by DiAnn Mills
“What’s changed your mind?”
Lindsay drew in a breath. “I’m afraid Dad is going to be assassinated.”
“Why haven’t you told anyone about this? Tell me who is the one responsible.”
“He told me no one would ever believe me because of my history. I have so many issues with my parents, but having them killed is not on the list.”
Meghan touched her shoulder. “I can’t help you unless you tell me who is committing these atrocities.”
Lindsay took a deep breath. She trembled. “Scottard Burnette.” Either Meghan believed her or not.
Seconds ticked by.
Meghan stared out into the darkness. “Thank you for entrusting me with this.” She whispered the words as though she had to come to terms about the corruptness of the vice president of the United States. “I don’t know what to say, except Ash needs to hear this.”
“Please. I’m afraid he’s working for him.”
“Not Ash. He’s dedicated to the Secret Service and you. Plus he’s committed to the Lord, like your father.”
“But someone here is feeding dear old Uncle Scottard information.” She spit the words, remembering the many times she had to fake their affection. She considered her next thought, but she’d come this far. “I’ve wondered if the house is bugged.”
“More of a reason to confide in Ash.”
Lindsay turned to Meghan. “And you believe I’m telling the truth? You’re not going to wake Dave and have me diagnosed as insane?”
“Not at all.”
“What about my history, Meghan. Is he right? Because if he is, there’s nothing I can do to help protect my family.”
“You’re doing what is best for your family’s safety and yours.” Meghan lifted her cell and punched in Ash’s number on speed dial. “Ash, I need to speak to you outside. Lindsay and I are at the corral. Come alone. Please don’t tell any of the others.”
Chapter 48
Early Saturday morning, shortly before 0430, Meghan descended the stairs after making sure Lindsay was calm and back in her room. The second time their protectee revealed her story about VP Burnette, she cried. Meghan realized Lindsay didn’t trust Ash, but he’d comforted her in a way that had soothed her apprehensions. Hopefully Lindsay would be able to sleep with the realization she no longer carried the burden alone. Although the secret unlocking the tragedies in DC and on the Dancin’ Dust might be more than the two agents could handle.
Meghan needed to talk to Ash and sort out what they’d heard and what steps should be taken. Knowing his habits, she found him in the operation room. He looked like he’d gotten as little sleep as she had after listening to what Lindsay had to say.
He must have sensed her presence, because he smiled, and her insides melted. Why hadn’t some woman snatched him up? She needed this assignment finished for more than one reason.
“Are you still processing?” She hoped her words were obscure enough to keep her message private. If the house was bugged, their conversations needed to be guarded.
“I am. No conclusions yet.”
“How about a walk? We can brainstorm together.”
Shortly thereafter, the two walked toward the front gate under the veil of darkness, their voices low, both carrying fresh mugs of steaming coffee.
“Do you think she was telling the truth?” Ash said.
Meghan was about to ask the same of him. “My intuition tells me she was. At least I’ve got the pounding in the back of my skull that usually indicates my intuition is right. She repeated the same story to you as she did to me. Nothing changed. She’s clean and coherent. If what she told us is true, then it certainly answers a ton of questions.”
He chuckled. “My instincts tell me this is the real deal—a feeling in the pit of my stomach.”
“Maybe we need to take out stock in Tylenol and Rolaids.”
“Either that or plant ourselves in a shrink’s office.”
“What does he hope to gain from this?”
“Maybe he has a self-interest project. Some type of legislation he’d like to have passed. But that doesn’t make any sense. Lindsay has no political influence with her father. Seriously, we need more proof than Lindsay’s story.”
“But how do we find it? If this is true, the road ahead is deadly.” Meghan wished they had hours to talk through the implications of the vice president of the United States committing treason.
“We have to catch him in the act, which sounds like an impossibility. Then I have to consider that all those on his payroll may not know who’s calling the shots.”
“Are you going to contact Warrington?” She glanced his way, but he hadn’t clenched his jaw to indicate he’d made a decision. “Or are you thinking he’s part of it?”
“Blunt, aren’t you?”
“He’s blown off our concerns about Lindsay.”
“But he has to take his orders too.” Ash sighed. “Warrington’s always been a man of integrity.”
Meghan gazed at the grounds, seemingly quiet and peaceful, while agents monitored everything that moved and breathed. Her doubts about Warrington surfaced. “A conspiracy of this magnitude has money and power behind it. We’re nothing compared to that. Easy to squash. Have you started an investigation on Burnette?”
“You know I have. Only been an hour, but I’ve begun to put a few pieces together. Once I have a little time to work on it, I’d like to discuss him with you.”
“I’ve been thinking about a few things too.” In the darkness, she felt more at ease to speak her mind, but not about Warrington. Not yet. “Remember the scorpion incident?”
“I’ve thought the same thing. Burnette had access to your files, which means he knew about your reaction to bee stings.” He paused. “He suggested your bedroom. Said it allowed you close proximity to Lindsay. But who removed the wire?”
She massaged her neck muscles. “I wish I knew. And there’s more. Burnette knows the president wanted me protecting Lindsay to gain her confidence and to help her stay off drugs. Burnette could have feared she might tell me the truth. And my guess is he knew about Shelley, whether he had anything to do with her death or not.” She steadied her thoughts. “I don’t think he was involved with my sister’s overdose. That doesn’t make sense. More like he used it to try to scare me.”
“I think his call after the funeral indicates he might think Lindsay already told you about him. Was an autopsy performed on your sister?”
“No. Thought about it, but why put Mom through the ordeal?”
They walked a few more feet. Meghan questioned Burnette’s motives and who might have thrown in with him.
“Burnette agreed with me that women had no place in the Secret Service,” Ash said. “He told the president that your presence on the team would be a mistake.”
“Imagine the damage we could have done to his scheme if we’d been friends from the beginning.”
“Agents extraordinaire.” He chuckled, no doubt to help alleviate some of the bewildering aspects of Lindsay’s story. “I’ve chased away a few female agents in my time. It took one beautiful agent who is as stubborn as I am to change my tune.”
“Don’t forget it either.”
In the dim light, he flashed her a grin that would melt an iceberg. “Look at the situation this way. If we were still at odds and Lindsay caved in with the truth, I would have discarded the whole crazy story.”
“And Burnette had no real worries with Carla because Lindsay resents any mother figure. So he’s using everything he knows to not only discredit Lindsay and keep her terrified, but to ensure we fail. Someone here is working against us.” The idea of someone they trusted betraying them sickened her. Chip had insisted upon it too.
“Warrington told me Burnette has requested Victor and Bob for his VPPD.”
She moaned. “Oh, Ash, I can’t believe either one of them would stoop that low.”
“Neither can I. But a plan succeeds when all the players know their part. Lindsay’s st
ory stays right here until we have proof about Burnette’s involvement.”
“I agree. Lindsay reminded me that Burnette is allowed to speak to her at will. He’s been using those times to increase his threats. During a recent call, he told her where to find a stash of drugs. If she’s right, then her story is solid.”
“Has she used them?”
“She says not. I’d like to think our prayers had a hand in keeping her clean and urging her to tell us what’s going on.”
“I’m sure Burnette hasn’t figured the hand of God into his plan. After the way he talked about you the day of Ethan’s funeral and his insistence on having a few drinks, my respect for him dropped to the bottom.”
“I wanted to smack his face. Actually I was stunned at his lack of professionalism. According to Lindsay, that’s the day he hid the drugs.”
“I don’t suppose she told you where to find them.”
“In a tack box in the stables.”
Ash stopped on the driveway. “I remember he wanted to walk there alone—to remember Ethan working with the horses.”
Meghan’s blood pressure zipped up. “Shall we see what’s inside his tack box?”
They walked toward the stables, the sun rising in the eastern sky. “Chip won’t be happy with us poking around in his domain.”
“Do you think he’s in on this too?”
“I don’t think so. Let’s see how this plays out.”
Meghan waved at Chip leading a saddled horse outside for an early morning ride. After telling him good morning and hearing nothing in return, she and Ash entered the stables. There, on a peg inside the stable of the horse Lindsay often rode, was a key. Meghan slipped it into her hand.
“Halfway there.” Ash’s whisper validated the truth of Lindsay’s words. “I wonder where we can find Burnette’s tack box? It’s supposed to have his name on it.”
They searched the stables and found nothing. Frustration inched through her, leading the way for Lindsay’s story to be merely another drug addict’s way of getting attention. “I’ll ask Chip. He’s more apt to talk to me than you.”
“You’re prettier.”
“Thanks, but I’m on the opposite side.”
Ash waited while she strolled outside to find Chip. If ever she needed to use her feminine wiles, it was now. In the early morning sunlight, he tightened the girth on his horse. Memories of another loose girth scrolled across her mind. He caught sight of her and scowled.
“I need to find the vice president’s tack box.”
“What for?” His response would have frightened a rattler.
“He lost a watch and thinks it might be there. I think the tack box has his name on it.”
Chip adjusted the saddle and glared at her. “Give me one reason why I should help you?”
Bitterness met her gaze. “I can’t, Chip. You have far too many reasons to despise all of us. And in your circumstances, I’d feel the same. I’m only passing on what the vice president requested. I have the key, but I can’t find the box in the stables.”
He patted the horse. Chip had more issues with the Secret Service than she cared to address.
“I moved the tack box into my living quarters. Dad made the box and took a lot of pride in his workmanship.” He swallowed. “Do I need to borrow your phone so I can call Burnette about this intrusion on his property?”
“That’s up to you, but he did tell me where to find the key.” Meghan forced a smile. “I’m only following orders.”
He wrapped the reins around a fence post. “I’ll bring the box around. Unless you pull a gun, I prefer not to have you in my home.” Animosity laced his words.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Moments ticked by, and she prayed Chip didn’t have a cell phone to call Burnette. He’d been patted down when he returned, but Burnette could have found a way to ensure they had contact.
Ash must have gotten tired of waiting, because he joined her outside.
“Chip went after the tack box. He had it in his quarters.”
Ash nodded. Just when she’d given up, Chip walked around the side of the stables carrying the box.
He set it on the ground with a thud. “I put this in Dad’s room for safekeeping when I returned from my Secret Service–inspired vacation. Burnette called me on Bob’s phone on Tuesday. Said no one was to have the tack box unless the person had a key. So I guess that’s you.”
Perhaps Chip might be innocent, or he could simply be following orders. For that matter, Bob fell under the same scrutiny.
“I want to see you open it. Make sure you don’t take anything but his watch. I’m still on Mr. Burnette’s payroll.”
Meghan’s heart plummeted. What did that mean? She dropped to her knees, turned the box toward her and away from Chip, then inserted the key. The padlock opened. Holding her breath, she lifted the lid. It held a saddle blanket, a studded bridle that cost more than most horses, and a halter. Beneath the blanket lay a framed Marine photograph. When she pulled the photograph into her arms, she spotted a yellowed, folded newspaper with the headline “Lt. Kyle Burnette Hangs Himself in Prison Cell.” Burnette’s son. She’d forgotten the incident. When she touched the newspaper, she noted something beneath it. Slipping her hand under the paper, she felt a plastic bag and a powdery substance. Without looking, she knew the contents.
Lindsay had been telling the truth.
Chapter 49
From the look on Meghan’s face, Ash realized she’d found the drugs, and she needed to get the evidence out of the tack box. “Thanks for helping us, Chip. I’ll make sure the vice president knows about your cooperation.”
“Just finish up here so I can go about my business.”
“We didn’t have a chance to talk at the funeral, but your dad was a good man. Every time I had a question about the ranch or his garden, he turned it into a teaching moment.” That part about Ethan was true.
“He died before his time.”
“I agree.” Ash reached out to shake Chip’s hand. He trusted the stat man about as much as he trusted Burnette, but Meghan needed time before Chip noted what she was doing. “He even explained to me the differences in the flowering bushes. Told me to stay away from the oleanders.”
Chip narrowed his gaze. “They’re poisonous, like a few other things around here.”
Meghan brushed her hands. “I can’t find the watch. He must have lost it in the house.”
Ash lifted the heavy box and handed it to Chip. “Thanks again.”
On the way back to the house, Meghan handed Ash the bag, and he stuffed it into the waistband of his jogging shorts and pulled his T-shirt over it. “Do you want to get this confirmed? Looks like coke to me.”
“I will, and I’ll keep it for now. We’d better hope Chip doesn’t notify Burnette.”
“We might end up like Wade.”
Anxiety assaulted him. “I want to talk about this later on, maybe while Dave and Lindsay are in a counseling session.”
“What do we tell Lindsay?”
“That we found the coke. You’re good for her, Meghan. Without her trust in you, this situation would have grown worse.”
They’d nearly reached the back porch, and Ash had no intentions of discussing Burnette so close to the house. “I’m going to be worthless today. No sleep and a million things to do.”
“Me too.”
“That gives me an idea.”
She tossed him a puzzled look. “Which is?”
“A way to cover up what we’re doing.”
“I don’t understand.”
“What I’ve been wanting to do since the night of the scorpion.” He took their coffee mugs and set them on the porch step.
She laughed. “People will talk.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “That gives us an alibi when we sneak off.”
“Hmm, smart man.”
“We’ll need lots of excuses. Give them much to talk about.” The desire to kiss her clouded his normal logic.
/> “Maybe we should start now.” His lips descended on hers, tasting, taking, giving. Meghan slipped her arms around his neck. “This is even better than the first time.”
“By the time this assignment is finished, we’ll be pros.” Her whisper prompted him to pull her closer.
When the kiss was over, he found it difficult to focus. But he needed to continue his research on Burnette and look for a bug. “I have a few things to do in the operation room.”
Their foreheads touched. “Do you need any help?”
“As long as you promise not to be a distraction. Shall we refill our coffee cups? I need a shot of caffeine before a cold shower.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “We make a good team.”
In the kitchen, Ash greeted Pepper, also an early riser. She was sprinkling cinnamon over freshly rolled-out dough. His stomach growled. Working all night had a tendency to make a man hungry.
In the operation room, Meghan closed the door behind them. Ash bent to examine every inch of the heavy table. She checked the small one where they served coffee.
“Has the Middle East Peace Summit been officially postponed to January?” She climbed onto a chair to search the chandelier.
“Not officially, but it probably will. Vice President Burnette hasn’t had much of an opportunity to review what the president has put together.”
“My guess is they worked out something at Camp David. The president values diplomacy, and the peace talks are important to him.” Meghan stepped to the floor and shook her head.
Ash pointed her to the bookshelf, while he searched the chairs. If a bug existed, they’d find it. Meghan worked fast. Oh, how he appreciated her.
“How long do you think we’ll be here with Lindsay?” she said.
“Other rehabs have been at least three months. One in Utah lasted six.”
