After Boon left she sank into her chair. She could not get David and his deeds off her mind, Mason was back in New York dealing with his father and her father was in a meeting. There was no one she could talk to… Yet she found herself dialing the Accounts department extension and asking for Aiden.
He was in her office within five minutes looking different. He’d had his hair cut. That lock of hair that usually brushed along his forehead was gone and Zoe found she missed it. He was wearing a dark blue suit that fit his broad shoulders neatly.
She recounted the details of her conversations with the FBI agent and Aiden was clearly shocked at the extent of the case against Peters. What started out as a simple probe into the accounts had turned into a complete mess and a rather dangerous situation. Aiden realized his life might also be in danger but the one he was most concerned for was Zoe. Not only had she known the man most of her life, she was involved with his son.
“What about Lucas?” the question took Zoe by surprise, especially coming from Aiden.
“What about him?” she asked, a puzzled expression crossing her face.
He hesitated before continuing. “Do you think he’s involved?”
Zoe took a moment to consider. She hadn’t thought about whether Lucas might be involved in his father’s schemes. “No. He’s probably as surprised as we are about this whole mess.”
She wondered where Scoot was and if he was all right. Though they weren’t together, he wasn’t really a bad guy. She looked over at Aiden and thought about her first day back at Cupertino and how far they’d come. The thought gave her the shivers. What was she thinking, confiding in him?
She got up and walked to the window overlooking the street. She heard him walk up behind her and kept her back rigid. There was something about him that made her self-conscious; she wanted to punch him, or touch him – it was a tossup. Perhaps it was their childhood, the fact that they had been close as children. After all, he had been her savior once before.
She smirked and turned to face him, a glint in her eye. “You wanted to say something?”
“Huh?” Aiden didn’t understand. He was standing about three feet away.
“I could see you hesitate,” she pointed out. “You’re standing behind me. I can see you’re reflection.”
“I thought maybe you needed a hug,” he quietly said.
Zoe was taken aback. It was the last thing she expected him to say. She did need a hug but she would be damned if she admitted it. However, she was more touched by his concern than she cared to admit. Again, she turned her back and stared at the street below. Slowly her shoulders began to relax and tears rolled down her cheeks.
In two strides he was behind her, not caring if she rebuffed him. As he wrapped his arms around her, her back stiffened but he didn’t let go. She sagged against him and he rested his chin on the auburn mass of her hair.
Zoe liked the feel of his powerful arms around her. He was like a brick wall strong enough to bear her burden. It wasn’t enough. She turned and rested her forehead on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. His warmth and strength soothed her and slowly the tears subsided. They stayed like that for a few minutes, then she turned her face upwards. At the same time, he turned his head down and their lips touched.
She brought her arms up to wrap around his neck while he pressed his palm into the small of her back. Zoe felt his chest crushing her breasts, his thighs firm against hers. Her heart picked up speed. Never had a kiss felt so electrifying. Shockwaves coursed through her making her throb in places she’d forgotten existed.
She felt Aiden’s bulge pressing into her belly and she came to her senses. What am I doing? She asked herself, pulling away from his grasp. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, stumbling to her private bathroom off the office.
Breathing shallowly, she locked the door behind her and rested her head on the cool mirror. Her skin felt flushed and she used a paper towel to press cool tap water on her neck and face. “What am I doing?” she whispered to her reflection. She spent three minutes in the washroom gathering her wits.
When she opened the door Aiden was gone. She breathed a sigh of relief but a small measure of disappointment lingered in her chest. Not sure why she was disappointed, Zoe tried to get some work done as the afternoon stretched before her.
At around three, Boon called with news that the dead man’s DNA had been matched to a known criminal who was on the loose, wanted in several states. She took the opportunity to ask if Lucas was on their suspect list and was relieved when he told her no. He said he had some leads about Peters’ and it was only a matter of time before they caught up with him.
She still didn’t feel safe. The man was out there somewhere. She left the office at around six and found Aiden waiting for her in the lobby. “I’m sorry I left like that. I got called away by Mrs. Henry.”
“Emergency?” she asked. There was a little awkwardness between them as she avoided his eyes. Aiden could sense her discomfort and sought to smooth things.
“Look,” he said, gently taking her arm and pulling her to one side. “I know we work together but, can we have dinner sometime?”
“Are you asking me out on a date?”
“I am.”
“What makes you think I wanna date someone I work with?”
Aiden didn’t expect anything different. He knew she would be a hard nut to crack but he wasn’t going to back down. Twice they had kissed and both times were powerful. Chemistry like that didn’t come often.
“Your kiss,” he replied.
Zoe blushed embarrassingly, which made her fume. She stepped closer and spoke carefully. “Guess again.”
She knew she was being unfair for the kiss had been mutual. However, she hated to admit her feelings for the man; it had been so much easier when she loathed him.
As she walked away and pushed through the double glass doors of the ground floor, Aiden was amused. She was always like that, even as kids she would never admit defeat. This is going to be fun, he thought. Had he really managed to win her heart when they were kids? But he had. And yet, having already done so once before, he was starting at it again from scratch. He wondered if he could tempt her with butterflies the way he had when they were kids.
He watched as she drove off before following. The feds were right behind her but he wasn’t leaving her safety entirely up to them. He followed the black SUV but noticed another vehicle as well. At first he wasn’t sure if the white Nissan motorcar was following her, but, after about three miles he was sure of it. The car traveled at a slow pace, quite a distance behind the SUV. The first thing that came to mind was that Steve had also assigned professional protection for his daughter, but something about the way the vehicle moved caused him to believe otherwise. Then it hit him that maybe the car was following him.
He made sure Zoe was safely home before heading to his house. The white Nissan turned around and headed in the direction it came from. It gave Aiden an uneasy feeling. If someone else was tailing Zoe, she was really in danger. Would David – David – whoever he was, really hurt her? He wasn’t sure he could answer that.
****
Steve agreed to meet the private investigator at a restaurant close to the office. He wanted everything wrapped up before his weekend business trip so he was anxious to meet Robert. They ordered a dinner of coq au vin and potatoes paired with a merlot. Both were hungry so they ate before discussing the case.
“You find anything?” Steve asked as soon as the table was cleared.
“There wasn’t anything of interest in the original case file. Their deaths were ruled an accident, so there was no investigation.”
“So is that it?” he could not accept that David might get away with the murder of his wife and friends. A sinking feeling developed in the pit of his stomach.
Robert thought for a moment. “Wish I could see the boat.”
“Would that help?”
“It a long shot, but
yes… It’s been fifteen years so most of the evidence won’t be intact, but getting eyes on it can help me visualize what happened and that can lead to other… approaches.”
“The boat’s been locked up for a decade and a half. I keep it in one of the hangers on the airstrip.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I thought all the evidence would be gone by now.”
“Does David know it’s there?” Robert asked. He was concerned that if the man knew the boat was there he’d already have gotten rid of any evidence.
“No, I never told him. I used to check in on it occasionally but haven’t bothered for the last few years.”
The yacht, a Twin Mercruiser, had been owned by Charles Butler. When he died, his mother refused to have anything to do with it and asked Steve to get rid of it. He paid her a handsome sum for the boat but kept it, just in case Charles’ children wanted it when they were of age but he hadn’t the courage to tell them about it when the time came. He’d thought of handing the keys to Aiden many times but never found the courage to follow through with the impulse.
“I’ll have a look around to see if I can find anything. Steve, there is a possibility this guy has gotten away already.”
“He’s gotten away with too much for too long already. I don’t doubt it’s a possibility,” Steve replied. “But if – when the FBI does catch him, I want my wife and friends to have their day in court.”
He was hoping against all odds that David had left some other evidence of himself on the boat. Steve gave Robert the keys to the storage hanger and the boat.
****
There was no note with the flowers. They didn’t seem to have come from a store so they couldn’t be another attempt of Lucas’s and he probably had too much to worry about at the moment anyway; they were wild honeysuckle and that could be found in any field. She placed the flowers to her nostrils and inhaled deeply. She loved the fragrance. A smile played on her lips as she wondered from whom they came.
As she climbed the stairs she heard a familiar voice coming from her father’s study.
“Hey, you’re home. Nice flowers.”
“Mason!” she ran back down the stairs and flung herself into his arms.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you missed me,” he joked; she poked him in the ribs.
“Lucas?” he asked motioning his head to indicate the flowers.
“I don’t think so,” she responded. A wild thought entered her mind but she pushed it aside. It wasn’t that she didn’t think it was the kind of thing he would do, it was just that she couldn’t imagine when he would have had time to pick them. Regardless of who left them for her, she loved their scent and quickly retreated to her room where she placed them in a vase filled with water on her nightstand.
After changing, she returned to the drawing room where Mason leant against the mantle nursing a drink.
Zoe enlightened him to the latest developments in the case and how the FBI had lost David. He was shocked to learn Peters may also be responsible for the death of an employee. They spent an hour talking about their troubles when Mason brought up the flowers again.
“Who are they from?”
“I don’t know,” she said quietly.
“But you have an idea,” he said suggestively.
“They do remind me of the lake my parents took me to as a kid,” she blushed. She had been thinking the same thing.
“Did something happen between you two?” he said. He could see that so long as neither said the name ‘Aiden,’ she would be still be willing to talk about him.
She grew redder. “No…” Mason didn’t believe her and told her as much. “We kissed… twice,” she finally admitted. She told him about the relationship they had as children and how she’d forgotten him, bringing his name into the conversation on her own terms. “How could I forget him Mason? Aiden must think I’m an awful person.”
“Obviously not. I can’t believe I missed all that! Has he asked you out yet?”
“Sort of… but I said no.”
“Why not? Zoe, you need to take a chance… This is your second chance with him. From the way you talk, it’s clear you like him and you certainly did when you were a kid.”
“That’s just it Mason; we were kids. Plus, I can’t date now. There’s too much going on. We need to find Uncle David… Er… David… I am so confused!”
He reached over, pulled her into his arms, and hugged her tight, reassuring her he was there.
A short time later as she snuggled under the covers, she turned and looked at her wild flower bouquet. A flash of memory raced across her mind; the image of a boy standing nervously at the foot of the stairs waiting for her with a bunch of flowers just like these.
Chapter 15
Within the hour that the FBI realized Allan Peters was missing, all exits out of Cupertino were secured. The airport was buzzing with uniformed men from the police and sheriff’s departments. There was a countywide manhunt going on and the possibility he’d already escaped the city set everyone on edge, especially Special Agent Boon. The feds were at a loss. All they could do was publicize the photo they had in the hopes someone would see him and call it in; that is, if he wasn’t already in another disguise.
On Thursday at around six in the afternoon a call came in from a receptionist coming back to work after a few days’ sick leave. She’d seen the news at home and instantly recognized the man checking out. Though he was wearing a baseball cap, it was obvious he was the same guy from the way he was trying to hide his face. He was returning the room key as she was coming on duty. She called the cops as soon as he was out of earshot.
At around seven that evening, the hotel was surrounded by police. The hotel manager cooperated, allowing them to search the premises. They found nothing, not even fingerprints had been left in his room. It had purposely been wiped clean by someone who knew what he was about. There were no clues to say who had stayed in the room.
Another dead end, or so it seemed. There were check-points at all major and minor exits. All roads leading to and from the hotel were checked. All hotels in the surrounding areas were checked. He wasn’t spotted in any public or private vehicles in the vicinity. Boon had nothing to go on and no clue how to find this man.
Boon decided to beef up security at the airports. His gut told him if Peters was leaving Cupertino it would be via the airport. They sent officers to any private airstrips he might use. Boon left the hotel and headed directly to the airport as he personally wanted to slap the handcuffs on the wrists of the man who had eluded him for two decades.
****
Peters had a lot to do before he left. He’d barely managed to buy himself enough time to get things into motion. There was one thing left to do and that would be his farewell present to his old friends. He’d gotten a disposable phone and he used it to call Lucas. There was no answer so he didn’t bother calling back.
He was of two minds to call Steve but changed his mind as well. There was no way they could trace the call but he couldn’t bring himself to talk to the man. Steve had been good to him and he felt bad about what he’d done, but it had all been necessary in David’s eyes. Over the years he tried to make it up to him, but as they say, “a leopard can’t change its spots.” He found he was unable to resist doing what he did.
This time he was going to disappear permanently. He had enough money stashed away to live on for the rest of his life – so long as he managed to steer clear of moochers like his son and Barbara. But he wouldn’t have to worry about either of them anymore. Where he was going, no one would find him. Rio was the ideal place for a new start. He would open up a little ‘Bar & Grill’ on the beach and maybe marry a local woman.
The plans were already in motion. He had purchased a house there and many of the locals knew him well. He had visited more and more frequently in the last year, often under the guise that he lived there but travelled a lot on business. It was the pe
rfect cover.
David looked at the time. It was twenty minutes past seven. There was no moon out but the night sky was scattered with twinkling stars. The tent he pitched was inside of the Big Basin Redwoods State Park, close to the waterfalls. It was a popular hiking ground so he had to make sure he was away before sunrise.
He left the tent and made his way down the trail towards the nearby airstrip. Peering through the trees he saw several men milling around and one of the planes as it made ready for takeoff. The one Steve usually used was in its hangar. He contemplated his next move. He would have to creep on his belly and enter the metal building along the side.
He was about to do just that when his eyes caught sight of someone leaving the building to the far side of the strip. That particular storage unit wasn’t in use as far as he knew. It always remained locked since Steve had started housing the plane in the smaller hangar on the other side. Out of curiosity he strained his eyes to see what was inside the building as the door swung closed. He wasn’t sure, but it looked like the bow of a boat.
The man locked the door and walked towards a group of men standing near the small runway under the bright lights. His back was turned so David couldn’t see his face. “A boat?” he whispered.
Suddenly it hit him. That may be the boat from fifteen years earlier stored there. “That’s impossible,” he exclaimed to himself. “Isn’t it?”
His heart started pounding and his palms became sweaty. What if they found the bracelet and the cuff links? He rolled onto his back in the grass, breathing deeply. He closed his eyes and tried to steady his thoughts. After a moment he returned to his original position and looked at the men as they casually talked among themselves. The man he’d seen a few moments before was gone and the small plane was taxing down the runway. There was none of the urgency indicative that something amiss so he breathed, watched, and waited.
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