by Debra Webb
“Your dad was one cool guy.”
The admiration in Dylan’s voice made her smile. “He definitely was. He must’ve had the remodelers build the new bookshelves and cabinets just like the old ones. Only,” Jana considered what that meant, “he didn’t tell Camille.”
“Maybe that’s why she’s spent so much time in here,” Dylan suggested. “She’s been looking for something she couldn’t find.”
Her heart pounding, Jana removed the long metal box that had been hidden by the drawer front and placed it on her dad’s desk. “It’s an old bank deposit box.”
“From a Texas bank that closed decades ago,” Dylan surmised as he fished the key out of his pocket and handed it to her.
Jana accepted the key. Her hand was steady as she fit it into the lock. With a quiet pop the latch gave.
There were three DVDs on top of papers. The DVDs were labeled with dates, except for one. It was marked FYI in block letters. She exchanged a look with Dylan before she slid the first one into the drive on the computer.
Within a few minutes it was clear the video documented meetings between her dad and his allies in the study. She picked up the one that wasn’t dated, noticing it was a different DVD brand from the others.
A couple came into view, lips locked and hands pawing at clothing. Jana blushed, then, recognizing the dress, she reached to stop the playback. “Oh my God. That’s Camille.”
“It’s the study,” Dylan said, “but that’s not the same angle as the other videos.” He moved around the room, looking for cameras as the man’s face became clear.
“Oh.” Jana clapped a hand over her mouth and turned away. She wasn’t sure she could avoid vomiting if she continued to watch.
“What? What’s wrong?” Dylan turned back to the monitor and started laughing. “Go Whiny Gregory. Did you know he could do that?”
“That’s awful.” She waved a hand at him. “Make it stop.”
A moment later the only sound in the room was Camille’s voice on the television. It did nothing to make Jana feel better.
“There’s no date on this,” Dylan said.
“It happened the last weekend in September,” Jana said. “It was the annual end of summer barbecue. I recognize the dress Camille was wearing.” It was all the explanation she could manage.
“Unless things have been rearranged the rendezvous was filmed from over here,” Dylan said as he pointed to the wall of bookshelves behind her dad’s desk. “But the security camera is up there.” He pointed to one of the upper bookshelves on the opposite side of the room. “He must’ve had a tiny camera hidden near his desk for a time. If it’s there now I haven’t found it.”
“Why would she do that?” Jana heard him, but she wasn’t listening really. “Everyone thought she and my dad had a great marriage.”
“You don’t sound as angry as a potential wife should be.”
“I told you I never planned to say yes. Gregory is a fool, but she... I can only imagine how Dad felt when he saw this.” She rubbed at the headache building behind her eyes. “He must have been hurt and furious. Camille wouldn’t have left him. Not for Gregory.”
“You’re right,” Dylan agreed, “he’s too small a fish for her.”
It sounded downright traitorous, but Jana was starting to agree with Dylan about Camille’s true nature under the layers of savvy businesswoman, devoted wife, and kind stepmother. Yesterday alone should have been sufficient proof. Certainly she had plenty now. “Then what could Gregory have that she wanted?”
“Besides the obvious?”
Jana ignored the jab, rethinking the past legislative session, the votes, and when her dad had started keeping things to himself. The safety legislation hadn’t made it to a senate vote, but a new rail yard had been fiercely debated. She gave Dylan the details.
“Claudia can dig up anything within hours,” Dylan offered.
“It’s worth a look. God, I don’t feel like I know anything about these people anymore.” She ejected the DVD and pointed to the television. “The interview is wrapping up.” She didn’t know what she wanted, beyond some answers. Turning off the computer, she took the papers from the secret drawer and stuffed them into her purse along with the offensive DVD. Putting everything to rights, she heard the security system signal someone coming through the gate.
Dylan checked the monitor. “Looks like Maguire’s car.”
Damn. “Camille must have refused a live interview, forcing the station to prerecord it. We have to hurry,” Jana said. “This way.” Leaving the study, she led him back toward the part of the house only family was allowed to enjoy.
They sank into a big leather sofa as she turned on the television and switched it to the morning program. She reached for a tissue from the box on the end table just as a door chime sounded. Voices, a man and woman, started in the kitchen and came closer. Jana recognized Camille’s flirty tones talking right over Sam’s deeper voice.
Jana shifted closer to Dylan and laid her hand on his firm thigh. Understanding what she was after, he draped an arm over her shoulders, making it look much more intimate than it was.
Camille stopped short. “This is unexpected.” She looked to Sam who only raised his eyebrows.
Jana pretended to swallow back tears. “I miss him so much.” She waved a hand around the room. “I needed to be close.” Camille’s expression softened, though Jana felt confident her heart had not.
“Poor thing.” Camille crossed the room and settled on the ottoman in front of the couch. “We’ve been so worried about you. I told Sam just yesterday that I felt you needed the kind of help we can’t give you. Having a breakdown isn’t a sin, Jana.” Rubbing Jana’s knee with a perfectly manicured hand, she turned to Sam. “Can you please bring in some tea? Mr. Parker, can help you.”
Jana barely held herself still. A breakdown? So this was what Camille and Sam were actually telling everyone? Jerry’s comment about her struggling echoed in her head. Had Camille been sowing these seeds of doubt so she could get Jana out of the way by having her committed?
Ice slid through Jana’s veins. She supposed two suicides in the family would have been too hard to explain.
Dylan felt Jana’s body tense, but she didn’t need to worry. He had no intention of leaving her alone with Camille. There was no way to guess what these two might have planned next. “We can’t stay for tea,” he said. “I think Jana needs some quiet time.”
“She needs family right now,” Camille argued. “I’d like the opportunity to make her understand what has to happen next. There’s a lot she doesn’t know about her father’s last days. I’m afraid when she learns the whole truth, she’ll need the kind of help none of us—not even you, Mr. Parker, can give her. Perhaps you can’t see just how fragile she is right now.”
Dylan wanted to shake the woman. Had Jana always been so eager to please that Camille expected her to go along with this scheme?
“I couldn’t possibly keep you from your new responsibilities.” Jana gave a quiet sniffle and then lifted her watery gaze to Maguire. He hovered at the other side of the room, no doubt uncertain how he should proceed. “You and Sam must have an enormous amount of catching up to do.”
Dylan almost grinned. Old Theo would be proud of the performance Jana was putting on now. While Camille pretended to fuss over Jana, her heavy perfume clogged Dylan’s nose. His investigative instincts warned these two had been taking some personal time while the rest of Texas thought they were in the studio.
The twisted witch had used Gregory for some unknown reason and had ensured her husband knew about it. Had she done the same thing with her husband’s best friend and confidant? Dylan and Jana had been looking for an outside catalyst determined to get the senator to cooperate on some vote or issue. But the trouble was far more personal, more intimate than that. No doubt about it now, they were watching the catalyst in action.
Jana put on a brave face as Camille insisted on discussing how J.D. had grown distant from her those la
st few weeks. Dylan kept a mental scoreboard of the pointed questions veiled as compliments from Jana and the increasingly edgy replies from Camille. The woman didn’t want Jana anywhere near her new political arena, that point was more than obvious. She also didn’t have a clue that both he and Jana had a damned good idea why the senator had distanced himself from his scheming wife.
As the tension thickened, Dylan grew more and more certain they needed to get out of this house and possibly out of Austin. Disappearing would provide the opportunity to properly evaluate the threat before someone took aim at Jana again. Dylan suspected that after the failed attempts on Jana’s life, Camille had decided to use a different tactic. She would take Jana out by making it appear she was unstable. Once she had her in some clinic under the care of a doctor she could easily manipulate, Jana would never be free again.
Bastards.
Maguire tapped his cheek just under his eye. “You walk into a bookshelf or something, Parker?”
That’s right, Dylan thought, take a jab at me for a change. He rubbed slow circles across Jana’s shoulder, silently urging her to let him take the lead. “Is it showing already?” He decided to give them something to think about. “The mugger caught me off guard.”
“Mugger?” Camille looked to Jana, then Dylan. “Who was foolish enough to target you?”
“I was the target,” Jana said in a small voice, thankfully understanding where he was going with the story. “Dylan chased him down and saved the day.”
When the color drained from Camille’s face, Dylan wanted to lean over and kiss Jana for playing this so perfectly. At least now they knew who’d hired at least one of the thugs responsible for the recent attacks against Jana. Camille was visibly shaken to learn Dylan had thwarted her plan.
“Crime is becoming such a problem. We should beef up that part of the platform, Sam,” Camille urged, making a nice recovery.
“Sure,” Maguire replied automatically, his face almost as pale as the new senator’s.
Camille pushed to her feet. “That’s it. I can’t have you two rushing away. Jana, come with me while I make the tea. Your friend can explain. I don’t want you reliving what must’ve been a terrible ordeal.”
“You’re right,” Dylan agreed, aiming a pointed look at Camille. “She’s been through too much already.”
“I’m fine,” Jana assured the wicked witch. She aimed a wobbly smile at Dylan. “Dylan is taking the best care of me.”
“That’s something positive,” Maguire muttered.
“I think so.” Standing, Dylan helped Jana to her feet, keeping her hand in his. As he reached for his hat, he caught the silent exchange between Camille and Maguire. “We need to get going.” He handed Jana her purse. “You’d be surprised what we have going on today. We’re already behind,” he said to Jana.
Jana nodded, lowering her face and dabbing at her tears. “I shouldn’t have taken the time to come here, but it really helped me think through things.”
“Whatever you need. I’m here for you.” Dylan pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. He couldn’t wait to see how Camille and Maguire reacted.
Jana reached out to hug Camille with one arm, but didn’t let go of his hand. “I hope you don’t feel I intruded.”
“No, no. Of course not. We should talk again soon, dear. Sam and I are both very concerned about you.”
“I can call someone,” Maguire blurted. “It wouldn’t take long to file a police report against this mugger.”
Dylan gave his head a little shake. “No thanks. There’s nothing to report since the kid got away. Unless you think there’s something on the security cameras.”
“What cameras?” Maguire glanced at Camille. “You have security cameras at your house?”
“I wasn’t mugged in my neighborhood. It happened at the capitol,” Jana explained. “Jerry was so helpful. He can tell you all about it.” She looked up to Dylan. “We really should go. I almost forgot about my appointment with Jen.”
“Wait!” Camille gasped. “Why didn’t you call me?”
Standing so close, Dylan felt Jana shiver. He’d bet his entire commission the cause wasn’t fear, or sorrow, but suppressed anger. He squeezed her hand for moral support.
“On the day you were sworn in?” Jana shook her head. “No, I couldn’t ruin that for you,” she said with convincing sincerity. “Dylan was there. He’s been such a rock for me since Dad... died,” she finished with another delicate sniffle.
This time, Dylan excused them effectively, breathing a sigh of relief when they were finally on what he considered the safe side of the Clayton ranch gates. “That was interesting. Did you see his face when I mentioned the cameras? At least we know now who hired someone to go through your house.”
“I saw everything very clearly.” Her voice was hard, her temper palpable. “Sam smelled like he’d rolled around in Camille’s perfume.”
“Are you surprised?”
“No,” she admitted.
“You held it together, Jana. You did a great job.”
“You were worried she’d get in my head if you left me alone with her.”
He laughed. “I don’t trust her, but I had other reasons.”
When she faced him her eyes were wide. “Which are?”
“Her safety and my paycheck. I can’t protect you if you get locked up for assault.”
“Aw, you’re so thoughtful.” Her burst of laughter filled the cab. “Prison-orange probably wouldn’t be my best color.”
He thought she would look hot in just about anything. Additional proof he needed to stay on point and wrap this up quickly. “Who’s Jen?”
She laughed again and this time it had an edge to it. “I’m sure Camille and Sam are trying to figure that out right now. There are three potential options.”
Dylan grinned. This would be good.
“There’s Jen who’s in charge of the annual Junior League holiday fundraiser,” she said, holding up one finger. “Then you have Jen, the governor’s wife, or maybe I’m planning to meet the Jen who is my counterpart in Senator Price’s office.”
“Well played,” he said with admiration.
“Thanks. But now what? Should we take the DVD to the police?”
“Are they into homemade porn?”
“Ewww.” She smacked him on the arm. “Seriously. Would that be enough to reopen an investigation into the cause of dad’s death?”
“You hired an investigator,” he pointed out. “Me.”
“True, but—”
He cut her off. “Did the police listen to you before?”
“No.”
“Did the woman in the sex tape just boot you from your job?”
She sighed and slumped back on the seat. “Yes. And if I turn over the DVD I look like the petty stepdaughter.”
“You said it.”
“Then I guess it’s back to my place to go through the things we found in Dad’s secret box.”
“Maybe.” He switched lanes, watching a dark sedan move with them. Damn it. What he really wanted to figure out was if Camille and Maguire were involved for more than the sex and the obvious support for the senator’s seat. Maguire’s recommendation had no doubt sealed the deal for her. There’d been too much silent communication between them to believe the two weren’t intimately involved. “Which Jen do you think will freak them out the most?”
“Why?”
“We’re being followed.”
“Again?” She swore.
“Yep.” He glanced over and gave her a smile. “Which Jen?”
“The governor’s wife. Her mom and mine were close and she has all kinds of connections. If I was looking for a sympathetic ear or in need of help, politically or personally, she would have the most influence.”
“Why didn’t you take your concerns to her?”
“Rather than your agency?”
He nodded, moving again to keep the driver tailing them on his toes.
“Like I said when we met, I nee
ded someone who could look at the situation objectively.”
“Right.” He might’ve met that definition when he came to town, but he didn’t feel so objective now. Jana mattered to him beyond his professional obligation to her as a client. It wasn’t exactly smart, but denial wouldn’t make anything better. He was sure as hell attracted to her. The chemistry between them was impossible to ignore. But when he looked at her he felt something deeper, something foreign and uncomfortable.
Potential.
He didn’t do well with potential. His or anyone else’s. He could protect her and he’d be more than happy to take her to bed, if she chose to go slumming with a guy like him. Anything more than that felt like standing at the edge of a cliff with a knife at his back. Jump or take the blade, either choice made him the loser.
“What are you thinking?”
He glanced at his rearview mirror again. “So far, when people point guns at you they’re on motorcycles and they’re shooting. This guy is not on a motorcycle and he’s not shooting.”
“Can’t we be happy about that?”
“We could.” He was thinking of the report Claudia had provided on Camille. Given her connection to the corporation with the most to gain from the upcoming legislation affecting the safety guidelines, her proven infidelity, and her audacity, it wasn’t a stretch to see her as the brains behind the senator’s murder. How far would she go to accomplish whatever the hell her goal was? “Let’s try something different.” He changed lanes again and headed across town to his hotel.
“There’s a drawer under your seat,” he told Jana. “Put the things from your dad’s study in there. I can lock it with the key fob.”
“Do I want to know what you’re thinking?”
“Probably not.” He made the next turn and watched as the sedan did the same thing. “If this is the same guy from last night I want to hear what he has to say, but I want to hear it on neutral ground.”
She nodded, turning to get a look. “Then what?”
He gave her a quick wink. “That depends on what he says.”
This time they pulled through the lot and parked near the back entrance of his hotel. He locked the safe and the truck before escorting her straight to his room. “When he shows up, I want you to hide in the bathroom until I tell you it’s safe.”
