by Camy Tang
“It’s better than nothing. And just because this is a dead end doesn’t mean we don’t have any other leads.”
She realized he was right. “The investors I talked to at the Zoe banquet. But what are we going to do, interview all of them and see if they smell like cigarette smoke?”
Shaun sighed. “No, that’s out. I don’t want you talking to the potential stalker. It’s possible to hide cigarette smoke, anyway. Dad used to smoke pipes a lot when we were younger. He had a corduroy jacket he wore whenever he smoked outside in the garden. The jacket smelled like smoke but he didn’t.”
But Monica’s head was whirling with ideas. “I still think we can eliminate some of the investors. The stalker has been taking pictures of me every day, now. I get an envelope in the mail every morning, and the photos inside were taken from a few days before.”
He glanced at her. “What does that have to do with the investors?”
“If he’s taking pictures of me, he can’t be meeting with me at the same time.”
Shaun hesitated before saying, “You mean, you want to arrange meetings with the people you met at the Zoe banquet, and then see if the stalker takes pictures of you with them? No way.”
“It could work. If there aren’t any pictures of me with a particular investor, that might be our guy. We could figure out who he is by process of elimination.”
She could tell he was tempted. It would be a strategy that would bring them closer to the stalker’s identity without bringing her any closer to the stalker than she already was every day with the guy taking pictures of her everywhere she went.
Shaun shook his head. “You don’t think he’d think of that, once you start calling and making appointments with investors?”
“But it doesn’t mean he knows who I met at the Zoe banquet. The people I talk to in the next few days could simply be investors I met at a number of other events.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“Me not stopping work on this clinic is dangerous. My party next week is dangerous. Do you really want to just let him go so he could stalk some other woman rather than taking this opportunity of finding out who he is?”
“There’s no guarantee this’ll work.”
“You’re right.” She sat back in her seat. “But don’t you think it’s worth a shot? Right now he’s taking pictures of me every day, and we don’t know how long he’s going to continue doing this. What might happen is that he realizes too late that he can’t take pictures of himself when he’s with me, but by then we’ll have eliminated a few investors.”
She also wanted this challenge of looking him in the eye and seeing if she could tell he was her stalker. A part of her wanted to prove to herself that she could still read people as well as she always did, that this guy couldn’t hide his true nature from her. She’d met him once before and been clueless. Now she wanted a rematch.
Yes, that was childish of her. But it felt like the only thing she could control in this entire situation. Everything else was being done to manipulate her, and she hated it.
“What do you say?” she asked Shaun. “We can have all the meetings in public places, and you’ll be nearby.”
He sighed. “It’s not as if I could stop you.”
“But I want to know you support me in this, that you’ll protect me.”
The look he sent her way was brief but intense, and it made her skin prickle. “I’ll always protect you.”
Yes, she knew he would.
She both did and didn’t want to provoke the stalker again. Once he saw her talking to more investors, he would be livid. Would he escalate to violence once it became obvious she wasn’t going to be intimidated?
Because she refused to be intimidated. She refused to be told what to do by a man mentally and emotionally unstable.
“Let’s do it,” she said with a firm nod. “Let’s flush him out.”
Two down, four to go.
Out of all the investors Monica had spoken to at the Zoe banquet, only six had come close to the description of the stalker—male, brown hair, average height. She’d called all of them to arrange meetings, leaving voicemails for four of them, but she’d spoken to the other two and had arranged meetings with them yesterday. She’d made sure it wasn’t hard for the stalker to follow her, and she had brief meetings with the two investors at an outdoor café in San Francisco.
Today was number three, Brett Marshall.
She’d received more photos this morning, but she was almost glad to get them because they meant that in a few days, she’d be able to see if photos of the investors began showing up.
It gave her a sense of power, to be deliberately putting herself in the stalker’s camera rather than wanting to hide from it. It made her feel more in control.
Brett had mentioned he wanted to meet at his restaurant there, so Monica and Shaun drove to Napa in his Chevy Suburban, a gigantic tank of an SUV. Her car was with the police as evidence—being sidelined by the stalker’s vehicle had left some paint scraped along her driver’s side door.
Her cell phone rang, and she saw Jason Mars’s ID pop up. One of the other investors had mentioned that Jason was very tight with his money, and that even if he expressed interest in the project, he rarely ever gave to a charity that didn’t somehow benefit his business, so she was surprised he’d called her back. “Hello.”
“Monica, it’s Jason Mars. I got your message. Yes, I got your invitation to the party. I’m not sure yet if I’ll be attending.” He was curt and to the point.
“I was hoping I could meet with you to discuss my purpose for the party and the free children’s clinic. I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.”
“I can meet with you today if you’re free. I’ve been busy chasing down bank managers who won’t return my calls.”
Of all the investors, she had disliked talking to him the most. His conversation seemed to focus on injustices he’d had to face or bad luck that had fallen on him or people who had betrayed him.
Aside from his negativity, she had also had the feeling that he’d been holding back some deep-seated anger. Or maybe it had just been anger at the world and feeling life was unfair.
“I’m afraid I can’t meet with you today,” Monica said. “I’m in Napa. I have a meeting at Rock Love restaurant.”
He suddenly grew quiet, and Monica could almost hear his temper simmering. What had she said to upset him? The only thing she could think of was that he also owned a restaurant, Elementals, but it seemed petty for him to be upset about that, especially since Elementals was in Marin.
“Rock Love?” His voice sounded strangled. “Brett Marshall’s restaurant?”
“I didn’t realize you two were rivals. Elementals is entirely different cuisine from Rock Love.”
“I’ve never been to Rock Love, so I wouldn’t know. I wouldn’t step foot in his restaurant if you paid me. Brett Marshall doesn’t respect women and will try to rip you off and take everything from you.”
His harsh tone surprised her as much as his confusing words. However, she didn’t want to gossip and she also didn’t want to walk smack dab in the center of some feud between the two men. “Why don’t I arrange to meet with you tomorrow?”
“Is Brett who you’re meeting?” Jason persisted. “You’re meeting with Brett?”
“I’m sure you understand that it would be unprofessional for me to tell you who I’m meeting. Many of my investors appreciate their anonymity.”
“You’re a fool if you let him invest in your clinic.”
She couldn’t help but think that she couldn’t exactly write Brett off just on Jason’s word, especially when Brett had expressed more genuine interest in investing in the clinic than Jason had.
But his animosity both startled and puzzled her. There again was that deep-seated anger she’d noticed the first time she spoke to him. Coupled with his negative worldview, would he want to threaten her to make her stop work on her clinic, perhaps for some obscure reason only he k
new about? Would he have done the same to Clare and killed her?
And yet her gut told her that he wasn’t the stalker. He definitely seemed to have some issues, but Monica had a hard time believing that a man like Jason Mars, who couldn’t hide his anger toward Brett, would be able to hide his hatred of the clinic from her when speaking about it. He also hadn’t been angry when talking about the party, and the stalker had been wildly upset about that.
“Jason, if you’d like, I can have lunch with you tomorrow at some place near your office. Your center of operations is in San Francisco, isn’t it?”
“I’ll have to check with my schedule and get back to you,” he said, and hung up.
Jason wasn’t the rudest man she’d ever encountered, but he did seem to rub her the wrong way.
They entered downtown Napa and found Brett’s restaurant, Rock Love. With a name like Rock Love, Monica had expected rock band memorabilia or a music theme, but instead the decor was in rough-hewn textures in shades of brown, beige, gray and black with chrome accents. The only spots of color were the bottles of drinks behind the extensive bar. Monica realized the name referred to a rock-climbing theme, not rock ’n’ roll.
Brett met them as they walked in the front double doors, which were trapezoid shaped and very flashy from the outside. He had wavy brown hair and a wide forehead that made his eyes seem more close-set than they actually were. He had a classic Roman nose but sensual lips and a flirtatious manner that somehow made a woman seem appreciated. Of all the investors, he looked the most like Phillip Bromley, and yet his personality was the polar opposite. Whereas Phillip seemed self-serving and secretive, Brett was open and even blunt at times.
“Monica, your beautiful face brightens this entire place.” Brett leaned forward to kiss her, but she turned her head to the side so he kissed her cheek instead.
“Brett, you’re so sweet. This is Shaun, he drove me here. I hope you don’t mind putting him at a table near us?”
“Of course.” He signaled to the hostess, who looked at her computer to figure out a table to put Shaun. The restaurant was already filled with people for lunch, mostly tourists and a few businesspeople, although Rock Love had a reputation for having a more raucous crowd in the evening.
Brett led her to a booth in the corner of the restaurant, but on the way there, several of his customers stood up to chat with him.
“Mr. Marshall, I just wanted to say what a great place you’ve got here,” said one man.
“Thanks. Hey, what are you eating?” Brett asked him.
“We haven’t decided yet.”
“The salmon’s a little oily today, but the black cod is the best I’ve tasted yet.”
“Thanks, Mr. Marshall.”
In watching Brett take the time to talk to these people, Monica was reminded of her first impression of him at the Zoe banquet—he was personable and yet he spoke directly and as without pretense as he could.
They finally got to their booth and Brett stood aside while Monica scooted in. However, he sat uncomfortably close to her, so she moved over and put her purse between them.
The hostess approached with Shaun trailing behind, but the table she seated him at was several yards away. The other tables nearby were already filled, so she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised, but without his presence, she felt cold and isolated.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I ordered drinks for us.” Brett signaled a waiter, who arrived seconds later with a bottle of champagne.
“I am so very sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t drink alcohol during meetings. It’s a personal stance I take,” she said.
He took it smoothly. “Well, then, maybe after lunch.” His lips curved as if they hid some playful secret, while his eyes seemed to be drinking her in.
“You suggested the black cod?” Monica picked up her menu and glanced at it. “I have to admit I’ve been wanting to try your restaurant for some time, but just never had an excuse to come to Napa for lunch.”
He smiled slowly and draped his arm over the back of the seat. “I’m glad I’m your excuse,” he said in a low voice.
Brett wasn’t unattractive, but his seductive flirting didn’t appeal to her. He made her feel like just the next woman he was interested in.
She couldn’t help comparing how Brett made her feel with how Shaun made her feel. Shaun’s protectiveness and concern for her made her feel special to him, like an honor only rarely given to women in his life. The way he spoke to her, even the way he kissed her, seemed to tell her that she was significant to him, not just a blip in his love life.
“Monica, I’ll lay my cards on the table,” Brett said. “I’m very attracted to you. I was from the moment I saw you. I was in London on business the week after the Zoe banquet or I would have called you, but when I got the invitation to your party, I knew I had to see you before then.”
Rather than making her feel more uncomfortable, his honesty impressed her. His tendency to be a straight-shooter was such a rarity among all the investors she had met. She appreciated it, and she regretted that she might hurt his feelings by rebuffing him. “Brett, I’m very flattered. But I have to admit that I just don’t feel the same way about you.”
“Are you sure?” Brett leaned a little closer, and she smelled the spicy green scent of his soap. Somehow he didn’t smell as manly as Shaun. She cast a quick look in Shaun’s direction and met his glower.
Brett continued, “I know you’re not repulsed by me, at least.”
She’d be as honest with him as he was with her. “Yes, you are an attractive man, but I’m not emotionally attracted to you, if that makes sense.”
Something flickered in his eyes—surprise, maybe. Respect, definitely.
Monica continued, “And if you decide not to support the clinic as a result, I’m willing to face that consequence. But I won’t string you along for the sake of the clinic. It’s not honest and it’s unprofessional.”
His smile was brighter than any he’d shown to her before. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, but I have to tell you, you’re a woman in a million. I respect you even more now, if that’s possible.”
The way he took her rejection didn’t surprise her. He gave the impression that he valued honesty over other things in his life, even his romantic interests.
“Did you still want to continue?” She phrased it calmly, but inside she was quaking. Would she lose this man as an investor? He’d been one of her most promising leads, and also one of the most influential.
“Most definitely.” He picked up her hand and kissed it, then winked at her. “I’m not flirting with you, I promise. I think you will be a joy to work with, Miss Grant.”
“Then let’s order so we can get started.”
As she made her presentation for the clinic, Brett asked intelligent questions and had a keen understanding of some of the problems she might come up with, but without having a wet blanket attitude about the project.
Occasionally she’d look toward Shaun’s table, and each time found him watching her like a hawk. His intense scrutiny should have annoyed her, but instead, it somehow made her feel looked after. No other man in her life had treated her this way, as if she were precious.
“I don’t think he’s just your driver.” Brett gestured toward Shaun with his head.
“He’s my bodyguard,” she admitted.
“You need protection? Why? From whom?”
“Nothing really serious. There’s some opposition to this free children’s clinic.” She hoped it sounded innocuous enough.
“There’s always a few of them,” Brett said. “I had people who didn’t want me to build this restaurant. But I also have a lot of people who enjoy eating here and working here. It makes it worth it, in the end.”
He was right. She believed in her children’s clinic, and it would be worth all this stress and emotional energy when she could open the clinic doors and treat her first patient.
A blur of movement caught her eye and she suddenly
saw Jason Mars barreling through the restaurant right toward them.
Jason had a square face and piggish eyes set close to his large red nose. His hair a curly brown, but thinning near the top, and his ears stuck out from his face. His skin had a tendency toward redness, and he was the same color as a cherry soda at the moment.
“I knew it,” Jason raged at her. “I knew you were meeting him.”
Her seated position, even though she was behind the table, made her feel vulnerable, but when she would have moved out of the booth to stand up to face Jason, Brett put a hand on her arm to stop her.
“You had to insist on ignoring me,” Jason continued. “You couldn’t just take some well-meaning advice. You women are all the same.”
“That’s uncalled for, Mars,” Brett said.
“What do you care? You just want to make money.”
“That’s the pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it?” Brett responded dryly.
Suddenly, two waiters who were a bit taller and broader than the others approached Jason. “Sir, we’d like you to come with us.”
“No.” Brett waved them back. “Let him say what he wants to say. I have no secrets.”
“You lying snake!” Spittle from Jason’s mouth flew over the table. “How dare you say that after what you did to my marriage?”
“I didn’t do anything to your marriage.” Brett’s expression was as stone cold as his voice. “You’re the one who left your wife.”
Monica hadn’t known that. When had that happened?
“You’re the one who seduced her away from me!” Jason said.
Monica could feel Jason’s anger rolling out of him like a sandstorm, wiping everything out of its way including reason and logic. It had nothing to do with her, no matter what Jason might have told himself, and she wanted to escape its path.
She turned toward Shaun’s table, but he was gone. Had he gone to the restroom, or stepped outside to take a phone call? She knew he wouldn’t abandon her. She just had to wait for him.
“You’re trying to take me down,” Jason told Brett. “You’re trying to run me out of business and destroy my marriage, tear apart my family.”
