell I don't. You know how bad she was feeling at the end, how much pain there was. Without those massages and the water therapy you arranged, she would have been in a lot more pain. I know you didn't charge even half your usual rate.”

“But I—”

“Let me finish.” His voice was surprisingly hard. “I never did say thank you for that. After Emmalou passed on, I guess I went to pieces. Nothing much seemed to matter. It wasn't that we hadn't expected it, since she'd been fading for over a year.” He traced a line in the whipped cream with a spoon, his brow set in hard furrows. “Then the time came and she was gone, really gone, with no chance that I'd ever hear her call my name or walk in the front door, trying to hide another stray cat under
her coat.” He drew a rough breath. “Yeah, I went to pieces all right.”

Annie covered his hand. “You were entitled. You'd been together for fifteen years, hadn't you?”

“Sixteen in November. Married right before I left for my last hitch in Asia. Best thing I ever did.” He shook his head slowly. “Where did that come from? Don't mean to bore you with my stories.”

“She was a lovely woman, Buzz. I felt as if I'd lost my closest friend.”

“A lot of people felt that way about Emmalou. I didn't realize how many good friends she had until …” He pushed away the hot chocolate. “The point I'm trying to make is that I owe you. If you need any help, you call me, okay? Day or night.”

“How good are you with aromatherapy products?”

Buzz didn't laugh. “I'm dead serious about this, Annie. Why the hell are you running this big place alone anyway? You could sell for major bucks, then settle down and raise about ten kids of your own.”

“Summerwind's not for sale.” The snap in Annie's voice surprised them both. “Grandpa left this resort to Mom and Dad, and I promised them I'd keep things going. We've almost paid off our last mortgage and in four years I plan to buy a few more acres up the hill. We'll establish separate casitas for families who want privacy while still having access to all our resort and spa facilities. After that I—” She stopped. “My turn to run on.”

“You always did have a carload of ideas, Annie. I just don't like you throwing your life away on a never-ending flow of rich strangers.”

“It beats digging ditches. Sometimes.” She cradled her chin in her hands. “So what brought you up here?” She raised her hands in mock fear. “Hey, if it's about those parking tickets—”

Buzz's mouth twitched. “Yeah, you're a real hardened criminal. Remind me to put out an APB on you.” He turned his cocoa mug slowly. “Actually, the reason I came was—”

He was interrupted by the wail of his beeper. He consulted the screen and shook his head. “Another accident on that damned coast road. The state ought to do us all a favor and shut the blasted thing down.”

“I saw a car almost go over once. It scared me senseless,” Annie said.

“You should be scared. Emmalou hated that stretch, too. She told me that …” His voice trailed away. “There I go again.”

Another pager went off. This time it was Annie's. Buzz watched her intently. “More problems?”

Annie scanned her pager and stiffened. “That's it, I'm going to kill someone. Better hang around and save yourself a trip for apprehension. Two months, seven service calls, twenty thousand dollars, and one of the new cedar whirlpools just flooded. Could you please lend me your gun?”

Buzz tried to hide a grin as he stood up. “I'd say any jury in the state would acquit you for just cause.”