Finding Kate Huntley (21 page)

Chapter 26

It was past two in the afternoon and Kate was finding it excruciatingly difficult to sit in the plush leather tilt-back chair for another second. She had been sitting in the damn chair for four hours while Maria gave her a facial, a massage, and a pedicure. Next, the woman did her hair, which she had dyed a shade of ash-blonde, a color closer to her natural color. After a trim and a blow dry, Maria had made lots of tight curls and pinned them to Kate’s scalp. Now Maria was in the process of putting a second coat of polish on Kate’s fingernails. The noxious fumes made her head spin.

“That’s enough,” Kate said, gently pushing Maria away so she could get out of the chair.

“I’m almost done, child. Please sit for a few more minutes so I may coat your nails with the quick drying spray.”

Being called “child” by the woman was enough to make Kate grit her teeth. “Sorry. Can’t do. I’m done.” Kate tightened the belt around the cashmere robe she’d been asked to put on when Auntie led her into the in-house salon hours ago.

Maria looked ridiculously put off by Kate’s unwillingness to let her finish, as if her job might be in jeopardy. Too bad. She’d had enough. As she made her escape out the door and into the hallway, Kate didn’t bother looking at the gilt-framed mirrors covering the walls to check out her new look.

She needed to get outside. She needed to breathe. She needed to know that Jack was safe. Where the hell was he? When would he be back? Why didn’t she go with him?

Yesterday the man had told her he loved her and she’d thrown his confession back in his face. She didn’t deserve his love.
And now what? What if he never came back?
What if he ended up like Dr. Forstin and her father, and who knew how many other innocent people who had died...and for what? Nothing made sense, especially her sitting in that damn chair for the past four hours while Jack met with a powerful man he wasn’t sure he could trust.

As she headed across the marbled foyer, her bare feet cool against the stone, she wondered where Auntie had disappeared to. Auntie had promised her they would have a long talk, but she’d said less than ten words to Kate before disappearing.

The sound of a car speeding off caught her attention. She peered out the window in time to see a dark Mercedes clear the front gates. Kate turned away from the window and headed toward the French doors, hoping to find a path leading to the beach. She needed to see the ocean, taste the salty breeze, and feel the sand between her toes. Rushing through the doors, she came to a halt when she found Auntie on the veranda overlooking the ocean.

Auntie glanced over her shoulder, looking stunning in an expensive black designer linen suit. She held a glass of wine in one hand. “Is something wrong, dear?”

“No. I was just wondering where you were.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t make it back. With the party tonight and it being one of the busiest months for charities and all, I’m afraid I’m quite overwhelmed. The only event I will have to worry about after tonight is the star-studded fundraiser for AIDS research in Cannes next month.”

Kate looked from the wine glass in Auntie’s hand to the wine glass on the table. She walked over to the table for a closer look. The glass was half full. Somebody had left in a hurry.

“A friend, my neighbor, stopped by for a chat,” Auntie said, her voice tinged with anxiety. “You’ll have the chance to meet him tonight.”

It wasn’t the wine glass that held Kate’s interest but the ashtray. Was that a nervous stutter she’d heard in Auntie’s voice?

“What is it, dear?”

The ashtray was filled with the same silver foil-tipped cigarettes she’d taken from Ben Sheldon in Haiti. What were the odds of finding the same cigarettes here at Auntie’s house? There was no lipstick on any of the filters. Kate looked back at Auntie, took note of the lipstick smudges on her wine glass.

“You look pale,” Auntie said, her eyes never leaving Kate’s. “Maybe you should sit down.”

“I’m fine. Really I am.” Kate knew she needed to act normal, convince the woman that everything was fine. Kate sat in one of the cushioned chairs and let her head fall back in a dramatic fashion. “Sitting in that chair for so long drove me nuts, Auntie. I don’t know how women keep up with it all...pedicures, manicures, hair and facials. I thought I was going to go mad if I had to sit there for another minute.”

Auntie released a nervous chuckle as she picked up a bell from the table and jiggled it in the air, making it ring. A maid appeared. She wore the same black dress and white apron as Maria.

“Take these things away,” Auntie told her, “and bring my guest a glass of wine.”

“No wine for me,” Kate interjected. “I would love a glass of ice water though.”

The maid nodded, cleared the table and headed back inside.

“You certainly know how to live in style, Auntie. Father would be proud if he could see you now, see what you’ve done with the house and the beautiful gardens he used to love so much.”

Silence fell between them before Kate spoke again. “He was so close, Auntie, do you remember? Another few months and Dad would have found the cure for AIDS. I know he would have.”

“It’s a nice thought, but I’m not so certain your father was as close to finding a cure as you might believe. Dr. Forstin took over where your father left off. If the task had been so close at hand, surely the good doctor would have found the cure before his untimely death.”

Kate inwardly cringed at how callous Auntie sounded, but she merely nodded and let a quiet moment fall between them before she asked, “Do you have a computer I can use?”

“Whatever for?”

“Jack has been showing me all the wonderful things that can be done on a computer. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I do believe I have become a full-fledged solitaire addict. It relaxes me.”

Auntie’s frown softened. “Certainly. I’ll show you to the office after Danielle brings your water. But I can only leave you for a short time since you need to dress soon.”

Kate forced a smile, but she could feel the tension in the air, thick and tangible. Her Auntie wasn’t anything like the kind, softhearted woman she remembered as a child. Auntie appeared distant and cold; any kindness she showed seemed suddenly insincere.

Jack did his best to blend in with the crowds strolling through the Santa Barbara sun-drenched promenade and down the winding paths surrounded by boutiques and restaurants. The Paseo Nuevo Mall was located in the commercial and retail heart of downtown Santa Barbara, one of the more touristy malls in the area, which was exactly why he’d picked it as a meeting place.

He sat on a bench far enough away from the California Pizza Kitchen to see, but not be seen. He had purchased a dark blue baseball cap that shielded his eyes for the most part. He sat back and let the sun hit his face. Every now and then he glanced at the pizza place.

From where he sat, Jack could see through the front window of the boutique straight across from him. A clock hung on the wall. Harrison was due to arrive in five minutes.

Jack wasn’t nervous. Mostly he wanted to get on with things, so he could get back to Kate. If Harrison had anyone with him, Jack had a backup plan. If Harrison showed up alone, Jack would see what the man had to say and take it from there.

A half-dozen teenage kids rode their skateboards around the promenade, shouting and laughing as they went, making passersby nervous because of the way they stuck together in a whirlwind of testosterone. Jack smiled at the teenagers. Two of them smiled back, a knowing glint in their eyes. If Harrison brought anyone with him, the kids knew what to do.

Jack looked at the clock again. Two o’clock. He looked back to the pizza kitchen. Sitting at a table, next to the window overlooking the promenade, was Harrison. The man was stealth. He’d appeared out of nowhere.

This was only the second time Jack had ever seen his boss wearing anything other than a suit. Today Harrison wore a pair of loose slacks and a white polo shirt. His silver hair was sleeked back around the ears. He looked calm.

Jack waited a few minutes, keeping a close eye on the people walking by. Two young girls with their cell phones glued to their ears. A woman with a stroller. A young couple holding hands as they window-shopped. Nobody suspicious caught his eye. Finally, he stood and headed toward Harrison.

Kate was going to climb up on the desk and kick the damn computer screen if it didn’t warm up a little faster.

Had Auntie looked suspicious when Kate asked for a computer, or was Kate becoming paranoid? Lots of people probably smoked silver-tipped cigarettes.

The screen flashed blue and two rows of symbols popped up. Kate hit the icon Adam had shown her, the icon that would allow her access to information all around the world. She typed in boogie.com, a popular search engine, smiling inwardly when the screen displayed a box for her to type in what she was looking for.

She stopped to think about Auntie’s name. Yes, she knew that Auntie also went by “Dr. Kramer” but she had to have a real honest to God name. Ever since she could remember she’d called the woman “Auntie.” She glanced around the room until she spotted a framed diploma hanging on the wall.
Be it known that the trustees of Purdue University have granted to Elizabeth Louise Kramer the degree of Doctor of Health Care Innovation.
“Dr. Elizabeth Louise Kramer,” she said aloud. Nope. The name didn’t sound familiar. Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t remember what her mother or father had called Auntie. Armed with this vital information she typed in “Kramer+stock+prices” and then waited.

Kate heard footsteps, which was ridiculous. She’d been in the room for less than five minutes. “Come on. Come on,” she said to the computer. The screen flickered before three choices appeared on the monitor:
Kramer Stock Report. Kramer Research. Kramer Stock Prices.

Bingo. She slid the cursor down to the third choice, no easy feat for an amateur. It was like trying to write left-handed, but somehow she managed. She moved the cursor on Kramer Stock Prices, clicked, and waited...again.

She stifled a moan of frustration.

She didn’t understand the fuss people made over computers. The machines aggravated her. Less than five minutes with the computer, and she already had a throbbing headache.

Two more choices finally popped up on the screen:
Monthly Charts
and
Yearly Charts
. She moved the cursor to
Yearly Charts
and hit Enter. The graphing symbols showed an impressive upward swing, but after she clicked to the next page, she noticed that each new chart showed another story. Next, she clicked on the year Auntie said her father had sold the family company. When the new page filled the screen, Kate leaned closer to the monitor for a better look. That was the year the Kramer stock crashed.

Kate’s heart thumped against her ribs as she read the text below the chart:
The Company filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Equity holders lost millions. Only the bondholders were compensated for the value of their shares.

She hit the Back button twice more until the screen returned to the space where she could type in something new. She typed “CFAF Members,” hit the Enter key, and waited.

To fill the time, she looked down at her bare feet and admired her polished toes, anything to stop herself from pulling out her hair. The bug-eyed clerk at K-Mart had told her that patience was a virtue. Maybe he was right.

The computer screen blinked. What she saw when the screen lit up again caused her to draw in a ragged breath.

Jack kept his eyes on Harrison.

Somebody bumped into Jack as he walked toward the pizza place. He didn’t pay any attention, just kept a steady gaze on his target. An image flashed through his mind as he moved along. The only other time he’d seen Harrison without his signature dark suit and tie was when Jack had first started working for the man nearly seven years ago. Jack recalled popping into Harrison’s office with a question, surprised to find his boss dressed in a blue half-zipped jacket and matching shorts. Standing in the foreground was a woman, a woman with a scarf fitted loosely around her head. She wore dark sunglasses, making it impossible for Jack to see her eyes. She had a thin straight nose and high cheekbones. Elizabeth Kramer. Shit!

As he reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter he’d taken from Auntie’s mailbox, unease crept up his spine. At the time he had been in a hurry, but seeing the mailbox at the end of the driveway had reminded Jack that he had no idea who Auntie was...and so he’d taken a piece of her mail. He looked at the envelope; the letter was addressed to Dr. Elizabeth Louise Kramer.

His shoulders drooped. He should have listened to his instincts and never left Kate alone with the woman.
Louise. Lou. Appointment with Dr. Forstin. Meetings with Harrison.
She was in charge of raising millions of dollars for AIDS research. The antiques in her house started to make sense. She had to be paying Harrison to do her dirty work.

Harrison looked from his left to his right and then straight ahead. As he caught sight of Jack walking toward the restaurant, recognition lit up his face.

A prickling sensation crawled up the back of Jack’s neck, but he didn’t look away, didn’t blink.

Harrison, on the other hand, shot a quick glance to his right, gave a nod, a subtle nod, but definitely a signal to someone nearby.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack spotted a man wearing shades and a ridiculous looking Burberry sunhat that didn’t go with his outfit. The man wasn’t doing much besides people watching while sipping a coffee.

A sick feeling settled in Jack’s stomach as he realized Harrison had gone bad. Jack had looked up to Harrison. What made him turn? Why would Harrison have come all this way...unless the disc was more important than Jack first imagined. Was Harrison on that disc?

The moment Jack entered the restaurant, Harrison stood. A black canvas bag sat on the floor by Harrison’s feet. Jack held up a finger, motioning for Harrison to wait there. “I’ll just be a minute.” Jack went to the pick-up line and brought back five boxed pizzas that he’d ordered an hour ago. He set them on the table in front of Harrison.