Читать книгу Key Witness - Christy Barritt - Страница 12

THREE

Denton saw Elle shiver as his words settled on her. He’d found that being direct was always the best tactic, especially in life-or-death situations. But he hated to see a woman frightened. He especially hated to see Elle frightened.

Elle seemed to brush off her chills as she grabbed a briefcase and leather jacket. “No need to dwell on that too long right now.” She nodded toward the front door. “Let’s go.”

Denton placed a hand on her back as they walked outside into the early autumn day. “I’m driving.”

“Bodyguard and chauffeur? So much for trying to live like a normal person.”

“I aim to please.”

The whiff of her flowery perfume drifted to him on the October breeze. He recognized the scent from their talks at the bank. It was just one thing he enjoyed about running into her each week. That, her smile and her subdued wit.

He directed her to his black SUV, opened the door and waited as she climbed inside before jogging around to the driver’s side. They were the last of the entourage to leave. As he started down the driveway, Elle waved at a guard stationed by a gate at the front of their house.

“Pull over a minute.”

Denton did as directed. She rolled down her window and smiled at the guard, a man probably in his early fifties with an almost completely bald head. “Happy birthday, Jimmy.”

“You remembered. You’re one in a million, Ms. Philips.” The guard grinned, obviously pleased at the attention. His grin faded, though. “Your father told me about everything that happened. You be careful, now.”

“Don’t worry. My father put the best on the job.” She nodded toward Denton.

Jimmy glanced at him, and Denton raised his chin, glad his sunglasses concealed his examination of the man. He appeared affable enough and truly seemed to adore Elle, in an almost fatherly way. Right now, though, Denton had to be suspicious of everyone.

“Take care of her, sir. The world would be a sad place without her.”

“I plan on doing just that.”

They pulled away, traveling down a lone country road that led away from the senator’s estate. Elle stared pensively out the window as they rolled along. “You know where you’re going?”

“The Virginia Beach Convention Center. The last of the debates between your father and his political challenger. About five thousand people are expected to come for the event, which will be televised on two of the three major networks and broadcasted to viewers in Virginia.”

The perfect opportunity if someone wanted to show themselves and make a statement, Denton thought. His only security detail was protecting Elle, he reminded himself. There were other law enforcement officers there in charge of providing security for the event itself. The fact that Senator Philips would be there meant amped-up security in general.

Senator Philips seemed nice enough, in a politician sort of way. He was warm, the kind of man you might want to kick back with for hot dogs and a baseball game. He was obviously affectionate toward his daughter. But Denton had always believed that charm could be deceptive and, for that reason, Denton remained cautious around the man. That charm had gotten Senator Philips elected, but it was his ability to manipulate situations that had kept him in office.

“It sounds like you’ve done your homework.”

“Don’t expect—or accept—anything less.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t.” Her grin softened her words a bit.

Denton glanced over at Elle. “So you’re the campaign manager for your father.”

“I am. You didn’t know that when you befriended me at the bank?”

“I just thought you were intriguing. I never expected to be your bodyguard or realized that I’d worked with your father in the past. He kept his family private. I was surprised he even approved of someone doing an article about you.” Some aspects of the senator’s family life were public—and purposely so. But many details were still kept as limited as possible, especially where Elle was concerned.

“The article was my idea. My father has had some rumors floating around about him recently, rumors that make him seem less than likable. I wanted to bring some positive PR to his campaign and make him seem more like a family man.”

“You mean instead of a womanizer?”

She blanched. “Yes. I thought if people could see the part of my father that I saw, maybe he could gain an even bigger lead in the polls. My father was actually against it, truth be known.”

“It was a nice article.” It confirmed most of what he’d already assumed about her. She was smart, talented, beautiful and accomplished. “You’re a former Miss Virginia, huh? Can you do the beauty pageant wave for me?”

She smiled and humored him with a little wave. He liked seeing the goofy side of her instead of the always poised woman that she liked to present herself as.

He chuckled. “That factoid did surprise me. I didn’t see you as the beauty pageant type.”

“I’m not. My parents encouraged me to do it. They said it would look nice on my résumé and give me good experience. And I agree. It accomplished those things.”

He glanced in his rearview mirror, checking to see if anyone was tailing them. Nothing suspicious caught his eye, but he still needed to remain on guard. Always watching, observing, calculating what-ifs.

“Is everything okay?” Elle’s facade cracked a moment as her worry showed through.

“Everything’s fine. I just have to keep my eyes open.”

“It could have been an idle threat.”

“Could be.”

“But it might not be.”

“Exactly.”

She sighed, her shoulders slacking ever so slightly. “Don’t people have better things to do than to scare or harm others? It makes no sense to me.”

“Don’t try to understand evil. It’s useless.”

“You’re right. I guess I shouldn’t even try. It’s just—why would someone steal money instead of simply working for it? Don’t people have enough to worry about in their own lives rather than making other people miserable?”

“I’d venture to say that most criminals aren’t psychopaths. These men most likely have a motive behind what they’re doing, a reason they’re using to justify their actions. It could be the money—maybe they feel entitled, think that they deserve more than they have—or they could be trying to make a statement of some sort.”

“Make a statement, huh? What kind of statement would they be trying to make with threatening me?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

“You mentioned your team of profilers earlier, but I cut you off. What did your team conclude?”

“One of the subjects is the dominant personality and the other is submissive. The dominant’s emotions were tightly under control, while the submissive was taken by surprise by the murder. But even though the second subject seemed in the dark, we believe the crime was well thought-out, the murder perhaps even preplanned.”

“Impressive. And chilling.”

“The police are working the case right now. They’re looking at video feeds from everywhere around the area.”

“Did the K-9 unit turn up anything?”

“No, they lost the scent at about a block away. The suspects probably jumped into a getaway car.”

“Does that mean there are three? A driver also?”

“There’s always that chance.”

“This isn’t good.”

Denton shook his head, wishing he could comfort her. But he couldn’t. “You’re right. It’s not. But I’m not going to let you out of my sight until these guys are arrested.”

* * *

Elle stood backstage, her arms folded over her chest as she watched the debate from the sidelines. Her dad had answered every question with educated, reasoned responses, even combining some humor into the mix. He had this election in the bag...at least, she hoped.

These threats against her had her unnerved enough. Then throw Mark Denton into the mix and she felt even more uneasy. Not because she didn’t trust Denton—the opposite, in fact. She felt more drawn to the man than to anyone in a long time. But there was no room in her life to play with the idea of romance.

Not only was she incredibly busy with the campaign, but her last relationship had completely shattered her trust in men. When she and Denton had innocently flirted at the bank, that had been one thing. But now she was going to be forced to work with the man for...how long? Who knew?

The man was handsome—too handsome for his own good, probably. He had a rakish grin that Elle was sure women swooned over. Not Elle, of course. His build was solid and muscular, and he stood at least six feet tall, maybe taller, with brown eyes that could melt the coldest of hearts—except Elle’s. The man was confident, charming and he didn’t take himself too seriously. He knew how to work a room and how to handle himself in a tense situation. He’d proven that. And Elle had always been a sucker for men like that.

But she couldn’t be now. Not anymore. Not since Preston had taken every piece of trust she had for men and shredded it like yesterday’s paperwork. Men were not trustworthy, and she had no trust to give. End of story. The one thing she feared in life was failing and letting people down. When things had ended with Preston, she’d let herself down. The humiliation and shame she felt afterward had solidified her resolve to stay single—forever, if necessary.

Denton stood beside her, his gaze scanning the crowds just as he’d been doing since they’d arrived. The person who’d sent her that email wasn’t here tonight...or was he?

She prayed that the police would figure out the men’s identities and quickly so she could resume life and focus on other, more important things.

Her best friend, Brianna, shimmied up beside her and leaned close. “Who’s your escort?”

“He’s...no one. I’ll explain later. Long story.”

Brianna raised her eyebrows, her eyes twinkling. “I can’t wait to hear.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what’s it like?”

“Someone’s threatened me.”

“If someone threatens me, will I be forced to have someone who looks like him follow my every move? If so, bring on the threats.”

“Brianna!” Elle scolded. “This is serious.”

The sparkle left her friend’s eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry to make light of it. Are you going to be okay?”

“She’s going to be fine.” Elle looked up and saw Denton glance at Brianna, the corner of his mouth curled. Apparently he’d heard their conversation.

At least Brianna had the decency to blush a little.

Bentley Davis, her father’s chief-of-staff, bustled toward them. “The debate’s wrapping up. You ready for the reception afterward with our campaign donors?”

Elle nodded. “Of course. I confirmed the audio setup and the catering this morning. Everything’s in place.”

“Perfect. I left a few more pledge cards in the dressing room. Some people aren’t comfortable leaving any of their information online. Makes more work for us, though.”

“It’s no problem. I’ll have Brianna enter the information.” Bentley was always so concerned with his to-do list that he often turned people away with his off-putting manner. Elle prayed she’d never get so wrapped up in her goals that she forgot about the people around her.

As the debate ended, Elle turned to Denton. “Let me grab my things. The reception is in one of the conference rooms down the hall.”

He didn’t miss a beat as he fell into step beside her. “I’m coming with you.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

Denton stayed close as they wove between people toward the dressing room. She had to admit—she felt safe with him nearby and, even without knowing a lot about him, she already trusted his competence and skill.

Elle’s conversation with Brianna fluttered through her mind. She glanced over at Denton. “By the way, I apologize for my assistant earlier. She’s always been the one who speaks before she thinks.”

“No apologies necessary. She’s your assistant?”

“As of two months ago she became my assistant. Before that, she was simply my best friend.”

“Your best friend now works for you? Sounds like an interesting dynamic.”

“She and her husband just split, and she’s having trouble making ends meet right now. I needed an assistant so I hired her. It seems like a win-win...for now, at least.”

“I see.” He paused for a second. “Tell me more about Bentley Davis.”

Elle’s gaze cut to him, but she didn’t slow her steps. “Bentley? He’s worked with my dad for years, ever since Dad was a judge. Why do you ask?”

“Until we know who’s behind these threats, everyone is a suspect.”

“Even Bentley? He’s quite annoying sometimes, but truly harmless.” She pushed into the dressing room and spotted the papers atop her soft-as-butter leather briefcase. “Besides, if he’d been one of the robbers, I think I would have recognized him. They were strangers, remember?”

“Remember that things aren’t always as they seem, Elle. And there could be a third person involved, someone you never saw or heard. Everything that happened yesterday could have been a ruse for something bigger. There are a lot of unknowns right now.”

“I have a hard time believing anything other than that my involvement in this whole thing is random. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“Let me decide that.”

She flipped through the correspondence with one hand while she grabbed her briefcase with the other hand and swung it over her shoulder.

“Anything good?”

“Any support of my father’s campaign is good.” She glanced up and smiled. “But yes, there are some pledges in here that look promising.”

She paused when she got to a sealed envelope. Why hadn’t Bentley opened this one? She slid her fingernail through the paper and pulled out a card. She sucked in a breath, noting that this wasn’t their normal correspondence.

“What is it?” Denton’s hand covered hers.

She dropped the papers from her hands. They scattered across the floor as Elle backed away.

“Elle?”

She pointed at the floor. “There are pictures of me. From this morning.” Reading on her laptop inside the sunroom. Drinking coffee by the window. Sitting pensively on the porch.

Denton picked one up. “Pictures? How did someone get pictures?”

“There was a message, too, Denton, stuck on a sticky note.”

“What did it say?”

Terror seemed to freeze her expression, make her unable to move. “It said that ‘Agony awaits.’”

* * *

“Is it really necessary for me to leave right now? Can’t I just make an appearance at the reception?”

Denton kept a firm grip on her arm as he led her toward a door at the back of the building. “More than necessary. You do understand that the person who’s threatening you was—maybe still is—here tonight, don’t you?”

She nodded, her eyes dazed. “I do, but...” She paused from her distress to shake hands with a few people who tried to chat with her about the debate. Denton urged her onward. Once she escaped from the crowd’s grasp, she looked up at him. “I don’t know what to think right now. This is just crazy.”

“The police are going to search for any evidence here. They’re sending me the security tapes so we can see who’s been in and out of your dressing room. No one, other than authorized personnel, should have had access to that area, though. I want to know how someone got back there.”

“You need to talk to Bentley.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I will. Just as soon as I know you’re safe. Which, right now, you’re not.” He pushed open the door and cool nighttime air hit them. He did a quick examination of the area outside to make sure everything was clear. Just as they stepped onto the sidewalk, a black SUV pulled to a stop and one of his agents stepped out.

Denton led Elle to the backseat, opened the door and gently prodded her inside. He climbed into the front seat and did another scan of the area for danger. Nothing appeared out of place. Without wasting any more time, he pulled away.

Elle leaned between the two front seats. “Who was that who drove the SUV to the door?”

“Sit back and put on your seat belt. And that was one of my men.”

Her harness clicked in place. “You had some of your men at the event tonight? I thought my father only hired you?”

“He did. But I always plan for the worst. It’s a good thing I did.”

The suburbs and strip malls of Virginia Beach blurred past them as Denton escorted Elle away from the Convention Center. He let silence fall while the reality of the situation sank in for Elle.

The person behind these threats was brave. Coming to an event like this and sneaking into Elle’s dressing room where they could easily be caught showed a lot of brazenness. The suspect was clearly bent on making Elle shake in her boots. But despite the threats, Denton would make sure that all this ended well. He’d see to it that nothing happened to Elle.

“Where are we going?” Elle’s voice sounded quieter than usual as it drifted from the backseat.

“To your parents’ house.”

“But they took pictures of me there. Is it safe to go back?”

“Those pictures were taken with a telephoto lens. Most likely, the photographer wasn’t even on your father’s property—not directly, at least—when those pictures were snapped. My men are going to canvas the perimeter tonight. We’re stepping up security.”

Silence stretched for a moment, until Elle finally whispered, “Denton, I’m scared.”

He softened his voice. “I know, Elle. Let me do the worrying, okay? That’s my job.”

In the rearview mirror, Denton saw her nod, but her eyes didn’t look convinced. She hunkered down in the backseat, just as he ordered. He glanced in his rearview mirror again, this time at the road behind them. Though it was dark outside and an array of headlights glared behind them, his gut told him they were being followed.

He watched the vehicle behind them, noting that it was keeping pace with them at a close clip. He needed to figure out if they were being tailed. He switched lanes and noticed the vehicle behind them did, also.

“Your seat belt is on, right?”

“Of course. Why?”

“Because this ride is going to get a little crazy.” He pushed on the accelerator and shot into the right lane of the interstate, swerving onto an exit ramp.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m making sure we’re not being followed. Stay down.”

Elle’s eyes widened just before she disappeared behind the seat. His gaze went to the rearview mirror again. The headlights were still there.

He zipped down the right lane of the highway. The vehicle behind them was so close now that Denton couldn’t even see the headlights except for the rays that illuminated up from his bumper.

A red light waited ahead. He couldn’t stop. Not now.

As the intersection approached, he didn’t slow. He remained in the right lane, prepared to turn. When he reached the cross road, he jerked the steering wheel to the left, narrowly missing the oncoming traffic. Horns blared. Tires skidded. People yelled.

But everyone was safe. For the moment, at least.

Elle’s high-pitched voice rose in the backseat. “What are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed?”

Denton watched as the SUV behind him threw on the brakes then skidded to the right.

Denton breathed easier. He’d lost them. For now. It would only be a matter of time before those men found Elle again.

Would they be this lucky next time?