Dangerous Deception. Kylie Brant
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to chance.
“I’ll do that.”
“So.” Tori sat down and drummed her fingertips against the case in her lap. “Why don’t you tell me what caused you to want to reexamine this? Why now?” She could wait for the file. She didn’t expect to find any surprises in it. Her father apparently hadn’t encountered any during his investigation all that time ago. Her curiosity was more focused on what had made Tremaine decide to dredge up painful ancient history. He wouldn’t be the type to do anything without a reason.
As an answer, he unlocked the center drawer on his desk and withdrew a small white envelope. Crossing to her, he opened it and shook out three slips of paper atop her briefcase. Turning them over, Tori scanned each one, shock layering over adrenaline.
“When did you get these?”
“They began arriving four weeks ago. They were sent to my home, but I have all my personal mail routed to work. I’m here more, anyway.”
“The envelopes?”
“I still have them, but a contact of mine in the postal department assures me they’ll be of little use. They were postmarked in New Orleans, all by different offices.”
Her gaze dropped to the notes again, her flesh prickling. “Have you thought of going to the police?”
“Please.” His tone managed to be both derisive and amused. “If someone really means me harm, they aren’t going to waste time warning me first. I’d be easier to take out if I wasn’t on my guard.”
At the certainty in his words, her eyes met his. “Is that the voice of experience I hear?”
He slipped his hands into his trousers pockets, rocked back on his heels slightly. The casual pose didn’t fool her. She was beginning to doubt that this man ever truly relaxed.
“I don’t consider these serious threats.” It didn’t escape her attention that he hadn’t answered her question. “A private lab I occasionally use informed me there were no fingerprints on the notes other than my own. There were several on the envelopes, of course. But it’s doubtful any of them belong to the sender, which means the police will likely come up with nothing. With their involvement, there’s a higher probability of a leak to the press.”
His tone became clipped, his expression closed. “My family dislikes publicity. With my sister’s recent wedding, and my brothers’ engagement announcements appearing in the papers, there’s been a renewed interest in our history. My firm is on the verge of landing another sensitive contract with the Pentagon, and the last thing I need are new rumors about my family serving as news fodder to ratchet up slow ratings.”
That was, she supposed, a reasonable enough explanation. Her brief foray into the Corbett family, the Dallas Corbetts—distinguished from the Houston Corbetts primarily by their bank accounts and penchant for social climbing—had taught her that wealthy people had an aversion to publicity. Unless, of course, it involved them handing over a very large check to a suitable charity.
“Let’s talk about your brothers and sister for a minute. What do they think about this?” If she hadn’t known better, she would have believed her question took him off guard. Which was ridiculous, of course. James Tremaine wouldn’t be a man to entertain self-doubts.
“I’d rather not have to tell them,” he said finally. “My sister and her new husband are just settling into married life. My brothers are both in the process of planning their weddings. Raking all this up again is bound to be painful, and in the long run will probably be for nothing. I’d like to spare them that if I can.”
She wondered if they would thank him for that, and thought probably not. But his protectiveness of his family warmed something inside her. She could respect a man who looked out for his loved ones, even if his tactics weren’t appreciated.
Glancing back down at the notes, she observed, “These could have just been sent by someone looking to hose you, you know.”
“You’re most likely correct. But if that’s true, the sender will find that I’m not, as you put it so eloquently, easily hosed. I won’t give in to blackmail.”
She almost grinned. There may be a hint of humor beneath all that tailoring, after all. And she didn’t doubt his words. He wouldn’t be an easy mark, which meant that the sender had grossly underestimated him. Or else was holding something back that would yet prove truly compelling.
As if reading her thoughts, he said, “The only note that interests me is the one about my parents’ accident. I’m not going to pay for any information that this person has, if it comes to that. That’s what you’re for. By reconstructing the investigation into their deaths, you should be able to answer any questions about what really happened.”
During his speech, the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped ten degrees. She decided it was due to the chill in his voice. “And what if I find out there was more to their deaths than was ever reported? What then?”
His smile was as brilliant and lethal as a keen-edged blade. “Then…justice.”
She stared at him while a shiver snaked over her skin. Something about the way he said the word leeched it of its nobility and instilled it with a sense of deadly purpose. “I won’t do anything illegal.” For the first time, it seemed prudent to point that out. “I’ll use every avenue at my disposal and take advantage of every possible lead, sometimes utilizing unconventional methods. But I’ll do it all within the boundaries of the law of Louisiana.”
“Of course. I’d expect nothing less.” His tone was normal, making her believe she might have misinterpreted it a moment ago. Except the gooseflesh on her arms was still raised, and her nape was still prickling. “With any luck you can have this thing wrapped up shortly, and we can both go about our lives. I’ll contact you tomorrow.” He approached her, pausing by her chair.
Slowly she rose, sliding the briefcase to the floor. “Tomorrow?”
“When I messenger over the contract and file that you requested.”
“Ah. Yes.” Her tongue suddenly thick, she resisted the urge to wipe her palms on her khakis. He was standing a little too close, as near as he’d been when she’d turned around on that ladder and found herself almost in his arms. Close enough to have her marveling at the deep blue of his eyes, but retaining enough of her scattered senses to wonder at the secrets behind them.
“To our partnership, Ms. Corbett, as brief as it may be.”
Her hand raised of its own volition. “To our partnership.” His hand engulfed hers. It suited her to blame the skip in her pulse on static electricity. But try as she might, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d just made a pact with a very sophisticated, very charming devil.
The plaintive cornet of Bix Beiderbecke wailed from the portable CD Tori had carried into the attic. The blues music provided a perfect backdrop for the task at hand. With resignation layering the ache in her heart, she scanned the contents of the space and wondered where in the world to start.
Rob Landry had been an undisputed pack rat, and she didn’t doubt that he’d saved more than he’d ever thrown out. Furniture was heaped and shoved into one corner, and overflowing boxes teetered in precarious towers, threatening imminent collapse. There were stacks of newspapers, neatly bundled and piled haphazardly almost to the ceiling beams. Why they’d been important enough to keep was beyond her, but then her dad had been the type to let junk mail accumulate, too, until she came in and tossed it. The man had been able to figure every angle of a case and work a source like a master, but hadn’t been able to part with a single scrap of paper.
The memory made her lips curve and her eyes mist. The pain twisted just a bit, leaving a wound that she knew from experience would throb for some time. Cancer had stolen both of her parents now. First her mother, and now her beloved dad, who had seemed so indestructible. Right up until that day three months earlier when the pain he’d passed off as indigestion had been diagnosed as something a