Deadly Valentine

by Jenna Harte

"You told my mother I was doing a lousy job." Tess wondered if that bothered him more than her questioning the Senator.

  "I didn't say it like that. Besides, she nearly called me a whore which I'm positive she got from you. Now, if that's all –"

  "It's not all, Tess. Why are you so blind when it comes to this guy?"

  "Why are you?"

  "The evidence."

  Tess scoffed. "You don't have evidence, at least nothing that would lead to an arrest. And certainly nothing any more compelling than what can be said for other people in the house that night."

  "I have more than you know."

  That stopped her. She knew he wouldn't tell her, but she couldn't help but wonder. "I know that you're not supposed to be on this case. And I know that based on what the police have now not only could I create reasonable doubt, but I could create absolute doubt."

  His jaw tightened. "You're being over confident."

  "So are you." Tess stood and came around the desk hoping the gesture would be taken as olive branch. "Look. I'm not telling the police not to look at Jack. But there are so many other aspects that need to be looked at, and no one seems to be doing that."

  "We're back to the Senator's assistant again?"

  "That's one thing."

  He glared at her with his hands on his hips. "Tell me, Tess, why would an assistant who died over thirty years ago have any bearing on the case? Assume it's true and he had an affair with her, maybe even fathered her baby, who'd care today? Senators are doing it all the time. Most of them still get elected."

  He had a point. "I don't know. But it seemed to matter to Asa."

  "Asa was a heartless bastard. We've all had to suffer from his compulsive need to dominate or humiliate. He probably though he'd embarrass the Senator with the information. But to kill him over it? Come on. Surely you see that's just nuts."

  Tess wondered what antics Asa had used to dominate or humiliate Daniel. "Wait! I never accused or even suggested that the Senator had an affair with his assistant."

  Daniel stopped. She could practically see the wheels in his head turning to come up with a response. "But that's what you were thinking."

  "Is he telepathic? I didn't say anything that would even remotely have suggested I thought he'd had an affair. But it's interesting that he took it that way."

  "No it isn't." But his denial was weak. "And even if it was true, it doesn't matter. It has no bearing on the case and you have no right to investigate it."

  She did have a right as part of Jack's counsel, but she decided not to share that point.

  "And don't deny you are investigating. Why else would you follow a trip to the house with a visit to Philip?"

  "Philip is in charge of Worthington Media. Jack had business with Worthington Media. Who else would he talk to?"

  "What business?"

  "Keep up Daniel! The night of the murder, Asa had business with Jack. Business that he didn't get to complete because someone murdered him."

  "Do I look stupid?"

  No, she thought. But he sure was dense sometimes.

  "You told Philip it was business, but it was clear you were there to question him. Why?"

  "You know why."

  "The supposedly false statement."

  "Right."

  "Tess what if I'm right? What if Jack is using you and your attraction to him to get away with murder."

  "And Tom? Jack was with me the night he was attacked," she countered.

  "Ah, I'm glad you asked." The gleam in Daniel's eyes told her she wasn't going to like what she heard. Even worse, she was terrified that she was about to find out that she had indeed been sleeping with the enemy.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Tess hoped her face showed indifference, despite the panic swirling in her gut.

  "We're currently looking for a man named Derek Martin. Do you know him?" Daniel asked. Tess knew she needed to tread carefully. She was a witness of sorts, but also the lawyer to person of interest.

  "I'll take that as a yes," Daniel said. "His car was parked outside of my parents' house the night of the fire."

  "You're sure it was his car?" Tess asked. She knew the police weren't beyond fudging the truth to get information. "Three digit match on the plate, plus matching description of the car."

  "But not the make, model or color?"

  "Dark two door hatchback. Derek Martin owns a black Honda Civic hatchback."

  "So do many people."

  "But as I said, his plate matches with the three characters the witness was able to identify."

  "There was someone up watching your parents' house in the middle of the night?"

  "Mrs. Danner." Mrs. Danner was the equivalent of Mrs. Kravitz from Bewtiched if Helen was to be believed. "Her dog needed to do his business," Daniel finished.

  "It's still not much. You know as well as I do that eye witness testimony is unreliable."

  "We found the car. It has broken computer parts in the back."

  Okay, so it was getting worse. "Did they match the computer parts found at the scene?"

  "We're waiting to hear back. But we also found a gas can."

  Make it stop, was all Tess could think. She leaned on the edge of her desk and crossed her arms hoping to give the appearance that the news wasn't affecting her. "I'm guessing you think gas was the accelerant. Has the fire marshal confirmed that?"

  "Not yet. But Tess, you have to admit, no one has that kind of bad luck. He was there because Jack asked him to take care of it. And Jack was covered because he was with you."

  Tess couldn't make herself believe it was true, yet a part of her knew that it was possible.

  "I've been trying to warn you-"

  "Stop!" Tess held her hand up just in case her words didn't do the trick. "You're jumping ahead of yourself. If I do a search how many other dark colored two door cars will I find with the three numbers? How many students have similar cars with computers and computer parts?"

  Tess hated the pity that shone in his eyes. "You still don't have evidence Daniel. Regardless of how the circumstances look, you need proof."

  "We've put people away on less, Tess and you know it."

  "Well you let me know when you have arrest warrant and then we'll talk. Until then, I'd appreciate it if you left."

  "You're still going to help him."

  "It's my job Daniel!" She moved back to her chair. "And I should remind you that it's your job or should I say Detective Johnson's job to prove he's guilty." She sat down and began manipulating folders on her desk simply to look busy. "Please. Go."

  He stood staring at her for a moment. Then with a shake of his head, he turned and left.

  When the door closed behind him, Tess propped her elbows on her desk and dropped her head in her hands. She thought back to three days earlier when she met Derek in Jack's office. Derek had left the office with a promise to "take care of it". But take care of what? It couldn't possibly have been Tom. Jack was cocky, but not stupid. If he were going to order up murder, he wouldn't do it in front of her. Would he?

  She hated that she was even entertaining thoughts that Daniel could be right. Had Jack used her to create an alibi? Was his attention all part of a grand scheme that involved the murder of Asa and Tom? How could the man who was so caring towards her be the monster Daniel was suggesting? On the other hand, women's television was filled with real-life stories of seemingly perfect men who turned out to be serial killers.

  "Tess?" Regina poked her head through the door.

  "Yes? Is Mr. Tate here?"

  "Ah no." Regina entered the office coming to stand in front of Tess' desk. "He cancelled."

  "What is it with everyone lately?" Tess said. "Can't anyone keep an appointment anymore?"

  "He asked for his final bill." Regina spoke so softly Tess wasn't sure she heard her right.

  "What?"

  Regina shifted her feet. "Final bill. He asked for his final bill."

  Tess was sure she was gaping. "How many does that make?
"

  Regina handed her a paper. Tess looked over the paper and then up at Regina again. "Are you sure about this?"

  Regina nodded.

  "That's nearly all the retainer clients."

  "I know."

  "And … a third of the current cases?"

  Regina only nodded again.

  "What's going on? What did they say?"

  "I think it had something to do with this."

  Tess took the folded newspaper from Regina.

  "Here," she said pointing to an article next to a picture of Jack.

  Computer Security and Internet Business Mogel Jack Valentine Top Suspect in Asa Worthington's Murder

  Oh great, Tess thought as she read the piece that pretended to be news, but was more like gossip. In it she was identified as Jack's lawyer and lover. The story outlined their dinner and how his car was parked outside her home all night. Why anyone would care about that was beyond her. But clearly her clients did. Or maybe it was because Asa's family was part of the fabric of Jefferson Tavern and those who opposed the family were tantamount to traitors. Were her clients leaving her for representing Jack?

  "Can you get Kate on the phone for me?" Tess asked Regina. "Try her cell phone in case she's not at the station."

  "Sure. Anything else?"

  "That's it for now. Thank you."

  Tess sat back in her chair attempting to get a grip on the situation. But there was so much being thrown at her. She felt like a tennis player at the receiving end of a tennis ball machine without a racket and unable to move fast enough to dodge the incoming balls.

  Her intercom beeped. "Kate didn't pick up," Tess heard Regina say. "I left a message to call you."

  "Thank you," Tess said. Then because she didn't quite know what to do next to salvage her business or her life she gave Regina the rest of the day off.

  In her office alone, Tess tried to determine where her ordered life had veered off course. The answer of course was Jack. Why hadn't she listened to that little voice in her head that screamed STOP every time he came near? Stupid hormones! Even more disturbing was the idea that maybe Daniel was right. Could Jack be using her? She remembered the saying about if something was too good to be true, it probably was. Jack definitely fit the profile of too good. Too handsome. Too rich. Too perfect.

  But no! It just didn't fit with what she knew about him. Or maybe it was vanity that made her want his attraction to her to be real. Or her heart needing his words to be sincere.

  Ultimately it didn't matter. There was only one thing she could do.

  ~~~~

  Tess opened the door to her home longing for the sanctuary it provided. It may not have the décor or doo-dads Daniel and Jack felt it needed, but it was her home. Her place of refuge. And today she needed that more than anything.

  She'd barely had time to hang her coat when the comfort of her sanctuary was disrupted by a knock on the door. She knew who it was and considered pretending not to be home. But with her car in the drive, she knew Jack wouldn't buy her ruse. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to face her fears.

  "Hey gorgeous!" He smiled the winning smile, dimple and all.

  She managed a hello as she let him in. She'd just gotten the door closed when she found herself pressed against it, Jack's lips so thorough on hers, she almost forgot the horrible day she'd had. Almost, but not quite.

  "I was going to suggest dinner," he said his teeth giving a gentle tug on her earlobe. "But maybe we could skip it and go straight to dessert."

  Too good to be true. Too good to be true. She chanted in her head. It was enough to give her the strength to pull away. "Tempting. But we have some things to talk about."

  "Alright." He looked at her with curiosity.

  Because being near him always muddled her mind, she put distance between them by walking to the kitchen. "You want some wine?" she called over her shoulder.

  "Sure."

  In the kitchen she pulled a chilled bottle of white wine from the refrigerator wishing it was something stronger. She now understood the Senator's need for liquid courage as she poured herself half a glass and swallowed it in a single gulp.

  "Bad day at the office?" Jack stood in the doorway. He looked relaxed and a little amused. She knew that was about to change.

  Tess poured a glass for Jack and refilled her glass. She handed him his wine then moved away, hoping he would stay put. Not wanting to delay the inevitable, she jumped right in. "I can't continue to represent you."

  He studied her a moment. "Okay."

  "Don't you want to know why?"

  He shrugged. "I figure it's about separating business and pleasure. I know it's been bothering you to muddy the waters, so to speak. I'm just glad you chose pleasure." With a waggle of his brows he moved towards her. Tess wished she'd installed an island in her kitchen when the contractor had suggested it. It would have made a nice barrier from Jack's advances. Instead she stepped back. This time his quizzical expression showed concern. "What's wrong?"

  "The police are looking for Derek Martin."

  "Derek? Why?"

  "A car matching Derek's was seen around Tom and Helen's house the night Tom-"

  "You've got to be kidding me?" he interrupted. "They think Derek is involved? Dan really has some nerve."

  "The police. Not Daniel."

  "You're going to defend him now? After what he did?" The amused and relaxed look on Jack's face was completely gone, replaced with annoyance.

  "I'm not defending him. I'm telling you it’s the police. They say they found Derek's car with computer pieces and a gas can." Tess kept her tone level.

  "You told them this was crazy didn't you?"

  "What did you ask Derek to take care of in Jefferson Tavern the other day?"

  In flash his eyes were dark, his knuckles whitened around the wine glass. For a moment Tess thought he might throw the glass. Maybe even at her. Instead he whirled away from her. He set his glass on the dining table and turned back to her.

  "You think I asked Derek to attack Tom?" he said with forced control.

  "I don't-"

  "Which means you also think I killed Asa."

  "It doesn't matter what I think."

  "The hell it doesn’t!" His words lashed out at her.

  "This is exactly why we shouldn't have gotten involved."

  Jack moved so quickly Tess didn't have time to move out of his reach. He grabbed her arms and gave her a quick jerk. His eyes pierced hers with anger and pain. “Dammit, tell me you don’t think I killed Asa.”

  She wasn't afraid of him, even though she could feel the fury emanating from him. What made her jerk out of his grip was her slipping resolve. She'd completed two out of the three tasks she needed to complete to get her life back on track, but he was close, touching her, and her yearning for him threatened to undo everything.

  She pulled away trying to regain control of her emotions. He let her go, but his cold eyes brutalized her. "Tell me!"

  She didn’t respond. She hadn't planned to have him think that she thought he was guilty. In one way, it was an unexpected benefit as it would make breaking things with him easier. She didn’t trust herself to follow through, but if he was angry enough, felt betrayed he enough, he'd leave on his own.

  "Are you angry because you think I killed Asa or because you let yourself fall in love with me?”

  "I'm not in love with you. And this is business, Jack, as it should have been from the beginning.” God. She couldn't believe she could say such things. The way he looked at her made her want to crawl under a rock.

  “So that's been your plan since I got here tonight? Not just to fire me as your client, but as your lover too? Or why don’t you tell me what’s really going on here, Tess.”

  She hated to see the pain in his eyes, to know that she was the cause of it. She understood now why men didn’t like it when women cried. It was easier to deal with anger than hurt. Causing someone intense pain like she saw in Jack's eyes made her feel like the lowest
form of life. He deserved better. She always knew he did and she decided to remind him of it.

  “I didn’t want this. I told you I didn’t, but you pushed and pushed and now it has to end. I was trying to avoid this-”

  “That’s bull,” he spat. He attempted to rein in his rage with a deep breath. “You're a coward. This is about you and your fear of being hurt. Well congratulations Tess, you win. I won’t hurt you because you’ve beat me to the punch." He was right of course.

  "I'm sorry."

  "Sorry? Sorry for what? Sorry you're a coward? Sorry you slept with a murder suspect? What is it Tess?"

  "I just can't do it again," she blurted with frustration. "I won't do it again." She was nearly on her knees begging him to forgive her. It was all she could do to remember that her future depended on following through with her plan. "I've already lost everything and had to start over because of a man. I'm not going to do it again."

  "What are you talking about?" He looked at her as if she was a little crazy. She wondered if maybe he was right.

  "I've lost my friends and most of my clients."

  "Because of me?"

  "Yes."

  "You're friends and clients are idiots. And so are you for letting them dictate your life."

  He was right. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to mend her friendship with Daniel and Helen. But she knew she didn't want to start her career over again. She'd take her idiot clients back if it meant returning to the quiet life she had before Jack re-entered it.

  He waited a beat as if he were hoping she'd take it all back. When she didn't say anything he pointed his dark eyes and a finger at her. "You better keep Danny boy away from Derek. Now that I'm gone, I'm sure you two will go back to whatever it was you had."

  He was finally going to leave, she thought. The misery of it was like a lead weight in her heart.

  "You'll regret this Tess. I promise you."

  She flinched at the deadly tone of his promise and it served to anger him more. He spoke quietly, but there was no mistaking the contempt in his voice. "I won't hurt you, Tess. I won't have to. Someday, when you're looking back on your precious, cold, loveless life, you'll look to this day, this moment, and regret it."