Cat Burglar in Training (20 page)

We weaved through the crowd of people listening to the speeches. Outside, it was much cooler. An unseasonal light fog had descended over Knightsbridge, giving the streetlights an eerie glow. “You wait here, and I’ll organize a cab.”

Before Kahu took three steps out the double doors of the hotel, his phone beeped. He turned, a wry smile on his face. “Sorry. Business calls.” He checked the text then dialed a number. The conversation was short and terse. “Work,” he said. “I have to go. I’ll call you.”

Resigned, I lifted a hand in farewell. He ignored my hand to grasp my shoulders and kiss me again. Hard. My right hand crept up to touch my tingling lips. Wow, that man packed a punch. Before I could react further, he walked away.

“Is he yours?” a redheaded woman in a flowing black dress asked. Her face held avid interest, none of it directed to me.

That was my man she ogled. “My man,” I agreed, a touch aggressively.

The woman laughed and held up her hands in a message-received manner. “Just admiring the view. Can’t blame a girl for looking.”

I bit back my retort, and a second later, I was calm enough to notice her diamond-and-sapphire necklace.

Payback.

Childish, yes, but very satisfactory. It wouldn’t take much investigation to learn her name. I placed her necklace on my mental shopping list.

When two women joined us, I slipped back inside and glimpsed a man and woman leaving the ballroom. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but the woman didn’t look well. A closer look brought anger. She looked out of it. Drunk or drugged. I hurried after them, but kept to the shadows. If he thought to take advantage of that poor woman, he could think again.

The man maneuvered her out a small backdoor I hadn’t noticed earlier. A shortcut to the hotel’s underground car park. He headed for a white saloon and hesitated. He couldn’t hold the woman upright and retrieve the keys from his pocket at the same time.

“Can I help?” I glared, incensed at a man taking advantage.

“What? Oh, yes! Would you?” The man seemed pathetically grateful for my offer of assistance.

I studied his pale face. I’d seen those brilliant green eyes before. “Do I know you?” I asked, then snapped my fingers. “Rufus Geraghty!”

“And you’re Lady Evelyn. Are you going to help me or not? Jocelyn drank too much champagne. I told her to lay off, not to mix the pain pills with the alcohol, but did she listen? No!”

“Eve,” I said. He sounded so put out I knew he hadn’t intended her harm. I grasped the hapless Jocelyn by the shoulder and balanced her against the car while Rufus found his keys. She didn’t make a sound, although her eyes were open. “I thought you were kidnapping her or something equally sinister.”

“Me? Kidnap Jocelyn? You have to be joking! She’s my younger cousin, and I’m always having to rescue her from scrapes.” He pushed a button on his remote and the car chirped as the locks disengaged.

“I wish I had a cousin like you to look out for me.”

“Did something happen to you?”

“Yeah.”

He scrunched his brows together. “I might be talking out of turn here, but a friend of my brother’s was mouthing off about you. It was a few years ago.”

I sucked in a deep breath, wanting to shake him and demand details. My hand tightened on Jocelyn and she moaned a loud protest.

“Now who was it? Mark, no, Matt. I have it! It was Matthew.”

“Matthew who? Not Matthew Beauchamp?”

His shoulders slumped. “Sorry. Can’t remember.”

The girl let out a feeble groan.

“Suppose I’d better get Jocelyn home. She’s gonna have a hell of a head tomorrow.”

I fished a card from my bag. “If you think of anything else, give me a call. Please.”

“I promise,” Rufus said. “Men who take advantage like that should be tarred and feathered then paraded down the street.”

“That’s what I intend to do,” I said sweetly. “The minute I catch his sorry arse.”

“I’ll ask my brother when I talk to him next,” he promised while he stuffed Jocelyn into the passenger seat and fastened the seatbelt.

He waved as they drove away. I frowned after his vehicle, praying he’d call me. I checked my watch. I’d intended to go home but decided to do a little more homework. If Kahu ended up back in my life, the opportunity to research targets would become minimal.

I strolled over to one of my potential donors. She stood by a buffet table that had appeared while I was outside with Kahu. I glanced at her plate and saw she loved chocolate. Score one for the lady.

“Hello. That looks delicious.”

A look of guilt flashed across her face. An expression of suspicion swiftly followed when she glanced at my figure.

I’m a victim of genes. Good when it comes to the figure department, not so good in occupation. I ignored the suspicion and continued my prattle. “Chocolate is my favorite.” I pursed my lips. “I like it more than lemon.”

The suspicion cleared like a cloud swept away by a gale force wind. She believed I was a member of the closet chocolate brigade, which I was in truth.

“I prefer chocolate myself.” She leaned toward me in a confidential manner. “Caramel is my second choice.”

I instinctively liked this woman. In the social world we inhabited it took a brave woman to admit to a secret vice like chocolate. I don’t know why, but a sex or alcohol addiction was regarded as more acceptable. Chocolate was a secret you kept hidden. “What would you recommend?”

“The chocolate gâteau,” she said. “Definitely the chocolate gâteau.”

I reached for a plate. The lady was older than me, a bit on the plump side but it suited her. Her jet-black hair cascaded in casual curls down her back, over silky blue fabric, her dress similar to mine. I imagined a painter from an earlier age would have loved to depict her on canvas. My gaze wandered to the all-important jewelry. The rubies were splendid at close quarters, but I hesitated. We shared a common bond. I’d try one of the others first.

“Nice to meet a fellow chocolate lover,” I said. “I’m Eve Fawkner.”

“I’ve seen you at other balls, Lady Eve. I’m Catherine Montville.”

“Just Eve is fine. Pleased to meet you, Catherine.” I clicked my fingers suddenly as my memory slipped into gear. “Ah. Married to Thomas.”

To her credit, she reacted with calm and poise, even though her husband jumped in and out of beds like other people boarded buses. She must’ve known people gossiped and laughed about her. That made me feel protective.

“If you’re ever down near Oakthorpe, pop in to see me,” I said impulsively. “Our housekeeper makes the best chocolate brownies I’ve ever tasted.”

Initially, she seemed startled, but she thawed quickly. “Thank you. I’d love to visit.”

I tugged a business card from my purse. “Here’s my number.”

The delight on her face set the seal on my decision. I wouldn’t steal her necklace.

“I need to speak to a friend of Father’s,” I said. “Are you going to the Sterling ball next weekend?”

“I think so.”

“Great. I’ll make a point of looking for you.” I waved and headed off, my plate clutched protectively to my chest. Half of me expected Jemima to jump from the woodwork, her lips pursed in a manner guaranteed to bring guilt to the fore.

Now, where were the other sets of rubies I’d spotted earlier on? Ah! One was at ten o’clock, its owner on the dance floor. I turned in a circle and spied another set of rubies at seven o’clock. My breath stalled in my throat. These…these were the ones. A big, fat ruby the shape of a tear dangled from a delicate necklace of diamonds and rubies. My fingers tingled with the need to caress the glowing stone that hung around Lady Buxton’s neck.

Bloody hell! There must be more Fawkner in me than I realized
.

Shocked, I tore my gaze from the mesmerizing sight. It was the idea of the chase, I decided. Definitely too much Fawkner blood running through my veins.

I glanced at my watch. Nearly midnight. Already, the crowd was thinning as people moved on to other parties and nightclubs in Soho and Piccadilly. I wandered from the ballroom, stopping to chat with a friend of Seth’s when I collected my cloak from the coat check. One of our neighbors was waiting for his coat too.

“Good to see you home again,” Mr. Forbisher said in his gruff voice.

I’d known him since I was a child and remembered him fondly because he used to produce peppermint sticks from his pockets for me each time we met.

“No peppermint sticks today, Mr. Forbisher?”

He gave a bark of laughter. “You always were a minx, Lady Eve. Good to see you haven’t changed.”

“Are you still trying to coax sweets from Julian?” Amusement colored the voice behind me.

I chuckled as I walked into Mrs. Forbisher’s outstretched arms. “You were just as bad, plying me with chocolate. I’ve never grown out of the chocolate fixation you started.”

“You must—”

A loud explosive bang echoed throughout the hotel foyer.

“Oh, my stars.” Mrs. Forbisher’s hand fluttered at her chest. “Was that a gun?”

“It was a gun.” Her husband sounded grim, and I caught a note of worry.

Another shot sounded. A scream.

“Call an ambulance!” someone shrieked.

People ran in all directions. Mr. Forbisher swept both his wife and I against a wall, out of the path of the panicked men and women pouring through the door from outside. Another scream rippled through the pandemonium. We remained frozen in position, uncertain of what was happening or what to do.

Roughly five minutes later, a siren sounded, and a car pulled up outside. The flashing blue light reflected in the window. A constable climbed out and fired instructions, his voice loud to drown out the panicked cries. Silence fell, an intense quiet that strummed along my nerves.

“Are you all right, dear?” Mr. Forbisher wrapped his arm around his wife’s trembling shoulders.

“Yes, Julian.”

“Eve?”

“I’m fine.” In truth, anxiety filled me. Gunfire had figured prominently in my life lately, and I didn’t like it at all.

I rose early the next morning because I’d had trouble sleeping. I tried to tell myself it was the strange bed but knew it for a lie.

Last night’s murder had kept sleep away.

Grace and Alistair were already in the kitchen. The scent of toast filled the air and the crackle of a newspaper battled with an oldie playing on the radio.

Alistair looked up from the
London Telegraph
when I pulled out a chair to join him at the table. “Were you there?”

Unable to speak, I nodded.

“And you were present at the drive-by shooting in Edinburgh.”

Again I nodded.

Grace placed a plate of scrambled eggs and crispy bacon in front of me. My stomach roiled, and I glanced away from the laden plate. Perhaps a cup of tea.

Alistair made a
tsk
ing sound at the back of his throat. “I don’t like it. I don’t like this situation at all. Another woman died last night.”

“A more suspicious person would think the two were related and you were the target.” Grace nudged my plate to indicate she expected me to eat. “I think I’ll consult the cards before you leave.”

“Not on my account.” The last time she’d predicted my future from the cards, things hadn’t gone well. When Grace nudged the plate again, I picked up a knife and fork and cut a corner off a slice of whole-wheat toast. “Does the paper give the name of the woman?”

“No, there’s no word on the identity yet. I don’t like coincidences,” Alistair said.

“Do you think it’d be wise for the Shadow to fade into the background for a few weeks?”

“It depends on how much people panic. If they start to stay at home, that might crimp your style.”

“Yeah.” The last thing I needed was stay-at-home jewel owners. “I might head back to Oakthorpe early. After last night, I have lots of research to do.”

“Thank God you’re all right!” Hannah hugged me so hard the gold charm I wore suspended on a chain around my neck felt like it might pop out my back.

“I should’ve rung,” I said, contrite. Hannah worried enough without my thoughtless behavior. “Where’s Amber?”

“Upstairs. She wanted to make her bed and choose her clothes for her friend’s party without help.”

“I’ll go and see how she’s getting on.” I wanted to reassure myself she was happy and safe.

“You have a visitor.”

I stopped mid-step. “At this time of the morning?” A glance at my watch confirmed it’d just turned nine.

“He’s in the kitchen with Ben and Charlie.”

He.
Kahu? The nuance in her voice made me think it wasn’t a good idea him being on his own. Instinct made me rush to the kitchen.

“What are your intentions toward my daughter?”

“Father!” I shrieked from the doorway. Mortified, I offered Kahu a weak smile of apology. “I’m sorry about my nosy family. Forget you heard the question.”

Kahu grinned, apparently unperturbed. That should’ve calmed me. I mean, if he wasn’t worried, then why should I have concerns? But my pulse jumped all over the place, breaking new land-speed records.

“Is this…?” I coughed to clear my throat. “Is this business?”

“Mostly,” Kahu answered.

The few mouthfuls of breakfast I’d swallowed down to placate Grace danced a lively jig in my stomach.

“Okay,” I said, fighting to keep my voice even and panic-free. I sank onto a chair and smiled at Hannah when she placed a mug of strong tea in front of me. I doubted I’d manage to drink it but the mug might come in handy as a prop.

“What color was the dress you wore last night?”

Of all the questions I’d expected, it wasn’t this one. “Blue.”

“Dark blue,” Kahu corrected.

My head dipped in agreement. I reached for the mug of tea but realized my hand was shaking too much to avoid spills. I jerked my hand back and hid it on my lap.

“The woman who was shot was wearing a dark blue gown almost the same color as yours. She wore a matching cloak that covered her hair when she left the ballroom.”

Shocked silence met Kahu’s statement. I concentrated on breathing, controlling the nausea threatening to overpower me. A blue dress. His words echoed through my mind, along with the implications.

I was the intended target
.

“Evie?” Father asked. “You mean Evie was the intended victim?”

“That’s where the facts point. Any idea who hates you enough to shoot you?”

Wordlessly, I stared at Father. He shook his head in an imperceptible no. Of course, he was right. Telling Kahu about the Shadow was a no-no.

“I can’t think of anyone.” Apart from Vincent, but I couldn’t talk about him either. “Who was it? The name wasn’t in the paper.”

“Catherine Montville,” Kahu said. “They’ll make an announcement later today.”

“Catherine?” Oh, god. “I talked to her last night, invited her to visit Oakthorpe.” This time I couldn’t hide the tremors racking my body.

“What about Amber’s father?”

Hannah drew in a sharp breath. Me—I was too numb to react.

Luckily, Father answered for me. “He’s not in the picture.”

“He’s dead,” I blurted out, mainly because I could see the next question forming on Kahu’s lips.

“I’m sorry,” Kahu said.

Lively curiosity danced in his eyes, and I averted my gaze so I was blind to the silent questions. My quest for revenge…I was closer to the truth now. I sensed it in my gut. The name Rufus had given me drifted through my mind. Hopefully he’d recall the surname soon.

“Can you think of anyone else who might want you dead?” He repeated his earlier question, and I grappled with possible suspects in my mind.

The owners of the jewels. Maybe. But they’d no idea of my identity so it seemed unlikely. Perhaps it was connected with jewels indirectly. I thought back to the night Perdita Moning died. Had her murderer seen me leave?

“No, I can’t think of anyone,” I said. No way could I tell Kahu about that night.

“I don’t want you to attend any more balls.”

My head jerked up. Impossible. I had to leave the house on Shadow business. We still needed the money. “I can’t put my life on hold because you think some loony is after me.”

“What about Amber?”

I froze. Damn, the only argument he could’ve used to make me hesitate. “Do you think she’s in danger?”
More danger than she is already
. Vincent had taken to ringing again, despite my in with Beauchamp.

Kahu shrugged. “I don’t know, but do you want to take that chance?”

“No.” I thought furiously, trying to think of a solution to keep Amber safe.

“We can put you under police protection,” Kahu said.

“No,” Father snapped.

Silence enveloped the kitchen at his abrupt answer. Ben and Hannah eyed Kahu uneasily.

“What Father means is that we’d feel better without strangers around,” I said to counteract Father’s rudeness. We didn’t want to give Kahu reason to suspect us of a crime.

“It was a suggestion,” Kahu said. “That’s all. I understand you’d prefer to maintain your privacy. Think about it, anyway. I’ve got to go back to London. Eve, walk me out?”

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Father asked in a snide tone.

Kahu met his scowling face without a flinch. “She’s safe with me.”

“Humph.”

“I’ll walk you out,” I said, ignoring Father’s bulldog expression.

Kahu stood back to let me pass and followed me from the kitchen. I grimaced on hearing the fierce whispering that broke once we left.

“Eve?” Kahu’s hand on my shoulder stopped me.

He hauled me into his arms, moving so quickly I didn’t have time to blink. The charm pressed into my chest again. His spicy scent filled my senses, and his arms wrapped around me offered the illusion of safety. He pulled away, his eyes fierce and warrior-like as he stared down at me.

“Hell, when I heard about the dress…” He trailed off and kissed me hard. Tongues fenced and parried, teeth clacked. Our mouths mated with savage disregard of our nearby chaperones. All I knew was that his hand on my breast felt like it belonged.

“Mama!”

Kahu pulled out of the kiss with apparent lack of enthusiasm. I felt the same way about the interruption, but this was countered by guilt.

“Hi, sweetie. I was about to come and say hello.”

Amber’s bright green T-shirt clashed with the purple jeans; her socks didn’t match, either. Her French beret perched on her head at a jaunty angle.

“You look pretty,” I said, my eyes misty with tears. My little girl was growing up in leaps and bounds. I owed it to her to make sure she had the chance to have children of her own. A plan formed in my mind to guarantee her safety.

“Why are you kissing Mama?” she asked Kahu. The way she bit her bottom lip looked so cute a grin bloomed across my face.

“I was kissing her goodbye.”

My insides quivered. His Kiwi accent stirred pure wanton need every time.

Amber regarded him with a serious expression and offered him her cheek. From where I stood, I saw her purse her tiny rosebud mouth.

“You can kiss me goodbye too,” she said.

For an instant, I worried about Kahu’s reaction. I shouldn’t have. The man was a natural with kids and slid into the parental role without missing a heartbeat.

He crouched to kiss her on both cheeks in the French custom. Amber beamed.

“I’m having croissants and cornflakes for breakfast,” she announced, and she skipped down the passage without looking back, lopsided ponytail flapping.

Kahu climbed to his feet. “Can I see you one night soon?”

One night soon
.

Lord, I wanted that. I wanted a normal life where I wasn’t paralyzed by the thought of sex. His kisses didn’t repel me so I had high hopes about progressing to the next stage. I actually wanted to increase the intimacy between us, which was a big step forward for me.

“Okay,” I whispered.

After another kiss that left my blood singing, I wandered back to the kitchen.

Hannah moved away from the kitchen door without a trace of embarrassment. Even my glare brought nothing more than a grin. “I’m thinking that man knows how to kiss.”

My nose shot into the air and, after an indignant sniff, I changed the subject. “I’m going to send Amber to France.”

“Good idea.” Hannah’s agreement echoed in Father and Ben’s faces.

“But who’s going to take her? We’re all needed here,” Father said.

“I’ve thought about that. I’m going to ask Grace if she’d like to take a break in France.”

A grunt escaped Father. “Good plan.”

“I’ve washed my hands.” Amber held up hands that still dripped water.

“Well, I can’t dispute that,” Hannah said, inspecting the trail of water from the small cloakroom off the kitchen to the spot where Amber stood. “But how about we dry them too?”

Amber trotted off to the cloakroom with her, and we could hear them discussing the lack of a towel. Father’s fault, evidently.

“Feeling henpecked?” I asked, fighting a smirk.

“Humph.”

My father—a man of many words.

“Alistair’s still asking for rubies.” I angled to the cloakroom so I could halt the discussion the minute Amber returned. “I saw several beautiful rubies on show last night.”

“Tell her our news!” Ben looked as if he might burst if he had to wait much longer.

“I couldn’t tell her while that man was here,” Father said.

“We’ve solved the crime,” Ben exclaimed. “Our second one already!”

I grabbed a croissant and reached for a carton of cornflakes.

“I’m dry now,” Amber informed us in a loud voice.

The expression on Ben’s face was priceless. Frustration combined with impatience to form a truly unique look—as if he’d taken a bite from a sour apple. I decided to take pity on him.

“Would you like to escort Amber and me to the Morrisons’ this morning? We can chat on the way home.”

In the end, both Ben and Father accompanied us. The trip to drop off Amber was quick and without mishap. I walked Amber to the door, confirmed arrangements to collect her later with Jane Morrison, and headed back to the car.

“I’ll drive,” Father announced. “You listen.”

I scooted into the back of the Mini and clicked the seatbelt in place. “I’m a captive audience.”

“We found the missing brooches and tiara hidden in the floor of their spare bedroom, along with…get this! A cache of jewels.”

“They fit the descriptions of the jewels our competitor stole,” Father added. “I’m hoping our problems are over.”

No wonder they were excited. “I don’t suppose you were able to stash some of the loot for later use?”

Father chuckled as he pulled out of the driveway into the lane. “Our use, perchance?”

“Well, yeah.” Attractive thoughts of being debt-free floated through my mind. The idea that maybe the Shadow could go into retirement.

“Afraid not,” Ben muttered, a trace of disgust in his voice.

Enough disgust to prick my bubble of a happy, Shadow-free future. “What happened?”

“Our clients came running when Mr. Bigmouth here started hollering.”

“I was in shock,” Ben said, shame-faced. “Not every day you fall over a cache of jewels.”

“The clients were flabbergasted too since it was the room used by their niece. The good news is that we’re entitled to a finder’s fee. We rang the local cop shop, and they hoofed it over and took the sparklers away with them.”

Our local coppers preferred the quiet life. The thought of them hoofing anywhere raised a smirk. They were all older and nearing retirement. Crime rocked their boats, and they took emergencies as a personal affront.

“How much?” I asked. “Will it cover the next payment?”

“Each owner decided to fork out five thousand each.”

There was no mistaking the smug satisfaction emanating from Ben. Father too.

“Well done. Two for two. That’s a pretty good strike rate.”

“We’re hoping for more jobs via word of mouth. It’s weird being on this side of the law, but the money’s just as satisfying.”

“Who’s their niece? Do we know her name? And are we sure this is our competitor?”

“Jemima Cameron. I felt sorry for them. They—”

“Jemima Cameron? I met her when I first came back from France. We struck up a friendship, but I haven’t seen her lately. Are you sure? Wait, was that big diamond there? The one the police questioned me about?”