Intrusion (25 page)

Andrews shrugged. “It may very well be, sir, but that doesn’t change the fact that a man was murdered, your colleague, Thomas Yancey.” He scrutinized each of our faces. “What can you tell me about this recording the victim made?”

Meg spread out her hands, palms up. “He had a very lively imagination, Sergeant. We all loved him, but Tommy had his quirks, as we all do.”

“I understand that, Doctor, but the legal guys tell me that tape is more than a whim. It’s what they call a dying declaration. That has some weight to it.” He nodded at me.

“You’re right,” I said. “The Federal Rules of Evidence allow it, even though it’s hearsay. Most states do, too.”

Carter gave me a sour look. “I’ve got my own lawyers, Mrs. Buckley, a whole team of them. Corporate guys, not makeup artists. They tell me we don’t have to answer any questions.”

Francie
Cohen frowned and ducked her head. Her ringlets were especially shiny today. Score another hit for Candy. The atmosphere in the room intensified, even though the temperature remained crisp.
Arun
wiped his shiny forehead with a pocket square.

“Let me ask you, Mrs. Buckley. What do you think is going on here?” Andrews had a few smooth moves of his own. He threw that hot potato right into my lap.

I knew what Kai would have done—stood toe to toe with Meg, her
cretinous
hubby and anyone else who opposed him. I didn’t have Kai’s strength, but I’m no coward.

“Dr. Sand can explain things better,” I said, “but I believe that someone at CYBER-MED is a murderer, arranging targeted hits. My friend Tommy figured it out somehow and confronted that person. He died because of it.”

“Outrageous!”
Arun
exploded. “Where’s the proof? Show it to me, Mrs. Buckley. You studied our financial statement.”

Andrews smirked but stayed silent. He appeared to be enjoying the show.

I watched Meg carefully. She had folded her hands again in that faux schoolgirl pose and pasted a mask of compassion on her face. Fortunately, her eyes betrayed her. She was loaded and ready to fire.

“Sergeant,” she said calmly, “we must consider Mrs. Buckley’s situation. Having suffered two tragic losses in a year,” she turned toward me, “her reaction is only natural. As a medical professional …”

“Stop.”
I rose slowly, deliberately, and approached the whiteboard. “Dr. Cahill’s wrong. It was three tragic losses, actually. She forgot my miscarriage.” My hands were steady as I held the marker. Lucian caught my eye and gave me thumbs up. “None of that matters now except to me. Let’s focus on the big picture. Dr.
Rao
is correct. The corporate books don’t have a ledger entry for murder. No one would go that far. I suspect there are at least two people
involved,
one insider and one outsider. That would make sense. Tommy knew the insider. He told us that on the video. It’s the only way to explain his death.”

“Wait just a minute,”
Arun
said. “You’re making an assumption here. Maybe Tommy’s death was collateral damage. You
know,
the unintended byproduct of another crime. We know someone stole that old lady’s car. Some kid, probably. I say he panicked and lost control of it. Check other crimes in the area that night, Sergeant. That’s where you’ll find him. Stop this nonsense about a high tech conspiracy.”

I turned toward the board and wrote down four names: Ian Cotter, Mary Alice Tate, Judge Jacob Arthur, and Thomas Yancey. I then added Richard
Chernikova’s
name with a question mark.

“Thomas Yancey loved puzzles. He was masterful at solving them. Somehow he linked these names to an unthinkable truth. Our task is to pool our skills and do the same thing.”

“Count me out.” Carter curled his lip at me. “Damned nonsense, that’s what it is. Is that what they taught you at Harvard, Mrs. Buckley?
One pathetic woman’s fantasy.”
He held his arm out to his wife. “Come on,
Meggy
. Let’s go call our lawyer.”

It stung, but I bounced right back. I was Wonder Woman, using my magic bracelets to deflect enemy arrows.

“I’ll help you,”
Arun
said, playing Prince Charming. “Tommy was my friend. We can probably get Rand to join in too, if he’s not too scared of Meg.”

Candy beamed at him and moved closer.
Arun
was in for a good night.

Before we started the exercise, Andrews stood and gathered his things. “You guys can do this without me,” he said. “Officer Cohen can help you.” He stabbed his bony finger at
Francie
. “I’ll expect a full report tomorrow.”

“You look disappointed,” Lucian said. “Did you expect more?
A confession, perhaps?”

I refused to dignify his sarcasm. Actually, I had hoped for some telltale sign of guilt from someone. That was unrealistic.
Silly.
Fictional sleuths were lucky, but the rest of us had to stumble through reality scratching for clues. Maybe Carter was right. Perhaps I am pathetic.

Lucian took some getting used to. He’s pushy in the self-assured manner of gorgeous men everywhere, automatically making decisions for both of us without a second thought. It was familiar territory for me. Kai had possessed that same attitude in spades.

“What did you make of Meg’s reaction?” I asked. “She was so calm. Weird.”

His lips twisted in a half-smile. “You have to know le bon Doctor. She never shows her cards until the last play of the night, but she’s always thinking.”

“You seem to know her very well.”

A smug smile was his only response. It was preferable to Tommy’s seamy details about Dr. Meg in her leather bustier and whip.

Arun
recovered quickly. He recited one of those textbook answers that consumed airtime without adding content.

“Naturally, we’re committed to accountability. Meg was right on top of things. She always is. I personally interviewed the operators on all three shifts. They’re highly reputable industry professionals of the highest caliber.”

“And?”
Candy went on red alert. “Did you find anything
hinky
?
Massive debt, unexplained wealth?
You know the drill.”

Tornado locked eyes with Rand but stayed mute.

“
Arun
, I’m talking to you.” Candy can be merciless when the occasion demands. Tonight was one of those times.

Arun
hemmed and hawed, unnerved by her withering gaze. “We started a thorough review, but the truth is, once the manufacturer paid off, we sort of let things slide. After all, the FDA only cares about the reliability of the device. We stopped investigating our people.
Bad for morale and all that.”

“So,” I said. “Tommy might have alerted the murder.”

“Only if he or she worked at CYBER-MED,” Rand said. His cheeks flushed as a coughing spell hit him. No one wanted to go there, but I had no choice.

“Who was working here then? I assume you’d need high level clearance to access those two patients.”

“Three, actually.”
Candy’s ferocity startled even
Francie
Cohen. She leaned back as if to avoid the anger radiating from my friend. “Don’t forget Mary Alice Tate,” Candy said. “Someone here leaked confidential medical information about her. I think it was a dry run. You know, get a payoff and see if anyone figures it out.”

Lucian’s French accent intensified as he responded. “I was here and had the necessary clearances. I assume everyone else here plus Dr. Cahill did as well.”

“Not Carter,”
Arun
said. “He’s strictly hands off, the silent partner type.
Wouldn’t know a bit from a byte.”

Carter had been anything but silent tonight. A more doting husband was hard to imagine. How far would he go to protect his precious
Meggy
?

“Of course, anyone could team up and split the proceeds.” Candy assumed the mantle of avenging angel. I’d seen that persona emerge when other companies tried to screw with Sweet Nothings. Her transformation from makeup maven to femme formidable was truly frightening.

Della issued a low growl as she sensed tension in the conference room. She inched closer to me, training her gaze on the Tornado.

“Hey, what’s wrong with that mutt?” he asked. “Keep her away from me.” His eyes darted back and forth between me and my dog.
Odd that a fifty-pound
furball
like Della could intimidate such a big man.

“Do you not like dogs?” Lucian asked. “That surprises me, Tony.”

Tornado wiped his brow with a tissue. “They’re vicious beasts. Dirty, too. Listen, are we about finished here? I’ve got a family, you know.”

“Of course,” I said. “I just want to confirm one more thing. Do we all agree that it’s possible to tamper with IMDs?”

“Technically possible, realistically improbable.
Highly improbable, I must stress that.”
Arun
gave new meaning to the word pedantic. “You have absolutely no proof that this … this plot is anything other than a fantasy, Tommy’s fantasy and yours.”

I wanted to slap that sneer right off his face, but I didn’t. That’s where training took over. I silently repeated Kai’s mantra: lose control, lose the issue. Losing was not an option, not when Tommy’s killer might be facing me.

“Thomas Yancey was a man of many parts,” I said, “but one thing I know. He would never mix fantasy with business. Trust me on this,
Arun
. If one of you killed my friend, I won’t rest until you’re caught and punished. Count on it.”

“Me, too,” Candy chimed in, pumping her fist.

A wall of silence confronted me. The space seemed airless, more tomb than conference room. Even Officer
Francie
Cohen gulped a big lungful of air. Lucian was the exception. He didn’t try to hide his smile or the conspicuous wink he gave me.

“Ready?” he asked.

Candy gathered her purse and joined us. We made a fearsome quartet as we filed out, three grim adults and one herding dog. Streetlights illuminated the sidewalk, casting their ghostly shadows on the pavements. It was ten o’clock, the time of night Tommy last walked this slice of earth. I felt his spirit, linked forever with Kai’s, cheering me on. Let others scoff. I felt it.

Lucian’s frown expressed another opinion. “I’m concerned about you, Elisa. You may have placed your life in danger. Taunting a murderer is unwise.”

“You forget,” I said, matching his frown, “nothing scares me, not anymore.”

Lucian squeezed my shoulder. “Except, perhaps, the thought of loving again, having a normal life.
Alors
, I must be your protector then, your guardian angel.” He smiled without soft-pedaling his meaning.

“Lucky girl,” Candy said. “Guess I’ll have to rely on this.” She reached into her purse and retrieved a canister of pepper spray. “Just let him get near me!”

Brave talk.
Somehow it sounded perilously close to hubris. The thought of petite Candace
Ott
tangling with a murderer made me shudder. Tommy had had a black belt in karate, for all the good it did him. The thought of losing another friend was unendurable.

“Come,” Lucian said. “We will take Ms.
Ott
to her car.” He escorted us, arm in arm, toward the street.

Twenty-Two

Lucian came
back to check my home for intruders. That was the official reason. I confess that the thought of having his arms around me was both thrilling and disquieting. My transformation from wan widow to blushing ingénue had rocked my tranquil life, resurrecting emotions I’d buried with my husband. Kai had made me feel beloved. His tenderness aroused my passion, and his playfulness awakened a wry humor I’d never dared show any other man. When he died, the droll, sensual Lizzie Mae left with him.
Until now.

I lit the bronze
torchère
and switched on the Bose, flooding the room with the soft, sexy sounds of Diana
Krall
.

“Do you want me to stay?” Lucian asked, gently stroking my hair. “You may need protection.”

“Are you up for that?”

“Perhaps I should demonstrate.” His lips swept down my neck like a feather, making me shiver with delight. “Do you not feel safer now?”

“Maybe.
Show me more.”

Fortunately, the dim lights hid my blushes. Lucian spun me around, gently kissing my forehead, nose and lips. I stood on tiptoe, welcoming his touch, pressing his head toward me.

“You are so special. Stop fighting me. This was meant to be.” The intensity of his blazing azure eyes riveted me.

“I … it’s too soon for me, Lucian. I can’t.”

He flashed that grin again. “Tonight I saw a lioness, unafraid of death. Can you not face a man who loves you?” He gathered me in his arms and carried me to the sofa. “Come, ma petite. Open your heart.”

I was drowning, swept away by euphoria. Intellect and reason ruled the life of Elisabeth Buckley, MBA, JD. Tonight this sober, sensible woman had been banished by a wild, passionate creature without boundaries. Had my ears deceived me? Had Lucian Sand told me that he loved me? I cleared my mind, focusing only on the pleasure his body brought me.