скачать книгу бесплатно
Daniel used a remote control to turn off the stereo. He’d been listening to the cassette tapes Pinky had given Janine. The lament-filled love ballads and psychobabble commentary were giving him a headache. “You should have canceled the class, man. Frankie doesn’t like you working late.”
“She took the boy to see her sister. You know how it is when the girls get to talking. I’ll probably beat them home.” He jutted his chin at the calendar pages and correspondence Daniel had spread out on a worktable. “What’s all that?”
The stalker was a prolific writer, sometimes sending three or four letters a week. The majority of letters were five or more pages long. All the letters were dated, and most were notated with the time. Curious as to whether Pinky’s interest waxed and waned according to some predictable cycle, Daniel had sorted the correspondence into chronological order.
Using black ink for letters, blue for cassettes and green for greeting cards, he’d filled in a calendar according to when items were received. He circled in red any envelope that didn’t bear a postmark.
Cards clustered at mid-month and the end of the month. The cards were embossed and foiled, and many were oversize. All were filled with mushy doggerel that passed for poetry among the sentimental set. The prices printed on the backs of them showed the majority were in the five-dollar range. Pinky might be buying cards when he cashed a biweekly paycheck.
“What did Janine tell you about her problem?”
J.T. paused in the midst of pulling files from the briefcase. “Janine contacted you?”
“Called me, made an appointment and showed up right on time. You’re surprised?”
He lifted a shoulder in a rolling shrug. “I’m surprised she asked for help.” He chuckled.
“What’s funny?”
“Frankie’s going to kill me.”
“Why?”
“You know how she’s been lately. Ever since she got pregnant, she’s been playing matchmaker. If she isn’t eating, she’s plotting how to marry off her single friends. She wanted to have you and Janine over for dinner. Her words—you’d make a cute couple.”
“She still can.” It flattered him that Frankie thought he was good enough for her lovely cousin.
J.T. swung his head. “Won’t be the same. Oh, well. So what’s going on? She didn’t give me details.”
Daniel debated how much to tell. Since hiring J.T. to run the studios, they’d formed a solid friendship. J.T., Frankie and their little boy had become the family Daniel always longed for. He trusted the big man like a brother, but he also respected Janine’s privacy. Still, J.T. was her cousin-in-law and he would never gossip. Daniel needed someone to bounce his thoughts off of.
“She’s in trouble.”
“How much trouble?”
“On a scale of one to ten, about a twenty. An anonymous stalker is making death threats against her father. Look at this.”
He pointed out the marked-up calendar pages and envelopes. What bothered him most were the postmarks. The first letters were postmarked from Colorado Springs, then a March letter bore a Cripple Creek postmark. After that the postmarks came from small towns like Woodland Park, Midland and Florrisant—all within easy driving distance of Elk River. None of the letters in June or beyond bore a Colorado Springs postmark. By September half the envelopes lacked a postmark. In December, only two letters bore a postmark. None in January had one.
J.T. grunted. “Hand delivering mail. That’s not good.”
“According to the maps, the lands surrounding the resort are either Bureau of Land Management or national forest. I’m betting this joker lives at Elk River.” Daniel hadn’t read all the letters, but what he had read told him Pinky considered Janine his personal property and he was getting frustrated with a one-sided relationship. “Why is she so insistent about keeping it hush-hush?”
“I couldn’t tell you.” J.T. made a musing noise. “Except she’s the independent type. Frankie calls her Wonder Woman.” He picked up a pink envelope. “This has been going on for a year?”
“Yep. I’m putting an end to it, if she’ll let me. What’s her soft spot?”
“What do you have in mind?”
At the man’s suspicious tone, Daniel’s grin widened. J.T. was as staunchly loyal as a Buckingham Palace guard, but Janine was his cousin-in-law and he’d die to protect his family. “Not what you’re thinking, my man. My intentions are pure.” Sort of. “Her situation calls for some serious intervention, but I get the impression she isn’t enamored about the way I do business.”
J.T. took his time answering. “Soft spots and Janine don’t mesh.”
Daniel scanned the paragraph that threatened her father. “How close is she to her old man?”
“The colonel?” J.T. blew a long breath. “As far as she’s concerned, he can do no wrong. From what I’ve seen, the feeling is mutual.”
Interesting.
Daniel tossed out ideas about how to handle Pinky. J.T.’s background in personal security and experience as a bodyguard made his suggestions sound.
As J.T. was leaving, Daniel asked, “So, Janine is available?”
The big man turned his head to look over his shoulder. “If you mean, is she single, then yes. But available, probably not.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, she doesn’t take crap off anybody.” A slow grin brightened his face. “And you, my friend, are full of crap.”
BY THE NEXT EVENING, when Daniel parked at the Alpine restaurant in Woodland Park, he knew without a doubt that Janine Duke desperately needed his help. He stepped out of his Tahoe. He inhaled deeply the crisp mountain air. Patches of snow marked the edges of the parking lot. He eyeballed the distance between his vehicle and the car next to it. He’d picked up the Tahoe from the dealer a few days ago, and wanted no dings or scratches on its pristine paint job.
At the restaurant door he glimpsed his reflection in the glass. He stroked a hand over the side of his hair and adjusted his tie. One real benefit of winning the Lotto had been discovering how great he looked in an Armani suit.
Inside, he spotted Janine. Seated at a window table, she stared at the traffic on Highway 24, or perhaps at the mountains beyond.
Janine spotted Daniel’s reflection in the window glass. Her breath caught. In a dark gray, double-breasted suit cut to emphasize his broad shoulders and narrow waist, he was even better looking than she remembered, and a fluttery sensation rose in her chest.
A mistake, she thought. She shouldn’t be asking for help from a stranger. Pinky hadn’t sent a letter today. What was the big deal about letters, anyway? For the most part the letters, cards and gifts were innocuous. As disconcerting as it was to have a secret admirer, she could live with it.
Daniel met her gaze in the window glass. She tried to ignore the fluttering that now touched her belly. “You’re late,” she said.
“I’m right on time. You’re early.” He sat and picked up a menu.
Subdued purples and blues in his tie complemented his bronze-on-bronze hair and skin. The sculpted lines of his jaw and neck hinted at a physique in its prime. She raised a menu, blocking the view. Pinky’s untoward pursuit of her or her untoward awareness of Daniel Tucker—she couldn’t decide which was worse. “Where are my letters?”
“I left the bag in the truck.”
An ivory-colored turtleneck sweater set off her rich coloring. Her hair glimmered by candlelight with golds, reds and copper. No way was he going to give in to the natural urge to tell her how gorgeous she looked. Her situation was far too serious.
“Have you ordered yet?” he asked. “Would you care for a drink? They have a nice wine list.”
“No, thank you. What did you think of the letters and tapes?”
“Are you aware that Pinky is one of your employees? Or else he’s living in the air ducts at the lodge.”
She closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips against her forehead. “I knew you were going to say that.”
A server interrupted them. She recited the evening specials and asked if they’d like an appetizer. Daniel ordered calamari, consulted briefly with Janine, then ordered the venison scallopini special for them both.
He cocked his head. “You didn’t mention the possibility of Pinky living at the resort. Testing me?”
“Certainly not.” Her genuinely troubled expression made him contrite. “I had hoped I was wrong.”
“You have no idea who he is? No suspicions whatsoever?”
She shook her head. “It must be somebody I hired this year, but that’s more than twenty people. I check references though. I haven’t hired any criminals.”
“Pinky might not be a criminal—yet. But he is unbalanced, and he has a serious grudge against your father.” He plucked a bread stick out of a basket and used it to emphasize his point. “Pinky has decided your father is the reason the two of you can’t be together. The anniversary party is throwing fuel on the fire.”
“I won’t cancel the party. It’s too important.”
“I’ve come up with a plan to distract him from obsessing about your father and maybe flush him out into the open.”
She sipped from a water goblet. Violets, he thought. Her eyes were the exact shade of blue as African violets. Incredible.
“Do you have a significant other?” he asked. He hoped not.
“I have a gentleman friend. Elliot Damsen.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Gentleman friend?” He was confused. Nothing in Pinky’s correspondence indicated he felt threatened by Janine’s romantic liaisons. “How friendly?”
“We meet in Colorado Springs whenever our schedules coincide. We share season tickets to the symphony.”
“Is he married?”
Violet fire crackled in her glare. “No, he isn’t married. Not that it’s any of your business, but Elliot and I have dated casually for years.”
“How can anybody date casually for years?”
“It’s a comfortable relationship. And none of your business.”
Casual, comfortable—neither fit Janine Duke. Elliot must be a world-class wuss. “So Pinky doesn’t know about Elliot?”
“Unless he follows me when I leave the resort, then I don’t see how Pinky could know.”
He refrained from grinning in triumph. “Good. We’ll leave comfy old Elliot out of the picture altogether. As of now, I’m your boyfriend. And nothing casual, either.”
“Pardon?”
He loved the way she said that. “I’m the love of your life now. When Pinky realizes I’m the real threat, he’ll forget about your father. He should reveal himself.”
She blinked slowly, several times. When she’d asked for Daniel’s help, she hadn’t the faintest idea what kind of plan he might come up with. She’d imagined he’d stake out the mailbox or interview people, or perhaps produce some magical bit of modern technology designed to ferret out secret admirers. “You’ll pose as my boyfriend,” she said slowly. “And I pretend I’m in love with you?” The absurdity tickled her. “That isn’t the sort of plan I can pull off.”
She expected laughter, not the burning intensity he focused on her eyes. Her throat went dry.
“You don’t have much choice, ma’am. If you haven’t figured out who Pinky is by now, you probably never will. At least, not until he attacks your father. Or you. We need to flush him out of the woodwork. We better do it before the party pushes him over the edge.”
“I don’t merely live at the resort, I work there. I can’t...”
“You can’t what?”
Have people gossiping. Laughing behind her back. Pointing. Snickering about her private life. “I’m hiring you as a professional. I expect a professional solution.”
“You expect a simple solution. I wish I had one for you.”
His sincerity shone through. As much as she hated his idea, she recognized its merits. Suffering some minor embarrassment meant little in comparison to protecting her father from harm. “You honestly think Pinky is dangerous?”
“He seems to believe you know who he is and you’re conspiring with him to keep the love affair secret. He’s growing frustrated. He wants to bring the relationship out in the open, but he doesn’t know how. So he’s using your dad as a scapegoat. That kind of thinking is extremely dangerous.”
She took a sip of water and her hand trembled. Water drops spread on the tablecloth. “Is that why your stalker committed suicide? Frustration?”
“She wanted to make sure she was always in my thoughts.” He made a facial shrug. “She got her wish.”
The server brought the appetizer. The smell of top-quality olive oil and the sight of perfectly fried batter glistening on the calamari distracted Janine. She worked hard to maintain her weight, but the calamari tempted her. She slipped a single piece onto her bread plate.
“Your plan will take Pinky’s attention off my father?”
“A real lover is far more threatening to a would-be lover than a father.”
Lover. Imagining Daniel as a lover was much too easy. “He’ll reveal himself?”
“There, I’m not so positive. He’s deeply invested in his anonymous act.”
She nibbled the calamari. It tasted as good as it looked. No amount of ignoring Pinky or wishful thinking was making him go away. Besides, how much damage could a pretend boyfriend do? “Very well, Mr. Tucker. We’ll try your plan.”
“Good. I’m looking forward to that Honeymoon Hideaway cabin. That will include champagne, right?”
“You get rid of Pinky, and I’ll supply enough champagne for you to bathe in every night.”
Wow, DANIEL THOUGHT as he entered the lobby of the Elk River lodge. He enjoyed skiing and had spent a lot of time in fancy resort towns like Vail, Aspen and Breckenridge. He liked the ambiance of ski lodges: crackling fires, healthy people, lots of talk. But this place, despite its size, felt like a home. It radiated a warmth that spoke of family and togetherness and happy times.
Employees moving throughout the lobby and lounge were easy to spot by their white sweaters, black trousers and brass name tags. Daniel doubted Pinky had direct contact with the public. His letters showed he was intelligent and reasonably well-read, but he’d be underemployed so he could concentrate on Janine. He probably worked in maintenance or housekeeping.
He ambled across the lobby. At the registration desk two young women inputted information into computers. Both raised their heads to watch his approach.
He leaned an arm on the counter. “Hi.”
A perky blonde, her name tag read Debbi, patted her hair and adjusted the neck of her sweater. “Welcome to Elk River. May I help you?”
“I sure hope so.”
Her eyelashes lowered coquettishly. “Do you have a reservation?”
“I’m here to see someone. Janine Duke. Do you know where I might find her?”
The other young woman swiveled her head like a deer going on alert. She was taller, younger and thinner than Janine, but he didn’t need to read “Kara” on her name tag to know this was Janine’s younger sister.
“Do you have a business appointment?” Kara asked.
