A Matter of Trust

by Ciana Stone

  “Very well.” Simon said with a sigh. “Several years before the death of my wife, we took an extended holiday to Europe. The last week of our stay we were in London. We were browsing the shop windows and noticed a shop across the road. What looked like a chair Anna had been searching for was in the window.

  “I said I’d run over and have a look to see if it was the right style. She sat on a bench on the sidewalk to wait. I looked both ways before stepping into the street and there were no cars coming. But by the time I was halfway across, I was in danger. A car was bearing down on me.

  “I felt certain it was to be my death, but at the last moment I was pushed out of the way of the oncoming vehicle. I fell, hearing a sickening thud, the squeal and screech of tires and people on the sidewalk screaming.

  “When I got to my feet I saw a young woman lying in the street, blood quickly spreading on the pavement beneath her. An ambulance was summoned and both she and I were transported to the hospital. I had only minor scrapes, but the young woman was near death.

  “Anna and I gave statement to the authorities. She saw more of what happened than I, but both of us knew one thing for certain. Had it not been for the heroic act of that young woman it would have been I who lay at death’s door.

  “We extended our stay, arranged for the best medical care available for the young woman and blessedly she survived. Anna spent much time with her and they became quite close. The young woman had been in service to a well-to-do family, but had been replaced when she was injured and so had no employment.

  “Anna insisted that we give her a position with us, but the young woman was loath to leave England. Her brother was in service to the same family she’d been employed with and she did not want to leave him.

  “So we hired them both, arranged for their passports and visas, and they came here to live. In time they became citizens.”

  “Okay,” Nikki said when he paused. “And this is relevant to us because?”

  “Because that young woman and her brother are Louise Gaynor and her brother Osgood.”

  Nikki’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You mean…but I thought they were married.”

  Simon chuckled. “I’d refrain from making that observation in front of Louise, my dear. She wields a cleaver with some alacrity.”

  Nikki shook her head and slumped back on the couch. “This place is just chock full of secrets and surprises, isn’t it?”

  “You have no idea,” Simon replied. “Now, if there are no objections, let’s see if Louise can’t bring us what we want.”

  “Have at it,” Nikki agreed and looked at Max who was talking in her mind. “Oh, and could you also ask her if she’d bring up some food?”

  Max grinned his thanks and Simon nodded. Nikki sat back and looked at the stone in her hand. It didn’t seem real. She’d spent years researching the Stones, hoping they were real yet not fully believing the myths could be true and now suddenly she was holding something from legend in the palm of her hand.

  The problem was, how did even something as marvelous as the validity of an instrument of power from antiquity help them to free Max from the snare his family had him caught in?

  Chapter Twelve

  Simon and Max were huddled together at Simon’s computer, the stones and the key pendant on the desk beside them, and Max’s plan displayed on the screen. Nikki stood behind them watching as they typed. The plan seemed rather complicated from what she’d read, but both men seem to be in agreement that their strategy would be effective. Since she didn’t really know that much about all of the people involved, she trusted them to be correct. Besides, this fight might be important to her, but meant far more to Max and Simon. As they worked, her attention wandered off and the sounds of Louise cleaning up in the dining room drew her attention.

  It had taken Louise less than half an hour to not only produce the bag of marbles, but to deliver a feast to Simon’s suite. Nikki had noticed Louise watching her ever since she arrived, but so far Louise had said nothing to her. Nikki wondered if Louise was mad, or felt that Nikki had endangered Max.

  She went into the dining room. Louise was loading the remains of breakfast onto a serving cart.

  “Can I help?” Nikki asked.

  “Thank you, dear, no,” Louise replied without turning her attention from what she was doing.

  “I don’t mind. Really,” Nikki said and started scraping the remnants from plates into the bin Louise had placed on the table for food scraps.

  They worked in silence until the table was cleaned. Louise pulled a dusting cloth from beneath the cart and began polishing the table. Nikki pulled out a chair and sat down.

  “I get the feeling you’re mad at me,” she said, deciding that she might as well confront Louise with her suspicions.

  Louise paused and regarded Nikki for a few moments, then sighed and pulled out a chair beside Nikki and sat down. “Mad? No. Concerned? Most decidedly.”

  “Because of what happened to Max? I swear I had no idea that—”

  “I bear no ill will towards you for that, Nikki.”

  “Then what?”

  Louise cut a look over her shoulder at the door before answering. “Let’s be candid, shall we?”

  “Sure.”

  “You’re in love with Maxwell.”

  That was the last thing Nikki expected and it shocked her into speechlessness. Louise nodded. “As I suspected. It’s true.”

  “Miss Gaynor, you don’t understand. It’s…it’s complicated. Max isn’t…never mind.”

  “Isn’t the dullard everyone supposes him to be?” Louise leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice. “I’ve long suspected as much. And I am not judging you, Nikki. Though I be an old maid, still I know that more times than not we don’t choose who we will fall in love with. And if there is a chance that Maxwell could live a normal life, then I want that very much for him.”

  Her words surprised Nikki but also answered some questions she’d been asking herself since hearing Simon’s story. “You love Simon, don’t you?”

  Louise’s cheeks flushed and she looked away for a moment. “Mr. Weston is my employer and has been very kind to both me and my brother. I am quite fond of him and hold him in high regard.”

  “And you love him,” Nikki said and waved away the protest as Louise opened her mouth. “You don’t have to say it. See, I have eyes, too. And it’s not really my business anyway. But I would like to ask you something.”

  “What might that be?”

  “When you saved Simon in England. Why did you do it? You risked your life to save him and almost died. Why? You didn’t even know him.”

  “I had no choice,” Louise said simply.

  All at once a sense of connection took shape inside Nikki. “You knew he was the one, didn’t you?”

  It was clear from the shock that registered on Louise’s face that she had hit the mark. Nikki scooted her chair a little closer. “I understand. I dreamed of Max long before I ever met him.”

  “What?”

  “I knew him in dreams and visions and when I met him I was devastated that he was … that everyone thought he was mentally damaged.”

  Louise stared at her in stunned silence for a long time then leaned close. “I dreamed of Simon for a year before that fateful day. Why do you think this happened to us?”

  Nikki shook her head. “I don’t have a clue. But maybe you protecting Simon has helped him to protect Max. Louise, Max isn’t stupid. He’s brilliant. A genius. He just can’t communicate with words. When he tries to compose words things get jumbled in his head. But he created a program that allows him to key in numbers and decode them into words. He and Simon have been communicating via the computer for a few years that way. I discovered it once Max and I started becoming friends.”

  The color drained from Louise’s face and tears welled in her eyes. “My god, what have we done? All these years we believed them, treated him as if he had the sense of a toddler. How he must despise us!”

&
nbsp; She grabbed Nikki’s hands. “Why would Simon allow such a thing? Why did he not tell me?”

  “Had I told you, your life would have been in danger.” Simon’s voice came from the doorway, making both of them jump.

  “My dear Louise,” he said as he wheeled over beside her. “You’ve given your life for me. Though I longed to tell you the truth, how could I put someone so dear in harm’s way?”

  Louise blushed to the roots of her hair. “I’m sorry, sir, it’s not for me to question—”

  “No more of this, Louise,” Simon’s voice took on a ring of male authority colored heavily with love. “We have all passed the time of lies and deception, of hiding in the shadows, refusing to acknowledge the truth. You risked your life for me, and have been by my side through all these years, lending your support, your compassion and your love. Yes, my dear, I know that you love me. And it is time for you to know that I love you. Would that I could travel back in time and make this declaration sooner. But I have been a fool. Forgive me, please, Louise.”

  Nikki slid out of her chair walked to the door where Max stood listening. “Come on,” she whispered. “I think they need some time alone.”

  He nodded and followed her back to their bedroom. Once inside she closed the door and leaned back against it. “She knows about us, Max. I told her the truth.”

  That’s fine, he thought to her.

  She smiled gratefully. “So what do you want to do while we wait?”

  The look he gave her sent her hormones into a fast burn and a shiver of anticipation skittered down her spine. The look in Max’s eyes promised passion that demanded surrender and submission, and just the idea of it excited her beyond all measure.

  The actuality surpassed even her fantasies and when at last the storm past and they were saited, he lowered himself down on her. Her lips moved to the side of his neck as her hands traced lightly down his back. “Max, my love,” she whispered.

  It was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.

  Mark Robinson looked up from the screen on his computer as his secretary ushered the man into his office. “Sir, Mr. Marshall.”

  “Thank you, Diane,” Mark said as he stood. “Please hold my calls until Mr. Marshall and I conclude our business.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Ben stepped forward as the secretary left, closing the door behind her. He grasped Mark’s outstretched hand. “Thank you for seeing me, sir.”

  “You said you have information regarding two of Weston’s clients that I need to be made aware of?”

  “Yes, sir,” Ben replied and took a seat on the sofa at Mark’s gesture. “Recently I was hired to break into a computer. A doctor, Charles Abernathy, approached me, saying that the computer belonged to the deceased husband of his client, a widow, and they needed to access files stored on it for probate purposes.”

  “I hardly see how that impacts Weston, Mr. Marshall.”

  “Well, as it turns out, the system belonged to Maxwell Weston.”

  Mark’s stomach clenched at the news. What was Charles up to and how did he get his hands on Maxwell’s computer? Suddenly Ben Marshall had his undivided attention.

  “Maxwell Weston? Are you certain?”

  “Quite.”

  “What exactly was Abernathy looking for on the computer?”

  “Supposedly financial, stock and insurance information.”

  “Well surely he had to have known that once you accessed the directories it would become clear that the computer did not belong to his client.”

  “I don’t think he expected me to actually access the data, sir. You see the computer was password protected. He just wanted me to break in.”

  “And did you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I see. And so the ruse was uncovered.”

  “No, sir. The computer was set up by someone with a high degree of competency in security and encryption. It took me quite a while to hack in and unlock the decryption code. I was so impressed that I accessed the data to discover who’d done the work. That’s how I found out it belonged to Maxwell Weston. But I didn’t tell Dr. Abernathy.

  “See my best friend Nikki works for the Westons. She was hired to be a companion for Maxwell for the summer. And if Abernathy had stolen the computer, it seemed he had to be up to something not quite legal, so I wanted to take a look and make sure there was nothing that would put Nikki in danger.”

  “And did you find anything of that nature?”

  “I’m afraid so. Maxwell’s computer contained files that had apparently been hacked from two other computers. Computers protected by Weston’s Security protocols. The computers the data came from belonged to Dr. Abernathy. And it was quite sensitive material from what little I saw of it. I didn’t have time to read all of it, but it had something to do with falsified medical records and judicial tampering.”

  Mark could literally feel his blood pressure skyrocket. Damn that fool. He’d made copies of the data on Maxwell. Why his people hadn’t discovered it when they tapped into the computers was a mystery. That was a bridge he’d cross later, however. Right now what mattered was getting his hands on that data and making sure Charles was eliminated because Mark was now convinced that Charles was plotting against him and Richard. There was no other explanation for him trying to get his hands on information from Maxwell’s computer and keeping copies of records. Particularly in light of the fact he’d been told specifically not to do so.

  “And Abernathy never saw this data, you say?” he asked.

  “No, sir. I wiped the hard drive of everything but a few game applications. I even erased the communications program, although I hated to do that. It was a brilliant piece of programming.”

  “Communications program?”

  “Yes, sir. Apparently Maxwell Weston isn’t what he appears to be. He’d created a very sophisticated program that allowed him to key in a numeric sequence that is translated into alpha. From what I saw, he uses it to communicate with people and to keep a detailed journal. There was a lot of stuff about a murder but I didn’t know what it was referring to. As I said, I had little time to actually read the information.”

  Sweat born of fear trickled down Mark’s back and sides, wetting the fine linen shirt beneath his jacket. If Maxwell Weston had found a way to communicate then he, Richard and Helen were in extreme danger. He had to get control of this situation and fast.

  Which meant eliminating Ben Marshall as well. The man knew too much. “I appreciate you coming to me with this, Ben, but frankly am a little surprised. What exactly did you hope to achieve with this disclosure?”

  “Like I said, I wanted to protect Nikki.”

  “And nothing more?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Well, that’s very commendable,” Mark said and stood. “And I appreciate it. And you have my assurance that your friend is in no danger. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do have other matters to attend.”

  “Sure,” Ben replied and stood. “You’re sure Nikki isn’t in any danger?”

  “Absolutely,” Mark assured him.

  “Okay, great. Thanks again for your time, Mr. Robinson.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Mark escorted Ben to the door. The moment he’d left, Mark returned to his desk and picked up the phone. He started to dial then hung up and sat back in his chair. Mark would be willing to bet Charles was going to try and use the information as extortion.

  The problem was, he and Richard couldn’t afford extortion. Money was no object, but it was clear that Charles couldn’t be trusted. And there was too much at stake to let the situation continue.

  What he had to decide was the most advantageous way of letting the next step play out. If he gave the order to have Charles terminated, in the end it could be traced back to him. So using his own people was out of the question. As was hiring from outside the organization.

  No, this was a job that had to be handled personally. His eyes lit as a thought occurred to him. Perhaps there was a way to play i
t to his advantage. With a smile, he picked up the phone and dialed.

  “Richard? Mark. I hate to intrude, but something has come up. You and Helen need to return as quickly as possible…no, not on this phone. Call me back on a secure line and I’ll fill you in.”

  He hung up, the smile on his face becoming wider. His idea was blossoming. If he worked this right, not only would he be free of blame, but he’d eliminate all of his opposition in one stroke. Suddenly what had started out as a catastrophe had turned into a golden opportunity for him to get everything he’d ever wanted. All he had to do was play his cards right.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nikki and Max sat in Simon’s study, watching the screen of a laptop. Simon was in his sitting room, ready to have a family meeting with Richard and Helen. They’d returned two days ago and until now Simon had refused to speak with either of them.

  Thanks to the Society Simon belonged to, they’d received regular intelligence on Richard’s whereabouts, his meetings with Mark Robinson and thanks to measures Max had suggested, they had recordings of phone calls between Richard and Mark, as well as recordings of heated conversations between Richard, Abernathy and Mark.

  Nikki had made the comment only the last evening that the way Richard had threatened Abernathy, he better hope nothing happened to him or Richard would look like the prime suspect. He’d all but come out and said that if Charles didn’t turn over what information he had on Maxwell, Richard would have him killed.

  Richard demanded an audience with Simon immediately upon his return but Simon refused. Helen tried as well, and when Simon refused she threatened to call the police and have them search for Nikki and arrest her for kidnapping Maxwell. Simon laughed at her and told her that if she valued her artfully reconstructed neck she’d hold her tongue. Maxwell was safe and he would speak with her and Richard when he was ready.

  Nikki had to admire Simon. He might be elderly and confined to a wheelchair but there was steel in the man. In fact, he seemed markedly more robust these last few days. She wasn’t sure if that was due to his eagerness to finally do battle, or the fact that he and Louise had been spending a good deal of time alone together.