As Good as Dead (17 page)

Rubbing the back of his neck and shoulders to ease some of the tension, he decided he couldn’t just stand around waiting for something to happen. He may have been worrying for nothing, and it wasn’t so much for himself. If the hit man found him, what would happen to Kinsey and Marie? The ache and fear in his heart propelled him out the door.

“Going to lunch?” Eileen asked.

“Yeah. I’ll be back in two or three hours.”

“Ah.” She grinned up at him. “Golf?”

He forced himself to smile. “That wasn’t on my agenda, but I just might have to add it.”

Luke walked through the lobby and past Kinsey’s gallery. The sign indicated she’d be gone until 1:00. He had the valet bring his car and drove the two miles to the day care, where he stopped to visit with Marie. He ate one of the cookies she offered him, a healthy version of an oatmeal chocolate chip, all the while reassuring himself that his family was safe—at least for now.

Driving back to the resort, he decided his secretary had struck on an excellent idea when she mentioned golf. He stopped by the house to pick up his clubs and headed for the resort’s course. Once there, he secured a tee time and went into the snack bar for a deli sandwich. Less than thirty minutes later, he was out on the greens, paired with three businessmen from an electronics firm in town. He knew them fairly well, having gone to some of the chamber of commerce events.

The tension he’d been under stayed with him, giving him trouble on every hole. After nine holes, Luke was ready to go back to the office.

Before going back to the resort, Luke stepped into the men’s bathroom and found himself looking straight into the business end of a gun.

TWENTY-EIGHT

D
id you have an appointment with Mr. Sinclair?” the receptionist asked when Angel and Kinsey asked to see him.

“I’m his wife, Kinsey. Just tell him I’m here.”

“Oops, sorry.” The young woman grinned. “I’m new here. I didn’t recognize you.”

Kinsey smiled. “No problem. Is he with someone?”

“Hi, Kinsey.” An older woman stepped into the reception area. “If you’re looking for Thomas, you just missed him. Were you supposed to have lunch together? He didn’t have you written in.”

“No, I was hoping he’d be here. We have a guest from out of town, and I thought we might catch him.” She gestured toward the older woman. “Angel, this is Eileen. Thomas runs the place, but she’s the brains behind the whole operation.”

Eileen laughed and extended her hand. “Some days it feels like it. Thomas has been out of sorts today. He left about five minutes ago. Said he’d be back in a couple of hours. He’s probably at the golf course.”

“All right. Thanks.” Kinsey turned to Angel, concern filling her eyes.

“Do you want me to tell him you came by? I can send him down to the gallery.”

“Yes, please do that. Tell him it’s important that I talk to him.”

“Will do.”

Angel and Kinsey left, and as they exited the elevator, Angel felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She glanced around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Two men in suits and a woman in casual dress stepped onto the elevator they’d just vacated. A thin bald man with wire-rim glasses wearing a tan shirt with the resort logo was watering plants nearby.

A chill shuddered through her as she thought about the gardener at the funeral. Was the bald guy him?

“Are you okay?” Kinsey asked.

“I’m not sure.” The guy was an employee—but hadn’t the gardener posed as an employee of the hospital to get to Nick? She watched the guy intently, looking for some movement—something to indicate he might be the gardener. He was young, she noted, and had more of a tan. Was the baldness by choice?

“See that bald guy watering the greens in that big planter?” she whispered.

Kinsey nodded.

“Do you recognize him?”

Kinsey shrugged. “I’m not sure. We have several young bald guys working here.” She smiled. “We also have a lot of employees—new ones coming in every day.”

Angel glanced up and caught the young man watching her. He grinned, obviously pleased that she’d noticed him. Angel looked away.

“Is something the matter?” Kinsey asked.

“No—it’s just... I got a feeling someone might be watching us and... Never mind. After all that’s happened, I guess I’m paranoid.”

“Are you sure? I could find out if he’s legitimate.”

“No, that’s okay.” Angel glanced back and caught his gaze again. He winked, and she smiled back. If he was someone to be concerned about, she didn’t want him to think she might be suspicious. But if she saw him watching her again, she’d find out about his legitimacy herself.

Angel left Kinsey at the gallery, uncertain of her next move. Hopefully Luke would be back in two hours. If not, she would go home with Kinsey and see him there.

Angel’s emotions seemed paper thin and stretched to capacity as she went back to her room. She was tired from the long drive the day before and disappointed in not seeing Luke.

Back in her room, she placed a call to Rachael and then to Nick, telling them she’d located Kinsey and that Nick had been right. Thomas Sinclair was Luke Delaney. “If everything goes okay,” she told Nick, “I’ll be having dinner with my brother tonight.”

“Have you talked to Callen?” Nick asked.

“No. I thought I’d try calling when I’m done talking to you.”

“Detective Downs came by to see me today,” Nick said. “He isn’t too happy about getting Callen’s leftovers. Says he’s up to his earlobes and that unless they get something substantial fairly soon, he’s going to have to put the case on hold. The lab is still processing evidence on the reporter’s murder. They haven’t found any of the pictures from the funeral yet.”

“Which probably means the guy who went after you killed her and took the incriminating photos from her place.” Angel told Nick about the police chief who was a friend of Luke’s. “At least he’s safe on that score. Thomas Sinclair has a good reputation in this town. No one suspects he’s anyone but who he says he is.”

“So everything seems okay? No attacks on Luke?”

“Not so far. I just missed him. His secretary thinks he went golfing today. Great timing.”

There was a pause over the line. “I think you should call Callen. The more I think about it, the more concerned I am this guy will go after Luke.”

“I will.” She sighed. “I just wish we had a photo of that gardener. I was thinking I’d be able to recognize him if I saw him again, but now I’m not so sure. I saw a guy today with similar facial features, except that he was wearing glasses and was bald.”

“Can you get a picture of him and fax or email it to me?”

“Good idea, Nick. You got a much better look at him than I did.”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting for the picture.” Nick paused again. “And Angel?”

“Yeah?”

“Watch your back.”

TWENTY-NINE

T
he watcher pushed the irritating glasses back on his nose. Stupid things were too loose. They were working, though, along with the tanning lotion he’d used last night. Angel had caught him watching her, and she hadn’t recognized him. It had taken him half the morning to find the right disguise. The guy who belonged to the uniform and the badge wouldn’t be found for several days. When the cops finally located him, he would have taken care of his obligations and be on his way to Mexico. He’d already booked a flight out of Spokane. His contact in Florida had wired the ten thousand for the cop, and he had deposited that in his saving’s account.

He should have asked for more. Maybe he would. Blackmail could be pretty lucrative. His head hurt, probably from lack of sleep. He’d followed Angel from Sunset Cove all the way to Coeur d’Alene. He’d watched her leave her car with a valet and go inside, then he checked into another motel down the street. Early this morning he’d come back to the resort. Luckily, he’d been able to get the right clothes and a name badge that helped him create his new disguise.

He still hadn’t seen the Delaney guy, but it was just a matter of time. He had Angel in his sights and knew she’d lead him straight to her brother.

Excitement slithered through him. Just a few more hours. He watched Angel as she stopped at the gallery, then came back to the elevators. He wouldn’t follow her—didn’t need to. He knew exactly where she was staying.

THIRTY

A
fter talking to Nick, Angel dialed Callen’s number. He didn’t answer, and Angel didn’t leave a message. She’d try calling him later.

She headed down to the gift shop and purchased a camera, then went in search of the bald guy. After twenty minutes, she gave up. Then, to relieve some of her anxiety, she slipped into her swimsuit and headed down to the pool, bringing her camera just in case.

The pool area was empty except for an attendant who handed her towels and told her to have a nice swim. She swam a few laps, surprised at how strong her shoulder was getting. Even though it was still painful at times, the muscles were definitely healing. After the swim, she went into the Jacuzzi, where her sore muscles mellowed against the hot jets. She just wished her worries could melt so easily.

As she stepped out of the therapy pool, Angel noticed the bald guy standing just inside the pool area, talking to the attendant. She toweled off and reached into her bag for her camera. After snapping a picture of the two of them, Angel smiled and headed in their direction. “I could use another towel, Brandon,” she told the attendant with the lazy smile. Slipping her gaze to the bald guy, she said, “Your glasses are steaming up.” She smiled and looked down at his badge. “Matt.”

He took off his glasses and wiped them on the hem of his shirt. “Must be because you’re one hot chick.”

Brandon elbowed him. “What’s the matter with you, man? You don’t talk to customers that way, not if you plan on keeping your job.”

“Sorry.” He shrugged. “I’m new around here.”

“Maybe you better read the manual.”

“I’ll do that.” Matt seemed a bit nervous and said he needed to get back to work.

When he’d gone, Angel turned to Brandon. “He’s new?”

“Must be. I don’t remember seeing him before, but being in the pool area, I don’t always meet the others.”

“Why was he here?”

“Said he was curious. Wanted to know if staff got to use the spa—that kind of stuff. He was just taking a break. You’re not going to turn him in, are you?”

“Not this time.”

Matt Turlock said he was new, but his badge told another story.

Angel went back to the gallery and asked Kinsey to arrange a meeting with the personnel director. A few minutes later, Angel was sitting in a pleasant-looking office in a straight, padded chair. The woman on the business side of the desk, who’d introduced herself as Sheila Parsons, placed her elbows on the desk. “Kinsey said you had a problem with one of our employees.”

“Possibly. Do you have a Matt Turlock working here?”

She frowned and rolled her chair over to a low filing cabinet. Pulling out the second drawer down, she fingered through and pulled out a file near the back. “Turlock, Matthew. Yes. He works here.”

“Has he been here long?”

“About four months.”

“Um, do you have a picture of him?”

She hesitated. “May I ask why?”

“I know this is going to sound strange, but I have reason to believe that the man wearing Matt’s badge isn’t Matt.”

“I see. Normally I wouldn’t let you see any part of his file, but since Kinsey asked me to speak with you...” She slid the file toward Angel.

Matt was bald and had a thin, angular face and glasses. It was difficult to tell if the man she’d seen was Matt Turlock. “The man I saw today was older than this, I think. And his eyebrows were darker. He said he was new.” Angel leaned back. “I’d like to talk to Matt’s supervisor. If the man wearing his badge is who I think it is, Matt may be in trouble.” Concern for the young man in the photo brought a double dose of anxiety. Hopefully, the imposter had just stolen the ID badge, and the real Matt Turlock would soon discover the theft and report it missing.

“Of course. That would be Carmen Tate in maintenance.” Lifting the phone, she dialed and waited. “Yes, Carmen. Please come up to my office.” Cradling the phone, she turned back to Angel. “She’ll be right up.”

“Thank you.” Angel gripped the chair arms and released them.

“Can I get you something while you’re waiting?”

“Yes. Coffee, if you have it.”

Sheila rose and left the room, coming back seconds later with a tray of coffee and condiments along with a forest green cup with a resort logo.

Angel was on her first sip when Carmen came in. She cast a questioning look at Angel and Sheila. “Is something wrong?”

“There may be,” Sheila said. “You have a young man named Matthew Turlock working for you.”

“Yes. Matt’s one of our groundskeepers. A wonderful worker. He’s not here today, though.” She frowned. “He didn’t clock in, and that’s not like him.”

Angel sucked in a sharp breath and leaned forward. “I was afraid of that. I may be completely wrong about this, but can you call someone to check on him? Make sure he’s okay?”

“His mother. He lives at home. I know the family.” Carmen made a couple of calls and finally located the mother, who told her Matt had gone to work that morning as usual.

“You’re sure he didn’t come in to work?” Angel asked.

“He didn’t. Maybe he decided to play hooky.”

“Someone else is wearing his badge.” Sheila looked pale.

Angel’s gaze slid up to Carmen. “I think it’s time to call the police.”

Angel felt increasingly uncomfortable trying to explain to the police how she first began to suspect the man without drawing attention to Luke and Nick. How was she going to explain the fact that the man’s thin, angular face was what first drew her to look more closely? Intuition didn’t cut it. “He looked suspicious, and he was watching me,” Angel explained. “Then when I saw him in the pool area, he said he was new, but his badge looked like it had been around for a while. I thought it best to report the discrepancy.”

“We’ve been unable to locate either of the men,” the officer who’d introduced himself as Officer Brad Denham said, acting as if Angel had somehow caused the problem.