He forced his attention back as the charges were read. Olivia Fordyce didn’t flinch when her crimes were listed. Not one iota of remorse. Would that change during the actual court case itself? Rex wondered. He wasn’t inclined to think so.
“In view of the criminal and vindictive nature of their actions,” the prosecution barrister stated, “I request your honor does not grant bail.”
Rex frowned while he listened to the defense, who suggested Olivia had made misguided attempts to gain her sons recognition, which had got out of hand. Muttering beneath his breath, he looked at the judge, hoping to God he wasn’t going to be swayed.
“After due consideration of the circumstances,” the judge concluded, “Olivia Fordyce and Charles Fordyce will be held in custody until the case is heard. Given the gravity of the crime—including attempted murder, possession of a weapon with intent to harm and actual bodily harm of an innocent bystander—the charges are serious enough to warrant no bail. However, with regards to Jason Fordyce I’m inclined to be more lenient.”
Rex cursed beneath his breath.
“If the circumstances of the statements are true,” the judge continued, “Jason was an unwitting pawn, manipulated for information and to gain access by his older brother and his mother. Bail for Jason Fordyce will be set at £5,000.”
Rex stood and watched as Olivia and Charles were led back into custody. Would there be anyone there to provide the bail money? He observed as Jason was taken in a different direction. Nearby, on the observation bench, an elderly man rose to his feet and gestured at Jason. Rex studied the man. A relative, he surmised. Damn it.
As the court dispersed Rex approached the prosecution barrister.
“Mr. Carruthers.” The barrister nodded at him as he put his file into a briefcase.
“I was under the impression that all three would be held?”
“The defense played on the youngest defendant’s lack of knowledge.” The barrister studied Rex as he spoke. “Do you think he’ll attempt to skip bail?”
“I’m more concerned that he’ll try to see through what his mother set in motion. How quickly can I get a restraining order in place?”
“You’re concerned for your safety?”
“Not mine. Carmen Shelby’s.”
The barrister nodded. “Of course. Let’s take this to one of the meeting rooms and I’ll advise you how to proceed.”
* * *
WHEN REX EVENTUALLY emerged from the courts, his mood hadn’t lightened. He needed Carmen’s agreement to proceed with a restraining order. He already had a reason to contact her, but he wanted that meeting to be kept as simple as possible. He couldn’t take any risks. The sooner the restraining order was in place, the better.
He made his way quickly to the nearby car park, reaching into his pocket for his keys as he walked through the entrance. As he did, a figure emerged from the shadows inside.
It was Jason.
Rex cursed audibly, then pressed on. “So the old guy sprung bail for you,” he stated as he strode past him. “Who is he, your grandfather?”
“My uncle.” Jason hastened behind. “Please, Rex, can I speak with you?”
Rex paused and ground his jaw, his mind working fast. He wanted to thump the guy and tell him to get lost, but he also knew he had to tread carefully. “Go ahead, talk. I’m happy for you to add ‘attempts to influence a witness’ to your case.”
“That’s not what I want to do.” Warily he met Rex’s stare. “I don’t blame you for thinking badly of me. I just wanted you to know that when I first went to Burlington Manor, there was no malicious intent.”
“Why should that even matter to me, given the end result?”
“I just want you to know, because it matters to me...what you think.”
Rex’s irritation grew. The lad was attempting to appeal to him, to gain sympathy. That wasn’t going to happen. He didn’t care what their individual motives were, but he bit his words back. The man was panicking; he might let something useful slip. “Convince me.”
“I wanted to see him again. That was all it was. He used to visit us. When we were kids he came once a week. We had a dad and we didn’t feel any different than the other kids. Then he stopped coming. I’m not sure of the timing.” The lad’s discomfort was tangible. “I’m told it was after he married his second wife.”
“That fits.” Rex was determined not to feel sympathy for the guy, but there was something there that he related to—being cut out when his father changed direction. “It’s no excuse for attempted murder.”
“I know that, and that wasn’t why I went there. I just wanted to know him again. I spent time in the village looking for work. Bill took some convincing because I wasn’t local, but then he gave me a chance. I enjoyed working with Bill, and I didn’t see much of Dad, but when I did, I felt sorry for him.”
“Why?”
“He was lonely.”
“He was surrounded by people, staff, whoever he wanted.”
Jason shook his head. “No. Not really. It was awful to see.” Jason eyeballed him briefly before looking away. “He was one lonely old man.”
“He made it that way,” Rex replied angrily.
“I know that. Even if I hadn’t experienced it firsthand, I know he abandoned people when they didn’t fit his master plan.”
It shook Rex, because it was a truth they shared.
“The staff said stuff,” Jason continued. “I couldn’t help hearing it. Bill Amery never stopped talking about what had gone on there in the past.”
Rex’s irritation hit a new level. Swiftly he got ahold of Jason, hands on the lapels of his jacket, and held him up against the wall. “And now Bill Amery has been shot and you are due in court as an accessory to the crime.”
Jason swallowed visibly. “I didn’t know that would happen, honestly. I was just trying to explain how I knew about—” he squirmed and forced himself to meet Rex’s stare “—our dad.”
Rex gripped his lapels tighter still, annoyed at the reference to their blood bond. “What the hell has any of this got to do with your case?”
Jason shook his head. “This isn’t meant to be an excuse. I’m just trying to explain why I was at the house.” He held up his hands. “Please, I really just wanted to see him again. Let me explain.”
Rex loosened his grip a tad. “You better speak fast. I’ve got a restraining order to file and it has your name on it.”
Again, Jason held up a hand. He looked afraid, as if daunted by what the order would mean. “I talked about it. That was my mistake. I told Mum and Charles about seeing Dad and the house and stuff and Charles got this crazy idea in his head. He wanted to go see the manor, too. I had no idea—”
“Yeah, right.”
“No, really, I had no idea they would do what they did.”
“Tell me this, who set the trap on the stairs for Carmen?” Rex had already figured it’d been Charles in the tube station in London. His build matched the assailant’s. The obvious candidate for the dangerous trap in the manor was Jason himself.
Jason’s eyes closed momentarily. When he opened them he shook his head. “Had to be Mum. I never would have let her wander around the place if I’d known, but I guess I talked too much, about Carmen’s habits, too, and the day it happened...Mrs. Amery was out shopping and Mum had been up there in the afternoon...visiting me.” There was a pleading look in his eyes. “I can scarcely believe it myself.”
Anger barreled through Rex and he released Jason, throwing him back against the wall, where he slumped. “Save your performance for the judge”
Jason shuffled upright. “It’s not a performance.”
Rex was about to turn away.
“I’m ashamed of what they did, really, and if I could go back...”
Rex scrutinized him.
Was he telling the truth? Had they taken advantage of his innocent enthusiasm to get close to his father again? For some reason, Rex wanted to believe it. Cursing silently, he realized that version of events would be easier for him to accept than if both of his half brothers turned out to be vindictive criminals out for revenge.
Bottom line, it wasn’t his job to decide. “If that’s the truth, then keep your head down and stay out of trouble—and that means stay away from Carmen Shelby, above all—then you’ll get to say your piece in court.”
Jason nodded. “I will. You have my word.”
Rex turned away quickly and strode toward his car, straightening his jacket collar as he did so. But he was irked by some odd notion that clung to his back as he went. Compassion, he guessed, compassion for the lad’s predicament if he was indeed telling the truth about his innocence. They might well have used him—and ruined his life in the process.
“Rex,” Jason called out behind him, “thank you for hearing me out.”
Goddamn it. Rex didn’t have to glance back to feel the genuine gratitude there in the younger man’s voice. That’s when he saw his own error. He’d somehow spoken to Jason as an older brother might, advising him to stay out of trouble, which was the last thing Rex had intended to do.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CARMEN KNEW THE note on her desk was from Rex the moment she saw it. Curiosity swamped her, despite her best intentions to ignore any such maneuver on his part. Then it occurred to her that he might have delivered it himself. Her body grew warm and responsive at the suggestion of his presence nearby, possibly only minutes earlier.
Unable to resist, she picked up the envelope. On the front, her name was handwritten in anonymous capitals. She turned it over and felt the thickness. It was sealed and contained only one sheet of paper.
No pages of long heartfelt messages, then.
No, that wasn’t Rex’s style. Rex would be more clever than that. He’d go for a devastating hit, holding her attention with a carefully crafted erotic suggestion, a command that would floor her, bringing her to her knees with yearning for his mastery. The very thought of it turned her on.
Resistance was futile. The call he had on her was too strong.
Be sensible. By the look of the envelope, it was an invitation card. Some fancy racing industry event or something he was trying to impress her with. Big deal. She was a grown woman, a businesswoman who managed a successful national retail chain. This shouldn’t be hard to deal with. Ripping the envelope open, she slipped out the piece of paper inside.
The simple statement written on it was nothing she expected.
The police have reopened their investigation into your mother’s car crash. It’s important that you know why.
Rex
Carmen’s mind reeled, her heart aching. She’d never believed her mother’s car crash was accidental, and she’d told Rex that. She never expected him to act on it, though. The simple note was an olive branch of some magnitude. The implications quickened her thoughts and made her mouth go dry. Rex had listened to her and acted on it. That was what the note was really saying. She couldn’t take the risk of spending time with him again, and yet through this grand gesture—this effort to allay her fears and suspicions about the past—it was exactly what he was asking her to do.
She glanced at the clock. She had a meeting to attend. Grabbing her notes, she prepared to make her way to the boardroom. That’s when her phone rang. Glancing down at it, she saw that it was Rex calling. When she considered ignoring it guilt stole into her heart. He’d gone to some lengths on her behalf.
Thank him for the information. It was common courtesy, nothing more, and it would stop him calling if she handled it right. Establish a barrier, then thank him. She reached for the phone. “Which part of ‘time out’ didn’t you understand, Rex?”
“Four days seems more than adequate, to me.”
“And I don’t get a say in how long it should be?”
“Of course you do. Look, Carmen, whatever went down before, there are still things we need to sort out, things that bind us together.”
Frustrating though that was, it was true. “The house.”
“And other things.” His tone said it all. Intimate, deep and resonant, his words stimulated every sense, every nerve ending.
She closed her eyes.
That was fatal. When he spoke again his voice locked her to him, daring her to deny him.
“I won’t lie. I want to see you again, more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life.” His voice was hoarse. “I miss you.”
When he said that she experienced an ache so deep it was painful. A meeting could never remain neutral. “Please, don’t do this—”
“I know,” he interrupted, his tone soothing. “I’m sorry. It’s just...hearing your voice.” He paused. “What I meant to say was, did you receive my note?”
She glanced down at the message he’d sent, focusing on that. “I did. Thank you for letting me know. No doubt the police will be in touch with me if there is anything new to discuss.”
“I’m sure they will be.”
When he paused again, the tension ratcheted. Rex was so able to express his will and his desires in the tone of his voice that Carmen instantly felt on edge, waiting for another drop in his tone, that alteration to suggestion, command and intimacy that made her malleable, feminine and without doubt. Emotion knotted in her chest.
“I want to make this right for you, Carmen.”
When he said her name, her legs felt unsteady.
“I’ve got a private investigator looking into it, as well. I mean to discover the truth.”
“I have no doubt you will. When you set your mind on something you usually succeed.” The comment was out before she thought through the implications.
“Usually? Except when it comes to you, is that what you’re saying?”
Had he set his mind on her? Well, yes, he’d trapped her in an arrangement which had sexually compromised her, preying on long-withheld desires, but she’d wanted it, too. The important thing—her anchor on reality—was that she knew it was a temporary thing and she never forgot that. Rex was a player and she wasn’t. It was that simple.
She took a deep breath. “Except when it comes to me, yes.”
Silence.
Why did she feel the need to fill that silence? “I do appreciate your efforts.”
“There’s been too much...wrong. Around us.” He was choosing his words carefully. “I want to concentrate on what was right between us. I need to sort the rest of the mess out, and I will. We need closure on the past.”
Carmen tried not to think about the hidden meaning there. The thing that was right between them was their sexuality. By some weird alignment of the stars they keyed into each other’s deepest desires. It was everything else that was wrong. Wasn’t it? Suddenly Carmen wasn’t sure. It was the eternal draw between them. It defied logic, causing her to question everything.
“My private investigator has some questions. I’ve jotted them down. Meet me for dinner tonight and we can work through them.”
There it was—the alluring command. Carmen braced herself to deny him. “I can meet with your investigator myself.”
“I’d rather I handled it. I know you. He doesn’t.”
Someone anonymous would be so much easier than a man who knew how to play her. She gave a dismissive laugh.
“Carmen, give me some credit here. I believe I can be more sensitive about this than a stranger.”
That really didn’t help. The image of Rex being sensitive reminded her of their previous intimacy. Images invaded her mind, images that she’d tried to obscure: the sight of him going down on her while he had her bound and helpless, the feeling of him covering her eyes, blindfolding her in order to lead her to a new level of und
erstanding about her sexuality. She couldn’t afford to let him get close to her again. “Is it really necessary?”
“Yes.” Tension was heavy in that one word. “Carmen, I’m not expecting anything other than what’s necessary. A public place, a few questions to expedite the investigation.”
The fact she didn’t trust him to stick to that was a secondary issue. Most of all she didn’t trust herself. She wanted him too much.
When she didn’t answer, he continued. “There’s something else, but I’d rather not discuss it over the phone.”
Something else? Yes, of course there was. “If you don’t tell me what this something else is,” she responded, keeping her tone businesslike, “I don’t see any need for a meeting.”
He gave a low, throaty laugh. “It’s good to hear you in such fine form.”
Carmen sighed into the phone. “I’m already late for an appointment, spit it out.”
“It’s Jason, the one who was working up at the house. He’s out on bail. Olivia and the other son are being held in custody until the trial.”
It wasn’t what she’d expected, and it took a moment for her to absorb the information. “Well, none of them are going to stay locked up forever.”
“I want to put a restraining order on him. I don’t want him coming anywhere near you.”
“I’m sure that’s not necessary.”
“I’m not taking any risks. I want you to be safe, always.”
The tone of his voice made her skin prickle, the genuine concern for her well-being undermining her resolve to resist him.
“I’ve taken advice but you need to be involved to action the paperwork. Meet me this evening and I’ll explain.” Before she mustered a response, his persuasive words continued. “I won’t overstep your current boundaries. Not unless you indicate that’s what you want.” He paused. “I promise.”
She willed herself to keep a grip on reality. Instead, she felt it spinning away. “That promise better be sound,” she responded, her voice scarcely above a whisper.
The Burlington Manor Affair Page 29
