She bit her lip. “I regretted sending that postcard the minute I slipped it in the letter drop. To be truthful, I’ve been terrified of him suddenly appearing on my doorstep, or worse, watching me without my knowledge.”
“Unless I miss my guess, he’ll come. If he’s angry enough over your lie, he’ll arrive here soon.”
She buried her face in her hands. “I think he will, too.”
Brit had been going over this in her mind until she couldn’t function anymore. That’s why she’d sought help. Roman Lufka was a professional. If he thought this was the best way to handle it, then she needed to place her faith and trust in him. But—
“Mr. Lufka?”
“Roman,” he came back swiftly. “The sooner you start thinking of me as a husband, the better.”
Adrenaline made her body surge.
“Roman—I don’t have the kind of money it would take for long-term protection.”
He frowned. “Let’s get something straight, Brit. That’s what I’ll be calling you from now on,” he added in an aside. “If my suspicions are right, he’ll make his move soon, so let’s not worry about the money angle right now.
“To those observing from the outside, ours will be the epitome of the loving marriage. On the inside, we’ll be friends, and one of the other P.I.s will always be assigned to guard you when I’m not there. We’ll share everything except the bedroom. That means cooking, cleaning. I plan to get my money’s worth, so let’s agree not to talk about it again.
“When this is all over and we’ve caught him, you can explain the truth to everyone, that you’re not married, and life will get back to normal.”
Another silence ensued before Brit ventured, “Have you ever gone undercover as a husband before?”
“No. But I’ve done just about everything else.”
“I—I’ve never been a wife.”
“The way you’re worrying, you sound like one already. I’m certain you’ll get the hang of it, given enough time.” The teasing mockery in his tone didn’t escape her, but then he grew sober.
“If Baird is on his way here right now, we don’t have a lot of time. Playing the part of your husband makes the most sense because it gives me the optimum ability to keep you safe until we find out exactly what he’s up to.
“If you don’t feel you can go along with my plan, you’re welcome to approach another P.I. I’ll be happy to refer you to several with outstanding credentials. The decision is yours. Remember that a P.I. operates according to the way he or she sees a case. I have to do it my way, or not at all.”
Though his conditions disturbed her in ways she was reluctant to identify out loud, Brit had to admit she looked upon Roman Lufka as a savior.
“I-if you can make the boogeyman go away forever,” she whispered, “I’m willing to commit to your plan, whatever it is.”
“Good. Now tell me about Glen Baird.”
She’d just made the monumental decision to pretend to a bogus marriage, yet he behaved no differently than before. For an undercover investigator, this was all part of a day’s work.
Brit wished she could view it the same way. After all, he wanted to protect her the best way he could. As her husband, he had the legitimate right to be with his wife day and night.
When she really thought about it, his plan was ideal. She’d be a fool to worry about anything else when she believed him to be a totally honorable man. After all, she’d come to him asking for his help, not the other way around.
“Glen Baird is the kind of man who says and does whatever he wants, whenever he feels like it,” she began. “On the trip he kept trying to sit by me, and he’d follow me everywhere. People on the tour instinctively started crowding around me so he couldn’t have access.
“But when we reached Paris, several of them left our tour. I know it was because of him.”
Now that she’d gotten started talking, she couldn’t seem to stop. “He was moody, and didn’t appear to like the tour. None of us could figure out why he’d come. He had a powerful set of binoculars. Sometimes they’d be trained on me from a distance. It was awful.”
“That’s another piece of information that wasn’t in Officer Green’s report. What else do you remember?”
“I’m not sure. Early on, Denise and I considered joining another tour, as well, but because of the wonderful Australian friends we’d made en route, we decided to ignore him as best we could and enjoy the trip anyway.
“That was the difficult part. The first time I saw him loitering in the lobby of our London hotel, he just stared at me out of blank eyes. With all that hair on his face, he scared me.”
Taking a shuddering breath she cried, “I wish to heaven Denise and I had obeyed our first instincts and left the tour.”
A murmur of compassion escaped his lips. “If your guide had had any idea of the terror you’re going through right now, I’m sure she’d regret having given everyone free access to the names and addresses of the people on your bus. But it’s done now, and chances are he would have found another way to get to you.
“Let’s thank providence you had the wisdom to obey your instincts this time and get help. If and when he comes to Salt Lake to look you up, he’ll meet with a surprise he wasn’t planning on.”
Brit shivered at the chilling sound of his voice.
After a brief pause he said, “If he follows the profile, and I happen to believe he does, he’s lost all concept of the guidelines normal people live by. According to his letters, he’s been to Salt Lake before. Sending you brochures of hotels near your condo, plus his old map of Salt Lake, circling the street where you live, was his way of telling you that he knows all about you, that you’re not going to escape him. He believes he’s invincible, and has only one thought—to make you suffer as he has perceived you’ve made him suffer.”
Her eyes played over his well-formed features, noting the lines of experience around his mouth. He sounded so sure. “You’re the one whose credentials are listed in the Yellow Pages. It’s your company, isn’t it?”
A flash of white teeth unexpectedly set her pulse tripping. “Guilty as charged. There are twelve of us.”
“Have you covered a lot of these kinds of cases?”
Oh, sweetheart. You don’t have a clue.
“Too many,” came the grudging admission. “But let’s not dwell on that. We have a wedding to plan. Guests to invite. One of the P.I.s will serve as the minister. We need to talk to your parents and explain the situation.”
At that pronouncement her head reared back, swishing her hair over her shoulders. He moved so fast she couldn’t keep up with him.
“My parents don’t know anything yet. I’ve been afraid to tell them for fear of upsetting them. Dad has heart trouble.”
“We’ll proceed carefully. When they learn the truth, they’ll probably be more amenable to my plan. In any event, your parents are going to have to know, because tonight you’ll be staying with me,” he said in an authoritative voice.
At her startled look he explained, “Before I rang your front doorbell tonight, I checked out your back door and windows. I could have gotten in any of them without your being aware of it. If I could do it, so could he.”
Brit had no idea Roman had been wandering around outside her condo.
“Some voyeur types like to enter their victim’s premises and look at their personal things, touch them, even steal some of them to make a shrine. Baird mentioned your shampoo because he likes the smell of your hair.” So do I. “He might want to take something like that as a remembrance.”
“That’s horrible!” The possibility that Glen Baird could creep into her home anytime he wanted almost paralyzed her with fear.
“Safety isn’t the only issue. If we’re going to make your impending marriage look real to everyone, except your family and Denise who will already know the truth, then it’s probable you’d be making preparations to set up residence with your future husband.
“Assuming your tormentor
is en route to Salt Lake, the fact that you’ve changed addresses will lend credence to your claim that you’re getting married. To make it stick, you’ll have to give your landlord notice. It’s possible Baird will case the complex first, even talk to people to learn your habits. I’ll have a mobile unit here on guard day and night, monitoring his activities on tape to give to the police.”
A shiver racked her body. “After what you’ve just told me, I’ll be glad to get out of here so Glen can’t find me, but I’ve signed a year’s lease. I was going to renew it in December.”
“If my hunch pays off, this man will make an appearance shortly. We’ll be ready for him and you’ll be able to resume your normal life without too much delay. In the meantime, my firm will take an option on your place so you can move back in after everything is over. At that point, we’ll explain things to your landlord so that you won’t lose any money.”
He thought of everything! “W-where do you live?”
“In Olympus Cove.”
One of her favorite neighborhoods situated at the base of the mountains.
“Don’t you have a family?”
“No. I’m on my own. Why don’t you call your friend, Denise? Since she was on the tour and Glen Baird mentioned her in the letter, she’s involved, too, and needs to know the truth. I’d like to talk to her tonight. She might be able to remember something important to the case.”
“She’s home tending her younger brother while her parents are away on a trip. What about him? I don’t want him frightened.”
“He won’t be. You can introduce me as your fiancé.”
“But he knows I don’t have a boyfriend.”
A mysterious gleam entered his eyes. “You do now. Tell him I’m the man who once stole your heart, then moved away. Now I’m back to reclaim you.”
This time she felt a quickening inside her, and had the strongest conviction that if he had been her old boyfriend, and had moved away, he might very well have gone off with her heart.
“See if it’s convenient for us to visit Denise before we drop by your folks. You can call them from her house and alert them that we’ll be over around nine tonight.”
Within five minutes they were on their way across town to Federal Heights where both the Martins and her parents lived. En route she was once again seized by the enormity of the decision she’d just made. Only fear could have caused her to enter into a bogus marriage with a stranger, never raising any major objections.
“You probably think I’m the world’s greatest coward,” she blurted in panic.
He sucked in his breath. “On the contrary, any woman who is working in a male-dominated profession like architecture couldn’t possibly be lacking in the courage department.”
Her gaze fastened on him. “You’re one of the few men I’ve ever met who had any understanding of what it’s been like for me.”
“Maybe that’s because in my profession, I have to be a student of human nature. To do my job right, it’s imperative I get close to my clients, whether male or female. So close, I can tell what they’re made of, what strengths and weaknesses form their character. That way I can do my best to protect them. Rest assured I respect your fear, Brit.
“You’re the one who was trapped with that man for five weeks, sensing he wasn’t normal. I’m convinced God has instilled different survival instincts in a woman. Fortunately those instincts drove you to seek help.”
After a thoughtful pause she said, “Then those same instincts are telling me you’re too good a private investigator to take on just any case. What do you know about this man you haven’t told me? Imagination has a lot to answer for as the saying goes.” She lowered her head. “I need to hear the whole truth.”
So help me, I need the answer to that question myself. “That’s the hard part, Brit. I’ve given you the facts. What I’m going on now is like flying blind with no radar.”
She sighed. “I know what you mean. When I’m trying to solve a problem of space and design, and I’ve exhausted every known possibility, sometimes I just have to start playing around, not knowing what I’ll find, but not satisfied until the answer is staring me in the face.”
His mouth quirked. “How well I know what you’re saying. You’ve put it better than I could have myself. The one thing we can agree on is that you could be in danger. We’ll take it from there.”
She nodded before telling him they needed to turn right on South Temple. He followed her directions until they passed Reservoir Park and entered the Federal Heights area where many of the ivy-covered mansions built by the mining magnates of old were elegantly preserved.
“Is Denise prepared to go along with our plan in order to spare her brother?”
“Yes. She said she’d follow our lead, then send Rod on an errand. That will give us enough time to talk in private.”
“Good.”
“Here’s her house.”
Roman pulled the car to a stop at the curb in front of a large, Italian renaissance-style home, then flashed her a probing glance. “From everything you’ve told me, Rod will be a difficult person to fool. Get ready to put on the greatest acting performance of your life. If we can convince him, then we’re home free where anyone else is concerned.”
She watched him reach in his trouser pocket and pull out a solitaire diamond ring. “I picked this up to make everything look real. Let’s hope it isn’t too big. Give me your left hand.”
Brit’s eyes grew huge as he slid the engagement ring onto her finger. To her surprise, it fit just fine. “Now we’re official, but you look as if you could use a little shock treatment to get things going.”
Before she realized it, he’d leaned across the seat and kissed her mouth. “That was for Rod’s sake, in case he’s watching.” He kissed her again, applying more pressure. “You taste of strawberries.”
She drew away, hot-faced. A large blue-white stone sparkled up at her.
“Have you ever been in love, Brit?”
“There was one boy in high school, but like most first love relationships, it couldn’t flourish because we were too young. I met another man in college. I liked him a lot, but not enough to marry. When I realized how serious he was getting, I broke it off.”
“Did you live together?”
“No.” After a tension-filled silence she said, “I don’t intend to sleep with any man until I’m married first.”
“You’re a wise woman,” came the deep-sounding rejoinder.
He slid his arm around her shoulders and they walked to the front porch of the oak-shaded, two-story mansion together. His solid strength felt good to her.
“I’m afraid moving in with me will raise some eyebrows.”
A blush swept over her face. “Yes.”
“We’ll be ‘married’ in three days’ time, which should circumvent any gossip. To outsiders, our marriage will look real.”
He held on to her and rang the bell, his nearness playing havoc with her emotions. Suddenly the door opened.
“Brit!”
She smiled at Denise’s fourteen-year-old brother. “How are you doing, Rod? Can we come in?”
“Sure.”
They moved inside. Rod called to his sister that they had company.
“I’ll be right there,” came a shout from the rear of the house.
“Rod? This is Roman Lufka. Remember I told you that I had a really serious boyfriend in high school?”
“Yeah?” His interested gaze was fixed on Roman.
“Well, it was Roman.”
“That’s right,” Roman broke in, nestling her even closer to his body. “I had to move back east with my parents and then I went in the Marines. But I never forgot Brit, and decided to come back to Salt Lake to live. We’ve been talking since I returned. One thing led to another, and we’re going to get married right away.”
“That’s great. Where are you going to live? I hope it’s close to us.”
“Afraid not, Rod. I bought a home in Olympus Cove. Do you know wh
ere that is?”
“Sure. Near the turnoff to Alta and Brighton. Do you ski?”
“It’s my favorite sport,” Roman asserted with a grin.
“Mine, too.”
“When the snow flies, Brit and I will take you with us.”
While Brit digested that amazing announcement, Rod’s excited gaze darted to hers. “Brit doesn’t ski.”
Roman turned to her, a loving expression in his eyes which could have deceived anyone. “Then I’ll have to teach you.”
“I hope I’m included in that invitation,” Denise chimed in, a pert brunette who breezed into the room wearing cutoffs and a blouse. Though she knew the gravity of the situation, she wore a sunny smile which almost deceived Brit.
“Hey, Sis—Did you know Brit’s getting married?”
“She told me over the phone.”
Denise gave Brit a hug, then shook Roman’s hand. “I knew you were the important person in Brit’s past. That’s why no man has ever been able to get to first base with her. It’s been a long time since high school, Roman.” She winked one of her appealing brown eyes at him, then grabbed Brit’s hand to inspect the ring at close range.
“It’s absolutely breathtaking, Brit. You lucky...” she murmured under her breath.
Brit and Denise had been best friends since they were ten years old, long enough for Brit to realize Denise had just sent her a private message.
Roman’s mouth turned up at the corner. Obviously he was amused and pleased that Denise was playing her part so well.
“Denise—” Brit interjected at last “—since Roman is my fiancé, I want you two to become close friends.”
“That won’t be hard,” Denise exclaimed. “Rod? I think we should celebrate. Why don’t you run to the store and bring home some drinks and donuts. Dad left money in the drawer in the kitchen.”
“Okay. I’ll go.”
“You have a nice brother,” Roman said as soon as Rod disappeared out the front door. “In fact you did a masterful job of covering up the truth, Ms. Martin.”
“Denise,” she urged him before her expression grew solemn. “Thank you. So did you. I mean—you and Brit—Well, let’s just say that you both could have fooled me.”
Undercover Husband Page 3