Reluctant Witness

by Barton, Sara M.

  “You just have to remember that some dogs are going to charge a little guy like this, Marigold,” Nancy told me. “Yorkies and other small breeds have a history of being attacked by aggressive dogs, so just be mindful of that when you walk him.”

  “Oh dear, I hadn’t thought of that,” I sighed, feeling apprehensive.

  “You don’t have to worry when I’m with you. I’ve got no problem tackling a wayward dog.”

  “Good to know. But surely no dog will want to attack Cooper. It’s not like he’s snippy or yappy.”

  “Sometimes that kind of timidity brings out the dominator in another dog, just like it does in people. Some dogs are just born to be bullies, as a breed trait. Others are trained to be that way. They can feel territorial and they think they’re protecting their master or their property when they charge intruders. In the end, it doesn’t really matter why they do it. It just matters that you pay attention and look out for Cooper.”

  We walked on and I thought about that. I was so used to being the one in danger, and suddenly the tables were turned. I had a job to do for a six-pound fur baby. “For the first time in my adult life, I’m the protector, instead of the protected. It’s a big change for me not to be the constant victim.”

  “It is indeed, and it’s a good one at that. It’s healthy for you to have another living, breathing creature to look out for, Marigold; you’ll find it’s a very grounding, rather humbling experience to realize that someone else’s survival depends on you.”

  When we got back to Cinnamon Beach, I put the exhausted dog into his new crate for a well-deserved nap in my bedroom. Nancy and I got our suits on and joined the men down at the beach.

  The first sign of trouble was when Jeff didn’t make eye contact when I greeted the group. It was as if he was a different man. Had I somehow inadvertently offended him? Even as I wondered what was going on, the conversation continued around me.

  “How was the walk?” Terry asked his wife as she spread her beach towel on the sand. I followed suit, choosing the next patch of sand.

  “Good. Coop’s a nice little dog. I think he likes Florida.”

  “What’s not to like?” Rocky asked, adjusting his Atlanta Braves cap on his head. He leaned back in his beach chair, stretching out his legs. “Turquoise waters, blue skies, and all the golf you can play.”

  “This place is great,” Tom said. “How did you ever find it, Jeff?”

  “My mother needed a place to escape the Catskill winter and she knew the golf would appeal to my dad. She asked me if I was interested in investing in a couple of units with her. I was, so we formed a little real estate trust. We use them a couple of times a year for family reunions, and the rest of the time, we rent them out or offer them to wounded warriors and their families.”

  “You own the condos we’re staying in?” I was surprised.

  “Yes. Why?” His response was gruff.

  “I guess I just figured you as vacationing in more exotic locales. Tahiti, Monaco, Paris....”

  “Living the rock star life?” he shot back brusquely. As I looked at him, I saw his eyes narrow slightly.

  “From what I’ve read about you in the press,” Nancy added mischievously, “I expect you to be surrounded by a bevy of beauties in bikinis at the pool by day, hitting all the hot nightclubs when the sun goes down.”

  “Yes, yes. A life befitting Atlanta’s most eligible bachelor,” Terry teased, giving him a sly grin. That was rewarded by a good-natured shrug. I took my turn.

  “I can imagine you sipping Prosecco on the terrace of a villa on Lake Como with some Italian countess who can’t resist you, or hanging out in Malibu, with some Hollywood version of Barbie.”

  One moment the group was laughing; the next, we were silenced by the brooding look on Jeff’s face. What had come over him?

  “You act like I’m not like you. I’ve got news for you, Marigold. I’m an old-fashioned guy. I actually enjoy hanging out with my family and friends, doing normal things.”

  “Oh? I just meant you’re a man of the world,” I countered lamely. “It’s not like we’re a wild and crazy bunch.”

  Gone was the sunny smile, and in its place, storm clouds seemed to gather; his dark eyes flashed with fury.

  “What is it with you?” he shook his head in disgust, directing his comment at me. “Why do you think I’m some kind of superficial guy who likes to party all the time and sleep with every nubile female on the planet?”

  “Because....” I started to say something about the first time I met Rocky, but when I saw the security man’s stricken face, I stopped myself and quickly changed gears. Turning back to Jeff, I replied, “Because a handsome man like you probably has women throwing themselves at him day and night. How can a girl like me ever hope to compete with that?”

  “You might be surprised to know how easy it would be,” he answered curtly. Standing up, he brushed the sand from his swim trunks. “I’m going for a swim. Anyone else want to join me?”

  No one else said a word, but all eyes were on me. Finally Nancy spoke up.

  “Why don’t you go, Marigold? We’re just going to talk shop for a few minutes.”

  “Right,” Rocky agreed. “We’ve got to discuss some business.”

  “We definitely do.” Tom sat back in his beach chair, his dark sunglasses obscuring his eyes. “It’s important stuff.”

  “You kids run along now,” Terry grinned impishly. “Try not to get in over your heads.”

  Jeff strode down to the water, not bothering to wait for me. I took advantage of his absence and turned back to the group.

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  Nancy started to laugh. “I think your heinous crime is that you made the big guy weak at the knees. He likes to be in charge.”

  “Ignore the ugly puss. He’ll get over it,” Terry advised me, an amused smile on his face. Tom and Rocky were uncharacteristically quiet. That didn’t bode well for me, I decided.

  Jeff was neck-deep in water when I swam out to him. Bobbing along, I was content to point my toes skyward and drift, as the waves rocked me gently.

  “Tell me something, Marigold. Why do you think I’m incapable of having a serious relationship with a woman?” He scowled at me.

  “I never said that!”

  “But you’ve thought it!”

  “I...I just assumed that you....”

  “It’s because of the money? Do you think the only thing that matters to me is the money I make as an author and producer? If anyone is superficial, it’s you. I thought you were smarter than that. I’m very disappointed in you as a woman.”

  For a moment, I thought he was joking. But when I looked into his eyes, I realized he meant every word he said to me. Stunned, I struggled to find words.

  “Jeff, I don’t know what’s happened here, but....”

  “Save it. It doesn’t matter. I got your point. You’re too good for a jerk like me.”

  “I’m what?”

  “Sure, it’s all fine and good when I’m happy to foot the bill for your security, but when it comes to earning your respect, you don’t think I’m up to snuff!”

  “Wait a minute!” I tried to stand up in the water, but I truly was in over my head. Forced to tread water, I had trouble keeping up with the argument. “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, come off it! Don’t tell me you don’t know what this is about!”

  “I don’t!” I cried.

  “You think I’m only good enough for bimbos who are looking for a sugar daddy. Well, I’ve got news for you, lady. I’m nobody’s sugar daddy, especially not yours!”

  Stung by his words and the unexpected anger behind them, I felt tears coming on. I whirled away from him and put my head under the water, desperate to swim away. I struggled to reach the shore, weighted down by a heavy heart. How could Jeff think that about me? Had I somehow inadvertently led him to believe that I was unappreciative of all the things he had done for me?

  I deliberately came
out of the water some hundred yards from where the group was gathered on the beach. Beating a hasty retreat, I followed the wooden walkway up to the gate for the complex. What could I do? I had no money, nothing of my own, other than Cooper. Could I find a job down here? Surely someone with my skills could find something. I didn’t have references. I knew that would be a drawback. Nor did I have a place to live. The odds really did seem to be against me.

  “Marigold!” It was Nancy. I could hear her footsteps behind me. “Marigold, wait!”

  I just didn’t have it in me to respond. I walked faster. I just wanted to be away from here, away from Cinnamon Beach and all of its beautiful water and swaying palm trees.

  “What in God’s name is going on?” I felt her hand on my shoulder. “Talk to me!”

  “I have to go,” I told her, shrugging her off.

  “Go where?”

  Chapter Thirty Eight

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “What did that idiot say to you?” she demanded. This time, she put both hands on my shoulders and twirled me around, not giving me a choice. “I’m responsible for your safety. I can’t have you running away!”

  “I need to go,” I told her defiantly. I had no intention of breaking down and begging Jeff to save me. “Please!”

  She pulled her hands away and took a couple of steps back, exasperated. “Fine. Do what you have to do.”

  “I’m sorry, Nancy,” I sniffed, so close to my breaking point. “Thank you for everything.”

  Through the blur of tears, I hurried on, my intention to collect some of the clothes in my room and the little dog. But what if I couldn’t take care of Cooper? What if I couldn’t afford to feed him, or find an apartment that was dog-friendly? Just one more heartbreak on life’s highway for Marigold Flowers, I thought.

  I waited by the side of the building for a family of four to climb onto the elevator. When the doors shut, whisking them away, I stepped into the vestibule, and let out a deep, sorrowful sob, no longer able to contain my tears.

  “Oh, geez!” Jeff said, entering behind me. He sounded annoyed. I decided my best course of action was to ignore him. “When all else fails, turn on the waterworks. Classic ploy, Marigold.”

  That was the last straw. Now that I had no choice but to leave, I was free to say what I thought.

  “You have to be the meanest bastard on the planet, Jefferson Cornwall! I didn’t turn on the tears because I expected to see you. In case you didn’t notice, I’m the one who walked away so you wouldn’t see them! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll think I’ll take the stairs, because I wouldn’t want you to think I’m trying to manipulate you any further!”

  He was waiting for me by the stairwell when I arrived on the top floor, his arms crossed, leaning against the railing.

  “We need to talk,” he growled.

  “No, we don’t. There’s nothing to talk about. You made yourself quite clear. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to pack.”

  “Pack?” he said, his tone incredulous. “Where are you going to go?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m not your responsibility any more!” I brushed past him, eager to get into the condo.

  “Marigold, this is ridiculous!” he snapped. The elevator dinged behind us, but I didn’t really care. Let the world hear me, I thought.

  “First I’m a manipulative gold-digger looking for a sugar daddy and now I’m ridiculous! Forgive me for not being what you want me to be!” Anger welled up inside me, replacing those tears. “I’ll be out of your hair in five minutes.”

  “That’s not what I meant!” he shouted at me. “Stop being so bloody stubborn!

  “I’m stubborn, on top of everything else? There’s just no winning with you, is there?”

  “Oh, brother!” Nancy groaned as she, Terry, and Tom stepped into the corridor. “Let’s take this inside.”

  “There’s no need. I just need to get my things.”

  “Marigold,” he growled, “I never asked you to leave.”

  “No, you didn’t. I’m just saving you the bother down the road.”

  “You know what the trouble is?” Nancy asked aloud. Jeff and I ignored her, so she told the others as we all entered the condo. “Marigold has lived her entire adult life on the run, hiding out from really bad people. And just when she thought the man who wanted to marry her was legit, he went and set her up for yet another fall before he kicked the bucket. Jeff, on the other hand, has spent his entire adult life running away from women.”

  “Nance,” Terry warned her, “you don’t want to cross that line.”

  “Yes, I do,” she told her husband. “I very much do. I’ve spent a lot of time with this young woman, and I know for a fact that she’s good and decent. If Jeff’s too stupid to see the real Marigold, then I don’t want to work for him. She deserves better than this!”

  “Now hold on....

  “No, I will not hold on! I was hired to keep her safe. That’s my job. And I don’t care if you’re the boss, Jeff. You’re driving this woman away!”

  “I am not,” he retorted. “She’s being a fool, an illogical fool! I never asked her to leave.”

  “Illogical?” Nancy was incensed.

  “She’s used to rich men taking care of her,” Jeff said bitterly. “One sugar daddy is as good as another, right?”

  Nancy went right up to him and wagged a finger in his face. “You’ve got some nerve, fella! She was set up by her fiancé. Was it her fault he tried to have her killed? Is this ‘blame the victim’ time?”

  As I stood there listening, my mind was having trouble filtering the conversation. Did I hear Nancy right?

  “Jared wanted me dead?” I asked. No one answered me.

  “You think she’s after you for your money? She’s just using you?” Nancy was in attack mode, determined to make her point, and she wasn’t about to back down any time soon.

  “Isn’t she?” he shot back, his face contorted by a scowl, his arms folded across his chest. Was he trying to protect his heart from an assault by me?

  “Oh, you’re a real prize, Jefferson Cornwall! Come on, Marigold. Pack your things. We’re out of here!”

  “What?” That was not what the boss of Roaring Kill Productions expected to hear from his employee, and it was clear he didn’t like it. Neither did Terry. He let out a frustrated groan before he shook his head and appealed for calm.

  “Can we please have a little sanity here, people?”

  “I’m taking her home with me. Are you coming with us?” Glowering at her husband, Nancy waited all of three seconds before she turned on her heel, intending to head to their bedroom to collect her things.

  “I don’t understand.” I gazed at the people around me and realized they knew far more about my life than I did. What was I missing? I slumped down on a chair at the dining room table, unable to process the information. “Why would Jared want me dead?”

  Nancy stopped in her tracks just as she reached the hallway, pausing to look over her shoulder before she let out a long sigh. “Oh, crap! Did I let that cat out of the bag?”

  Rocky took a seat next to me at the dining table. “Marigold, we haven’t had a chance to tell you about some new developments in the case....”

  “But why would he do that?” I demanded, as my confused mind tried to sort out the details. “Why would he want to have me killed?”

  “You were a loose end. He needed you to take the blame for what he planned to do. And if you were still alive, someone might figure out his end game.”

  “But he’s the one who’s dead,” I pointed out.

  “Maybe he crossed the wrong person in the process of setting you up. Or one of his associates decided to take advantage of the opportunity to knock him out of the game. It’s possible that while he was ripping people off, Marigold, he wanted you to be suspected of being his accomplice. He needed people to believe you were his fiancée, while the real one was free to move about, posing as you and living a double life.”

&nb
sp; “I feel so dumb.”

  “You weren’t dumb,” Rocky insisted. “The guy was a con man. Lying was just part of his game.”

  “But why did he pick me? What did I ever do to make this happen?” I moaned. Terry and Tom joined us, taking seats at the table.

  “Men like Jared are predators, Marigold. They pick women for their vulnerabilities,” Terry explained. Nancy hovered behind him, holding onto the back of his chair. “And you seemed like an easy target.”

  “But....” I started to say. Terry cut in.

  “You’re a good person, Marigold. You trust folks to do the right thing because that’s how you operate. It doesn’t occur to you to suspect the people around you of doing something wrong.”

  “Listen, if it’s any consolation, Jared fooled a lot of people.” Tom patted my hand. “As it stands now, it looks like he ripped off his investors to the tune of over four million dollars. He was probably double-crossed by one of his associates.”

  “Tovar and the others, they...they really believed I was conning them? That I compromised the program?” I felt my dismay rise at the thought that the people I trusted to look after me actually believed I was capable of betraying them. “I never did!”

  I sensed a presence to my right. Jeff sat down beside me. His face was taut. I could sense the undercurrent of tension as he leaned forward, his fists clenched.

  “Marigold, I need to know something.” His tone was serious, but no longer angry. “It’s important. Did you send Lincoln an email yesterday?”

  “An email? No,” I shook my head. “Why?”

  “You didn’t send him an email about getting together with him?”

  “I don’t understand. I didn’t send anyone an email yesterday. And I certainly didn’t send one to your brother about getting together. Why would I do that?”

  “We can check your computer,” he warned me. That threat didn’t change anything. I was still adamant that I hadn’t contacted Lincoln.

  “Go right ahead and check it. I had no reason to send your brother any kind of email.”