"Don't come after me," warned Tandy.
Cara heard Ingrid's dismayed gasp. Behind her stood the Princess, who said crisply, "Enough of this nonsense! Come away from there this very minute!"
Tandy stared at her mother with intense dislike. "What's wrong, Mother? Do you want me to come in so that you can go back to watching the destruction caused by your adorable little Coco? Sorry to inconvenience you." Tandy's tinny laugh reverberated from the walls.
Tandy edged farther out on the platform, her back resting against the low rail. A breeze had sprung up, and it whipped her lightweight skirt around her knees. With a trembling hand she brushed away the hair blowing eerily around her face.
"Cara," Ingrid whispered under her breath. "We must get Tandy off that platform. Years ago, building inspectors judged it too dangerous to support any weight. Tandy could fall from there very easily."
Cara looked closely at the railing and saw that what Ingrid said was true. The narrow metal handrail was rusted in some places, and the section where Tandy stood wobbled dangerously with every movement.
"Tandy," the Princess was saying, "come back inside. If you'll come in, I'll give you that new sailboat you've been wanting. Or perhaps that lovely sapphire necklace we saw in the jewelry store. Come, now, stop playing games!"
Tandy shook her head and spoke so softly that Cara could barely hear her. "Poor Mother. Always trying to bribe me with things. Things, more things, all of my life. When will you ever learn, Mother, that it's not things I want? Not sailboats, not sapphires. Sapphires don't become me, Mother."
Cara handed Ingrid her cell phone. "Call 911," she said under her breath. Ingrid went down the hall to dial.
Cara tried again. "Tandy, it's dangerous out there. That platform could break loose from the tower."
Tandy said nothing.
Ingrid was back by this time, and Cara held a whispered conference with her. "Emergency 911 is sending a rescue squad," Ingrid told Cara, "but what if they're too late?"
"You'll need to let them in when they arrive. Let's hope it's soon. Do you know when Alec will be here?"
"Alec's plane is on time, and he and Otto will arrive shortly."
Cara hadn't taken her eyes off Tandy for even one second, and she now spoke to her again. "Tandy, if I bring Alec here, will you come inside?"
Tandy brushed her hand wearily across her eyes. The movement caused the railing to lurch. Cara drew a quick breath while Tandy stared into space and said nothing.
Cara edged forward and began to talk to Tandy in a quiet, soothing tone. "Tandy, Alec's on his way right now. When he gets here, I want you to come inside, and the rest of us—your mother and Ingrid and I—will leave you alone with him."
Tandy turned hollow eyes toward Cara. "Alec," she said. "You took him from me."
Cara was sure that Tandy had lost her grasp on reality and was perhaps lost in some bleak never-never land of her own creation. Cara motioned for Ingrid and the Princess to stay back, and slowly she advanced toward Tandy. Tandy's tenuous hold on the swaying railing worried her, and she thought that she might be able to get close enough to reach out to her.
Tandy seemed not to notice Cara's steady, slow progress toward her, retaining her blank expression and the eerily empty stare. Cara reached the small doorway without a flicker of acknowledgment from Tandy, but when she placed her hand on the doorframe, Tandy spoke.
"Stop, Cara. Stop right there."
"I only want to help you. I'd like to stand closer to you until Alec gets here."
"Alec? Is Alec coming?" Tandy's eyes had narrowed and she was looking about her in confusion. She tottered uncertainly, the wind at her back.
"Where am I?" she said loudly. "Why do you want me to stand out here?"
Cara replaced her hand on the doorway and spoke softly. "We want you to come in now. Won't you please take my hand?"
She stretched her fingers toward Tandy, whose wary gaze slid across Cara's face. "I don't want your help," she spat suddenly. "Get away from me!"
Frightened by Tandy's animosity, Cara backed away, despairing at having to give up her slowly gained ground.
"I hear something," said Ingrid behind her. "Perhaps it's Otto and Alec."
"I hope so," Cara replied fervently, not taking her eyes off Tandy's face. Behind her the Princess, caught up in the drama, sucked in her breath.
"Quickly, Ingrid," said Cara. "Go see who it is."
The clatter of Ingrid's footsteps faded as Cara, Tandy, and the Princess uneasily regarded one another. Tandy was still unreachable, but the Princess looked at Cara with perhaps a hint of admiration. Still, she did not speak.
In a few minutes Cara sagged with relief to hear Alec's voice in the hall below. In a moment he had bounded up the stairs, Ingrid and Otto puffing behind him.
He took in the situation immediately, summing it up: a woman who seemed to have lost contact with reality standing on the shaky wrought-iron balcony, Cara's tense face, the strangely silent Princess.
"A rope," he told Otto, and Otto turned to fetch one. When the rope arrived, Alec wasted no time in tying a loose circle in one end.
Outside, they heard sirens. "It's the emergency people," Otto said. He and Ingrid went to let them in.
Alec paid no heed, but he spoke to Cara in a low tone. "I'm going to talk to her, and while I'm talking I'm going to go out there and slip this over her head and shoulders. I want you to hold the end of it and pull when I get it around her waist. Do you understand?"
"Yes," whispered Cara, relieved to relinquish control of the situation to someone else. She grasped the end of the rope and watched Alec walk carefully toward Tandy.
Sounds of activity came to them from the corridor, and Ingrid's anxious face appeared in the doorway. "The police are here," she said.
Alec motioned with his hand, and Ingrid backed off. Cara understood that in this delicate situation it might be better to keep policemen out of Tandy's sight. She saw the officers congregating in the hallway out of the corner of her eye, and it was clear that they didn't want to disturb the progress that Alec was making.
Tandy continued to observe Alec in the same detached manner and as though from a great distance.
"You'd be much more comfortable if you came in here with me," Alec suggested to Tandy. "Why don't you take my hand and let me help you inside?"
"I like it here," Tandy said. "It's so cool."
"We can open the windows inside," Alec said, inching closer.
"Alec, remember when we used to hide up here in the minaret? When we were kids? No one could find us here. No one could hurt us."
"That was a long time ago. We're all grown up now." Alec held out his hand.
"Get away," warned Tandy. "You're too close."
"Don't be afraid," Alec reassured her. "We're friends, remember?"
"You're her friend," she accused, pointing a finger at Cara. "You can't be my friend, too."
"Of course I can," Alec said patiently, drawing closer. Tandy seemed not to notice that he had moved.
Cara held her breath. Alec's foot was almost touching the shaky platform. He'd have to step onto the platform to drop the rope around Tandy. Could he do it without sending them both to their deaths?
A chill breeze blew through the doorway and Cara shivered. Out on the platform Tandy seemed impassively indifferent to the wind.
Alec was almost close enough now. It was just a matter of inches. He didn't seem to notice the swaying of the platform or the increasing wind. He was concentrating totally on the task at hand. Slowly he raised the rope over his head and with a quick motion slipped it around Tandy. Tandy screamed, a long, pulsing shriek.
"Cara, pull!" yelled Alec. At that point, two police officers burst into the room and grabbed the rope to help yank Tandy to safety. They were just in time—a loose section of the iron railing broke away and went sailing to the ground below.
Tandy crumpled to the floor in a heap. Her mother and Ingrid bent over her. The police were calling for h
elp.
"Alec!" cried Cara, going into his arms. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," he assured her, holding her close.
Cara let Alec hold her while she recovered. Gratefully, she closed her eyes and leaned against him, listening to the steady, reassuring beat of his heart through his jacket. After a few moments, they broke apart and walked downstairs to greet the ambulance crew, who arrived in short order.
After the EMTs took Tandy away, the police radioed for an Animal Control emergency team. Ingrid hurried away to get everyone something to eat, and Otto went to keep an eye on Coco in the ballroom.
The Princess, who had declined to go in the ambulance with Tandy, seemed in a daze. "We must get the finest doctors, a different psychiatrist, better medication, perhaps that special clinic in Switzerland... and darling Coco, he must come home with me." She babbled on, oblivious to the fact that no one was listening to her.
Alec pulled Cara into an alcove off the foyer. "Tell me what happened, Cara."
"I don't know what came over Tandy, Alec. She ran up the stairs and out onto the platform. I tried to stop her, but I couldn't."
Alec slid a comforting arm around her shoulders. "There's nothing you could have done to prevent it. Tandy's had problems for a long time, so this isn't much of a surprise. I wish you hadn't had to be involved."
"What kind of problems?"
"Tandy's been under psychiatric care for years. Sometimes she goes off her medication. Then she gets delusional and paranoid. I've tried to help her, but she's had to deal with a lot of difficulty in her life."
Cara could imagine. The Princess, Coco, expectations that required her to live a certain way when perhaps she'd prefer a simple, quieter life without so much stress.
"Thank goodness you showed up when you did, Alec."
He treated her to an admiring look and pulled her closer. "You had everything under control, Cara dear. You managed as well as anyone could have." He bent his head as if to kiss her, but at that moment Otto clattered into the foyer. He looked perturbed.
Alec and Cara moved apart. "What is it, Otto?" Alec asked.
"I can't find the monkey in the ballroom. He's loose!"
"Oh, great," Alec said with a groan. He turned despairing eyes on Cara. "Just when we were likely to get some alone time, we have to find that damned monkey!"
Chapter 10
"Coco could hurt himself," the Princess said. "Someone should have stayed with him."
Cara restrained herself from commenting that they'd all been tending to her daughter, but Alec beat her to it.
"We were dealing with Tandy," he said. "You may help us search for Coco or take yourself to the kitchen where Ingrid will provide a stiff drink and smoked sailfish canapés. Unless you need to be getting along to the hospital emergency room to make sure Tandy is being looked after."
"Her psychiatrist is meeting her there. I'm not leaving here without Coco."
"As you wish," Alec said.
The Princess huffed and glared at him but disappeared toward the kitchen on unsteady legs, making Cara suspect that she'd already checked out the liquor cabinet in the drawing room.
Alec drew a deep breath. "All right, Team Xanadu. A monkey could do a lot of damage here, so we need to find him as soon as possible. Otto, you cover the back of the house. Cara, you search the front, and where is Animal Control, anyway? They must have a trap or something. I'll check the upstairs." Alec took the stairs two steps at a time.
Alone in the foyer, Cara tried to think where Coco might have gone. Xanadu was full of nooks and accessible spaces where a monkey could hide. He was so swift and agile that he could be anywhere in the mansion. If she were Coco and scared, she would have taken cover somewhere as soon as possible. She paused for a moment in the hall, noticing that the library door, which was seldom open, stood ajar.
The light in the library was dim, and Cara couldn't find the electric switch. She peered into the gloom, wondering how she'd even see the monkey if he were there. After a few moments, she heard a brief rustling movement in the shadows and turned quickly. With a sense of relief she heard a soft chattering and then a barely audible whimper like that of a small child.
As her eyes adjusted, she saw Coco curled into a shivering ball among the velvet cushions of a long couch beside the fireplace. She froze, not wanting to frighten him so he'd bolt again. But almost as if he were a small child afraid of the dark, Coco trustingly held out his arms to her, his expression forlorn.
He was so meek and childlike that Cara stopped thinking of him as the Princess's annoying pet. She sat down beside him and let him creep repentantly into her lap. A quick exploration of his arms and legs told her that he wasn't hurt.
He clucked at her and nestled closer. "Poor little guy," she said. "You're kind of cute, you know that? You're just in the wrong place, that's all."
When she stood up, Coco clung to her and folded his tiny arms around her neck. As she was trying to decide what to do with him, Otto materialized in the doorway. He smiled when he saw Coco wound in Cara's embrace.
"Alec," Otto called over his shoulder, "Coco's been found."
Alec met them in the foyer and regarded Coco draped passively over Cara's shoulder. "Wonderful," he said after a sigh of relief. "The last thing we needed was to spend the whole night looking for that little beast."
"He's not so bad," Cara said, fast becoming captivated. The monkey stroked her face, and even Alec's expression softened when he saw that the monkey was calm and meek.
"All right, good thing we found him so quickly. Thanks, Cara." He turned to Otto. "Please take Coco to the Princess and call her driver to come pick up both of them."
"Come here, little guy," Otto said soothingly. Cara hung onto Coco during the transfer to make sure he didn't take a flying leap, and the last she saw of him, his head was bobbing on Otto's shoulder as Otto bore him away.
Alec drew Cara back into the library, easily finding the light switch that had eluded Cara. The room blazed into light from numerous wall sconces. "I have good news," he told her. "Really good news, Cara." Alec's face was lit with excitement.
They heard a movement at the door and turned to find Blake looking suave and unconcerned in his white sport coat and pearl-gray trousers. Cara had been so caught up in Alec's announcement that she hadn't heard his approach.
Alec was as surprised as she was, but he moved away from her and turned toward his brother.
"Come in, Blake. You might as well hear this, too." Alec's voice reflected triumph.
Blake's expression turned to uncertainty. "Perhaps we should leave this discussion until tomorrow. Then you and I, Alec, can discuss things in private."
"No," Alec said firmly. "I want to get this over with. Now."
Cara kept her expression blank. As usual, she was wary whenever the brothers confronted each other.
Alec assumed a relaxed stance, resting one shoulder against the side of the huge fireplace. "Blake, I suppose you know that I've been to the capital to talk with the governor today. It seems that Xanadu has been given a reprieve."
"What—what do you mean?" exclaimed Blake, his face paling beneath his suntan. "Xanadu will be sold as planned."
"No, it won't," said Alec. "I know for a fact that Marquis can't fulfill its contract. And I found out today that the State of Florida has received a federal grant to preserve Xanadu as a museum."
Blake threw Alec a long skeptical look and stared at Alec in disbelief. Alec met his gaze levelly. "I don't believe you, Alec," Blake said. "You've stooped to some sort of dirty, double-crossing trick. It can't be true."
"You can check with Larry Algren at Marquis if you like. The deal is off. When Winston Caylor found out that you and Algren were trying to push the contract through, he was furious. Now he'll never sign."
"Larry Algren assured me that Caylor was onboard." Blake's tone was stern.
"You tried to hoodwink him. Caylor doesn't appreciate that."
"I never did anything of the sort,
" Blake retorted.
"You and Algren took advantage of the fact that Marquis is buying a good deal of property for condominium development up and down the Florida coast," Alec said. "They're involved in signing many contracts right now. Algren lumped the Xanadu contract in with all the others, figuring that Caylor would never notice."
"That's preposterous. Absurd," Blake said, blustering.
"Caylor usually signs anything that Larry Algren and his lawyer put in front of him. He would have signed the Xanadu contract without question—if I hadn't gotten to him first."
"You?" Blake sounded unbelieving.
"Yes, me, Blake," Alec replied sternly. "Ponce Cabrera knows him personally and gave me his private phone number. Caylor was interested to know that one of the properties his company was acquiring was Xanadu. He's quite a history and antiques buff, you know. He'd never willingly be party to anything that would destroy the famous Xanadu. You knew that."
Blake's face seemed to crumble. "Ponce did this?"
"And Bernard Sherman, who is into historic preservation, much like Ponce. The Committee for Historic Trusts now has the means to convert Xanadu to a state museum for all to enjoy. Even you, Blake, when you come back to visit. There might be a slight admission fee, but you can afford it."
For a moment Blake looked stricken, haggard, but after a moment his features froze into glacial hardness. "Your little spy here tipped you off about Caylor's skiing accident. Didn't you, Cara?"
"That's not true!"
"How much is he paying you?"
"Alec's paying me nothing. I—"
"Oh, so you did it for free," Blake shot back. "I can certainly speculate as to why you'd do that."
Alec spoke up. "This doesn't involve Cara. She's been entirely circumspect, and we never spoke of Winston Caylor. The key to saving Xanadu was Ponce and his offer to help when I told him that we were attending the last ball that would ever be held in Xanadu's ballroom. Everything fell into place then–the Princess's intervention, Bernard's support, learning how to reach Caylor privately."
"Too many coincidences," Blake said brusquely. "I never doubted that Cara was spying for you."
The Beach Bachelors Boxset (Three Complete Contemporary Romance Novels in One) (The Beach Bachelors Series) Page 46