Sins of the Father (17 page)

“
We should
go.”

“
Yeah, I’m
sure the news is playing havoc on Stuart’s ulcer. We’ve had enough
delays for one day.” Sarah reversed her steps, glancing around her
suspiciously. It nearly set Alicia off again.

They walked in silence to
the main production building; Brad a couple of steps behind, on
alert. Alicia tried not to think about the possibility that someone
she worked with had a secret vendetta against her. She felt at home
here, and she needed that security. She’d be lost without
it.

Stuart had other ideas.
As they brought him up to speed, Alicia battled with his desire to
lock her up in an ivory tower, or more specifically Burton House –
his own version of the fairy tale castle.

“
I’m not
going to be manipulated. I refuse to buy into his sick games. You
hired additional security so let Morgan and Fairchild do their
job.” Her eyes met Brad’s. “It doesn’t matter where they do it.
Nobody will get near me when they’re around.”

Brad felt a burst of
pride that she had so much faith in him. She’d said the team, but
her eyes made it clear that she was speaking directly to
him.

Stuart, however, was
letting his fear do the talking. “But he did get close to you, Al.
He got into your trailer, the place where you sleep – he could have
left anything for you to find.”

“
He needed a
clear site to do it.” She threw up her arms. “He took advantage of
a situation he created in the first place. Surely you can see that
he doesn’t have the balls to approach me when...”

Brad cleared his throat,
sensing they would continue to circle the issue until one of them
won. He didn’t have time to wait. “If I may point out that Alicia’s
trailer was searched with specialised equipment before she was
given the all clear. It was an… unpleasant experience, but she was
never in danger. Perhaps we can compromise on the living
arrangements.”

“
Compromise?”
Stuart asked wearily.

Brad turned to Alicia.
“You could move into the main building. I can make sure nobody goes
in or out without my say so.”

“
I suppose it
could work,” she said, looking across at Stuart.

“
Fine, if
that’s all I’m going to get.”

“
There you
go,” Sarah said, patting Stuart on the shoulder. “That wasn’t so
hard, was it?” When she saw his lips twitch, she knew they were
home free. “Are you up for a group hug?”

“
That sounds
like a fine idea.” They all turned to find JJ smiling back at
them.

Alicia motioned for him
to enter. “It’s good to see you again, JJ.”

“
Glad to be
here. There’s never a dull day, that’s for sure.”

She laughed. “Well I, for
one, am tired of the drama.”

“
Don’t worry.
We’ll catch him.” JJ looked towards Brad. “Right, big
man?”

“
These guys
couldn’t catch a cold!” Abe Donovan replied for him as he stepped
into the room.

Brad slapped him on the
shoulder. “We’d better shut the door - we’re letting in all the
trash.”

“
Yeah, well,
Detective Potts is right behind me.” He turned to Alicia. “You give
him hell?”

“
Not this
time. I’m afraid I went a little Hollywood and my phone paid the
price.”

Abe laughed. “You can
tell us about it when Potts gets here. Why don’t we all take a
seat?”

They walked over to a
small conference table and crowded around it like a family at a
motorway services café. All except for Brad, who was giving
instructions to JJ. They were stood by the exit so Alicia couldn’t
tell what they were saying. JJ slipped out before any of the others
even noticed.

“
Who has the
note?” Abe asked, looking at the faces around the table.

“
That would
be me.” Sarah pulled the paper out of her pocket. “His messages
aren’t very imaginative.”

They turned as the last
member joined their party - Detective Potts. “Miss Gladstone, I
wish we were meeting again under better circumstances,” he said,
rather formerly.

It’s
not a funeral, detective.
“Thank you for coming.”

He smiled and turned to
Abe, who was waving the note in his direction. He gave it a cursory
glance. “Where did you find it?”

Alicia went through the
series of events for the third time, ending with the call.
Detective Potts considered the details in the quiet way she
remembered. “Where’s the phone now?”

“
In my
trailer, in about seven or eight pieces,” Alicia said, a flush
spreading when she remembered the outburst. “It kind of dropped out
of my hand.”

“
If you call
hurling it at the wall dropping,” Brad said, making Sarah giggle.
The narrow-eyed stare from Alicia was worth her annoyance – it
tickled him.

“
Let me guess - the
Evian
water wasn’t
the right temperature.” The glare turned into a surprised cackle at
the detective’s friendly jibe.

“
Wow, Potts,
you made a funny!” Abe grinned with barely contained
mischief.

“
Did you
think you’re the only one with a sense of humour?”

“
Sometimes I
wonder, buddy.” He raised his hand for a high-five but Potts
ignored him to turn back to Alicia.

“
I’d like to
take a look around, get a feel for things if that’s all
right?”

“
That’s fine.
I’ll take you,” Sarah said, pushing to her feet. “I’ll organise the
move across to your new digs,” she added in Alicia’s
direction.

Abe was right behind her.
“I’ll assist our good detective here. Keep me informed, big
man.”

Stuart remained seated as
they filed out. “I’ve changed the schedule for today.” He glanced
at Brad. “You should have a copy. I emailed it to you about twenty
minutes ago.”

Alicia reached for his
hand. “This must be hard on you. I’m sorry for not cooperating. I
know you’re worried.”

“
Al, you
never cooperate. I just don’t want to see you get hurt for the sake
of a project.”

“
I don’t
think it has anything to do with the project. But I promise not to
take any unnecessary risks. You know you prefer it when you can
keep an eye on me anyway.”

He sighed, the sound as
weary as he looked. “Okay, that’s good enough for now. But if he
escalates...”

“
Then we’ll
talk again. Let’s go out. There are a lot of people waiting for
your reassurance. We need to get moving.”

Brad’s attention was
split between listening to their conversation and tuning into
progress reports from various points around the studios. Some of it
wasn’t relevant to him specifically, but he liked to have the full
picture in his head - to extend his area of focus.

***

The remainder of the day
went without a hitch. Brad admired Alicia’s calm and methodical
approach to the altered schedule. She didn’t seem at all nervous to
be surrounded by people, most of them strangers on a personal
level. He remained close to her side, as close as he could without
disrupting the scene.

When JJ returned to
relieve him he was almost disappointed – he liked being close to
her.

“
I’ve set up
surveillance at each entry point to the building, in addition to
makeup; wardrobe and other production offices,” JJ told
him.

“
Thanks, JJ.
Is Ellen all set for tomorrow?”

“
Yes, it’s
covered. One of Abe’s guys will be doing the cross
over.”

They both turned when
Alicia’s door opened. Sarah emerged first, with Alicia’s laughter
following her out. “Just the man we wanted to see,” she said to
Brad, winking at JJ. “Al would like to go over the schedule for
tomorrow.”

“
Oh, that’s
not really necessary,” Alicia started to protest. The frown made it
clear she’d suggested no such thing.

“
I think it
would be useful. Don’t you, Brad?” The look Sarah gave him held
enough force to remind him of their arrangement; she was giving him
a chance to come clean.

“
Yes, that’s
a good idea.” He turned to JJ with a rueful expression. “I’ll catch
up with you soon.”

He hadn’t realised it
before, but Alicia was nervous being alone with him. She fluttered
about the large living area, clearly fighting with nerves. The fact
that he’d replayed their kiss a hundred times, even when he didn’t
want to, made it seem like longer than twenty-four hours. A lot had
happened, enough for him to feel surprised by her
reaction.

“
Why don’t
you sit down, Alicia. There’s something I want to talk to you
about.”

She turned to him with
interest now, detecting the apprehension in his own voice perhaps.
“The schedule thing was a ruse wasn’t it?”

As she wasn’t going to
sit, he perched on one of the stools in front of a mini bar,
suddenly longing for a drink. “Yes. It’s about something, well,
something I should have told you from the start, as soon as I
realised you didn’t know.”

“
That sounds
ominous. I’m guessing it’s something I won’t like.”

“
Helen
Fairfax was my step-mother.” He’d intended to work it into the
conversation - build up to it. But now that the cat was out of the
bag, he realised it was as good a way as any.

“
Oh my God.”
Alicia dropped into a chair, taking a moment to digest. “I remember
reading...but if Sarah knew why... why didn’t you?” She turned
accusing eyes on him.

He felt his stomach fall
as he desperately searched his brain for a way to explain; anything
to stop her from looking at him like she would never trust him
again. It wasn’t only the assignment at stake now – he couldn’t
walk away from her.

“
Because she
made my life hell and I closed that chapter a long time
ago.”

He caught the flicker of
sympathy before she pushed it aside. “You could have mentioned the
connection without rehashing old hurts. But to keep it from
me...”

Something else flickered
across her face then, something he didn’t like. He deserved it, but
he didn’t want to see it.

“
You thought
I was like her, didn’t you? Did you think you could knock me down a
peg or two? You probably believed you were being a hero, burying
all your personal feelings for the sake of the job.”

Her comment hurt more
than he thought it would. “You have a right to be angry, Alicia,
but you’re wrong about my reasons for agreeing to protect you. Was
I afraid I couldn’t remain impartial? Of course I was. But that was
my only fear. Whether I think you’re like her or not, I have a job
to do and I intend to do it.”

She didn’t say anything
for so long the suspense started to drive him crazy.

“
You should
have told me. Sarah should have told me. I’m going to find out
exactly what kind of game she’s playing.”

He didn’t envy Sarah one
bit. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It’s not easy to find the right
rhythm when you have doubts about your ability to do the job. So
you’re right about me trying to be the hero. I felt drawn to
protect you despite the obvious conflicts. Like I said, it was
something I intended to discuss with you, something I’d hoped you
already knew.” He ran a hand through his hair, struggling to find
the words. “I’m good at what I do, Alicia, don’t ever doubt
that.”

“
I don’t.”
She sighed again, a tired sound that pulled at his heart. “Which is
why I’m going to try to understand your reasons for keeping this
from me.” She held up a hand when he started to speak. “I’m not
sure what to do about any of it. Things were complicated enough
already. You can’t deny the attraction between us, and I can’t help
but wonder if that had something to do with your decision. One
thing I know for sure is that I trust you to do your job, and right
now I need you.”

Brad felt all the tension
drain away. He hadn’t lost her trust, and that was all that
mattered to him. “Thank you. I appreciate your honesty. It’s
important that we work well together.”

“
I think we
both know there’s a connection that has nothing to do with the job
or our shared history.”

“
About that.”
There was so much he wanted to say, but every bit of it was against
the rules.

“
I think
we’ve dealt with enough for one day, don’t you?”

He could see she was
feeling the effects of a gruelling day. “Okay, I should let you get
some rest.”

“
Thanks.” She
reached out to touch his arm. “Goodnight, then.”

He stared down at her,
torn because he wanted to kiss her again, even though he knew it
was wrong. “Goodnight, Alicia.”

He walked towards the
door, feeling stronger with a little distance between them. He
didn’t look back or hesitate on his way out. He didn’t even stop to
chat with JJ because, as much as he respected the kid, he needed
his best friend; his own brand of reason.

It didn’t take him long
to power up the laptop and patch through. He didn’t question
whether Kelvin would answer - the man was always on red
alert.