Читать книгу Headline: Murder - Maggie K. Black - Страница 12

THREE

Heat shimmered off the highway like a mirage. The weather report had predicted dangerous thunderstorms all weekend. Olivia glanced at her cell phone. It had been about an hour and a half since she and Ricky had left Toronto and started north, and her cell phone signal was down to just one bar. A rundown motel and camping trailer park loomed ahead. A giant tattered clown sign told them to take the next exit for their fairground.

She shivered. “I think we turn here.”

They pulled off the rural highway onto a smaller country road. When Daniel had told her that he’d be at his house in the country until some time next week, she’d decided it was better to offer to drive up there to meet him right away, instead of telling him she might be unemployed by the time he came back to the city.

When she’d told Ricky, he’d immediately offered to drive up with her, even though she suspected he might have blown off a weekend assignment from Vince to help her. An uneasy feeling was fluttering in her chest. She hadn’t told Vince about the call from Daniel or that she was going to meet him. But Daniel had stressed he just wanted to meet for coffee to get her advice, nothing more. This wasn’t an interview. This was just coffee. Still, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that driving up to meet Daniel wasn’t really the same as slipping off to the courts in the middle of the day without telling Vince, the unsettled feeling inside her wasn’t convinced.

The thin rural road snaked past abandoned barns and ramshackle buildings, ragged from years of neglect. Broken windows peeked out from empty farmhouses. An empty strip mall loomed on her left, surrounded by a crude chained-metal barrier fence.

It was practically a ghost town.

“I can’t tell if we’re lost or not.” Ricky glanced at his cell phone. “I’ve got no signal now.”

They probably had another half hour before the sun began to set. Without streetlights there was no telling how dark this road would get. Then she saw a red-and-white awning ahead on her left next to a faded sign offering gas. A sigh of relief left her lungs.

“I think that’s it.” A bright green pickup truck sat on the edge of the gravel parking lot. There was fresh glass in the back window and bullet holes in the tailgate. “Actually, if you could pull just past the lot and park down the road a bit, that would be great.”

Ricky did so. “Everything okay?”

“Absolutely. Daniel just seemed really hesitant about whatever he wants to talk to me about. He must have stressed three times that this was going to be nothing more than a casual chat over coffee, and that this needed to be private. So I don’t want to spook him by showing up with a photographer, even if you’re mostly just here as a friend.”

“Got it.” Ricky grinned. “Actually, would you be okay if I drove back down the road a bit and tried to find a cell phone signal? I’d like to call my folks. They live about half an hour north of where we turned off the highway. If that megastorm hits early, we might be able to crash there tonight instead of driving back into the city.”

Dark clouds had already started to gather at the horizon. If the storm really was as bad as forecasters feared, the road back to Toronto might even flood. Might make sense to drive north and wait until the roads reopened. But the worst of the rain wasn’t supposed to hit until well after midnight. Surely they’d be back home long before then.

“Sure, just don’t be gone too long.”

“I won’t. Just going to drive back to the creepy clown motel. Shouldn’t take me more than thirty minutes. Forty tops.”

“Sounds good.” She got out of the car and walked toward the truck stop. Humid air tickled her skin. Bells clanged gently as she stepped through the doorway. Daniel was sitting at a table by the window. He looked up and gave her a slight wave. An unexpected shiver ran down her arms. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this nervous about meeting someone for coffee.

Get hold of yourself, Olivia. This isn’t really “meeting a guy for coffee.” It’s hardly a date. He’s a potential story source and witness to a murder.

She smiled professionally and started toward him, memorizing him down to every last detail. He had broad shoulders and strong arms. His plaid shirt was faded and the top two buttons were open. Dark eyes like mocha gazed straight into hers, with a look that was friendly yet also determined not to let her too deeply inside. He was unconventionally good-looking, with the air of a man who was used to keeping secrets.

Who are you, Daniel Ash? And how are you connected to Brian Leslie’s murder?

“Olivia! Hi!” He stood. He was taller than she’d realized. At least six foot four. Maybe taller. His hand reached for hers. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, properly.”

His smile was warm. Unexpectedly, she could feel a genuine smile tugging at the corner of her own lips, too. “It’s honestly really nice to meet you, too.”

They shook hands. His grip was surprisingly gentle. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m just fine. Thanks to you.” She felt herself blush. “You saved my life.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad I was there.”

Yes, but why had he been there in that parking garage?

They sat. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. How could she simply press him for information knowing that the last time she’d seen him, he’d cradled her into his arms and carried her to safety? Yet how could she feel this close to a man she knew practically nothing about? Come on, Olivia. Think like a reporter. “Well, I’m glad you knew what to do. The whole thing was like something out of a nightmare. Am I right in remembering you said you were a bodyguard?”

He nodded. “I used to be, yes.”

“So you’re a fighter, then?”

He laughed, a warm chuckle that seemed to roll off his shoulders. “I’m anything but. When you’re a head taller than most people, with muscle to match, you learn it doesn’t take a lot to hurt them, even without meaning to. The way I saw it, my job was to de-escalate violence and get my clients away from bad situations, not escalate trouble. So I’d use force, obviously, but only wisely and only when needed. Other bodyguards used to joke that I didn’t actually need weapons, I just needed to stand there and look imposing. Used to call me the gentle giant.”

“No weapons, huh?” Her gaze dropped to his muscular arms, now resting on the table. There was so much she wanted to know. “So you’re not into guns?”

He frowned. “I don’t have a license to carry a handgun or anything like that, if that’s what you’re asking. I do own a shotgun, though. But just for hunting birds.”

He looked bothered by the question for some reason. She changed the topic back to the safer territory. “How long were you overseas?”

“Oh, years.” He ran one hand through his hair. “When I was still in high school, I got a security job for a company here. By the time I was twenty-one the boss was taking me with him on business. I was always pretty tall and I used to have a full beard, too, so I guess I looked pretty scary. Then I got hired by a personal security company overseas. Mostly I’d escort foreign businesspeople around and keep them out of trouble.”

“That’s amazing.” Fragments of him speeding through the smoke-filled garage flickered in the back of her mind. “Did you ever escort any journalists?”

“A few. Mostly in and out of war zones.”

Wow. “Sounds dangerous.”

“Sometimes.” He shrugged. “It’s only really dangerous if the person you’re protecting doesn’t follow directions. When someone’s protecting you it’s vital you’re able to do what you’re told without argument. The last thing you want is someone freaking out and running off madly. I mean, sometimes running is what keeps you alive. But sometimes running can get you killed, if you run in the wrong direction. A lot of the time, I had to subtly alert people of danger without causing them to panic, or even ask questions.”

She leaned forward. “Can you give me an example?”

“Of how I’d warn someone of danger?” he asked. “Okay, your initials are OB, right? Say we were together and I spotted something. I might tap out your initials in Morse code on a surface, or even on your arm.”

His fingers hovered over her wrist for a moment, like he was about to tap lightly on her skin. Then he pulled back and tapped the table beside it—one long beat, three short, three long. She watched his fingers as they moved.

“I can’t imagine why you’d ever give up that life to come back to Canada.”

She looked up. Something flickered in the depths of his eyes. Sadness maybe? Regret?

Then he blinked again, the unguarded flash of emotion was gone and only the politeness of an acquaintance remained. “Carpentry has always been a passion of mine, too. So I was happy to be able to pick up a hammer again. Being back gave me a chance to rebuild an old house that a relative left me, not far from here.”

None of which even began to answer her question. A waitress dropped two menus on the table then left without so much as a nod. Over half the items were crossed off. Another long pause spread out between them. Whatever Daniel had wanted to talk to her about, he wasn’t in a hurry to bring it up and he’d sounded so hesitant on the phone she hated the idea of pushing him. As much as she suspected she’d probably quite enjoy just listening to his stories for hours, they were hardly here for small talk. Ricky’s printout of the Faceless Crew website was folded inside her notepad. She slid it out onto the table but didn’t unfold it.

There really was no easy way to ask this. “Were you working for Leslie Construction, then? Either as a carpenter or as some kind of security?”

He sat up straight. Not surprising, considering she’d basically just asked if Brian had stolen from him or if the man had been killed on his watch. Or both.

“No.” He shook his head, as if the question surprised him. “No, not at all. I mean, I did a handful of shifts for Leslie, here and there, a few years back when I needed a bit of extra money. Mostly I’m an independent contractor.”

Now they were both surprised. “Then, why were you in the garage during the trial?”

“I was hoping to have the chance to have a quick word with Brian in private.”

Her eyebrows rose. “About what?”

“A personal matter.” His mouth set in a grim line, as though she was stepping over the line of whatever he was willing to let her know. He leaned back and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What do you know about the Leslie family?”

There was an edge to his voice. It was as if he was testing her in some way she couldn’t put a finger on.

She flipped her small notepad open, even though she knew what her notes said without even having to glance. “I know that Leslie Construction was started by Brian Leslie’s father sometime in the early seventies. When he died, the company passed down to Brian and his sister, Mona. Mona had a reputation of being quite the party girl and got arrested on a handful of drinking and drug-related charges. But the crew generally liked her. They weren’t so fond of Brian, who took over full ownership of the company when Mona died about four years ago.”

The look of Daniel’s face was serious, focused and inscrutable.

She kept going. “Brian had a gambling problem and tried to both cheat on his taxes and steal from his employees. But he wasn’t very good at it and got caught. The court changed its mind about prosecuting him before the trial even started. We saw him get murdered. Now Brian is dead, the company is in shambles and will be passed down to his teenage niece, Sarah.” She leaned back. “Now here I am talking to you.” And you won’t tell me why.

Another pause, then Daniel let out a long breath. “Okay. So that’s a bit more than I was expecting. But a good starting point. Anything else?”

“Just this.” She unfolded the printout about the Faceless Crew website and pushed it toward him. His eyes scanned the page while her eyes searched his face. It paled. “A colleague found this online. I don’t know if this has any connection to Brian’s murder.”

“I’ve never heard of them before. Which is worrying. Maybe even terrifying, considering they might be after—” His words cut off abruptly. He ran both hands over his face, and for a moment it sounded as if he was praying under his breath. Then, to her surprise, he leaned across the table and took her hands in his, as if they were gearing up for something. “Okay, you’ve got to promise me that everything I’m about to tell you is off-the-record. All of it. At least for now. I’m trusting that this won’t suddenly all end up in your newspaper.”

She looked down at his hands holding hers. “You have my word.”

A light flashed outside, illuminating the window beside them in a blinding blur of yellow and white. She turned to look, but all she could see were the spots of light dancing before her eyes. “Is that lightning? Already?”

“No! Someone out there is taking pictures of us!” Daniel leaped to his feet. Frustration flashed like fire through the depths of his eyes. “Please tell me you didn’t bring a photographer with you.”

Her heart sank. Oh, no. What was Ricky thinking? “Well, yes, sort of. But it’s not what you think—”

Before she could even finish, he stormed past her and rushed outside.

* * *

Daniel scanned the parking lot just in time to see a shadow run off down the road. Moments later, he heard a car door slam. Then he saw headlights flicker on through the trees. Olivia’s photographer colleague seemed to be just sitting in his car, probably waiting for her. Daniel stifled a growl. The sun had all but set now, leaving a wash of inky gray and black in the clouds above his head. The air was damp with the threat of impending rain that still seemed reluctant to fall. Tension rolled over his shoulders and back.

What had she been thinking bringing a photographer without telling him?

No, what had he been thinking in trusting a woman he barely knew when his stepdaughter’s life was on the line? Keeping Sarah safe was his primary responsibility. Now more than ever.

It had been a very long time since he’d felt his mouth go that dry when he’d looked in a pair of sparkling eyes. Olivia was right when she’d called Mona Leslie a likable party girl. As an awkward, introverted eighteen-year-old mourning the recent death of his parents, he’d been instantly drawn to Mona’s unpredictable energy and vitality. She’d been seventeen then, raising baby Sarah all on her own. They had provided him with an instant family—one that needed him. He’d married Mona when he was nineteen. But she’d never made good on her promise to give up drinking, drugs or fooling around. She’d left him less than two years later, announcing she wasn’t cut out for monogamy. He’d taken a job on the other side of the world.

Still, when he’d gotten that long-distance call from a lawyer telling him that Mona was dead, that they’d still been legally married and he was still listed in her will as Sarah’s legal guardian, he’d returned home. How could he let the child he’d once pledged to raise as his own end up in the care of social services? Mona might not have loved him for very long, but her decade-old will had specified that Daniel was the only person she trusted to be Sarah’s guardian and to hold her inheritance until she turned eighteen. Even Mona had known not to trust Sarah’s future to either her heavy-partying friends or her thieving brother, Brian. The bright-eyed baby who’d captured his heart long ago might now be an emotional, complicated teenager. But she was still his responsibility.

There was the clatter of the door opening and closing behind him.

“I’m sorry.” Olivia was at his shoulder. Her voice was soft and filled with regret. “Ricky is a friend from work. He drove me up so I wouldn’t have to come alone. Yes, he’s a photographer. But I never expected he’d just start taking pictures.”

He nodded to show he’d heard her, but still gave himself a few moments to calm back down before responding. After all, he’d been the one who’d decided to call her about the current crisis Sarah had found herself in. Ever since Brian’s trial began, the teenager had received dozens of calls from nosy reporters, who just saw her as some kind of pretty novelty from a notorious family. Those calls had tripled since Brian’s death. Daniel was exhausted from arguing with her on why throwing herself into the spotlight was probably one of the worst things she could do.

But when he’d told her about Olivia, Sarah had seemed open to meeting her, even though she’d been less than excited about the idea being interviewed by such a small newspaper. It had sounded as if it could be a workable compromise to get her story out without throwing her to the media wolves. He’d hoped meeting Olivia for coffee, explaining the situation with Sarah and getting her advice would be the first step in finding a sensible way forward. Instead, even just being around her made him feel strangely flustered.

The diner’s light turned off. He glanced back. Someone had switched the door sign from Open to Closed. Moments later, the waitress and a second woman who he guessed was the cook walked out and drove off without so much as a wave in their direction.

He waited until they were gone before replying, “You should have told me he was here. I made it pretty clear that I wanted to talk to you off-the-record.” Daniel turned and walked toward his truck.

“You did. And again, I’m sorry.” Olivia followed and in a moment was walking by his side. “Ricky’s young and he must have misunderstood me somehow. He dropped me off and told me he was planning to drive to find a cell phone signal to call his folks.”

“And instead he parked down the road, sneaked back and snapped a picture, then ran off back to his car. These are hardly the actions of an honest person.” He tried to keep his tone level, but irritation still seeped through his voice. This situation was ludicrous and exactly what he’d hoped to avoid. While he’d only shared a few brief moments with Olivia, it had still felt as though they’d had some kind of connection. That there was something deeper beneath the surface—maybe his faith, his worldview or his drive to do the right thing—that she’d shared, too.

Obviously he was wrong.

“Well, that’s my fault, too, I guess,” she said. “I’d asked him to pull past the diner when he dropped me off. So he must have done the same when he came to pick me up.”

He stopped short. “So I wouldn’t see him, right?”

“Yes, and I’m sorry.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I don’t know how many times I can say it. I made the wrong call. I get now that this is apparently a big deal for you.”

No, she didn’t get it. He’d been ready to trust her with something more important than she could have known. And she’d blown it.

But she’d admitted she was wrong and she’d apologized. That was far more than Mona had ever done. True. But she was also a stranger and a journalist. And the way he kept comparing her to his deceased former wife was reason enough to get out of here quick.

“I’m sorry, too. This was obviously a mistake.” He pulled his keys from his pocket and headed for his truck’s driver’s-side door. “I accept your apology. But this just doesn’t feel right to me anymore. Please consider everything we have talked about off-the-record and don’t contact me in future.”

He watched her face, expecting her features to fall in disappointment. Instead, her shoulders straightened and a firm, clear determination flashed in their depths.

“Understood. Well, I’m very sorry to have wasted your time.” She turned on her heel and started toward where the photographer’s headlights shone through the trees.

“Hang on. Let me at least escort you to your colleague’s car.”

“No, I’m fine on my own, thanks.” She didn’t even turn. “Good night, Mr. Ash.”

Olivia walked out of the parking lot without looking back. He climbed into his truck and tried not to watch her go. Part of him wanted to pray, but couldn’t begin to find words for the jumble of thoughts racing through his mind. Another part of him wanted to run after her and apologize, not even knowing what he should be apologizing for. Instead, he waited a few minutes to give her the chance to reach her coworker’s car. He heard a car door slam. A dark car sped past the lot. Seemed Olivia and her photographer friend were in a hurry to leave.

Daniel sighed, then eased his truck out onto the road and started driving. Despite the threat of rain, he rolled his window down and leaned out into the warm, damp night, hoping the fresh air would clear his head. What was it about this woman that unsettled him so much? He barely knew her, and yet sitting in the diner it had felt as if she’d been determined to reach around his defenses and rattle every single one of the locked doors inside him.

The headlights ahead of him lurched suddenly, weaving across the road and back as though the driver had suddenly lost control of the wheel. The dark car swerved toward the fenced-in remains of what was once a strip mall, then back onto the road again.

Olivia flew backward out of the passenger door.