Desperate Play (Off the Grid: FBI Series Book 3)

by Barbara Freethy

  "Wyatt," Hamilton said, coming forward to shake his hand. "It's good to see you. I'm glad Avery brought you. I hope we can find a few moments together."

  "Of course."

  "Daddy, this isn't the time for business with your favorite security guy," Whitney interrupted, as she joined them. "It's Brett's party."

  "Just a little business," Hamilton said, giving his daughter an apologetic smile. "It won't take long. You don't mind, do you, Brett?" he asked, giving Avery's father a questioning glance.

  "It's fine with me," Brett said, waving them off.

  Hamilton turned to Vincent, who was regarding them with a contemplative expression. "Vincent—I want you to meet Wyatt Tanner. He's running my security team now. Wyatt, this is Vincent Rowland, former FBI, long-time friend."

  As he stepped forward to shake Vincent's hand, he couldn't help thinking that the last time they'd exchanged a handshake had been at Jamie's memorial celebration in New York a few months ago.

  Vincent looked better tonight, wearing black slacks and a sport jacket, his black hair neatly styled. He was in his mid-sixties and had an air of wealth and sophistication about him, which made sense, since he was moving in the same circle as a billionaire and a celebrity writer.

  "Mr. Tanner," Vincent said, a gleam in his eyes. "You must have a busy schedule these days."

  "I do," he said, happy that Vincent was protecting his cover.

  "Wyatt and I need to have a few words," Hamilton added. "We'll be back soon."

  "Take your time," Vincent said.

  As Hamilton motioned him toward the house, he glanced over at Avery, who gave him an uneasy nod, before turning back to her conversation.

  Hamilton had clearly been in the home numerous times, as he confidently made his way through the living room and dining room, where a long table was laid out with fine china and expensive crystal, down a long hallway to a dark-paneled study at the back of the house that was clearly Brett's office.

  A massive mahogany desk and leather armchair was placed in front of the window. On the desk was keyboard in front of a large monitor as well as several journals and a couple of framed photographs. On one wall were framed book covers and travel photos. On the other wall, a floor-to-ceiling bookcase held numerous hardcovers and paperbacks. Avery might not have a lot in common with her father, but they both certainly liked books.

  "Well, what can you tell me?" Hamilton asked, as he shut the door behind them. "Do you have any more leads into who killed Ms. Price? Is it tied to my company?"

  "Yes. I believe her death is tied to Nova Star."

  "Damn. I did not want you to say that. Please don't tell me Jonathan is the best suspect."

  "Not yet, but that will change when the FBI figures out that Jonathan met with Ms. Price two days before her murder."

  "You haven't told them that, have you?"

  "No, but we need to head this off. Have you spoken to Jonathan?"

  "Briefly. He brushed me off. He said he ran into her at the restaurant, and her date had bailed on her, so they had a drink."

  "That's not what happened."

  Hamilton gave him a pained look. "Jonathan likes women, and I know his marriage is not as happy as it could be, but he's not a murderer. Nor, is he a thief. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

  "Twice," Wyatt pointed out. "Right before Jia Lin was killed and now Noelle."

  "It's a coincidence. And you need to prove that, Wyatt."

  "Which is why I intend to speak to Jonathan tonight. He needs to know how high the stakes are."

  "If he doesn't know that, he's a fool," Hamilton said. He might be loyal to his son, but he also had little patience for bad behavior. "What else have you learned?"

  "Carter Hayes, Noelle's boyfriend, went through Noelle's desk after she left work Friday night. He was definitely looking for something, and it appears that Noelle might have had two phones, one of which is missing."

  "And that's what everyone is looking for?"

  "Possibly. Carter has been interrogated by the FBI with more interviews on tap. Carter works in Larry's department."

  "Larry mentioned that. It does concern me since legal obviously has access to our patent information. But Larry assured me that Carter is a stand-up guy and a loyal employee, and Larry has always been a good judge of character. Anything else?"

  "There was an email hack attempt made on Kyle's work email, and the ISP was tracked to this house." His gaze traveled to the computer on Brett's desk.

  "What?" Hamilton asked, surprise in his eyes. "You're saying someone in this house tried to get into Kyle's email? Then you're talking about Brett or Whitney."

  "Or perhaps Kyle was here."

  "He never comes over here unless there's a mandated event, like tonight's party." Hamilton paced around the room. "No. This is just a continuation of someone's plan to target my family and set them up for whatever crimes are going down. First, Jonathan, now Whitney or Brett. We have to figure this out fast."

  "Agreed." He could see the agitation building in Hamilton's eyes, and he hadn't yet dealt the biggest blow. "I also wanted to let you know that the man who broke into Noelle's apartment yesterday was found dead this morning—executed."

  Hamilton sucked in a breath, his skin turning as white as his hair. "This gets worse and worse."

  "I think you should postpone the launch on Tuesday."

  "That's asking a lot. There are so many moving parts, Wyatt."

  "I believe the launch is a target. It's a big risk to move forward with all of this going on."

  Hamilton shook his head in frustration and anger. "It takes years to get to where we are right now. It wouldn't be like postponing it for a week—it could be a month or more before we could get back to a good date. We'd have to wait for the right weather conditions, and we'd have to run through all the tests and pre-checks again."

  "Better to wait than to lose your satellite or more lives," he said bluntly. "There's too much we don't know."

  "How do you know about the man who was found dead today?"

  "I have a friend in the police department," he lied, needing to keep his connection to the bureau a secret. If he blew his cover now that he'd given Hamilton even more to worry about when it came to his family, he'd be out the door faster than he could turn around.

  "But the FBI took over the case."

  "They're still sharing intel with the police. You might want to reconsider your stance on the feds. Maybe working with the bureau would be helpful."

  "No. We need to keep this in-house. Hell, it could be someone from the FBI trying to frame my sons."

  "But you brought an ex-FBI agent to this party. I'm curious as to why."

  "Oh, Vincent is an old friend," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "And he's been out of the bureau for ten years."

  "Have you spoken to him about what's going on?"

  "A little. He supported maintaining my own investigation, so I need you to keep doing what you're doing but do it faster. We should get back to the party. This is Brett's night, and Whitney will have a fit if we mess it up."

  "What do you think of Brett?" he asked, his gaze moving toward the desk where a photograph had caught his eye. It was a picture of Brett and an elderly Chinese man standing in front of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

  "Brett knows how to make the most of what he has. He spent a year traveling the world. China was one of his favorite places. According to him, what he learned there changed him forever."

  "Interesting that he was in China."

  "He went other places as well," Hamilton said, a tight note in his voice, as he read Wyatt's thoughts. He waved his hand toward the photographs on the wall. "There he is in front of the Taj Mahal in India, Buckingham Palace in London, Moscow's Red Square. Because a man is well-traveled doesn't mean he's guilty of anything. Brett can't be involved in this. I've welcomed the man into my family. He wouldn't betray me. Hell, he's Avery's father, and she loves the company as much as I do."

 
Wyatt waited for Hamilton to run out of steam. He didn't want Brett Caldwell to be involved in anything, either, because no matter how complicated Avery's relationship was with her father, she loved the man even more than she loved Nova Star. And the last thing he wanted to do was bring Avery more pain. She'd just lost her best friend; she couldn't lose her father, too.

  "Whitney is crazy about Brett," Hamilton added. "I haven't seen her this happy since before her mother died last year. Brett brings out the best in her. She'd gotten so bitter, so angry all the time. I sometimes felt like she blamed me for not saving her mother. But I got the best doctors. We tried every experimental opportunity we could. It just wasn't enough." He cleared his throat. "Let's go back to the party. This conversation is pointless. Noelle's murderer is not part of my family circle."

  He nodded, following Hamilton out of the room. He would go back to the party, but he was not going to let Brett Caldwell off the hook just yet. The timing of his entrance back into Avery's life, his fast-moving relationship with Whitney, and the fact that he'd been in both Russia and China in the past year made him a very good suspect for something…

  Sixteen

  Avery rested her forearms on the rail and stared out at the view. After exchanging small talk with the Nova Star executives and their spouses as well as Hamilton's friend, Vincent Rowland, she moved across the terrace to take a moment for herself. Whitney was checking on dinner, and her dad had disappeared somewhere, and she just didn't have it in her to exchange party talk when her head was filled with questions and her heart was still breaking over Noelle's death.

  Plus, she couldn't stop wondering what Hamilton and Wyatt were talking about. They'd been gone a long time.

  "Avery? Drink?"

  She glanced at her dad as he joined her at the rail. She was about to say no when she realized he was holding a lemonade mixed with iced tea.

  "Your favorite," he said with a smile.

  "You made me my first Arnold Palmer when I was about eleven. I've been hooked ever since." She accepted the glass and took a sip. "Perfect."

  "I know this is difficult for you, honey. If you want to leave, I would understand."

  "I want to stay, but I might make a quick exit after dinner."

  "Whatever you want. Jonathan just arrived. Kyle and Liz are on their way, so we'll be eating shortly."

  She had been wondering where the Tremaine sons were.

  As she glanced past her father, she saw Jonathan having what appeared to be a heated conversation with Whitney. "Is something going on with Jonathan and Whitney?" she asked.

  Her father turned his head, following her gaze. "Sibling rivalry, probably. Whitney is very competitive when it comes to her brothers. She can't stand it if they get something she doesn't."

  "What did Jonathan get that she didn't?"

  "I have no idea, but she keeps track of every little thing that Hamilton does for Jonathan or Kyle and doesn't do for her."

  "Like…"

  "You want an example?" he asked, a curious note in his eyes.

  "I'm being nosy, I know. It's just nice not to talk about anything serious or depressing."

  "I can understand that. Well, Whitney got pretty ticked off when her father gave Jonathan his Porsche."

  "I remember that. Kyle wasn't too happy, either."

  "No, but Kyle is the one pushing Nova Star forward with his new technology, so he's getting lots of attention from his father for that. Let's face it, Whitney, Jonathan and Hamilton are just along for the ride when it comes to what's really happening at the company. It's Kyle's work that drives the business."

  She thought her father was along for the ride, too, but she wasn't going to get into that with him on his birthday. She sipped her drink. "This is good."

  "I wish I could do more than just give you a drink—and one without alcohol at that."

  "The last thing I want is alcohol right now. I need to keep my wits about me."

  His gaze narrowed. "There's something you're not telling me. What is it?"

  "It's nothing. I'm just shaken after what happened to Noelle."

  "From what I hear, it doesn't appear to have been a random attack. Do you think it was her boyfriend?"

  "I honestly don't know, Dad."

  "Well, it wouldn't totally shock me if Noelle had gotten herself into some trouble. She was no stranger to crossing a line she shouldn't cross."

  "She didn't like rules, but she wasn't a criminal. She didn't break the law."

  Her father didn't appear totally convinced. "I hope not."

  "Now I feel like you know something I don't," she said suspiciously.

  "I ran into Noelle a couple of weeks ago when Whitney and I stopped by Nova Star to drop something off at Kyle's office. I was out in the hall, because it takes like ten badges to get into Kyle's office, and I personally don't find him to be particularly interesting or friendly. He doesn't like that I'm with his sister."

  "Okay. Where does Noelle figure into this story?"

  "She came out of some back hallway, and when she saw me, she gave me a shocked look, like I'd just caught her doing something she shouldn't have been doing."

  "She was in the engineering building?"

  "Wherever Kyle works. I lose track of what's what."

  "Did you talk to her?"

  "For a minute. She said how grateful she was to you for getting into the company and that she wanted to make you proud of her. But she was fidgety and acted like she couldn't wait to get away. I asked her if she was okay, and she gave me a look that took me back to when she was a little kid and she'd done something wrong but didn't want to own up to it."

  Her stomach twisted at her father's words. "She didn't say anything else?"

  "Well, it didn't make sense to me, but she said she was fine and that she'd finally figured out she didn't always have to pick the bad boy or the wrong path; she could use her power for good. It was just a matter of choosing which side to be on. I didn't know what she was talking about, but then someone came down the hall, and she took off."

  "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

  "When would I tell you? We don't speak all that often, Avery," he reminded her. "And I still don't know what she meant. Do you?"

  "Not really. Her boyfriend was different than anyone else she'd ever dated. He certainly wouldn't be considered a bad boy; maybe she was talking about him."

  "I haven't helped, have I? I've made things worse."

  "You couldn't make things worse, Dad. But I have to know why Noelle died the way she did. She's not here to fight for herself, so I have to fight for her."

  "I can understand that. But be careful. I don't like that you were with her Friday night and that her killer is still at large. Someone could think you had seen something or heard something from Noelle. Is this man you brought tonight acting as a bodyguard?"

  "Of sorts," she said. "Not that I need one. But Hamilton asked Wyatt to keep an eye on me, and he's been willing to do that. Let's talk about something else. It's your birthday. And Whitney has obviously gone to a lot of trouble."

  "She's been great. I know you don't like to hear it, but it's true."

  "Well, that's fine. As long as you're both happy."

  "I'm crazy about Whitney. She's smart and strong and a little ruthless. I like that fire in her."

  "You like that she's ruthless?" she asked doubtfully.

  "Let's just say I like how she goes after what she wants. She's a firecracker. Your mom was—"

  "I don't want to talk about Mom," she said cutting him off.

  "I know you feel like you had to take her side."

  "You left. There was only one side to take."

  "I left because I was searching for something missing in my life. Your mom and I were eighteen when we met—childhood sweethearts. We grew up and we grew apart. I don't know who was right and who was wrong anymore, but I've learned a lot about myself in the past several years, and I know now that I wasn't mature enough to be in a relationship with your mom."<
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  "I'm sure she'd agree with that. I have to admit, Dad, since we're being honest, that I'm less confused about who was right and who was wrong than you are."

  "I know I disappointed you. I let you down."

  "You did. Many times."

  "But I want to make all that up to you now. We can't change the past; we can only move forward. Are you willing to try?"

  "If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here."

  "Good." Relief appeared in his eyes. "I'd like to believe I'm a better person now than I used to be, but you'll have to judge that for yourself."

  His words reminded her of what Noelle had said to her on Friday night, that she was trying to be a better person. Why was she always surrounded by people who were trying to be someone else? Why couldn't they already be good?

  "What are you two talking about so seriously?" Whitney asked, interrupting their conversation with a speculative smile.

  "The past," her father replied.

  "Well, since it's all ancient history, maybe we should focus on right now. It's your birthday. I'm sure Avery wants you to enjoy it."

  There was a challenge in the look that Whitney gave her, and she had no choice but to respond. "I do. It's all good."

  "Glad to hear it. Kyle just got here," Whitney added, glancing at Brett. "He said he has something for you, for your special day, and he wants to give it to you inside. He sounded rather mysterious. Do you know what he's talking about?"

  "I don't, but I'm going to find out," Brett said.

  "Do it now. We're almost ready to eat. He's in the house."

  As her father left, Avery was hoping that Whitney would follow, but she lingered behind.

  "Are you all right, Avery?"

  "I'm still a little rattled," she admitted.

  "That's understandable. I know that woman was your friend. She seemed very nice."

  "You met her?" she asked in surprise.

  "Yes, Brett introduced her to me a couple of weeks ago. We ran into her in the cafeteria at Nova Star. She was quite beautiful, very bright."

  "She was."

  "Although, I guess she had some financial problems."