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

by Barbara Freethy

  "How did you hear that?"

  "Brett said she told him she needed to make more money and she might need to get a second job."

  "Really? He never mentioned that to me." Her father had just related his conversation with Noelle to her, so was Whitney embellishing? Or had her father left something out?

  "I probably shouldn't have said anything. I know he offered to help her, and I think she said she might take him up on it. Your father is a very generous man, sometimes too generous. I hate to see people take advantage of him. Anyway, can I get you a drink, maybe something stronger than that lemonade?" Whitney asked.

  "No, this is fine."

  "I'm going to check on dinner."

  "Sure," she said, happy to see Wyatt return to the patio with Hamilton.

  As Whitney left, Wyatt moved across the terrace to join her.

  "How did your conversation with Hamilton go?" she asked. "Anything new?"

  "Not really. Just giving him the update. I don't think I made his night any better. I noticed your father and Kyle going upstairs, deep in conversation. I wonder what that was about."

  "Whitney told my dad that Kyle wanted to give him something for his birthday."

  "Interesting."

  "Is it?" she challenged. "Or is it just ordinary birthday party stuff, and we're both being paranoid?"

  He shot her a quick look. "What are you being paranoid about?"

  She hesitated. "My dad told me he ran into Noelle at Nova Star, in the engineering wing, and she looked startled and guilty when she saw him. But maybe she was just surprised to see my dad there."

  "It sounds like your dad and Kyle have more interactions than we would have thought."

  "I don't know. He said he went to Nova Star with Whitney who was dropping something off with her brother. He waited in the hall for her. That's where he ran into Noelle." She sipped her drink, feeling parched and tense. "This party was a bad idea. Everyone is looking like a villain. I don't know who to trust."

  "Good. Because right now, you really can't trust anyone. Why don't you go inside, see if you can find a bathroom, maybe one on the second floor?"

  She stared back at him, pondering the sudden change in conversation. "You want me to spy on my father and Kyle?"

  "If you happen to overhear anything… But if you'd rather not…"

  "I could do that. I could go upstairs. No one would think anything."

  "Exactly." He nodded. "I'm going to talk to Jonathan. We'll meet up in a bit."

  "Okay." As Wyatt headed in Jonathan's direction, she walked into the house relieved to see no one near the staircase. She headed up the stairs and down the hall until she heard voices.

  Her father and Kyle were speaking in the upstairs family room, and the door was ajar. She looked over her shoulder to make sure she was alone and then moved down the hall, her nerves tightening with every step. Hopefully, someone wouldn't suddenly come down the hall or out of a bedroom and catch her spying on an obviously private conversation.

  "Dammit, Kyle, this is not going to work," her father said. "I don't care about your excuses. You told me what you were going to do, and you didn't do it."

  Her eyes widened at her father's words. What had Kyle said he would do that he didn't do? And what did that have to do with her father? She didn't even know that they had a friendship, much less anything they were working on.

  Kyle said something in return, but she couldn't hear him.

  What she did hear were footsteps coming up the stairs. She whirled around and got herself as far as the bathroom door when Whitney reached the landing.

  Whitney gave her a look of surprise. "Problem, Avery?"

  "No, the bathroom downstairs was being used. I hope you don't mind."

  "Of course not. I was just looking for your dad. Dinner is ready."

  The door to the upstairs family room opened and her father and Kyle walked out.

  "There he is," she said, waving her hand toward her dad.

  "Dinner is ready," Whitney told Brett.

  "Great, I'm starving," Brett said with a smile. "You coming, Avery?"

  "In a second. I was just going to use the bathroom."

  "See you down there," Brett said, as he put his arm around Whitney's shoulders.

  Kyle gave her an odd look. "Avery."

  "Kyle," she returned. "It's nice to see you. Is Liz with you?"

  "She's downstairs." He paused, an awkward expression on his face. "Sorry about your friend."

  He didn't sound sorry, but then she'd never heard Kyle express any kind of emotion. He was a short, heavily bearded man with dark hair and dark eyes that were always guarded. He never had much to say at family gatherings, usually letting one of his more outgoing siblings, his father, or his wife take the lead.

  "Thanks," she said. "Did you know her—Noelle?"

  "No," he said, a brief hesitation before his response. "I never met her. But it's tragic."

  "I thought she might have done some work in your department."

  "I don't think so, but I suppose it's possible. We have over eighty people in the department. Sometimes the admins bring in outside help."

  "That's true. It's hard to keep track of everyone. Is everything all right with you and my father?"

  "I was giving him his birthday present."

  "What was that?"

  "Oh. It was tickets to the Lakers. I got courtside seats for him for a game against the Warriors."

  "I'm sure he'll love that."

  "I'll see you downstairs," Kyle said.

  "Yes," she said, slipping into the bathroom, as he continued down the hall. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were way too bright, and she looked guilty as hell. She really made a terrible spy. And what had she even learned? That her father was angry with Kyle about something he'd promised to do but hadn't done. And that Kyle claimed he'd never met Noelle, but had backtracked rather hastily, as if he'd realized he'd just told a lie he could be caught in.

  But what did any of that mean?

  Hopefully, Wyatt was doing a better job at getting information.

  Seventeen

  Wyatt found Jonathan sneaking a smoke on a side patio, which was absolutely perfect for a private conversation. Hamilton's oldest son had turned forty a few weeks earlier and had silvery strands of gray in his dark hair. But he appeared lean and fit in his dark slacks and dress shirt.

  Jonathan flashed him a guilty look as he took another hit, and then flicked the ashes into an outdoor planter. "I thought you were my sister for a second. Whitney doesn't like smoking around her house, but it has been a stressful weekend."

  He nodded. "Yes, it has. Your wife isn't here?"

  "No, she had a headache. She gets a lot of headaches these days," he muttered.

  As suspicious as Jonathan's behavior had been the last few months, the number of times his name seemed to come up with security breaches or homicides, there was something about the man that didn't make him a good suspect. Just mentioning dryly that his wife got a lot of headaches was a little too forthcoming for someone who might have a lot to hide. He'd want to keep up the illusion of the happy marriage, the great life.

  "Sorry to hear that," he said.

  Jonathan shrugged. "It's fine. Whitney and Steph don't get along that well, and Steph thinks it's absolutely creepy that Whitney is sleeping with a man old enough to be her father."

  "They seem to be in love."

  "Whatever that is," Jonathan said cynically. "I'm surprised to see you here, although I shouldn't be. My father likes you a lot. Probably more than his own sons."

  "I doubt that."

  "He likes talking to you. You're a soldier. He respects you. Last thing I would ever want to be is a military man."

  "Well, you seem to have a good career going."

  "Courtesy of dear old Dad." He blew out a swirl of smoke. "Whitney says you came with Avery."

  "I'm keeping an eye on her since the murder of her friend, Noelle Price."

  Jonathan took another
puff of his cigarette. "That's nasty business. I need to offer my condolences to Avery. Is there going to be a memorial?"

  "Avery is working on that, but I haven't heard any details. Did you know Noelle?"

  Jonathan's gaze sharpened. "Since my father already spoke to me, I know you're aware I had a drink with her last Wednesday. Apparently, you saw us together. Quite a coincidence. Were you following me?"

  "It doesn't matter. What matters is that the FBI will be knocking on your door soon, and if you want me to help you, you need to be honest with me."

  "Why would I need your help?"

  "Because you're in trouble. Noelle is dead. Jia Lin is dead. And both women met with you shortly before they were killed."

  Jonathan stared back at him and then stubbed his cigarette out on the stone planter and tossed it into the dirt. "I'm being set up."

  "Help me prove that."

  "Why would I trust you? You show up out of nowhere a month ago, and suddenly you're running our entire security operation? Men my father trusted for years have been relegated to lower positions since you came on board."

  "Because I'm experienced in foreign and industrial espionage. You don't have to trust me, you just have to work with me. Your father wants me to protect you. I'd like to try."

  Jonathan's lips tightened and then he gave a resigned shrug. "Fine. I didn't just run into Noelle. I asked her to have a drink with me, and she said yes."

  "But she has a boyfriend."

  "And I have a wife—so what? We weren't having sex; we were having a drink."

  "How did you meet her?"

  "At work. Noelle was friendly, funny. She smiled at me, which was a nice change from the glaring, irritated looks I get at home. It felt good to relax and talk to someone who didn't have any expectations."

  "Are you sure she didn't want something from you? I hear she needed money."

  "Yeah, she told me that. Her mom had financial trouble, and she was trying to help her. She said she was interested in working her way up at the company and wanted to know if I could give her any tips on how to get promoted. I told her to let me know if she saw any openings that she thought she might be qualified for, and I'd try to help her."

  "Why would she ask you and not Avery?"

  "She said Avery had a rather low opinion of her, and rightfully so. She admitted to leading a wild, irresponsible life. I liked that she was honest. Most people aren't. I guess she didn't want Avery to know that the job she'd helped her get wasn't quite enough."

  Jonathan's story was so basic it actually seemed plausible. "What about Noelle's boyfriend, Carter Hayes? Do you know him?"

  "Barely. I've seen him with Larry. Frankly, he didn't seem like someone Noelle would be with, but she said she was trying to make better choices in her life."

  That resonated with what Avery had said.

  "So, what do I need to do?" Jonathan asked.

  "Do you have an alibi for Friday night?"

  "Not really. I was at home alone. My wife was out with her friends."

  "Well, if the FBI questions you, don't lie. Tell them what you just told me. Noelle wanted to talk to you about a job transfer. That's it."

  "All right."

  "Anything else you want to share? Now is the time."

  "Whatever I say stays between us, right?"

  "It stays between us," he lied.

  "I've been thinking about why I'm on the hot seat when it should be Kyle."

  "Why Kyle?"

  "He asked me to take the meeting with Jia Lin when I was on my way to San Francisco. I don't normally meet with engineering candidates, but he wanted to know what I thought of her as a potential employee." Jonathan paused. "And when I first met Noelle at work, she made a point of telling me that Kyle had suggested she talk to me about a job. That's when I asked her to get a drink."

  "You're saying your brother put you at both meetings?"

  "Yes. But I don't think he's selling secrets or trying to sabotage the company. Why would he? This satellite is his baby. He's going to make my father proud. He's the star of the family. He wouldn't have any motive to try to take Nova Star down."

  "Maybe he just wants to take you down," he said bluntly.

  "Believe me, Kyle does not look at me as competition," Jonathan said, a bitter note in his voice. "He's always been the smartest one in the family. I'm the one who gets by on charm and connections."

  "What about Whitney? Where does she fit?"

  "Daddy's little princess. But she doesn't care about Nova Star. She's consumed with love these days and improving her spiritual life." Jonathan drew in a breath. "I know it's a big coincidence that I met with both Noelle and Jia, but they were innocent meetings. Someone is setting me up, and it's not one of my siblings. We don't sell secrets and we don't kill women. So, do what my father pays you to do, and find the real killer before someone else pays with their life."

  On that note, Jonathan pushed past him, almost slamming into Avery as she came around the corner.

  "Sorry, Avery," he muttered. "Didn't see you."

  "No problem. Is everything all right?" Avery asked.

  "Great. Dinner ready?"

  "Yes, Whitney sent me to look for you guys."

  "We better not keep her waiting," Jonathan said, moving quickly away.

  "He seems angry," Avery said.

  "We had an interesting talk. But I'm not sure we have time to rehash it now."

  "We don't. Whitney is getting antsy. But can you give me the highlights?"

  "Jonathan says Kyle put him at both meetings. Kyle asked him to meet with Jia and also told Noelle that she should talk to Jonathan about a job promotion."

  "Kyle told me he didn't know Noelle," Avery said, her brows knitting together. "Although, he was quick to prevaricate that it was possible he'd met her but didn't remember."

  "That's curious. Did you pick up on anything in the conversation between him and your dad?"

  "Only that my dad was angry about something he'd asked Kyle to do. I have no idea what that was about. Whitney came down the hall, so that's all I heard, before they ended their conversation. We better go in to dinner."

  As he followed Avery into the house, he thought about what he'd learned. Kyle was become more interesting by the minute. Unfortunately, so was Avery's father.

  * * *

  Dinner felt interminably long, Avery thought an hour later, as she sat at a very long table in the dining room, eating pretentious food and having meaningless conversation with Karen Bickmore, wife of Nova Star's senior counsel. Across from her, Wyatt had been squeezed in between Kyle's wife Liz and Tawny's husband Walter.

  Whitney had deliberately put her at the complete opposite end of the table from her father and from Hamilton, but since she wasn't really in the mood for the party at all, she didn't much care. If Whitney needed to be by her father's side, that was fine with her. She was definitely playing the role of supportive girlfriend, chatting on about Brett's newest book, bragging about how great it was going to be.

  Maybe this was what her father had needed all along, she couldn't help thinking—a relentless cheerleader. Whitney had time to cheer him on, because she didn't have to work, didn't have to raise a kid as her mother had. And all her father had to worry about was himself.

  As she glanced down the table, he gave her a smile, and for just that brief moment, she thought maybe he did remember that she was there, that they had a relationship that preceded all of this.

  Or did she just want to believe that? Did they even have a real relationship? Or had he used her to get to this table?

  She was the one who had introduced him to the Tremaines, to Whitney, who had brought him into the inner circle, which made what she'd heard upstairs very disturbing. On the other hand, it seemed ludicrous to think that her father could be involved in espionage. He wouldn't betray the very people sitting at this table? He wouldn't betray her, would he?

  She rolled her neck around on her shoulders, thankful when Whitney finally got up to
check on the cake.

  Smaller conversations broke out around the table now that Whitney had stopped holding court. A few of the men got up and wandered outside, including Wyatt and Hamilton.

  "Well, that seemed endless, didn't it?" Karen murmured, as she finished what had to be her third glass of wine. "We should get some more wine. Larry, can you pass that bottle?" she asked her husband, who was sitting on the other side of her.

  "I think you've had enough," he said tersely. "Excuse me for a moment."

  As her husband left the table, Karen grabbed the bottle and refilled her glass. "Want some, Avery?"

  She shook her head. "No, thanks."

  "More for me," Karen said with a bleary smile. "Larry is always so controlled, so proper. Sometimes I wonder why I ever married him. But then we've been married a long time, almost ten years. Maybe he would have loosened up if we'd had kids. But it wasn't meant to be."

  "Sorry."

  "I'm sorry for you," Karen returned. "About your friend, Carter's girlfriend. It's so sad."

  Her gaze narrowed at Karen's words. "You know Carter?"

  "Sure. He's been to our house a few times. He's trying awfully hard to impress Larry—works late, volunteers for whatever is needed. It's a little much sometimes, but I get it. Carter wants to get ahead. I can't blame him for that. Plus, he's very attractive. That doesn't hurt."

  Avery's stomach turned over at the look in Karen's eyes. "Did Carter ever bring Noelle to your house?"

  "No. He didn't bring any woman. He didn't have to. If he wanted entertainment…" She paused as she gulped down more wine, then she giggled, licking her lips. "I shouldn't have said that. No one knows. It's a secret." Karen put a finger to her lips. "Sh-sh."

  "When did it happen?" she asked quietly, not that anyone was listening to their conversation.

  "A couple of weeks ago."

  "When he was with my friend?"

  Karen looked startled, as if she suddenly realized what she'd said. "I—I don't know if he was with her then. I think it was before."

  Avery didn't believe her for a second. "Carter was cheating on my friend, wasn't he?"

  "Well, I suppose he was, but he didn't really want to. He wanted me to get some files for him so that he could impress Larry. I told him there was a price, and he was happy to pay it."