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He was an architect, not a sharpshooter. “I’m just going to talk to them. You stay in the car and lock the doors. Get behind the steering wheel so we can make a fast getaway if we need to.”
“I really don’t like the way that sounds.”
“This isn’t going to be a problem. I’ll be back here before you know it.”
He opened his car door and got out. At the same time, the limo driver emerged. A stocky guy with a thick neck, he looked as if he could also be a bodyguard.
“Mr. Spencer,” he said, “Mr. Radcliff will see you now.”
His civilized attitude didn’t fit with the situation. “Why were you following me?”
“Convenience.”
He held open the rear door to the limo, and Nick entered. He hoped he’d be able to come back out in one piece.
Chapter Five
Monday, 12:48 p.m.
In the rearview mirror, Kelly watched Nick disappear into the back of the long stretch limousine with tinted windows. It worried her that she couldn’t see him. She held up her cell phone, ready to call the police at the slightest sign of trouble.
The limo driver closed the door behind Nick and strolled around the car toward the gleaming front grill where he leaned against the fender and gazed across the road into the forested area on the other side. Though his attitude was relaxed, he looked like the kind of guy who would carry a gun and know how to use it. Why was she thinking about guns? Maybe she’d been in Texas too long.
She checked the mirror again. Sunlight flashed off the silver chrome. She hated limos. Her ex had always insisted on taking a limo when they went to gala events because he liked to make an entrance. In his tailored tuxedo with his diamond-stud cuff links, Ted Maxwell was a very handsome man. Heads always turned when he walked by.
And she had followed in his wake, aware that she’d never be as pretty as he was. He’d tried to coach her about what to wear and how to behave. The only bit of grooming that had really worked was the way she’d highlighted her straight brown hair, which was the only thing she’d kept after the divorce. According to Ted, he’d fought to become an associate partner at a top Denver law firm before he was thirty-five. He’d done the hard work, and all she had to do—her only real job as his wife—was to look good and back him up. She’d been a miserable failure, emphasis on the miserable.
Not only had she been a dud when it came to style, but her profession hadn’t been classy enough for his society friends. When he introduced her, he’d always said she was in medicine, rather than admitting that she was only a nurse.
That snub had been the final straw. She’d always been proud of what she did and refused to pretend otherwise. Instead of trailing behind him in uncomfortable and ridiculously expensive high heels, she’d opted out of the fancy dress balls and political fundraisers. Better to stay home with a good book.
His new wife must be more adept at gorgeousness. Kelly had heard that they were a power couple on their way into the national political arena. They already had one child, even though Ted hadn’t been interested in children when he was with her.
She checked the mirror again, hoping to see Nick coming toward her. No such luck. It was kind of a bad omen that when she met him, he was wearing a tux. Was he anything like her ex? Ted had more polish, but Nick was definitely a head-turner. Handsome and rich made for a dangerous combination. Even though Nick seemed funny and down-to-earth and had complimented her on her nursing skills, she’d keep her eyes wide-open. The first time he insisted that she slip into a pair of four-inch heels, she was out of there.
Nervous, she turned around in the seat to stare at the car behind her. Oh, yeah, she hated limos.
THE PLUSH, BEIGE LEATHER interior of the limo reminded Nick less of luxury and more of a mobile office. The pudgy, little man who introduced himself as Barry Radcliff sat on the bench seat at the rear behind a narrow desk that swung out from the wall. A laptop was open in front of him. A computer printer and fax were on a shelf below the partition separating them from the driver.
The most interesting piece of equipment was a leggy brunette with a short skirt and gladiator sandals. Her loose, curly hair tumbled past the deep vee in her cream-colored silk blouse. Barry introduced her as his attorney.
“And don’t let her beauty fool you,” Radcliff said. “Francine graduated from Stanford Law School cum laude and almost qualified for the Olympics.”
“What sport?” Nick asked.
“Beach volleyball.”
“Of course.” This day was getting more and more bizarre. Nick sprawled back in the seat on the left side of the limo, surprised that there was enough room for his long legs. “Why do you want to see me?”
“Your uncle, God rest his soul, did some business with me. I want to make sure it’s taken care of.”
“I’m the wrong person to contact. You should be dealing with the attorney at Spencer Enterprises.”
“That’s not my style.”
Radcliff’s style was questionable. He wore a loose-fitting blue-and-gold-striped shirt with the top four buttons unfastened to show off his heavy gold necklaces. His dark hair was thick and combed straight back. He had the kind of tan that went with spending a lot of time on a boat or a golf course.
“Your uncle,” Radcliff said, “borrowed a million dollars from me. Payback was due on the day he died. I want my money.”
“You’ll have to be patient. My uncle had a substantial estate, but there are probate concerns.”
“Which is why I’m coming to you, Nick. I’ll give you until next week to make good on the loan. After Tuesday of next week, I’ll be taking my payment in collateral.”
Inwardly, Nick groaned. “Let me guess. My uncle used the Valiant gold as collateral.”
“Bingo.” He leaned back in his seat. “Show him the agreement, honey.”
Apparently, the Stanford-trained, volleyball-playing attorney didn’t mind being called honey. She reached into a file folder and produced a copy of a one-page document, which she held toward Nick.
He skimmed it quickly. Two months ago, just after the first of the year, Samuel had borrowed one million cash. If the amount, plus a couple hundred thousand in interest, was not paid within one week from when it was due, Radcliff was entitled to the equivalent amount in Valiant gold. The signature on the bottom was Samuel’s.
“It looks pretty straightforward,” Nick said. “But I still need to have the legal department check it out.”
“This isn’t a corporate issue. The loan was man to man, between me and Samuel, God rest his soul. That’s why I came to you as a member of the Spencer family.”
“Do you have any idea why he needed the money?”
“Not my concern.” Radcliff waved his pudgy hand in front of his face. He was beginning to sound agitated. “Can I count on you or not?”
“Let me think.”
Nick would have been justified in pitching the document out the window and letting Radcliff’s sexy attorney drag this debt through the courts for settlement. But he felt an obligation to his uncle to honor this debt. Samuel had thought this money was important enough to gamble the family treasure. Finding the project he was working on might help Nick understand why his uncle had committed suicide.
“I have a question for you,” Nick said. “Did Samuel seem depressed to you? Or nervous? Scared?”
“He was okay. I liked the old guy. He was a risk taker, you know what I mean? These days, decisions get made by committees and everybody is busy covering their butt. Samuel had guts, God rest his soul.”
That wasn’t the description of a man who was about to kill himself. As far as Nick was concerned, Radcliff had a better idea of Samuel than half the people who claimed to know him well. In his way, Radcliff was an honorable man.
“I’ll get the money.”
“Too bad,” Radcliff said. “I had my heart set on that gold.”
Nick reached for the door handle. “Next time you want to reach me, use the phone.”
“When I meet a person for the first time, I want to look him in the eye.”
Not a bad policy. Nick was beginning to like this guy. “How do I contact you?”
Radcliff nodded to his lawyer, and she leaned forward to hand him a card. The view down her blouse was a major distraction. If this settlement ever got to court, he’d bet on her to win.
Exiting the limo, he nodded to the driver, went to the passenger side of his SUV and climbed in. When he closed the door, he looked down at the copy of the document in his hand. Radcliff’s business card had listings for five different companies—three of them appeared to be associated with oil drilling.
“What happened?” Kelly asked. “Are you okay?”
“Confused as hell,” he admitted. “The inside of that limo is like an office on wheels, and the guy behind the desk is Barry Radcliff. He’s one of those guys with a dark tan and gold jewelry, maybe from Miami or Vegas. Or maybe he just plays a lot of golf, I don’t know.”
“You’re rambling, Nick.”
“Radcliff loaned my uncle a million dollars.”
“Whoa.” She sat back behind the steering wheel. “That’s a big loan.”
He agreed. Coming up with a million in cash wouldn’t be easy. As Marian Whitman kept telling him, Spencer Enterprises was stretched to the max. Last night when she wanted him to confront his uncle, she intended to close down some of the projects he’d been developing. Big mistake. Samuel didn’t know the meaning of “no.” He’d gone elsewhere for financing.
The limo pulled even with his SUV, and the rear window partially rolled down. A slender, feminine hand reached out and waved goodbye before the traveling office drove away.
“Who’s the woman?” Kelly asked.
“Radcliff’s attorney. She’s an Olympic-caliber athlete in beach volleyball.”
“Sure she is. And I’m a supermodel.”
“I know this sounds crazy,” he said, “but this is a copy of a legitimate document, signed by my uncle. He used the Valiant gold as collateral.”
“Settling debts sounds like a job for Marian Whitman. She’s in charge of the money, right? Why did Radcliff contact you?”
“Because he’s a smart guy. He knows I’m more likely to pay him back than Marian or any other corporate officer.”
For Nick, the debt wasn’t about the money. He was motivated by concern for his uncle. More than anything else, he needed to find out what had caused Samuel to take his own life and scribble a note that said he was sorry. Apologizing was out of character. His uncle was the kind of man—the gutsy kind of man—who faced his mistakes and made them right.
Kelly rested her hands on the steering wheel. “Where do we go from here?”
“I’ve got to find out why Samuel needed a million dollars and what he was working on.”
“There must be records or blueprints or something,” she said. “Can we check his computer?”
“He barely kept track of what he was doing, hated using the computer.” But Nick knew how to get the information they needed. “Change seats with me. We’re going to see Julia.”
He exited the passenger side and came around the SUV. The conversation with Radcliff had given him new energy and strength. Instead of dull gray sadness, he had hope for finding out what happened. In the driver’s seat, he started the engine.
“Who’s Julia?” Kelly asked.
“Julia Starkey has been my uncle’s secretary for as long as I can remember. She came to work for him, probably thirty years ago, as a single mom with two young kids. They fell in love.”
“You’re going to have to fill in the blanks,” Kelly said. “Did Samuel have a wife when he fell in love with his secretary?”
“He never married. As far as I know, Julia was the only woman in his life. You’ll understand what I mean when you see her house. It’s an expression of his feelings for her.”
“Like the Taj Mahal.”
“That’s a tomb,” he said. “Julia’s house was designed for a living woman who appreciates the serenity of orderly surroundings. There’s something mysterious about the place. Uncle Samuel used to say that no matter how much time he spent with Julia, he’d never completely understand her.”
When he was a teenager, Nick had helped his uncle build Julia’s house, and his opinion of the property was colored by that experience. During that summer, he’d learned a lot about architecture. The mathematics and calculations of creating blueprints were only part of design. Samuel taught him about heart, about making a house into a home.
At a road leading into a mountain canyon, he took a right turn. Earlier today when he was at the Spencer Building, he’d noticed that Julia’s office, which was right next door to his uncle’s, was empty. Nobody expected her to come to work. Samuel’s death had to be harder on her than anyone else.
He looked over at Kelly. “You’re quiet.”
“I was trying to imagine what it would be like to have someone love you so much that they built you a house.” She gave him a wistful smile. “It’s epic.”
He wanted to tell her that every woman deserved a castle and a man who loved her so deeply that he would shape his life around her wants and needs, but he wasn’t that much of a romantic. Real life was seldom that pretty. “Don’t get the wrong idea. Julia and Samuel weren’t a lovey-dovey couple. He was a dreamer, and she was pragmatic. They argued all the time.”
“And he never married her.” Her eyebrows pulled down into a frown. “I guess no relationship is perfect.”
Perfection was too much to hope for. He’d gladly settle for what Samuel had with Julia.
Chapter Six
Monday, 2:25 p.m.
After Nick’s description, Kelly expected a gigantic mansion or, at least, a couple of turrets. Instead, she saw a home built of dark wood and lots of windows, many of which were stained glass that sparkled like exotic jewels in the forested surroundings. Rather than reaching for the sky, Julia’s house was primarily horizontal, gradually rising to three stories. If they hadn’t taken a turn at the driveway, she might have driven right by the place.
“It’s kind of secretive,” she said.
“So is Julia.”
The afternoon sunlight shone brightly on the large wooden deck nearest the driveway. Under the eaves, Kelly noticed the figure of a tall, thin woman who stood in the shadows with her arms folded across her middle. She didn’t look welcoming. “Maybe we should have called before dropping by.”
“Julia is practically my aunt,” he said. “Besides, she might have told me not to come, and I need to find out about Samuel’s latest project.”
He parked in front of a three-car garage, and they climbed a winding path that led to the front entryway. As they approached, the details of the house became clear.
Surrounding the path and all along the side of the house, Samuel had used xeriscaping techniques that wouldn’t require watering, which was always a problem in the arid Colorado climate. The placement of rocks and plants reminded her of a Japanese garden, and she heard the gentle echo of a wind chime. There didn’t seem to be a right angle anywhere. Some of the wood beams featured delicate carvings or calligraphy. The most interesting feature was the play of light through blue, purple, red and green stained-glass pieces that created an ever-changing mosaic of color.
If this house truly represented the woman who lived here, Kelly expected to find someone of hidden depth and passion.
When Julia answered the bell, Kelly was a little disappointed. The tall, thin woman was dressed in a shapeless brown skirt and a top in a similar dull color. Her faded gray hair was cut short to frame her angular face. She didn’t seem remarkable at all.
Nick introduced her, and Kelly shook Julia’s cold hand. “I’m sorry for you loss,” she said.
“You’re the nurse who was with Samuel when he died.”
“Before he died,” Kelly corrected. “He was barely conscious.”
“Could he speak?”
“A little bit.” Like everyone else, she wanted to hear Samuel’s last words.
