The Delaney Woman (26 page)

“Understated,” Gillian paused on her way into the kitchen, “and gorgeous.”

Kellie applied a touch of mascara and lip gloss. “I'm nervous.”

“Don't be. You look wonderful. Think of it as parent night at Silverlake. There are enough posh people there to make anyone afraid of using the wrong fork. Irish expatriates can't be all that stuffy. I'm impressed that you got an invitation, even if you do have to go all the way to London.”

Kellie shrugged. “I'm not complaining. I've decided to take my car.” She said nothing to Gillian but she knew exactly why Caroline Davies had called her and why she'd accepted. If John Griffith needed evidence of the MP's duplicity, she would give it to him.

“Good idea,” replied Gillian. “That way if you decide to stay the night, there won't be any worrying about train schedules.”

The Davies' London town house was awash in light and laughter. Gillian was right. It was very like Silverlake. Bearded gentlemen in dark suits and ladies artfully painted and manicured conversed in groups. A caterer offered Kellie a glass of sparkling wine. She accepted and moved toward the group where her hostess held court.

She was ushered into the circle immediately. “Kellie,” said Caroline Davies, “I'm so pleased you came. Allow me to introduce you.”

Kellie smiled, glanced at one inquiring face after another, and blanked. After the woman's introductions, she had no idea who anyone was, but apparently no one expected it. Moving from one group to the other, she made her way around the room until she'd said something to everyone. Then she excused herself to go to the washroom. The plush carpet muffled her footsteps. The hallway was dimly lit. On a cabinet in the hall sat an array of family photos. The Davies' marriage was obviously a joining of families and Caroline was definitely English. Kevin Davies had come a long way from Portadown. She didn't blame him for not wanting to go back. He looked every inch the English gentleman.

After locking the door to the powder room Kellie checked her wire—it was still safely secured and completely invisible. Looking up Kellie stared at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't belong here with these glittering people who knew nothing about her. Oddly enough the evening had cemented her decision. She was going home to her own kind, if not West Belfast, then to somewhere else in Ireland.

Back in the dining room she was seated between a nondescript woman and a man whose name she couldn't remember. The woman picked up a threepronged fork and spoke first. “I can never remember what this one is for.”

Startled, Kellie looked at her. “Shellfish,” she said automatically. “We're probably having shrimp.”

“I suppose you're used to this kind of thing,” the woman said.

“Not at all.” Alcohol had loosened her tongue. “I'm more like a poor relation come to visit.”

“You don't look like a poor relation.”

“Thank you.” Kellie introduced herself. “I'm Kellie Delaney. I don't remember meeting you earlier.”

The woman smiled and extended her hand. “I'm Jessica Hammond. I'm the acting dean of Dresden Academy. I understand you're a teacher.”

Kellie was startled. Had she mentioned her profession? “I am,” she said slowly, “although I'm on leave for the term.”

“I'm looking for an English teacher until the end of the term. Are you interested?”

Kellie's eyebrows rose. “Just like that? You know nothing about me.”

“Caroline Davies is an alumna. Her recommendation is enough. If you could commit to the end of the fall term, I think I could use you.”

Caroline Davies had recommended her!
“May I think about it?”

The woman pulled a business card and a pen from her purse and wrote on the back. “Take a week. As soon as you've decided, let me know.”

“Is Dresden nearby?”

Jessica shook her head. “Not really, Dresden is in Salisbury, but the salary is exceptional.” She named a figure so out of the ordinary that Kellie could barely swallow.
What did it mean, this invitation and a cushy job offer? Was Davies actually bribing her? Did he really think she would look the other way, forget the murders of her brother and nephew for a job?
Her food tasted like steel wool in her mouth. If she did nothing else in her life, she would spend it taking this man down.

Dessert and coffee were served in the formal living room. Kellie was so intent on her thoughts she barely glanced at the man who stood in the entry. When she recognized him, her hand moved to her throat. The air felt suddenly thin and she fought the dizziness that closed in on every side.

K
ellie waited until he made his way to her side. He reached her at the same time Kevin Davies did.

“Hello, Tom,” he said smoothly. “I didn't realize you were in England.”

“I just arrived.” Tom's eyes never left Kellie's face.

Davies lowered his voice. “We need to talk.”

“When?”

Kellie moved closer.

“Not here. Where are you staying?”

Tom looked at Kellie.

“He'll stay with me,” she said, very conscious of the microphone attached to her chest.

Davies nodded. “I'll be in touch.” He looked around. “Have some coffee. Blend in.” He clapped Tom on the back. “Good to see you, old friend.”

Kellie waited until he left them. “What are you doing here?”

“I might ask the same of you.”

His eyes were intensely blue and the hot white flare in their centers frightened her. “What's wrong?”

“I told you to leave this alone.”

“I'm going to finish it.”

“No, you're not,” he said evenly.

“Who do you think you are?” she asked, her voice trembling with anger.

He pitched his voice so that only she could hear. “They're dead. You're not However, if you continue to stir the pot, you very well might be. Connor Delaney died because he got close to something very ugly.”

“I know all about that.”

“Then you must know what will happen if you do the same.”

A voice came close to her ear. “Listen to the man, Kellie.”

She turned around and stared into the face of Dennis McGarrety. He smiled brilliantly.

Trying to remain calm she forced the words through her teeth. “My goodness. Is this a coincidence, Mr. McGarrety?”

“You've been very busy,” McGarrety said.

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Perhaps not, but I have something to say to you. You've been warned once already,” he said. “This is your second notice. You won't be getting another.” He walked away.

Kellie waited until he disappeared into a circle of people on the other side of the room. She turned to Tom. “Tell me again that Davies is a decent man and that he has nothing to do with McGarrety.”

“That doesn't matter,” said Tom. “The warning stands. You're in danger, Kellie. Let the professionals handle this.”

“The
professionals
won't touch it without evidence. Davies is a popular politician.” Kellie's voice was thin and hard.

“What are you saying?”

She looked around. People were beginning to stare. “We can't discuss this here.”

“Where?”

“I'll leave first. My car is outside about halfway down the street. It's a white Rover. I'll wait for you.”

“Give me fifteen minutes to arrange a meeting with Davies.”

Kellie's heart pounded. “I want to be there.”

Tom nodded. “Wait for me.”

Kellie looked at her watch several times to be sure the battery was still working. Huddling down inside her coat, she refused to look at it again. He would come as quickly as he could.

Finally, the passenger door opened and he climbed inside. “Sorry. I couldn't get away.”

Kellie pulled out of the parking space and headed toward the motorway.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Back to Oxford to a friend's flat. That's where I'm staying.”

He looked at his watch. “That's quite a drive.”

“It's only ten o'clock and neither of us has anything to do in the morning. Besides, it will give you plenty of time to explain why you've come.”

She edged through a late-turning light and he winced. “Christ, Kellie, be careful.”

She ignored him. “Start explaining.”

“McGarrety is dangerous. He had your brother murdered. He already knows you've approached Davies. What do you think he'll do to you?”

“Kevin Davies did a despicable thing and everyone hushed it up. Why didn't
you
say anything?”

“You can see where it got Connor.”

“Are you saying you didn't talk because you were afraid?”

Tom rubbed his chin. “Aye,” he admitted. “I was afraid, but not at first. It was only after I came to my senses that I was afraid. People were dying all around me. At first I thought I was immune. Then I realized I was just lucky. That's when I began to be afraid. After six years in prison there was no need to talk anymore. In the meantime Kevin had reformed. He was a politician making his mark. I was hardly one to point fingers.”

He looked at Kellie, her profile pure and clear in the moonlight. “I'll warrant that your brother had more than a few things to hide. If he worked for British Intelligence, he saw his share of death.”

She'd thought of that herself and rejected it. She refused to have her image of Connor tarnished. “I won't allow this to go unpunished.”

“Give it up, Kellie. For God's sake, what will it take to make you understand how dangerous this is for you?”

“They offered me a job,” she said bitterly. “They invited me to dinner to bribe me to keep my mouth closed.”

“They're afraid of what you'll do and
I'm
afraid of what they'll do when they realize there's no stopping you.”

“It's none of your business,” she said primly.

“Of course it's my business,” he shouted. “Connor was killed because he'd located me, the only living witness to an event that could destroy a politician's career. You located me as well. You're in danger because of me.”

Her heart flip-flopped in her chest. She hoped John Griffith was hearing every word of this. “Do you feel responsible?”

“Completely.”

She was silent for a long time. “How is Heather?” she asked at last.

“Well, thank you.”

“And Claire?”

“Claire is Claire.” He turned to her impatiently. “What difference does it make how Claire is? I want to know your intentions.”

“Why?”

“Damn it, Kellie. You know why. Don't go on with this.”

She stared straight ahead.

He sighed. “What will it take to satisfy you?”

“I want McGarrety charged with Connor's murder.”

“That won't happen,” Tom said flatly. “It never does.”

“I want Davies to step aside,” she continued. “He doesn't deserve his position. It's one of public trust. I certainly don't trust him. Who could trust a man who allows others to murder for him?”

“We don't know that.”

“Don't we?” This time it was her voice that was raised to an angry pitch. “Do you really believe that McGarrety wouldn't be reined in if Davies gave the order?”

Tom didn't answer.

“Kevin Davies knows what's going on, Tom. He isn't the least bit sorry for what he's done. He's only sorry that he's been found out.”

“That may be true, but it doesn't lessen your danger. Why do you have to be the one to expose him?”

“Because you didn't do it,” she shot back. “Because you didn't reveal what he'd done, my brother was killed.”

“That's a twisted way of looking at things.”

She shook her head and maneuvered into the far right lane to overtake another car. “I don't think so.”

Tom leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes. She was right but she was also wrong. “We'll see him tomorrow,” he said after a minute, “and we need McGarrety there, too.”

“Why?”

“Because then I'll know what's going to happen next. When I see them together, I'll know.”

“What will you do then?”

“I'm not sure.”

“Are you afraid now?”

“Terrified.”

“Why? They won't hurt you. You spared them.”

“Not this time. Not if they hurt you.”

She was having trouble concentrating on the road. The fights on the motorway were always inadequate at night and she was more than a little interested in the way the conversation was going. “Why did you come here, Tom?”

“I worry about you.”

“Now, or just in general?”

“Every bloody waking moment. I wonder how I could have let you go. I worry that you'll meet someone else, someone wonderfully suited to you. I worry that you'll never forgive me for Claire. But most of all I worry that if you don't come back, I'll never get over you.” He looked at her. “Are you coming back, Kellie?”

She waited some time before answering. “I can't think about that now. I'm in the middle of this and I'm still very angry with you.”

He nodded. “I don't blame you.”

“She's still there, isn't she, living with you?”

“She's sharing the house, Kellie. She's not living with me. I haven't touched Claire in eight years and I have no intention of ever doing so again.”

Her question was a whisper. When he heard the words every instinct told him to he.

“You considered it, though, didn't you?”

He'd lost. He knew it before he answered. But if he was to go down, he would go down honestly. “Yes,” he said, “for exactly one minute, I considered it, but that's all.”

“You don't have to explain, Tom. It's all right. I understand.”

He could see her hands on the wheel, tight, white- knuckled. “Does it matter that I'm quite sure I've never loved anyone the way I love you?”

“That's very nice,” she said mechanically, “but I wish you wouldn't say things like that to me. It makes everything that much harder. Let's just stick to the business at hand.”

He stared out the window. “Will your friend mind my staying with her? I can find a hotel.”

“Gilly won't mind and, besides, I'd rather you be with me. That way we'll both know what's happening at the same time.”

He nodded. “Fair enough. Tell me, Kellie, why did you attend the dinner?”

Strange how circumstances compromised one's character. She'd never known how skilled at lying she was. “Curiosity, and because he asked me to speak with his wife. I told her about Connor and Danny. Apparently she was quite upset at the thought of her beloved husband committing murder.”

“Did you speak to her this evening?”

“No. You showed up and there was no opportunity.”

They were in Oxford now, heading toward the north end of town. Kellie pulled into a charming brick complex, obviously modern but built to look like it had weathered the ages. It was a few minutes past midnight.

“Will your friend still be awake?”

Kellie looked up at the window overlooking the garden. “Her light is on. She'll want to meet you.”

Gillian, wrapped in her bathrobe, was watching the last minutes of a late-night talk show. Her eyes widened when Kellie introduced Tom. She stood and held out her hand. “My goodness, it's grand to meet you. I've heard a great deal about you and your daughter.”

Tom grinned. “I'm not sure how to take that, but since you're still speaking to me, I'll accept it as a compliment.”

Kellie stared. She'd never seen this side of Tom Whelan before. He wasn't exactly flirting, but he had definitely charmed Gillian.

“Kellie thought it might be acceptable for me to stay overnight here in your living room. If that's not convenient I can find a hotel.”

Gillian shook her head. “I wouldn't think of sending you away. I was just about to go to bed anyway, I'll bring out some blankets and towels and you'll be set. Can I get you anything first? Maybe a cup of tea?”

“Not for me, thanks,” said Tom.

Kellie followed Gillian down the hall to the linen closet. “Thank you, Gillian. He showed up after dinner. I had no idea he was coming.”

“He doesn't have to stay on the couch, Kellie. You're both adults and under the circumstances—”

Kellie shook her head firmly. “Nothing's changed. He's still married and living with his wife.”

“He's very attractive. You didn't tell me that.”

“Yes,” said Kellie slowly. “I suppose he is.”

Gillian stared at her. “What is it?”

“I'm not sure.” She chewed the inside of her lip. “A month ago, I wanted him desperately.”

“And now?”

Kellie looked at her friend, her eyes bright and hard. “He rejected me. From one day to the next everything changed. He told me he loved me and then Claire came home and it was as if nothing had ever happened between us. When I needed reassurance the most, he let me down. How does one get over something like that?”

“Kellie.” Gillian gripped her shoulders. “We're all human. People make mistakes. The man is here. If he wanted to be with his wife, he would be there.”

Kellie sighed. “I want this to be over. I can't think of anything else besides Connor and Danny and Kevin Davies. It's consumed my mind.”

Gillian handed her a set of snowy sheets, two towels and a washcloth. “You're a strong woman, Kellie Delaney, one of the strongest I know. Your background has done that for you. You'll get through this. Whatever decision you make about Tom Whelan will be the right one.”

Kellie kissed her friend's cheek. “You're a wonderful friend, Gilly. Thank you for being here.”

“Don't mention it. And if you're truly not interested in Tom Whelan, be sure to let me know first.”