Stranger's Game

by Colleen Coble

  She stopped a few feet away. “Are you ever going to forget I’m a Bergstrom? You haven’t been the same with me since.”

  Maybe she’d been reading his mind. “It takes some getting used to. You know, the fact that you could buy and sell an entire island without a blink of an eye. That kind of money and power is a little off-putting.”

  “Off-putting? Most men I’ve met are only too happy to think about spending it for me.”

  He held her gaze for a long minute and his heart squeezed at the vulnerability in her brown eyes. Being judged by her name and wealth couldn’t be easy. And he was just as guilty as the rest of them, only he was assuming she wanted to control him with it all. And maybe she didn’t.

  “I like to make my own way. Stand on my own two feet and provide for my family.”

  The shadow in her eyes darkened. “Julie didn’t work?”

  “Well, yes, she did. She was a paralegal. After Hailey was born, she went to part-time, but she planned to go back to full-time once Hailey was in school.” He smiled. “I see where you’re going with this. I’m being a little hypocritical, aren’t I?”

  “Not a little. A lot. In any relationship, there’s give and take. It’s not all give and not all take. It’s not right for you to hold my family name against me. I had no control over which family I came from. It’s much better to judge me based on my character and what I do with what I’ve been given. Do you see me driving a Ferrari or living in a mansion? I’m hardly blowing through money in a reckless way.”

  He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I give! You’re right, and I’m wrong. I’ll try to do better. I liked your take-charge attitude and the way you cared about other people from the beginning. I need to remember you’re the same person you were last week before I knew who you were.”

  The tense line of her shoulders softened, and she smiled. “Think you can do it?”

  “I’ll try. Just don’t show up in a Ferrari, and I think I can manage. A Range Rover might be okay though.”

  “Picky, are we?”

  “Well, I’ve always wanted a Range Rover. If you let me drive it, I might forget you bought it.”

  He pulled her closer, and she leaned against his chest. She’d be able to hear how his heart sped up at her closeness, but there wasn’t any way he could hide how much she drew him in.

  * * *

  There was nothing in Torie’s in-box from the HR director, and the lack of response made her want to march to the hotel and demand to see her.

  Joe stopped tapping on the wall in the living room and glanced at her. “Still nothing?”

  “No. I’ll give her half an hour, and if she still hasn’t answered, I’ll go to the hotel.”

  “Maybe she’s in a meeting.”

  While Torie knew he was right—meetings were a fact of life for most HR directors—the waiting made her heart race and her palms sweat. Which was silly because there was no guarantee they’d find a clue in what Lisbeth was doing during her final weeks.

  Her computer dinged, and she scanned the three new emails. “Finally!” She opened the first email and frowned. “It looks like the main order of business for her for the past month was working on getting ready for the banking convention. She was working on games for it and had a big scavenger hunt planned. She’d been visiting various businesses to see about prizes and clues. It was going to serve as a way to highlight the various businesses as the members stopped by to search for the clues.”

  “Clever,” he said. “But I can’t see why anyone would kill her over that.”

  She sank into the sofa and exhaled. “Maybe I need to retrace her steps, see what she saw and learn what she learned. I know it’s a long shot, but I don’t have anything better to do.”

  Doubt lingered in his eyes, but bless him, he only said, “We know it’s likely she stumbled on some nefarious plot and had to be silenced.”

  “Even if that’s true, the chances of me discovering what that was are unlikely.”

  “But not impossible.”

  It felt impossible, but she had to keep going. Staring out the window at the late-afternoon light, she shivered. Was the killer out there watching her? He’d probably noticed she was back in the cottage, and she was prepared for a new attack tonight. She’d almost welcome it since it would be proof the guy considered her investigation a threat. That had to mean the evidence she needed was out there somewhere. If he felt safe, he wouldn’t be trying to scare her away.

  “It’s nearly dinnertime,” Joe said. “Anything special sound good?”

  “I’m still full from the pizza, so check with Hailey and see what she wants.”

  “Fish tacos,” they said in unison before breaking into a chorus of laughter.

  The laughter dispelled her frustration. “I wouldn’t say no to some salsa if you’re calling Tortuga Jack’s anyway.”

  “You got it.” He pulled out his phone and placed an order. “How about we all ride together to pick it up?”

  “I’ll be fine for the ten minutes you’ll be gone. You can take Hailey with you to ease your worries, but I’ll lock up and pay attention to any noises.” She swept her hand toward the window. “And it’s still light outside. I don’t think he’ll bother me this afternoon.”

  Tonight might be a different story, but she wasn’t going to bring that up.

  “Okay, I’ll roust the girl from her Little House on the Prairie marathon.”

  “I think she’s up to season three. She’s mesmerized. I can’t believe I’ve never watched it before.”

  He yawned and raked his hand through his thick thatch of brown hair. “We’ll remedy that over dinner.”

  She watched him go down the hall and she smiled at his banter with his daughter. He was a really good dad. She’d always loved and respected her father, but watching the two of them, she realized she’d missed out on a lot. Her dad’s constant travel and preoccupation with his work had taken a toll on her childhood. She couldn’t recall a day when they’d hung out on the sofa and watched a family show together. He would politely ask about her schoolwork, but she doubted he knew she loved Latin quotes. Did he even know she had a terrible sense of direction or that she loved the Twilight series when she was a teenager?

  Not a chance.

  She locked the door behind Joe and Hailey as they good-naturedly squabbled about whether she could eat her tacos in the truck on the way back. There was no doubt who would win that battle. Joe would let her eat the whole bag of food if she asked. And so would Torie.

  She looked at the stack of Lisbeth’s belongings. It had all come down to clothing and books. She picked up the thick book she’d started reading a few days ago. The Creature from Jekyll Island sounded like one of Lisbeth’s favorite horror novels, but it was about the creation of the Federal Reserve. She rubbed her head. She needed some sleep, but she couldn’t stop reading.

  The book was eye-opening about how the Federal Reserve was a banking cartel. It should have been illegal, and yet it had steered the money industry for over a hundred years.

  She looked up when the doorknob rattled. “What did you forget?” She laughed and rose to let them in.

  But no one answered her. With her hand on the door, she paused. “Joe? Hailey? Who’s there?”

  Still no answer. She backed away toward the kitchen. There were no panes or skylights at the door to see through, but she had a sinking sensation that someone else stood on the other side of the wood. If it was an acquaintance, why didn’t he or she answer when she called out?

  The danger felt so thick she struggled to breathe. Why hadn’t she gone with Joe? Experience had already shown this guy was the boldest person she’d ever encountered. He seemed to walk past cameras and people like a mist that no one noticed.

  She stared at the door, and her lips parted but her tongue felt too parched to call out. Her gaze found her phone lying on the sofa, and she moved toward it. Her finger felt numb as she punched out 911 and waited for the dispatcher to answer.
>
  The male disembodied voice spoke in her ear. “911, what is your emergency?”

  “There’s someone outside my door, and I think it’s an intruder who’s broken in before.” She raised her voice. “I’m calling 911!” She gave the dispatcher the address.

  A sudden flurry of noise at the door came, and she grabbed the lamp to use the base as a weapon if he came inside.

  “A patrol car is on the way, but it will be a while. Can you get to safety or call a friend?”

  “I’ll call a friend.” Torie couldn’t cower in the living room when she should be trying to identify the intruder. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she ended the call and advanced to the door. Holding the lamp high overhead, she unlocked the door and jerked it open.

  No one was there. She looked up and down the street again but saw no one. A flash of color at her feet caught her eye, and she saw a board game laid out.

  Monopoly.

  What on earth did that mean?

  Chapter 29

  The Monopoly game sat on the stoop almost mocking him.

  Joe had left the board exactly as the stalker had set it up. The top hat token sat beside a hotel on Park Place, and the wheelbarrow fittingly had found a spot on Water Works. The Scottie dog perched on Reading Railroad, and the sack of money was on Indiana Avenue. Piles of money weighted down with rocks were at each of the four corners as well as deeds to various properties. Off to one side of the game, the intruder had set down the box with its unused tokens.

  Torie and Hailey knelt beside the board and studied the layout with him. “I used to hate playing Monopoly when I was a kid,” Torie said.

  “Your dad always beat you?”

  She shook her head. “No, it wasn’t that. I hated to bankrupt him. I’d usually cry and tell him not to pay when he’d land on a hotel property, especially Park Place or Boardwalk.”

  He smiled at her tender admission. “You’re a soft touch. This all has to mean something. The stalker took the time to lay this all out in a specific way. Why the top hat piece? Why the wheelbarrow?”

  “I had to do a report on a board game when I was a sophomore, and I picked Monopoly because I hated it and everyone I knew loved it. The top hat piece is said to represent J. P. Morgan.” She pointed. “His place, Sans Souci, is part of the Club Resort now.”

  “What about the other pieces?”

  “The wheelbarrow represents hard work. The dog was supposedly the top hat’s right-hand man. And the sack of money, of course, is all about wealth. It was not a popular piece and was only included as a game piece starting in 1999 and was used less than ten years.”

  “That means this game was purchased sometime between 1999 and 2009.”

  “We’d better not disturb it until we are sure we’ve milked it for all the clues.”

  He drew out his phone and snapped half a dozen pictures. “I’ve got all the details, but let’s go through the stacks of money and see if anything seems off.”

  She nodded and picked up the pile of money closest to her. “This one has the deeds to both blue properties as well as all the railroads and the utilities.”

  “He has a monopoly,” Joe said.

  “Yes, but I don’t know which token it belongs to.” Torie began to count the money, sorting it into denomination piles.

  Hailey wanted to go through a stack of money so Joe let her while he sorted a pile as well.

  “Nothing but money in my two piles,” Torie said. “I checked both sides. No notes or markings on any of the bills.”

  “Same here.”

  The box might hold more clues, but all he saw was the rest of the tokens. No instructions and nothing marked on the interior of the box.

  “Try the top,” Torie said.

  The intruder had nested the bottom of the box inside the top, so Joe slid it loose and looked it over. “Nothing.”

  Hailey scooped up the pieces and handed them to him, then scooped up the cards and put them in the designated spot in the box. Torie organized the bills into denominations and stacked them in their place.

  Another thought occurred to him, and he took the board and folded it up. “I think you should talk to your dad about this. You’ve said Anton rarely takes a vacation, yet he’s been hanging around here for over a week. What if the stalker is doing this as an elaborate way of getting to him?”

  She frowned and rose from the stoop. “But why terrorize me when he’s right here to be threatened as well?”

  “Have you asked him if anything weird has happened to him?”

  “No.” She glanced down the street. “But here he comes now. You can ask him yourself.”

  Joe hadn’t intended to leave until Anton arrived, but he’d hoped it would be later. It felt like his time with Torie just got snatched away.

  * * *

  Her dad’s smile faded when he saw Torie’s face. “What’s wrong?” The scent of his cologne wafted toward her on the evening breeze.

  Torie picked up the Monopoly box. “This was left on the doorstep.”

  He examined it. “Why leave it for you to find? You’ve always hated Monopoly with a passion. The last time we played it, you cried like a baby when I tried to pay you. You’d have thought I’d asked you to beat me with a club.”

  “It was going to bankrupt you.”

  His blue eyes crinkled in a smile. “It’s a game, honey. You’ll never make a mogul, will you? Even now, you’re so tenderhearted.”

  “Which is why I don’t manage anything. Let me just fix a few problems any day.”

  Joe gave a glance up and down the street. “It’s getting dark. I suggest we go inside.”

  Her dad frowned and followed them inside.

  Joe shut and locked the door behind them, then drew the curtains. “I have a few questions for you, sir, if you don’t mind.”

  “If it helps my daughter, fire away.” He smiled at Joe’s daughter. “Hailey, isn’t it?”

  The little girl sidled up closer to him. “Yes. Do you really own lots of hotels? Daddy says you’re as rich as Midas. I know who Midas is because I like all those ancient myths.”

  Her dad gave a bark of laughter that sounded genuine. “I suppose that’s true, but money doesn’t buy you a great dad like you have. It only pays for things that don’t matter nearly as much.”

  If it was so unimportant, why had her dad pursued it with such passion all these years? Did he have regrets about time lost together like she did?

  Her dad settled on the sofa, and Hailey joined him. He patted her hand and smiled at her again, and Torie was struck at his ease with the child. Did he ever worry he’d never have grandkids? She was twenty-eight without a prospect in sight. Her gaze wandered to Joe.

  Well, that wasn’t exactly true.

  Dad cleared his throat. “Your questions?”

  Joe dropped into the armchair, and Torie went to sit on the fireplace hearth. She prayed her dad didn’t get riled at the questions. Joe might get a little personal. He wasn’t one to pull punches.

  “I wondered if you had any enemies. It’s possible whoever is stalking Torie is doing it to get back at you.”

  “Why would you think that?” Dad glanced from Joe to Torie. “There’s been no message left for me, has there?” His voice rose.

  “No, no,” Torie said.

  Joe’s brows drew together, and his mouth flattened. “So you can’t think of any enemies, or you don’t want to talk about it? Which is it?”

  Whoa. Torie had never heard anyone stand up to her father like that. He was a man who said “Do this” and his subordinates asked what other tasks they could perform. No one ever questioned what he said or how he said it.

  Not even her.

  Her father’s mouth sagged, and his face reddened. She waited for the explosion, but his expression cleared, and he folded his arms across his chest. “A man in my position is bound to have enemies. People I’ve had to fire. Companies I’ve been affiliated with that have gone bankrupt. Even in my role with the Fed, decisions
I’ve made have resulted in banks or businesses going under. Such is life.”

  She winced at the callousness of the words. More and more she was convinced she wasn’t cut out to be a cutthroat Bergstrom, but how did she walk away from her heritage? Someday her father would expect her to take over the reins of the company since she was an only child. He’d given her space to find her own way, but she was nearing thirty. He wouldn’t be patient forever.

  “Anyone in particular stand out?” Joe asked.

  “There are too many to remember.”

  “Anyone ever threaten you?”

  Her father let out a mirthless laugh. “Too many times to count. It’s always been things like, ‘You’ll be sorry,’ or ‘You’ll pay.’ People feel they have to say something when they’re trapped. I give as much leeway as I can, but sometimes you have to take action.”

  “Could you think about it and give us a list?”

  “I could, but I think it’s useless.” Her dad swept his hand toward Torie. “She’s the one threatened, not me.”

  Joe shot her a helpless glance, and she knew she had to join the fray. Her dad might listen to her more than a stranger. “Dad, what better way to get back at you than to hurt your only family left? Surely you can see that. I think we have to explore every avenue.”

  He pinned her with a steely stare, then gave a jerky nod. “Fine. I’ll work on a list tonight, but I think you’re on the wrong railway.”

  She glanced at Joe. “Send me the pictures you took of the board game and I’ll forward them to Dad’s email. Something might jog his memory in the placement of the pieces and the tokens used.”

  But she didn’t hold out much hope her dad would help. And maybe he was right. The intruder hadn’t said a word about her dad.

  The door rattled, and Joe looked out. “It’s Craig.”

  By the time Craig left with the car bug, the phone, and the Monopoly game, it was after nine, and Torie wanted nothing more than to go to bed. Joe left with Hailey in tow, and Torie promised to keep her safe tomorrow while he turned Simon over to the Navy.