“Yes; the music you hear at night when you go to bed is from one of my CDs played through the intercom. When we get to my place in New York, I’ll play the song for you on my piano. Is it a deal?”
“Deal!” He heard the excitement in her voice. “Can you learn me to play the piano, Mr. Nick?”
“I certainly can,” he said and kissed her cheek.
Misty laughed. “You’ve thought this through, haven’t you?”
“I’ve tried.”
• • •
Misty paced nervously in the stage wings, waiting for Nick to call her onstage to sing the four Andrew Lloyd Webber songs she’d rehearsed.
After the thrilling helicopter ride to New York City, a trip Debbie and Christy had thoroughly enjoyed, they’d settled in to life in his penthouse. Since Charlotte and Christy remained with them, the girls had been kept amused and occupied by a pair of well-trained Ninja Nannies, as Misty called Naomi and Sarah, who never let the girls out of their sight. They went up to the rooftop garden for fresh air and to swim in the heated pool. They had been taken to the Central Park Zoo and the American Museum of Natural History with an escort befitting the children of the president. Playdates had been arranged with other children in the building, and, if the girls’ movements seemed more curtailed than ever, neither of them noticed or complained; they were having too much fun.
Charlotte had immersed herself in Nathan’s world, assisting him with everything that had to be done to promote and put on the benefit concert. While she didn’t leave the apartment any more than Misty did, she seemed to be busier and had less time to mope.
Misty had been the one to bemoan the fact that she couldn’t come and go as she pleased. She’d swum in the pool and been treated to gourmet meals and first-run movies, but knowing that somewhere out in the dark there was someone waiting to kill her seemed to overshadow everything. The only thing that made her days bearable was getting to know Nick better, listening to him play, and rehearsing her songs. Marta graciously let her make the meals. Without something to do, Misty would have gone stir crazy.
Her nights were spent in Nick’s arms as they explored one another. He was a skilled lover, his touch tender and exquisite, and when they joined, she saw stars. His fingers played her with the same grace and finesse he used on the grand piano in his music room. He coaxed sensations out of her she’d never have believed she could feel, and he’d unleashed desire in her that she’d never have imagined she possessed.
“I knew the passion was in you,” he’d said as he’d held her in the aftermath of another earthshaking climax. “I can hear it when you sing.”
She’d giggled. “Well, it wasn’t there before.”
He’d risen above her. “Maybe you didn’t have the right teacher. I think it’s time for another lesson.”
She couldn’t imagine a life without him, and if a gilded cage was the price she had to pay for it, so be it.
His vision had continued to improve, and while things were still blurred, he could almost make out features. But he still couldn’t see detail. He hoped to be able to see well enough to take her sightseeing in Paris.
The sound of Nick calling her on stage brought her back to reality, and she stepped out from the curtain and moved to stand next to the piano. Debbie and Naomi stood in the wings on the other side of the stage. The first song he played, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” pulled her into the music, and she didn’t realize the performance was over until the last notes of “Memory” ended. The applause was thunderous. Nick stood, took her hand, and led her to the front of the stage for her bow. A member of the stage crew handed her a huge bouquet of blood-red roses. She looked at Nick, saw concern on his face, and knew the roses weren’t part of the plan. As soon as she left the stage, she set them aside for another curtain call before the curtain fell, signifying the end of the concert.
“Nick, a minute,” called Jeremy, his agent, a man Misty had come to know well in the past few weeks.
“Go to the dressing room. Naomi and Debbie will be there by now. We’ll leave for the airport as soon as the decoy limo leaves the theater. You were magnificent, darling, just as I knew you would be. Whether or not you choose to perform again is up to you.” He kissed her. “I’ll be down as soon as I see what Jeremy wants. Who sent the roses?”
“I don’t know, I thought you might have … ”
She reached for the bouquet, opened the card, and gasped.
“What does it say?” asked Nick.
With a tremulous voice, Misty read the card aloud. “Well done, Shannon; it really was a performance worth dying for.”
“Damn,” said Nick. “Well, our fears are confirmed. We need to get away as soon as possible.” He kissed her. “I won’t be long.”
Chapter Nineteen
Misty hurried to the dressing room, the roses crushed against her, the scent of the heady blooms nauseating in its intensity. Had the trap worked? Would the rest of the plan unfold as they hoped? Sarah was dressed in an identical gown to hers, her hair styled similarly. An agent who resembled Nick awaited the signal, and together they’d get into the limousine parked at the back of the theater. If everything went as planned, the killer would follow the limousine. An unmarked police car would follow the limousine at a distance just in case. They’d be in constant contact. When the time was right, they’d take the killer down. Misty prayed no one would get hurt.
Charlotte and Nathan had been in the audience and had left the theater with Christy as soon as the show had ended. They’d go to the apartment, collect the luggage and meet them at the airport. Debbie and Naomi would travel to the airport with her and Nick, using the SUV parked around the corner in a private underground lot. She’d seen Debbie and Naomi leave the wings. Debbie had waved and blown kisses at her.
What if the killer didn’t take the bait? She shivered. No! It had worked. The killer was here. He’d watched her perform, had given the stagehand the flowers, and then what? Melted into the audience? Was he looking for her, waiting for her? Every shadow seemed to come alive. Her heart pounded, and her breathing quickened. She hurried along the crowded hallway. Why are there always so many things in the way when you’re in a hurry? She hoped Nick wouldn’t be long. She needed his arms around her to reassure her and calm her fear. The area suddenly seemed too quiet, too deserted. Where are all the agents who are supposed to be keeping Debbie and I safe? God, will this nightmare never end?
She inserted her key card into the lock and opened the door, closing it quickly behind her. Debbie ran over to her and gave her a big hug. She clutched her daughter as if she’d never let her go. When Debbie began to squirm, she reluctantly released her. She felt the tears slip down her cheeks.
“Mommy, why are you sad? I liked your singing. I want to sing just like you when I’m bigger.”
Misty smiled. “I’m not sad, sweetheart. These are happy tears. Someday you’ll sing even better than I did.” Misty looked around the empty dressing room and frowned. “Where’s Naomi?”
“She had to go to the bathroom; her tummy hurt. I stayed here and didn’t answer the door, just like I was told.”
Misty noticed the heart-shaped locket with a red central stone — surely not a ruby — that Debbie wore around her neck. “Where did you get the necklace, honey?” she asked.
“Daddy Nick and Naomi gave it to me before he went to play the piano,” she said proudly. “It’s a wishing present, and this is my birthstone. Isn’t it pretty? He said I have to wear it all the time when I’m not at home. They gave one to Christy, too, only her birthstone is blue.”
Misty smiled. I’ll bet they contain GPS chips. She touched the diamond bracelet he’d given her tonight and wondered if she’d been tagged, too.
She noticed the almost-full coffee cup in the garbage and the take-out cup on the snack table where Debbie’s portable DVD player sat. She did
n’t recognize the logos and wondered who’d brought them in.
“Mommy’s thirsty, sweetie. Can I have a drink?”
Debbie frowned. “The lady who gave it to Naomi when we came down said it was chocolate milk, but it doesn’t taste good. Naomi said not to drink it when she went to the bathroom. I don’t think you should drink it either.”
Misty frowned. Maybe the milk had soured. She’d go and check on Naomi and get a drink of water. She was halfway to the door when she heard the key card inserted. Expecting to see Nick or Naomi she smiled, but the smile on her face died when she recognized the woman standing in the doorway with a gun in her hand. The look on Kelly Duncan’s face was not a pleasant one.
“We meet again. I see you got my flowers, Shannon,” she said with an Irish brogue, far more pronounced than what Misty had thought to be a Boston accent. “Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Kerry Doherty, named after my father. Does the name sound familiar? Because of you, I’m the last of my line. Did you know I was to be married to Kevin O’Hara? You took my family, my love, and the child he’d have given me. Now, I’ll have my own back.”
Kerry’s scent was sickening, and Misty remembered where she’d smelled it before. It reminded her of the funeral parlor, the one near the Moravian cemetery where her parents were buried. Had that been a front for the mob? Had Kerry been there? Misty watched as the woman approached Debbie. Kerry was taller than she was, but she didn’t look all that much stronger. Could she rush her, try to get the gun?
As if she could read her mind, Kerry stopped and turned. “Don’t be getting any funny ideas. I’d rather not harm you in front of the child.” She reached out her hand and touched Debbie’s hair.
“Leave my daughter alone,” Misty cried, all of her protective instincts on alert. “Your fight is with me, not her.”
“You’d be wrong there. I’m none too pleased with our Kevin. He’s to blame for this, too. He’d no right giving you what was mine, and I’ll be taking it back. It was the Lord Himself led me to you. I was just looking for a place to make a life for myself, a place to start looking for you when I heard you sing. I knew Kevin had been stepping out on me, so I followed him. I heard you sing in that play of Caleb’s. You’ve the voice of an angel. You’ll do well in the heavenly chorus.” Kerry continued to pet Debbie’s hair as if she were caressing a cat. Debbie sat still, and Misty began to wonder if there was something wrong with her.
“I’m glad she wasn’t hurt in the fire. It was the Lord’s doing that you’d gone out, I see that now. He wanted me to have the child that should have been mine.”
She’s insane, thought Misty. Please God, what am I going to do?
Kerry continued to stand next to Debbie, and to Misty, her child seemed remarkably docile. How much of the milk had she drunk? It must have contained a drug — one that had incapacitated Naomi and made Debbie complacent.
“You’re bonny, just like your daddy, colleen, which is a very good thing. You have his beautiful blue eyes. Do you have the drink I sent you?” She looked around. “Ah! There it is beside you. Drink up now.”
Debbie, who’d been fidgeting with her locket, tucked it into the neckline of her dress, and reached for the shake.
“Debbie, remember what Naomi said,” Misty called, hoping to break the trance-like state her daughter seemed to have entered.
“It’s okay, Mommy. I remember everything. I’m smart.” She smiled at her. “Thank you,” she said to Kerry, reached for the cup, and sat down to watch the rest of her movie. She put the straw in her mouth and sipped.
“Please don’t hurt her,” begged Misty tears filling her eyes. “She’s just a little girl.”
“I’m not going to hurt her. I’m going to make her mine. Now, Shannon, what shall you and I do until she falls asleep?”
• • •
The sound of the alarm was loud in Nick’s ear, and he called over the radio he wore. “Vince, Debbie’s set off the panic button. I’m on my way to the dressing room. Meet me there.”
His heart thundered in his chest. The panic button couldn’t be set off accidently. The stone had to be twisted around twice to activate the alarm. They’d practiced the movement earlier, explaining to Debbie that she was to make the magic wish only when she was really scared and in trouble. Had she misunderstood? Misty had gone down there a few minutes ago. If her mother were with her, why would she be frightened?
Nick remembered the flowers, and fear stabbed him. A performance worth dying for … if anything happened to either of them, he’d die. Had the killer slipped past them? How? There’d been a hundred officers and agents out there!
Where was Naomi? She wouldn’t have left them alone unless something terrible had happened. He ran down the stairs, moved around stage crew, and jumped over obstacles in his path as he made his way downstairs to the dressing room he’d had assigned to Misty. It was the one furthest from the stage door, the one that should have been the safest. He was halfway to his destination before he realized he could see clearly. Now wasn’t the time to ponder that miracle, but he was grateful he’d worn his gun as Vince had told him to, and as he approached the dressing room, he listened. He heard a moan from the washroom next door and opened the door to see Naomi on the floor retching.
“Naomi, what happened?” he asked, bending down to her, despite the filth covering her.
“I’ve been poisoned,” she whispered.
“Vince,” he spoke into his radio. “Call nine-one-one. Naomi’s in the washroom, and she’s in bad shape, possibly poisoned. Where are you?”
“I’m just coming down the stairs. I’ll be there in seconds.”
“I don’t think they have seconds, if Debbie’s been poisoned, too. They’re still in the dressing room. I can hear them talking,” said Nick. “It’s a woman with an Irish accent. I’m going in.”
“Don’t! Wait for me! Nick! Nick!” He turned off the radio.
Nick knocked on the dressing room door, bold as brass. “Misty, let me in. I can’t find my key. I dropped it coming down the stairs. I should have had Nathan escort me back. I hate this. Come on, honey, open up.”
Before Kerry could stop her, Debbie jumped up and ran to the door, opened it, and threw herself at Nick’s knees.
“You were so good, Mr. Piano Man,” she said, remembering the signal he’d given her for danger.
Nick looked down at the dark-haired child he’d only imagined. Clad in a red and white striped dress, she was indeed a sweet little thing, and when she looked up at him with her big blue eyes filled with trust, he found the courage he needed to continue the charade.
“Thank you, Debbie. Where’s Mommy?”
“She’s sitting on the couch talking to her new friend,” Debbie answered. “Her name’s Kerry like her daddy, and she said I look like my daddy.”
“Shut the bloody hell up,” Kerry screamed, and Debbie jumped, ran behind Nick’s legs, and out the door as fast as her little legs could carry her.
“Hello, sorry if I’m intruding. I just wanted to let Misty know our limo is here.”
He looked around the room as if he couldn’t see her, but in reality, the sight of her was seared into his mind. She was even more beautiful than he’d expected; her porcelain skin was pale in her fear, and her wide eyes mirrored her terror. He wanted to drink in the sight of her — the décolletage of her royal blue gown revealing her lush breasts, the slit in her skirt showing off her shapely legs. He glanced again at her face. Micah had been right about her eyes. They were an incredible shade of blue — turquoise, reminding him of the oceans off the coast of Tahiti. He’d take her there one day, just to show her the water. He continued to look around the room, schooling his features not to show how seeing the woman he loved clearly for the first time affected him. It was hard not to react to her beauty; it was even harder to ignore the magnum pointed at her head.
Although he’d never seen her, Nick knew the woman holding the weapon. She was dressed in clothing similar to that worn by the stage crew, but her perfume gave her away. Kelly Duncan had played her part well. Slowly the pieces started to fall into place. There had been something odd about her right from the beginning. So who was she?
Misty looked confused and frightened. He realized his behavior would seem strange, especially when she knew how well he could see these days. He hoped she would catch on and not say anything to tip Kerry off that he could see, even slightly.
“I take it the small one has run off again. You really should keep tighter reins on her,” he said and hoped he sounded crabby. “Where are you? Dammit, you know I hate it when you don’t speak and I’m looking for you. How can a blind man know where anything or anyone is without sound to guide him?” He made his tone sharp, unlike the way he usually spoke to her, hoping she’d realize he knew she was in trouble. He’d never needed sound to know where she was, and she knew it. Her scent drew him to her as it always had.
“Misty, honey, I know you’re annoyed with me, but enough is enough. Where are you? You don’t want me to make a scene in front of your friend, do you?”
“Sorry, Nick. I’m sitting on the left side of the couch. I have a guest. This is Kerry Doherty. Kerry, Nico Antoni.”
“Pleased to meet you,” he said, holding his hand out away from her.
“I’m over here. Charmed, I’m sure,” she answered, sarcasm lacing her voice.
Nick made sure not to react to the name, purposely ran into the coffee table, and banged his shins twice and cursed loudly trying to get over to Misty. When he was beside the couch, he put his hand on her shoulder and bent to kiss her cheek.
“I’m sorry I was a jerk. If you want another pair of diamond earrings, you can have them. You did a marvelous job on the songs, darling,” he said aloud then whispered, “Help’s on the way.”
“How touching,” said Kerry, but her tone implied it was anything but. “I think since my stepdaughter has run off, and I have to find her before someone else does, as the place is crawling with coppers, I’ll just finish you here.” She pulled a silencer out of her coat pocket and attached it to the barrel of the gun.
In Plain Sight Page 23