“No!”
“You’re right. But I’m not going to apologize, Syd.”
“I don’t want an apology.”
“Good. Go take your shower while I try to find some liquid caffeine.”
Sydney watched him leave the room while wild, impossible images tumbled through her head. He’d kissed her again.
And she’d kissed him back.
And she wanted to do a lot more than simply kiss him. The knowledge shouldn’t have stunned her. Sex had never been all that important to her. Her experience had been that it never lived up to its billing.
Until Noah?
No! She would not think like that! Propinquity. That’s all it had been. They were thrust together in an abnormal situation and he was an extremely sensual man. Good-looking, in that confident, sure-of-himself way that many women found irresistible. She was no exception. What she had to remember was that the kisses hadn’t meant anything to him.
Still, if he had apologized she would have been mortified. She’d invited that kiss, and more besides.
The shower only brought her thoughts into sharper focus and forced her to admit the truth. Wasn’t it just last night that she was upset because he hadn’t even noticed she was a woman? Well, he’d noticed now. And she’d wanted him to.
Wasn’t that the reason she’d been so prickly with him all along? She didn’t want this wild attraction to him, but she could no longer deny the truth. At least not to herself.
She was sexually attracted to Noah and she had been right from the start. There was no use denying the attraction, but she told herself dependency played a role here. Like when a patient fell in love with her doctor.
Not that she was falling in love with Noah. It was more like lust. But she didn’t do lust. At least she never had before Noah. No man had ever stirred her emotions like this.
Lust or love?
Did it matter? Neither one was acceptable.
She pulled on the semisheer bra that fastened in the front and after four abortive tries, finally managed to work the clasp with her good hand, while pinning the thing in place with her bad arm. She donned a loose-fitting cotton blouse and stepped into panties and a pair of shorts.
As soon as she left the bathroom, she knew Noah had found his caffeine. The smell of coffee filled the bedroom, but it had no appeal for her at all this morning. The small table near the window held coffee, but also tea, juice and bagels. And the slice of cake and the pie from the night before.
Noah had opened the drape, filling the room with natural light. Another hot, hazy day, judging from the sky. He was replacing the telephone in its cradle.
“I just spoke to Agent Wickowski. Laura is going to be fine. Her parents flew in from Kansas this morning. She’s going home to stay with them for a few days.”
“I’m so relieved. Her parents are wonderful people. Did she say what happened?”
“She told her coworker she had to pick up the new keys to her apartment and then she was going to swing by your place and collect the mail and the plants.”
Sydney nodded, her gaze straying toward the African violet Noah had carried in from the car last night along with their luggage. “She offered to get them for me.”
Noah’s expression was grim. “Well, I’m afraid she discovered her apartment wasn’t the only one the burglars were interested in.”
“They broke into Jerome’s place, too?”
“I’m afraid so. She called the police and, after talking to them, decided to bring the mail and tell us in person what had happened. She started up the porch steps and someone ran at her out of the darkness and threw her to the ground. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, Sydney. He thought she was you.”
“Oh, Noah.”
“He was wearing a ski mask, so she never got a look at his face. He just demanded she tell him where the tape was.”
“What tape?”
“That’s the million-dollar question. Laura didn’t recognize his voice so that pretty much leaves Yosten out of things. She’s sure she would have recognized him.”
“It could have been one of the other two.”
“Yes. Or someone we’ve never met. The police are checking every possible lead.”
“But what tape?”
“Could the man who attacked you also have wanted a tape?”
“I guess. I really don’t know.”
He rubbed his jaw wearily. “The only tapes Wickowski can think of are the bank’s surveillance tapes. They thought the robbers took them along with the money. But even if they didn’t, unless Jerome removed them and gave them to you before the robbery, there’s no way you could have gotten them out of the bank that day.”
“Do they really think—?”
“No. Sydney, the only way this makes sense is if someone wants a tape that belonged to Jerome.”
“Fine. He has a slew of videotapes. They can have all of them. He buys…he bought a lot of old movies on tape. But he doesn’t even own a video camera. There are no home movies or that sort of thing.”
“What about music tapes?”
Sydney shook her head, her thoughts racing to find a connection to Jerome and some sort of tape. “He only listens to CDs, even in his car.”
“No tape recorder?”
“Not that I’ve ever seen. The CD player does play tapes, but he doesn’t have any that I know of.”
Noah stared into space as if his mind was somewhere else. Sydney combed her memory for any sort of tape connected with Jerome and came up blank.
But she didn’t know any details about what Jerome had been doing for the past two months and that thought stopped her. He’d been spending time in Fools Point from what he’d said. She was about to tell Noah that when he spoke.
“Did Jerome ever give you a package to hold for him?”
“No.”
“A book? Anything that might contain a tape of some sort?”
“Nothing. I swear, Noah. He wasn’t the sort to buy presents. Not even before we were married. I mean, he’d give a gift for a birthday or something, but…” She shook her head. “You must know what he was like.”
“Actually, I do and I don’t.” He hesitated for just a second. “I’m not sure if you know this or not, but Jerome was my half brother.”
Her breath caught. “You weren’t full brothers?”
“No. My mother died of complications due to pneumonia when I was thirteen.” Remembered pain still reflected in his voice. “A year later, my father ran into a woman he’d had an affair with while my mother was still alive.”
“Jerome’s mother?” she guessed.
He nodded. The tight set of Noah’s jaw told her how difficult the admission was for him. He’d spoken of his mother with fondness. Knowledge of his father’s affair must have hurt him deeply. Especially at that impressionable age.
“Jerome was already three, and since my mother had just died, Dad decided to do the right thing by his other woman.” His lack of inflection spoke more loudly than a striking denouncement. “They married right away and he brought Callie and Jerome to live with us in Fools Point. I was still reeling from my mother’s unexpected death and I resented the intrusion of Callie and her son.”
“You were disappointed in your father,” she said softly.
He looked at her. “No, I was mad as hell. I couldn’t believe my father had cheated on her that way.”
There wasn’t anything to say to that. Sydney remembered her own family’s deaths and the sense of loss and anger and betrayal. Thirteen was a tough age anyhow.
“I’m afraid I made things pretty rough on everyone,” Noah continued. “Fortunately, I played a lot of sports, which kept me busy, and Colonel Sayers, my ROTC instructor, got me interested in the military. He helped me get the ROTC scholarship.”
“So you substituted the military for your family?”
Noah seemed surprised by her perception. “Yes. In a real sense, that’s exactly what I did. Eventually, my dad and I came to terms. I couldn’t
condone his action, but I didn’t hate him anymore. I even accepted Callie and Jerome, but once I graduated high school, I wasn’t home much except for periodic visits.”
He stared out the window. Sydney knew he was looking through the glass into his past. She waited quietly.
“Dad died in an accident on the Beltway a few years later. I’m ashamed to admit, I pretty much stopped going home after that.” He ran a hand across his jaw. “I realize I should have made more of an effort with Jerome. None of it was his fault any more than it was mine. Callie was actually a nice person and I think she loved my dad. At least they seemed happy enough together, but Callie…” Noah sighed. “She didn’t know how to cope very well. After Dad died, she let Jerome get away with murder.”
Sydney touched his hand. “Jerome was spoiled, but he could be incredibly nice too. Even breathtakingly charming when he wanted to be,” she said softly.
“And he was good-looking,” Noah agreed without rancor.
“Actually, he was close to beautiful. I think that was part of the problem. Women were always coming on to him. It actually annoyed him. I was stunned when he started paying attention to me. Because he worked next door at the bank, we often took lunch breaks at the same time. When he realized this, we began taking them together. He was so attentive, I was flattered.”
“Most women were. What went wrong?” Noah asked.
It was Sydney’s turn to sigh. The truth was difficult. How could she possibly explain going into a sexless, loveless marriage with his brother? In hindsight, she found it difficult to understand herself. Just because sex had never played an important part in her life seemed like such a stupid reason to agree to a lifetime commitment.
Noah regarded her steadily.
“We became friends who shared a common dream.”
He frowned. “Having a child?”
She couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “Yes. Having a family was important to both of us. Too much so, as it turned out. We didn’t really know each other all that well. After a while, I realized we’d rushed into marriage and made a mistake.” A huge, life-shattering mistake. But Noah didn’t need details of her stupidity.
“Jerome could be demanding.”
“Oh, yes. I should have seen that sooner. Don’t wear your hair like that. That dress makes you look fat. You’re spending too much time with your friends.”
Noah shifted. Sydney hesitated, unsure whether to continue or not. “I guess it all sounds petty now, but it didn’t feel that way at the time.”
“You’re an independent woman. Frankly, I’m surprised he’d have the nerve to tell you what to wear.” Noah’s smile took the sting from his words.
“Don’t get the wrong impression. Our problems weren’t all one-sided. Relationships never are. The problem was, we stopped being able to communicate.”
“It happens.”
She shook her head. “I should probably have tried harder. After I left the apartment and moved back in with Laura and Hannah, Jerome started coming around at lunchtime. We’d hold these whispered arguments so no one would overhear.”
She swallowed down the painful memories. “He wouldn’t accept my decision. He actually ordered me to move back to the apartment.”
Silently, she bit back the rest.
“Did he threaten you, Syd?”
“Once,” she admitted reluctantly. “That’s when I finally called a lawyer.”
She stood abruptly. “I don’t want to talk about this, Noah. Jerome is dead. Let’s go check out your house. I know he came up here during the past few weeks. Maybe he left a tape at the house.”
SYDNEY WAS OBVIOUSLY embarrassed by what she’d revealed, but none of it surprised him. What did, Noah acknowledged to himself, was the fact that his brother was a complete idiot. How could he marry someone like Sydney and not cherish her?
He’d been putting off his own embarrassing truth long enough. It had been obvious from his first conversation with Sydney in the hospital, that she had no idea just how devious and controlling Jerome really was. He’d wanted to tell her then and there, but she’d already had so many shocks that the timing never seemed right. Now, he worried that he’d left it until too late.
The big old house stood silently welcoming in the hazy bright sun. In spite of what had happened to Laura out front, the house held a lot of memories for Noah—most of them good. Sydney looked sadly at the small signs of the disturbance from the night before while he unlocked the front door.
“Come on. Try not to think about it.”
She didn’t answer, but stepped inside the large old foyer quickly and stared around.
“Big rooms.”
“Yeah. There was always plenty of space for friends to come over and play.”
“What’s behind that door on the stair landing?”
Her finger pointed up the front stairs to the small landing where the steps took a right-hand jog before continuing on up.
“Another set of stairs come up from the kitchen—a sort of servants’ staircase. As kids, we loved running up and down those steps, but I think the real purpose was so servants could go upstairs without walking through the living room and interrupting conversations. The house is pretty old, Sydney.”
“Oh.” She turned away and peered into the room to the right. “I didn’t expect it to be furnished either.”
His father’s den off the front foyer had been completely redone in chrome and black metal and white leather. White walls had replaced the warm, dark paneling Noah remembered. He wondered what had happened to his father’s old walnut desk and matching file cabinet. And what had become of the freestanding globe his father had been so proud of? All that remained were the walnut bookcases, devoid of books.
“Some of this stuff belonged to my parents, although Callie made changes after she moved in.” He stood beside Sydney in front of the entrance to the living room. “I don’t remember that couch or those chairs, but the end tables and bookcases are the same.” He could still see the nick on the coffee table where he’d rammed a toy truck into it.
He also noted that the chair cushion had been pulled out and put back in place upside down. Also, the bookcase had been pulled away from the wall and pushed back, not quite in the same position. Realization hit him.
Someone had been going through the house.
“I’m surprised Jerome rented the house furnished,” Sydney said, obviously not seeing the signs of intrusion.
Noah set the magazine and envelope he’d retrieved from the bushes on the hall table where a pile of mail already sat. “Jerome figured it was easier to rent the house furnished.” Noah took in other, small signs of invasion, unwilling to point them out to her just yet. “Turns out he was right. We never lacked for tenants.”
She walked through the living room into the dining room.
“This is a fabulous old house, Noah!” Sydney said. “Look at that wainscoting!”
Noah peered around the formal dining room. He wasn’t sure what wainscoting was, but he liked the expression of pleasure it brought to her face. What he didn’t like seeing was the half-open drawer on the credenza where a white linen tablecloth had gotten stuck, stopping it from closing all the way.
Someone had definitely been going through the rooms. They’d just done a neater job here at the house than they’d done on Laura’s apartment.
“Oh, what a beautiful kitchen!”
The bright room beckoned cheerfully.
“Callie had it gutted and redone a few years back.” And he had to admit, the light oak cupboards were a big improvement over the dark ones he remembered.
Signs of habitation were plain in the kitchen, but as Noah had told the police last night, Yosten and his crew had apparently been given full run of the house. Empty beer and soda cans and crumpled bags of chips attested to the use they’d made of the kitchen, at least. There were also signs of repair here and there. A patched place on one wall, what appeared to be a new faucet on the sink.
Sydney had a funn
y expression on her face. Her body had become tense as she sniffed the air. Noah sniffed as well. The scent of some spicy Italian dish lingered in the air. In the sink he discovered two dirty plates with remnants of some sort of pasta dish and a half-eaten slice of garlic bread.
“The man in the hospital and the hotel room smelled of garlic,” she said softly.
“Lots of people eat garlic bread, Sydney.” But he made a mental note not to touch the plate and to let Wickowski know.
“True.” She looked up the back staircase. “How many bedrooms?”
“Four. All good-sized rooms. Let’s go up and you can have a look around.”
“Shouldn’t we start searching for the tape?”
“I think it’s going to prove a waste of time, Sydney. Someone’s already gone through the house.”
“What do you mean? How do you know?”
A floorboard creaked overhead, stopping his answer cold.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Wait here,” Noah ordered. Before she could argue, he charged up the servants’ stairs from the kitchen. The footsteps overhead had already started down. Now they thundered down the front steps with no attempt at silence as the person began to run.
Noah found himself stopped at the landing. The door was locked or jammed from the other side.
Sydney ran back through the dining room, hoping to catch a glimpse of the person, but Noah overtook her, grabbing her arm and nearly scaring her to death. “Stay here!”
The front door slammed shut. Noah sprinted in that direction. Sydney followed more cautiously. The intruder was already out of sight. Leaving the front door open, Noah rushed outside and leaped over the side of the porch. He immediately disappeared from view.
Sydney leaned over the railing to watch Noah running toward the back of the neighboring house. Her impulse was to chase after them, but common sense prevailed. She’d do Noah more good by going inside and calling the police.
She hurried into the den off the foyer. The desktop was empty. Where was the telephone? She whirled to try the kitchen when a sudden noise overhead held her riveted in place.
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