Random Acts of Deceit (Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries Book 2)

by Christy Barritt

  A waitress brought me a latte, and I slowly sipped it. I didn’t even have any ruse worked up as to how I could get information from the man. I had no cover, no delicately crafted story, no brilliant plan. I definitely didn’t have a business plan, proposed budget, or any projections.

  No, I was going to wing it. In fact, maybe I’d just come right out and ask the man what he was working on with Benjamin Radcliff.

  As I sat there, I remembered the hurt in Chase’s eyes, and my heart ached. How had he found out that I’d gone out with Benjamin? That’s what didn’t make sense. I’d wanted to shield him from any unnecessary pain.

  Things rarely worked out the way I wanted them to, though.

  I glanced at my phone. It was a quarter past six. Mark Reynolds was late.

  Had he seen through my invitation to meet? Again, how would that have happened?

  Just then, my phone rang. I knew it wasn’t Mark because he didn’t have my number.

  No, it was Benjamin.

  I scowled but decided to answer. I needed to get a few things off my chest, and I was in a no-holds-barred mood.

  “Why are you doing this?” I demanded.

  “Uh . . . hello to you too,” Benjamin said.

  “I’m tired of being polite. I’m tired of playing this game.”

  “I really hate the dating game also.”

  “Dating game?” Was this guy really this clueless? He was certainly a good actor. “I’m talking about the game you’re playing with my life.”

  “I’m not a game player, Holly. If you can’t tell, I’m foot-in-my-mouth real.”

  I sighed. He wasn’t going to admit anything, was he?

  “You put cameras in my house, didn’t you?”

  “That would be creepy.” He said the words almost comically.

  “Stop playing. I know about Segreto. I know about the equipment in your house. And I just give up. I can’t do this anymore.”

  “You know about Segreto?”

  “I do. Unfortunately.” I saved my lecture.

  “Then you should know that I’m one of the founders. I’m the technical guy on the team.”

  I squinted. “What?”

  “It’s true. I’m in charge of the web design and the database management. I also sweep the houses where couples meet to make sure everything’s on the up-and-up. Privacy is very important to our clients.”

  My jaw dropped. “You’re not serious.”

  “Of course I am. I’ve been doing some marketing also, but Al and Toaster are really in charge of recruiting and running the books. I hope you’ll keep this all quiet.”

  “So me meeting you had nothing to do with Segreto?”

  “No. Why would it? You’re not married, are you?”

  I sighed. Could the timing when Benjamin and I met be just a coincidence? An awful, awful coincidence that had led me on a wild goose chase?

  I sighed. It appeared it was.

  And it appeared Mark Reynolds was probably just trying to get the start-up company some capital in order to help the business take off.

  ***

  When I walked inside my mom’s house, I discovered Alex’s best friend from college had arrived.

  Heather.

  Heather was the daughter of a prominent judge. Her mother had been in some not-very-well-known films. Though Heather had gone to Harvard, today she enjoyed a life of luxury as a trust-fund baby. She loved to name-drop about the various celebrities she either knew or had met, and those people always ranged from movie stars to political figures.

  I couldn’t believe it sometimes that she and Alex were such good friends. They seemed like polar opposites, but Alex said they balanced each other out well. Maybe there was a side to Alex that I didn’t know existed.

  Heather was certainly pretty enough, though I didn’t know how much of it was real and how much of her beauty she’d paid for. I supposed the good news was that, if she’d had work done, her surgeon had been skilled enough that everyone could only guess.

  She had streaked blonde hair and a tiny, fit body. She put my gentle peppiness to shame with her loud, extroverted peppiness. Despite our differences, she always called me her little sister.

  I’d never called her my second big sister in return, but she didn’t seem to notice.

  “Holly Anna!” she squealed, coming straight at me with outstretched arms. She pulled me into a hug that conveyed we were long-lost relatives. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “You too, Heather.”

  “You look great.” She stepped back, and I feared she might squeeze my cheek with “older relative” admiration.

  “I didn’t realize you were coming early.” I spotted my mom and sister in the background, sipping on warm drinks at the table and sending me amused glances.

  “Of course! I had to help with my best friend’s wedding.” She waved her hand in the air, her cell phone wrapped in her fingers. When she’d visited last year, her nose had always been pointed toward the device.

  “Are you staying here?” Please say no.

  “No, I’m staying with Alex. I’d been meaning to ask you. Do you need help with the bachelorette party?”

  No way was I letting Heather help me. No, she’d have us playing beer pong and flirting with shirtless men boasting dollar bills stuck into their belts. “I think I’ve got everything covered.”

  She glanced at my sister and then turned back toward me, her voice almost condescending as she spoke. “Are you sure? I’ve got a lot of experience with this kind of event, experience beyond church social kind of stuff, you know.”

  Anger began to grow inside of me. “I’ll be fine.”

  She looked at me another moment, uncertainty evident in her overblown expression of consideration. “If you’re sure.”

  “I am. Anyway.” I stepped away from her. “I’ve got to go. But it’s great to see you.”

  Before anyone could stop me, I headed upstairs. I needed to email Mark Reynolds. He’d stood me up. Even though I was fairly certain he wasn’t a part of this, I wanted to confirm that.

  I did a light check in my room—it worked, so I should be okay without any shadowy figures hiding. Then I grabbed my computer and pulled open my in-box.

  There were no emails from Mark.

  Strange.

  I sent him another email, asking where he was.

  Immediately, I got a response, just as before.

  “Sorry. Something came up. Maybe another time.”

  I narrowed my eyes. Normally businessmen would offer a makeup time. They’d at least sound more apologetic in today’s consumer-driven society.

  Still fuming from everything that had happened today, I typed back. “How about tomorrow?”

  I hit SEND and then waited. I expected a response to pop into my in-box again, just as it had in the past.

  Instead, nothing happened. There was no reply.

  I leaned back against my pillows, trying to figure out my next plan of action.

  But I had no good ideas. All my plans thus far had only made things worse. My whole family was suffering because of me.

  I grabbed my extra pillow and hugged it.

  All my hope was beginning to fade faster than the sunset.

  CHAPTER 22

  The next day, I realized that those peace talks had only increased my workload by about 300 percent. I had people from the area emailing and calling me with their concerns, with their solutions, and with their opinions. I could hardly keep up. If Ralph had wanted to spark discussion, he’d definitely succeeded.

  “Can we talk a minute, Holly?” my brother asked midway through the morning.

  “Of course.”

  I went into Ralph’s office and shut the door. As soon as I saw him, I noticed the circles under his eyes. Something about him just seemed heavier, and it wasn’t his weight. It was something unseen, something invisible.

  “What’s going on?” I sat in the seat across from him.

  He squeezed the skin between his eyes. “I
t’s getting to me, Holly.”

  “What’s getting to you?”

  “I’ve been attacked on so many fronts since I took office, but it’s only getting worse.”

  “But you knew that was going to happen. You can withstand the storm of people’s opinions. You just have to stay firm.”

  “I just got off the phone with Roy Childers.”

  “From church?” Roy taught Sunday school for the college-age class.

  “Yes, that one. He just scolded me for an hour.”

  I felt a wrinkle form between my eyebrows. “About what?”

  “Everything, but especially for using my religious beliefs both in politics and to guide me in my decisions. I mean, I got an earful. I guess I expected criticism from some people for the stance I’ve taken on things. I didn’t expect it from the church.”

  I leaned against the chair and let that soak in. “Wow. I’m so sorry, Ralph. But you have a lot of supporters. Never forget that. You answer to someone whose influence goes beyond these earthly realms.”

  “Thanks, Holly.” He raised his shoulders. “I knew I could count on a pick-me-up talk from you. Don’t mention this to Mom or Alex, okay?”

  “Really? They’d want to know and support you.”

  He frowned. “Alex is already stressed out enough. I just want her to enjoy her big day without worrying about me, and Mom has enough on her mind.”

  I nodded, appreciative of his compassion. “I understand. I’ll keep my lips sealed. I promise.”

  I went back to my desk and decided to do my daily scan of local headlines. I’d liked to stay on top of the local news even before I had this job, but now it was doubly important. I needed to feel the pulse of the community.

  My eyes zeroed in on one particular headline, though. “Local Executive Found Murdered.”

  My eye scanned downward, and I gasped.

  A picture of Mark Reynolds stared back at me.

  He’d been . . . murdered?

  No wonder he hadn’t shown up last night. Did the Shadow Man realize I’d made contact with him? Was that why the man had died?

  Familiar nausea began to gurgle in my gut.

  “Hey, Holly,” someone called.

  I turned toward Henry as he popped his head over the partition again. This was a bad time. I wasn’t in the mood for chitchat, especially not with the Tell.

  “Yes, Henry?” My words lacked enthusiasm.

  “I was wondering . . .”

  “Yes?” I could hear the annoyance in my voice and tried to mentally silence it.

  “I was wondering if you’d want to go out sometime?”

  My breath caught. Everything came together in my mind in slow motion. “Come again?”

  “Would you like to go to dinner sometime?”

  This was it, wasn’t it? Henry was the one who’d been supposed to ask me out. I’d been wrong all along about Benjamin. Benjamin had been telling the truth last night when he told me about his job as a web guy.

  That familiar tightening of my stomach happened again, and I prayed I wouldn’t barf right here and now.

  “This is so sudden,” I muttered.

  He shrugged, like he didn’t have a care in the world. “I heard you and your boyfriend broke up. There’s no time like now to start playing the field again.”

  “I have a lot going on.” My palms were suddenly sweaty. Mark Reynolds was dead. Dead. Henry still stared at me, waiting for an answer. “My sister’s wedding is this weekend and all.”

  His eyes brightened. “Don’t you need a plus one?”

  “A plus one? At her wedding?” I blurted, trying to think fast. “We’re going to have to talk about this somewhere else, Henry. The workplace seems like a terrible place to have this conversation.”

  “I’ll take that as a yes, then. And of course we can talk later.”

  His head disappeared as he sat at his desk.

  I suddenly knew I had to get out of this building. Now. Or I was going to lose my mind. And, at this point, I needed to hang on to every ounce of sanity possible, especially when considering my heart was already broken into a million pieces.

  ***

  I escaped from the office and headed to the cemetery. I found my dad’s grave and sat there, a bouquet of dandelions in my hands. Dad used to pick them for me when I was a little girl, and now I always left some at his graveside when I visited.

  My head swam with thoughts as I sat there.

  The Shadow Man had kicked this all up a notch, hadn’t he? He’d resorted to murder.

  Murder.

  But I’d gotten an email from Mark last night.

  That’s when I realized that someone else had sent that email. The Shadow Man, maybe? Had he been monitoring my email all along? He’d probably known I’d see that news story today and get the message loud and clear about what happened when I defied him.

  And now Henry was somehow involved.

  “Dad, what am I going to do? I’m in another mess, but this time my participation has been involuntary.”

  Of course there was no answer.

  “And I had to break up with Chase. What if he never forgives me? What if he never speaks to me again or if he doesn’t believe my explanation? Sometimes moments like these can set in motion a whole series of negative consequences. The snowball effect.”

  That’s what had happened with Rob. Everything had been going swimmingly until he found out my father was sick. I’d canceled a couple of dates so I could be with Dad, and the whole relationship had fallen apart shortly after.

  Of course, it was like I’d told Alex. Maybe our past relationships helped us learn along the way. The people we dated helped us realize what we really wanted in a partner.

  Dad had told me from a young age that I should never settle. He’d told me that I should only be with a man who treated me right. That didn’t mean I had to date someone who always brought me flowers or gave me gifts—that didn’t equate to love. But I should be with someone who made me feel like I could be my best.

  Chase had been that person. Even with his problems, I’d believed in him. He’d believed in me. And I’d seen my happy ever after with him.

  Tears filled my eyes again. I hated feeling so weepy lately, but sometimes life took sad turns, and it was better to deal with the emotions than ignore them. Ignoring them only led to more problems.

  It had been two years today since Dad died. Two years. Life was strange because sometimes I felt like I’d moved on. Then I felt guilty for moving on because moving on essentially meant getting used to life without my father. I didn’t want to ever get used to that. His life was more important than that. That’s when the grief would set in again and create a vicious cycle.

  “Everyone else acts like they’re okay. Like life is normal,” I whispered, staring at his headstone. “I know the rest of the family grieves you in their own way, but I feel like such an outcast and like no one else understands how important you were to my life.”

  I just wanted to be a little girl again, at a time in my life when my biggest problem was not being able to eat all the chocolate I wanted or watch that PG-13 movie that all my friends raved about. I wanted to go back to a place in my life when I’d been able to sit in my dad’s lap and he was somehow able to make everything better with just a hug.

  “Hey, Holly,” someone said softly behind me.

  I gasped and turned, fully expecting to see the Shadow Man.

  Instead Chase stood there. My heart sped a moment.

  “Chase?” I said his name aloud, unsure if I was seeing things. The last time I’d spoken with Chase, I was pretty sure he hated me.

  He sat down beside me on the grass and picked up one of the dandelions I’d brought. He absently twirled it between his fingers, a far-off look in his eyes. “I’m sorry to intrude.”

  I ran my hands under my eyes and wiped away the moisture there. I was sure I looked like a wreck, but for once in my life I didn’t care. “You’re not interrupting. How’d you even know I was
here?”

  “Jamie told me.”

  I squinted in confusion, trying to figure out how that had worked. “Jamie?”

  Chase nodded solemnly. “She called me earlier and told me you were coming here. She told me to bring this.” He pulled out a small device from his pocket, one that I didn’t recognize. “And an open mind.”

  Leave it to Jamie to intrude. Unapologetically, at that. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hug her or never speak with her again.

  I pointed to the device in his hand. It was a simple black box with a switch. “What’s that?”

  “It’s a frequency jammer that blocks anyone from listening in on what we say.”

  “I thought only spies used stuff like that.”

  “You’d be surprised.” He shifted, still seeming melancholy but curious. “What’s going on, Holly? Jamie insisted there was more to the story than I could possibly understand.”

  “So, if, hypothetically speaking, there was a bug on me, that thing would make sure no one was listening in?” I pointed to the device he held.

  He nodded, worry wrinkling the corners of his eyes. “That’s right. Now, do you want to tell me what’s going on? I’ve tried to guess a million times, but I’ve had no luck. You’re putting my detective skills to the test here.”

  Would this really work? I looked around. There were no other cars at the cemetery, nor was anyone else in sight. Maybe this was my one opportunity to come clean. Was I willing to take the risk?

  CHAPTER 23

  “Holly?”

  I looked at Chase, and that ever-present hurt showed in his eyes. That’s when I broke. I had to tell him the truth. I only hoped I wasn’t making the biggest mistake of my life. I hoped my words didn’t get him killed.

  “A man said if I didn’t break up with you and go out with someone else, that he’d kill you.” My words collided with each other in a fast-paced string of emotion.

  “What?” The skin around his eyes crinkled with confusion.

  I nodded. “I thought I’d outsmarted him, but he has a bomb set up in your house. That’s why I sent you the letter about the Chinese drywall.”