Tess watched him, wondering if he was memorizing things before he’d have to leave for good. “All of it?”
“Most. And Mom’s, too. I think Dad had some pieces at the art gallery, but they all got sold right after.”
“Probably for a lot more money.”
He looked across the room at her, his face set in thought. “Yeah. I overheard him say something like that to Mom. He sounded almost bitter about it.”
“So then he eventually got back to work. I saw at least six paintings at the gallery when I visited there last week. And then there were the unframed ones here.”
“Oh, yeah?” Nick resumed his wandering. He picked up a small clay pot and held it aloft. “See this? I made this when I was about Molly’s age. Mom helped me, of course. But, like, I did most of the work.” He let out a loud sigh. “It was fun.”
“You miss them,” Tess said softly.
“Yeah, well…that’s life.” He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, but kept on the move.
“Tell me about the day they died,” she said, on impulse. “No one’s really told me about it. How it happened and everything.”
She saw him frown, as if he didn’t like where she was leading him. His face was flushed and she thought he might cry. “Look, never mind. I shouldn’t have asked,” she quickly said.
“No, no. It’s okay. Alec said I should talk about it whenever it felt okay.” He scanned the inside of the studio, then looked at Tess. “This feels okay, though. Know what I mean?”
She nodded, afraid to speak.
“It was a Friday. March 28. I was spending the weekend at a friend’s place and Molly had a sleepover that night with some friend in her class. That morning, before I headed for the bus, Dad got a phone call. He took it in the kitchen at first, but then he told Mom he’d get the extension in their room. When he was telling her that, I remember thinking he had this strange expression on his face. Like someone had died or something.” Nick paused, his memory taking him back to that day. “Anyway, I went out to the bus. Molly was running ahead of me and then I remembered I’d forgotten my lunch. I went back inside and Mom and Dad were both in the kitchen again. They were talking in these real low voices. Almost hushed, kinda. Know what I mean?”
Tess gave a vague nod, picturing the scene.
“I asked them what was wrong and Mom said nothing, go to school. But Dad mumbled something about being stabbed in the back and I said, like, what? Then Mom said to never mind, everything would work out and to have a good weekend. See, I was going to my friend’s right after school so I wouldn’t see them till I came home on Sunday.”
He stopped then and coughed. His voice grew hoarse as he went on. “All these last few weeks, I’ve been wishing so much that I’d said something nice to them before I left. Like, I didn’t even wish them a good weekend or anything. I just grabbed my lunch, waved and walked out the door.” He sniffled, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. “That was the last time I ever saw them.”
Tess moved swiftly across the room, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She rocked him gently back and forth until his trembling ceased. Then she kissed him lightly on the forehead and whispered, “Let’s go back to the house.”
She lay awake most of the night, thinking about all of them. Molly, with her tiny pixie face and toothless grin. Nick, who could almost be a poster boy for the troubled teen, but who doted on his little sister and had found the resourcefulness and courage to set out on a journey to find Tess. Then there was Alec. Tess shied away from his image, knowing she could spend an entire sleepless night on Alec Malone himself. Finally, she played over and over again one of Nick’s comments—the one about Richard being stabbed in the back.
It wasn’t a casual expression, she thought, but one a person used on learning about a betrayal. So who, she wondered, had betrayed Richard Wheaton? The first name that came to mind was Tomas Kozinski.
AFTER LUNCH the next day, Tess decided not to wait any longer. Molly had been invited to a friend’s for dinner after school and had preferred to go there, rather than see the game. So Tess didn’t have to worry about being home at a certain time and could go right to Nick’s game after her errand in Boulder.
When she got into the Volvo, she gave herself a quick once-over in the rearview mirror. She had taken extra effort to look as good as possible. Not simply for any friends of Nick’s who might have seen her at school yesterday, but mainly for Alec. She had decided in the night that if she was only going to be able to see Alec Malone for the next week or so—before their move to Chicago—then she’d better make the most of her time.
It took her a while to find the registry office in downtown Boulder. After a couple of false leads, she eventually located it and was dismayed to find a lineup of more than a dozen people ahead of her. She took a number and sat down, wishing she’d brought a paperback novel with her. Almost an hour after her arrival, her number was called.
She had obtained the information about the campsite location that morning from Ken. He’d sounded surprised on the telephone, not just to hear her voice but at her request. He’d also asked her to copy down the ordinates and lot numbers for the other property between the Malone ranch and the campsite.
“I’m curious to find out who owns that piece, too,” he’d said.
She’d jotted those numbers down as well but by the time her turn came, she realized that she might incite a minor riot if she took up more of the clerk’s time than was justified. There were at least another fifteen people behind her and closing hour loomed. So she decided to have the clerk obtain the documents only for what she suspected was the land owned by her father.
The frazzled clerk returned some ten minutes later with a thick file folder. “Property in question,” he mumbled, “is owned by one Jed Walker.”
Tess stared openmouthed long enough for the clerk to think she had a hearing problem. He repeated the name.
“Is there a bill of sale or something?” Tess asked. “I thought my father owned that property.”
The man shuffled through some papers, pulling out a thin document. “Here it is, if you want to have a look.” He shoved the paper across the counter toward Tess.
Aware of fidgeting behind her, Tess skimmed the document and all of its mind-numbing legalese. Somewhere toward the end of it, she saw two signatures. One belonged to Jed Walker, as buyer. The other, was Richard Wheaton’s. The vendor. The last thing she noticed—and this she had to read twice—was the date. March 28. The day of the accident.
The low rumble of voices behind her brought Tess back to present time. “Can I get a photocopy of this?” she asked the man.
“Yes, but I have to fill out a requisition for you, then you take it downstairs to the main desk and wait. When the file gets down there, someone will copy the document for you. There’s a fee,” he added, as if that might deter her.
“Please fill out the requisition then,” she asked, ignoring the complaining behind. When he finished, she grabbed it and rushed out the door.
The whole process took a lot longer than Tess had anticipated. Half an hour into her pacing around yet another small waiting area clustered by yet another group of restless customers, she realized how the wheels of government worked in that particular office. Rather than send down her file right away, the clerk likely had placed it in a growing pile of files which would eventually work their way downstairs to the photocopy and main reception area.
Just when she thought she might chew the end of her fingers off midknuckle, Tess’s number was called. As she approached the counter, she saw that her fears had proven true. Bundles of files sat like dominoes along the counter behind the clerks. She tried not to hum and haw while her paper was being copied and luckily had the correct amount of money so she wouldn’t have to wait for the payment person to make change. Finally, she plucked the photocopy from the clerk and wove her way through the lineup out onto the sidewalk. She peered at her watch. It was almost four-thirty but not quite closing time, s
he guessed, for lawyers.
She had to circle the block twice before finding a good place. Not that she couldn’t have walked, but she thought if she was pushed to punching Jed Walker in the nose—for example—she’d be able to make a hasty escape.
It just might come to that, she told herself on the drive over. Because he had lied to her, pretending to know nothing about the land at all. Because obviously he, too, was pulling some kind of scam, otherwise why wouldn’t he simply have fessed up? Said, Yeah, you know that sounds vaguely like a bit of land I bought from your father on the day he died.
Not bloody likely, she thought, hastily backing the Volvo into a parking space right in front of Walker’s building. It lurched to a halt and she turned off the engine. She reached for her purse and the brown envelope containing the photocopy when the SUV directly in front of her caught her eye. Not the vehicle, so much as its license plate. The number swam in a blur until her mind swiftly came up with the answer. The license number from the sketch. The one belonging to some Mark Kaiser from Denver.
Tess opened her door and stuck one foot onto the road. The other was about to follow when the owner of the SUV made an abrupt appearance at its hood. He hit a remote door opener and walked purposefully to the driver side.
Mark Kaiser? If so, then Tess had seen him before. Only days ago, in Jed Walker’s office. The executive type who’d shaken hands with Walker on his way out the door.
Tess withdrew her foot, closed her door and turned over her engine just as the SUV in front of her fired up. She changed her mind. She’d visit Jed Walker later. Maybe even tomorrow. Right now, she wanted to find out who Mark Kaiser was, where he was going and why he was in Boulder. The dashboard clock registered four-forty-five. She figured she had plenty of time.
He wasn’t in a hurry, which was a good thing because even downtown Boulder had its own miniequivalent to a big city rush hour. The other good thing was that he was driving a shiny all-white SUV, which made following him a bit easier. Tess didn’t have the faintest idea what she would do or say to him when he reached his destination. She hoped she would have time to come up with a plausible explanation. At least, one that would keep him from immediately calling the police on his cell phone.
When the SUV made a left turn onto Twenty-Eighth Street—otherwise known as Highway 36—a prickle of apprehension crept up Tess’s spine. But she stuck with him, all the way to the edge of Boulder where the street became the highway and there was no longer any doubt in her mind that both of them were heading out of town.
Her eyes flicked to the dashboard clock. Five. Well, maybe she’d follow him just to the point where she’d still be able to turn around and make the game. Even if Tess was a bit late, Alec would save her a seat. Decision time came less than twenty minutes later, as she and the SUV passed the Wheaton ranch. She looked at the clock, as if it might do a time reversal and make the decision for her. Continue on or return to Boulder?
She clenched her jaw and decided to give the SUV another ten minutes. Where the heck was he going, anyway? The Stones’ place had no vehicles parked outside. Perhaps Marci was still in Denver, or they were both out for dinner in Boulder. When she saw the sign announcing the approach to Lyons, Tess knew she was definitely going to be late for the game.
How long did a baseball game take, she wondered? She’d never been to one in real life and television had corrupted all sense of time for the game with its incessant commercials and info breaks. If she made it before the end, that was the most important thing. Wasn’t it?
Tess shook her head, as if freeing it from the crazy thoughts bombarding her concentration. Lyons came and went. So did the turnoff to the Malone ranch. She glanced longingly at it, wishing she were dropping by on an impromptu visit instead of following some stranger into the middle of nowhere. When the SUV slowed down just before the cutoff to the campsite—the Wheaton campsite— Tess took her foot off the accelerator. She pumped the brake, knowing she’d have to give the SUV enough space so Mark Kaiser—whoever he was—wouldn’t freak out about her following him all the way from Boulder.
As she had dreaded, the SUV made the turn. She coasted by, driving onto the shoulder and braking the Volvo a few yards beyond. She stared at the clock, willing it not to change. But it did. Five-forty-five. Okay. She’d definitely be late. Nothing anyone would really make note of—except maybe for Alec, and he might be persuaded to focus on other things. Like her welcoming kiss.
Tess shifted the Volvo into reverse and slowly backed along the shoulder to the turn. Then she cranked the wheel and headed along the dirt trail. She thought about casually pulling in behind the SUV, because she knew it could only drive as far as the crest of the sandstone cliff overlooking the lake. But then she wondered what her first words could be. Hi, I’m Tess Wheaton. I noticed you were in the area and blah blah blah.
No. The fact that Mark Kaiser was coming out to see land owned by her father and fraudulently taken by Jed Walker had to be part of some business deal. The kind of business deal people wanted to keep secret. Otherwise, she’d know about it. Walker would have informed her. And where did Alec say Kaiser worked? Some kind of development company. Developing exactly what, she wondered?
She took her foot off the accelerator again and let the Volvo coast a bit farther before turning off the engine. She figured she was at least fifty yards from where they’d parked on the camping weekend. She hesitated a minute before getting out of the car, asking herself if she’d done the right thing. Too late now, she decided, and got out. The SUV was parked up ahead near the stand of fir trees. It was empty. It was also sitting next to another SUV. A dark maroon one that Tess didn’t recognize.
As Tess neared the crest, she could see two figures standing side by side down at the lake. One of them was pointing east while the other seemed to be consulting a map. She couldn’t identify either man and knew she had no choice but to get closer. She picked her way carefully down the rocky path, not wanting to alert them. Mainly because she hadn’t yet come up with a good excuse for her presence. When she was almost at the end of the path and on the valley floor, she stopped to ease the jitters that were making her legs feel like rubber.
One of the men had his back to her but the other was, as she’d expected, Mark Kaiser. He was looking through a pair of binoculars and saying something to the second man, who was jotting notes on a clipboard, the map now rolled up under one arm. Something in his stance made her pause. She squinted, wishing she had her own binoculars. Then the second man removed the baseball cap he was wearing and his light hair glinted in the remnants of the setting sun. He turned, his profile registering all too clearly with Tess.
Jed Walker. Of course. Why hadn’t she guessed? He was officially the landowner and this Kaiser—a possible buyer? She watched them for a few more seconds before deciding that now she wouldn’t bother confronting Kaiser. Now she would return to the car, arrive late at Nick’s game and then discuss everything she had learned that day with the one adult in Boulder she knew for sure she could trust. Alec Malone.
Tess dug her heel into the sand to turn herself around, but met with some resistance. The human kind.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
FIVE MINUTES before the game was due to start, Alec resigned himself to the fact that Tess was going to be late. He corrected himself. Was already late. He hoped she’d make it before the end of the first inning and that Nick wouldn’t notice. His windbreaker was balled up beside him on the bleacher, reserving a place for her. A place that was shrinking rapidly as more and more latecomers arrived. He’d had to use those damning words, “It’s saved” more times than he could count and every time he received a glare or a grumble.
Frankly, he hadn’t expected the outdoor stadium to be so packed for a junior high game. But it was the final, the last game of the season and an unusually balmy evening for mid-May. Alec craned his neck to look for Nick, whose team dugout was right beneath him. There. He spotted the top of his head at the end of the bench. Looked like Nick m
ight not get to play in the first inning anyway.
The game started and Alec tried his best to concentrate on it, but found himself constantly checking his watch and then staring down at the empty place beside him. If thoughts counted, she’d be there in a flash. He’d be squeezed against her warm body and gazing like some lovesick dope into eyes that sparkled in a mix of greens and blues. She’d probably keep those eyes fixed on the game below and run the tip of her tongue along her lower lip before tucking the edge of the lip under her teeth. He’d watched her do that a lot during the past two weeks, whenever she was thinking serious things.
A cheer from the crowd forced his mind down to the field. The first inning was wrapping up and she still hadn’t arrived. Alec stood up to scan the bleachers below and the knots of people filing out to get snacks or talk to friends. It was so noisy he’d never be able to get her attention by shouting. He waited until the crowd began heading back up into the bleachers. Then he began to consider the ugly thought that, if Tess wasn’t coming, something must have happened. Either to her or to Molly. He knew she wouldn’t miss the game.
He vacillated a few minutes longer, then grabbed his windbreaker and trotted down the steps. Maybe Nick knew something. He had to stoop when he reached the back of the dugout and scrambled along the mesh fencing separating the team from the spectators. He quickly located Nick in the middle of the bench.
“Nick!” he called and stuck his fingers through the wire mesh to rub the back of the boy’s head.
Nick jumped, turning around at the same time. His startled face relaxed when he saw Alec. “Hey! You scared me!”
Alec didn’t want to alarm the kid so he managed a weak smile. “Look, did Tess say if she had anything planned this afternoon?”
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