by Cara Summers
“Easy for you to say,” she muttered. “My clothes are out there where I dropped them, and you destroyed my bikini. Not that I didn’t enjoy that part. But there’s always a price to pay.”
“I could promise to make it up to you later.”
She grinned at him. “I’ll hold you to that.”
* * *
VI WAS WAITING for them in Adair’s office when they got back. Alba lay at her feet. “Someone broke in here while you were out,” she said.
Cam mentally cursed himself as he glanced around the room. He’d noticed the obvious flaws in the security and hadn’t acted quickly enough to prevent this. And he’d been so focused on going after Adair that he couldn’t recall whether or not he’d even closed the terrace doors.
Adair crossed to her aunt. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” She glanced at the two of them. “What happened to the two of you?”
“We took an unexpected tumble into the pond,” Cam said. “Did you see who broke in?”
Vi shook her head. “I was putting the last touches on the groom’s cake when Alba started to bark and then she ran out of the kitchen. By the time I caught up with her she was scratching on the door to Adair’s office. The doors to the terrace were open, and the second I let her in she bolted out through them and just barked for a while. I heard a car start up, but even the dust had settled by the time I circled around to the front.”
The driveway had been empty when they’d stepped out of the woods. There’d been no sign of Nathan MacDonald or the man he’d been arguing with.
Vi gestured to the patch of sunlight Alba had stretched out in. “Now I can’t get her to leave this room.”
“Take a look around, Adair,” Cam said as he secured the terrace doors. He’d already taken a quick scan of the room. The metal box was now on her desk and the contents had been overturned. Colored papers littered the floor. As she crossed to her desk, he said, “Is anything else out of place that you can see?”
She turned then and looked around the room, the first time quickly and the second time more slowly. He did the same but he didn’t notice anything else that looked disturbed.
“Everything looks fine.” Adair gathered up the papers that were scattered across her desk and on the floor and put them into one of the drawers. It didn’t look as if any of them had been unfolded. Then, because her knees felt weak, she sank into the chair behind her desk.
“Someone was in here,” she said. “And it’s not too big a leap to think they were looking for that earring.”
She shifted her gaze to Cam. “Someone could have seen you and me this morning when I pulled out the box. I put on quite a show, clutching it and running into the castle with it when my appointment showed up. Nathan MacDonald could have seen me dash for the house with it, and it was right here on my desk the whole time I talked to him. Even if he didn’t know about the earring Alba dug up, he might have been curious about the box. That could be the reason he came back.”
“Who’s MacDonald?” Vi asked.
Adair filled her in on the man’s earlier appointment and about the two men they’d seen arguing at the falls.
“If they were the two who did this, it was a crime of opportunity and not very well planned,” Cam said. “Let’s see if they searched anywhere else.” He led the way through the French doors into the main parlor. The portrait of Eleanor Campbell MacPherson hung in place, but the door to the secret cupboard beneath it stood wide open. “Looks like they did.”
“The earring—” Adair couldn’t finish the thought.
Cam put a hand on her arm. “Sorry. I forgot to tell you earlier. I took it out of there last night as soon as I got here. Angus’s hidey-hole was mentioned in the Times article, and with the way that news and rumors can be counted on to go viral in this community I didn’t want to take the chance of leaving it there.”
Adair whirled on him, not sure whether to hug him or hit him. She compromised by shaking off his hand. “You lied last night.”
“I told you the earring was safe.” He lifted his pant leg and Adair saw the slight bulge beneath the flesh-colored tape he’d wrapped around his ankle. Tapping his fingers against it, he said, “Special waterproof CIA issue tape. Until we get the security updated around here and lay down some ground rules, the sapphire earring’s bonded to me. I promise you I’ll keep it safe.”
In her imagination Adair pictured armed guards at the wedding. “What exactly do you have in mind?”
“What I’m suggesting for now is that we all be more careful about shutting and locking the outside doors to the terraces during the day, and that we activate the security system whenever someone is alone here, like Vi was earlier. I’ll call Sheriff Skinner in Glen Loch and let him know what’s happened.” Cam punched a number into his cell.
Adair began to pace back and forth in front of the portrait. As he relayed the information to the sheriff, Cam watched her. Whatever blow she’d taken when she’d seen her metal box upended or when she’d initially thought the earring might have been stolen, she’d bounced back and now she was totally focused on the problem at hand.
She had a quick mind. It hadn’t taken her long to figure that MacDonald might have had a reason to ransack her office. And when they’d been in the pond and his brain cells had completely shut down, she was the one who’d remembered the cave.
“Sutherland, you still there?” Skinner asked.
“Yes.” She was distracting him. Taking his mind off business. He couldn’t recall a woman who’d ever had that kind of power over him.
“I can spare a man to come out there for the wedding tomorrow—unless you think you need someone tonight.”
“Morning will be fine,” Cam said. “Thanks.”
Then he turned his attention back to Adair. One of the reasons she could distract him was because there were so many layers to her. And each one was so intriguing. There was the woman who’d had the courage to come downstairs last night and hit him on the head with a pitcher. Then there was the woman who’d punched him on that ledge. And the generous and passionate woman who’d met his every demand in the cave. And she’d done more than that. She’d made her own demands, and if she had more he wanted to meet them. There was more to learn about her. More he intended to discover.
“Something doesn’t quite make sense here,” Adair said. “I can understand that Nathan MacDonald could have just been in the right places at the right times and decided to take advantage. But his knowing about the secret cupboard argues that he has invested a little more time in his research.”
Turning to Cam, she waved a hand around the room. “And how does all of this relate to your theory about a person who’s been breaking into the castle for about six months?”
“What theory?” Vi asked.
Cam filled her in on his idea that someone might have been making nocturnal visits regularly to use the library. “After you showed me the room this morning I took a quick walk-through, but the two of you have been here for years. I’d like you to take me on a little tour and tell me what you see.”
Cam led the way down the hall and ushered the two women into the long, narrow room. A spiral staircase offered access to the balconies that rimmed the second floor. On three walls, bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling except for the space taken up by a fireplace. The fourth wall was filled with tall windows and sliding glass doors on both levels, and dust motes danced in the afternoon sunlight. Books were everywhere—stuffing the shelves and spilling into piles on tables, chairs and even the floor. Their scent filled the air.
“We haven’t used this room in years,” Adair said as she walked down the center.
“A.D. locked it up after the girls’ mother died,” Vi said. “It was Marianne’s favorite place. The last time anyone spent any time here was when Beth did her research.”
When she reached the terrace doors, Adair turned back to face him. “What are we supposed to be looking for?”
“Evidence that
someone has been in here. If I believed Eleanor’s jewels existed and I had the time to devote, this would be a good place to start my treasure hunt. I went to the library in town first thing this morning to see what they had, which was easy, as public libraries have a catalog. Everything is arranged in order. That’s not true here. It’s one of the reasons Mom had to spend so much time here that summer.”
The two women went about their task methodically. Adair checked the doors first and found them locked just as he had. “How did this person get in?” she asked.
“There are ways around alarm systems,” Cam said.
Adair and Vi split up to start checking the shelves. By the time Adair got to the end of the room where they’d entered she had noticed exactly what he had.
“There are different levels of dust on the shelves. The farther I go, the less I find—as if he’s working his way down the room book by book. Is that what you think this person has done?”
Good eye, he thought.
“Now that you mention it,” Vi said, “I can see the same pattern on the shelves over here. And I think I can see where he sits to do his reading.”
Cam and Adair joined her in front of the fireplace where a stack of dustless books sat in a pile next to a leather chair.
“So someone has been just coming in here to go through this library book by book to find Eleanor’s dowry? Who in the world has that kind of patience?” Vi asked.
“A true treasure hunter—someone who believes that Eleanor’s necklace and earrings are somewhere in the castle or on the estate. Maybe someone who’s come across concrete evidence that supports that belief. So far they’ve been willing to go slowly.”
Adair held up a hand. “Okay. So we may, on top of everything else, be dealing with a professional thief who is very focused on finding Eleanor’s dowry. Today’s break-in seems a bit ham-handed for a patient treasure hunter or superthief.”
Cam spread his hands. “This break-in today may be the work of someone else.”
“We’re back to Nathan MacDonald.”
“And the man he was arguing with. Or maybe both of them,” Cam said.
Adair closed her eyes. “In other words, we’re probably dealing with multiple treasure hunters.”
“What do we do?” Vi asked.
“We go on doing business as usual. The two of you have a wedding to prepare for. I’m going to dig through the stuff I brought back from the library in Glen Loch and see if I can find what might have convinced someone that the sapphires are still here somewhere on the estate. But what we’re all going to do is be very careful. With one of the earrings already discovered, our thief may lose his patience and get desperate.”
“You’re trying to scare us,” Adair said.
Cam glanced from Vi to Adair. “I want you to take precautions. From now on, no one goes anywhere alone—not into town, not down to the lake, not even for a walk. And we all shut the terrace doors whenever we leave a room. I’ll work in the main parlor this afternoon.”
“You don’t think you’re being a little paranoid?” Adair asked.
“Humor me,” Cam said. “I’m the one who thought Angus One’s secret cupboard wasn’t a safe hiding place for the earring. You and Vi focus on the wedding,” Cam said. “Let me worry about the rest.”
“Okay.” But she was already worried about the rest. Because “the rest” for her included him.
One thing at a time, she reminded herself as she left the room. Mentally she made her list as she climbed the stairs. Shower first. That would clear her head and help her to think. Then she’d check in with Rexie. That had been on her To Do list earlier, hadn’t it?
She thought of the papers that she’d gathered up and crammed into her desk drawer.
So she’d just make another list. And as far as dealing with what had happened between Cam and her, the only thing she was absolutely sure of was that she wanted it to happen again.
10
IT WAS NEARLY two o’clock when Adair finished the sandwich Vi had brought to her office. The stinging spray of the shower hadn’t helped her to clear her head. Or get Cam out of it. Instead, all she’d been able to think of was what had happened at Tinker’s Falls. That breathless, heart-stopping jump off the ledge. And what had followed. Especially what had followed.
Just thinking about it had her heart thundering again. Cam had made her fantasy come to life. That little realization hadn’t fully struck her until the shower water had turned cold.
Why did that terrify her and thrill her at the same time?
And Cam was not all she should be thinking about right now. But between Bunny and Vi, all the details of the wedding were under control. Caterers, florists, photographers, arrival times. She had a chart on her wall detailing everything. Of course, she and Vi would supervise the setup in the morning. But for now all she had to worry about was the possibility of a runaway bride.
And Cam. Pulling a mini legal pad out of her desk, she tore off three sheets and lined them up in a neat row.
The way she saw it, she faced three major problems: the Cam Problem, the Missing Sapphires Problem and the Maitland/Banes Wedding Problem. With a pen she labeled each of the papers.
Then she frowned, annoyed that the first problem that had popped into her mind was Cam. In a quick movement she picked that page up and put it in third position. Where it belonged.
Because she wasn’t sure she wanted to solve it?
Nonsense. As far back as her memory took her, she had always taken care of herself. She had faced and solved problems all of her life. Practical ones, emotional ones, important ones, trivial ones. They all had to be dealt with by mapping out plans and making decisions. Okay, she’d made a bad one when she’d trusted Bax.
So she’d learn from her mistakes. The trick would be to avoid doing anything rash. She flashed back to that wild plunge she’d taken with Cam off the ledge. Just thinking about it had her heart taking a tumble. But he’d been the rash one. He’d taken the decision right out of her hands—lifting her and stepping out into space.
This time when her heart tumbled, she pressed a fist against it. But what had happened after that, what had happened in the cave—well, she’d been a willing participant in that.
And so what if it had been rash? A girl was entitled to do something outrageous once in her life. Or twice. Or—
Adair lifted the piece of paper with Cam’s name on it and turned it facedown on the desk. This was not the problem that she needed to focus her attention on right now.
Neither were Eleanor’s sapphires. Cam seemed to have his attention totally focused on solving that one.
She flicked a glance at the French doors that led into the main parlor. Sheer curtains covered the glass squares on the doors, and when she’d passed by them earlier she’d spotted him in silhouette standing at the foot of the portrait, studying it.
When he’d talked about the treasure hunter with the single-minded focus, he might have been describing himself. The sapphires were the real reason he’d come here and if the rest of Eleanor’s jewels were still here on the castle grounds, he’d find them. Then he’d go back to his life of adventure with the CIA.
Turning the sapphire paper over, she focused her attention on the problem that deserved her undivided attention. The Maitland/Banes wedding.
Like it or not, the possibility of calling Barry Carlson had been on her To Do list earlier, spurred by the fact that she’d envisioned someone other than Lawrence Banes beneath the stone arch. Someone who looked a lot more like Rexie’s first husband than her intended second. Sure, it could have been a figment of her imagination.
But could she depend on that? What if the stones were trying to tell her something?
Right. And why didn’t they come and just cart her off to Looney Tunes-ville right now?
She tapped her pen on the paper. What would the harm be if she gave Barry Carlson a call? If Barry turned out to be the cad that Rexie had described, then she’d have some solid information to
use in case the bride got cold feet and went into another meltdown.
Opening the desk drawer, she pulled out the jumble of papers she’d crammed into it when she and Cam had first returned to the house. The To Do list had the number of the Carlson Horse Farm on it. Methodically sorting colors into compartments, she slipped everything back into the metal box, placing the larger folded sheets of paper that contained the fantasies on top.
No To Do list.
Pushing back her chair, she dropped to her knees and glanced under her desk.
Nothing.
Crawling around the corner, she peered into the wastebasket. Nary a scrap of paper greeted her inspection.
She was still on her hands and knees, scanning the rest of her office floor for the elusive list, when she heard someone knock on the terrace doors. Starting, she saw an expensive pair of Italian loafers first. Then she took her gaze on a swift journey up perfectly creased trousers and a pristine white shirt. She breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized Lawrence Banes.
Jumping to her feet, she moved forward and hurriedly opened the doors. “Mr. Banes, what a surprise.”
And she had a feeling from the expression on his face that it was not going to be a good one.
* * *
AN HOUR OF poring over the materials he’d taken from the Glen Loch library convinced Cam that he’d run up against a solid brick wall. Leaning back in the carved oak chair, he planted his feet on the desk in the main parlor. He’d come across an article in the Glen Loch Gazette that featured pictures of Angus’s secret cupboard, open and shut. But nothing he’d looked at shed any light on the current whereabouts of the rest of the sapphires. They’d been part of Eleanor Campbell MacPherson’s dowry, and the only evidence of their existence other than the painting was the earring that Vi and Adair had discovered yesterday.
He’d left a message on his mother’s cell but he didn’t kid himself that her response would be timely. She and A.D. were taking a working vacation in Scotland, and one of the things that his mother and his stepfather shared was an ability to tune out the rest of the world when they were working. A.D. was painting landscapes for a gallery show and she was doing research for her next historical novel, which would feature the Campbell clan that Angus One had stolen Eleanor away from.