“I can drive,” he offered, taking the keys she still gripped in one hand.
“Thank you.” She sank into the passenger seat as he lowered her gently down.
“I’m not going anywhere in particular,” Linus confessed as he turned onto a busier street.
“That’s okay. I don’t want to head to my parent’s house. What if Fletcher’s murderer—” Her voice caught, and she found she couldn’t muster up any more words.
Linus cast her a commiserative glance before returning his attention to the road. “The neighbor said the killer fled in a blue Toyota. I don’t see a car like that right now, but I’ll keep my eyes open in case one starts to follow us. In the meantime, can you get on your phone and look up the flights to and from Lydia in the next twenty-four hours?”
“Sure.” Julia felt grateful to have something to do besides sit there and worry. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking you need a double guard 24/7. Either we need to get some more guards over here, or you and I need to get back to Lydia where you’ll have some protection.”
Though going to Lydia hadn’t kept her completely out of harm’s way the first time around, Julia nonetheless felt drawn to the idea. If her attackers had taken the next flight out of Lydia, they could have made it to Fletcher’s house in time to pull the trigger. If she and Linus left quickly, maybe they could stay one step ahead of whoever was after her. She’d be safe—if only for the time it took until the next flight arrived in Lydia.
She pulled up the flight information, but as the words and numbers filled the screen, another thought occurred to her. “Linus?”
“Yeah?”
“Scott drives a blue Toyota.”
* * *
Linus clenched the wheel a little harder, imagining the smiling face of Julia’s fellow lawyer from the staff picture in Julia’s office. The man would have been able to break into Julia’s office easily. He had access, but what might his motives be? “Did Scott ever interact with Fletcher that you know of?”
“I don’t think so. The case settled out of court. It was all very straightforward—that’s why they assigned it to me even though I was new.” She pressed her fingertips to her temples and shook her head. “I can’t imagine how Scott would be involved, or what anyone’s motive might have been for killing Fletcher.”
“I can’t imagine the motive for the attacks against you,” Linus said, “but I don’t think we’re going to stop them until we figure it out.”
“So, now what? Should we drive to Scott’s house and see if he’s home?”
“That almost sounds like a decent plan, but I don’t think it would prove anything either way. He’s had plenty of time to get home by now, and even if he’s not home, that doesn’t tell us anything.” He wasn’t sure exactly what they would do other than get a look at the man. If Scott had been one of Julia’s attackers, there was only the slightest possibility he would recognize him or recognize the bruises he’d given him. More than likely they’d just be walking into trouble. His goal was to keep Julia safe, not to endanger her further.
He struggled to find an answer. “Do you think we should call the police?”
“And tell them what? One of my associates drives a blue Toyota, so we think he might have killed Fletcher? Do you know how many blue Toyotas there are in Seattle?”
“Almost as many as there are men who wear size twelve shoes,” Linus said with a sigh. The duchess was right. There wasn’t any point calling the police. They didn’t really have anything to tell them.
Julia returned her attention to her phone. “There’s a connecting flight to Lydia leaving in a little over two hours with two remaining seats available.”
“Book it.” Linus realized he sounded as though he was giving the duchess an order, so he softened his tone and explained, “I don’t want anyone reserving those seats while we think about it. I need to get you out of town. This whole mess is spiraling out of control.” He clamped his mouth shut before he could say anything more that might frighten Julia. Whatever they were up against, their opponent wasn’t above killing.
“Turn down this street until the next intersection.” Julia pointed as she finished booking the flight over the phone. “Then follow the signs to the airport.”
He turned the car toward the airport. “I think you should urge your parents to take the next flight to Lydia.”
“I agree.” Julia sounded almost relieved that he’d suggested it. “Monica would insist on it if she knew what was going on.”
“How much do you want to tell her?”
“As little as possible, for now. There’s nothing she can do about it. She’d only worry.” Julia’s voice cracked.
Linus wasn’t sure what he should do or say. His instinct was to pull her into his arms and comfort her, but fortunately he was driving, so that wasn’t an option. Besides, now that she knew about his past, she probably wouldn’t want him touching her. She hadn’t brought up his revelation, but he didn’t have to ask. He could imagine how much a lawyer would look down on a criminal. He should be glad she still let him guard her.
Her next words surprised him. “Can you recite that Psalm?”
“Psalm twenty-five?”
“You said you had it memorized.”
“That’s right.” Linus kicked himself for admitting as much, especially when he wasn’t entirely certain he really did know all the words by heart. But he couldn’t refuse Julia’s request, especially if God’s Word might bring her some comfort. So he began slowly, and couldn’t help praying the ancient words in his heart as he spoke them aloud.
“I offer my prayer to You, O Lord. My God, I trust in You. Save me from my enemies. Those who trust in You are not defeated, but those who rebel against You are defeated.”
Linus glanced at Julia just briefly before returning his attention to the road. She had her eyes pinched shut, and her face lifted up, lit by the glow of the streetlights they passed. Though he’d feared he might not remember them all, the words poured from his soul as though he’d always known them.
“I lift my eyes to the Lord, who sets me free from the traps laid for me.” When he glanced at Julia again, he saw she had a tear tracing a wet line down her cheek. He faltered. Should he brush the tear away, or just ignore it?
Before he could decide, he reached the end of the Psalm. The airport lay ahead. Linus let out a long sigh. He’d been drained by all that had happened that day and the emotions the scripture had stirred up inside him.
“That is so beautiful. Thank you.” Julia sniffled and pulled a tissue from her purse, swiping at the tears and clearing her throat. “Thank God you’re here with me.” She moved her hand, brushing the tops of his fingers where he held the steering wheel.
Though her touch was fleeting, its effects lingered, burning through him along with her words. He knew the events of the day had been particularly trying. She had to be at the end of her emotional reserves. That explained why she expressed such gratitude to have him near.
Certainly it wasn’t anything more personal than that.
Was it?
EIGHT
Julia sagged into a seat to wait for their flight to be called. They’d made it through security. She’d called her parents and explained why she wouldn’t be staying at their house that night, as well as urging them to head to Lydia soon.
They’d been concerned. They’d also agreed with Julia that they didn’t want to share anything more with Monica than they had, too. No sense making the new queen worry more.
Julia plunked her carry-on into the empty seat beside her and stared at it thoughtfully, wondering if the file inside held any answers.
“Are you going to be okay if I step away for a moment?” Linus asked, looking around as if the couple with the whiny toddler or the nun in the next row of seats might pos
e some hidden threat.
Julia glanced around the terminal at their fellow travelers. “I should be fine,” she assured him.
But as he walked away, she felt the tiniest bit depleted by his absence. She’d grown so used to his protective presence. What would she do if he was removed from the guard because of some long-ago criminal record? She’d been so caught off guard by his confession, and silenced by his obvious embarrassment, that she hadn’t probed any deeper into the nature of his convictions.
What had he done that was so bad he could be fired because of it?
Should she be afraid of him? Maybe she ought to feel apprehensive around him, but Linus had such a gentle spirit in spite of his imposing stature. He was a Christian man of integrity and conviction—she knew that as much from his actions as she did from the way he’d recited the Psalm. He was a great guard. It wouldn’t be fair for him to lose his position on the basis of something he’d done so long ago.
Julia felt something wet on her cheek and realized a tear had leaked from her eye. Brushing it away, she chided herself. How foolish! Even if she was exhausted and under a great deal of stress, what with having been attacked and a murderer probably after her—that still wasn’t any reason to get weepy at the thought of Linus leaving her side.
She’d nearly schooled herself into emotional ambivalence by the time Linus returned.
He held out a bottle toward her.
She blinked at the label before recognizing her favorite flavored water.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t have to fight anyone for it this time.” He grinned at her.
“Thank you.” Julia heard the emotional hitch in those two words and clamped her mouth shut as she took the beverage he’d brought for her. She downed half the bottle before she felt steady enough to speak again. “That was very thoughtful of you. I was getting thirsty.”
“You have to keep your strength up. We should both try to rest on this flight.”
Julia nodded, but her throat had swelled up again. Linus was so thoughtful, so caring...so perfect. She stared at the bottle in her hands, further evidence that Linus was a nice guy, whatever the record from his past might say.
Linus took the seat next to hers. She wanted to reach for him, or even meet his eyes and feel the connection of their shared burden, but he wouldn’t look her way. Instead, he scanned the terminal, alert for possible danger.
It was his job. She knew that. But at the same time, it felt like he was purposely putting up a wall. What was he thinking? What did he feel? He’d brought her a drink. It was kind, thoughtful. But then, from what she knew of the man, he was kind and thoughtful to everyone. It wasn’t as though he felt anything special for her.
How would he react if he knew about her growing feelings for him? He’d probably be horribly embarrassed, but ever the gentleman, he’d find a way to let her down gently.
She wasn’t about to put him in that spot. Her life was already in upheaval. She didn’t need to add to that. They’d be in Lydia soon enough, and then she’d be back in a regular rotation of guards. She wouldn’t even be around him very often. Until then, she’d just have to keep her feelings under wraps.
* * *
Linus lifted Julia’s carry-on bag toward the overhead compartments.
“Wait.” Julia touched his shoulder. “Do you think we—” She paused, shuffled to the side as another passenger squeezed past and then met his eyes with that expression he’d seen before—the one that seemed to apologize for feeling slightly foolish.
But she only wore that expression when she was following her instincts, and he trusted whatever impulse might have prompted her to ask him to pause.
He eyed the compartment opening. Like everything else in the economy class section, it was no bigger than it absolutely needed to be. And the fat Seattle Electronics vs. Pendleton file made Julia’s carry-on bag bulge to the side.
“Why don’t we pull out the file?” Linus rested the bag on the arm of his seat. “That way we can review it during the flight.”
“Good idea.” Relief and appreciation filled her face, along with something he was hesitant to name.
If he’d been a casual observer watching the duchess interact with any other man, he’d have said that look was one of admiration—more than that, of attraction. But he wasn’t any other man. He was her bodyguard, and Julia had no cause to look at him like that. He was only doing his job.
Julia took the file from him and squeezed into her seat while he zipped her bag shut again and safely stowed it above. She balanced the file on her knees, watching it apprehensively as though it might hurt her.
Though Linus couldn’t be sure, he suspected the contents already had hurt her. They may have even gotten Fletcher Pendleton killed.
He wanted to know why. “What do you think?” he asked with a nod to the file, the printed Seattle Electronics vs. Pendleton label looking as innocent as any other, except that it bore the name of a man who’d been murdered.
Julia bunched her face up as though she was trying not to cry. “I don’t know. I don’t even know for sure that the man on the beach really said file. I don’t know if this is what they’re after. I’ve already looked through it and didn’t find anything. What am I looking for?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a fresh set of eyes would help. Mind if I take a look?”
“Please.” Julia sounded relieved to be rid of the burden.
Linus leaned back in his seat and opened up the file. A color pamphlet about Motormech caught his eye, and he opened it to read about the company’s environmentally friendly innovations.
“You ever meet this guy?” Linus showed a picture to Julia. “Todd Martin, the Motormech CEO?”
Julia glanced at the picture of the robust, blue-eyed businessman, and shook her head. “Never met him, but he sounds like a great guy, always involved in philanthropic pursuits.”
“He seems young for a CEO.”
“He built the company by merging smaller failing companies. Saved lots of people’s jobs and all that. Whatever mess this is with Seattle Electronics, I hope it doesn’t end up reflecting poorly on Todd Martin. From what I understand, his innovations have moved the entire automotive industry toward greater efficiency.” She pointed to the thick pages of the brochure. “It’s got his story somewhere in there.”
Linus found the narrative and tried to absorb the names of the various companies Todd Martin had saved over his tenure at Motormech, but the list was long and he didn’t recognize any of the names. He tucked the brochure back into the file.
Reluctant to pull out too many papers when the plane would be taking off before long, Linus peered inside the file, flipping through random pages, hoping something might jump out at him.
Julia looked over his arm at the papers, and her voice held a note of sadness when she spoke. “Doesn’t look like anything worth killing over, does it?”
“Not to me. But the man whose name is on the case is now dead, and this is your only link to him, so there’s got to be a clue here somewhere.”
Julia raised a doubting eyebrow. “I read through this file the first time the file cabinet was broken into. I couldn’t find a motive then, and I still can’t see one now.”
Linus flipped through the pages. “All I see are white pages, black letters...and faded grayish streaks.”
“Those are from the drum on my printer. One of these days I’m planning to look up how to clean that off and get rid of them, but I haven’t had time.”
“You’ve been busy,” Linus noted, flipping back to get a closer look at some of the pages he’d flipped past. “You must have fixed it at some point. These papers don’t have the gray streak.”
Julia peered over his arm to where he pointed. “They should. Those are the design specs for the engine. Pendleton emailed me his entire file, and I printed it all o
ff together. See? Only these few pages here don’t have the streaks. The rest of them do.”
Linus felt his heart rate kick up a notch. “Why these few? Do you think it was a fluke?” He pulled out the papers and spread them across their laps, half expecting the gray streaks to appear if he held them at the right angle.
“No.” Julia covered her mouth with one fist as her words descended in a horrified spiral toward despair. “Oh, no, no, no, no, no.”
“What?” Linus saw the misery in her eyes and scooped the pages back together. “What is it?”
It took her a second to speak. Then she pointed at the top page with a trembling hand. “See that little smudge in the margin?”
Linus inspected the blotch, which was less than a millimeter in diameter, and not very dark. “What is it?”
“It’s an imperfection on the glass of the main copier in Joan’s office. I’ve seen it a thousand times.”
“So, these pages were copied on the secretary’s copy machine?” He wasn’t entirely certain why that thought had Julia so distressed, but it sent a cold inkling racing along his skin.
“Yes. What time is it?”
“A little after ten.”
“Good. There’s still time. Have they told us to turn off electronic devices?” Julia pulled out her phone and punched a button. “Joan’s a night owl.”
“What are you doing?” Linus placed one hand over Julia’s fingers to stop her from sending the call.
Julia froze. “I’m calling Joan. She can give us the entire copy-code history. She can tell us who used the office copier the weekend of the break-in.”
“But, what if she did it?”
Julia lowered her phone and met his eyes. “Joan?”
“Yes. Isn’t she the main person who uses the copier?”
“Of course she is. That’s why she can find the codes to tell us who else used it.” Julia sounded impatient.
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