On His Watch (Vengeance Is Mine Book 1)

by Susanne Matthews

  “Not anything important, just a doll that used to be mine as a child. It seems an odd thing to remember when there are so many more important things I need to know.”

  The line was silent for some time, and Nikki wondered if the connection had been severed.

  “A doll, you say? Any particular kind?”

  “A baby boy doll named Benji—I even remembered the name. He smells like baby powder. He looked familiar when I saw him in the picture yesterday, and when Mandy had him in her arms today, I knew exactly who he was. Dr. James did say my memories could come back that way, triggered by words or objects. At least I know I can remember, but it’ll be a slow process.”

  “I think I know who gave you the doll.” Ivan’s voice was hesitant. “But I’m not sure the knowledge will trigger any other memories for you.”

  Nikki angled her head quizzically. “Didn’t it come from my parents?”

  “Yes and no. While I was in the San Francisco office, Jason mentioned you had a trust fund your father controlled even after your marriage. I was curious and looked it up. The name surprised me—the trust fund was set up in France. I managed to get hold of some of my contacts there, and after quite a bit of digging by colleagues and contacting family friends, I was able to discover the truth about your father. Nikki, Thomas Lincoln is not your biological father.”

  Nikki swallowed, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. “If he’s not my father, who is?”

  * * *

  Jason stared at Nikki, watching for signs of stress as he’d promised Nathan he’d do. The minute she looked like she was in trouble, he’d end the call. So far her breathing was even, but her pallor spoke of her surprise.

  “You were born in France and lived there until you were almost four. That’s probably why you can speak French. Your biological father was Luc Longtain, a wealthy French mountaineer who was killed trying to climb the Meitin Glacier near Valais, Switzerland. Three other men died in the accident.”

  “What happened?”

  “No one knows for sure. The only information on the incident they have is what the survivor shared with them. There was an inquest scheduled and then, it was cancelled. I have someone digging deeper into that right now, but the Swiss like their secrets as we all know. From what my source was told, one man slipped and fell, dragging the others with him. The last man on the rope managed to cut himself loose. He escaped with a broken arm where the rope grabbed him.” Ivan paused, and Jason watched Nikki closely.

  “That man was Thomas Lincoln, an old school friend of your father’s. He and your mother were married within the year. He adopted you in France, and all the court documents were sealed. You moved back to San Francisco, and as far as everyone knew, he was your father. New documents were issued, and you became an American citizen. I believe Luc, your biological father, gave you the doll. It was a prototype for a toy that became hugely popular in the United States. The designer was your father’s best friend. If I’m right, the doll will be signed on its bottom.”

  Jason reached for the doll, pulled down its pants and showed her the doll’s bum. The signature was legible as was the numeral one beneath it. Tears pooled in her eyes.

  “That’s so sad. I wonder if I remembered him. If I were that young when he died, and they’d kept all this a deep, dark secret for some reason, I probably didn’t. Well, now that I know about him, I intend to find out everything I can.”

  The determination on her face fueled his desire to help her. He’d been focused on finding the killer, but if he could help her uncover the secrets of her past, it might be a way to atone for his failure to take that call seriously. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. “We can look him up on the computer this afternoon, if you like.”

  She smiled up at him, her eyes still wet with tears. He’d known she was pretty, but he hadn’t felt this attraction to her before now. Sure, he’d kissed her on the forehead a few days ago, but that had been an act of compassion. This was different. The sincerity radiating from her made her beautiful. Sam Hart or whoever he was must have been a complete idiot to mistreat this woman.

  “I’d like that,” she said.

  “That’s not all.” Ivan’s voice cut in on what had suddenly become an emotionally charged moment. “Your father was an only child, and when his father the count died, you were only seven. All of his vast wealth went into a trust fund in your birth name, a trust administered by Thomas Lincoln and his lawyer. I spoke to the man who oversees your vineyards, and you’ve been making a profit each year, but the balance in your trust fund has not increased. Either Mr. Lincoln’s money manager is very bad at his job or Thomas has been bleeding the trust for years to offset his own financial reverses.”

  “Son of a bitch. No wonder the bastard wanted me to die.”

  Jason started. When had she learned that little tidbit?

  “Did you say my grandfather was a count?”

  “Yes, and while you are technically a countess, the title is entailed which is why everything is still in trust. Aristocracy has its quirks. Only a son can inherit the lands and title. Your son, Danny, would have inherited everything, other than the portion allotted to you on his twenty-first birthday. Your trust owns and operates one of the largest wineries in Champagne. Chateau de la Lune is a well-known and highly esteemed brand. The trust is set up in such a way that Thomas Lincoln could never claim it as his own. If you die without heirs, the entire trust reverts to the winery itself to be paid out in dividends to those who work there. I had quite a bit of trouble discovering that clause, but I have an uncle who’s a friend of a friend.” He laughed. “Suffice it to say, your grandfather neither liked nor trusted Thomas Lincoln.”

  Nikki shook her head; she’d regained some of her color, and her right fist was clenched—clear signs she was struggling to control her temper.

  “I didn’t like him when I met him, and I’m actually relieved to know that I don’t carry any of his DNA. Why would he need my money? Dr. James said the Lincoln family was wealthy. And why on Earth would my mother have married him?”

  “The Lincolns are rich. Maybe she and the count argued and she was afraid. Women have married men to get away from bad situations before only to end up in worse ones.”

  Jason took up the story, “Like other well-to-do American families heavily invested in a falling market, Thomas has had cash flow problems. Your money comes from vineyards and commodities. We suspect he used your trust fund money for bridge financing.”

  “How much has he taken from me?”

  “We don’t know, yet, and remember, he may not have taken anything. This is all just speculation on our part, but Brad is working on a subpoena to look at the books now, and we’ll know more after the forensic accountants get in there.”

  “Since the trust fund originates in France,” Ivan added, “if he has stolen from you, it will have to be dealt with in the French courts. There’s an extradition treaty in place between our countries. For now, we’ve found a chink in his armor, and the FBI will keep searching for answers in the United States, while my people follow the trail in Europe. That’s all I have now, but I must return a call to a friend in Florence later today. He may have identified the ring. Au revoir, mes amis.”

  They said goodbye and Jason ended the call.

  “Can I get you anything before I leave? It’s stopped raining. I’ll get Cassie to dress Mandy and take her out for some fresh air. It’ll give you time to absorb all this.”

  “Thanks. I don’t need anything right now. I can see why you thought it best that I hear that myself. When Cassie let it drop that Thomas was ready to pull the plug on me I was really upset. I couldn’t figure out why, but now that I know this, it all makes sense in a warped sort of way. I suppose I should thank you for sticking up for me and keeping me among the living.”

  “Hey. Don’t sweat it. I would say I was just doing my job, but at that point, it was more than that. You didn’t have anyone on your side. I’ve always been a sucker for the underdog. It’s a
good thing I’m not much of a gambler. I lose more often than I win.”

  Except the night of the attack. He hadn’t even known he’d won the football bet until he’d opened the mail three weeks ago. The twenty sat on his dresser in the motel. He hoped the housekeeper would take it thinking it was a tip. He didn’t want it. He hadn’t watched an NFL game since.

  Nikki stared at the doll she still held, and the forlorn look on her face touched him deeply.

  “I suppose it must be really hard not knowing anything about yourself, and then finding out the things you do learn aren’t right either. I feel like I’ve let you down. I should have pushed harder to figure out this stuff myself, but this aspect of a case isn’t my strong point.”

  “What kind of work do you normally do?”

  “This actually—protection details, sitting on witnesses.” He indicated the house. “I’m a field agent. I’m based out of Langley, but I go where they send me. I spent time with the Behavioral Analysis Unit in the early days and most recently with counterterrorism. Brad and I worked together for five years in Chicago. She went undercover and infiltrated the mob. My job was to keep eyes on her and watch her back. She convinced one of the mob lieutenants to turn on his boss. Unfortunately, we didn’t realize the mob had a mole high inside Chicago PD. When we brought our guy in, our location was leaked. He was killed, and I took one in the shoulder from a sniper. If Brad hadn’t thrown herself in front of me, I’d probably have taken the second bullet in the head. She took one in the arm instead.”

  Another woman injured because of him. The list kept growing.

  “Other agents caught the sniper, but he was stabbed in a holding cell before anyone could question him. They plugged the leak—the guy committed suicide, so there was no help there.”

  “That’s awful. I suppose the case fell apart and the mobster got off scot-free.” He could hear the indignation in her tone.

  “He did, but he’s still on the radar. As a field agent, my job is to watch people, collect information, fill out forms, and sometimes play the hero, but I’m not the one who puts the puzzle pieces together. I’m not an analyst. Brad is. She can see things I can’t. She was on a case in Alaska when this all went down and has only been back a week. I did everything I could with the physical evidence I had, but even that wasn’t much since we’ve just made the connection between those recovered bodies in Auburn and your jewelry. We’ve had fences looking for everything, not just the rings. I’ve listened to your 9 1 1 call so many times, yet I didn’t pick up on a simple point like the ring.” He shook his head.

  “Brad can sift the evidence to find the salient points. She’ll look at muck underneath. The team will find the motive. We’re already ahead of where I was three days ago. You’re awake, and we know who our killer is. We just need to find out who hired him, who his target really was, and why he was after you. They’ll do what they’re good at, and I’ll keep you safe.”

  “And they think Thomas is responsible for this contract?”

  “Actually, they don’t. This is a freebie.” At her quizzical look, he chuckled. “A crime uncovered accidentally in the process of looking into another one. We’ve added it to the overall investigation, but your stepfather had nothing to do with the murders. Personally, I think he knows more than he’s saying, but I’ve got no proof.”

  “Oh! That reminds me. When I woke up, Mandy told me about the protectors here—that’s what she calls you. She said she had a protector at her Aunt Mitch’s because Grandpa said the people who’d killed Danny and her father might still be after her, and yet, Thomas violently denied any such possibility yesterday. I wonder what made him change his mind.”

  “Good question. I’m going to let Brad in on that. Time to spell Nathan. I’ll see you later.”

  * * *

  Jason Spark looked good walking away. She liked him—why did she have so much trouble believing he was on her side? Knowing he’d urged her to stay alive might be the reason his voice had surfaced in her nightmares. The image from the dream took on a whole different slant if you considered that. The small dark place might have been her on the edge of death, and he was trying to prevent her from slipping away. But then again, maybe those nightmares were just what Nathan said they were—drug-induced hallucinations that didn’t mean anything at all.

  She shifted in the chair, tired of being in the same position. The guilt she’d seen in Jason’s eyes yesterday had been inadvertently explained. He’d been digging into her family as suspects and was afraid she’d be upset. As well, this whole case was outside his comfort zone and she could certainly empathize with that. The case had more twists and turns than a maze. Quick images of the maze in her dreams popped into her head, but before she could hold onto the idea, it was gone. Her husband wasn’t who he claimed to be. Her father was who he claimed to be, but he wasn’t her father. It was mindboggling.

  Sir Walter Scott’s words came to mind, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” She sighed. There was more than enough deception here to last a lifetime.

  She glanced outside. Mother Nature was mimicking the way she felt. Her memories were shrouded in the fog just as surely as the top half of the mountain was. If the fog lifted, everything would be clear again.

  She tried to picture Brad in her mind. The woman’s pleasant voice matched the rest of her. Nikki had admired her efficiency and the way she’d explained the reasoning behind the plan. Now that she knew the woman’s role, everything made sense. She and Jason were obviously very close. My God, the woman had saved his life. Of course they were close. A pang of envy stabbed her, and she forced it away. Why shouldn’t Jason and Brad be more than colleagues? He was an attractive man. He didn’t wear a wedding ring, so she assumed he was single. He was great with kids and dedicated to his job. Brad was a lucky woman.

  A sudden pounding on the window made her jump. Mandy stood on the deck next to Jason. Nikki waved and her daughter waved back. She turned and said something to Jason that made him laugh. Had Sam ever laughed with his daughter? Had her own father been a good dad? She’d like to think so. Nikki had barely been four, younger than Mandy, when he died. Holding the doll as she did comforted her.

  Mandy knocked on the glass and waved once more. Within minutes, Nikki heard her excited chatter coming from an area under the room she was in. Expecting Mandy to come barreling down the hall, she was surprised to see Nathan and Cassie pushing a walker.

  Nathan carried a large cardboard box containing the rubber bands and other torture devices the physiotherapist deemed necessary for her rehabilitation. Nathan anticipated removing the cast next week. She could hardly wait. The damn thing itched like crazy.

  The doctor stood back and smiled. “You look a little down. Rough morning?”

  “You could say that. What’s it like out there?”

  “Not too bad. Damp and a little cool, but once things dry up, maybe you can go out and sit on the deck. Before you can do that, you need to get stronger. Cassie has your new Cadillac, so you can move around a bit on your own, and I’ve got the best workout equipment on the planet right here.”

  Nikki glanced at the walker and stared at the box Nathan held. She gritted her teeth. “Let’s do it.”

  An hour later, exhausted from the effort required to pull elastic bands and lift small weights as well as push the walker to move a few feet across the room, Nikki graciously accepted Nathan’s help getting back into bed. Cassie put the pillows behind her to keep her sitting upright.

  “I know you’re beat, but you need to eat before you have a nap. I’ll go and get your lunch.”

  She left the room, and Nikki closed her eyes. The exercises had been torturous, but she’d completed each one successfully. Of course, she might end up with a bigger bicep on one side than the other since she’d exercised only one arm, but she would work had to even things out as soon as she could.

  The smell of something delicious had her sitting up wide awake.

  “Hi.�
� She turned on her side and smiled. “I thought you were on duty outside.”

  “Not any more. Cassie made a crockpot stew for lunch. Mandy ate with Angie and Troy while you were busy. Right now, she’s out with Angie collecting leaves and stuff to make a Halloween wreath or something that Cassie found online. Don’t worry. Angie won’t let anything happen to her.” Jason smiled reassuringly.

  She nodded.

  “Are you hungry? I brought my lunch, too. I thought we could eat together and maybe get to know one another.”

  “I’d like that. You know everything there is to know about me, and I know nothing about you and very little about me. I’m a blank slate. I can rewrite myself any way I want to.”

  “You know, a lot of people wish they had the chance to start over like that. We can have an hour to talk about whatever you like, but Cassie says you need to rest afterward, and I don’t want to get on her bad side.”

  This was the first time, Nikki realized, that she’d heard her own laughter. The thought was disconcerting.

  “While you’re resting, I’ll see what I can find on Luc Longtain, and we can talk about it later.”

  “That would be great. Maybe after Mandy is in bed tonight.”

  Jason set the food down on the table and pushed it over to her, securing the tray across her lap. He adjusted the pillows to help her sit up straighter. When he leaned over her like that, he reminded her of the dream when her angel had kissed her. She thought of the sketch she’d drawn. Now that she saw him as a friend and not a foe, he did have the same build as the angel, but there’s no way Jason would have kissed her. She was being ridiculous.

  He got a straight chair, brought it back to the bedside, flipped it around, and straddled it the way he had in her hospital room. He pulled his bowl of stew closer to himself and smiled.

  “This smells wonderful. I’ll gain weight if all of the meals here are as good as this one.”

  Nikki focused on the creases at the corner of his gray-blue eyes. He had beautiful eyes. They were friendly, reassuring, and if she caught a glimpse of guilt in them from now on, she knew its cause. She watched Jason open a napkin and hand it to her. His fingers brushed hers and a shiver of awareness ran through her.