Kiss of Death

by Meryl Sawyer

  “I guess.” Miranda suddenly sounded tired and desperately unhappy. “It took some talking but Cal persuaded them to return in a month. He said ‘we’ would gather all the information and put it on a computer disc.”

  “That appealed to them because they could share it online with others in their group.” Adam sounded so certain that Whitney became even angrier.

  “That’s right. They went for it because Cal demanded a million dollars for the disc.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  “A MILLION DOLLARS,” Whitney blurted out. “Didn’t they think that was outrageous?”

  “No. Uncle Calvin was selling them connections and shipping routes that it would take years to build.”

  “That’s right,” agreed Miranda. “Later Cal told me the money angle saved us. These men think Americans do everything for money.”

  “Did my uncle make the disc?”

  “Yes. I saw him working on it. He had info hidden in different places. He assembled it—”

  “Why,” Whitney asked, “if he wasn’t going to give it to them?”

  “He planned to take the disc to a friend he knew from his days in naval intelligence. Cal didn’t trust many people but he trusted this man, who was now working at the Pentagon. He was going to take him the disc then disappear forever.”

  “Who was his contact?” asked Adam.

  “I don’t remember. Cal only mentioned his name once. It was an unusual name.”

  “Could it have been Quinten Foley?”

  “Yes. That’s it!”

  Whitney was surprised Adam knew the man, but then Adam knew much more than he’d chosen to disclose to her. Like a corrosive acid, anger was eating away at her. Why hadn’t he given her some indication about the extent of this situation?

  Adam quietly asked, “Did he give you the disc?”

  “No.” Miranda shook her head. “When Cal died, I knew I had to carry out his last wishes. He wanted you to have his property. It was mortgaged because Cal said he needed to create confusion with his accounts. He moved funds all around so no one would think he had any money left. That way they wouldn’t come looking for him.”

  “His money is nearby,” Adam said, “in the Caymans. You withdrew twenty-five thousand dollars a few days ago.”

  Miranda’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Yes, I did.”

  “You also deposited money, or was that some kind of a wire-transfer payoff for one of Uncle Calvin’s deals that he completed shortly before he died?”

  “I closed out a smaller account and consolidated,” she replied, her words measured. “I paid off the loans on the properties you owned jointly with Cal.”

  “Where is the disc?” asked Adam.

  “Cal told me he hid it for safekeeping. I didn’t even think about it until after he died.”

  “It must have been stolen on the day of the funeral,” Adam said. “What I can’t understand is why they would want to kill you with a pipe bomb if they had the disc?”

  “Because I can identify them. They contacted Cal several months ago and threatened him. This time their leader came to ‘persuade’ him. That’s why Cal wanted to make certain we were long gone when they returned to pick up the disc. He told me they would kill us both—even if he handed over the disc.”

  “My uncle warned me in Siros that someone would try to kill him. That must have been right after they contacted him the first time.”

  “What doesn’t make sense is them wanting me dead before the pick-up date next week. You see, they can’t possibly have the disc.”

  “Why not?” Adam asked. “Wasn’t it with the computer they stole?”

  Miranda tried for a laugh, then said, “No way. I stole Cal’s laptop.”

  “You? Why?” Whitney and Adam asked almost in unison.

  “I assumed the info was on his computer or on the software discs in his office. I didn’t want those men to find it. I went to the funeral but didn’t attend the reception at the officers’ club. After all, no one knew about me…about us. I told the few people I met that I was Cal’s renter. I came home, faked a break-in and swiped the computer.”

  “Smart move,” Adam said, then glanced at Whitney. “Quick thinking runs in the family.”

  “It wasn’t that smart. I’ve gone through all his files. It isn’t there.” Miranda sighed and sank lower in her chair. “If you don’t believe me, you can check for yourself. The computer is in the guest bedroom.”

  RYAN’S CELL PHONE VIBRATED. He grabbed it, threw down a hundred-dollar chip on the craps table and walked away. Casinos had strict rules about cell phones. He usually shut his off completely but he didn’t want to miss Ashley’s call.

  He flipped open his phone. He didn’t recognize the number on the LCD screen. “Just a minute,” he whispered.

  Ryan shouldered his way through the double set of sweeping glass doors that led from the casino to a bar wrapped around a geyser of a fountain.

  “Yes?” he said, louder now.

  “Ryan Fordham?”

  He didn’t recognize the female voice. Shit! He’d walked away from the table with a hundred on the line to take what had to be a call from a bill collector.

  “Who is this?” he demanded.

  “Trish Bowrather.”

  The rich blonde who owned the swank gallery where Walter had taken him. That’s where all the fucking trouble started. He could still see Whitney standing there in the sexy dress he’d bought for Ashley.

  “Ravissant Gallery, right? Great show.” He made an effort to flatter her. After all, Walter highly recommended the woman’s taste in art. One day, he would again have enough money to indulge Ashley’s desire to have a fabulous home filled with priceless art.

  “That’s right. I’m glad you enjoyed the show. We’re looking for Whitney. We’re wondering if you have any idea where she is.”

  “Who’s we?”

  “I’m with her attorney, Rod Babcock.”

  Babcock. Hadn’t the guy married Miranda? Wasn’t that what Whitney had told him? Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen Miranda at the gallery. If that cocksucker was looking for Whitney, it was a very bad sign. “No,” he made himself say calmly. “I’m remarried—”

  “Yes, I know. I said this was a long shot.” She covered the phone and all he could hear was muffled voices.

  “How long’s she been gone?” he asked, when the voices stopped, not liking the idea that had just cropped up in his mind.

  It was bad enough that Whitney’s attorney wanted to speak to her. It would be total disaster if Whitney and Ashley were together. Whitney would poison Ashley’s mind and no telling what would happen.

  “Do you know where Whitney is?” the woman shot back in a clipped tone that warned him to be careful.

  “No, not really…Why?”

  There was another long pause and more muffled voices he couldn’t understand before Trish Bowrather replied, “I’m not sure how long Whitney’s been gone or where she is. She had a total stranger walk my dog this morning.”

  Whitney must have gone somewhere last night. Ashley couldn’t have left him to see Whitney, could she?

  Ah, fuck, his life was unraveling like a cheap sweater.

  Ryan snapped the cell phone shut without saying another word. Just as he slid it into his pocket, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and found himself nose to nose with the shithead Dom used as a gofer.

  “Dom’s outside. He wants to see you.”

  “I’ve got a bet on the table.” Ryan had been winning all night. When Lady Luck deserted his private life, the hussy rewarded him at the tables.

  “Forgetaboutit.”

  The goon latched on to Ryan’s arm and shoved him out the gate that led into the parking lot. Idling at the curb was Domenic Coriz’s black limo. The cocky prick yanked open the rear door and shoved Ryan into the car.

  It was dark inside except for the glow of the cigarette in Dom’s hand. For a moment the burly Native American didn’t say a word
. When he spoke, his voice was low, guttural.

  “Your wife called me.”

  The bottom dropped out of Ryan’s stomach. How could Ashley know about Dom? She must realize he had a gambling problem. She had to be furious that he’d kept the truth from her. “Sorry, I—”

  “We’re through fucking around. Through. Understand?”

  It was all Ryan could do to keep from wetting himself. “I understand.”

  IT WAS ALMOST MIDNIGHT WHEN Miranda and Whitney left Adam in the guest bedroom set up as a home office. He’d gone through the files on his uncle’s computer and was checking the software discs. So far he hadn’t located the information.

  Miranda and Whitney decided to stretch their legs by walking on the beach instead of leaning over Adam’s shoulder while he searched. The air was almost as warm as it had been during the day, but a light breeze drifted across the water. The ebony sky was strewn with brilliant stitches of stars. A bright crescent moon cast enough light for them to see. Like a glistening ribbon, the beach wound along a cove protected from the open water by a reef. Lazy waves pushed garlands of seaweed up on the sand.

  “I’m sorry…” Whitney didn’t know where to begin. “I’ve been a lousy relative. We’re all that’s left of our family. I never should have let Ryan—”

  “He hated me from the minute he set eyes on me, didn’t he?”

  “Hate might be too strong a word.” She didn’t want to make excuses for her skank of an ex-husband, but she doubted Ryan expended the effort to “hate” Miranda. She wasn’t important enough in his life.

  “I think I know why Ryan hated me,” said Miranda. “He’s the type who needs to possess someone. He didn’t want you to have friends or interests outside him. Basically, he’s insecure.”

  Whitney started to deny this. Ryan was a handsome man that women fawned over. He was intelligent enough to win scholarships, be accepted to a top-flight medical school and be selected for the most prominent residency programs. Why would he be insecure?

  She’d read enough to know sometimes the most unlikely people were insecure. It often had to do with their childhood. Ryan had siblings, but they weren’t close. In fact, they rarely spoke. Ryan claimed they’d gone their separate ways. She’d suspected his siblings were blue collar and he was ashamed of them.

  “Maybe you’re right,” she told Miranda. “Ryan is very possessive. It doesn’t matter now, does it? He’s out of my life.”

  “I’d say you’ve improved things considerably.”

  Whitney smiled, happy to feel close to Miranda again, but uneasy about Adam. Tonight proved how little he’d confided in her, how little she actually knew about the man. She’d met him just a week ago, as hard as that was to believe. In some ways she’d grown to feel as comfortable and as close to him as she’d ever been to any man. Obviously, he hadn’t felt that close to her. She was angry and terribly upset with Adam but didn’t want to burden her cousin with anything else. She changed the subject.

  “Speaking of improving things. How did you come up with Broderick Babcock’s name?”

  Miranda gave her a smug smile. “I had to think hard, believe me. I needed to get away, but I didn’t want to answer any questions. Why wouldn’t I introduce you to my fiancé? Why would we go off on a secret honeymoon?

  “Then it came to me. An attorney. They’re slick. Secretive. No one would question their plans. You didn’t. I’d met Mr. Babcock when I worked at Saffron Blue. His reputation said he was the kind of guy who might insist on a secret honeymoon.”

  “I bought your story.” Whitney went on to explain how Ryan’s sudden reappearance in her life with the property agreement led to her visiting the attorney.

  “That’s how I discovered you’d vanished.”

  “I’m sorry. I would have trusted you with my secret, but we hadn’t been close. I thought—”

  “Were you ever going to come back?” Whitney asked, raw emotion underscoring every word. “Were you going to tell me?”

  Miranda stopped and slid one arm around Whitney’s shoulders. “Of course. I was going to return and tell you everything.”

  “When?”

  “I was going to call you—and not tell you where I was—next week. I thought the men might show up around that time. I was going to warn you, but I wasn’t going to tell you enough to get you hurt.” Miranda dropped her arm and gazed off across the wine-dark sea into the night. “I’m not sure when I was going to come home. Not for a year or more.” She put her hand on her tummy. “I have to protect my—our—baby.”

  Whitney tried to see life through her cousin’s eyes. The man she loved had died, ruthless killers were after her and she was pregnant. “Look, I can’t change the past. But I can promise to be a better cousin.”

  “We should be like sisters,” Miranda said, the threat of tears unexpectedly surfacing in her voice.

  Whitney hugged Miranda. “You’re right, we should be as close as sisters. I tried when you came to live with—”

  “I know. You were so sweet. All I did was push you away. I didn’t realize it at the time.” She dug a bare toe into the wet sand. “I’ve been alone so much recently that I’ve had plenty of time to think. I’m sure I pulled into a shell of sorts after my parents were killed. I didn’t want to risk getting close, then losing someone else. Still, I did feel close to you. Then you went off to college.”

  “And disappeared from your life.”

  “You visited when your mother was alive.”

  “I’m sorry,” Whitney said. She meant it, but “sorry,” like “love,” was an overused word. But right now she couldn’t think of any better way to express herself. “I’ll do better. I want to be with you when the baby is born.”

  “No. If they haven’t followed you down here already, those men are sure to find me if you keep visiting. The only way I’ll be safe is if you leave me alone.”

  “But I don’t want you to go through labor all by yourself in a strange country.”

  “There’s an American hospital in Cancún. I’ll go there. Don’t worry.”

  “I am worried,” Whitney protested. “I want to be with you. I—”

  “They’ll kill me if they find me.” Miranda tried for a smile. “I’ll come back when it’s safe. Until then, the only way you can help is to leave. Don’t call. Don’t do anything that might lead them to me. I need you to promise me—for the baby.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  ADAM SAT IN THE crowded air terminal in Cancún. It was the off-season, but you wouldn’t know it by the gaggles of tourists sporting lobster-red burns and toting bags filled with Bye-Bye Cancún T-shirts and other souvenirs.

  “Miranda will be fine,” he assured Whitney.

  She was sitting beside him, her feet resting on the small overnight case he’d found in his uncle’s closet and had given her for the trip. She’d been quiet, preoccupied since they’d left Miranda’s villa. When he’d discovered nothing on his uncle’s computer by morning, he insisted on taking the next flight home.

  “I’m coming to stay with Miranda just as soon as those men are found. I don’t want to put her in danger, but I don’t want her to be alone when she delivers.”

  Adam patted the leather case that held his uncle’s laptop and computer software. “The answer’s here. None of us knows how to find it but Quinten Foley will have computer experts. Foley will bag those terrorists. Then Miranda can return home.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  Adam silently reminded himself to contact Samantha Waterson tomorrow and have her stop the special toxicology test on his uncle’s liver tissues. At least now he had peace of mind. Calvin Hunter had not been murdered.

  “I’m surprised that those men want to kill Miranda just because she can identify them. Most terrorists seem thrilled to get their pictures on the evening news. So what if she ID’d them?”

  Adam glanced around quickly. No one seemed to be paying attention to them, but he kept his voice low. “These guys obviously plan to use
my uncle’s contacts and shipping routes. This is a no-brainer for them—if they keep quiet and don’t call attention to themselves. Miranda’s a weak link.”

  “That makes sense. But why kill her before they get the disc with the info?”

  “Good question. I assumed they had gotten it when this baby—” he patted the laptop “—disappeared. But as I was searching through the files on my uncle’s computer last night, I decided he may have given them a phony disc. He just didn’t tell Miranda—or maybe he died before he had the chance to explain it to her.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “To fool them into thinking they had the info they needed. He could have been buying additional time. When they discovered the disc was a fake, he would have disappeared.”

  “Maybe,” Whitney replied, but she didn’t sound convinced.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes. Whitney seemed withdrawn to Adam. Evidently finding her cousin and learning Miranda was pregnant had a profound impact on Whitney.

  “I’m going to see if I can buy a magazine.” He rose, hefted the laptop over his shoulder and headed toward the small gift shop.

  A few minutes later, he stepped out of the shop with a Time magazine tucked into the side pocket of the laptop case. He scanned the room to see if anyone was following them, but he didn’t spot anybody. Whitney was talking on her cell phone when he returned and sat down beside her. Cell service down here was iffy at best. Whitney had tried to call the woman who’d taken over her dogs but hadn’t been able to get through.

  “Anything happening?” he asked when she shut her cell phone and dropped it into her purse. “Are Jasper and Lexi okay?”

  “They’re fine,” Whitney replied in a tight voice.