“Will do. And Kate, for God’s sake, be careful.”
She clicked the phone off and leaned back in the chair, propping her feet on the one at the end of the table. It was going to be a long day.
* * * * *
“Gin!”
Angus scowled as Kate triumphantly slapped her last cards on the table. “Let me guess. Ye were a card shark in a previous life.”
“Nope. I had a grandmother who was a card fanatic.” She wrote down the scores, then gathered up the cards and shuffled.
“I think ye’re cheatin’.” He only said it to watch her face pucker indignantly.
“I am not! I never cheat—”
Her words were cut off by the ringing of the phone on the kitchen wall. Kate’s hands went still as she looked at the instrument.
“Want me tae get it?”
“No!” She put the cards down and rose. “If it were Marc or anyone who’s in on this, they would have used my cell phone number.”
She lifted the receiver, her other hand straying toward her gun. An uneasy alertness settled in his stomach as he watched her, and the hair on his arms stood erect.
“Hello?”
There was silence for a second, then she repeated the greeting. Another pause.
“Yes, this is Kate Carson. Who’s calling, please?”
Her gaze met his and she crooked one finger, beckoning him closer. When he stood beside her, she moved the receiver so he could listen too, their heads touching.
“I really have to talk with him, Ms. Carson.”
“Can you give me some idea of what this is about, Miss Trent?” She held her finger to her lips, telling him to stay quiet.
The woman hesitated so long Angus thought she wasn’t going to answer. When she did, she sounded agitated, scared, and a bit breathless. “I can’t talk about it on the phone. Not now. Can I meet you and Angus at your house? Please, Ms. Carson. It’s a life or death matter.”
Kate arched an eyebrow at him and nodded. “Do you know where I live?”
“Yes. I have your address.”
“When can you be here?”
“I’ll have to take a cab. About thirty minutes?”
“We’ll be expecting you.”
She hung the phone up and turned to him. “Do you have any idea what she might want?”
“Nay. I barely know the woman.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Looks like the show is about to start.” She lifted the phone and dialed another number.
“Calvin? We’ve got a nibble. Watch for an elderly lady, short, plain dresser, gray hair. Don’t stop her, but stay alert.”
A combination of anger and worry was building inside him as Kate checked her gun. “How can ye be so calm?”
She slid the Glock back into the holster. “Practice. One of the first things I learned in this business was not to let fear or worry distract me from my surroundings. That’s a sure fire way to lose control of the situation.”
Fists clenched he paced across the room and back, noting as he glanced out the window that full dark had fallen while they played cards. “Maybe ye should give me yer other gun.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze following him. “Do you know how to use one?”
“What’s tae know?” He waved his hands. “Ye point it and pull the trigger. I’ve written it a hundred times.”
Her lips twitched. “Writing it and doing it are two different things. As edgy as you are, I’d rather not have you standing behind me with a loaded gun.”
“I’m not edgy.” He stopped and glowered at her.
This time her grin made it all the way out. “Then why is your hair standing on end?”
Hurriedly, he ran a hand over his head. “‘Tis not.”
“Look.” She crossed to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Edgy can be good if you use it to stay alert. Just don’t let it take over.”
He sighed and pulled her tighter against him. “‘Tis the waiting I hate, and the fear that ye might be hurt.”
Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him. “I know. Try not to think about it. After all, we have no idea what this woman wants.” She glanced at the clock. “We’ve got a few more minutes and we need to talk about what you’re going to do when she gets here.”
He didn’t like the sound of that one bit. “What do ye mean?”
“I want you to stay in the bedroom until I check her out.”
“Nay.” He released her so fast she swayed on her feet. “I’ll not hide while ye face her alone.”
“Angus, it’s my job. Don’t go all macho on me now.”
“Then dinna ask me tae do this. I willna hide from a little old lady I could break in half with one hand. If there’s danger, we face it together. Ye might as well get that through yer stubborn head right now.”
She rubbed her forehead and nodded. “Fine. I don’t suppose I could force you, anyway. But please, at least stay back until I make sure she’s not armed.”
They both jumped when the doorbell rang.
He shot a look at the clock. “She’s early.”
Kate put her hand over her gun. “Let me make sure it’s her.”
He followed her to the living room, doing his best to act casual in spite of the fact that every nerve in his body was tensed, and his heart was pounding so hard he could hear it. He watched as Kate looked through the peephole.
“It’s her.” She undid the locks and opened the door, blocking the entry with her body.
“Thank you for seeing me, Ms. Carson. I assure you, I wouldn’t be here if I had another choice.”
“Just a second. Hold your arms away from your body, please.” The woman looked confused at Kate’s command but did as she asked.
“I’m sorry, Miss Trent, but Mr. McLeod’s safety comes first.” Kate frisked her quickly and efficiently, then checked her purse. “Okay, you can come in.”
Angus got his first good look at the woman as she stepped around Kate. A shredded tissue was clenched in her hand and her face was pale. It was hard to be worried about someone who looked that nervous and worn, he decided. Even the brown dress she had on looked as though she’d slept in it, and her hair was coming lose from its prim bun.
As soon as her gaze met his, her eyes brimmed with moisture. “Mr. McLeod. Angus. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. This is all my fault. I should have found a better way to handle it, but I was simply at my wits end.”
Kate shot him an eloquent look, then put her hand on the woman’s back. “Why don’t we go into the kitchen where we can be comfortable? Maybe you’d like a cup of tea?”
“I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”
“It’s no bother. Please sit down. I’ll put the pot on.”
“A cup of tea would be nice.” She sat in the chair nearest the back door. Angus took the one across from her as Kate filled the pot and turned the burner on.
His curiosity was driving him crazy. “What do ye think was yer fault, Miss Trent?”
“Please, call me Lois.” She sniffed. “Everything is my fault. John was so irate with me when he found out what I’d done.”
“John Wesley?” Kate joined them.
“Yes. He told me to let him handle things, but it was taking so long, and I was so afraid he wouldn’t keep his promise that I went behind his back.”
“You wrote the letters.” There was absolute certainty in Kate’s voice and Angus stiffened. His gaze followed Kate’s to Lois, only then realizing she was holding the tissue in her left hand.
“Yes. Yes I did.” She looked at Angus. “It was never my intention to harm you, Mr. McLeod, but I’d tried to talk with you alone so many times and never succeeded. There were always fans around, or your editor, or agent. I thought the letters might make you look for your mother.”
It wasn’t until he sucked in a gulp of air that he realized he’d been holding his breath. “Ye know my mother? Where she is?”
“Yes, I know her. She’s at John’s apartment, here i
n New York.”
Confusion swept over him. “Why would she be at Wesley’s?”
“Because he’s her brother.” The woman was twisting her tissue again.
Shocked, he could only stare at her. Wesley? His uncle?
“That’s it.” Kate leaned forward. “The first time I met him I thought he looked familiar. He looks like you, Angus. Older and slimmer, but the resemblance is clear.”
He ran a shaking hand over his face. “And ye, Miss Trent, are ye related tae me too?”
“No, but I feel like I know you. I’ve been your mother’s best friend since we were little girls. I was with her when you were born. It’s for her sake that I’ve done what I have. She’s dying, Mr. McLeod, and she needs to see you desperately before she does.” Tears filled her eyes. “Give her the only chance for peace she’ll ever have, please.”
Anguish filled him and he closed his eyes. Kate’s hand covered his and he gripped it tightly, trying to steady the world around him. He hadn’t even met his mother yet and he was already losing her.
“I think you’d better tell us the whole thing, Lois.” Kate’s voice was soft. “Until a few days ago, Angus thought his mother had simply packed up and left him and his father. We know now that Shawn placed her in a home in England, but that’s the extent of our information.”
“I want tae know everything.” He had to force the words past the lump in his throat.
Kate stood up and poured the tea, then carried the cups to the table. Lois clasped hers like it was her only lifeline, the cup clattering against the table from her shaking.
“It’s true. Shawn put her in the home. But she didn’t belong there, she never did. Ellen is one of the sweetest, happiest people I’ve ever known, with an air of innocence about her that makes people want to take care of her. From the time we were children everyone loved her. Including your father.”
She took a deep breath. “I was afraid for her when she told me she was marrying Shawn. He was so big and strong compared to her. But Ellen laughed at my fears. She said Shawn would never hurt her. And they did seem to be happy for many years.”
“Until she had me,” he whispered.
“Oh, no, Angus.” Lois reached hesitantly across the table and touched his hand. “Ellen was delighted when she discovered you were on the way. She wanted you very much.”
“So much she tried tae kill me?”
Lois’s back stiffened. “That’s not true, no matter what they told you. Ellen swears Shawn misunderstood what happened, and I believe her. She said your movements had dislodged the pillow and it had covered your face and she was just lifting it off of you. But Shawn didn’t believe her explanation. He told us the same story when he committed her, that he’d found her trying to hurt you.”
“It must have been very upsetting for all of you,” Kate commented.
“John was positively enraged. He and Shawn had a horrible fight right there in Ellen’s room. John accused him of having Ellen committed so he could go back to his other woman. I’m afraid it would have come to blows if Ellen hadn’t gotten hysterical. As it was, John never forgave Shawn for what he did to her.”
“Why didna her brother take her out if he didna think she belonged there?”
Lois looked vaguely surprised. “Because Shawn was her husband. That made him her legal guardian. John had no rights until Shawn died. The second he did, John brought her to New York.”
“But my father divorced her.”
The older woman’s voice softened and she sounded almost apologetic when she answered him. “No, he didn’t. I couldn’t agree with what your father did, but he never stopped loving Ellen. Despite what they may have told you, he never divorced her. Did you ever see any papers?”
“Nay.” He slumped in his chair and covered his eyes with his hands as shock after shock sent him reeling. His whole life had been one big lie and he didn’t know how to handle it, couldn’t seem to make sense of anything. How could he have lived all those years with his father and never known him, never even suspected?
Kate touched his hair, her eyes worried. “Maybe we should put the rest of this off for a bit.”
He dropped his hands and straightened. “Nay. I want tae know it all.”
“You’re sure?”
“Aye.”
She nodded slowly. “Why didn’t you contact Angus years ago, Lois? You must have known he was here.”
“I wanted to. But John was adamantly against it. He told me to stay out of it, that he’d take care of things. I don’t think he ever intended that you find out. To him, you’re Shawn’s son, not Ellen’s.”
“And he hated Shawn,” Kate commented.
“Yes.” Lois looked down at her cup. “I couldn’t go against John’s wishes. He was allowing me to live in his home so I could be with Ellen and help take care of her. Then, a few months ago, we discovered she had cancer. The doctors said it was fast acting, and I knew time was running out. I begged him to talk to you, but he refused. After that he watched every move I made, listened to every call that came in or went out. I was afraid of what he’d do if he found out I’d told you, afraid he’d send me away. So I started sending the letters, praying you’d find Ellen on your own.”
“Why make them so mysterious? Why didna ye just tell me the truth?”
Lois sighed and lifted a hand to rub her eyes. “Because I’m a coward. I thought if I could make you act without being specific, John could never be certain I was the one who’d done it. If I’d told you the entire story, he would have known. It was for nothing, though. He caught me writing the last one.” Her body trembled. “I thought he was going to hit me. He made me confess what I’d done, tell him every word in each letter I sent.”
“But why did he try tae get me tae go on a tour if he hates me so much?”
Lois took a shaky sip of her tea. “He never told me, but I think it was because he wanted to get you out of my reach until it was too late.”
He glanced at Kate, but her head was tilted, an intense listening expression on her face. Abruptly, she stood and faced the living room.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.” She smiled at him. “You two go ahead. I’ll be right back.”
A ghostlike chill chased its way down his spine as he watched her walk away. But it was over, wasn’t it? Lois had admitted to sending the letters. They had found the stalker.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Kate stepped through the living room door and immediately turned the light off, pausing to listen again. The faint popping she’d heard a few minutes earlier had sounded suspiciously like gunfire.
Moving silently, she went to the window and pushed the curtain back an inch. Somewhere nearby, a dog barked, its deep snarls echoing off the quite houses lining the street. Further away, a smaller dog responded with high-pitched yaps.
Calvin’s caddy was parked in the same spot it had been last night, the street lamp casting a glow off its chrome bumper. She studied the vehicle, trying to pick out the bodyguard’s shape inside. But the only movement came from the moths, staggering in drunken circles up and down the dusty beams of light.
Unclipping her cell phone, she hit the speed dial for Calvin’s number. Every instinct in her was screaming that something was wrong, and the feeling only intensified when she got a busy signal. Calvin would never tie up his phone on a job. Not unless it was an emergency.
She could hear Angus talking to Lois in the kitchen, his voice full of tension, and she sent up a little prayer to keep him there for a while longer. A glance at the front door showed her it was still locked and secure.
Taking a step away from the window, she dropped the phone onto the couch and slid her gun free, the metal cool against her suddenly sweaty palm. Its weight was comforting, an old friend who had never let her down. The scent of cleaning oil reached her nostrils, familiar as her own perfume as she raised the Glock next to her head, barrel pointed at the ceiling.
Turning toward the hall, she hesitated then glanced
at the connecting door to Crystal’s side of the house. The hair on the back of her neck crawled erect. Had she heard a noise, or was it only the house settling?
Keeping to the rugs so her steps would be muffled, she eased the door open and stopped to listen again. She heard nothing, but it didn’t matter. She knew. Someone was in the house, and in the faint light from the kitchen she would stand out like she was surrounded by neon.
Heart racing, she took a fast step through the door and to one side. It was pitch black in the room. For a second she contemplated turning the light on, then changed her mind. It might blind whoever was there, but it would blind her also. And they would have the advantage of knowing her position.
Breathing shallowly through her mouth, she crept across the room, skirting obstacles and pausing every other step to listen. There hadn’t been another noise and yet all her nerves were screaming to stop, go back. Time slowed to a crawl as she hesitated between the kitchen and hall that were mirror images of her own. Which way? If she went back, tried to call the police, whoever was in the house could burst through the connecting door with one good kick.
The hall. It would be much easier for an intruder to get in a bedroom window than risk entering from the backyard. She took another step, adrenaline flowing as she prepared to leap through the door.
And froze when the barrel of a gun touched her temple.
“Drop the gun, Ms. Carson. Now. Very slowly.” The command was followed by the click of a hammer being cocked.
* * * * *
“Why did ye break into tae my house and destroy it? Ye could have left the note without that.” Angus was only half listening to Lois Trent’s replies. His anxiety was building by the second. Why was Kate staying in the other room so long? Why had she turned off the light? And why couldn’t he hear her movements?
Lois gaped at him in surprise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve only been to your house once, and that was to take the picture for Ellen.”
“The one ye sent with the letter?”
“Yes.” She flushed. “Including it was spur of the moment. I wish I hadn’t done it, but I thought it might make you take the letters more seriously.”
Undercover Mistress Page 21
