“You missed your wife by about three minutes,” Kaia told him.
“Ah, that was intentional,” Casper said. “Since she believes I’m in London and is leaving shortly to join me there. It’s required some creative scheduling on my part, but worth it, I hope. The box, please.”
“You’d better send someone to intercept your wife, because I put the snuffbox here, as we agreed, but I suspect she came in and took it again.”
Casper’s face changed immediately into something very unpleasant. “How could you have let that happen!”
“Your wife is a kleptomaniac! Your security people and I have spent the entire night retrieving things she stole from the guests!”
“You told others?” His face was turning such a dark red, Kaia wondered if he would have a stroke.
“You’re missing the point. I didn’t have to tell anyone. They saw her.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I don’t believe you. You’re trying to embarrass me, to get back at me. It didn’t work before and it won’t work now.”
The man had gone a little insane. Kaia couldn’t even get angry with him. “Tina has got a real problem and you need to get her some help.”
“I will not be talked to in that manner by the likes of you!”
“The likes of me? You mean a thief, like your wife?”
Casper’s face was nearly purple.
Kaia didn’t want him croaking before he could clear her name. She softened her voice. “You can’t keep covering for her. Too many people know.”
“We had an agreement!” He strode across the room.
“And I fulfilled my part of it. I put it in the vase.” Kaia refused to let him make her angry. “If you want the snuffbox back, you’ll have to ask your wife for it.”
Ignoring her, Casper grabbed the vase and upended it. The pendant dropped to the desk. “There is no snuffbox.”
“Because your wife took it,” she repeated.
“I have only your word that she did.” And he left no doubt of his opinion of Kaia’s trustworthiness.
“Fine.” Kaia started for the door. “I’ll go get it from her.”
“No!”
“I’ll be discreet,” she said sarcastically.
“Stop!”
There was a tap on the door and Blake opened it. If he was surprised to see Casper, he didn’t indicate it. “Excuse me, Kaia, is this part of Royce’s collection?” In his hand was the snuffbox.
She didn’t know how or why he had it, only that he did. She met his eyes. “Thank you,” she said under her breath. Louder, she answered, “No, it’s not. It must belong here.” She turned and gently placed it on Casper’s desk.
He stared at it, breathing deeply. When he didn’t say anything, Kaia picked it up and placed it in the vase. “I have fulfilled our agreement.”
Quietly, Casper withdrew the snuffbox. “Unfortunately, you failed to keep anyone else from knowing about the snuffbox.” He looked past her shoulder and she knew Blake was still in the room.
Her mouth went dry. “There were extenuating circumstances. A blackout.”
Casper sat at his desk. Unlocking the drawer where he’d kept the chocolate replica, he placed the box and the pendant inside and took out the faxed agreement Tyrone had him sign. “There is nothing in this contract about ‘extenuating circumstances.’” He met her eyes with a dismissive gaze. “A good lawyer would have thought of that.” He ripped the paper in two.
Kaia stood there, frozen. He was doing it again. He was going to cheat and lie and get away with it again.
“I’ll ask you to leave now.” Casper locked the drawer. “Mr. McCauley, was there something in particular you needed to speak to me about?”
Numbly, Kaia pushed past Blake and fumbled for her cell phone. Tyrone would help her. He had to help her.
She was outside the office punching in the number when Blake spoke, loud and clear. “My men are making some repairs to the upstairs windows.”
“Was there storm damage?” Casper asked.
“Just some minor adjustments for security purposes. The system will be down for about twenty minutes. I’ll remain on-site until we’ve finished testing and it’s back online.”
Blake was giving her carte blanche to the house. Without knowing what was going on between her and Casper, he trusted her.
Wow. He really did love her. Grinning so wide her lips hurt, Kaia stayed out of sight as Blake and Casper left the office. And then she got to work.
BLAKE WATCHED AS KAIA scarfed down a delicious three-egg omelet with ham and cheese and other fatty goodness. He knew it was delicious, because an identical one sat on the plate in front of him.
They were in a breakfast place about a mile from Casper’s house. They hadn’t discussed what had happened after Kaia left Casper’s office and Blake hadn’t asked. But he really hoped she’d tell him.
He’d overheard her talking with Casper and figured out that she’d had some sort of side deal with him. When Tina’s name came up, Blake suspected she’d lifted one more thing. Rather than confront her directly, he shamelessly used a snarling Jo Jo. “I can take that for you,” he’d offered and took the box from her as he thrust the dog into her arms. Distracted by Jo Jo, Tina hadn’t noticed when Blake pocketed the jeweled box instead of setting it on a table.
He didn’t know what the thing was, but he knew Kaia needed it. Afterward, he heard enough to realize Casper was reneging on another deal.
“You haven’t asked what I did,” she said. Eyeing him over her orange juice, she took a long drink.
“I wanted you to tell me.”
“I wanted to tell you. And I was going to, but afterward in my moment of triumph, not after getting taken by Casper again.”
“You had a side deal with him. I’ve guessed that much.”
Kaia nodded as the server refilled their coffee. “The snuffbox belongs to the Lithuanian embassy and Tina stole it during a dinner. Our government is investigating the guests. Casper was afraid Tina had it and even if she didn’t, he was afraid her kleptomania would come out.” She took a sip of coffee. “The deal was that if I recovered it without anyone knowing, he would clear my name.”
“Kaia!”
She nodded. “He’d also give me back the Cat’s Eye, but the real biggie was recanting his accusations.”
“He’d be admitting to perjury.” And Blake didn’t see that happening.
“Alvin, the weasel—his lawyer—would have worked out something.”
Blake rubbed at the condensation on his orange juice glass. “Kaia, I don’t think so. You were set up from the beginning.”
Shaking her head, she set her coffee mug back on the table. “I have a great lawyer.”
“I mean, before.” Blake had been thinking about it. “There had been a rash of thefts, but the Nazarios hadn’t been hit until you. If anyone had any suspicions of Tina, they went away once you were arrested—and admitted to being in their houses. Think about it—there were five or however many opportunities for you to be caught. And when you weren’t, Casper set you up and made Tina and him look like victims, too.”
“Oh, my God.” She stared at him. “You’re right and I never saw it. He was trying to set me up last night, too. He left the pendant in the vase where I’d find it. But it was part of the deal. I have it in writing.”
“Witnessed?”
She nodded. “Tyrone, my lawyer, was on the phone. He negotiated the agreement.”
“And Casper’s lawyer?”
“Wasn’t there.” She grimaced and squeezed her eyes shut. “Casper could claim extortion or something, right?”
“Probably.” Blake was done with Casper. Once he severed ties, he still had friends on the force. If he had to, he’d drop a few hints about Tina. “So let’s see it.”
She opened her eyes. “What?”
“The infamous Cat’s Eye diamond.”
“I don’t have it.” She picked up her fork and continued eating her omelet.
; “I—I gave you twenty minutes! I figured that was more than enough time!”
“And I love you for that.” She smiled. “’Course I love you without that, too.”
“Yeah?” A grin spread across his face. She seemed okay and if she was okay, he was okay. “Kaia, I want you to know that your record doesn’t affect my feelings for you. I’m sorry you went to prison and I’m sorry for my part in it. Someday, Casper will trip up. I have to believe that.”
She activated her cell-phone screen. “It’s been about forty-five minutes. I figure he’ll be tripping soon.”
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t ask me what I did with the twenty minutes you gave me.” She took a biscuit and slathered butter on it.
“You’re killing me here. What did you do?”
She looked pleased with herself. “Since our agreement was ‘null and void’, I put the snuffbox back.”
“Back where?”
“In Tina’s safe where I found it. If Casper wants the snuffbox, he’ll have to ask her for it.” She took a bite of the biscuit.
“Wait—hasn’t Tina already left for London?”
Kaia nodded. “Oh, yes. Private helicopter. Lot of noise. And when we left, I believe the weasel was en route to pick up the snuffbox prior to his meeting with embassy officials.”
Blake laughed. “That’s brilliant! Now I get why you wanted to stop here for breakfast.” Blake speared a mouthful of omelet. He’d better eat. They were going to be returning to Casper’s soon.
“I was hungry! This is good. I don’t normally eat butter or bread. Yum!” She was so calm.
“What do you think he’ll do?” Blake was the one with the nerves.
“Call and threaten me.” And right then, her phone buzzed. She looked at it on the table. “Shall I put it on speaker?”
“By all means.” He held up a finger for her to wait, took out his phone and started recording.
She pressed the screen. “Kaia Bennet.”
“Where is it?” erupted Casper’s voice.
“Where is what?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“I’m not a mind reader.”
A couple of beats went by and Blake figured Casper knew he was going on the record, but wasn’t in a position to make demands.
“Where did you put the snuffbox?” Casper enunciated clearly.
Be careful, Blake mouthed at her.
“Once you voided our agreement, everything reverted to its prior state,” Kaia said.
Not bad, Blake thought.
“Ms. Bennet,” sounded another voice Blake recognized as Casper’s lawyer. “We would like to negotiate another agreement with you.”
“You have my lawyer’s number,” Kaia told him. “He’s expecting your call.” She disconnected.
“What do you think will happen?” Blake asked her.
“I think we’ll have to finish our breakfast quickly so we can head back to Casper’s. I’m in a very good negotiating position, thanks to you.”
Blake shook his head. “You did this all by yourself. I just gave you the opportunity.”
“Let’s talk about that. You trusted me to do the right thing. Even better, you trusted me to figure out the right thing.” She grinned. “You can tell me you love me now.”
He started to do just that, but something prompted him to say instead, “I trust you.”
Kaia’s expression changed from happy to luminous. “Blake,” she whispered, her eyes bright.
Were those tears? He reached for her hand across the table. “I need you to trust me, too. I want to start fresh with you and I need you to trust me not to mess it up this time. Can you?”
When she stayed silent, he added, “I love you. I never stopped.”
She covered their clasped hands with her other one. “You hurt me a lot.”
“I know.”
Drawing a deep breath, she said, “I forgive you, I do, but I can’t forget what that felt like. Not yet.”
“I understand.” He hadn’t forgotten what it felt like, either. “Maybe we’re not supposed to forget. Maybe remembering will remind us to be honest with each other.”
“And not to take each other for granted,” she said. “Yeah. I like that. This is going to work, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely,” Blake said, beyond grateful that he was getting a second chance from a woman who didn’t believe in second chances.
They smiled at each other and slowly unclasped their hands.
“And one more thing,” Blake said as Kaia reached for her coffee.
“What?”
He held up his bare wrist. “Give me back my watch.”
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0784-4
KEPT IN THE DARK
Copyright © 2011 by Heather W. MacAllister
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Kept in the Dark Page 18