by Vella Munn
Kim fought to keep normalcy in her voice. “What do you think he’s going to do?”
“If I knew, I’d know how to attack him. Listen, Ms. Revis, there’s something you can do. Something you have to do.”
Although the last thing she wanted to do was stay where Rogan could touch her, Kim stood her ground. Once again he placed his hand on her shoulder. Once again she felt his cool fingers and watched his glittering eyes. “You’ve got pull with Mark Stockton, but you can’t use him because he works for the town. Get yourself a lawyer. Someone who goes for the jugular. Get him to threaten to sue the town for your and your grandmother’s inconvenience. Make the council understand that if they side with Langford, they’re in a hell of a lot of trouble.”
Kim had considered retaining an attorney, not because she wanted to go for the jugular but because she felt a lawyer might be able to present her argument more clearly. Now when she nodded her head, it wasn’t so much because she agreed with Rogan but because she wanted to get away from the man. “I’ll think about it,” Kim promised as she retreated.
With the aid of a magnifying glass, Kim was able to make a little more sense out of the blueprints. It was a struggle, but at least she now had a better idea of each room’s dimension, the thickness of the wails and where the electrical system was routed. It was almost noon when Kim stood and stretched the kinks out of her neck. She’d gone into the staff meeting room so she could spread out. No one had come in while she was working. In fact, now that she’d thought about it, Kim realized that she’d heard nothing. There was a penetrating silence.
The thefts, most of them at least, had taken place during the day. How many people were in the museum now? Were the display rooms filled with visitors, or was the noon hour a quiet period? William, Garner, Rogan. One by one, the three men with the greatest access to the artifacts came to mind. William looked frail, but Kim wasn’t sure whether she could best him in a struggle. She could probably outrun Rogan, but maybe she’d never have the chance to test that theory. She could still feel the cool strength of his hand on her shoulder and remembered the wild depth in his eyes. And then there was Garner, with his sculptured muscles. Kim wouldn’t last a minute against the business manager.
Kim reached for the phone and dialed Mark’s number. After two rings, his secretary came on the line. No. Mr. Stockton wasn’t at his desk. The secretary wasn’t sure where he’d gone, only that he’d gotten a phone call and left a few minutes ago.
Kim didn’t try to justify her quick exit from the meeting room. She couldn’t deny that the shadows in the long hall frightened her, or that she had no defense against the unease pricking up and down her spine. She’d intended to spend the noon hour working up an electrical diagram, but now all she wanted was to feel the sunlight on her face.
When the front door closed behind her, Kim drew a deep breath of warm air. She could laugh at her fear now, but she knew she wouldn’t be laughing if she went back inside.
Kim had no idea what she was going to do with her noon hour. She was hungry but too restless to sit down for a meal, and there really wasn’t time to walk back to the house. Another double-decker ice-cream cone from the soda fountain relieved her hunger pains. Then she began walking aimlessly down the main street studying window displays and lingering in front of Norval’s Antiques. There was an older woman manning the cash register and Kim saw no sign of Anthea. It was just as well. Kim was in no mood to talk to anyone.
Except Mark.
Charles wasn’t in his office, but the door was unlocked and the office clerk barely glanced up when Kim mentioned that Charles was an old friend, and she simply wanted to use his phone.
Convinced that she was only wasting her time, and she’d get the secretary again, Kim was only half listening when Mark came on the line. “I didn’t think you’d be there. I just called a few minutes ago and got your secretary,” she explained.
“It was a quick trip. Now I’m holding down the fort so my secretary can get some lunch. Where are you, Kim? Are you all right?”
Was Mark telepathic? Was there some way he could know what had gone through her mind when she became aware of the museum’s silence? “Of course,” she said quickly.
“Good. You’ve been on my mind.”
Kim took Mark’s words into her heart. It was a moment before she remembered to tell him where she was. Kim relayed the essence of what she and Rogan had talked about this morning. “He’s really upset,” she finished. “I think he hates Harden. It’s—maybe I’m reading more into it than there is, but it’s as if there’s this war between Rogan and Harden, and the town is caught in the middle.”
“You’re not wrong, Kim. Those two men hive been at odds with each other for years. There are rumors, something about a personal disagreement. I try not to get involved in that sort of thing. As for your hiring a lawyer, I’m advising against it, at least for now. There’s no reason for you to be out the money.”
“I wish you could represent me.”
“You know I can’t, Kim. Not while I’m representing the town. Do you have to go back to the museum this afternoon?”
Kim explained that she had no choice if she was going to be able to present the two security firms with a workable set of plans. Then Kim asked the question that had been on her mind all morning. “Will I be seeing you tonight?”
Mark’s silence lasted too long. Even before he spoke, she knew what his answer was going to be. “Something came up. An extension of why I was out of the office earlier. Kim, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to see a client tonight.”
Was he sorry, Kim wondered. A heartbeat later she shrugged off her unfair thought. He was a lawyer. There were bound to be times when work had to come first.
The afternoon dragged. It was colored by a return of Kim’s earlier unease about being in the museum. Although she kept the door open and was aware of visitors trooping up and down the hall, she was also intensely aware of her isolation. Rogan dropped by twice to ask about her progress. Each time he seemed more interested in what she’d been able to make out from the faded blueprint than in what she would be submitting to the two firms later that day. He wasn’t nearly as imposing in person as he’d been in her mind. He simply didn’t seem to be a man with violence in him. Directors of museums didn’t go around hitting people to prevent security systems from being installed.
Kim didn’t bother with dinner that night. She ate half of a tuna sandwich, and then tried to distract herself by getting some of her grandmother’s furniture ready to be moved. Vigorously waxing and polishing the sturdy old hardwood pieces relieved some of her pent-up tensions and allowed Kim to fall into bed physically weary. She’d listened for the phone all evening, hoping against all logic that Mark would at least be able to call her. But he didn’t. Kim fell asleep with that grim thought on her mind.
Before leaving the museum, Kim had arranged for a morning meeting with Rogan, Garner and Anthea Norval. If the security guard could make it, she wanted him there as well. When Kim pushed open the tall, heavy door, she made herself a vow. Today she would concentrate on work. She wouldn’t think about Mark; she wouldn’t call him.
Garner was already in the conference room. The business manager watched silently as Kim spread out the diagrams she would be using in her presentation. Finally he broke the silence. “The rumor mill is working.”
Kim wanted to let the comment slide, but if she did Garner would know she was trying to ignore him. “What are the rumors?”
“That you and our illustrious town attorney are quite an item.”
“We had breakfast at the Inn yesterday.”
“And dinner together a few nights before. A rather tacky place according to Anthea, but then there isn’t much that isn’t tacky in her estimation. Are you sure seeing Mark Stockton is wise?”
A lot wiser than seeing you would be, Kim thought. “I don’t understand why anyone would care,” she said instead.
“Maybe I do, Kim.”
Kim could
no longer pretend she was interested in what her hands were doing. Tensing a little, Kim turned toward Garner. As was his custom, Garner was dressed to accentuate the mix of animal sensuality and dedicated businessman he liked to project. His black slacks strained across his flat belly. Kim wondered how long the seams would hold up. He was wearing a white, fitted shirt of a summer-weight fabric with no undershirt. He was, Kim could admit, a physically perfect man. But unlike Mark, she could look at Garner without wanting anything from him. “I don’t know what you’re getting at,” she told him.
“Don’t you.” Garner rose to his feet, reminding Kim of a sleek, hunting cat. Hunger was in his eyes, but for what she didn’t understand.
Before he could reach her, if that was what he had in mind, the door opened. Anthea Norval’s cold laugh dissolved the tension in the room.
“Bad timing. Would you like me to come back later?”
“No,” Kim said too quickly. She took advantage of the situation by backing, casually she hoped, away from Garner. “You’re right on time.”
“You might ask Garner if he feels the same way. I hope this meeting is going to be productive. Ever since the media got wind of our little problem, I’ve been deluged with questions. Everyone wants to know what we’re doing to plug the leak.” Anthea slid gracefully into the chair next to the one Garner had vacated. She propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin lightly on her manicured hands.
Garner whistled. He turned from Kim and reached for Anthea’s hand. “Nice rock, madam businesswoman. A present from the doting husband?”
Anthea was wearing a ring with a stone the size of a small boulder. Maybe that was an exaggeration, Kim admitted, but it was certainly the largest ruby she’d ever seen. Her first thought was that it was more than a little gaudy, but it wasn’t her place to judge.
Kim commented on the ring. In return she got a smug smile from Anthea and a lengthy discourse on how she’d had to go to San Francisco to find a jeweler who understood her needs. “And to answer your question, Garner, my husband didn’t give it to me. I decided I needed to reward myself. I work hard. I deserve it.”
Kim might not agree with Anthea’s taste in jewelry, but if she’d made the money, it was certainly her right to spend it however she saw fit. She was about to tell Anthea that when William joined them.
The man looked haggard. He seemed to have aged since the last time Kim had seen him. She was relieved when he folded his lanky body into the nearest chair. He didn’t look at either Garner or Anthea. Instead he kept his dull eyes focused on Kim.
“Are you all right?” Kim asked. “Are you sure you should be here?”
“I was up all night.”
Garner and Anthea had barely given William a glance, but Kim couldn’t dismiss him that easily. “Problems?” she prompted.
“My brother. Sick again. I had to take him back to the hospital. The third time this month.”
“Oh. I’m sorry,” Kim muttered.
“Are you?” William’s voice was as hard-edged as ever. “Sorry enough to help me pay the damn medical bills? How long is this going to take?”
Kim couldn’t give William a definite answer. She’d just started to explain that they were waiting for the director to arrive when he came in. For once Rogan was wearing a suit that almost fit. Ignoring what it did to his jacket, Rogan slouched in his chair. Although not as exhausted as William, he, too, looked as if the night had been a long one.
Kim took a deep breath. If today’s meeting was to accomplish something, she would have to anticipate potential disagreements and somehow keep these four people working together in the same room. She handed each of them a copy of the blueprint and was turning to the blowup she’d taped to the wall behind her when the door opened to reveal another figure.
It was Mark.
Chapter Ten
The room seemed to pulse. The long, empty night came back to haunt Kim. Surely the others in the room could sense her reaction, but Kim couldn’t concern herself with that. She’d spent hours last night telling herself she didn’t care. If Mark decided to put work before her, so be it. She could live with his decision.
Couldn’t she?
Mark locked his gaze with each of them in turn, putting off facing Kim to the last. Her eyes glistened a little. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and apologize for the hours of silence. But if he said anything, it would have to be a lie, and he couldn’t do that to either of them.
“I have Anthea to thank for this,” he explained. What he was about to say and what the wealthy businesswoman might say in return could back him into a corner. But in a perverse way, Mark was perhaps ready for that. “If I hadn’t seen her last night, I wouldn’t have known about this meeting.”
“I’m surprised, Mark.” Anthea laughed her careful, measured laugh. “You were so intent on your conversation with your client that I wasn’t sure you heard anything I said. A word of advice,” Anthea went on when Mark tried to interrupt. “If you want a private conversation, don’t take your client to a public restaurant.”
“I’ll remember that, Anthea.” Mark glanced at Kim. Yes, she was listening to every word. More than that, unless he was mistaken, Kim was trying to read what was going on inside him. In an attempt to prevent that, Mark hurried through his explanation that he was here on behalf of Camp Oro. “The town is more than casually interested in the problems the museum is having. I’ve been contacted by the mayor and council. They would like me to keep them abreast of developments. I hope—” Mark turned toward Rogan. “I trust this meets with your approval.”
“We have nothing to hide,” Rogan muttered.
“I’m glad to hear that.” It was then that Mark moved forward to find a seat. He deliberately chose a spot as far from Kim as he could. When Garner looked at him with a questioning half smile, Mark chose to ignore the business manager.
Anthea was talking. “That’s right, Mark. Take over. That’s what you’ve always done, isn’t it.” She waved her hand with the new ring at Mark. “Far be it from you to wait for a formal invitation. You should run for mayor, you know. You hold the position in everything but name as it is.”
“Is this a formal objection to my presence?” Mark countered.
“Of course not.” Anthea’s laugh was cold. “I certainly wouldn’t do that.”
The meeting lasted the better part of an hour. Kim wound up strongly, telling those assembled that she had drawn up what she believed to be the most effective security system for the money. Yes, it called for certain security measures that would be obvious to the public, but she would stick by her proposal. “It’s going to cost money, more money than any of us would like. But I don’t believe we can get away with anything less.”
Garner waved the figures Kim had given him in the air. “All I can say is, I hope those firms’ estimates come in under what you’ve projected. This is going to damn near bankrupt us, Ms. Revis.”
“I doubt that,” Kim countered. She wasn’t going to look at Mark or think about him. For as long as she was in this room, she was nothing but a professional hired to do a job. “Yes, it’s going to tax the museum’s budget, but I think you have to agree that we really have no alternative. Not if we’re going to have any artifacts left under this roof.”
Anthea snatched the figures from Garner. Her ring flashed. “This is going to cut into my projects. We can’t have this. We can’t.”
“We can’t let people walk away with everything that’s valuable,” Mark said.
Kim had expected questions, but for a moment she didn’t fully understand the force of what was being thrown at her. Then, beyond all reason and wisdom, her eyes met Mark’s. There were other messages in his gaze, questions she couldn’t begin to answer. But foremost was the warning she’d almost forgotten. Neither of them had any doubt that the person responsible for the museum’s losses was in this room.
Anthea, with her expensive tastes? Garner, with his arrogance and his empty life? William, with a sic
k brother draining his finances? Even Rogan, who hadn’t wanted her here in the first place?
Kim stilled the wish to take a calming breath. She wasn’t going to show any sign of anxiety or weakness. “There won’t be a Comstock Museum much longer if it remains vulnerable. I don’t believe we have any choice in the matter. I also believe that the board is going to back me.”
The grumbling continued. Rogan took particular exception to the money earmarked to provide a security guard with formal police academy training. As he’d done earlier, William said nothing. But his fingers were knotted together and his knuckles white. Kim could hear him breathing.
No formal endorsement of Kim’s proposal was forthcoming from the employees, but that wasn’t what she had been after. The truth was, she was under no obligation to inform them of her proposal before presenting it to the museum board. However, she believed they had a right to be kept informed.
“You’re looking a little rocky,” Mark whispered as the meeting was breaking up. Rogan had already left. Garner was still teasing Anthea about her taste in jewelry. William hadn’t made a move to get to his feet.
“Rocky?” Kim repeated. She tried to concentrate on the business of returning her material to its folder, but there was no way she could ignore Mark’s presence or her body’s reaction to it. They could have been together last night. And if they couldn’t, he could at least have told her why not. “I’ll survive.”
“I’m sure you will.” Mark took her elbow firmly and pulled her away from the table. He leaned close to her and continued. “What you did took guts.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Kim said, expelling her breath slowly. She wished Mark hadn’t touched her. She was finding it almost impossible to think. “What are you going to tell the council?”
“That you have guts. That the museum board spent its money wisely when they hired you. What are you going to do now?”
“Get in touch with Stephan and the rest of the board members. I’m just about ready to make my presentation to them.”
