by Curry, Edna
He checked into a hotel, then after a rest and a meal, went to check out the bars and restaurants where he began asking around for news of Ken’s whereabouts, flashing money for big tips and Ken’s picture.
After hours of fruitless searching, he found a bartender who looked at the picture he held out and said, “Yeah, I know this guy. He comes in every once in a while with a pretty brunette.”
“Ever hear his name?” Donald said. The bartender shrugged and Donald laid a bill on the bar between them, keeping one end under his fingers.
The chubby bartender eyed it, and said, “Yeah, the woman calls him Ken.”
“Last name?”
“Never heard one.”
“Do you know where he lives?”
Again the bartender shrugged, eyeing the bill. Donald released it and pulled out another one, keeping hold of the end of that one until the man answered, “The brunette told him about a nice villa right on the ocean he could rent. I’m pretty sure he did. I know a guy who lives in that neighborhood.”
“Where is this villa?”
“On the north side of the island. There’s a ferry every hour. Seaside Cayman, I think it’s called. The villa is a fancy place with a fieldstone fence around it and lots of palm trees, you can’t miss it. It’s a couple of miles down the beach from where the ferry lands.”
“Thanks,” Donald said. He released the end of the bill, which immediately disappeared below the bar.
Donald tossed back the rest of his drink and left. He took the ferry as directed and drove down the beach.
He found the villa easily enough and parked where he could see the car in the driveway. Using his binoculars, he noted the license number, and then settled down to wait.
An hour later, Ken came out alone and drove away. Donald used his binoculars again to be sure he had the right man. It was Ken Latham all right. He followed him at a discreet distance.
Ken stopped at a nearby bar and went inside.
Donald parked, waited a few minutes and followed him in.
Ken was sitting on a stool alone at the bar, nursing a beer.
Donald took the stool beside him and ordered a beer as well, pretending not to notice Ken.
After a few minutes of silence, during which Donald kept his attention on the TV set and some women chatting in a booth, Ken said, “You new here?”
Donald glanced at him. “Yeah. Just on vacation for a few days.”
“I don’t know many people here either.” Ken stuck out his hand. “Ken Lowmer.”
“Donald Umber,” Donald returned, sure that Ken would never have heard of him. “From the Midwest, aren’t you?”
“How did you guess?”
Donald shrugged. “I recognize your accent. Been here long?”
“A couple of weeks,” Ken said, looking nervous.
“Is there anything much happening for entertainment around here?”
“Nah. They’ve made gambling illegal. Can you imagine that? I haven’t even found any card games.”
Donald laughed. “Well, there’s always Atlantic City or Las Vegas. They have planes to the States all the time, don’t they?” He signaled the bartender for more beer and threw a bill on the bar.
“I’m not going back there,” Ken mumbled, accepting the fresh bottle of beer.
“Well, the Bahamas, then? I’m sure there are casinos there with plenty of card games.” Donald watched Ken over the bottle as he tipped it up and drank.
“Yeah, there are. But it’s a nuisance having to spend time traveling. Besides, I can’t leave here.”
“Oh?” Donald tried to look surprised. “Why not?”
Ken shrugged, looking embarrassed. He finally mumbled, “I’ve got some business to take care of here.”
“On the lam, huh?” Donald said with a nudge and a wink, trying to look conspiratorial, like he knew all about that. “Afraid of being extradited from there?”
Ken turned red, looked around as if he thought someone might be listening and hastily finished his beer. “No, not me. You got the wrong idea, Pal.” He glanced at his watch. “Uh, I gotta meet someone. Nice meeting you.” He hurried out.
Donald watched him go, grinning. He turned back to the bartender and ordered another beer. He’d made Ken a little nervous all right.
He’d report in to Lester after he got back to his room. Lester had said to keep an eye on him. That wouldn’t be a hardship in this location. He’d have a little vacation while he was at it and lose some of that Midwest winter white. And he was getting paid to do it! Couldn’t beat that for a job!
Maybe he could even get in some beach time, close to the villa, where he could keep an eye on Ken.
With Ken’s last name, Donald could check up on him a bit more. He discovered Ken had lied. He wasn’t staying put. He’d made at least one trip to the Bahamas.
When Donald called Lester later to report in, Lester said, “I didn’t think Ken would stay away from gambling very long.”
“You were right.”
“Stay there and keep an eye on him. I’ll check with my lawyer and find the procedure for extradition. If he makes a trip somewhere, let me know and I’ll see if we can get him extradited back here.”
“Will do, Lester.”
~ * ~
Rosie had already left work when Kirk locked his office that evening.
He turned toward the stairs, but then noticed Harry with Karen at her desk. They had their heads together and seemed to be arguing in whispers.
“Anything wrong?” he asked.
They jumped apart and turned to face him, both blushing furiously.
“No…oo. Nothing’s wrong. We… we were just talking,” Karen stammered. “I’ll see you later, Harry.”
“Yeah. G’night. I hafta go now,” Harry said and bolted down the stairs.
Karen looked at him nervously. “Did you need anything, Mr. Latham?”
He shook his head. “No, I was just leaving.”
“Me, too, after I make a phone call. “ Karen hunted for her purse and dug out a tiny address book.
“Goodnight, then. “ Kirk turned and walked down the stairs and outside to his car. What was that all about? Both Karen and Harry had acted guilty about something. The men he knew seldom blushed, yet Harry certainly had turned red. Had they been involved in this embezzlement in some way?
Kirk picked up some Chinese food and went back to his office. Karen’s desk was now deserted and the whole upper floor office area was dark and quiet, although the store would still be open for hours and seemed as busy as usual. From the floor below he could hear the beeping sounds from the scanners, the noise of rolling carts and the murmur of many people talking at once.
He hated facing a lonely evening in a strange city. But Rosie was still upset with him, so he doubted she’d have agreed to eat with him.
After eating the take-out food, he grabbed a beer from the little office refrigerator and sat down at Ken’s computer.
If he wanted to track Ken, he needed to learn more about his brother’s activities in the last few weeks before he’d left. So, he searched through his email and tracked the web pages Ken had visited lately.
He found a couple of the emails that were from local chat lists that Ken had participated in. Was he still doing that? Any of them could be accessed from the web, so he could easily still be monitoring them from the Caymans. Was he?
An idea formed. What if Ken thought Kirk was stealing not only his job back here, but his woman as well? Would that bring him back to the States to try to win Rosie back? Or to seek revenge?
He called Rosie and she answered immediately. Maybe she was spending an evening alone, too. “Rosie, I have an idea I need to talk to you about. Can I come over?”
She hesitated and he held his breath. “Alright. I’ll make some coffee.”
He let out his breath in relief. “Thanks. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Be careful,” she said. “I mean, remember the goons who shot at you the last
time you came here. They might still be watching my house in case you come over.”
He smiled at her concern. “I’ll be careful, Rosie.”
No one attacked him or even seemed to notice him this time. She opened the door and led him to the living room.
“Make yourself at home. I’ll get the coffee.” She disappeared and returned in a few minutes.
“Cream or sugar?” she asked putting the tray down on the coffee table and taking the chair across from him.
He turned to her and said, “Black is fine. “ He noticed she’d brought a plate of cookies as well, and reached for one. “Um, chunky chocolate chip with nuts, my favorite.”
“Mine, too. “ She smiled and poured their coffee, then sat back and sipped hers. She was wearing a soft pair of blue slacks and an even softer sweater. Angora, he thought, swallowing the hot coffee. The sweater draped over her full breasts, making him swell with need. Yikes, he had to get control of himself here. He needed to talk, not get involved with her.
“So, what’s this idea you wanted to talk about?”
Her hazel eyes watched him warily. Didn’t she trust him yet? He told her about the chat lists Ken had been on. “It has a group of local people he evidently knew from the Chamber of Commerce here. I think he might still be monitoring the list from the web.”
“But he hasn’t posted on it?”
“No, he hasn’t posted. But he could easily be lurking without anyone knowing he’s there.”
“Yes, I suppose. But why?”
“To keep track of what’s going on back here. Or, at least, to see what the others in town know about what’s happening at Latham. I think we need to give him some news about that.”
“But… didn’t you say Lester wanted to keep this quiet?”
“Yes, he does. “ Kirk agreed. “He’s hoping gossip won’t hurt the business. But he’s filed charges against Ken, so the police can pick him up. If they do, it may be hard to keep it quiet. But we’ll worry about that when, or if, the time comes.”
“I see. So what’s your idea? If we don’t have his current email address, how can we tell Ken something online without revealing it to the others on the chat list?”
“We won’t tell him anything about the problems at Latham. Just about us.”
“There is no ‘us’!” she retorted indignantly.
He sure wished there was, though, damn it! But he only said, “We know that, but Ken doesn’t. In fact, I checked and there’s been very little talk about Latham or Ken at all. One little conversation about the mugging and Ken being in the hospital a couple of weeks ago. And someone made a comment about the engagement being off. Otherwise, nil.”
Rosie chewed her lip. “But that’s good, isn’t it? I mean, we don’t want to be the source of gossip.”
“I’m thinking maybe we should let Ken think our engagement is on again.”
“And maybe that would make him mad enough to come back? I don’t know, Kirk. I’m not sure he cares about me enough to risk getting arrested.”
“Maybe not. “ Kirk hated to say outright that he thought she was right about Ken not loving her. How could he love her and leave her to face the music while he disappeared? He surely knew the embezzlement would come to light.
No, he doubted Ken had ever loved anyone but himself. But Kirk couldn’t tell her that. Instead he said, “Ken has always been very competitive with me. So, if he thinks I’m getting his girl, as well as taking his job at Latham, he’s going to be really upset.”
“So, when he sees I’m engaged to ‘Ken’ again, he’ll know it’s with you and not him, so he’ll be mad enough to return?” She lifted a doubtful eyebrow.
“I think it might work. But are you willing to go along with it? You’d have to play my loving fiancée for awhile.”
She swallowed her coffee and set down her cup with a clatter. Her face flushed, she lifted her chin and said, “If there’s a chance it’ll make Ken pay for embezzling from Latham, I’ll do it.”
“Good girl! Thanks, Rosie.”
“Kirk?”
“What?”
“Ken thinks the world of his grandmother’s ring. He was pretty superstitious about always carrying it. He must be pretty upset at not having it.”
Kirk nodded, wondering where she was going with this line of thinking.
“How about using Ken’s ‘lucky ring’ for our engagement ring? I think that will really get to him.”
He laughed. “Good idea! I think you’re right. But how do we let Ken know we’re doing that?”
Rosie smiled and said, “I have a good friend who works at the local paper. She’s covering the Chamber dinner tomorrow night for installation of officers.”
“What Chamber dinner?”
“Sorry, I must have forgotten to mention it. You and I are supposed to be there at six.”
Kirk eyed her over his coffee cup. Had she intended not to tell him? Had she planned to go alone and just now changed her mind? “Okay.”
“Why don’t we make the announcement then, and get my friend to take a picture of us for the paper? I’ll hold up my hand to show off the ring.”
“Do you think she can get it into the paper and onto the web edition where Ken will see it?”
“Sure. She owes me a favor. I’ll tell her it’s important that she does. She’s always looking for local color, and an officer of Latham Building Supply getting engaged is news.”
He rose to leave. “I’ll bring the ring and pick you up here, okay? What time?”
“Make it five-thirty. We can leave work early for once.”
She stood to walk to the door with him.
Kirk turned and said, “Rosie, I hope you’re okay with this?”
She gave him a little smile. “Sure. It’s not like I have anyone else to care what I do, is it?”
“I care, Rosie. I care a lot.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. He expected her to push him away or step back.
Instead, she gave a little sigh and closed her eyes, kissing him back.
With a groan, he wrapped his arms around her. She felt wonderful there, a perfect fit. Like she belonged there. He deepened the kiss, then ran his tongue along her lips, inviting her to open them.
She did, allowing him inside and tasting him in turn. He ran a line of little kisses down her throat, then slid his hand up to cup a breast.
Her hands slid up the back of his neck and she played with his hair, then his ear.
He reacted instantly, and his jeans felt way too tight. He pressed her closer, allowing her to feel the way he wanted her against her tummy.
“I want you, Rosie,” he said.
But his words seemed to have a cooling effect on her. She stepped back. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Kirk.”
It took him a few seconds to cool down enough to say goodnight and walk out to his car.
Damn, but he wanted her. And he was about to tell the world she was engaged to his brother again. When he wanted to tell the world she belonged to him, not Ken.
What a glutton for punishment he was!
Chapter 14
Rosie dressed with care for the Chamber of Commerce dinner with Kirk. Ken. She had to remember to call him Ken in front of other people. No one else here knew he was really Kirk yet.
Melvin had gone back to Chicago and Kirk had settled in at the office. He knew his business and things were at last starting to straighten out. Of course, part of the reason for that was a nice infusion of cash from the home office.
But still, it was nice to be current on paying bills again and not to have to field calls from creditors demanding to know why they hadn’t been paid for products shipped months ago.
She’d gotten a manicure, knowing her hands were going to be photographed tonight. She brushed her long blonde hair into a shiny curtain, and then put in the emerald earrings her mother had given her when she got her degree. She still couldn’t believe both her parents were gone now. She missed them so much. She was close to Lee, but havin
g a brother wasn’t the same as having parents.
Maybe her mother had been right. She should have gotten married and had a family of her own. She could have been a mother with a little one or two already. Fat chance of that happening now.
Everyone would be congratulating her tonight when she and “Ken” announced their “reengagement,” which made it even harder to pretend to be happy. She swallowed back tears.
She was wearing the same red silk dress she’d worn the night she’d meant to break it off with Ken. It seemed fitting, somehow to wear it for the fake announcement. Besides, she thought, turning to check the zipper in back of the long, slim dress, Kirk had loved it.
She remembered the admiration she’d seen in his eyes as he lay in the hospital. Then a minute later, he’d broken their engagement, claiming not to be a “marrying man.”
And he probably still wasn’t, she thought with a sigh. At least, he’d never said otherwise, though they’d made love before he’d regained his memory. And he certainly kissed like he still wanted her! Man, could he kiss.
The doorbell rang and she picked up her evening purse and hurried to open the door.
He stood there, tall dark and handsome in a brown suit, cream colored shirt and a saucy, patterned gold and brown tie that matched his soft brown eyes. Those eyes lit up when he saw her. “This is for you.”
He held out a white orchid corsage and she took it with trembling hands. “Isn’t that a bit much for a fake engagement?”
He smiled wryly. “We want them to believe it, don’t we?”
She shrugged and let him pin it to her shoulder. “Just so Ken does.”
“Are you sure the reporter and photographer will be there?” he asked as she locked her door and they walked out to Ken’s Cadillac.
“Yes. It’s all arranged.”
Kirk glanced at her with a frown. “You didn’t promise her an exclusive on a future story, did you?”
“Of course not, Kirk. I know Lester may never let this story get out. I told you, she owes me a favor and I promised her paper some plum advertising, too.”