“It was either that or the Goose.”
“You chose well.”
“Have I told you that you look ravishing tonight?”
“I believe you have in a few ways…”
“Well, you do.”
“It is a major step up from that ridiculous pink satin gown I wore at senior prom, huh?”
“I believe I was in a pale blue tux.”
“You were—I still have the photos my father took.”
“You do?”
“Of course I do—it was prom. What girl gets rid of those photos? But look at us now, fully making up for it tonight.” I touched glasses with him again. “Here’s to getting older,” I said. “And wiser.”
At that moment, I saw Mark Dodd just across the room from us. I looked at him for a moment before I turned to Ben. “A major ghost from Michael’s past is here.”
“Who?”
I’d already told Ben about Mark and Tom, so I just reminded him about Mark’s history with Michael.
“Do you remember?” I asked.
“I remember—and I also remember that you decided not to sell StoneTech to him either. He must love you.”
“You have no idea.”
“Where is he?”
“Standing directly across from us against the wall. He’s my height in heels, he has a patch of thinning, reddish hair, and he’s as pale as a salamander’s belly. He’s either with his wife or his girlfriend. At this point, I don’t know anything about Mark—but you sure as hell can’t miss her.”
“I’m not finding him. What does she look like?”
“Black hair hanging straight down the middle of her back. Beautiful, bright yellow gown. Mark must be doing well, because everything about him is too plain to land someone like her. Do you see them? They’re standing with two others just beneath the Picasso.”
“I see them now. Do you want to go over and say hello to them?”
“How well you know me.”
“You haven’t changed that much.”
“As far as I’m concerned, if Michael was murdered, Mark also should be considered a suspect, as should Tom Smart. Michael died the day after he terminated their takeover of StoneTech. Did either of them murder him for it? To be fair to them, that still sounds like a stretch to me, but who knows? What I do know is that, when Michael cancelled the deal, they lost face with the investment group they had worked hard to gather. It was embarrassing for each of them because they’d promised their investors that, solely because of their friendship with Michael, the takeover was a done deal—until it wasn’t. So, I’m ruling out nothing.”
“I’m assuming you’re about to pull on Mark what you just pulled on Bill and Maxine?”
“In a way.”
“What does that mean?”
“For obvious reasons, Mark can’t stand me. Because of that, I can’t walk over there expecting fake hugs and warm handshakes like the ones that Maxine and Bill were happy to dole out to us. You’ll see. When we go over there, Mark will put on a smile because we’re in a public place, but there is likely going to be one mother of a hostile undercurrent rearing its ugly head. But who gives a damn? I’ve certainly dealt with worse than him in my life. So, let’s go over and say hello. Let’s make him uncomfortable. Let’s see what happens when I try to sweat him out.”
Ben placed the palm of his hand against my back. “You’re a force.”
“What I am, is determined. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Mark Dodd had me in his sights long before Ben and I were halfway to him and the group he was standing with.
When he saw me, he did a double-take, not that I could blame him since he hadn’t seen me out in years. But what he couldn’t shield from his expression when he realized that it was me coming toward him was the disbelief that it was, in fact, me coming toward him.
As Ben and I threaded through the crowd and neared them, I watched anger settle into Mark’s eyes as his mouth took a downward turn, which was enough to cause those around him to look around in curiosity.
“Mark,” I said when we were upon them. “It’s good to see you.”
He lifted his glass of Scotch in my direction as he cocked his head to one side. “Is it?” he asked.
“Of course it is.”
“Well, then—a compliment from the great Kate Stone. Who would have thought?”
Instead of responding, I remained silent, thus allowing his rudeness to foul the air around him.
“You’ve surprised me tonight, Kate.”
“And how is that, Mark?”
“After you inherited Michael’s fortune, I assumed that you’d never go slumming with this crowd again.”
“I’d never consider an event thrown by the Witherhouses to come anywhere close to ‘slumming,’ Mark—but it’s telling that you would.”
“Always so quick,” he said. “Anyway, everyone, as I’m sure you already know, this is the fabulous and fabulously wealthy Kate Stone. What I can guarantee all of you is that she knows nothing about any of you. Kate, this is my wife Carmen, and two of our best friends—Kohen and Angelica Kreuger.”
“Kreuger?” I said as I turned to them. “As in Kreuger International?”
“Well, yes,” the older gentleman at my right said in a thick German accent. He and his wife were about a decade older than the rest of us, and from their bewildered expressions, it was clear that they were wondering what in the hell was unfolding between Mark and me. Not that I could blame them. “You know of us?”
“Of course. Kreuger International supplies half of Germany with their Internet access. Over the years, I’ve read much about you and your success. It’s a pleasure to meet each of you—especially after it was suggested that I’d know nothing about you.”
“Who are you with, Kate?” Mark asked.
I reached for Ben’s hand. “Ben Cade,” I said as I looked straight into Mark’s piggish brown eyes. “We’ve been seeing each other for several months. Ben, this is Mark Dodd, whom we talked about earlier.”
Mark looked curiously at me. “You were discussing me earlier?”
“We were discussing a lot of Michael’s former friends earlier. After all, so many of them are here tonight. Since you’re among them—or at least you were until the end, when you chose not to show for his funeral for reasons well known to you and me—you naturally were discussed.”
“I can only imagine how.” He looked at Ben. “What do you do, Ben?”
“I’m a private investigator.”
“A private investigator?” Mark said. “Blue collar and all that?”
“Blue collar?” Ben said. “I’m a former decorated Navy SEAL who’s done two tours in Afghanistan, Mr. Dodd. Have you served your country?”
“Through my various businesses, of course I have. I’m deeply involved in evolving technology that makes all of our lives better.”
“That’s a slick way to spin the question, I suppose, but what I really wanted to know is whether you have repeatedly put your life on the line in an effort to serve your country.”
When Ben challenged him like that, I remembered exactly why I had once loved him. He’d always been quick on his feet. And he backed down to no one.
“I think all of us know that I haven’t.”
“Then consider me proud to be blue collar, Mr. Dodd—especially if that’s how you perceive an individual who has watched some of his closest friends die in battle, and yet who somehow survived those battles himself.”
“Oh, dear,” I said. “What a gaff…”
But Mark, who clearly wanted out of this conversation, quickly changed course. “How did you two meet?” he asked.
“I hired Ben to look into Michael’s death.”
And when I said that, Mark Dodd was taken aback.
“To look into Michael’s death? What for?”
Watch him…
“A certain set of circumstances have led me to believe that Michael’s death might not have been an accident. I hi
red Ben to investigate whether it was or not. Together, we’ll find out.”
“You think Michael was murdered?”
“We’re researching the possibility.”
“But who would want to murder, Michael?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it, Mark.”
When he took a sip of his Scotch, I could almost feel his mind working.
“What have you learned?” he asked.
“That’s confidential,” Ben said.
“Confidential? Why is it confidential?”
“To protect the names of those who are under investigation.”
“And I suppose that when you were discussing me earlier, it was because of this?”
I was about to speak when Ben stopped me. “That’s also confidential.”
Incredulous, Mark turned to the Kreugers and his wife, and arched his eyebrows at them. “Who knew?” he said. “It sounds as if I might be under investigation for murder. I’m not sure whether to laugh or be insulted.”
“Nobody said that you were under investigation, Mark.”
“There was an insinuation there, Kate, and you and I both know it.”
“There was no insinuation,” Ben said. “But I do find it interesting that you heard one when all I said is that the information surrounding Michael Stone’s death is confidential. Is there a reason for that?”
“I’m not even going to honor that with an answer.”
“I wonder why…” I said.
“Oh, please, Kate—for Christ’s sake!”
“Why are you acting so cagey?” I asked.
“I’m hardly acting ‘cagey.’”
“You are, but that’s for you to explain to your wife and your friends, I suppose. Just hope for your sake, Mark, that Ben and I have no interest in you going forward. But if we do, you’ll be the first to hear it.”
“Are you threatening me?” he said. “Trying to slander me? In front of my wife and my friends?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“The hell you don’t.”
“Let’s just be clear here—you’re the one who asked what Ben did for a living. Ben was kind enough to tell you. When I told you that I hired Ben to investigate Michael’s death, you became unhinged. If anything, you’ve slandered yourself by your reactions to our answers and questions tonight.”
“Bullshit,” he said.
“You know something, Mark, there’s a reason I didn’t sell StoneTech to you. Let me let you in on the reasons why—it’s because I always knew in my gut that you were a second-rate hack who never could run a corporation of that size and importance. You lack vision and leadership. You’re too easily rattled. What’s worse, I can’t even tell you how poorly you’d ever come to filling Michael’s shoes. If you’re angry with me for that—which clearly you are—I suggest that you have a good, hard look in the mirror and come to terms with your limitations as a person and a businessman. Because long ago, I looked deep into your abyss, and I saw nothing there that was worth my time.”
I took Ben’s hand again, and felt a jolt of confidence when his fingers interlinked with mine. “Goodnight, everyone—sorry for the fuss. And goodnight to you, Mark. Here’s wishing you the best going forward.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “In all its many forms.”
* * *
“Christ,” Ben said as we walked away from them and into the milling crowd. “I take back what I said earlier—you have changed. I’ve never seen you so aggressive.”
“I’m not the person you remember, Ben. I’ve handled my share of sharks since we were together. And that man is just one of many.”
“If he wasn’t your enemy before, you’ve just made a major enemy out of him now. You publicly humiliated him in front of his wife and his friends. You do realize that there could be repercussions when it comes to that, don’t you?”
“That man is a wuss. He’s all talk—always has been. And he doesn’t frighten me. Trust me, unless he’s somehow responsible for Michael’s death, there’s no reason to be concerned about that one.”
“But what if he is responsible?”
“Then we might have just found our man.”
“I wish you’d stop being so glib about this.”
“I’m only being glib about him—not the situation. Did he murder Michael? Not himself, he didn’t, because that man is a coward. Besides, Rhoda said the person who murdered Michael was a woman dressed in black. Could Mark have hired it out? Who knows? But after that exchange? I think you need to look into him.”
“Your behavior is starting to concern me.”
“Why?”
“When we came here tonight, I thought you were just going to tease people with your suspicions surrounding Michael’s death. But you’ve gone well beyond that. If you do to someone else what you just did to Mark Dodd, there might be nothing I can do to prevent them from coming after you to silence you.”
“But that’s the point, isn’t it? And while you might not be able to prevent them from coming after me, you can protect me. The team you’ll assemble for me tomorrow morning will cover me.”
“To a point, they will. But you have to know that nothing is absolute when it comes to something like this, Kate. The people who will protect you will do their best, but they’re only human. None of them are perfect, and mistakes can and will be made—potentially at the cost of your own life.”
“Here’s what I need from you right now. I want you to remember the moment when you were most in love with your ex-wife. And I’m talking about crazy in love with her. At that point, what would you have done if she’d suddenly been stolen away from you? And if you’d learned that her death might have been a murder? I already know the answer, Ben. You’d do anything in your power to get to the root of her death, even if it meant giving up your own life in the process. You can correct me if I’m wrong, but unless you’ve somehow radically changed over the years, I know your heart, Ben Cade. And because of that, I know exactly how far you’d go.”
He didn’t respond.
“Look, if you feel that this is something you can’t follow through with because of our past relationship, just tell me now and there will be no hard feelings. We’ll just go our separate ways. But I need to know right now, because shit just got real. Tonight, I’ve only started to open my can of worms. But if you continue to question it and me, I need to know whether you’re in or out before it’s too late for me.”
“You know that I’m in,” he said in a soft voice. “How could I leave you like this now?”
He looked troubled when he said that—genuinely concerned for my well-being—and so I reached out for his hand and held it in my own.
“I had to do this tonight. I hope that you understand. I can’t bear the thought that, if Michael was murdered, whoever killed him just gets to continue to go on with their lives. I swear to you that, after tonight, I’ll follow your advice going forward and behave.”
“When have you ever behaved?”
“It’s been sixteen years, Ben. Both of us have grown up since we were together. I know when it’s worth it to take a risk, and I also know when it’s best to step away from one.”
“I just hope that you’re right about tonight.”
“You’ll see that I am.”
“But don’t you see?” he said. “If you are, and if you’ve awoken a long-sleeping beast, it could all go wrong.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“I need another drink,” I said after we’d cooled down.
“To be honest with you, I’d like one myself, but I never drink on duty. And given the speed at which you’re moving tonight, I need to remain sharp. That said—when I do get home? Trust me, I’ll be having a Guinness or two.”
“You deserve one.”
“Has my hair gone gray yet?”
“Not yet.”
“You sure about that?”
“You’re as handsome as ever.”
His face softened when I said that, and then he leaned in t
o kiss me. “Let me get you another martini. I’ll get myself another seltzer.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s go to the bar.”
He took my hand and I followed him through the crowd. Only this time, the atmosphere around us had shifted. People were looking at me with curiosity. Sidelong glances struck me from all sides. Was it because Ben had just kissed me, or was it because word of my speculations surrounding Michael’s death had since become part of the party’s DNA? Either way, all eyes were on me as we wended ourselves toward the bar.
“Are you feeling what I’m feeling?” Ben asked.
“Oh, I’m feeling it.”
He stopped for a moment. “Sooner rather than later, the press are going to question you. What do you plan to say to them?”
“Nothing more than what I’ve already said to Bill, Maxine, and Mark—that certain circumstances have led me to question whether Michael’s death was an accident. I won’t speculate going forward—I’ll just say that I’m investigating all possibilities. All I want is for that alone to get into the morning papers. Because, if Michael was murdered, then I will become a target. You and your team can take over from there.”
“To a point.”
“Fine, I get it. To a point. But if we play this correctly—if we outwit whoever killed Michael, which we must if it’s true—then we win.”
“Maybe I will have that drink,” he said.
“I wish you would.”
“I’m joking, Kate. You’ll be all right here?”
“I’ll be fine. I can handle myself when it comes to the press.”
“Then give me a second,” he said. “And stay on point if a reporter approaches you.”
“I will.”
But no one approached me.
When Ben returned with our drinks, I’d remained untouched by the press despite the fact that it was becoming increasingly obvious that I’d become the topic of conversation. Glancing around the room, I had to wonder if these people even knew what a poker face was. Because every time I caught someone looking at me, it was clear from the tense, questioning, and even stunned expressions on their faces that they didn’t know what to make of the news that was being passed down from person to person, group to group. But since I couldn’t control the situation at this point, I decided to just let it be.
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