Bud’s expression turned to an angry glare. His voice took on a low, menacing quality that left no doubt about the seriousness of the warning. “That sounds like a question to me and one dangerously close to slander. I suggest you use more caution in choosing your words in the future. One more comment like that and I will arrest you.”
With that, Bud left the lobby and went to his office. He slammed down the typed copy of Gable’s statement, then turned to face Gable seated across the desk. His anger surrounded every word. “I assume you heard that little bastard’s comment?”
“Yeah. One of these days he’s going to say the wrong thing to the wrong person. That big mouth and obnoxious manner of his will land him in the hospital. I know I’ve sure been tempted to pop him a couple of times.”
“Well, I can’t say that I disagree with what he said. It sure looks that way. All of this going on right under my nose. Skeletons uncovered and you don’t say a word about anything, acting like it was as much of a surprise to you as it was to everyone else. Sending Lexi here with that photograph and still staying in the background and not filling me in on the truth.” He leveled an angry scowl at Gable. “I gotta ask…what else is there that you haven’t told me? What other surprises do you have in store for me that will end up making me look like either an inept fool or your puppet?”
Gable paused as he contemplated Bud’s question. “Nothing that I can talk about right now. I’ll fill you in as soon as I can.”
“You do know that there are laws against withholding evidence and interfering with the investigation of a criminal case, don’t you?”
“Evidence? I don’t have any evidence, only my suspicions. I know what happened, who’s responsible, and where he’s been all these years. What I don’t have is anything tangible that bears a resemblance to proof…yet.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Gable. I hope it doesn’t blow up in your face with you caught in your own manipulations.”
“Sort of hoist with my own petard?” A sigh of resignation passed through Gable’s lips. “I know, Bud. All I can do is ask for your indulgence a little while longer. That and one more favor.”
“You’re wanting more than I’ve already acquiesced to?” The incredulity in Bud’s voice rang loud and clear. “What is it this time? You want my arm and leg? Maybe want me to throw in one of my kidneys for good measure?”
Gable couldn’t stop his laugh. “No, nothing that dramatic. At least not yet.” His manner turned serious again. “I want you to run the name Hal Bentley, age fifty-one, New York City. A mostly out-of-work actor whose current role is impersonating reclusive author J.D. Prescott. As of late yesterday afternoon he’s temporarily staying in one of the guest rooms at my house. I want to know if out-of-work actor is true and all there is to it or if there’s more.”
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing? Innocent people could get hurt. Or worse yet…killed. I can’t protect someone when I don’t know who I’m protecting or what I’m protecting them from.” Bud shook his head in resignation. “At least you have a security staff on the island. Brian’s been in the business for quite a while and ought to know what he’s doing.”
Gable visibly winced at the deputy’s mention of Brian. Far from help, Brian was yet another problem to be dealt with. “Just a couple of days, Bud. By tomorrow night at the party everything will be out in the open.”
“Hal Bentley.” Bud wrote the name on a piece of paper along with the other information Gable had given him. “I’ll see what I can find.”
“Thanks, Bud. I appreciate your indulgence and I promise you’ll be the first to know what’s going on.”
Leaving the sheriff’s station by the back door to avoid being spotted by the reporters, Gable returned to the island. He arrived just in time to meet Lexi and the caterer in the den at his house. He quickly took charge of the situation.
“Your work crew’s unloading at the dock. I’ll have Hank and one of my security guards give them a hand in transporting everything to the mansion. After inspecting the facilities, I imagine you’ll have a few items to add to the list. Have whatever you need taken to the mainland dock at Ocean Transport and I’ll have it brought over.”
Gable made a quick call to Hank giving him instructions, then he escorted Lexi and the caterer to the mansion. After the caterer inspected the kitchen facilities, Gable walked him through all the areas being used for the party which consisted of everything on the main floor…all except one small room that connected to the ballroom. A windowless room with locked doors.
“I must say, Mr. Talbot, this far exceeds my expectations. You’ve certainly done a marvelous job of bringing the kitchen facilities up to date and then some. I hadn’t anticipated a large gourmet kitchen. I don’t foresee any problems at all. Plenty of work room in the kitchen and we can use the informal dining area for our staging so the servers won’t have any need to come into the kitchen to deposit dirty glasses and pick up filled trays. That will drastically cut down the congestion and clogged traffic patterns and let everything move much more smoothly.”
“Lexi has shown me the menu for the party. Everything seems to be in order. I realize this is a large function and it was all heaped on you at the last minute without your usual lead time for preparation. I appreciate your cooperation and professional attitude. I’ll certainly keep it in mind with regard to the resort’s needs.”
Leaving the caterer and his crew to set up for the party, Lexi and Gable returned to his house. They grabbed some lunch, then secreted themselves in the office.
A hard jolt of fear hit Lexi. Her body stiffened as the disturbing image flashed through her mind again. A shadowy figure with a gun, someone shooting at Gable. Hard shivers of foreboding jittered through her body. She slipped her arms around his waist seeking some kind of comfort and reassurance.
His expression quickly changed from one of pleasure at her perceived intimate advance to one of concern. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “You’re trembling. What’s wrong?”
“A vision…I’ve had another vision. A man—a faceless man firing a hand gun at point blank range directly at—” A sob caught in her throat. “Directly at you. That’s all I saw. No background details to tell me where, nothing to indicate when, but it was enough. I’m frightened for you, Gable…for your safety. You know Brian is working for Prescott, knows the island and has access to most everything. He’s also a trained expert with firearms. You know the man claiming to be Prescott is someone else who may even be a dangerous assassin. And you also know Hank and Dolly are involved with Winthrop Hollingsworth and probably know he’s very much alive. They may even know his current whereabouts and new name. By revealing your true identity to everyone you’ve purposely set yourself up as a target.”
He ran his fingers through her hair and rested his cheek against her head. His words came out soft and tender. “I’m going to be just fine…regardless of what your psychic abilities are telling you.”
“My vision was right about the skeletons and about your father’s face. This new vision is just as strong. I can’t ignore it.”
“All I can do is ask you to trust me.”
“But you don’t trust me. You’ve purposely left me out in the cold about what you and Robert are doing, about what’s really going to happen tomorrow night at the party.”
He took a calming breath. “I don’t like that part of it, either. As I said before, I don’t like keeping secrets from you. Please believe me. It doesn’t have anything to do with trusting you. Uncle Robert and I made a pact long ago that neither of us has broken. I gave him my word of honor.”
“But my vision—”
Gable brought his mouth down on hers, partly to satisfy his desire to kiss her and partly to stop her words. Not being able to fully confide in her weighed heavily on his shoulders, but he had given his word and was honor bound to stand by it.
His kiss deepened. He had never felt more at one with any other woman. After tomorrow nigh
t everything would be over, the past would be resolved, and he would be free to share his feelings with her…assuming he could clearly define those feelings. For now, however, other things had to take precedence.
And that included making sure of Lexi’s safety.
Even though Gable broke the kiss, he did not relinquish his hold on her. He felt torn in two directions. He didn't want her to leave. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever? But his practical and logical side confirmed what he needed to do. He forced out the words.
“I think it would be a good idea if you left the island until this is over. If there is someone with a gun who’s going to try and take a shot at me during the party, I don’t want any possibility that you might end up in the line of fire.”
She jerked back from his embrace, shock covering her face. “But I can’t leave! I’m playing the part of Evelyn Hollingsworth at the costume party.”
He grasped her shoulders and fixed her with a hard stare. His voice conveyed the depth of his resolve and concern. “And Evelyn ended up dead. I won’t allow that to be even a remote possibility with you. You’ll be safer away from the island.”
A hard look of determination settled over her features. “No. Unless you’re prepared to hog-tie me and physically throw me on a boat against my will, I’m not leaving. Besides, I’ll be much safer here. Prescott certainly knows I’m involved. After all, he’s the one who hired me and sent me here to do research. Everyone knows I’m the one who supplied the photograph to the lab for the initial identification of Jack Stinson. Leaving the island won’t make me safe. In fact, I’m probably safer here where access is limited than I would be on the mainland.”
He pulled her into his arms again.
He didn’t like it, but had to admit she was right about probably being safer on the island. He placed a tender kiss on her lips before reluctantly turning loose of her. An audible sigh of resignation escaped into the air. “You’re very persuasive.” Too persuasive. But if anything happens to you, I won’t be able to live with it. “There are a few things we can discuss, things we need to accomplish during the party.”
Chapter Twelve
The Victorian mansion shone like a diamond with brilliance reflected from every facet, ablaze with lights for the glittering affair. Music filtered from the ballroom out to the large terrace and through the ground floor. Champagne flowed freely along with a plentiful supply of various hors d’oeuvres.
Gable and Lexi were costumed as the same characters Winthrop had chosen for himself and Evelyn thirty years ago—Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. It had been an apt choice for Winthrop to have made…the king of all he surveyed and the wife who ended up dead. Gable greeted the arriving guests at the mansion’s front door. Per his instructions, all the invited guests had gathered at the Ocean Transport dock and were ferried to the island in one large group after presenting their invitations and identification, then being checked off the list.
The festivities quickly got underway. Even though the reason for the costume party was a serious one, the invited guests from years gone by seemed to be enjoying themselves. Old friends catching up and reminiscing about past parties at the mansion. Others renewing past acquaintances. To all outward appearances it was yet another of the lavish affairs thrown at the Hollingsworth mansion in years gone by.
Lexi introduced each of the guests to the Prescott imposter, making sure everyone knew J.D. Prescott would be making a major announcement later that evening. She kept a watchful eye on the six-guns that were part of his cowboy costume, trying to determine if they were merely props or functional weapons loaded with real bullets. Bud’s check on Hal Bentley hadn’t revealed anything other than an out-of-work, struggling actor, but caution remained the order of the day.
Anxiety continued to poke at Lexi’s senses, a low level ripple that refused to go away. She stole a quick glance at Gable. To all outward appearances he represented the epitome of calm, cool, and collected as he charmed his way through the guests. But she saw through that to the tension beneath the surface.
Gable stopped the music, then called for everyone’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen…welcome to Skull Island. As you are all aware, at the request of best-selling author J.D. Prescott, we’re recreating the costume party from the night Winthrop and Evelyn Hollingsworth disappeared, a party attended by many of you.” He made an elaborate gesture toward the Prescott imposter who acknowledged the announcement with a bow to the guests.
“As you may know if you’ve been following the media coverage of the recent discovery of two skeletons on the island, Mr. Prescott has been researching what happened here years ago in conjunction with his new book and plans to make a statement later this evening about the case and this unexpected turn of events. I have a statement of my own that I will be making after that. But for now—” he restarted the music, “let the party begin.”
Gable put on the mask that covered most of his face, then held out his hand toward Lexi. She donned her mask before taking his hand. They were the first ones on the dance floor. Within a couple of minutes the other couples filled the dance floor just as it had been that night thirty years ago.
Gable held Lexi close as he whispered in her ear. “Are you ready?”
The nervous tension carried into her voice in spite of her attempt to suppress it. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He danced her toward the open French doors that led to the terrace, exiting through one set of doors so they were out of sight from everyone else. Then a moment later Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII danced back into the ballroom through another set of French doors. Large outdoor heaters had been placed around the terrace making it comfortable enough for guests to be outside. Several couples followed their lead and moved to the terrace. The same music drifted through the air as had thirty years ago, only this time it was pre-recorded rather than live. It appeared to be yet another lavish party at the Victorian mansion on Skull Island.
But there had been a slight change to the accuracy of the evening’s activities from that party so long ago. As Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn danced back into the ballroom from the terrace, Gable and Lexi made their way through the darkness around the outside of the mansion to a hidden door leading directly into a secret stairway, leaving their doubles to remain on display for the next couple of hours.
They ascended the stairs to the third floor where they dumped their costumes in favor of jeans and dark sweaters. Lexi glanced around, a slight ripple of confusion catching her senses. “Where’s Robert? Isn’t he going with us?”
“Uncle Robert has some other last minute preparations to take care of.” Gable pulled her into his arms. “Are you ready?”
Secrets—he still harbored secrets, something going on that he hadn’t told her about. Something involving Robert. As much as her disappointment about his refusal to take her into his confidence settled inside her, she had to respect his integrity in keeping his word and standing behind his promise. She managed to muster a brave smile as she grabbed the flashlight. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Gable took the other flashlight, then they left the way they had come in. They quickly covered the ground between the mansion and the caretaker’s cottage. After some consideration, Gable had changed his mind about searching the cottage. With Hank and Dolly busy in the kitchen helping the caterers, it provided the perfect time to search their living quarters for anything that proved they had knowledge of Winthrop Hollingsworth being alive all those years…something in addition to Hank’s involvement in the original transfer of money to a Swiss bank account when Winthrop and Evelyn were still very much alive.
Lexi’s first surprise was finding the doors of the cottage locked. Gable didn’t keep the doors of his house locked, so why would Hank and Dolly feel the need to keep their doors locked? It was more than merely locked doors. Judging from Gable’s quick flash of displeasure when he found his key didn’t work, the locks had recently been changed. There certainly wasn’t any type of a logical explanation for that. At least no
t an innocent one.
“Now what?” Even though there didn’t seem to be any apparent reason to keep their voices low, she found herself whispering. “Do we break in?”
Gable’s voice came out as a whisper no louder than hers had been. “I’ve got it covered.” He produced a set of lock picks. A simple manipulation had them inside. He closed and locked the front door, leaving it just the way they had found it. She shot him a questioning look.
“Just in case. If Hank or Dolly have some sort of emergency and need to return, I want the warning of hearing them unlock the door rather than turning around to find someone staring at me.”
“No, I was questioning where you learned to pick locks.”
His sheepish grin said it all. “A skill taught to me by my uncle Robert, the master illusionist.”
They set about searching the cottage. Half an hour passed without finding anything suspicious. Then Lexi made a discovery. On the top shelf at the back of a closet hidden under a large folded comforter, she found a strong box. Not only was it locked, it had been wrapped with duct tape so the lid would not open without removing the tape. Any attempt to open the box would be readily noticeable. She carried it into the bathroom where Gable was searching the linen cupboard and handed it to him.
He pointed to the words written on the tape…Evelyn and Winthrop Hollingsworth. “That’s Dolly’s handwriting.”
A rush of nervous energy swept through Lexi’s body. Was this the proof they needed? Was Gable’s long quest finally coming to an end? But to her surprise, he did not open the box. Instead he headed toward the front door. “Come on, we have to get this stashed away in a safe place.”
“But aren’t you going to open it?”
“No, not yet. I don’t want to compromise whatever is in there by giving someone the availability of claiming I tampered with the contents, possibly planted something for the authorities to find.”
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