Читать книгу Parallel Lies - Kate Donovan - Страница 11

Hurrying past the baby grand piano that dominated the music room, Sabrina opened a set of louvered closet doors on the far wall. A brass chest filled with sheet music was sitting right in front of her, just as it had been during her childhood. Inching the chest aside, she knelt and ran her fingertip along the rim of a large black knot in the oak flooring. Years of wax had sealed the knot firmly into place, but she was able to loosen it with the blade from her pocketknife.

Prying the lump of wood free, she pressed her ear against the floor and heard voices, courtesy of the tiny tunnels she and her sister had poked through the various layers of insulation and Sheetrock that separated the music room floor from the ceiling of the study.

Zack’s tone was predictably strident. “I get the point, boss. I was rude. I’ll apologize to her as soon as I get the chance. But in the meantime, I need to start looking for the other one. Assuming the lecture is officially over.”

“As long as we’re clear,” Theo replied. “I want you to treat her with kid gloves from now on.”

“Done. But spare me the concerned-uncle act. You aren’t worried about Sully’s kid. You’re just worried she’ll share secrets with Derringer that might hurt the company—”

“That’s not true! I love those girls. Their father was my best friend. And they—all three of them—were the only family I ever really had.”

“Sully was family to me, too,” Zack reminded him.

“Like a father,” Theo agreed. “And Derringer was like a brother, right up till the time he betrayed your trust. If anyone’s motives here are suspect, I’d say yours are.”

There was a moment of silence, then Theo spoke again, this time in a conciliatory tone. “I have complete confidence in your ability to find Michelle, Zack. How do you plan to go about it?”

“My crew can check the airports, et cetera. See if there are any reservations in her name or activity on her passport. I’ll head up to Sac tonight to check out her place. Maybe I can find something to show where they headed.”

“Sounds good.”

“Before I go, I want to hypnotize Sabrina—”

“That’s out of the question.”

“Huh? Why? It’s our best source of information. If she can remember what John was trying to dig out of her memory—”

“That girl is already miserable. I’m not going to let you go on a fishing expedition in her brain. That’s final.”

“If she agrees—”

“I said it’s final,” Theo retorted. “Find Michelle some other way. Not at the expense of Breezie’s sanity. Period.”

Sabrina could easily imagine the angry expression on Zack’s face at that moment. And while she was grateful to her uncle for trying to protect her, she agreed that her memory was the best clue available to them. Zack had to use it.

But Zack was obviously a zealot—and a hothead—so she was also glad Theo would be there during the hypnosis to protect her from his employee’s excesses.

When the zealot finally spoke, his words were clipped and measured. “When this is over, you and I are gonna have a long talk. Either I’m running Perimeter or I’m not.”

“You’re running it. But it’s my company. And I want Sabrina treated with kid gloves. Marietta can feed her and pamper her and I’ll reminisce with her about Sully.”

“You should show her the funeral video,” Zack murmured. “I always thought it was a shame his kids missed that eulogy you gave him.” Clearing his throat, he added more briskly, “We can postpone the London job for a few weeks, right? I need my full crew here if I’m going to find Michelle before Derringer’s done with her.”

“Of course. I’ll make sure the client understands,” Theo promised. “That leaves the birthday party in Dallas on Friday night, which can not be postponed. You know as well as I do that that particular client will never understand.”

“We’ll find the little sister before then. Or I’ll send Connor to Dallas—”

“No way,” Theo interrupted. “Our reputation stands or falls with our ability to please King Dominik. I need you there. That’s not negotiable.”

“It’s not an issue,” Zack said, his tone sharp with exasperation. “Just keep Sabrina out of my hair. I get the feeling she wants to play with the big boys, and ordinarily, it would be fun to watch her try. But I don’t have time for games.”

“She’s not exactly a civilian,” Theo reminded him. “Sully started training her before she could walk. I’ll never forget some of the crazy exercises he put her through.”

“Kid stuff. She never went out on a job, did she? And she’s been a million miles away from Sully’s world—teaching school kids how to tie their shoes—for the last five years.”

“She’s no ordinary schoolteacher. Read the reports. She never misses a Saturday at the pistol range. And she runs three miles every morning.”

“She’s in great shape,” Zack admitted. “The legs alone are gold standard. But this job’s too dangerous for an amateur. Aren’t you the one who said she needs to be pampered?”

“Sabrina will stay here,” Theo agreed. “You’ll take the lead on finding Michelle. But if you haven’t succeeded by Friday, we turn the assignment over to Connor so you can go to Dallas. No arguments.”

Zack’s laugh was gently mocking. “So much for the concerned-uncle routine.”

“Forgive me if I don’t want to see the company go down the tubes again, like it did when Sully died.”

“You mean, like it did when the daughters ran off with half the money and all of the cachet?” Zack chuckled again. “You’re a hypocrite, Theo. Making it seem like I’m the bad guy, when you resent them as much as I do. Probably more.”

“This conversation is over. Just review the faxes until Breezie gets back. Where is she, anyway?”

Grimacing, Sabrina plugged the knot back into its hole, then jumped to her feet and slid the brass chest into place, taking care not to make any noise. After making a quick stop in the bathroom, she rejoined the men in the study.

“There’s my girl! Feeling any better?”

“I’m fine, thanks. Are those the faxes?” She shuffled through a handful of grainy images, mostly of Johnny arriving at or departing from Shelby’s house, day in and day out for almost two weeks straight. “Unbelievable.”

“Tell me about it,” Zack drawled. “This guy comes and goes at will, and Connor’s crew just sits there and takes pictures.”

“It’s no one’s fault,” Theo interrupted. “Let’s just deal with the situation as it stands now, shall we?”

“Speaking of which, I was thinking…” Sabrina pursed her lips, feigning casual inspiration. “Maybe you should try to hypnotize me.”

Zack’s green eyes widened with surprise. Then he turned to Theo. “Interesting idea, don’t you think?”

Theo scowled. “Hypnosis is serious business, Breezie. You’re too upset right now to be a proper candidate. Maybe later—”

“I insist, Uncle Theo. It’s the quickest way to find out what Johnny wants from us. Once we know that, we’ll be in a better position to guess where he took Shelby.” When Theo hesitated, she repeated firmly, “I insist. If you refuse, I’ll pay a psychologist to do it.”

“It’s settled then.” Zack’s smile was triumphant. “We’ll go easy on you, I promise. Just a quick in and out. Two, three questions tops.”

Sabrina shook her head. “Take your time. Like I said, this is our best resource, so don’t be afraid to use it.”

Theo seemed unconvinced. “We don’t need to do it right away, do we? I want you to relax and eat some lunch first.”

Sabrina laughed. “What’s the point? I’ll just vomit it up. Remember?”

“Whoa!” Zack shook his head. “We aren’t using DT3 on you. Just conventional hypnosis.”

“But—”

“Do you have to argue about everything?” he asked, adding more reasonably, “DT3 is designed for an unwilling subject. You’re submitting to the process willingly, so we don’t need it.”

“But—”

“Zack’s right, Sabrina,” Theo interrupted. “We don’t need it. And given the intensity of your allergic reaction last time, another dose could send you into shock.”

She grimaced. “Really?”

“It’s settled,” Zack said, pulling out his cell phone. “You two have some lunch—and a nice visit—while I make some calls. I want to check for activity at the airports, particularly on Shelby’s passport.”

Sabrina remembered the men’s conversation about the videotape of her father’s funeral. She really wanted to hear that eulogy Zack had raved about, so she decided to jog her uncle’s memory. “Do you have any pictures of Dad? I’d love to reminisce a little.”

“Of course!” Theo exclaimed. “And I want to show you the funeral video, too. I’m glad you reminded me.”

Zack’s attention instantly refocused on Sabrina, his eyes narrowing, and she knew she had made a strategic mistake.

Then his gaze shifted—from her face up toward the ceiling, then back again—and she knew he was on to her. Confirming the suspicion, he spun around and stalked out of the study.

“What set him off?” Theo demanded.

Sabrina gave an innocent shrug. “He’s a hothead, remember?”

“I’m sorry he talked to you the way he did, Breezie. In his defense, he was a die-hard fan of your father’s.”

“You said Dad recruited him? And also Johnny?”

“Yes. Connor, too, actually. They were all friends at one time. The future of Perimeter, according to Sully. Strange, isn’t it?”

Sabrina nodded, but her attention was focused on the room above her head. There was no noise. No sound of a brass trunk being pushed aside. Maybe Zack hadn’t figured it out after all.

Then he strode back into the room, as quickly as he had left, and tossed the knot of oak into her hands. “Here’s a souvenir. Sebastian’s getting his saw as we speak, so your eavesdropping days are over.”

Sabrina struggled not to smile as Theo asked his employee, “What are you talking about?”

“Believe me, boss, you’d rather not know.” Zack arched a teasing eyebrow in Sabrina’s direction. “How old were you when it started?”

“Seven. But Shell was only five. She’s the one who did the drilling.”

He laughed. “Derringer better watch his step.”

“Believe it.”

Theo glared at them. “Did I miss something?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Sabrina patted his arm. “Meanwhile, I’m anxious to get started on the hypnosis. Do you mind if we do it before lunch?”

“Works for me,” Zack agreed. “The sooner I hit the road, the sooner I can search your sister’s place and pick up Derringer’s trail.”

“I’m coming with you,” Sabrina told him.

“No way. You’re safest here.”

“I don’t want to be safe. I want to find my sister. I can do it with you. Or I can do it alone.”

“If Derringer can’t get what he wants from Michelle, he’ll come after you. You’re safest here.”

“With your crackerjack security? Give me a break.” She shook her head. “There’s nothing in Sacramento anyway. I searched Shell’s house from top to bottom. If we’re going to find a clue, it’s through Derringer.” She turned to Theo. “I need to see everything you have on him. He worked for Perimeter, right? That means there are employment files. Background checks. References. Every shred of information.” To Zack she added cheerfully, “I bet I find him before you do.”

“You already had him, remember? Standing right in your living room.”

“Because your staff let him walk right up to my front porch.”

“But you let him in. What happened to your so-called training? You fell for the oldest trick in the book—a lost cat. So lose the attitude, would you? We’re just trying to help.”

Sabrina turned away, stung by the truth. It was the oldest trick in the book.

Johnny had stood there on the porch, with that radiant smile and hunky broad shoulders, and all her training had flown out the window. That was the part she hadn’t shared with Theo and Zack, although Zack had clearly picked up on it. She had been instantly attracted to Johnny, for reasons that had nothing to do with Zorro’s leg. Her lonely body had reacted to the handsome stranger like a child reacts to Christmas.

“Hey.” Zack came up behind her. “I was out of line. Again. Sorry.”

“You were right,” she countered, turning to grace him with a cool smile. “I thought he was the world’s greatest guy. Apparently you did, too. Best friends—almost like brothers, right? Dad liked him enough to hire him. Uncle Theo trusted him enough to send him to the Canary Islands to guard our most valuable client.

“We were all conned by him,” she finished with a flourish. “So let’s just move on. Hypnotize me now and get it over with. Then you can hit the road.”

“Maybe you should just leave now, Zack.” Theo gave his employee a withering look as he patted Sabrina’s arm. “I can hypnotize Sabrina myself. If we learn anything of value, we’ll call you.”

Zack spoke between clenched jaw muscles. “I have the most training. And we both know you’ll go too easy on her. What’s the point?”

Theo shrugged. “To be successful, she has to be relaxed. And she has to trust the hypnotist. I don’t see that happening with you here.”

“I want Zack to do it, Uncle Theo.” Sabrina touched her host’s cheek to soften the interruption. “He’s right. You would be too careful. We have to be thorough, for Shell’s sake.”

Theo shrugged again. “I want to okay the list of questions then—”

“No way,” Zack said with a growl.

“I agree,” Sabrina murmured. “He needs to follow his instincts. That’s what Dad would say if he were here, right?” Turning to Zack, she insisted cheerfully, “Let’s do it.”

“One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-seven…ninety-two… three…” Sabrina yawned, losing interest in the numbers as she succumbed to an uncharacteristic feeling of peace and tranquility.

“Sabrina Sullivan?”

“Yes?”

“How do you feel?”

“I feel good.”

“Good.” Zack cleared his throat. “I’m going to ask you a few questions. Just do your best, okay?”

“Okay.”

“If you start feeling uncomfortable—for any reason—just let me know and I’ll wake you up. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good. Now tell me about John Derringer.”

“Johnny?”

“Right.”

She sighed. “I liked him. A lot. Now I hate him.”

“He has that effect on everyone,” Zack assured her. “Do you remember talking to Johnny the way you’re talking to me now? In this kind of a mood? Calm like this?”

“I don’t know.” She squirmed in her chair. “I don’t remember.”

“Johnny gave you some instructions. Do you remember that?”

“I don’t know.”

“He told you to forget about your little chat with him. And you forgot it, just like he told you to do. That was good, Sabrina. But now I want you to try and remember what he said. Just a few words. Can you do that for me?”

She shook her head. “I don’t remember any words.”

“Okay, shh. It’s fine. Let’s talk about your sister for a few minutes instead. Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want me to call her Michelle? Or Shelby?”

“Her name is Shelby now.”

“Okay, that’s fine. When Shelby talked to you about Johnny, did she mention what they talked about?”

“Everything.”

“Right. Everything. But did she mention anything specifically? Do you think he asked about your father?”

“Dad?”

“Right. Did Johnny talk to Shelby about him?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did Johnny ever ask you about him?”

“I don’t remember! I don’t want to talk about Johnny.”

“That’s fine. We won’t talk about him anymore. Let’s talk about your father instead. Would you like that?”

“Yes.”

“Did he ever talk to you the way I’m talking to you now?”

Sabrina nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay, good. Do you remember what he talked to you about?”

“We talked about Shell,” Sabrina murmured.

“What did he say about your sister?”

“He told me to protect her, because I’m the oldest. It’s my mission,” she added proudly.

Zack laughed. “How old are you right now?”

“I’m nine.”

“Did your father tell you anything else? Maybe when you were older? Did he share secrets with you when he talked to you this way?”

“No. He just told me to protect Shell. But I didn’t,” she admitted unhappily. “I let a bad man take her away.”

“Sabrina, listen to me. I don’t want you to think about that right now. Do you understand? I want you to think about Theo Howell.”

She felt the sense of calm return. “Uncle Theo?”

“Right. How do you feel about him?”

“I love him.”

“Do you have any other feelings? Feelings you can’t explain? Any desire to hurt him that confuses you?”

“Hurt him?” She shook her head. “No. Never.”

“And what about Perimeter? Do you want to destroy it?”

“No.”

“Do you want to hurt anyone?”

“Yes.”

“Who do you want to hurt?”

“I want to hurt Adonis Zenner. I want to kill him.”

“Okay, shh. That’s fine. What about Johnny? Do you want to kill him?”

“I don’t know.”

“You told me you hate him. But you don’t want to hurt him?”

“I want to find him,” she explained carefully. “And I want to pay him back for taking my sister. But I don’t want to kill him unless he makes me do it.”

“Okay, I understand,” Zack said, his tone soothing. “You hate him and you want to find him.”

“Yes.”

“Do you trust him?”

“I don’t trust anyone but myself. And Shelby.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“No.”

“You let me hypnotize you. That means you trust me a little, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know.”

“You trust Uncle Theo, don’t you?”

“Sometimes.”

“Okay, Sabrina.” Zack’s voice was steady and inspiring. “You did great. I’m going to wake you up now. Okay?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll count to five, and when you hear me say ‘five,’ you’ll wake up. Is that clear?”

“Yes.”

“When you wake up, you’ll remember everything we’ve said. But it won’t upset you. You’ll feel refreshed. Rested. Is that clear?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’m going to count now. On five, you’ll wake up. One, two, three, four, five.”

Sabrina stirred and opened her eyes, then smiled sheepishly. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Zack’s green eyes were twinkling. “You did great.”

“I didn’t remember anything Johnny said.”

“He made you forget the session. But it seems like that’s all he managed to accomplish. Your subconscious must have really resisted him.”

Sabrina sighed. “You were right about Dad. He really did hypnotize me when I was a kid. I don’t know why that bothers me, but it does.”

“Seems pretty harmless. He just wanted you to look out for your baby sister.” Zack’s smile widened. “You must’ve been a cute kid. Calling it your mission.”

“That’s how it was with Dad. He made everything so much fun and dramatic. Life and death. But still just a game. I loved it. Then everything changed.”

“When Adonis killed him.”

She nodded. “And now Shelby’s in danger because of her connection to Dad’s past. It’s so creepy to think of Johnny alone with her, hypnotizing her at will. Making her do things. Reveal things. Forget things.” She cocked her head to the side. “If you could use DT3 on me, could you make me remember what Johnny was searching for in my head?”

“Theoretically,” Zack admitted. “He gave you a post-trance suggestion to forget the whole session. With DT3, I could counteract that, unless he password-protected it. Then it would take more time and some serious hacking.”

Sabrina winced at the harsh term, even though she realized he only meant it in the computer sense. “So if Dad did that—hid information in our heads and protected it with a password—Johnny could be trying to hack into that? That would explain why it’s taking him so long, right?”

“It’s a possibility,” Zack confirmed. “But it doesn’t seem like Sully did anything like that to you. And since you’re the oldest, it’s logical he would have hidden it in your head, not Shelby’s.”

“That makes sense.”

Zack nodded. “My guess is, John’s after a simple memory. But it’s taking time—not because it’s password-protected, but because he’s fishing for it. Maybe he doesn’t know exactly when the event happened, for example. So he’s regressing her, probing, that sort of thing. Zeroing in on it, but it’s taking some time.”

“I like that better than the hacking scenario,” Sabrina admitted. “Do you think he’ll let her go once he gets what he wants?”

Zack hesitated. “I guess that depends on his ultimate agenda. And what shape she’s in by then, mentally and otherwise. I just hope she still believes it’s a romantic getaway. If she figures out what’s going on, or if he stops pretending to care about her, she’ll be scared.”

“If she figures out what’s going on, she’ll try to escape,” Sabrina countered. When Zack gave a skeptical shrug, she smiled. “I hope Derringer underestimates her the same way you do. That gives her a strategic advantage.”

“The only strategic advantage we have is time. He doesn’t know about the second message she left you, so he thinks he has three more days before you get suspicious. We need to use every minute, so I’m outta here.” He handed Sabrina the stack of reports from Connor. “Find me the picture that looks the most like Shelby. I want to circulate it to my crew.”

“I brought a great photo of her with me, just in case. It’s in the trunk of my car.”

“Good. You two girls change hair color so often, it’s tough to keep track.”

She bristled at the implied criticism. “We went brunette at RAP’s suggestion. But over the years, we gradually phased back to blond.” Fingering a lock of her own hair, she explained, “This is our natural color. Shelby’s is the same, only longer, and with some added highlights, so it’s a little blonder.”

He pulled out a notebook and pen. “Height? Weight? You’re taller, right?”

“Yes. She’s five-five. Probably one hundred twenty pounds. She packed for a tropical island, which means lots of pink sundresses and strappy sandals. If any witnesses saw her, they’ll remember her.” She swallowed a lump of affection and concern. “I’ll get that photo. Wait here.”

She was glad for an excuse to head outside for a gulp of fresh air. All this talk about Shelby was getting to her. Too much talk, not enough action. And all the while, Johnny was invading Shelby’s mind. Endangering her sanity. All for some nefarious, unfathomable purpose.

If only you hadn’t been allergic, she accused herself as she fumbled for her car keys. He would have taken you, and Shell would be safe.

Popping the trunk of her convertible, she quickly located the glossy photograph of her sister, and as she looked at it, the tightness returned to her throat. Shelby was so innocent. So trusting. But if she figured out what was going on—well, she was a Sullivan. Trained from the cradle to protect herself.

Could Shelby really escape from a seasoned criminal like Derringer? Sabrina wondered. Neither of them had ever really been put to the test. But she had to believe their father’s hard work hadn’t been in vain.

If only Dad were here. He’d know what to do, she told herself. As competent as Zack was beginning to seem, Sabrina still had no illusions about him. He was too young. Too temperamental. Too driven by passion. He’d do his best because of his devotion to Sully Sullivan and his hatred for Derringer. He might even be able to find Shelby in time. But would he be able to outwit Derringer once he got there?

No. That’s where Sabrina would be invaluable. She had her father’s instincts. His cool head. She had to be there when Zack made his move against Derringer. But she knew he’d try to exclude her, either to protect her or because he thought she’d get in the way.

“Which is where this little baby comes in handy,” she said out loud, pulling a black-leather shaving kit from her suitcase. Inside the kit—affectionately known as Sully Sullivan’s “bag of tricks”—was the collection of gadgets she had smuggled into RAP via Zorro’s cat carrier.

Locating a handheld computer, she dislodged the backing and retrieved a sheet of minuscule sensors. With one of these, she could easily track Zack’s movements, using the computer’s gridded screen and global positioning capabilities.

One of the tiny sensors was already missing from the sheet, having been affixed by Sabrina to the inside hood of Shelby’s car the day it was purchased. If only Johnny had used that vehicle to kidnap her sister, they could have found her in an instant.

Now she was tempted to do the same with Zack’s shiny black convertible, but if he switched to air travel, she’d lose him. She needed to attach it to something he’d carry with him at all times.

On impulse, she unhooked the gold chain she wore around her neck, then popped open the attached locket to reveal tiny photos of her mother and father. Pulling up the edge of Sully Sullivan’s smiling face, she slipped a sensor underneath, then covered it with the picture.

Just as she was double-checking her handiwork, she heard a door slam. Looking up, she saw Zack coming down the steps of the Howell mansion with an overstuffed briefcase in his hand, so she closed the trunk, then smiled and offered him the photo of Shelby. “Here it is.”

“Great.” He cleared his throat. “Before I go, I’d like to apologize. I was a jerk when you first got here, and I’m sorry.”

“Find my sister and all is forgiven. And if you see her before I do, give her this.” She held out the necklace.

Accepting it, he looked inside the locket. “Your mom? I never saw a picture of her before. You girls look a lot like her. A lot like Sully, too.”

“Take good care of it, okay?” Sabrina asked softly. “When Shelby sees it, she’ll know she can trust you.”

“Good idea.” He nodded his approval. “She might not believe she needs to be rescued, right? She’ll trust John, and be suspicious of me.”

“Right. And even if she realizes she’s been kidnapped, she’ll be suspicious of everyone. Except me. Which is why I need to be there.” She touched his arm. “Call me as soon as you get a lead, please?”

“Sure. You’ll be the first to know.” He flashed a confident smile. “I’ll check in tomorrow. In the meantime, if you think of anything else I should know, call me. Here’s my number.”

She accepted his business card, then thanked him and waved goodbye until he had roared away in his sports car.

She knew he was lying, of course. He had no intention of sharing information with her. At least, not willingly. But thanks to the global positioning device, she would track his every movement. If he got a lead on Shelby’s location, Sabrina would head there as soon as he made his move.

And in the meantime, maybe she’d find the location first.