A Thousand Kisses Deep (4 page)

"Okay. What else?"

"She's twenty-three. That fits, as well as the description of the little red-haired Creon girl who supposedly died that night."

"The woman on the tape has red hair?"

"And green eyes." Bjorn checked his notes. "She is now five foot eight, weights one hundred ten pounds, and lives on
Langdon Drive
. Residence, Boxwood Estate. My records don't indicate she's married to Parish, though she uses his name."

"She have a routine? Any hobbies? Friends?"

"No friends. A boring routine. She swims early morning in the backyard pool. Likes to sit in the sun. Some days until
noon
. Parish takes her out to dinner on occasion. One day a week she goes into town escorted by Morris Gram, Simon's driver and overseer at the estate. From checking Dr. Fielding's appointment book it looks like the third Thursday of every month Eva plays her little game."

Sly rested his elbow on the arm of the couch and rubbed his clean shaven jaw. "Explain what you mean by that?"

"That's what I call her visits to her psychiatrist because she keeps them a secret from Simon Parish."

Sly stood, snagged his black V-neck T-shirt off the back of the couch and pulled it on over his head. He had arrived in
Atlanta
midmorning. After checking into the nondescript motel on the outskirts of the city, he'd called Bjorn, then headed for the shower. He'd barely gotten his pants back on when Bjorn knocked on his door.

"Game day goes like this," Bjorn continued. "Morris Gram and Eva leave Boxwood around
one o'clock
in Simon's black Bentley. At one-thirty she's dropped off in front of the Tastes of Paradise, a health food and pharmacy downtown. While Morris parks and waits, she enters the shop through the front door. She hands off the list to the clerk at the counter, exits out the back door, then runs two blocks to Dr. Nancy Fielding's office."

"Where they talk—" Sly interjected "—and she gets her prescription renewed, then runs back to Tastes of Paradise, entering through the back door."

"That's right. Eva hands the clerk her prescription, and gets a grocery-size bag in exchange, and a small white prescription bag. She removes the prescription bottle from the white bag and slips it into her cleavage, then exits out the front door. The minute Morris sees her, he pulls the Bentley to the curb and she climbs in. They're back at Boxwood within thirty minutes."

Sly hung a hand on his jean-clad hip. "Did you get a profile on Simon Parish, too?"

"Not as complete as I would have liked. I've been busy watching our Eva."

"I take it she's pretty?" Sly couldn't deny he was anxious to put a face with the smoky voice on the tape.

"I prefer blondes with boobs." Bjorn cupped his hand around an invisible grapefruit. "In Eva's case, one out of two ain't bad. If she dyed her hair, I'd be in love."

"So we've established she's got cleavage."

"A good two inches. There didn't seem to be a problem burying the bottle of pills."

"What did you find out about Parish?"

Bjorn flipped pages in his log book. "I couldn't find birth records on Simon Parish. But I did locate a medical report since he's been hospitalized on a number of occasions. He's an albino with a rare blood disorder. He's five-eleven, weighs 140. No wife or children."

"He's an albino?"

"That's right. White hair, white skin, red eyes, one hobby."

"One hobby?"

"Horticulture. He has a two-acre boxwood maze in his backyard. Guess that's why he renamed the estate after he purchased it from Langdon Hall. You'll have to see it to appreciate it."

Bjorn eased off the corner of the table and stood. Leaning heavily on his cane, he pulled a piece of paper out of the back pocket of his jeans and handed it to Sly. "That's what was in the grocery bag the clerk gave her yesterday."

Sly scanned the list. "I don't think I've ever known a vegetarian who takes barbiturates."

"Maybe Parish is the rabbit."

"What the hell are calimyrnas?"

"Figs."

"Mesclun?"

"Salad greens."

Sly read further, scowled, then gave Bjorn a puzzled look. "Edible flowers?"

"I questioned that one, too. The clerk told me pansies make a salad taste sweeter and look more colorful." Bjorn grinned, then closed his log book. "Isn't it about time you told me why I've been Eva Creon's shadow for two weeks? Why I broke into the shrink's office and stole that tape, and ten others like it?"

"Did you get photos?"

"Photos of our Eva and Simon Parish. I also made a copy of the doctor's appointment book for the past year."

"Did you get ahold of her black book?"

"No. The shrink must keep that on her. So what's this all about, Sly? Why are you interested in Eva Parish?"

"Because she's Paavo Creon's daughter. You just confirmed that."

"
Ja
. So?"

"Paavo Creon was an Onyxx agent. He was recruited for the first team twenty-one years ago."

It was obvious Bjorn hadn't expected to hear that. "An old Onyxx agent? Are you sure?"

"That's what my information tells me."

"The information you said arrived at your D.C. apartment with no return address?"

"That's right."

"Are you working undercover, Sly?"

"No."

"Then why did you get that information sent to you?"

"That's a good question." Sly rubbed his shoulder, paced back to the window and looked out. "What would you say if I told you I think Paavo Creon killed his wife, set that fire in his house, and walked away from it with his daughter?"

"I'd ask you for what purpose and how you came up with a crazy idea like that?"

"It sure would be a neat and tidy way to disappear and start a new life as someone else."

"True. But why would he do that?"

Sly turned from the window. "Because he needed to die in order to become the Chameleon."

There was a long minute of silence. Finally Bjorn said, "You should talk to
Merrick
about this."

Sly went back to looking out the window. "Not yet."

"Someone wants you involved in this. That someone obviously doesn't know you're no longer an Onyxx agent."

"Maybe. Or maybe someone inside Onyxx is trying to tell me something."

"That's scary. A mole inside the organization? You better talk to
Merrick
."

"Sully's dead. Jacy…" Sly stopped, rethought what he was going to say. "I've got time on my hands now. I think I'll play along and see what I can scratch up."

"Feeling guilty over Sully and Jacy isn't a good enough reason to get yourself killed, Sly. What if this is another set up? What if this is Onyxx's way of getting rid of you for turning your back on their reassignment offer? Why the hell did you have to quit anyway?"

"Would you have taken a job filing papers for
Merrick
?"

When Bjorn said nothing, Sly walked over to the desk and ejected the tape from the recorder and dropped it into the box with the others. "Is Boxwood Estate in Simon Parish's name?"

"It is
,
ja.
This doesn't smell right, Sly. I don't like it."

"The copied documents look legit."

"Anything can look legit with the right equipment. I'll say it again. I don't like this."

"You never liked half the shit we did for Onyxx. That never stopped you." Sly located the documents that had been sent to him and dropped them on the table. "Take a look at these, then tell me you aren't just a little bit curious."

While Bjorn studied the documents, Sly confessed, "I'm not going into this with my eyes closed. I know the risks."

"You just admitted you don't have a clue who is behind this, that means you're going in blind. You're too smart to be jumping into this, Sly."

"I owe them."

"The facts are, if Sully were alive he'd argue that point with you and win. He was as stubborn as you are. And Jacy would tell you things always look different after a week of hard drinking. Take a week, and if—"

"Sully shouldn't be dead."

"No, he shouldn't be, but that wasn't your fault."

Sly reached for a beer from the six-pack Bjorn had brought and tossed it to him, then took one for himself. "I was supposed to be watching Jacy's back, not using him for a goddamn shield to get my own ass out of there."

"That's not what you were doing and you know it. Jacy would have been dead for sure if you hadn't carried him out. The bottom line is because you did, he's going to make it. Hell, he didn't lose his leg. That's a damn miracle."

Sly couldn't get past the guilt that still shadowed that night at Castle Rock. The fact remained he was walking around on two strong legs and Jacy wasn't. And the doctors weren't sure yet if he would ever regain the use of his leg.

"So now what?" Bjorn asked. "What's next?"

Sly popped the tab on the can and took a swallow of warm beer. "You just confirmed Paavo Creon has a daughter still living here in
Atlanta
. That Eva Parish is really Eva Creon. That gives credence to my theory that Paavo may still be alive, living in
Greece
as the Chameleon."

"You really think they're the same person?"

"I think it's possible."

Bjorn tossed the documents on the desk and opened his beer. "You'll need someone helping you on the inside."

Sly smiled. "It would make things easier. Did you get pictures from the police station? Pictures of the Creon family?"

"There were no pictures. They were all destroyed in the fire. I did bring the surveillance pictures. If Paavo Creon worked for Onyxx there should be a file on record. Pictures."

"That's what I was thinking, too. You volunteering to break into Onyxx's archives and take a look?"

"If I can think of a reason to get inside."

"I no longer have authorization to get through Onyxx's front door," Sly reminded.

Bjorn downed half his can of beer. "I'll say it again. If you think the Chameleon and Paavo Creon are one and the same, I think you should talk to
Merrick
. After all he was a field agent in the early years. Maybe he knew Creon."

Sly finished his beer then pitched his empty can into the wastebasket across the room. "I'm going to see what I can uncover on my own first."

"You don't trust
Merrick
."

"Not at the moment."

"If Paavo's alive, why leave his daughter here in
Atlanta
?" Bjorn mused out loud. "Why not take her with him out of the country? Why chance someone discovering her?"

"I don't know. I'd like to talk to the people who raised her before she was given Parish's name and into his keeping. Can you do some checking on that, and see where they are?"

"I'll get on it as soon as I get back from
Montana
."

"All right. Jacy told me you volunteered to help him get settled in
Montana
. How long will that take?"

"A few days. He's got a cabin on a lake someplace high in the
Rockies
. I'm suppose to fly out with him day after tomorrow. I'll be back here inside of a week."