COLLATERAL CASUALTIES (The Kate Huntington mystery series) (7 page)

            The man stood up. “I have taken enough of your time, Mrs. Huntington. I will communicate with you when I am convinced the situation is completely resolved. In the meantime, I trust your discretion.”

            She followed him out of her office. Without looking back, he crossed the waiting room. He turned the lock on the knob as he exited so the door locked behind him.

            Kate started shaking. Heart pounding, she ran back into her office and reached for the phone, then thought better of it. What if this man had planted a bug in her office?

            She quickly gathered her things. After a moment’s hesitation, she pulled the pistol from her desk drawer and dropped it into her purse. Racing out of the building and down the sidewalk, she waited until she was a block away before pulling out her cell phone. She hit the speed dial number for Mac Reilly, her friend since childhood and Rose Hernandez’s fiancé.

            “Reilly,” Mac barked in her ear.

            Kate’s voice came out as a squeak when she tried to talk. She cleared her throat. “Hi, Mac. Is Rose home yet?”

            “Sure, sweet pea,” Mac said, using his childhood nickname for her.

            “Uh, Mac, before you go, do you have anything that can tell if a place is bugged?” She thought that he might, since he had been a Green Beret in his younger years.

            “You mean with listening devices?”

            “Yeah, my office and my car probably ought to be checked and maybe for anything else that might be attached that shouldn’t be there.”

            “What the hell’s this about?” Mac growled.

            “I can’t tell you. It’s related to a client. There’s probably no threat, but just to be on the safe side.”

            “Where are you?”

            “A block from my office, headed to my car.”

            “I’m on my way. Here’s Rose.”

            After reassuring Kate that her mission to Jill Dawson’s house had been completed without incident, Rose echoed her fiancé’s words. “What the hell’s going on?”

            “I wish I could tell you, but I can’t. I just need you guys to...” Kate stopped, unsure how to end the sentence.

            After the briefest of pauses, Rose said, “We’ve got your back.”

            “Thank you.” Kate was tempted to tell Rose she loved her, but she knew that would far exceed her brusque friend’s mush tolerance threshold.

            As she disconnected, Kate remembered Miller’s comment about loneliness.

CHAPTER FIVE

            After a restless night, Kate called Rob on Wednesday morning. When his admin assistant put her through, she told him that she would come to his office at lunchtime, rather than meet him at their usual restaurant.

            “I need to talk to you again, confidentially.”

            “Same topic?”

            “Yeah, but it’s gotten a lot more complicated.”

            “Okay, I’ll ask Fran to get us sandwiches from the deli. You okay with ham and cheese?”

            “Whatever. I haven’t had much appetite lately.”

            After a beat, Rob said, “Okay, see you then.”

            At noon, Kate drove around for fifteen minutes, one eye glued to her rearview mirror, before heading for Rob’s office.

            Once settled in his visitor’s chair, she opened her mouth. A sob came out instead of words, surprising both of them. Rob jumped up and moved around his desk. She waved him off as she struggled for control.

            “My God, Kate, what’s happened?”

            “My client’s dead.”

            Rob muttered a curse under his breath. He perched on the corner of his desk while she told him about the obituary, her discussions with Jill Dawson, and the visit from the swarthy gentleman who was no doubt the mystery ambassador of Miller’s story.

            “Why didn’t you call me sooner?” Rob said gently as she wound down.

            “I was afraid to. I had Mac sweep my office and car for bugs last night. He’s going through the house today while Skip’s at work. And I drove around for awhile to make sure I wasn’t being followed before coming here. I’m terrified that I’m going to give these thugs, whoever they are, reason to believe I’ve told someone something and they’ll kill somebody I love.”

            Rob reached over and took her hand. “I’d like to say that you’re over-reacting, but I’m not sure that’s true. So you told Mac what’s going on?”

            “No, although maybe I should. He’s hinted about being involved in secret operations, back when he was a Green Beret.”

            “I’d feel a lot better if somebody who knew how all this works was looking out for you,” Rob said.

            He let go of her hand and reached into a brown paper bag. Pulling out a wrapped sandwich, he tried to hand it to her.

            The thought of eating made Kate nauseous. She shook her head. He put it down on the desk in front of her.

            “I don’t know what to do. Anybody I tell, I’m putting them in danger. I’ve already put you in danger.”

            “It’s not about who you tell,” Rob said. “It’s about who these people
perceive
that you’ve told. I can call Mac now. If he’s free, he can come here. He’ll just be another client coming into a busy law firm.”

            Luck was with them. Mac was available and said he would be right over.

            Rob nudged her sandwich.

            Kate slumped back in her chair. “I can’t eat. I’m afraid I’ll get sick all over your carpet. As a matter of fact, I think I need to cancel my afternoon sessions. Nobody’s in crisis at the moment, and I know I won’t be able to concentrate. I have no clue what I said to my clients this morning but I seriously doubt they got their money’s worth.” She dug her appointment book out of her briefcase and made calls while they waited for Mac.

            Fran ushered in the short, wiry man, who as usual looked like he’d slept in his clothes. He was not alone. His fiancé, neatly dressed in a crisp white shirt and khaki slacks, followed him in.

            “Things are a little slow today,” Rose said. “Thought I’d tag along.” She tilted her head toward the door. “I’ll sit out there and shoot the breeze with Fran, if you want.”

            Kate hesitated.

            “No one knows they’re here to see you,” Rob reminded her.

            “Yeah, but there’s the whole client confidentiality thing.”

            “Do you really think your client would care about that now?” Rob said. “He’d want you to do what you need to do to stay safe.”

            Kate heaved a sigh. Miller had specifically said she shouldn’t tell anyone, even if he was killed, but that was because he didn’t want her involved. Now, it was looking like she was already involved.

            “Sit down, guys. This is top secret, for two reasons. One, it’s about a client and confidentiality doesn’t die with the client. And two, I’m not sure I want to tell Skip what’s going on. I’d like your input on that, Rose, once you hear the whole story.”

            Without using Miller’s name, Kate filled them in. When she got to the obituary, Mac, who was one part Greek Orthodox and three parts Irish Catholic, crossed himself. Rose followed suit.

            When Kate had finished, they were silent for a moment. “First order of business is bodyguards,” Rose finally said.

            “No! If someone’s watching me that will give it away that I’ve told others.”

            “Not necessarily,” Rose said. “You could’ve just hired some guards on your own.”

            Kate shook her head. “I’ve got my gun on me, and I know enough
aikido
now to put up a good fight. I think it’s important that it look like I’m not worried about anything.”

            Mac rubbed his stubbled chin. “She’s got a point.”

            “What do you think the risk is?” Rob asked him.

            After a moment, Mac said, “We got two options here. Tell the authorities the ambassador’s secret. Then Kate’s no longer a threat. Or sit tight and act normal. See what happens.”

            Kate noted that Mac hadn’t answered Rob’s question about the degree of risk. She suppressed another wave of nausea. “I’m not comfortable telling the authorities. That’s condemning the man to death. I don’t completely buy his story. I’m sure he’s cleaned it up some to make himself sound more innocent than he was, but I think he’s sincerely turned over a new leaf. Either that or he’s the best pathological liar I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen quite a few through the years.”

            “So we go with act normal for now,” Mac said.

            “Now the other big question,” Kate said. “Do I tell Skip?” Her husband was as laid-back and level-headed as anyone she knew, but they’d all seen him blow before, when something threatened his family.

            Rose sat still, a thoughtful look on her face. Then she shrugged one shoulder. “I honestly don’t know what to tell you.”

            “He’s gotta know ’bout it eventually,” Mac said. “And he’s gonna be royally pissed when he finds out you kept it from him.”

            “That boat’s already sailed, I’m afraid,” Kate said. “He’s gonna be royally pissed now or later. The question is whether he’ll go off half-cocked and try to investigate the situation, or worse yet, confront this ambassador.”

            “He’s not normally an impulsive man,” Rose said.

            Kate arched an eyebrow at her. “Key word is
normally
.” She rubbed her temple. “I can’t think straight. I haven’t slept well in over a week.”

            “You know you need to tell him,” Rob said. “But you don’t have to figure out how to handle that conversation just now. Why don’t you go home and relax for awhile, get your head clear. Then look for an opening to tell him this evening.”

            Kate gave him a slight nod. Her stomach churned again at the thought of that conversation.

            Mac stood up. “Gotta get going. Try not to worry, sweet pea.”

            Overwhelmed by a wave of gratitude, Kate jumped up and pulled him into a hug. He squirmed and patted her awkwardly on the back. Letting him go, Kate turned toward his fiancée.

            Rose jumped out of her chair and backed away.

            Kate grinned for the first time in days. “Thank you both so much. This is above and beyond the call of friendship. You two are–”

            Mac cut her off. “I don’t know ’bout you, honey bun, but I’m insulted. We’re not friends, Kate. We’re family.”

            “He calls you
honey bun
?” Rob said, a chuckle in his voice.

            Rose glared at him and marched out the door.

~~~~~~~

            When Skip spotted his lunch date entering the restaurant, he stood up and pulled out a chair for her.

            “You’re not hard to find in a crowded room.” Janice stood on tiptoe to peck him on the cheek, then sank onto the chair with a sigh. “Sorry I’m late. I was in court. Judges get cranky if you get up and leave. You got some good dirt for me so I can put this miserable case to rest?”

            Skip grinned. “The plaintiff’s got a rap sheet as long as his arm, under several different aliases.”

            “Say what?”

            “William Dunning is not who he says he is. He’s served time in three states for scams similar to the one he pulled on your client’s mother.”

            “Son of a bitch. My client’s actually telling the truth.”

            “Yup,” Skip said. “He may have beat the crap out of Dunning but any jury worth its salt is likely to give him a medal after they hear Dunning’s history.”

             The waiter approached to take their drink orders. “Champagne,” Janice told him. “Your best bottle.”

            “Uh, I don’t usually drink at lunch,” Skip said. “Makes me too groggy to get through the rest of the day.”

            “That’s okay.” Janice crossed her arms over her chest. “I may drink the whole bottle myself.”

            Skip thought her tone rather morose considering the news she’d just received. He cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at her.

            “I’m divorcing Richard.”

            He struggled to keep his mouth from falling open.

            “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, since it’ll make things awkward at the party Saturday night, but I had to tell somebody. I’ve had it in the back of my mind ever since I made up the guest list and I realized how many of my friends he’s alienated through the years.

            “But the main reason I’m divorcing the jerk is no children. And he let me believe all these years that the problem was with me. Well guess what I found out?” Anger flashed in her eyes. “The S.O.B. had a vasectomy three years before we got married. Never bothered to tell me.”

            Skip resisted the temptation to stick his fingers in his ears. This was way too much information.

            “I was thirty-two when we got married and I told him I wanted to have children right away, before it was too late. He agreed. ‘Oh, yes, dear, I want a family too. We’ll have two point three kids, blah, blah’.”

            The waiter arrived with the champagne and two flutes. “I think I’m the designated driver,” Skip told him. “Just half a glass, please.”

            The man nodded, then presented the bottle to the lady for her approval before popping the cork and pouring. He propped the bottle in an ice bucket.

            Janice tasted the wine, then took another sip before they ordered their food. After the waiter left, she sat up straighter in her chair. “Sorry. I’m being totally inappropriate here.”

            “It’s okay. That’s one hell of a secret he was keeping. When did you find out?”

            “Last night. He insisted I meet him and one of his boring clients for cocktails after work. The guy let it slip that Richard had the snip-snip operation, as he called it. The son-of-a-bitch told his client, but he didn’t bother to tell his wife that he was
incapable of breeding
.”