King Series Box Set

by Kandle, Tawdra

  “If that’s the case, they’re not thinking about it while I’m there. Emma has even nudged a few of them to think about Helene. Mostly they sit there wondering why she popped into their minds. No, there’s no guilt there.”

  “It’s still the most likely scenario. Nick believes that.”

  I threw up my hands. “Yes, Nick would say that. Did you ever think that maybe he has us on this wild goose chase to keep us from picking up on his guilt? Remington could be a beautiful red herring, taking the heat off Nick.”

  “It’s not our job to determine who killed Helene Gamble, unless that person works in the Remington organization. We are not the police.” Cathryn crossed her arms across her chest.

  “He still looks like suspect number one to me.”

  “You don’t think I considered that right away?” Cathryn shot back. “I asked him at our first meeting. And I listened very carefully. Remember, Tasmyn, you’re not the only one who can hear thoughts.”

  “Then maybe it was just a random killing. A robbery that she interrupted. Just a tragic mistake.”

  “No, the police believe she was killed by someone she knew. It was too intimate a killing to be that random. And the apartment where she was killed—Nick owned it. They met there sometimes, but neither of them lived there. He has no idea why she would have been at the apartment that night, unless someone lured her there.”

  I shook my head. “Nick still seems like the most likely person to have done that.”

  Cathryn sighed, ran a hand over her hair and looked away from me for a moment. When she turned back, she said, “A compromise, Tasmyn. Give it one more week—that’s three days at the campaign headquarters. If nothing is resolved by then—or if, on the other hand, it’s all taken care of—you can consider your assignment finished. Does that sound reasonable?”

  I rolled my eyes and swallowed hard. “I don’t know about reasonable, but I’ll do it. And the next time Nick Massler retains the services of Carruthers, count me out, got it?”

  I stalked back to the house but decided not to go inside. I had blown off my Tuesday afternoon classes to confront Cathryn, and now all I wanted to do was get back to campus and spend some time with Michael. As I rounded the corner on my way to the car, I nearly ran headlong into Emma.

  “Hey!” She caught my arm and grinned. “Where’s the fire?”

  I made a face. “Anywhere but here today. What are you doing here? Are you off assignment?”

  “No, I’m still working at Remington central. I read your report. You’re really sure the congressman is innocent?”

  I began walking to the car, and Emma trailed along. “I don’t know about innocent, but I’m sure he didn’t kill Helene.”

  “You could tell that by listening to him?”

  I opened the car door. “I could tell that by asking him and listening to his mind. Even the most experienced liar has a hard time covering up his deepest thoughts. I’m as certain as I can be that Remington didn’t have anything to do with the murder. Now I just have to go finish my time at the headquarters and then I’m done.” I dropped into the driver’s seat, hoping Emma would get the hint and let me leave.

  But instead she held onto the top of the door, gazing down at me, her face inscrutable. “Why is Cathryn keeping you there if you’re already convinced Remington didn’t do it?”

  “Emma, all I know is that Massler doesn’t want to pull me out yet. He thinks I might hear something else. Cathryn thinks it could be someone else who works for the congressman.” I sighed. “I guess I’ll start listening to Ben and Chelle a little more closely. Think you could nudge them a little for me?”

  She shrugged one shoulder. “Whatever you say. I just don’t think it’s very likely. If you haven’t heard anything by now, you probably won’t pick up anything else from them. But hey, it’s why we make the big bucks, right?” She tossed me one more bright smile and then turned to go into the house.

  I drove back to campus, lost in thought.

  By the time I arrived, it was nearly dinnertime. I called Michael to see if he was ready to eat. When he suggested that we forego the dining hall and drive into town, I readily agreed.

  “So,” he said, as we slid into the booth at a tiny diner, way off the main drag. “How goes the classified mission?”

  I shook my head. “I really hate it, Michael. As much as I liked all the assignments Carruthers gave me before—this one is not why I signed up to work for them.”

  He tightened his arm around my shoulders. “Can you drop it? Beg out?”

  “Not yet. It’s almost over, and once it is, I don’t care what Cathryn says—I’m going to tell you all about it. You won’t believe who the client is.”

  Michael raised one brow. “Now I’m curious.”

  “I bet. Hey, you know, life is never boring with me, right?”

  Leaning back, he nodded. “Yeah, true.” He began ticking off on his fingers. “Witches, preachers, fires...dull is one thing you’re not.”

  I sighed, snuggling close beneath his arm. “Do you ever wish you had held out for a nice normal girlfriend?”

  “Never.” He dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “You’re my danger-prone, insanity-attracting, smoking hot one true love. No regrets.”

  “Oh, Tasmyn,” Chelle greeted me the next day. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  I could tell immediately why she was glad; the rest of the office was virtually deserted, and she was in some sort of pain.

  “Everyone else is working at a rally in Gainesville. Ben thought the congressman should have a presence there.” She shrugged, and I felt her irritation. She didn’t care for Ben, and she didn’t think much of his leadership skills.

  “I have an emergency appointment at the dentist.” She winced as she patted her jaw. “I’ve just been waiting for you to get here to hold down the fort.”

  “By myself?” I was surprised; I hadn’t been part of the team that long, and this felt like a big responsibility.

  “Don’t panic,” Chelle said. “You know how often people come in on a Wednesday. Almost never. Just keep working on your email database, and man the phones. I’m going to lock the door behind me, just in case. Don’t let in anyone you don’t know or who doesn’t have ID. Got it?”

  “Sure,” I said. “Good luck at the dentist.”

  She grimaced. “Yeah, I’m going to need it. Thanks.”

  I watched her leave, twisting the lock and hurrying off to her car. The office was silent and a little eerie.

  I hunkered down to the dreaded email database, something that was guaranteed to make even the most caffeinated person doze. The phone was quiet, and the sun that poured through the uncovered front windows was warm. I began to yawn and then to nod...

  A rattle at the door made me jump as my heart skittered. Ben Ryan stood outside, motioning for me to open up for him. Another man stood with him, looking at me with amused interest.

  I unlocked the door and held it open for both of them.

  “Tasmyn, what’s going on? Where is everyone? Why isn’t Chelle here?” I focused on blocking the frenetic activity that was Ben’s mind and concentrated instead of his friend, who I perceived was a journalist.

  “Everyone is at that rally in Gainesville, I guess,” I answered. “And Chelle had to run to the dentist. She had an emergency.”

  Ben muttered something under his breath, and I didn’t have to be a mind reader to know it wasn’t complimentary to Chelle.

  “Tasmyn, this is Joe Coffrey. He’s doing a story on Congressman Remington for the Time-Leader, and I’m giving him an interview today. He may want to talk to the rest of the staff and the volunteers, but not today, obviously.”

  “Chelle told me no one was coming in,” I explained. “I didn’t expect you. I’m sorry.”

  “I’ve had this interview on the schedule for a week,” Ben groused. “Well, doesn’t matter. We’ll go into the back office. Try to keep your eyes open, kid, okay?”

  I gritted my teeth an
d nodded. The two men disappeared behind the closed door, but I could still hear Ben’s booming voice. I put my hands over my ears and tried to concentrate on the stupid database again.

  “No, I don’t think the congressman is afraid of Nick Massler.” The loud pronouncement grabbed my attention; I tilted my head in the direction of the office and tuned my inner ear to listen to the men’s conversation.

  But it’s a poorly kept secret in political circles that Massler plans to run for the same senate seat Congressman Remington is planning to seek. The newspaper man was looking for a reaction.

  Ben laughed in that maddening, condescending way he had. Bring him on. The congressman welcomes a worthy opponent.

  Coffrey joined in with a subdued, polite chuckle. Yes, but this worthy opponent comes with a lot of history. They were pretty close friends, I hear. The congressman was best man at Nick Massler’s wedding.

  Ben’s voice tightened. That was a long time ago. A very long time ago.

  Maybe so. The journalist paused, and I realized he was about to aim for the jugular. Well, would you or the congressman like to comment on something more recent then? Like the murder of Helene Gamble?

  I nearly jumped to my feet in excitement. I wanted to go hug Joe Coffrey and thank him for the absolutely perfect set up he’d just given me.

  Ben’s tension was so palpable that even sitting in the outer room, I could feel it as an ache. What would you like to hear? The congressman did not know Ms. Gamble, but we’ve heard about her death. It’s a tragedy, and all of our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.

  Coffrey’s voice intensified. But there are rumors that the police like Nick Massler for her murder. How would that impact the senate race?

  Ben laughed again, but this time it was ugly. If Massler offed the girl, he’s not going to be free to dabble in politics anymore. He’ll be more occupied with saving his own—uhh—skin.

  Coffrey was taken aback. I felt his surprise and near-revulsion. So, Mr. Ryan...do you think Massler did it?

  What I heard next didn’t come from Ben Ryan’s lips, but instead from a deep interior thought, one he might not even have been aware that he was thinking.

  I don’t think it, I know. Didn’t I set them up together? And didn’t I have Helene Gamble on a short leash? So excited that night...telling me Massler wanted her to meet him at his private apartment, a candlelit dinner...all dressed up she went, thinking he was going to propose. Yeah, right. She didn’t check in and I found her...bloody and eyes staring and a mess. Called it in. . anonymously...now just waiting. Just waiting to see he’s idiot enough to throw his hat in the ring. He does, the gloves come off. He won’t be the suspect anymore, he’ll be the perp.

  I felt dizzy, even sitting still in the chair. I almost missed the words Ben spoke aloud.

  Nick Massler has a strange history, Joe. Have you checked it out? Know where he stashed the wife and then later the daughter? Guy like that will do anything to anyone who stands in his way.

  I felt as thought I were going to be sick. Nick really had killed Helene. Did he plant me here to keep my eye—or rather, my ear—on Ben and the congressman? Knowing that even hearing it, I didn’t have any evidence that I could take to the police. And Ben...he knew it. All along he knew it. He had planted her in Nick’s life, practically sent her to her death, though probably he had only intended to use her to get the inside news on their possible opponent.

  I needed to get out of the office, but I knew I couldn’t leave yet. My stomach heaved and roiled, and I drew in deep breaths.

  The door opened, and one of the other volunteers walked in.

  “Hey,” she greeted me. “Quiet in here, huh? Where’s Chelle? I got bored at the rally and drove back early. Are you okay? You look kind of green.”

  “I don’t feel well,” I answered. “Chelle is at the dentist, she should be back in a little bit. Ben is in the back—doing an interview. Can you take over here? I really just need to go home.”

  “Sure.” She peered at my face, concerned. “Are you okay to drive? Want me to call anyone?”

  Right away I thought of Michael, but the idea of drawing him into this made me feel sicker yet. I would tell him, of course, but not yet. There was someone else I needed to see.

  “Actually, I think I will call my friend to come get me.”

  Cathryn pulled up to the curb, and I climbed into the passenger seat. She eyed me suspiciously.

  “You’re not going to be sick, are you? Because I really don’t like people to be sick in my car. We could park and walk around. That might make you feel better.”

  I lay my head back against the seat. “I don’t think you want people to hear what I have to report. Not this one. Matter of fact, is Emma really in Gainesville? Because we might want her to make us a perimeter.”

  Cathryn frowned. “Did you do something? Should we get Zoe?”

  I shook my head, keeping my eyes firmly shut. “Not anything I did, just what I heard. Come on, I’m okay. I promise not to hurl in your precious car. Just take me back to campus, okay?”

  I felt our speed increase. The farther we drove away from Ben Ryan and the campaign headquarters, the better I felt.

  “Can you talk now, do you think?” Cathryn asked.

  “I think so.” I proceeded to tell her every detail of my afternoon, from Chelle’s dental appointment to every word spoken and thought between Ben Ryan and the journalist.

  She was very pale when I finished. “He really did it?” she murmured. “I can’t believe that.”

  “Ben seems to think so. I mean, he didn’t see it happen, but the circumstantial evidence is pretty damning.”

  “It is circumstantial, though.” Cathryn was almost talking to herself.

  “Cathryn, I want to go talk to him. Myself, in person.”

  She looked at me as though I’d grown a second head. “What are you talking about?”

  “I want to see Nick Massler. I want to talk to him and listen to him. I need to know for sure.”

  Cathryn shook her head. “Are you crazy? You want me to send you in to talk to a man whom we are relatively sure is a murderer? Oh, yes, that’s a grand idea. Wait’ll I tell Michael that I let you do this. He’d kill me. He made me promise you would be safe, you know.” She shot me a sidelong glare.

  “I won’t be in danger. We won’t tell him what we heard. But I think if I feed him a little bit of info, I’ll be able to know if he really is guilty. If he killed Helene.”

  She was silent for a few minutes, considering. “If you go to his house, his staff will be there. You’ll be safe. I could send Emma with you?”

  “No, just me. He knows me. After what happened with Nell, I really don’t think he’d try anything. And like I said, I’m not going to confront him. I’ll just drop some information and see what happens.”

  Cathryn drove onto campus and dropped me off in front of my dorm. “I’ll set it up with him and message you the info on the secure line. You’ll call me going in and you’ll call me coming out. Are we clear?”

  “Crystal,” I said, shutting the car door.

  I was happy that Sophie wasn’t in our room. I went into the shared bathroom, showered and scrubbed my face clean, put on my sweats and climbed into bed with my homework.

  When I opened my eyes, two very concerned faces were staring down at me. “Hey! I’m sorry, I must have dozed off. Long day. What time is it? What’s wrong?”

  Michael sat down on the edge of my bed. “It’s after six. I waited for you at the dining hall. You never called me this afternoon on your way home, and then when you didn’t meet me...” He ran a hand over his face. “I was imagining the worst.”

  I saw his eyes skitter across my neck, with its delicate scars, and I reached out to cover his hand. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t feeling well, so I came back early and climbed into bed. I guess I just zonked.”

  “Where’s your car?” Sophie asked. She looked a little rattled, too. “Michael called me, and I was walking back
from the library. I went through the parking lot, looking for your work car.”

  “I didn’t drive home because I was feeling sick. Cathryn drove me back to campus.” Michael looked decidedly suspicious, but I squeezed his hand. “I’m really sorry,” I repeated. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

  Sophie stood up from her bed. “Well, I’m going to get my dinner. Want me to bring you back anything from the dining hall?”

  I shook my head. “Thanks, Sophie, but I’m not hungry.”

  “I’ll get you soup,” Michael announced. “There’s that place off campus that make the lemon orzo you love. Doesn’t that sound good?”

  I smiled. “That I could eat.”

  He dropped a kiss on my cheek and whispered in my ear, “We’ll talk when I get back.”

  The next morning, there was a simple message in the secure email.

  4 PM today. Your car has been returned to the lot. Keys are in the glove compartment. The address is programmed into your GPS. Go through the back door. You will be expected.

  Michael had accepted my explanation that I was just overtired. If he was slightly skeptical, he didn’t voice his thoughts.

  I zombie-walked through my morning classes. At lunch, I went back to my room, heated up the soup from the night before and sipped on it while I texted Michael that I had to do something for work that afternoon and promised to call him on my way back to campus.

  Okay, Sleeping Beauty, he replied. Don’t forget.

  My trepidation continued to grow all afternoon. After my final class, I hurried back to the parking lot and found the car. As promised, the keys were there and the GPS was programmed. I followed the directions as though I were going back to the Remington estate, but I didn’t turn down that road.

  Instead I followed another hidden turn through woods that gave way to fields. Horses were grazing in the pastures and the view was gorgeous.

  The winding road led me to a large white house. Since there was no helpful valet waiting at this front door, I continued to drive around to the back and parked next to several other cars near what looked like a stable.