Martin had tensed slightly, and she looked at him defiantly. ‘But James didn’t completely trust him, and offered no explanation for dismissing him. He never said, just insisted that Damian leave. So he left here almost a year ago, but he was only ever here for a few months over that summer.’
‘You speak about him in the present tense. Do you know where he is now? And when was the last time you actually saw him?’
‘I saw him in the city a few months ago. I attended a symposium, which he also attended. His research is in some ways parallel to mine.’ She thoughtfully moved to the window and continued quietly, ‘Sometimes, I wondered if that had something to do with why James threw him out.’ She rubbed her eyebrow worriedly then continued, ‘But I’m sure he is totally ethical. The symposium was before James’s death. We talked a little, but I don’t know where he’s living now. It wouldn’t be hard to track him down. He’s certainly well known at the university. I can’t believe he had anything to do with killing James. He was always completely immersed in his research, to the exclusion of everything and everyone around him.’
Martin was frowning now. He wandered over to the window and stood leaning on the windowsill, gazing thoughtfully into the distance. Then he straightened up and turned back to her. ‘Do you know why James didn’t like him? Was it simply that he didn’t approve of any intimate involvement that might develop between you, or was it something more subtle? Did he give any indication that he thought it was anything more?’
‘No, at the time I thought he was being overprotective. We argued about it. I was really angry, if you must know, it didn’t make any sense. I liked Damian, we spent a lot of time together, but I wasn’t interested in him in that way.’ She sat quietly thinking back. ‘At the time, I couldn’t understand why Dad was misreading the situation so badly. He was usually very perceptive. So perhaps there was something else behind his actions.’ She suddenly looked tired and defeated. ‘Honestly, Martin, I have no idea. James never gave us any indication that he thought he, or any of us, was in any danger.’ Her eyes were very bright. ‘We always felt completely safe and secure here. We know everyone and any stranger in the area is instantly a source of endless speculation and gossip by everyone. I might add including the police, we’re almost a closed community.’ She got up from the desk and wandered across to the window.
Martin put his arm around her and gave her shoulders a gentle hug. ‘Take it easy. I’ll set one of my people to make enquiries. We will keep a watch on Damian for a while, the Watsons might take a little more time to track down.’
Hera scowled up at him, ‘Do you have people here to do that sort of thing?’
He grinned. ‘Of course, that’s what Gabe and I do. We have a network that functions anywhere and everywhere we need it to.’ Sitting back down at the computer, he frowned across at her. ‘I need you to tell me everything you know about Pete. There’s no real background information here. His references, where he worked before he started here, or when he started.’
‘Why? I know you and Gabriel both had a sort of macho clash with him when you both arrived, but he’s been one of the mainstays on the property well before James was killed. He’s also become very protective of Bede and me since Dad’s death, so I can’t think why you would suspect him of any involvement.’ Hera scowled at him.
‘Hera, at this point, I suspect everyone and no one. It’s nothing personal, really.’ He continued after a moment, ‘Despite that incident when he tried to mount me on a half broken horse.’
Hera laughed outright. ‘It’s a sort of favourite joke out here when someone with your accent says they can ride. The fact that you can actually ride and managed beautifully made the joke backfire. It can be dangerous actually, and has proved a bit of a problem in the past. I was with Meredith at the time. We were watching from an upstairs window, and she was amused more than anything. She would have put a stop to it if she thought even for a moment that it could be dangerous.’ She chuckled. ‘I was about to shout down to Pete, but Meredith’s reaction convinced me that there wouldn’t be a problem. She actually laughed outright and told me to watch Pete’s face.’
‘Yes, well, she knew we spent quite a lot of time on a property in the UK when we were teenagers, training and exercising Arabians.’
‘Wow! Tell me about it.’
‘Nothing to tell, really, it was just another of the more bizarre aspects of our education. Sheik Ali Pasha Sherif, a good friend of our father, has an interest in an Arabian breeding stud in Sussex in England. Gabe and I spent some of our favourite summer holidays working on the stud.’
‘Well, getting back to Pete, there should be copies of his references in his employment file.’ She moved across to the filing cabinet. With uneasiness in her voice and a puzzled frown, ‘Martin, the file is empty, there is nothing here.’ She looked up worriedly. ‘James employed him as he did everyone on the property. None of us would dream of questioning him. Pete just arrived one day, but James was expecting him, and said he was the new manager and would be managing most aspects of the business when he, James, was away. That was about five years ago.’ She continued to frown. ‘He’s certainly competent, flies the helicopter for spraying, and seems to be protective of both Bede and me. I don’t know how Meredith sees him. I’ve never discussed him with her. He is obviously another one that needs investigating. But I can’t believe he had anything to do with murdering James.
‘Where is this all going to end? I’m starting to suspect everyone I see of not being who they say they are. There is a tendency not to ask too many questions about people’s background out here. It’s the perfect place to disappear for a while if you need to, but he’s always seemed to be very loyal, and he’s been invaluable since James’s death.’
‘Hera, you’re exhausted. This is enough for me to go on with for the time being. Why don’t you go for a ride? Try to relax a little. I’ll make some phone calls and contact my people to see where we go from here. We’ll have to put off going to the camp for a couple of days. Tracking down the Watsons, making enquires about Pete and Damian Black is more urgent.’ He put a hand gently on her shoulder. ‘I’ll need to go to Perth to arrange some of this, so I’ll get Pete to fly me there. It will probably take a few days to set some investigations going. In the meantime, you need to act as normal as possible. Try not to worry, and try not to let Meredith see how disturbed you are, she seems to be badly affected by all this tension.’ He smiled at her. ‘Don’t let it get you down. I’ll send Pete back immediately with the helicopter. He won’t suspect I’m investigating him.’ He walked out of the room without a backward glance, leaving her exhausted and worried.
Chapter Nineteen
Bede and Gabe in Paris … Still
After the vigorous training session, they both collapsed onto one of the thick training mats used for more contact exercise. Gabriel handed Bede a small bottle of spring water and opened another for himself.
‘I think we need to consider another aspect of this, Bede, Laurent would not ever countenance any violence against James even if his position was threatened.’ He paused, and took another swig of water. ‘It’s just not that important to him. Admittedly, he was raised from childhood to fulfil the role.’ He continued thoughtfully, ‘Besides, Laurent, as everyone in the family knows, would step away with alacrity if the opportunity arose. He’s really a scholar at heart and would welcome the chance to retreat into his books.’ He rolled over onto his elbow and looked down at her sprawled beside him. ‘I’m thinking about George, Justin, and Lucian. The terrible trio as my father often called them. They’ve been friends since Eton really, although rivals might be a better word.’
He turned to Bede and pulled absently at one of the wisp of hair springing up around her face from the heat and perspiration of their vigorous workout. He twirled it around one of his fingers, and then lightly caressed her cheek. He continued thoughtfully, ‘Lucien is Czech, or rather, he was born in
England. His mother is English and a very distant connection to the family, but his family are all Czech. They did have a difficult time during the Second World War, but I think they’ve managed to reclaim most of their ancestral land. He’s definitely not the most trustworthy of persons, I probably should tell you about the last time I saw him and Justin in Prague.’ He looked across the room deep in thought, then turned around bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. He drew back slightly, raised his eyebrows in question, smiled into her eyes, and bent toward her again, slowly. This time, the kiss was a more definite statement, and Bede responding, wondered why it had taken him so long.
Much later, she murmured, ‘You were going to tell me about Lucien, George, and Justin in Prague.’
Gabriel pulled himself up and away from Bede. He relaxed back against the wall, reluctantly releasing Bede, and pulling her up beside him. Prague seemed like a lifetime ago, but was in fact only a matter of days. He recounted the bizarre evening at Justin’s flat, and then thoughtfully went on to recount his previous association with Kamila. He slowly slid sideways down the wall until he was lying flat on his back and gazing up at the ceiling. ‘I think I will sleep here. I’m too buggered to move.’
Bede laughed, jumped to her feet, and grabbing his hand, dragged him to his feet. ‘Come on, you need a shower and a proper sleep in a soft warm and comfortable bed. You’ve been galloping around the world with very little relaxation between flights.’ She gurgled deep in her throat. ‘You saw what I’m like on one twenty-four hour flight. I would be a physical and mental wreck if I had tried to do what you’ve just done. In how many days?’
He draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. ‘Do you know’, he murmured, ‘I have no idea, I’ve lost track. I’ve changed time zones so often my body is having trouble keeping up, let alone my brain.’ He grinned down at her. ‘You could come to bed with me and help me work it all out.’
She laughed. ‘Not going to happen, you would get no sleep at all.’
He snorted, and kissed her soundly.
She reached up and cupped his cheek. ‘You are a constant surprise to me. Is now a good time to ask you about those dreams you spoke of?’
‘No, not yet, and you’re right, we both need some sleep, my pet.’
Chapter Twenty
Introduce Damian
Damian Black slipped quietly through the dark streets. It was 2 a.m., and he was reasonably certain it was safe now for him to venture into the streets. He had been moving to a different hotel every night for the last week paying with cash, but was now seriously short. He couldn’t continue for much longer without another infusion of cash, and he needed to get back to his laboratory. He had plenty of cash stashed there, but was anxious they would have someone still patrolling the area waiting for him to re-emerge from hiding.
He headed to the deli on the corner. It had been days since he had eaten a hot meal. Staying in crappy, cheap hotels meant no room service. The constant moving around from suburb to suburb was finally taking its toll. He was almost ready to let fate, or whatever went for fate these days, take control. He wasn’t fearful for his life, or not so much, he was fearful for his research. He needed to get back to the laboratory. His notes were all there, and of course, all his available cash.
He cursed fluently in several languages, and thought passingly of ringing Hera or Bede. He felt sure if he told them the whole story, they would help him, at least with enough cash to disappear properly for a couple of months. He felt certain that although ‘they’ whoever ‘they’ were, knew the general area of his laboratory, the specific location was safe. He just had to keep away long enough for them to give up looking. He was still racking his brain for some way to get more cash when a hand landed heavily on his shoulder. His head dropped to his chest in defeat.
‘Damian, my friend, I’ve been looking for you.’
He drew a long shaky breath, cursed softly under his breath, and turned slowly around. A grin spread slowly over his face, and he launched himself at the person standing in front of him. ‘By all that’s holy, Martin, you’re a sight for sore eyes. What the hell are you doing here? I didn’t expect to see you in this hemisphere.’ He grabbed Martin again in another bear hug.
Martin extricated himself. ‘Why are you here? But we will discuss all that later. We need to leave quietly I’m afraid. Your friends are not that far behind me. You haven’t covered your tracks as well as I would have expected of you.’
They were grinning at each other, and Damian punched him hard but playfully in the shoulder. ‘Where’s Gabe?’
‘Talk later, let’s go.’
They turned and walked quickly out of the store, both hyper alert to any disturbance or unexpected movement in the street. Martin hurried Damian around the corner to a sleek black sports car parked discreetly at the curb.
‘Get in quickly. I don’t think anyone has spotted me at all yet, but one can’t ever be certain. We need to talk about what the hell you think you’re doing.’
‘Martin, someone tried to grab me a couple of days ago, and I’ve been running ever since. I’ve run out of cash, so I hope you’re loaded.’
‘This whole thing is a shambles, Damian. Gabe and I have been trying to find out what happened to James. Did you have anything to do with that?’
Damian looked at him in astonishment. ‘Christ, no, James was always helpful’, he was silent for a moment and went on, ‘until he got this thing into his head that I was interested in Hera. Then he went ballistic. He wanted everything to do with the Family kept well away from the two girls. He’d be furious if he knew you were here.’ He went on after a moment, ‘They probably told you about me working on the property for a few months. James helped me collect specimens without it being obvious, that’s all. I though his death was an accident until I realised I was being stalked. Then I shut down the lab and went into hiding. The lab is safe, but I don’t think I am, and I’m bloody hungry. Do you have anything to eat in this beautiful car, which I assume is stolen.’
‘Of course, back seat for food, and yes, it’s stolen. Do you have any idea who’s stalking you?’
As he reached into the back seat, Damian replied, ‘No bloody idea, I haven’t actually managed to see them clearly. It’s more that awful sixth sense that is so well developed in me. I do research that’s all I know, and yes, I probably should have been more careful. I hope the rest of James’s family are all right. Meredith was always really nice to me. I was just considering asking the two girls for some cash, but was unsure how much they know.’
‘Believe me, they know nothing at all about James’s activities. That’s how he wanted it. But Gabe and I thought it was a mistake from the start. I’m staying there at the moment, and Gabe’s in France with Bede. There is a major conspiracy of some sort happening, but I can’t seem to work out what at the moment. Hera thinks I’m in the city to try to track you down, and a couple of suspicious character employed on the property over the last few years.’ Martin paused for a moment, and then went on thoughtfully, ‘Do you know anything about the Watsons?’
Damian opened a packet of crisps and paused. ‘Say all that again … no, don’t bother. No, I don’t know anything about the Watsons. They were always more than a little reticent about where they were from, and I don’t believe for one minute that they’re father, son, and daughter. For a start, they practice incest if they are, although that could always be the case. No, the so-called son and daughter are no relation to the father, and I suspect he was using them as camouflage, but I could never get a handle on what he was up to. How did you find me?’
‘You used your real name at the property, and why does Hera think you may be interested in her personally? Also, I know your habits quite well, and managed to pick up your trail three hotels ago. You need to be more resourceful. I thought we had taught you better.’
Damian scowled, ‘Potato crisps? Couldn’t you have
found something more substantial? I might add I had to run with very little money in my pocket. I know I should have been more prepared. Bloody hell, Martin, I didn’t expect any problems here. As for Hera, well, I think she’s great, she’s almost as smart as I am with her research, and she good to look at.’
Martin turned and scowled at him, ‘Just don’t go there. At the moment, she’s still suffering from the realisation that James was murdered. Gabe and Bede are in France checking out another aspect. It could be related, but we think it’s a separate issue. Not completely unrelated, but separate. In the meantime, we have to get you to a safe place. And I assume we need to get your research notes from your lab.’
Damian, opening another packet of crisps, mumbled under his breath, ‘Yeah, that’s about it, any ideas?’
‘Several in fact, but the first question, can you fly a helicopter?’
Chapter Twenty-One
Paris Again
Bede woke to the phone ringing beside her bed, and she groggily picked it up. It was early for Alain to ring! She sat up, pushed the hair out of her eyes, and croaked into the phone. ‘This had better be important. It’s not yet 7 a.m., and you know how I hate to wake early.’
‘We need to meet, and this morning if possible, I need to be at work by twelve.’ He paused for a moment, then continued, ‘How do you feel about that rather large cousin, or whatever he is, of yours?’
‘Why?’
‘Because I’ve found some interesting information, and if you trust him, I think he should be there as well.’
Bede could hear a microwave pinging in the background and the news blaring—from the television probably. She thought for a moment. ‘Yes, I do trust him.’ She was a little surprised to acknowledge that. It had been creeping over her slowly for a number of days. It had started on the flight from Perth when he had been so sympathetic and helpful, caring really, when she had been such a wimp. She smiled to herself. ‘Yes’, she said again, ‘I do trust him, so where and when do you want to meet?’
A Conundrum Page 13