Defender

by Diana Palmer

  “John Kennedy said that if a man was willing to trade his life for yours, he couldn’t be stopped,” she said for him.

  His eyebrows arched. “Reading my mind? Naughty, naughty, you might see some really bad things.”

  “Really?” She gave him a rakish grin.

  He chuckled. That sounded like the woman he remembered. He reached out and touched her flushed cheek gently, his eyes warm and quiet with regret and something more, something far deeper.

  “You’re old enough now to know that life isn’t what we have, it’s what we make do with.”

  “I have money, you don’t, so I guess we’ll just be good friends,” she translated.

  He drew his hand back with a sigh, shaking his head. “If you were me, you’d understand it better.”

  “If I were you, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” she pointed out.

  He just shrugged. “I’ll go detect. If you go lawyering, take help.”

  “I’d curtsy, but I misplaced my skirt,” she murmured.

  He chuckled as he walked out. He hesitated and looked back at the doorway. She was just sitting there, watching him leave, her heart in her eyes. He actually winced as he turned away.

  * * *

  Sari sipped coffee with Merrie and Mandy.

  “They’ll find out who did it. I’m sure of it,” Merrie assured her sister.

  “I know that. But this makes twice now I’ve been shot at,” Sari reminded her. She frowned. “He’s a really lousy shot, isn’t he?”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Mandy interjected.

  “Odd. Nobody knew he was here, and he had a clear target. But he missed. Twice.” She pursed her lips. “If somebody paid him to kill me, they’d be appalled at how bad he is at his job.”

  “Call Paul,” Merrie suggested.

  “What for?” Sari asked absently. “He doesn’t want me. I’m too rich for him.”

  “How do you know that?” Merrie asked, surprised.

  “He told me so.”

  “Idiot,” Mandy murmured.

  “This, from his greatest fan?” Sari asked. “I’m shocked!”

  “He’s crazy about you, and he’s letting money come between you.”

  “Morris helped him,” Sari said sourly. “He didn’t say it was Morris who was teasing him about having it made if he married me. But I know it was. Who else did he talk to? He didn’t even like most of the other security men Daddy had hired.”

  Merrie frowned. “Morris sure hasn’t been around much since Daddy died,” she commented.

  “He’s probably ashamed,” Mandy told them. “After all, he was Daddy’s pet. He always said he’d do anything for money. That’s why Mr. Darwin kept him around. Morris was useful.”

  “Not so useful anymore,” Merrie returned with cold eyes.

  “When the will is probated, he’s going to be looking for work,” Sari said firmly. “Along with most of Daddy’s other hired men. And anybody who was keeping an eye on us is going to join them.”

  “I feel the same way,” Merrie said. “I can hardly believe I’m able to make a decision on my own, talk to boys, go on a date if I like, go anywhere I want to go.”

  “Well, not just yet,” Sari advised. “Neither of us is safe without being guarded right now.”

  “Good point,” Merrie conceded. “But when this is all over,” she amended, “we’ll have actual lives, like other people!”

  “I won’t know how to handle it. We’ve lived in fear for so long,” Sari commented.

  “All of us,” Mandy agreed. “My poor brother.” She shook her head. “He never knew how close he came to federal prison just because I worked for Mr. Darwin.”

  “Paul said his whole family was involved in organized crime, except for him.” She didn’t add what Paul had told her about his wife and child. That was private information and she wasn’t sharing it.

  “He turned out well,” Merrie said. She grimaced. “It really wasn’t his fault, what Daddy did to us three years ago. It wasn’t right that we blamed him for it.”

  “He understood,” Sari said. She drew in a long breath. “I wish I was poor.”

  “We are what we are,” Mandy said. “And we have to accept people as they are. Mr. Paul will realize that one day.”

  “Think so?” Sari asked. “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

  “Where are our bodyguards?” Merrie asked suddenly, looking around.

  “Communing,” Mandy said with twinkling eyes.

  “Communing with whom?” Sari returned.

  “A large group of people in law enforcement. I have no idea what’s being said, but they seem to have found out something new to add to the confusion,” Mandy said.

  “Maybe they found the contract killer,” Sari said hopefully.

  “That could be a possibility,” Mandy replied. “I’ve hardly ever seen so many law enforcement people gathered in one place before in my life.”

  “I guess I’ll find out tomorrow when I go to work,” Sari said. “Weekends are nice, but they put me off my schedule.”

  “You can’t work 24/7,” Merrie said. “It will make you dull and spooky.”

  “Only to an artist,” Sari retorted, smiling. “Which brings to mind something else. You can go to college now, anywhere you want to go, when this is all over.”

  Merrie pushed back her long blond hair, and her pale blue eyes were thoughtful. “I don’t know. I really like the idea of painting and maybe working in a gallery.”

  “We have a local one,” Sari pointed out.

  “Yes, but the owner, Brand Taylor, is trying to retire,” Merrie said. “It will be sad, to have our only art supply store closed. Not to mention our own gallery.”

  Sari’s eyes widened. “Merrie, you could buy it!”

  “What?”

  “You could buy it! Once the will’s through probate and we get back at least some of Mama’s money, you could buy the art store!”

  Merrie looked as if she’d won the lottery. “You wouldn’t mind? If I spent the money, I mean? Businesses are iffy, and I don’t have any real business experience.”

  “I do. And we can find a good CPA to advise you. Well? What do you think?”

  Merrie brightened. “I’ll think about it.”

  “There,” Mandy said, smiling. “Something to look forward to. We all need that, you know, even if it’s only looking forward to a movie, or reading a new book. Goals keep us going through hard times.”

  “I think we’re due some good times,” Sari said.

  “That Leeds man,” Merrie mused, shaking her head. “I know he loved his mother. But hiring someone to kill two women who never did a thing to him? It doesn’t make sense!”

  “He thought it would hurt Daddy,” Sari replied. “Paul told me what he said. He thought Daddy treasured us, because he kept us so close to home and had bodyguards for us.”

  “And it was only because he wanted to marry us to rich men and make even more money,” Merrie said sadly. “Like being sold into servitude.”

  “At least I escaped the prince,” Sari said wistfully.

  “What would you have done?” Merrie wanted to know.

  “I’d have gone to Eb Scott and said, ‘Make me a mercenary!’” she replied, grinning.

  “I don’t think he takes women, Sari,” Merrie said.

  “Sure he does,” came a deep voice from the doorway. Eb Scott walked through it, along with his two men. He chuckled. “One of my best mercs is working for Wolf Patterson and his wife on their ranch. She’s the best merc I ever trained.”

  “Wow,” Sari said. She smiled. “But I think I’ll make a better prosecutor than I would a professional soldier. Just between the two of us.”

  “Any coffee going?” Eb ask
ed.

  “You bet!” Mandy got up and went to get it. “Black, right?”

  “How did you know that?” he called after her.

  “Never met a lawman or a merc or an outlaw who ever wanted it any other way,” she called back.

  Eb just laughed.

  “Have they found out anything?” Sari asked worriedly.

  “They’re running the tire-track pattern at the FBI office in Washington,” he said. “Same with the shell casings. It shouldn’t take too long.”

  Sari rubbed her arms. “It’s so strange,” she commented. “I mean, whoever shot at me did it twice and missed both times. I’ve never read about any contract killer who missed his target. Well, except the one who shot Sheriff Carson a couple of years ago, and that was only because the sheriff moved unexpectedly.”

  “Do you think they have a suspect?” Merrie asked.

  Eb smiled. “It’s too early for that. Evidence isn’t gathered in a day.”

  “I suppose so,” Merrie replied.

  The front door opened. There was some murmured conversation. Then Paul came in the door, looking out of sorts and coldly furious.

  He shook hands with Eb. “Thanks for coming over,” he told the older man. “We’re going to need more eyes and ears than we can afford.”

  “Glad to help,” Eb said. “What do you need?”

  “We’ve got a suspect, but he skipped town before we could make an arrest.”

  “You do? Who is it?” Sari asked breathlessly.

  “Somebody none of us would have guessed,” Paul said, sounding disgusted.

  “Oh, no. Morris!” Sari burst out. “It was Morris, wasn’t it?”

  FOURTEEN

  “It makes sense,” Merrie exclaimed. “Even if he would do anything for money, Morris has known us for years. He had to feel something for us.”

  “Enough to save my life. Twice, by missing the shots,” Sari commented. She looked up at Paul. “He ran?”

  He nodded. “But he won’t run far enough,” he added. “The fact that he even tried to take the shots, regardless of whether or not he missed on purpose, is enough to put him away for a long time.”

  “I won’t feel too sorry for him,” Sari said. She was sure that it was Morris who made Paul feel small, who played on his pride by mentioning how nice it would be for Paul to land a rich wife.

  “Neither will I,” Merrie said. “There was always something about him that I didn’t like. I couldn’t explain it. It was like that feeling you get when you walk into a house sometimes and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.”

  “There goes my sister, the paranormalist,” Sari teased affectionately.

  “I’m just sensitive. I’m an artist,” she reminded her sister. “We see everything!”

  Paul smiled at her. “That’s true.” He glanced at Eb. “You should see her paintings. She manages to capture the entire individual.”

  “You do portraits?” Eb asked.

  “I do,” she replied. “I’m not that good, though.”

  “Baloney,” Paul interrupted. “She did a portrait of my cousin Mikey from a few photos I had. She painted him on a black background with a knife lying on a desk beside him.”

  “Is that relevant?” Eb wanted to know.

  Paul chuckled. “Mikey is a minor local crime boss back home.”

  Eb pursed his lips and whistled, glancing at Merrie.

  “Nobody hum the Twilight Zone theme, please,” Merrie teased. She laughed. “I guess I am a little spooky.”

  Sari got up and hugged her. “You are not spooky. You have a gift for showing people the way they really are.”

  “A rare one,” Eb said kindly, and smiled. “And I don’t think you’re spooky.”

  “Thanks,” Merrie said.

  “How did they nail Morris so fast?” Sari asked.

  Paul looked sheepish. “I recognized the tire pattern,” he said. “I drove the damned car every day to take you girls to school. When I was out of town, Morris drove it. Mr. Grayling liked a certain brand of tires and he bought it for every vehicle on the place, even the trucks. I told the FBI crime lab, they checked it and we had a winner. If it was the limo from here, it had to be Morris.”

  “Nice detecting!” Sari enthused.

  “Yeah, thanks,” Paul replied. “And now all we have to do is catch him.” He shook his head. “Poor guy.”

  “Why do you say that?” Sari asked.

  His eyes were tender. “Honey,” he said gently, “you don’t take a contract and then fail to fulfill it. There are consequences.”

  “Usually fatal ones,” Eb agreed. “If Morris is smart, he’ll turn himself in. With any luck, the guy who floated the contract won’t have relatives inside prison who’ll have him for breakfast.” He hesitated. “But we have to remember, he’s still on the loose, and we can’t let our guard down.” He glanced at Sari and Merrie.

  “We’ve got better protection than Fort Knox,” Sari said, with a wry look at Eb. “Those guys you sent over are really something.”

  “They are,” Eb said. “The government keeps trying to lure them away from me, but considering all the budget cuts, I don’t expect to lose them anytime soon. I pay well, and there are some really good perks.”

  “Apparently I’m in the wrong business,” Paul joked.

  “Well, you won’t get rich in government service, but you have medical and dental and retirement,” Eb reminded him.

  Paul looked at Sari quietly. “Yeah. All the great perks.” He smiled wistfully and turned away. “I’m heading back to San Antonio. I have a report to write. Several reports, in fact. That’s in addition to the cases on my desk that I haven’t had time to look at.” He glanced at Sari and Merrie. “I’m glad you two are okay. Mandy, too.” He frowned. “Where is Mandy?” he asked suddenly.

  “In here, wearing my fingers to the bone, washing all the supper dishes by hand because the stupid dishwasher quit and I’ll never find a repairman at this hour of the night!” Mandy wailed, covered up in soapsuds from fingers to elbows.

  “I can fix a dishwasher.” Eb chuckled. “Lead me to it.”

  “Can I watch? In case I have to do it one day.” Merrie grinned.

  “Come along.”

  Merrie shot her sister a speaking conspiratorial glance as she followed the other two into the kitchen.

  Sari stared up at Paul with quiet misery. “I’m glad we know it was Morris. And I’m glad he missed.”

  “Leeds will pay for this, one way or another,” he said. “Meanwhile, you and Merrie are safe enough. Eb’s guys will take care of you.”

  She searched his eyes. “I’m so sorry about your family.”

  “I was eaten up with guilt, for years afterward,” he confessed. “But when I got back into the Bureau, they set me up with this psychologist.” He made a face. “Spiky hair, black lipstick, keeps snakes. I thought they were nuts. But she sure knows her business. I learned that life happens. That we can’t control every minute of it. Sometimes we have to be leaves on the river.”

  She nodded, understanding exactly what he was saying.

  He drew her to him. “You aren’t going to be rich anymore, right? I mean, not two hundred million dollars rich, right?”

  “Right,” she whispered, breathless at the contact with his tall, fit body.

  “So since you’re poor, like me, it’s okay if I do this…”

  He bent his head and nibbled softly at her mouth until he coaxed it to open. One hand came up behind her head to force her lips hard against his. In seconds, the contact went from teasing to passionate. He held her against him and wrapped her up tight, putting three years of loneliness into one long, deep, hard, anguished kiss.

  She was floating. Drifting. Flying. She held on for dear li
fe while her heart tried to escape from her chest. It was the closest to heaven she’d come since he walked out of her life. She moaned helplessly.

  “Bad idea,” he whispered unsteadily, his lips still touching hers.

  “What is?”

  “You. Moaning. They’ll think you’ve been hurt.”

  “They will?”

  “Probably.”

  She lifted closer to him. “Let’s just say I’m drowning and you’re giving me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation,” she moaned against his mouth, coaxing it back to hers.

  They were totally lost in each other when someone coughed. Loudly. Since they hadn’t heard the first two coughs.

  They burst apart. Eb and Merrie and Mandy were trying hard not to look amused.

  “Okay, it’s like this. She was drowning and I was giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation,” Paul said. They all started laughing. “Everybody’s a critic!” he muttered.

  “I’d give you ten out of ten, myself,” Eb teased.

  “So would we,” Mandy laughed. Merrie nodded.

  “I’m going home,” Paul said. He glanced at Sari with soft eyes. “Keep the doors locked. Scream if anybody tries to come in. And don’t take candy from strangers,” he added on the way out.

  “What if it’s peppermint?” Sari asked. “I love peppermint.”

  “Ignore her, she’s daffy,” Merrie said gleefully.

  “Her feet aren’t that big,” Paul chided.

  “Daffy. The adjective, not the duck!” she returned.

  He grinned at them and left them standing there.

  * * *

  Sari, predictably, didn’t sleep all night. The way Paul had kissed her was like a promise. She knew that he’d been intimidated by her wealth, but after the will went through probate there wouldn’t be any money left. Well, the house and its contents, but that wouldn’t amount to much. And the government was certain to confiscate what her father had earned illegally. If she and Merrie were left with just the house and furniture, she had greater hope for the future than ever before. It was like a new beginning.

  She went to work the next day floating on air, her mind barely on her caseload and the pressure of learning to participate at trial. The next session of superior court was a month away, so she and the other ADAs would be hard-pressed to get all the cases ready for Kemp and Glory to argue, even with help from Tera researching decisions that might mean a win in the harder ones.