Smoke and Sin Read online

  “Do you know the name of the woman who persuaded him to let Constance out that night?” Roman asked while trying to shrug yet another cat off his shoulder.

  Ellen shook her head. “Mum said it was some member of her family. But she didn’t have to sign in or out like other people. Everything was kept real quiet. Given who the son turned out to be, I suspect the family is still keeping quiet.”

  “Actually, her son desperately wants the truth,” Gus said.

  “Did he have my mum killed?” She kept stroking the cat absently, but raised her pale stare.

  Roman turned to her. “Absolutely not. Her son has suffered greatly as a result of this accident, too. He wants to find out if it was actually a murder.”

  “I know we’re talking about President Hayes. You can say his name.” She cocked her head. “I was wondering if you’d come to kill me. It doesn’t matter. The cancer will get me soon enough. It’s why I’m not screaming or calling the police. When you showed up, I realized I might get some answers of my own.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Gus reached out to the woman, laying a hand over hers. “And I’m sorry your mother got caught in this, but we’re not the bad guys. We’re trying to figure out who did this and why. We were hoping you knew something about the recordings of Constance’s sessions that disappeared. Maybe your mother told you who took them or where they might be stored. Whoever took those tapes is trying to use them against her son. We need to know what’s on them.”

  “Don’t know what’s on them, but whatever it is, I’m sure it’s something that could be used against him. Mum knew it, too.”

  “Can you shed any light on where they might be now?”

  “Of course. Mum took them,” Ellen replied readily. “Said the docs had gotten rich enough and it was her turn. She said she’d earned the money that information would fetch, and she expected that it would be a lot. I don’t know who she thought would give her the money. I told her the plan was insane. And then she was mysteriously killed. I never did believe her attack was a random thing by some punks wanting drugs. Whoever she blackmailed wanted those tapes, and they were willing to kill for them.”

  Gus sat back, alarmed…but not surprised. She’d known for a long while these people were willing to kill to further their cause, whatever that was. Still, she and Roman needed to listen to those recordings. They needed to hear Constance Hayes in her own words. If they couldn’t, Gus wasn’t sure how they could move forward in their investigation. And Roman would have become a human cat lounger for nothing.

  “So your mother died and they took the tapes she’d secreted from the hospital?”

  “Yes,” Ellen replied. “Well, the ones she hid in her house. Not the two in storage. Those are still in the box Mum packed them in. I don’t want them. If I’d been smart, I would have destroyed them long ago. Never listened to them.” She paused, then admitted, “I wanted to know why she died, but I was afraid to find out.”

  “Are you saying some of those tapes are somewhere in your keeping?” Roman asked.

  Ellen looked him over, her lips firming to a stubborn line. “Yes, but I want something, too. I lost my mum over those blasted things. So I want to make sure I get something out of this deal.”

  “What do you want?” Gus was ready to pull out her checkbook.

  “A good home for my cats.”

  “Done.” Gus would find homes for every single one of these purring, affectionate felines if it meant she got her hands on those tapes.

  Ellen relaxed, her whole body slumping back into her comfy chair. “Good. Don’t want them going to a shelter. Nasty places. They’re too often euthanized, particularly special-needs babies. Cats need homes.” She sent Roman a little smile. “I think Mr. Darcy knows who he wants to go home with.”

  Gus turned to find Roman now surrounded by cats.

  “Can we have the tapes now?” The cat on the sofa back batted a paw at his hair, messing up his normally perfect do.

  He gritted his teeth and took it like a man.

  And Gus fell in love all over again.

  * * * *

  “I’m not taking those cats. You can’t make me.” Roman stood outside one of the village shops, where they’d paused to ask for directions. And buy a lint brush. Gus rolled the adhesive contraption over him, saving his suit from becoming a casualty of the catpocalypse.

  She brushed over his shoulders, peeling the cat hair off his precious Hugo Boss. “I said I would help find them all good homes and ensure they were fed and taken care of. I didn’t say they were moving into your condo. Even if we could get them back to the States, I don’t think your building allows pets.”

  “I was thinking of moving.” He watched as she knelt, since it appeared Mr. Darcy had left half his fur on the cuffs of his charcoal slacks. “Not that I want twelve animals, but maybe one would be nice. I also want a place with more room. Maybe something in the suburbs.”

  Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. “You? Somehow I can’t see you out of your high-rise.”

  He shrugged. “It could happen.”

  Lots of things could happen.

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll find someplace lovely.” She went back to working on his slacks.

  He’d never once thought about leaving the city until the night before. He didn’t spend enough time in his condo to warrant buying a damn house, but sometime in the middle of the night he’d had a vision of a house he actually occupied more often than never. A house where he had breakfast and rushed home so he could have dinner. A house in which he didn’t live alone, where he could do stupid things like host a barbecue for his friends or raise a couple of kids.

  A house with Augustine.

  Of course, first they had to pray those tapes were where Ellen House claimed her mother stored them. Then they had to ferry them back to London and hear whatever ugly truths they held.

  “Did the shopkeeper know how to find the place Ellen told us about? Did we take a wrong turn?” Roman asked as he held out his hand and helped her stand upright again.

  Damn but she was pretty, even when she was holding a fuzzy lint brush.

  “We didn’t go far enough. It’s another mile north, and then we’ll turn left onto a country road. He warned me, though, that no one’s lived at the Farrington Farm for a few years,” Gus explained. “I told him we wanted to look at it because we were thinking about buying it. It’s not such a crazy idea. If he looks into it, I even gave him the name of my real estate agent.”

  “Why do you have a real estate agent?” How seriously had she looked at taking the job with Sara? He wasn’t about to let that happen.

  She didn’t meet his gaze. “I’ve thought maybe I would get a place here if something irresistible came on the market. I love England.”

  She wanted a getaway house. He liked that idea. As long as it wasn’t full of furry, shedding creatures, he could embrace that. He only wanted one pussy in his life. “That’s nice. I thought you were talking about finding a place in New York.”

  She stopped briefly. “No, if I go to New York, I’ll probably stay with Sara until after the baby arrives. Maybe a while longer so I can help her.”

  She’d lost her own baby, and it had filled her with such pain. But she still wanted to help her friend. He’d always been so intimidated by her moxie and her complete willingness to go to the mat for the people she loved. He needed to stop being intimidated and start working so she directed all that blustery affection and fierce loyalty his way.

  “I don’t want you to leave DC, but I’d be willing to help out, too. Sara will need a lot of it,” he said quietly.

  That turned her head. “You willing to change a diaper?”

  He stood a little taller. “Hey, I’ve run votes on the Hill. Nothing dirtier than that. I can handle a diaper or two. I think I’ll have to do that a lot in the near future. After all, most of my pack has settled down and is looking to procreate. Maybe it’s my turn.”

  She nodded, but didn’t say
anything.

  “Do you think we’ll ever tell them we were first?”

  She eased into his arms, wrapping him up in a hug. She laid her head over his heart, resting it there for one beautiful moment. “If you want to. I’ve never talked about it. No one knew except Mad.”

  He embraced her tight and breathed her in, loving how perfectly she fit against him. “I think I’d like to talk about it, if it’s okay with you. I want to have a long talk with Dax when he gets back.”

  Her face turned up, lips forming a heart-stopping grin. “I want a front-row seat for that fight.”

  “Hey, I thought you said Dax would be thrilled.”

  “Only after he beats you up a little. He’s my brother after all.” She shrugged and broke away from him. “We should get going. I know the farm is supposedly abandoned, but I think it’s best if we get in and out as quickly as possible.”

  “If no one’s there, we shouldn’t find ourselves in jail for trespassing.” At least he hoped.

  Roman jogged around the car and opened the door, settling Gus inside. Then he dashed around to the driver’s seat and eased the vehicle onto the road.

  “Ellen told me this place used to be her grandfather’s farm. It’s where her mum grew up, but it went under long ago since it’s too small to truly be lucrative. Her mother hadn’t lived there in years, and then Ellen held on to it for sentimental value. Now she’s leaving her cottage and the farm to a pet rescue society.” Gus turned to him and teased, “What if Ellen’s already turned the farm into some feral cat sanctuary. Maybe we’ll get a rousing chorus of hungry meows.”

  He shuddered at the thought. “Why don’t you go into the barn first?”

  She grinned at him. “It’s good to know you have weaknesses, Calder. You’re terrified of affectionate felines.” She sobered slightly and looked back out the window. “I hope those tapes have survived the years. At least her mother claims to have put them in a locked tack room and boxed them to keep the elements at bay.”

  He hoped that was true. “It’s sad that Ellen never even listened to them because she realized those very tapes had likely gotten her mother killed. I understand she was too scared to try. Might be the most common sense she’s shown. She seems like an otherwise odd bird.”

  “She just wanted to be left alone with her cats,” Gus replied, her tone sympathetic. “I think she was tired of fighting, too. She’d seen her mom do too much of it, and knowing now that she’s dying herself… I suspect she just doesn’t want any more turmoil. Can you imagine what would have happened if we hadn’t listened to our Deep Throat and gone looking for Ellen? According to what the doctors told her, she’s only got another month to live. All of her property and belongings would have been put up for auction. What if someone else found those recordings?”

  He grimaced. He didn’t want to think about how close they’d come to that happening. “It would depend on whether they realized who was talking. If they figured out the psychiatric patient was the president’s mother, we might have been facing a media nightmare. We could have been blindsided, and likely right before the election cycle.”

  “Do you think Zack will run for reelection? I know it’s ridiculous to think about not running. He’s popular and has a great approval rating, but it might unravel this whole conspiracy if he announced that he’s going to be a one-term president.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe whoever is behind this mess gets pissed and accelerates the timetable for whatever disaster they have in mind. Or they start offing the rest of his friends to show they mean business. After all, they threatened to blackmail us. Murder might be the next step.” Roman had lost a lot of sleep these last few months considering this exact problem. “These people have already killed at least four of Zack’s loved ones. I don’t think murdering a few more would bother them.”

  It was precisely why they had to find out what the Russians wanted…and what dirt they had.

  “You’re right. Constance, my father, Joy, and Mad.” Gus shook her head. “We have to find these tapes and help solve some of this riddle or the Russians will always have a hold on Zack. And if they don’t get what they want, they’ve already identified his weak spot.”

  “His friends.” He glanced across the cabin at her. He needed her to understand why, despite wanting her back at the White House, he’d maintained distance between them. Last night had brought them closer than ever, and there would be no hiding that in the future. Her admission explained so much for him—why she’d avoided him for years, why she’d seemed somewhere between hostile and resentful so often. Now he needed her to understand where his heart had been. “This is a big reason I’ve kept distance between us lately, Gus. I wanted to keep you out of it. I didn’t want you too closely associated with me.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, you didn’t think through that strategy. You’ve said before that you want to protect me, but it feels a lot like you’re coming up with another excuse to push me away.”

  “What?”

  “Seriously. Your reasoning is ridiculous. You didn’t want me too closely associated with you? Fine. Let’s pretend that no one’s ever noticed how sparks fly between us when we’re in the same room. Let’s go with the idea that if you ignore me, you obviously don’t care about me.” She snorted. “That doesn’t take into account that I work for Zack and I was a damn bridesmaid at his wedding. I guess we could fix that by you firing me and banishing me from DC, but then we come to the final problem with your argument, the one tie you can’t cut. How exactly do you plan to fix the fact that I’m Dax’s sister? You going to convince him to disavow me, too? Seems to me that the Russians always knew.”

  She brought up valid points, but that wasn’t the one he’d been driving toward. “I could never convince him to do that. And I’m absolutely not going to fire you. But I think we need to talk about what happens when we get back to DC.”

  “I know what happens.”

  His cell phone trilled. He glanced down at the screen. Connor. He couldn’t ignore the guy, even if his friend’s call was inopportunely timed. “Oh, I seriously doubt that. It’s something we will absolutely talk about later. Can you answer that call for me, baby? Put Connor on speaker.”

  Gus did as he requested. “Hey, Roman and I are on the road. We can both hear you, so watch what you’re going to say because tender female ears are listening.”

  Roman rolled his eyes. “Gus…”

  Connor whistled over the line. “Damn, she sounds pissed. I thought you were supposed to be soothing her, not riling her up again. We have to talk about your technique.”

  No, he needed the damn chance to finish explaining what he’d meant. But it could wait until Connor wasn’t listening in because some things should be private. “Don’t mind her. And don’t listen to her, either. You can say whatever you like. I’d just tell her later anyway. What’s going on, brother? Where did Kemp lead you?”

  “That’s the problem,” Connor said, his tone turning serious. “I think the fucker managed to ditch me.”

  Roman tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Tell me you’re joking.”

  “I wish I could. It’s hard to tail someone on these country roads. If I don’t give him a little space, he’ll make me in a heartbeat.” There was a sigh over the line. “I think he must have turned off somewhere a few miles before we reached the village.”

  “But you knew where he was going. We told you he’d written down Homewood’s address. This is his only day off,” Gus argued. “If he doesn’t go today, when would he?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m here at the hospital and I have been for an hour. He never showed, and he left London maybe five minutes before me. I’m going to drive around town,” Connor said. “Maybe I’ll spot his vehicle somewhere.”

  “Don’t bother.” Roman would rather have backup. Roman knew he was a hell of a lawyer, but he wasn’t some ninja warrior. He wasn’t a trained CIA agent. If Kemp somehow got the jump on them, Roman knew he and Gus wo
uld be in serious trouble. “It doesn’t matter if Kemp somehow met with the staff at Homewood. He wouldn’t have found any information there.”

  But if Kemp was, by chance, out searching for them, they could be in danger.

  “Agreed.”

  “Her doctor at Homewood recorded her sessions. We know the location of those tapes. They’re hidden in a barn off the main road. We have to beat Kemp there, get in and out and gone. You’re looking for a tiny place called Farrington Farms.” He recited the address. “You’re about twenty minutes away. Get over here. Once we locate what we came for, we’ll head back to London together. And if Kemp shows his face again, we bring him in for questioning.”

  “Roman, why don’t you stop where you are, get back to London now? Let me go in,” Connor said, his voice deeper than usual.

  “Because I’m sure Kemp is nearby, and if he’s figured out what we’re on to then he’s heading this way, too. We can’t let him have this evidence. We’ve lost too much and have too much at stake to give him any opportunity to grab those tapes. From what we’ve gleaned, this information falling into enemy hands would be catastrophic.” Gus sat up in her seat, pointing to the dirt road up ahead. “We just found the turnoff. We’re not far now.”

  “I don’t like this,” Connor said. “I don’t like the fact that he’s suddenly missing and you two are out there alone. Something’s off. Deep Throat sent you here?”

  “Deep Throat sent us in the right direction. By the way, she was a woman this time. I think she was wearing a wire and getting her cues from someone else.” She’d also said she had redundancies in place. What had she meant?

  “Really? We suspected they were different, but I did not see that coming.”

  “I’ll give you a full debrief when we get back to London,” he said.

  Connor sighed. “I still don’t like this. Even less so now that I know where you’re getting your intel.”