by Sheryl Lynn
She found a list she’d created yesterday. She handed it over the desk to the investigator. “Here are the names of the people I’ve hired in the past six months. Mr. Tucker assures me that Pinky began working here during that time. As for Mr. Tucker, he’s staying.”
Seeing Mike forming a protest, she held up a hand and shook her head firmly. “Your goal is to arrest Pinky. Mine is to protect my father. I fail to see where our goals are incompatible.”
Mike cast an unhappy glance at Daniel. “Provoking Pinky is a mistake, Janine.”
“He’s already provoked. If Mr. Tucker is dumb enough to set himself up as a target, then I will let him continue for as long as it keeps the colonel safe.”
“Dumb?” Daniel mouthed silently. He made a face at her.
“I also ask that you gentlemen cooperate with me. As far as anyone else is concerned, Mr. Tucker is my boyfriend. Nothing more.”
She ended the interview. After she saw them out of the office, she pawed through her desk drawers in search of aspirin.
“So you think I’m dumb, huh?” Daniel asked, grinning.
“I hold serious doubts about the intelligence of anyone who paints a target on his forehead. I wish you wouldn’t fight with the police, either. Especially Mike. He’s an old friend.” She swallowed two aspirin then chased them with a slug of coffee.
“Your friend doesn’t know what he’s dealing with.”
“He’s an experienced law officer.” She stared glumly at her telephone. The message indicator flashed.
“As long as they don’t get in my way.”
The door opened and Kara poked her head inside.
“Knock first,” Janine snapped. She pressed a fist over her pounding heart.
“Sorry. Are you okay?” She flashed an adoring smile at Daniel.
“I’m busy right now. What do you want?”
Kara made a hissy noise through her teeth. “You don’t need to bite my head off. I just wanted to tell you breakfast is ready. Chef made those caramel rolls you like so much.”
Janine laid her head on her folded arms. Frazzled nerves or not, she had no right to take it out on her sister.
“I’m sorry,” she called, but Kara was already gone. Rolling her eyes in self-disgust, she rose. Daniel’s too-bland face annoyed her. “In case you were wondering, the answer is Yes, I’m always a grump. Especially in the morning.”
“I wasn’t wondering. But thanks for the warning.”
“Are you always this chipper and perky?”
“Without fail.”
In the family dining room the heady aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air. The comfortable room and mouth-watering scents soothed her frazzled nerves. Her appetite roared to life. Seeing Kara acting extra careful, her shame deepened. She hated her hot temper and tendency toward snappishness. She worked hard at allowing petty annoyances to roll off her back, she longed for sweet serenity, but those seemed like impossible goals to reach. “I’m sorry for yelling. You didn’t deserve it.”
Kara passed off the apology with a careless wave. “No problem.” She faced Daniel. “And you!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. “You saved Ninny’s life. I’m so glad you’re here!”
A trace of color appeared on his cheekbones. He hovered a hand over Kara’s back then patted between her shoulder blades. His sheepish expression fascinated Janine. He couldn’t possibly be embarrassed.
Janine glanced at the doorway then lowered her voice. “Listen,” she told Kara, “there’s something you need to know.”
“Yeah, no kidding. Why didn’t you tell me you had a stalker? I never knew your life was in danger. How long has this been going on?”
Janine indicated the sideboard. Serving bowls and covered hot trays held the food. “Help yourself, Daniel.”
“Well?” Kara asked. She selected the biggest caramel roll and plopped it onto Daniel’s plate.
Janine hesitated. Many of Kara’s best friends were staff members—any of whom could be Pinky. “You have to swear that what I tell you doesn’t go beyond this room.”
“What about Ross and Megan?”
At the mention of her brother and other sister Janine winced. She envisioned the entire family swarming in to do battle. “You didn’t call them, did you?”
Kara lifted a shoulder. “I did, but Ross is out of town and Megan is helping Tristan feed cows.”
“No more calls.” Keeping an eye on the doorway, Janine told her tale. Telling it still wasn’t easy. Kara’s show of horror made it worse. By the time she finished, Daniel had refilled his plate and Kara had eaten her breakfast. Janine managed to choke down some fruit, oatmeal and part of a caramel roll.
“Erotomania?” Kara whispered. “Is he a rapist? A pervert?”
Daniel answered. “It’s a love fixation, not sexual desire. If Pinky was a pervert, Janine would know it by now. I dealt with one—”
“Please,” Janine interrupted. “I’ve heard enough stories to give me nightmares for a year. Take his word for it, Kara.”
Kara wagged a finger between her sister and Daniel. “So you guys aren’t really dating. It’s all a trick to get this Pinky guy to show himself?”
“Right.”
The young woman popped a piece of roll in her mouth and chewed, her expression thoughtful. “Wait a minute! I know who you are. You’re J.T.’s boss. You own the karate studios. Frankie told me about you.”
“The studios are a sideline. Stopping stalkers is what I do.”
Janine recognized the gleam in Kara’s eyes. Kara loved people without discrimination. She especially loved good-looking men. No doubt she was, at this very moment, figuring out a way to date Daniel. Seated side by side at the table, they made a stunning couple. Janine cleared her throat, loudly.
“He has a job to do. I need your cooperation.”
“I’m happy to do anything you need.” She directed the words toward Daniel.
I bet you are, Janine thought.
Kara sobered. “The colonel won’t like this, Ninny.”
Well aware of how her father would react, Janine said nothing.
A knock caused all three to look toward the doorway. Janine recognized a maintenance worker. “Yes, Jason, what can I do for you?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am.” Hands shoved in his pockets, he lingered under the doorway. “Mr. Hernandez asked me to find you. A guy showed up at the garage. Says he’s from the EPA.”
The Environmental Protection Agency, Janine thought with an inner groan. Bureau of Land Management property and national forest surrounded the resort. The EPA kept a close eye on any potential contaminants or environmental hazards. They were going to demand an accounting of every single chemical burned inside the garage.
“Tell Juan to send the gentleman to my office.”
Jason nodded and scooted away.
“How long has Jason worked here?” Daniel asked.
“I hired him in November.” Janine smiled. “But he isn’t Pinky.”
Kara’s laughter echoed the sentiment.
“Why not?”
“For one thing, he’s only a kid. For another, he’s a very sweet boy. He works hard and Juan likes him. He says Jason is a mechanical wizard.”
“We’ll see.” Daniel filled his cup with fresh coffee.
Janine didn’t like his tone of voice. Her own paranoia about her staff was bad enough—to have two of them peering suspiciously at people who were doing their jobs was too much.
An unmistakable voice rang in the hall, approaching the dining room. Janine stiffened. Breakfast felt like a brick in her belly. No time to argue with Daniel now. She had other problems. Her father was home.
Relegated to the background, Daniel observed the Dukes. His first impression was that Colonel Horace Duke didn’t look as if he were seventy-seven years old. His hair was silver, but he had a lot of it. Ruddy-faced, lean and muscular, he stood well over six feet tall and carried himself as if steel instead of bone formed his spi
ne. He had a big, booming voice. His pale blue eyes radiated fearsome light. He appeared as hale and hearty as he did in the numerous photographs covering the dining room wall above the sideboard.
Elise Duke hugged her daughters and inquired about their health. Sleek and ageless, she didn’t look motherly, but her demeanor certainly was. She used both hands to grasp Daniel’s hand in greeting and he fell headfirst into her aura of charm. A funny pang centered below his breast bone. As a kid, he’d spent many hours fantasizing about having a mother exactly like Elise.
“Sit down, Colonel,” Janine said. She stood nearly nose to nose with her father, but twisted a hank of hair so hard Daniel was surprised she didn’t have a bald spot. “I can’t think with you trying to bully me into a corner.”
Elise touched her husband’s arm. “She’s right, dear. We’re all upset about the fire, but it’s time to speak rationally. And peacefully. Do sit down.”
The colonel blustered, but he sat. Kara filled his coffee cup and served him breakfast while Janine told her tale. Daniel admired her delivery. She spoke calmly and clearly, pausing whenever her father interrupted, but then continued without breaking her line of logic. He figured if they ever got Pinky into a courtroom, his defense lawyers would drive themselves crazy trying to rattle Janine.
“I wondered about those pink envelopes,” Elise said. “Why didn’t you tell us, dear?”
“I thought he was a pest, nothing more. He wasn’t a problem until he threatened the colonel. I didn’t know he’d burn down the garage.”
“This is unacceptable,” the colonel said. “Communication is the key to any successful operation. You failed in your duty.”
“I did not!” She jabbed a finger in Daniel’s direction. “I hired Mr. Tucker because he’s an expert. I’m taking care of things. Besides, this is a personal problem.”
“A personal problem inside my resort!”
“Don’t shout, dear,” Elise said. “But your father is correct, Janine. This is a family problem now. The first thing we have to do is cancel the anniversary party.”
“No!” Janine jumped to her feet. “I’m not giving in to that little creep’s wishes. I refuse. It’s your fortieth anniversary.”
“Mom is right,” Kara said. “We can have a party anytime. The guests will understand.”
“We’ll do more than that.” The colonel slapped the table with a meaty hand. “I’m shutting down the resort until that miscreant is arrested. You’re certain this Pinky person is a viper in our nest? Then we’ll take no chances. We’ll lay off the entire staff.”
Janine paced furiously, eyes blazing violet fire. Her heels clicked-clacked on the wooden floor. “We can’t lay off the entire staff. Some of them have been with us since we opened.”
“I will issue my orders by close of business today.”
“Like hell you will!” Janine shouted.
“I will not tolerate insubordination.”
“I won’t tolerate idiocy!”
Daniel swung his head back and forth to track the action. If this was similar to what Pinky had witnessed, no wonder he’d gone off the deep end. The colonel looked ready to strangle his daughter. Janine looked angry enough to bite iron nails in half. Elise’s serenity said these types of shouting matches were common.
When Janine and the colonel ran out of steam, they glared at each other across the dining table. Kara raised a hand and waved hesitantly. “What if you leave, Janine?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“She may have a point,” Elise said. “You haven’t taken a vacation in years. Perhaps you should go down to Mexico for a few weeks. Or take a cruise. The police will surely catch this man while you are out of harm’s way.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“A sound strategy,” the Colonel said. “I’m ordering you to commence leave beginning today.”
Seeing Janine building up for another round of shouting, Daniel rapped a spoon against a coffee cup. The tinkling caught everyone’s attention. He glanced at the wall decorated with a saber, photographs, plaques, framed certificates and mounted guide-ons, a tribute to the old man’s military career.
“Sir,” Daniel said. “Under normal circumstances your strategy would be ideal. Unfortunately, we aren’t facing a normal enemy. Pinky doesn’t conduct himself honorably or predictably.”
“You advocate my daughter remains on the front line?”
“If there was a front line, I’d be the first to send her to the rear. This is guerrilla warfare. You probably know more than most about the problems of dealing with a terrorist.”
The colonel rested a forearm on the tabletop. “Explain, sir.”
“Suppose Janine takes a month-long vacation. If the police find evidence leading to Pinky’s arrest, then the problem is solved. That’s a big if. Arson is a notoriously difficult crime to solve. Plus, all we have are suspicions that Pinky set the fire. A possibility exists that it could be someone else. A disgruntled employee or even a guest who’s a firebug.”
He paused to give the colonel time to consider. “If Pinky isn’t arrested, then when Janine returns he’ll pick up where he left off. As an extreme solution Janine could completely change her identity and relocate. That would mean she’d never again have any contact with you, nor you with her.”
“Oh, my, no,” Elise said.
“I can help her change her identity, relocate, begin a new life. The only way it will work is if she completely and irrevocably severs all past ties. But I don’t think you want that.”
“Your recommendation is what then?” the colonel asked.
“We don’t allow Pinky to choose the battlegrounds. We have to force him into the open.” He slid a look toward Janine. She wore a funny smile, half admiring, half skeptical. “Pinky has deluded himself into thinking you, sir, are the reason he and Janine can’t be together. Should you cancel the party you reinforce his delusion and increase his sense of control.”
“I see,” the colonel said, nodding.
“Closing the resort won’t solve the problem, either. We can’t underestimate his determination.”
“It seems to me your strategy is a dangerous one. To yourself and to my daughter.”
“I have experience, training and resources. I apologize for the garage. I was remiss in failing to consider such swift retaliation. But Pinky’s revealed his weakness. We can turn it against him.”
“And that weakness is?”
“Rage. It makes him reckless.”
The colonel faced Janine. Love shone beneath his fierce expression. Fear lurked there, too.
“First and foremost I will protect Janine, sir.”
“Have you military experience, young man?”
The widening of Janine’s eyes seemed to tell him, You backed yourself into a corner now, wise guy.
Daniel heaved a sigh. “Unfortunately, no. I was too young for Vietnam and the Gulf War was over before I had a chance to join up. If they wouldn’t let me fight, I didn’t want to join. I’m no paper pusher.”
“I know the feeling,” the colonel muttered. “You appear well versed in battle strategy though.”
“I’ve studied for years under martial arts masters. The basic philosophy of my instruction is the art of war in the pursuit of peace. More than that, I understand stalkers. I can stop Pinky. All I ask is your cooperation.”
Elise folded her slim hand over the colonel’s gnarled, thick fingers and said, “It would be a catastrophe to shut down the resort. To put sixty people out of work because of one criminal is criminal in itself. What kind of cooperation do you need, Mr. Tucker?”
He wanted to request that there be no more shouting matches, but doubted if Janine and the colonel were capable of restraining themselves. “First and foremost, you have to keep my true role a secret. The police are aware I’m a professional, but no one else can know.”
Janine, the colonel and Elise faced Kara. The girl widened her eyes and held up her hands. “I can keep a secret,” she
protested. She made a zippering motion across her closed mouth.
Daniel doubted if Kara had a malicious bone in her body. The family’s reaction, however, said she was a weak link. He had no choice except to work around her tendency to talk too much. “You all need to trust me to protect Janine. I’ll take every precaution to not place her in a position where Pinky can retaliate directly against her. I need all of you to do the same.”
“What do you mean?” Elise asked.
“I intend to keep him focused on me. But anyone, any of you, who gives Janine a hard time risks Pinky’s rage. We need to keep stress levels at a minimum.”
Elise leveled a look on her husband. The colonel didn’t meet her gaze, but the way he darted his eyes at his wife said he got the message.
The colonel muttered into his coffee cup. He glowered at his eldest daughter. “You should have gone to the police the first time this miscreant—”
Daniel interrupted. “She’s done nothing to encourage him. She isn’t responsible for the way he feels or the way he acts. If she’d known his identity in the beginning a quick intervention by the authorities or someone like me might have made a difference. Maybe. Janine is blameless.”
“I’m not blaming her,” the colonel said.
“We’re dealing with a person whose fantasy life is more real to him than reality. We can’t let his delusions affect our esprit de corps.”
“I stand behind my daughter.”
“Yes, sir.” He patted Janine’s hand. “The best thing you can do is help her understand she’s done nothing to encourage Pinky. She has nothing to feel guilty about.”
Color pinkened her cheeks, and she withdrew her hand.
“Why Janine?” Elise asked. “Why would a perfect stranger choose to stalk her?”
“Good question, ma’am. Unfortunately, delusions only make sense to the deluded. He thinks she’s the epitome of perfect womanhood. He’s created an image that she happens to fit. He could have just as easily fixated on a model he saw in a magazine, or an actor he watched in a movie.”