Dual Release (2 page)

“Which items interested you, my dear?”

May set her cup on the table and pulled a folded newspaper article out of the pocket of her dress. Unfolding it, she handed it to him. For a moment he studied the wrinkled piece of paper. Peering over its upper edge, he gave her a perplexed look as he said, “This is just a picture of me outside the warehouse watching the crew unload crates. There’s nothing here but me.” His grin broadened. “Dare I hope the item of which you speak
is
me?”

Heat flushed her cheeks for the first time in many years. She usually held her own with the men in her life, but Jameson always had a way of making her blush. When she found her voice, she couldn’t believe how husky it sounded in response to his teasing. “In time, dear Jameson, we can research that possibility.”

She stood and moved around the table to his side, holding his ardent gaze. She didn’t blink, afraid that what she hoped she saw wouldn’t be there when her vision cleared. After all these years, was there a chance she and Jameson could be more than friends? May took a steadying breath. She leaned until they were nearly cheek-to-cheek and then pointed to an open crate inside the warehouse.

It seemed like the heat of his gaze caressed her finger as it traversed its length to locate the item to which she pointed. He squinted, then leaned back. A broad grin brightened his face as he looked up at her.

“That’s one of my most prized possessions. Not sure I can part with it.”

May settled onto the arm of his wheelchair and rested her arm around his shoulders. She flashed him her best wide-eyed innocent look, while cupping his chin in her other hand. “I’m really interested in that particular piece. Name your price.”

Pure heat seared her insides from the drop-dead, sexy look he pierced her with as his voice lowered. “You.”

She leaned back, staring down at him. Doing her best not to show how much his words threw her business manner into a tailspin, she said, “I’m not so sure that’s a fair price. These statues are far more valuable than I.”

LaVerne buzzed in through the phone’s intercom and startled May, who jumped to a standing position. “Mr. Archer, the gentlemen from the auction house are here.”

Jameson rolled over to the desk, pressed a button and replied, “Tell them I’ll be with them in a few moments.” He turned to May and smiled. “I’m sorry but I need to speak with them. We’ve been trying to set a date and time to sell a few pieces, but it’s been a phone-tag game this week.”

“Please tell me you’re not placing the statues of the twins on the block.”

“That depends on you,” he teased with a wag of his eyebrows and she couldn’t help but laugh. He reached for her hand. “Have dinner with me tonight and I’ll keep them off the auction list.”

“Jameson,” she replied. “How could I refuse an offer like that?”

Cait sat brooding over the events of her day. She’d had a late night at the pub, which led to a hot tip for an article. The man she’d met rambled on and on about a strange brotherhood. He wouldn’t have caught her attention so much if she hadn’t read a snippet on the internet about that same brotherhood. She couldn’t believe her luck. Though the tidbit of information disappeared, it had piqued her interest and she hadn’t been able to forget about it for months.

According to her dear old Gran, everything happened for a reason. That man taking a seat beside her and pouring out his heart over his so-called stupid assignment was a sign she was supposed to find and expose this demonic brotherhood to the paranormal world through her online magazine. At least that’s what she believed. And if her Gran had been sitting in that bar with her, she would’ve told her to follow her instinct on the issue and run with it.

Yawning, she battled the threat of fatigue. Right about now there wasn’t an ounce of her willing to run anywhere. She’d followed him from the bar. When he parked his car outside a hotel, she did the same. At first she was worried he might notice her even though she’d kept several parked cars between them. But she’d relaxed the moment he laid his seat back and it appeared as if he passed out. Making sure to keep Jenny, her partner, abreast of her whereabouts, she’d called.

Early that morning, Jenny had met her where she’d been parked all night. The man hadn’t moved, which was tough on Cait’s spirit. It had been a long night of touch-and-gos trying to stay awake. And without a decent cup of tea, it was a damnable feat of strength not to have fallen asleep. Cait blew across the rim of the Styrofoam cup Jenny had brought her. The first sip soothed a smidgeon of her discomfort, but it had taken the whole cup to keep her eyes open.

Mid-morning finally brought them some action and had them doing a steady walk to keep up as he followed a woman when she left the hotel. She had a dog on a leash and set a decent pace. When they finally entered an art exhibit, it was a bit of a break Cait needed to catch a rest.

“You wouldn’t be so winded if you’d jog with me once in a while,” Jenny teased in a hushed tone. Cait rolled her eyes in response. Jenny was always trying to get her to eat healthier and jog. With those long legs of hers, Jenny had no trouble keeping up, but Cait’s steps were two to her one, since she was a bit on the shorter side.

“It’s lack of sleep,” Cait responded with a playful sneer. “Not exercise—or lack thereof—that’s slowing me down today.”

Together, she and Jenny surveyed the event while keeping their suspect in sight. It didn’t take long before he was escorted to the door. From what they discerned, it seemed as if he’d gone down a hallway he shouldn’t have been in. One at a time, they followed him out. He settled on a bench in a corner of the garden and watched the front door.

She and Jenny took seats at a table in the outdoor bistro area where they could still see him. They ordered tea and scones in an effort to look casual. But no amount of tea would ease the questions plaguing her about this man. It bothered her that he seemed bent on tailing the older redheaded woman.

Why was she his assignment? And more importantly, what did she have that this brotherhood wanted? She and Jenny debated it, trying to figure that one out. The little bit of information she’d read was an open call for individuals with magical abilities to join the brotherhood. That had captured her interest but when she went back to the site to study it more, the website was gone. So now here she was, following a hunch.

Was the woman a witch? She nearly snorted a sip of her tea over that thought. If she was, wouldn’t this “magical” brotherhood have approached her to join instead of followed her? Perhaps they had and she declined their offer and now they were after her for some mystical property in her possession. Cait pinched the bridge of her nose, doing her best to squelch the onslaught of ridiculous theories her extreme tiredness conjured. Jenny’s hand on her arm made her meet her best friend’s concerned gaze.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Cait replied, then smiled. “The night’s catching up with me, that’s all.”

“It’s understandable. Would you like another cup of tea?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think we’ve got time.” She nodded toward the stairs at the sight of the redhead descending with the cute dog in tow.

When the redhead strolled down the walkway toward the street, their suspect eased from his hidden position and was on her trail again. They spent the rest of the day tailing him as he kept after her. It didn’t make sense. Was he plotting her kidnapping? Or perhaps he planned to take her dog and hold it for ransom? Weird scenarios built in Cait’s brain as she battled the desire to sleep. By the time late afternoon rolled around, they were back at the hotel. Jenny gave her a break and kept watch while she took a nap. Evening came and they were hot on his tail again as they sat outside a posh restaurant overlooking the Thames River.

Cait prayed she hadn’t made a mistake as they watched the man in the car several spaces ahead of them. Since she and Jenny had been grabbing quick bites here and there while on surveillance, the delicious smells wafting from the restaurant were killing her.

“I hope we’re not wasting our time watching this idiot.” Jenny broke the silence in her soft Southern drawl. Cait loved to listen to her accent except when she was mad. Jenny felt the same way about her Scottish lilt. Apparently when
she
got angry the brogue thickened and
she
became harder to understand. Like Jenny didn’t?

“So far he’s the best lead we’ve had on this so-called Brotherhood of the Sons of the Servant of Judgment.”

“But from what you’ve said about him, he doesn’t seem like he’s that bright.”

“His intelligence level isn’t in question here. His connections are,” Cait stated bluntly, then wished she hadn’t. It had to be the lack of sleep making her snippy.

“Listen, Cait, I’m beginning to think that
tip
you got is a dead end. There is no such disturbed brotherhood recruiting members to help search for some dark book of magic spells,” Jenny declared. She leaned catty-corner against the seat and the passenger door. In the dark, Cait could tell from Jenny’s tone she was aggravated and if she could see Jenny’s eyes, she knew they’d be glaring at her right now. It was a glare she’d experienced many times in their years together.

“And I believe there is,” Cait answered, forcing her tone to sound calm. She needed her cohort to stick with her on this one. “Is it not our job to investigate every strange tip thrown our way?”

“Yes,” Jenny replied. “But this seems out there a bit more than usual.”

“Look at it this way. Our little online magazine could use the boost this scoop would bring. Just imagine it,
CJ’s Otherworldly Experiences
exposes a band of self-proclaimed warlocks on a mission to destroy the world with a book of black magic spells. It would probably shoot us to the top of the paranormal magazine heap. All it takes is one thoroughly researched, fact-based article to show we can compete with the best of them.” She leaned toward Jenny. “And we’ll never have to work an odd job again to make ends meet. Sales will boom and who knows, maybe sponsors will place ads in our magazine as well.”

“I hope you’re right. I’d love to never wash a dish at the deli again. But I’ve got a nervous feeling this story doesn’t have an ounce of
fact
behind it. That website you stumbled upon disappeared offline when you requested further information. For all we know, it was some computer geek kid playing around.” Cait felt her questioning green-eyed stare even if she couldn’t see it. “And you never did tell me where you got this so-called tip about this guy we’re following.”

Cait turned her gaze forward to the car slightly obscured by several other vehicles. “If you must know, I got it from him. I was at the pub last night. He was drunk and in need of a friend, so I sat beside him and listened to him slurring on about the mess he’d gotten himself into.”

“You got it from a drunk. And now we’ve wasted a day following him.” Jenny’s voice cracked as she yelled at Cait. “I can’t believe you. All that hooey about taking our magazine to the next level and you gambled it all on a bum’s drunken tale.”

“But it’s a believable tale. Why else was there a website recruiting members with any sort of magical powers?” she replied as confidently as she could. Thinking about it from Jenny’s point of view spurred a bit of doubt on her judgment for a second but she refused to let it take root.

“The one that disappeared? The website we can no longer find online? You’ve dragged me all around town, following this idiot on a whim.”

Cait grabbed Jenny’s arm, not letting her escape the car. “It’s not a whim. I know you’ve been paying attention. We’ve been discussing what he’s been doing all day. We both know he’s tailing that redhead. He let it slip she’s the assignment he’s been given. Even if it turns out not to be connected to something paranormal, aren’t you the least bit curious as to why he’s following this woman? What if he plans to hurt her?”

“Then shouldn’t we tell the authorities, let them handle it? What are we going to do? Stop him?”

“If it looks like he’s going to do her any harm,” Cait paused and looked around, “I’ll run him over with the car.”

Jenny burst out laughing. “He’ll do more damage to this old thing than it’ll do to him.”

“Probably,” Cait agreed with a laugh. Jenny wasn’t too far off when it came to the 1963 Volkswagen Bug. But she loved it, duct-taped rear bumper, faded gray paint, rust spots and all. “But at least we’ll get his attention and give her time to escape if nothing else.”

Jenny cleared her throat. “You know, we’ve researched a lot of strange, unexplainable things since we started this magazine, but we’ve never tailed anyone before. It’s kind of got me a bit on edge.”

“Me too,” Cait admitted as she shifted in her seat to face Jenny better. “You’ve got to admit it’s been fun. No. More than fun. It’s a thrill and you know it. Kind of like when we discovered the truth about the college campus ghost and exposed it in the
Campus Tribune
. Remember?”

“How could I forget? That was the start of our paranormal sleuthing career.” Jenny sighed. “Hard to believe it turned out to be a sleepwalking professor dressed as a woman.”

“You and I were the only ones brave enough to get close enough to realize it was a man in drag. We did our research and found out the ghost showed up after a student died in a hit-and-run accident two years before we started school there. You discovered he was the professor who reported his car stolen two days after the accident. If we hadn’t put two and two together and written a damn good article, he may have gotten away with it,” Cait stated smugly.

“Guess he never realized how much a guilty conscience can fuck with one’s psyche,” Jenny replied. “You’re right. Our article did make the police question him to the point he confessed and even gave up the location of the car he’d dumped in the lake.”

“We went chasing a ghost and caught a murderer. It’s what gave us the bug to start our magazine. We write articles about ghosts and paranormal activities and determine between fact and fiction. Granted, the professor was the only bad guy we’ve helped catch.” Cait nodded toward their suspect. “What if he’s up to something just as sinister? You and I might be the only ones to save the woman he’s tailing. If we call in the authorities now, what proof do we have to give them that he’s up to no good?”