Love And Lies

by Dawn Stewardson

  “Put it down,” Cade ordered, gesturing at Roger’s gun with his own. “Very slowly.”

  Without a word Roger carefully bent over and set his gun on the floor.

  “Now kick it under the chair.”

  As he did that Cade lowered the Browning to his side. Roger straightened, saw it was no longer aimed at him and began looking only half as frightened.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” he said. “Is this supposed to be funny or what?”

  “None of us want to end up dead,” Cade told him. “That’s what’s going on.”

  “Dead,” he repeated. “Don’t tell me you thought I was going to shoot you.”

  “When somebody pulls a gun it’s been known to happen.”

  Talia was certain Roger had a sarcastic retort on the tip of his tongue. Then he clearly thought better of antagonizing a man with a semiautomatic in his hand.

  “Hell, Cade,” he said with a nervous smile, “I only got out the gun because I’m on my way to the shooting range.”

  “Sure,” Cade said.

  “Have a look at it. It’s not loaded. I never leave it loaded.”

  “Do you want me to get it?” Talia asked.

  When Cade nodded she gingerly retrieved it from under the chair and handed it over. “Empty,” he muttered after a moment.

  “See?” Roger said. “I’ve only got a few rounds, and they’re in my suitcase. I was going to buy a box or two of bullets at the range.”

  Cade’s eyes flickered to Talia. He held her gaze for a moment, silently asking what she thought.

  She gave him an uncertain shrug. If Roger hadn’t, in fact, murdered Gerr, then Gerr must have willingly given that jacket back to him. Which would mean Roger’d had an explanation for its being by the road this morning. And maybe he had only gotten out his gun because he was on his way to the shooting range.

  But if he had an explanation about that jacket… She mentally shook her head. Had he been the one shooting at her last night or not?

  “Why don’t you call down to the concierge and check out my story?” he suggested. “As soon as I read Myron’s note I asked Joanie to reserve me an hour on the range.”

  Cade turned to Harlan. “Phone down and check.”

  Harlan’s hand was trembling so badly that the receiver slipped when he first picked it up, but he eventually got hold of Joanie and asked if she’d made the reservation.

  “She did,” he said, hanging up. “She thought I was Roger, and she said they were expecting me right now.”

  “So?” Roger said. “You all satisfied?”

  “Yeah,” Cade replied. “And look, I’m sorry about this. But after last night…well, I’m sorry.”

  Roger shrugged, his forced-looking smile encompassing the three of them. “Hey, these things happen. You see a gun and you sometimes jump to the wrong conclusions. So, if you’ll just give it to me I’ll catch you all in the conference room at one.”

  When Cade handed it over Roger silently started for the door. Talia watched him leave, certain he wouldn’t have been nearly as understanding if Cade wasn’t still holding a loaded gun.

  “Why did you let him go?” Harlan demanded the instant Roger was gone.’’ If you two are so sure he was the one doing the shooting last night why didn’t we call the police while he was right here? We could’ve held him for them.”

  Cade sighed. “I’m a construction engineer, not a special agent. And as far as being sure he’s the one goes…”

  “Are you still sure?” Talia asked. “When I saw that jacket I wished we’d touched base with Gerr again.”

  Cade nodded. “The only thing I’m sure about right now is that we’ve got to get you off this island in one piece.”

  “If you want anyone to second that thought,” she murmured, “I’m right here.”

  “I know.” His gaze held hers long enough to tell her that right here was exactly where he wanted her. It gave her such a warm feeling she actually managed a smile.

  “If Roger is guilty of anything,” he said, glancing at Harlan, “he won’t get away with it. Once we’ve talked to Bud he’ll contact all the authorities who should be involved—including the sheriff’s department. So let’s head back to our own rooms and have another shot at phoning him.”

  WHEN THEY TURNED into their hallway Gerald Asimov was standing outside Talia’s door. Cade told himself not to let it annoy him, but he really wished the guy would get lost.

  “That’s your writer friend, isn’t it?” Harlan asked.

  Talia nodded, then glanced at Cade. “He probably wants to tell us what happened when he talked to Roger. So at least that mystery will be solved.”

  “He talked to Roger?” Harlan repeated. “How come?”

  “It’s kind of a long story,” Talia said just as Gerr glanced along the hall and spotted them. “We’ll fill you in later—okay?—because Gerr doesn’t know all the facts.”

  “Yeah,” Cade said, “and let’s make this quick. At the rate we’re going,” he added, as they neared Gerr, “Bud’ll have retired before we track him down.”

  “You’ve been looking for Bud?” Gerr said.

  Cade mentally kicked himself. He hadn’t realized his words would carry that far, and the fewer topics up for discussion the faster Gerr would be gone.

  “Well, that answers my question,” he said. “I was wondering where you were. I tried to catch you before your deliberations started, so I saw that note. And I’ve been looking all over for you since then.”

  “Actually we’ve been talking to Harlan here,” Cade said, introducing them. “So,” he continued, focusing on Gerr again, “what happened with Roger?”

  “With Roger?”

  “We ran into him,” Talia said. “And he had his jacket back.”

  “Oh. His jacket.” Gerr shrugged, his glance flickering meaningfully in Harlan’s direction.

  “It’s okay,” Talia told him. “Harlan knows about Roger.”

  “Oh. Well, then, what happened was Roger looked me straight in the eye and thanked me for finding it.”

  “He didn’t try to explain what it was doing by the road?” Cade said.

  “Uh-uh. He acted surprised when I told him where it was—gave me a story about how somebody stole it while he was checking in the other day. Said he left it lying on his briefcase and it disappeared.”

  “Then it just happened to turn up behind a bush?” Cade said. “Right near where he happened to be last night? How dumb did he think you were?”

  “I don’t know, but I wasn’t dumb enough to push it with him. Hell, I just write about murder victims. I’ve got no interest in becoming one. At any rate, I was wondering if maybe you and Talia wouldn’t mind talking to me about my book for an hour or so. You too, Harlan, if you’d like. I don’t know if anybody mentioned what I’m working on, but—”

  “Look,” Cade interrupted, “normally we’d be glad to help you out, but we can’t right now.”

  “We really do have to get hold of Bud,” Harlan put in. “Jury stuff.”

  “Yeah.” Gerr nodded knowingly. “I figured you’d decide you had to tell him about Roger. I mean, trying to kill one of his fellow jurors? He’s given a whole new meaning to the term jury misconduct.”

  Cade nodded. “Exactly. So we really can’t sit and talk just now.”

  “Yeah, I understand. Well, good luck finding Bud.”

  “Seems like a nice guy,” Harlan said as Gerr headed down the hall.

  “Not nearly as nice as some I know,” Talia whispered, giving Cade a smile.

  ONCE THE THREE OF THEM were in Talia’s room Cade began phoning Bud again. It took a few tries, but eventually he got an answer.

  He resisted the impulse to shout hallelujah and settled for giving Talia and Cade a thumbs-up. “Bud, it’s Cade Hailey. I’ve been trying to get you.”

  “Yeah, I got the message you left, but the whole world’s been trying to get me. Every time I take two steps somebody stops me to ask what happened to the deli
berations this morning. And I should know the answer, but that darned Myron Beyers didn’t have the decency to tell me anything.”

  “Well, that’s part of what I’ve got to talk to you about.”

  “Oh. Okay, but things have been really hectic, and I’m just walking out the door again. So I’ll get back to you in a while, all right?”

  “No, that’s not all right. This is urgent.”

  “Well, I’m supposed to be meeting the Judge, and I’m already late so—”

  ” Urgent, Bud. As in, it can’t wait.”

  “Oh. Then I guess…No, hold on, I’ve got a better idea. You work in construction, right? Isn’t that what you told me?”

  “More or less. Mostly renovations but—”

  “Doesn’t matter. You’ll still be a lot more help than me. See, the Judge has a problem. And I offered to have a look at it ‘cause I was in construction way back. Maybe I told you about it.”

  “No, I don’t think you did,” Cade said, wishing Bud would come to the point.

  “I know a lot has changed since then,” Bud went on. “So much new building material and stuff. So why don’t you meet me, and we can talk and have a look at this thing with the Judge at the same time.”

  Cade hesitated. But at this point it could hardly matter if they talked in front of somebody. Especially not the Judge. “Fine,” he said. “Where do I meet you?”

  “Well, if you go past the dining room you’ll see a door on your left. It opens onto stairs, and you want to take them down to the basement. Then go along the hall past the kitchen and the staff cafeteria. At the end it turns, and you’ll come to a door that says ‘No admittance’.”

  “Okay, I’ll-”

  “You’re going to be interested in what’s beyond that door,” Bud went on. “It’s an old tunnel that leads almost to the bay.”

  “Yeah? The bartender was mentioning something about a couple of tunnels the other day. So I’ll see you down there in—”

  “This one dates back to the time of pirates and smugglers,” Bud interrupted, always the storyteller. “The island plantations used to get some of their supplies from those guys.”

  “And the Judge’s problem has something to do with the tunnel?” Cade said, trying to get Bud back on track.

  “Uh-huh. There’s kind of a storage area about halfway along that’s a lot wider than the rest of it. And the Judge is worried it’s giving away there. Figures they could suddenly have a sinkhole on the property. So we’ll just have a look at it for him. Hell, maybe your company could even do the work fixing it. How about we say in ten minutes?”

  “Fine.” He hung up before Bud could start in on anything else.

  “What’s happening?” Talia asked.

  He quickly explained. “So,” he concluded, “I’ll head down there and you two just sit tight. I shouldn’t belong.”

  “I’m going with you,” she said.

  “There’s no reason to.”

  “There’s no reason not to.”

  For a second he thought about arguing, but she was wearing a stubborn expression that told him there was no point. Besides, he’d just as soon have her with him as be worrying about her the whole time he was gone.

  “All right,” he said. “And what about you, Harlan? You’re the one who discovered we had a leak on the jury. You should be the one to tell Bud the details.”

  “Well…maybe I’ll wait and do it later. I’ve got kind of a problem with things like tunnels and caves. So I think I’ll just go back to our room. Maybe call my mom and let her know I’ll be home by tonight.”

  Cade nodded, then glanced at Tali a. They’d all be home by tonight. And given the way she was looking at him, tonight couldn’t come soon enough.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The chef and her staff, Talia noted in passing, were so busy getting ready for lunch that nobody even glanced up as she and Cade walked by the kitchen. Which was probably just as well. There’d been a sign on the stairway door saying Hotel Employees Only.

  “You still hanging in okay?” Cade murmured, squeezing her hand.

  She smiled in reply. “So far so good. I’m not one of those women who always imagines killers in basements. But do you want to know a secret?”

  “Sure.”

  “Harlan isn’t the only one who has a problem with things like tunnels and caves.”

  “Really? Then why didn’t you stay upstairs with him?”

  “Well, partly because I know you should face up to. things you’re afraid of.”

  “And partly…?”

  She smiled at him again. “I’d far rather be with you than with Harlan, regardless of where.”

  That made him grin. “How much is far rather?”

  “Oh…how does a million times sound?”

  “It’ll do for starters.” He released her hand and drapped his arm over her shoulders. “According to Bud, the tunnel entrance is just beyond the corner up ahead, so we’re almost there.”

  And that meant this entire ordeal was almost over. After they talked to Bud, they’d be on their way home in no time.

  She glanced at Cade once more, thanking her lucky stars they’d both come through this safely. Then she thanked fate for sending him to her.

  Until he’d appeared in her life, she’d never known how absolutely wonderful being in love could be. But now she did. And even though it seemed impossible, given everything that had happened, she only had to look at him to feel happy all over again. Her million times hadn’t been an exaggeration. Being with him made her feel as if she was floating on air, and she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life.

  When they turned the corner Bud was waiting at a door posted No Admittance. “Well, there you are, Cade,” he said. “And I see you brought Talia along.”

  “I won’t get in the way,’’ she promised.

  He smiled, but he looked so anxious she decided he couldn’t like tunnels any more than she or Harlan. “If it’s okay with you,” he said, glancing at Cade, “we’ll talk after we’ve finished with the Judge. He’s gone on ahead, because the lighting in the tunnel’s real old and you’ve got to switch it on in a couple of different places.

  “We’ll have to walk single file,” he added, opening the door and gesturing for Cade to go first. “It’s pretty narrow in there.”

  Talia followed Cade into the tunnel. The floor was hard-packed sand, and the ceiling and walls were shored with ancient timbers and lined with bricks that wore a century’s accumulation of grime and cobwebs.

  Then the door closed behind them and she couldn’t see how dingy everything was. In fact, she couldn’t see much at all. Bud hadn’t exaggerated about the lighting being old. The tunnel wasn’t pitch-black, but the light was nothing more than a gloomy twilight.

  “I hope the Judge has a good flashlight with him,” Cade muttered, “or trying to look at his problem is going to be an exercise in futility.”

  “He’s got one of those big lantern types,” Bud told them.

  Talia stuck close behind Cade as they walked on, trying not to think about the possibility of the tunnel’s caving in. Or about bats. Or snakes. The snakes proved the hardest to get out of her mind, because somebody had spotted a couple of water moccasins when their ferry had docked the other day. She tried taking a deep, calming breath, but the tunnel was so musty she sneezed.

  Telling herself this was wonderful desensitization therapy, she kept walking. But with each step the air felt more clammy against her skin. All in all, she was starting to wish she had stayed upstairs with Harlan.

  “How much farther?” Cade asked, glancing back.

  “I think we’re almost there,” Bud assured him. “The Judge said the wider bit is just beyond the first bend, and I can see that up ahead.”

  Talia peered past Cade through the semidarkness, wondering how a man almost at retirement age could see better than she could. Then she managed to make out the bend, too, courtesy of the beam of light up ahead. That had to be where the Judge
was waiting with his flashlight. The tunnel began to widen as they neared the bend, and the beam grew brighter. Then they turned the corner and Cade stopped so suddenly she almost banged into him.

  Reaching out, she rested her hand on the reassuring solidness of his back. She was in need of a little reassurance, because she couldn’t see a thing now. Nothing except his dark shape in front of her and white light all around him.

  “Jeez,” he muttered, “that light’s blinding, Judge. Could you aim the flashlight down?”

  “In a minute. But what do we have here? You didn’t come alone, Cade.”

  Talia’s heart started to pound. That voice didn’t belong to the Judge.

  CADE SQUINTED into the glare from the flashlight, his adrenaline pumping wildly and his brain desperately trying to put an identity to the voice. A name was lurking in the front of his mind, but it refused to click into place.

  “I didn’t have any idea Talia would come with him,” Bud was babbling. “He didn’t tell me she was. She just showed up.”

  “It’s okay—a stroke of luck, in fact. She’s the one I really want. Just figured I had to get rid of him first ‘cause he was sticking so close to her. But doing both of them at once’ll be fine.”

  The words made Cade’s stomach lurch and his blood run cold. He couldn’t see a damn thing, but doing both of them had to mean the flashlight wasn’t the only thing pointed at them.

  Who was this guy? The name that went with the voice finally came to him. The man behind the light was Gerald Asimov. He was Carpaccio’s hired gun!

  Before that realization even had a chance to sink in, a thousand more questions surfaced. What kind of pistol did Gerr have? What kind of bullets? Ones that would explode in Cade’s body and kill only him? Or ones that would tear right through and hit Talia before she could even try to make a run for it?

  Not that she’d have much of a chance, but if he could somehow give her even a few seconds…

  He tried to think, intensely aware of the Browning still snugged against his waist. But how was he going to get at it when Gerr had him in a damn spotlight?