A Dangerous Widow (A Dangerous Series) (14 page)

“I see them now.
 
Do you want to go over and say hello to
them?”

“How well you know me.”

“You haven’t changed that much.”

“As far as I’m concerned, if Michael was
murdered, Mark also should be considered a suspect, as should Tom Smart.
 
Michael died the day after he terminated
their takeover of StoneTech.
 
Did
either of them murder him for it?
 
To be fair to them, that still sounds like a stretch to me, but who
knows?
 
What I do know is that, when
Michael cancelled the deal, they lost face with the investment group they had
worked hard to gather.
 
It was
embarrassing for each of them because they’d promised their investors that,
solely because of their friendship with Michael, the takeover was a done
deal—until it wasn’t.
 
So, I’m
ruling out nothing.”

“I’m assuming you’re about to pull on Mark
what you just pulled on Bill and Maxine?”

“In a way.”

“What does that mean?”

“For obvious reasons, Mark can’t stand
me.
 
Because of that, I can’t walk
over there expecting fake hugs and warm handshakes like the ones that Maxine
and Bill were happy to dole out to us.
 
You’ll see.
 
When we go over
there, Mark will put on a smile because we’re in a public place, but there is likely
going to be one mother of a hostile undercurrent rearing its ugly head.
 
But who gives a damn?
 
I’ve certainly dealt with worse than him
in my life.
 
So, let’s go over and
say hello.
 
Let’s make him uncomfortable.
 
Let’s see what happens when I try to
sweat him out.”

Ben placed the palm of his hand against my
back.
 
“You’re a force.”

“What I am, is determined.
 
Let’s go.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Mark Dodd had me in his sights long before
Ben and I were halfway to him and the group he was standing with.
 

When he saw me, he did a double-take, not
that I could blame him since he hadn’t seen me out in years.
 
But what he couldn’t shield from his
expression when he realized that it was me coming toward him was the disbelief
that it was, in fact,
me
coming toward him.
 

As Ben and I threaded through the crowd and
neared them, I watched anger settle into Mark’s eyes as his mouth took a
downward turn, which was enough to cause those around him to look around in
curiosity.

“Mark,” I said when we were upon them.
 
“It’s good to see you.”

He lifted his glass of Scotch in my
direction as he cocked his head to one side.
 
“Is it?” he asked.
 

“Of course it is.”

“Well, then—a compliment from the
great Kate Stone.
 
Who would have thought?”

Instead of responding, I remained silent,
thus allowing his rudeness to foul the air around him.

“You’ve surprised me tonight, Kate.”

“And how is that, Mark?”

“After you inherited Michael’s fortune, I assumed
that you’d never go slumming with this crowd again.”

“I’d never consider an event thrown by the
Witherhouses to come anywhere close to ‘slumming,’ Mark—but it’s telling
that you would.”

“Always so quick,” he said.
 
“Anyway, everyone, as I’m sure you already
know, this is the fabulous and fabulously wealthy Kate Stone.
 
What I can guarantee all of you is that
she knows nothing about any of you.
 
Kate, this is my wife Carmen, and two of our best friends—Kohen
and Angelica Kreuger.”

“Kreuger?” I said as I turned to them.
 
“As in Kreuger International?”

“Well, yes,” the older gentleman at my right
said in a thick German accent.
 
He
and his wife were about a decade older than the rest of us, and from their
bewildered expressions, it was clear that they were wondering what in the hell
was unfolding between Mark and me.
 
Not that I could blame them.
 
“You know of us?”

“Of course.
 
Kreuger International supplies half of
Germany with their Internet access.
 
Over the years, I’ve read much about you and your success.
 
It’s a pleasure to meet each of you—especially
after it was suggested that I’d know nothing about you.”

“Who are you with, Kate?” Mark asked.

I reached for Ben’s hand.
 
“Ben Cade,” I said as I looked straight
into Mark’s piggish brown eyes.
 
“We’ve been seeing each other for several months.
 
Ben, this is Mark Dodd, whom we talked
about earlier.”

Mark looked curiously at me.
 
“You were discussing me earlier?”

“We were discussing a lot of Michael’s
former friends earlier.
 
After all,
so many of them are here tonight.
 
Since you’re among them—or at least you were until the end, when
you chose not to show for his funeral for reasons well known to you and
me—you naturally were discussed.”

“I can only imagine how.”
 
He looked at Ben.
 
“What do you do, Ben?”

“I’m a private investigator.”

“A private investigator?” Mark said.
 
“Blue collar and all that?”

“Blue collar?” Ben said.
 
“I’m a former decorated Navy SEAL who’s
done two tours in Afghanistan, Mr. Dodd.
 
Have you served your country?”

“Through my various businesses, of course I
have.
 
I’m deeply involved in
evolving technology that makes all of our lives better.”

“That’s a slick way to spin the question, I
suppose, but what I really wanted to know is whether you have repeatedly put
your life on the line in an effort to serve your country.”

When Ben challenged him like that, I
remembered exactly why I had once loved him.
 
He’d always been quick on his feet.
 
And he backed down to no one.

“I think all of us know that I haven’t.”

“Then consider me proud to be blue collar,
Mr. Dodd—especially if that’s how you perceive an individual who has
watched some of his closest friends die in battle, and yet who somehow survived
those battles himself.”

“Oh, dear,” I said.
 
“What a gaff…”

But Mark, who clearly wanted out of this
conversation, quickly changed course.
 
“How did you two meet?” he asked.

“I hired Ben to look into Michael’s death.”

And when I said that, Mark Dodd was taken
aback.

“To look into Michael’s death?
 
What for?”

Watch him…

“A certain set of circumstances have led me
to believe that Michael’s death might not have been an accident.
 
I hired Ben to investigate whether it
was or not.
 
Together, we’ll find
out.”

“You think Michael was murdered?”

“We’re researching the possibility.”

“But who would want to murder, Michael?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it, Mark.”

When he took a sip of his Scotch, I could
almost feel his mind working.

“What have you learned?” he asked.

“That’s confidential,” Ben said.

“Confidential?
 
Why is it confidential?”

“To protect the names of those who are under
investigation.”

“And I suppose that when you were discussing
me earlier, it was because of this?”

I was about to speak when Ben stopped
me.
 
“That’s also confidential.”

Incredulous, Mark turned to the Kreugers and
his wife, and arched his eyebrows at them.
 
“Who knew?” he said.
 
“It
sounds as if I might be under investigation for murder.
 
I’m not sure whether to laugh or be insulted.”
 

“Nobody said that you were under
investigation, Mark.”

“There was an insinuation there, Kate, and
you and I both know it.”

“There was no insinuation,” Ben said.
 
“But I do find it interesting that you
heard one when all I said is that the information surrounding Michael Stone’s
death is confidential.
 
Is there a
reason for that?”

“I’m not even going to honor that with an
answer.”

“I wonder why…” I said.

“Oh, please, Kate—for Christ’s sake!”

“Why are you acting so cagey?” I asked.

“I’m hardly acting ‘cagey.’”

“You are, but that’s for you to explain to
your wife and your friends, I suppose.
 
Just hope for your sake, Mark, that Ben and I have no interest in you
going forward.
 
But if we do, you’ll
be the first to hear it.”

“Are you threatening me?” he said.
 
“Trying to slander me?
 
In front of my wife and my friends?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“The hell you don’t.”

“Let’s just be clear here—
you’re
the one who asked what Ben did for a
living.
 
Ben was kind enough to tell
you.
 
When I told you that I hired
Ben to investigate Michael’s death, you became unhinged.
 
If anything, you’ve slandered yourself
by your reactions to our answers and questions tonight.”

“Bullshit,” he said.

“You know something, Mark, there’s a reason
I didn’t sell StoneTech to you.
 
Let
me let you in on the reasons why—it’s because I always knew in my gut
that you were a second-rate hack who never could run a corporation of that size
and importance.
 
You lack vision and
leadership.
 
You’re too easily
rattled.
 
What’s worse, I can’t even
tell you how poorly you’d ever come to filling Michael’s shoes.
 
If you’re angry with me for
that—which clearly you are—I suggest that you have a good, hard
look in the mirror and come to terms with your limitations as a person and a
businessman.
 
Because long ago, I
looked deep into your abyss, and I saw nothing there that was worth my
time.”
 

I took Ben’s hand again, and felt a jolt of
confidence when his fingers interlinked with mine.
 
“Goodnight, everyone—sorry for the
fuss.
 
And goodnight to you, Mark.
 
Here’s wishing you the best going
forward.”
 
I narrowed my eyes at
him.
 
“In all its many forms.”

*
 
*
 
*

“Christ,” Ben said as we walked away from
them and into the milling crowd.
 
“I
take back what I said earlier—you
have
changed.
 
I’ve never seen you so
aggressive.”

“I’m not the person you remember, Ben.
 
I’ve handled my share of sharks since we
were together.
 
And that man is just
one of many.”

“If he wasn’t your enemy before, you’ve just
made a major enemy out of him now.
 
You publicly humiliated him in front of his wife and his friends.
 
You do realize that there could be
repercussions when it comes to that, don’t you?”

“That man is a wuss.
 
He’s all talk—always has
been.
 
And he doesn’t frighten
me.
 
Trust me, unless he’s somehow
responsible for Michael’s death, there’s no reason to be concerned about that
one.”

“But what if he is responsible?”

“Then we might have just found our man.”

“I wish you’d stop being so glib about
this.”

“I’m only being glib about him—not the
situation.
 
Did he murder
Michael?
 
Not himself, he didn’t,
because that man is a coward.
 
Besides,
Rhoda said the person who murdered Michael was a woman dressed in black.
 
Could Mark have hired it out?
 
Who knows?
 
But after that exchange?
 
I think you need to look into him.”

“Your behavior is starting to concern me.”

“Why?”

“When we came here tonight, I thought you
were just going to tease people with your suspicions surrounding Michael’s
death.
 
But you’ve gone well beyond
that.
 
If you do to someone else
what you just did to Mark Dodd, there might be nothing I can do to prevent them
from coming after you to silence you.”

“But that’s the point, isn’t it?
 
And while you might not be able to
prevent them from coming after me, you can protect me.
 
The team you’ll assemble for me tomorrow
morning will cover me.”

“To a point, they will.
 
But you have to know that nothing is
absolute when it comes to something like this, Kate.
 
The people who will protect you will do
their best, but they’re only human.
 
None of them are perfect, and mistakes
can and will be made—potentially at the cost of your own life.”

“Here’s what I need from you right now.
 
I want you to remember the moment when
you were most in love with your ex-wife.
 
And I’m talking about crazy in love with her.
 
At that point, what would you have done
if she’d suddenly been stolen away from you?
 
And if you’d learned that her death
might have been a murder?
 
I already
know the answer, Ben.
 
You’d do
anything in your power to get to the root of her death, even if it meant giving
up your own life in the process.
 
You can correct me if I’m wrong, but unless you’ve somehow radically
changed over the years, I know your heart, Ben Cade.
 
And because of that, I know exactly how
far you’d go.”

He didn’t respond.

“Look, if you feel that this is something
you can’t follow through with because of our past relationship, just tell me
now and there will be no hard feelings.
 
We’ll just go our separate ways.
 
But I need to know right now, because shit just got real.
 
Tonight, I’ve only started to open my
can of worms.
 
But if you continue
to question it and me, I need to know whether you’re in or out before it’s too
late for me.”