Conspiracy (Alex and Cassidy Book 4)

by Nancy Ann Healy

  “Why? Because you told Cassidy?”

  “Yeah.”

  Claire shrugged again. “She had a right to know.”

  “Yes, she did,” Eleana agreed.

  “Don’t worry,” Claire said. “He’s not going anywhere.”

  “Who?”

  “Krause,” Claire clarified. “He’s not a fool like I was.”

  “Claire….”

  Claire handed Eleana her plate and pulled the covers up to her neck. “I’m tired.”

  Eleana nodded. She kissed Claire on the head again and felt Claire flinch slightly. “I’ll check on you later.”

  “You don’t have to,” Claire said.

  “Do you need,” Eleana stopped when she realized that Claire had closed her eyes. Eleana looked up at the ceiling and cursed the world for the mess it seemed to have made of all their lives. If Alex doesn’t get to the bottom of this, I swear I will.

  ***

  “I know, Kenz. I know,” Cassidy comforted her daughter. “Bananas? How about that?” she tickled Mackenzie as she walked down the hallway. She was startled when she nearly collided with her father.

  “Sorry,” McCollum said. “Just…Well, I was,” he pointed to Claire’s room.

  “Going to see Claire?” she asked.

  “Well, yes. Jonathan is right behind me. Just some questions about…It doesn’t matter. Is that?”

  Cassidy nodded. Instinctively, she turned to show off Mackenzie. “Bah…bah….Bah!” Mackenzie babbled. Cassidy chuckled.

  “She’s beautiful, Cassie,” McCollum said adoringly.

  Cassidy caught the mistiness in his eyes. She smiled. “Yes, she is.”

  “She looks just like you when you were a baby,” he said softly.

  “So Mom says,” Cassidy replied.

  McCollum looked at Cassidy. “How is your mother?”

  “She’s well,” Cassidy replied evenly.

  “Bah!” Mackenzie grabbed for her mother’s face.

  “Mackenzie,” Cassidy scolded lightly. “Don’t hit. Not nice.”

  “Not surprised you chose that name.”

  “Actually, I didn’t. Dylan did.”

  McCollum nodded. “You must be very proud,” he observed.

  “I am,” Cassidy told him. “I need to feed…”

  “Of course,” he said.

  Krause reached the top of the stairs and stopped abruptly. McCollum and Cassidy were locked in a stare, one that Krause could tell was filled with confusion, awkwardness, and fear. He was surprised slightly by a familiar flicker he saw in Cassidy’s eyes—affection. He stepped forward and broke their tension.

  “Sorry, I was talking to Eleana,” he explained. Cassidy shot Krause a warning glance. “I didn’t give her a hard time,” he told Cassidy.

  “Good. See that you don’t,” Cassidy said.

  “Protective much?” Krause asked.

  “Only when I need to be,” Cassidy said as she headed for the stairs.

  Krause let out a sigh of relief. “Sometimes, she is the scariest person I know,” he said.

  McCollum let out a small laugh. “Yeah, she gets that from her mother.”

  ***

  “Well, well—look who is here,” Claire said as Krause entered her room.

  “Sparrow,” Krause said politely.

  “Claire,” McCollum greeted the young woman.

  Claire’s eyes gave away a hint of both mirth and intrigue. “So? Your Cassidy’s father, huh?”

  “I am.”

  “Jesus,” Claire commented. “Do you know my father?”

  “I did—a long time ago,” McCollum told her.

  “Hum. I’m sure. He was certainly curious about you, or well, your ghost. Why is that?” she asked him curiously.

  McCollum tried not to laugh. It was obvious that Claire’s medication had reduced whatever filters she normally possessed. “You don’t find ghosts interesting?” McCollum asked Claire.

  “Oh, Jesus, not you too!”

  “I’m sorry?” McCollum was confused.

  “My father and his stories. He has a god damned story for everything. Ghosts, animals, faeries, pirates—always some crazy shit to explain his crazy theories,” Claire reminisced.

  Krause watched the exchange closely. McCollum seemed to take in Claire’s words thoughtfully.

  “Actually, when Cassie was small I used to tell her lots of stories—some had faeries and pirates,” he told Claire. “She never cared much for the ones with ghosts,” he said.

  “Me neither,” Claire said. “So? You look pretty spry for a ghost,” Claire observed.

  “She’s loopy,” Krause whispered.

  “Shut up, Krause. I’m perfectly coherent. You’ve caused enough trouble,” Claire wagged a finger at him.

  “Me?”

  “Yeah—you! Just be quiet and let Cassidy’s father talk. It’s not every day I meet a ghost.”

  Krause rolled his eyes. “Maybe this should wait for a bit,” he whispered in McCollum’s ear.

  McCollum shook off the suggestion. “How is The Admiral these days?” he asked Claire.

  “Son of a bitch just like every other day,” Claire deadpanned.

  McCollum chuckled earnestly. “Did he tell you why he was so interested in finding me?”

  “Nah, he doesn’t tell me anything. All about his duty, you know?” she said. McCollum nodded. “Duty for what, I don’t know,” she said. “Hangs around Viktor too much and that arrogant ambassador.”

  “Daniels?” Krause asked.

  Claire shot him a furious glance and then rolled her eyes. “Was I talking to you?” She turned her attention back to McCollum. “Yeah, Daniels. Guy thinks he’s fucking James Bond.”

  McCollum smirked. “So I have heard.”

  “You know who else played with Dmitri all the time?” Claire asked.

  “No,” McCollum said.

  “Congressman Viagra,” she gloated.

  Krause coughed slightly. “You mean O’Brien?”

  Claire rolled her eyes again. “Does he ever shut up?” she asked McCollum. She looked at Krause. “I don’t like you.”

  “I’m heartbroken,” Krause feigned offense.

  “You kind of look like her, you know?” she said to Krause.

  “Who?” Krause asked.

  “Alex,” Claire said. “She’s better looking,” Claire offered her assessment.

  McCollum snickered. “Claire,” he began to redirect the conversation.

  “Hum? Sorry, El gave me those pills a little while ago.”

  “It’s okay,” McCollum said. “Do they help?”

  “I guess. My shoulder feels like a hot poker got stuck in it. Alex fucking shot me, you know?”

  “She didn’t know you were aiming for Dmitri,” Krause said. Claire groaned.

  “Claire? Your father…”

  “Yeah. I don’t know what he is doing half the time. You know what though?”

  “What?” McCollum asked.

  “He had John killed. He did it. I liked him, you know? John, I mean.” Krause felt his stomach lurch violently. “Then he got Fisher FBI credentials. Son of a bitch set me up!” Krause thought he was going to be sick. “And, you know what else?" she asked. McCollum shook his head. Claire grinned. "He doesn’t think I know. I know. I heard him and Viagra talking in Russian. Heard them. After that? I didn’t let him far from me.”

  “You mean O’Brien?” McCollum asked.

  “Yep, Viagra. You know,” she said to McCollum. “She’s better off with Toles.”

  McCollum smiled. “I agree.”

  Claire sighed heavily. “You don’t like my father, do you?” she asked McCollum. He forced a halfhearted smile. “It’s okay. I don’t like him either, really.”

  “Claire? About the ghost…”

  “Oh yeah. Well, I told him once he was acting like this ghost had the keys to The Lost Ark or The Holy Grail or something. You know what he said?” she asked. McCollum shook his head. “He said that if he exist
ed, this ghost, that was not far from the truth. He’s nuts! Duty has done him in.”

  “One more thing,” McCollum said.

  “Yeah?”

  “The stories he told you…”

  “Oh yeah! Every night. And, when I went to school he would send me tapes. Tapes of stories. Eleana and I used to listen to them. She liked them more than I did, so I listened.”

  McCollum nodded. “Thanks,” he said.

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  “You tried to save Alex—that’s something in my book,” McCollum told her as he stood to leave.

  “Hey?” Claire called to him.

  “Yes?”

  “Why did you tell Cassidy stories?” she wondered.

  “I just liked to see her smile,” he said. “And hear her laugh.”

  Claire seemed to consider his answer. “Did you quiz her?”

  “Quiz her?”

  “Yeah, on what they meant. The stories, I mean,” Claire said.

  “No,” he said. “After a time, I enjoyed listening to hers more.”

  Claire nodded. “I’m tired.”

  “We’ll let you rest,” McCollum patted Claire’s hand.

  “Krause?” she called as they reached the door.

  “Yeah?”

  “She deserves better than either of us,” Claire told him.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  ***

  “Hi, Mom!”

  Cassidy could’ve sworn that she could see Dylan beaming through the phone. She felt a wave of happiness wash over her. “Hi, sweetie. How’s the skiing?”

  “Good! Marvin was back,” he said.

  “Was he?” Cassidy asked as she headed toward Alex’s location.

  “Yeah,” Dylan replied. “He’s cool.”

  “Hold on a minute,” Cassidy said. She took a deep breath and opened the door to the study. “Sorry.”

  “What’s up?” Alex asked.

  “Dylan,” Cassidy whispered. Alex sprang to her feet. “Someone wants to talk to you,” Cassidy told her son.

  Alex took the phone. “Hey, Speed.”

  “Alex!”

  “Are you having a good time?” she asked him.

  “Yeah. Did Mom tell you about Marvin?”

  Alex mouthed the word Marvin to Cassidy. Cassidy smirked. “No, she didn’t,” Alex spoke into the phone.

  “He’s a moose,” Dylan explained.

  “Really?”

  “Yep. He’s huge, Alex! YaYa put some vegetables outside for him,” he said.

  “Oh yeah, I’ll bet. YaYa is good like that.”

  “She said she doesn’t think it’s Mom’s moose, though.”

  “Mom had a moose?” Alex asked him as she looked at Cassidy in amusement. Cassidy shrugged.

  James McCollum sat on the sofa in the room, listening intently. He kept his eyes on the paper in his hand, but his ears tuned to the conversation a few paces away.

  “Yeah, it might be Marvin’s grandson, though,” Dylan explained. “They can live to be like twenty.”

  “YaYa told you that?” Alex asked.

  “No, Grandma did.”

  “Ahh, I see. Grandma knows a lot of things, that’s for sure,” Alex chuckled.

  “Yep.”

  “So? What are you doing now?” Alex wondered.

  “We just came inside for a while.”

  “Hold on, Speed. I’m going to put you on speaker phone so Mom can hear. Go ahead.”

  “We’re just taking a rest. YaYa went down Moose Run with me this morning,” he said proudly.

  “YaYa went skiing?” Alex asked in amazement.

  “I heard that, Alexis!” Helen’s voice barked.

  “Dylan? Do you have us on speaker phone too?”

  “Yeah,” he giggled.

  Alex huffed slightly. “Mom, should you be…”

  “Quit your mothering, Alexis,” Helen warned. “I did just fine. Didn’t I, Dylan?”

  “Yep! YaYa didn’t fall once!”

  “Thank God, all we need is a broken hip,” Alex groaned. Cassidy smacked her lightly.

  “Grandma says we can do a night run tonight, but only on the green circle runs. Maybe tomorrow we will do Black Bear. That’s a blue square,” he explained.

  “Blue square?” Alex whispered to Cassidy.

  “Intermediate,” Cassidy whispered back.

  Cassidy could tell that Dylan was having a good time. She did feel a pang of guilt. The truth was, had she been there, Dylan would have been on the intermediate runs the majority of the time. Still, she was grateful for her mother’s prudence.

  “I’m jealous. I love to night ski,” Cassidy told Dylan.

  “I know,” Dylan replied. “I wish you were here, Mom.”

  Cassidy heard the sincerity in Dylan’s voice and smiled. “I wish I was too, Dylan.”

  “Mom can ski Bear Claw, Alex,” Dylan said proudly.

  “What’s Bear Claw?” Alex asked.

  “Double Diamond,” Dylan said. “Someday I will be able to.”

  “Yes, you will,” Cassidy agreed. She had no doubt that Dylan would become an expert skier. He was athletically inclined and he loved skiing almost as much as his mother did.

  “Yes, someday,” Rose’s voice sounded over the phone.

  Cassidy caught sight of her father as he looked up. He bit his lower lip and looked back down immediately. Cassidy sighed.

  “You two owe me,” Rose said. “I expect wine and sushi, Alex.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Alex laughed.

  “Don’t you ma’am me.”

  “Yes, Mom,” Alex teased.

  “Better,” Rose said. “I’ll let you talk to my grandson again.”

  “Thanks,” Alex said.

  “Mom?” Dylan asked.

  “What, sweetie?”

  “Is Kenzie still sick?”

  “She’s okay, Dylan. She’s sleeping right now.”

  “Okay. YaYa took a picture of Marvin with her camera so we can show Kenzie.”

  “What sound does a moose make?” Alex asked. Cassidy rolled her eyes.

  “I don’t know,” Dylan answered. “Grandma?!” he yelled.

  Cassidy squinted and shook her head. Alex held the phone away from them to shield them from the volume. “Who does he get that from?" Alex asked. Cassidy shrugged. She wasn’t certain who Dylan got his propensity for excited yelling from. It certainly was not her. She doubted it was from John Merrow.

  “What, Dylan?” Rose’s voice was soft in the distance.

  “Alex wants to know what sound a moose makes.”

  “Give me the phone,” Rose instructed her grandson. “Alex?” she asked.

  “Yes?”

  “Are you and Cassie planning on having moose on this farm of yours?”

  Eleana gave Jonathan a perplexed look. “They’re buying a farm?” she whispered. He shrugged.

  “Well?” Rose prodded.

  “Very funny,” Alex said.

  “My granddaughter does not need to know moose calls before she can say grandma,” Rose proclaimed.

  “Or YaYa!” Alex and Cassidy heard Helen yell. Cassidy started laughing.

  “Whose idea was it to put them together?” Alex whispered to Cassidy. Cassidy kept laughing. “Put my son back on the phone,” Alex told Rose sternly.

  “Dylan, your mothers want to speak with you. Remind them that we have very high babysitting fees.”

  Dylan giggled. “Hi Mom,” he said.

  “I’m glad you are having fun,” Cassidy said. “You just be careful out there, okay?”

  “I will, Mom.”

  “Wish we were there, Speed,” Alex said. “Next time.”

  “It’s okay,” Dylan said honestly. “YaYa and Grandma are fun.”

  “That they are,” Alex agreed. “We’ll see you Tuesday.”

  “Unless there’s snow!” he declared happily.

  Alex looked at Cassidy in confusion. “Unless there is snow,” Cassidy agreed. “Don’t get your hopes u
p for an extra day,” she warned him.

  “I know. I gotta go. YaYa made brownies.”

  “Okay,” Cassidy chuckled.

  “Hey! Tell them no wine with those brownies,” Alex warned.

  Dylan laughed. “I will. Bye, Alex. Bye, Mom.”

  “Bye, Speed.” Alex looked at Cassidy. “Is that safe?”

  “What?” Cassidy asked.

  “Skiing at night?” Alex asked seriously.

  Cassidy suppressed her laughter. This from the woman who gallivants across the globe and carries a gun. “They have lights,” Cassidy deadpanned.

  “Ha-ha. And, what is this intermediate thing?” Alex asked. “He’s not even ten.”

  “Cassie could ski intermediate runs by the time she was six,” McCollum said. All eyes turned to him, and suddenly realized he was speaking to himself.

  Alex looked at Cassidy. “How did I not know this was your thing?”

  “It might have something to do with the fact that I was pregnant all last season,” Cassidy reminded Alex. “And,” she said as her voice dropped. “I only started skiing frequently again when Dylan expressed an interest,” she said. McCollum looked up and met Cassidy’s sorrowful gaze. “I told you,” she continued. “It was never the same after my father died.”

  “Cass,” Alex took hold of her wife’s hands. McCollum closed his eyes.

  “I’m sorry I interrupted you,” Cassidy apologized.

  “You are never an interruption,” Alex said. “And, anyway, I miss Speed.”

  “I know, me too. I’ll leave you to it.”

  “Cassidy?” Eleana called to her friend. “Has Claire been behaving?”

  “It’s been quiet upstairs for a few hours,” Cassidy told Eleana.

  “I should go and check on her,” Eleana said.

  “No, I’ll check on her,” Cassidy offered.

  “You don’t have to…”

  “It’s not a problem,” Cassidy promised. “You know where to find me,” she said as she placed a kiss on Alex’s cheek.

  Alex waited for Cassidy to exit. She took a deep breath and looked at McCollum. “Sorry about that. I didn't think when I put Speed on speaker phone,” she said. She remained both skeptical of the man’s motives and furious at the pain he had caused Cassidy. But, Alex could not deny the pain she saw in the older man’s eyes. It mirrored her wife’s so closely that it made Alex’s heartache in response.

  “I didn’t know she quit skiing,” he said softly.