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“I need to rent a car within the hour.”
“That’s no problem. Just follow the instructions on the voice-activated system when I switch you to the rental department.”
“Thank you.”
Exactly as he’d dictated, a midnight blue Lexus LS was waiting for him when he exited the facility. He slipped behind the wheel and headed toward Los Angeles.
Tempest read the letter with a mixture of disbelief and alarm. It was obvious, after the first few lines, that Jordan had written this letter well before the accident. She could easily understand and sympathize with Noelle’s shock. What was curious, however, was her nagging sensation that Jordan seemed to have known well in advance that he wouldn’t be returning home. She wondered if Noelle had the same feeling.
Gently she placed the letter on the desk and returned to Noelle’s side.
“Are you all right?”
Noelle nodded.
“Noelle, was there something going on in Jordan’s life that could have prompted him to write this letter?”
She shook her head slowly. “No. Nothing that I know of.”
Tempest took a thoughtful breath before speaking. “It’s just that…well, it sounds as if he knew something. Or had planned something.”
Noelle sprung up from the couch. Her brown eyes blazed. “Are you trying to imply that Jordan planned his own death?” Her voice rose to a tremulous pitch. “Are you?” she demanded.
“Noelle. Calm down. The letter just doesn’t sound right. He says that you would know what to do. That your life together was what made him go on for as long as he did. That he’d trust you to be able to run his business and everything would fall into place. Noelle, whether you want to accept it or not, this is a farewell letter.”
All of the restraint that Noelle had maintained crumpled at those telling words. She seemed to deflate like a pierced balloon. The tears that she’d held at bay ran freely down her chiseled cheeks. But her voice was surprisingly strong when she spoke.
“I didn’t want to believe it,” she said slowly, “I didn’t want to think that he would intentionally abandon me. Then to ask me to trust Trent Dixon is more than I can bear.”
Tempest stretched her arm across Noelle’s shoulders. “I know that you hold this Dixon guy responsible for the plane crash. I know that it’s hard for you to accept that he survived and Jordan didn’t. But if Jordan trusted him, why can’t you?”
Noelle tossed her head in dismissal. Her eyes pierced Tempest’s. “Yes, Jordan trusted him. He trusted him with his life and Trent Dixon destroyed that trust!”
“It was an accident Noelle. The inquiry cleared Dixon of any wrongdoing. It was a malfunction.”
“But Trent was responsible for the maintenance of the plane,” she countered. “He was responsible.”
Tempest began to feel that she was fighting a losing battle. She tried one last time.
“You don’t even know Trent Dixon. Did it ever occur to you that he’s going through his own hell? Jordan left the reins of his enterprise in Dixon’s hands. Whether you like it or not, you’re going to have to deal with him. At least until the terms of the will are fulfilled. As this letter says, after the year is up, Dixon is to turn the company over to you.”
Noelle’s lids briefly lowered in reluctant acceptance. “I’ve never been interested in running Jordan’s business. He knew that. He knew that. We were always completely at odds over his business practices and his vision for the company. For all I care, Trent Dixon can have it.”
But with those words an eerie thought rushed to the surface.
She turned to Tempest, her eyes wide with awakening. “Suppose this letter is just a ploy by Dixon to lure me into a sense of security so that he could take the company from me without a fight?”
Tempest wrestled with the idea for a moment. “But how would he have gotten Jordan to write this letter? This is Jordan’s handwriting isn’t it?”
Noelle stood up and began to pace, biting on her thumbnail as she thought.
“It looks like Jordan’s writing. But Trent was the closest person to him. He could easily have studied his handwriting over the years.”
Tempest slowly shook her head and sighed. “Where did the letter come from?”
“It was hand delivered this morning from our attorney’s office in L.A.”
“Have you called your attorney?”
“That would be pointless. Joseph Malone was more Jordan’s attorney than mine. He’s one of those types that sticks to the letter of confidentiality. I’m sure he’s under some strict instructions.”
“Then who else may know something?”
Noelle turned back toward the window. Snatches of her conversation the night before rang in her head.
“The man I met last night,” she said slowly. “He said he was with Jordan when he bought the villa.” She turned toward Tempest. “He’s here. Now. Cole Richards knew Jordan.”
Chapter 5
Trent spent the better part of the day in his other hotel suite in Los Angeles. He had an arm’s length of calls to make to the Maxwell headquarters in Sudan and Hong Kong. He couldn’t risk them being billed to him at Liaisons.
According to the reports that he’d received, everything was in order. Or at least as well as could be expected with the revolution in full swing. Import and export of anything other than food and medicine was out of the question. The United Nations was taking steps to intervene, but there was no telling how long that would take.
Finally, wrapping up his business late in the day he headed back to Liaisons.
As he sped across the winding highways in the rented Lexus, he questioned his tactics. Maybe he should have been honest with Noelle and absorbed her eminent outrage. But it was too late now. He had no other choice than to follow through. Noelle Maxwell believed that he was Cole Richards and it would remain so until the time was right to tell her the truth.
He made the last curve into the long drive of Liaisons and turned into the underground garage.
Tonight, he thought.
Noelle took special care to prepare herself for the evening ahead. After the shocking ordeal of the morning she needed the time to relax before mingling with the guests.
Her attempts to subtly locate Cole Richards had proven to be fruitless. He’d apparently left the villa earlier in the day and had yet to return.
She sighed as she sat before her mirror applying her makeup to the flawless copper skin. She felt certain that Cole Richards held the key to some information about Jordan and the fatal plane crash. What it was she couldn’t be certain, but she would have to find a way to gain his help.
Satisfied with her polished look, she crossed the room and selected a fitted gown of black lycra. The off-the-shoulder neckline was dotted with tiny rhinestones. She slipped the gown over her nude body. The simple act wrought steamy visions of how Cole Richards looked at her the previous night and how sensual he’d made her feel.
Unconsciously, standing before the full-length mirror, her hands involuntarily stroked her heated body. Briefly she shut her eyes as powerful flashes of long unfulfilled desire ripped through her.
What would his hands feel like, his mouth, his…Her eyes flew open. Her breath came in short, choppy waves. She stared unbelievably at herself in the mirror, her hands still cupping her full breasts.
She flung her hands to her sides. With a shuddering breath she spun away from the telltale image.
Forcing herself to concentrate, she stepped into her strapless black heels, picked up her rhinestone purse and walked purposefully from her room.
The glass enclosed dining room, situated on the rooftop of the villa, had already begun to fill with eager diners. Part of the policy of Liaisons was to cater to the guests’ every dietary whim. Upon arrival, every guest filled out a complete guide to their special requirements and the Liaisons’ chef met their requests with verve. The immense kitchen was stocked with everything from Nathan’s hot dogs to exotic Far East cuisine.
Momentarily, Noelle stood at the threshold of the dining room quietly observing the guests, and hoping to catch a glimpse of Tempest and Braxton, to no avail. However, she was totally satisfied that her fantasy hideaway had become her reality. Maybe now the gossipmongers would begin to take her seriously. There was no way that anyone could doubt that Liaisons was a huge success. And she’d only just begun.
“Checking on your guests again?”
The decidedly intimate voice came from behind her.
Noelle stole a glance over her shoulder to see Cole Richards standing a mere breath away. Her pulse shuddered as her brief glance told her that he was even more handsome than when she’d last seen him. If that were possible.
He stepped around to stand at her side.
“It’s my responsibility to make sure that everyone at Liaisons is well taken care of, Monsieur Richards.”
His slow smile taunted her. “I’m sure that everyone appreciates your conscientiousness.” He paused, noting the seriousness of her expression. “Please call me Cole. I’m sure we’ll be seeing enough of each other to be able to drop formalities.”
Her expression slowly relaxed. “I suppose you’re right. You must excuse me if I seem…”
“Anxious?” he said completing her sentence.
Her smile was tremulous as she nodded.
“It’s just that I’ve worked so hard for so long to—” she spread her hand in explanation “—make this all happen. I just want everything to be perfect.”
He saw the shadow of doubt flicker in those beautiful brown eyes and he had to reassure her.
“Believe me, I can’t imagine anyone thinking otherwise.” He lowered his gaze and then looked directly at her and added gently, “I’m sure Jordan would be very proud of what you’ve accomplished.”
“You knew my husband well?” she asked, smoothly sidestepping the compliment.
“Yes. Very well.”
Noelle recognized her opportunity. She straightened her shoulders and tilted her head.
“Would you care to join me for dinner—Cole?”
He took her elbow and grinned. “I thought you’d never ask. I’m starved.”
Dinner conversation was easy, unstrained and at times filled with laughter. They talked about old movies, the economy, hobbies, places that they had been and found that they had a lot in common. The unspoken realization was tantalizing.
“Your chef is magnificent,” Trent complimented, pushing slightly away from the table. “I can’t remember ever having poached salmon that could compare to this.”
Noelle smiled appreciatively.
“Jordan and I met Paul, the chef, when we were in Paris,” Noelle explained. “I decided then and there that if I were to ever have this dream of mine come true, I would make sure that Paul was my chef.”
Trent brushed his lips with the linen napkin then tucked it beneath his empty plate. “So you thought about Liaisons for a while?”
Noelle nodded. “All of the years that I worked at my aunt’s café in New Orleans, I envisioned a place of my own. Something unlike any other,” she added wistfully,
“You’ve outdone yourself.” He looked around the elegant dining hall, then back at Noelle. When his dark eyes settled on her, she felt her insides flutter. “I can’t imagine all the time and work it took to put this all together.”
She sighed. “I had a good teacher.”
For several moments they sat in companionable silence, sipping the last of their wine, each caught in momentary memories of Jordan Maxwell.
“Would you like to take a walk with me around the grounds?” Trent asked. “I haven’t had a chance to see very much.”
Noelle smiled. “I’d like that very much.”
They talked softly as they strolled across the grass covered slopes, with Noelle pointing out her favorite spots and explaining where some of her ideas had arisen.
“I wanted to try to recreate some of the wonderful things that I’d seen in my travels and bring them all together in one place.
“Like the fountains over there.” She pointed in the direction of the enormous marble fountains. “I’d seen those in Greece. The ideas for the pillars came from seeing the ruins in Rome. The hieroglyphics on the stone wall in the steam rooms came from my visits to the tombs in Egypt.”
Trent was visibly impressed, Noelle noticed with a touch of pride.
“You’ve obviously traveled a great deal. Not many people are that lucky.”
“Jordan tried to make sure that the whole world would be an education for me.”
Noelle slowed down and stopped walking. Trent halted his step and turned toward her. His expression registered concern.
“Is something wrong?”
She stood still for several moments framing the questions in her mind. “How well did you know Jordan? When did you see him last?”
He knew the questions were inevitable, and had dreaded this very moment from the time he mentioned that he’d been with Jordan at the purchase of Liaisons. Careless. He hated having to lie to her. She was so beautiful, so sincere, nothing like the person that he’d envisioned. But he felt he had no other choice.
He stepped cautiously closer. She looked so fragile and vulnerable. Her luminous brown eyes were wide with expectation.
“We worked—together,” he began, “on several projects.”
Noelle’s brow creased. “I don’t remember Jordan ever mentioning you.”
He thought quickly. “I was more of a consultant. He called me in from time to time.”
She lowered her gaze to the ground. Her voice was barely above a whisper. Trent strained to catch each word.
“I hadn’t seen Jordan for three months before the—accident. He’d spent his time traveling and then when the revolt started, he told me he couldn’t get away, there were too many things to take care of.”
Slowly she looked up, her eyes glistening with memories. “I’m sorry,” she said, swallowing back a sob. “I didn’t mean to drag you into my problems.” She sniffed and smiled weakly.
His gut twisted with guilt. “It’s all right,” he assured her softly. He pulled a monogrammed handkerchief from the breast pocket of his midnight blue dinner jacket and handed it to her. Instantly he realized his error.
The initials TMD hypnotized him. He held his breath while Noelle dabbed at her eyes.
“Thank you Cole.” She handed him the handkerchief. His relief was almost palpable. Noelle read it as discomfort. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I don’t usually do this kind of thing. Especially around strangers.”
His eyes roved over her face. “I was hoping that we were more than strangers.” He grinned mischievously. “Especially after this morning, Mrs. Maxwell,” he teased, his look bringing back swift memories of their earlier encounter at his suite. His crooked smile made Noelle laugh in spite of herself.
