Christmas Stalking

by Margaret Daley

  “How so, Winnie? I don’t remember doing that.”

  “Your research on certain sea life sparked a breakthrough for me on this project.”

  Colt tilted his head to the side. “Which one?”

  Winnie smiled. “I’m not telling. Right now I’m the only one who knows. It’s all up here.” She tapped the side of her temple. “But this will keep you busy for years, Christy. Harold isn’t going to be able to count the money fast enough.” Her grin grew. “At least that’s what I predict. And all my predictions have been right in the past.” She sat back and motioned the servers to bring in dessert.

  Linda and Doug Miller, the middle-aged couple who lived on the property and took care of the house, carried in two trays, one with coffee and the other with finger sweets. Doug placed the coffee down in front of Winnie while his wife served the petite desserts to each person in the room.

  “I will say I miss your cooking, Linda. No one on the vessel can cook like you.” Colt selected four different sweets and put them on a small plate.

  By the time the caretakers retreated to the kitchen ten minutes later, everyone had a cup of coffee and dessert.

  Colt raised his cup in a toast. “To Christy. Congratulations again on becoming the face of Endless Youth. This is a big change for you from being Winnie’s

  assistant to touring the country, your photo plastered everywhere.”

  “Yes. I haven’t traveled like you have or Winnie. About as far as I’ve gone was Texas and California when Winnie did.”

  “That will definitely change, dear,” Winnie said after taking a sip of her coffee. “I’m thrilled you agreed to do this. When you tested the product and it did such wonders for you, it became obvious you were perfect for this new job.” She slid a glance toward Harold. “Thankfully, Harold found a new assistant for me who is working out great.”

  All eyes turned to Ellie. Never wanting to be the focus of attention, she pressed herself into the couch until she felt the Glock in its holster digging into her back. Harold had brought the gun when he’d returned for dinner. Having it holstered under her jacket was a constant reminder she was on a job. “I appreciate you helping me, Christy. Answering my hundreds of questions.”

  Christy laughed. “I wish I had someone to answer my hundreds of questions. I’ve never been a model and don’t know one. Poor Peter has to listen to all my questions.”

  “And I don’t have any answers for her. Actually, she’s been gone so much lately that I haven’t had to listen to them.” Peter covered Christy’s hand that lay between them on the love seat. “I’m looking forward to some togetherness at Christmas.”

  Harold bent forward to pour himself some more coffee. “I just finalized some plans for Christy to start the filming of the first commercial in L.A. next week.”

  Christy glanced at Peter then Harold. “But I’ll be here for Christmas Day, won’t I? It’ll be our first Christmas together.”

  “Yes, but since we’re launching part of the line in February for Valentine’s Day, your time will be very limited.”

  Peter picked up her hand and moved it to his lap. “We’ll work out something,” he said to Christy, his adoring look roping her full attention.

  As Ellie listened to the conversation shift to the launch of Endless Youth, she decided to call Kyra, her employer, and have her look into everyone around Winnie, including Harold Jefferson, who ran the day-to-day operation of Glamour Sensations as the CFO. She’d learned quickly not to take anything for granted, even the person who hired her.

  The threats against Rachel Winfield had started when news of Endless Youth leaked to the press. What was it about that product line that would make someone angry with Winnie? From what Ellie had learned, the development and testing didn’t upset any environmental groups. So did Endless Youth have anything to do with the threats or was its development and launch just a coincidence? Maybe it was a rival cosmetic company. Was the industry that cutthroat? Did this involve an industrial spy?

  She kneaded her hand along her nape, trying to unravel the knots twisting tighter in her neck. Finding the person behind the threats wasn’t her priority—keeping Winnie alive and unharmed was. She needed to leave the rest to the police and Harold’s P.I.

  * * *

  Colt entered the kitchen that gleamed with clean counters, any evidence of a dinner party gone, but the scent of the roast that Linda had cooked still lingered in the room. The Millers did wonders behind the scenes for Winnie and had worked for the family for ten years. He wasn’t sure what his grandmother would do if they decided to look for another job. He didn’t worry about Winnie with Linda and Doug taking care of the property and house.

  He raided the refrigerator to make himself a sandwich with the leftover roast beef. After piling it between slices of Linda’s homemade bread, he turned away from the counter ready to take a bite. But he halted abruptly when he noticed Ellie hovering in the entrance, watching him.

  She blinked and averted her gaze. “I heard a noise and came to check it out. Winnie just went to bed.”

  “She stayed up later than usual, but then when Christy and Harold come to dinner, she usually does. That’s the extent of her entertaining here.”

  “I can see that. She spends most of her day in the lab.”

  “My grandmother is one of the few people in the world who has a ‘nose,’ as they say in the perfume industry. She can distinguish different scents and has a knack for putting them together to complement each other. That comes easy for her. But this new product line is something else, more Granddad’s pet project. I’ll be glad when she finishes and doesn’t have to work so much.”

  Ellie came into the room. “She’s being taken care of. Linda makes sure she eats healthy. Harold doesn’t let her worry about the running of Glamour Sensations, and I do all the little things she has allowed to mount up.”

  “So she can focus on Endless Youth. I can remember when Granddad was alive. Those two talked about the line back then. He had already started the research. Winnie is just finishing up what they began in earnest eight years ago. I think he pushed her to help her recover from her heart attack. She loves a good challenge.” He held up his plate. “I can fix you one.”

  Her chuckles floated through the air. “I think I’ll pass on that. I ate more tonight than I usually do.”

  He put his sandwich on the kitchen table and gestured at a chair beside him. “Join me. I hate eating alone. When you live on a small ship with fifteen others, you’re rarely alone except in your tiny cabin. You would think I would cherish this time.”

  “You don’t?” Ellie slid into the seat next to him.

  He noticed she didn’t wear any fragrance and wondered if Winnie would change that. “I’m used to it so it’s strange when I’m not here. When I’ve come back here, I’ve felt the isolation I never felt while I was growing up here.”

  “Well, it won’t feel isolated too much longer. Winnie has several evening events the closer we get to the holidays.”

  “Let me guess. Most of them have to do with the business.”

  “Yes, and she is the mistress of ceremony at the lighting of the Christmas tree in Bakersville in a few days. This year the town is naming the park after your grandparents.”

  “They’ve been trying to get her to light the Christmas tree for years. I’m glad she finally accepted.”

  A tiny frown made grooves between Ellie’s eyebrows.

  “You aren’t?” Colt asked.

  Her expression evened out. “I’m only concerned she doesn’t wear herself out. She has the big gala for Endless Youth and Christy’s introduction to the press a few days after that.”

  “Yeah, she’s been trying to get me to stay an extra week.”

  “I can understand the demands of work.”

  “Is this job demanding to you? Is the iso
lation getting to you?”

  “I love the isolation. Remember, I grew up in Chicago where everywhere I turned there were people.”

  “How did you find out about this job?”

  Ellie rose. “I think I’ll fix a cup of tea. Do you want any? Herbal, no caffeine.” She walked to the cabinet where the tea was kept and withdrew a tin of lavender tea.

  “No, thanks.” He waited until she put the water on to boil then continued, “Harold said something about him finding you. How? Chicago is a far piece from here.”

  “Harold knew my former employer. She suggested me for the job.”

  “She let you go?”

  “Not exactly. She knew how much I love the mountains and thought this would be perfect for me.”

  “What did you do at your former job?”

  She laughed. “I feel I’m being interviewed again, but since I already have the job, that isn’t it. So why the interest?”

  “Because I love Winnie and have her best interest at heart.”

  Gripping the counter edge with both hands, Ellie lounged back, except that there was nothing casual about her stance. Something wasn’t right. Colt lived in close quarters and had learned to read people accurately and quickly. It made his life much easier and calmer.

  “What are you hiding, Ellie?”

  THREE

  “What makes you think I’m hiding something?” Ellie busied herself pouring the hot water into a mug and dunking the tea bag.

  “I get the feeling there’s something in your past you don’t like to talk about. If it wasn’t that Harold is thorough when it comes to my grandmother, I would be concerned at your evasiveness.”

  “But Harold is thorough.” She drew herself up straight, cupping her hands around the mug. “I didn’t know full disclosure about all the details of my life was necessary for me to get this job. Winnie seems satisfied. Is this something we should bring up to her?” Lifting her chin, she clamped her jaws together to keep from saying anything else that would get her fired.

  He dipped his head in a curt nod. “Duly noted. Winnie is a great judge of character.”

  Meaning he had his doubts? Pain shot down her neck from the tense set of her teeth grinding together. She strode to the table and took the chair across from him. Though she would rather drink her tea in peace, she knew escaping to her bedroom would only confirm that she had something to hide.

  One of the reasons she liked being a bodyguard was that she could blend into the background. Most of her clients didn’t engage her in casual conversation. But Winnie had been different, and it seemed to run in the family. She kept a lock on her past—a past she didn’t want to take out and reexamine. No point in going over it.

  “If you must know, the short version of my life so far is—”

  “That’s okay—”

  “I grew up in Chicago,” she interrupted, “in a part of town where I had to learn to take care of myself and stick up for my brother, too. People weren’t kind to him. He had a mental disability and talked ‘funny.’ Their word, not mine. When I could get out of the neighborhood, I did.” She sipped her tea, gripping the mug tighter to keep her hands steady.

  “Where’s your brother?”

  “Dead.” The word hung in the air between them for a long moment while Ellie relived the moment when Toby had slipped away from congestive heart failure.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up something painful.”

  “What did you mean to do, then?”

  “To make sure Winnie was in good hands.”

  She stared into his light, gray-blue eyes. “She’s in good hands. When I do a job, I do it one hundred percent.”

  Another long silence stretched between them as she felt the probe of his gaze, seeking, reading between the lines.

  “Did I pass?” She raised her cup and drank, relishing the warm, soothing tea.

  “This wasn’t a test.”

  “You could have fooled me.” After she scooted back her chair, the scraping sound filling the kitchen, she pushed to her feet. “While I would love to continue this interrogation—I mean conversation—I’m tired and plan to go to bed. Good night.”

  She left the kitchen. Out in the hallway she paused, a hand braced on the wall as images of her twin brother washed through her mind—running from the neighborhood bullies, falling and scraping his palms and shins, crying because he didn’t understand why they didn’t like him. But the worst picture was of Toby on the floor of their small, dirty apartment, taking his last breath. He looked straight at her. She held him while they waited for the ambulance. A light brightened his eyes, and a peace she’d never seen fell over his face. Then he went limp as the sirens came down the street. She’d been thirteen.

  Tears crowded her eyes. She squeezed them closed. This was why she never dwelled in the past. She did not shed tears—hadn’t since she was thirteen.

  She slowly crossed to the front door and checked to make sure it was locked and the antiquated security system was on. After Colt went to bed, she would make a more thorough check of the house before she slept. Until then she would prowl her bedroom, hating the situation she’d been placed in. This secrecy handicapped her doing her job.

  * * *

  Standing in the dark, Colt stared out his bedroom window at the yard in front of the house; the outdoor lights illuminated the circular drive. Usually by this time of year there was a lot of snow on the ground, but not so far this winter. Most Christmases as a child, he remembered it being white. This year he’d be in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with blue water as far as he could see. One morning at the beginning of the week, a day after he’d talked to Winnie, a strong urge had overcome him. He needed to see his grandmother if only for a short time. He couldn’t shake the feeling all that day. By nighttime he’d made a reservation to fly back to Colorado.

  He glanced at his bed. He needed to sleep. Wanted to sleep. But he couldn’t. Winnie’s new assistant plagued his thoughts. Something didn’t fit. First, although she and Winnie seemed to get along great, Ellie wasn’t his grandmother’s usual type of assistant. Christy had fit the mold well for three years. Accommodating. Almost meek. A follower, not a leader.

  But Ellie certainly wasn’t meek. He rubbed his ear, recalling her defensive tactic last night. And accommodating? Hardly. He had thought for a minute that she was going to tackle him for her gun. But mostly she wasn’t a follower. Although she’d done everything his grandmother had requested of her today, her mannerisms and actions spoke of a woman in command. A woman who wouldn’t admit to a vulnerability.

  A couple of hours ago, though, he’d seen a crack in her defenses when she’d talked about her childhood, her brother. That was what he couldn’t get out of his mind. The glimpse of pain in her eyes he suspected she didn’t realize she’d shown. Or maybe she did and couldn’t control it because the hurt went so deep.

  Staring at the play of light and dark surrounding the front of the house, Colt plowed his fingers through his hair. His skin felt as if he was swimming through a swarm of jellyfish, their tentacles grazing across his arms and legs, their touch sending pain through him.

  Something wasn’t right. He couldn’t shake that feeling, just as he couldn’t deny the need to come see Winnie a few days ago.

  One of the German shepherds that guarded the property pranced across the drive and disappeared into the dark. Squinting, Colt tried to follow the dog’s trek. Something white flashed out of the corner of his eye, so briefly he wasn’t sure he’d seen anything. He shoved away from the window and headed for the door. He wasn’t sure why. It was probably nothing. One of the guard dogs had white fur.

  Still. He wanted to check.

  * * *

  A sound in the foyer caught Ellie’s attention. She’d just checked that part of the house. Was Winnie up? Colt? She cr
ept down the hallway toward the front entrance, pulling her gun from the holster under her large sweatshirt. She found Colt crossing the foyer to the exit.

  Relieved it was only him, she stuck the borrowed gun back into its holster and entered the entry hall. “Is something wrong?”

  With his hand reaching for the doorknob, Colt jerked and pivoted toward her. “What are you doing down here? I thought you went to bed.”

  “And I thought you did, too.”

  “I did. Couldn’t sleep.”

  “So you’re going for a walk dressed like that? Won’t you get cold?” She gestured at his sweatpants, T-shirt and bare feet.

  He peered down. “I thought I saw something outside.” Taking a few steps toward her, he took in her similar attire except for her bulky sweatshirt to cover her weapon and her tennis shoes, in case she had to give chase. “I’m sure it was nothing now that I think about it. Probably one of the dogs. If anyone had been outside, they would be barking.”

  Unless they were taken out, she thought, recalling her words to Colt earlier. “Dogs aren’t invulnerable.”

  He paused. “True. I’d better check on it.”

  “I can. I’m dressed for it.”

  “Yeah, I noticed your tennis shoes.”

  She started toward the front door. “I don’t have slippers, and I’m not accustomed to the cold.”

  “But you’re from Chicago,” Colt said as she passed him.

  “We are seven thousand feet up the side of a mountain in December, and, besides, I’ve never been accustomed to the cold, even being from Chicago.” Glancing at the alarm system, she noticed he’d turned it off. She grasped the handle and opened the door. As she stepped out onto the front deck, Colt followed her. “I’ve got this.” Leave it to a pro. The urge to say those words was strong, but she bit them back.

  “You’re kidding. I’m not letting you come out here alone. What if someone is here? Who do you take me for?”