Twin Seduction

“And he’s furious,” Cash commented. “What I saw in his eyes was bordering on the irrational.” He took her hand in his and squeezed. “He may try to take his temper out on you.”

“Then we’ll have to be very careful.”

CASH SPENT the next half hour switching his attention between Jordan, whose business had once more picked up, and D.C., who spent the time alternating between his laptop and his cell phone.

At one point, shortly after he’d had his collision with Daniel Pearson, D.C. had signaled one of the guards and gestured to a space under one of the couches. The guard dutifully retrieved a BlackBerry and carried it out of the exhibition room. When Pearson missed it, Cash was betting he’d locate it in the hotel’s Lost and Found.Jordan was writing up yet another order when D.C. tucked his laptop under his arm, rose from the couch, and made his way back to the booth.

When he reached them, D.C. spoke in his Greg Majors voice. “Ms. Farrell, I know I said I’d wait until later, but I’ve got some preliminary figures for you.”

Opening his laptop, he set it on one of the cases and angled it toward Jordan. Then he spoke in a voice that didn’t carry. “Good news and bad news. The number Pearson called belongs to Rainbow Enterprises Limited. I even retrieved the extension number. But when I dialed it, all I got was a series of automated responses and invites to leave a message.”

“So we still don’t know who Pearson called or who his client might be?” Cash asked.

“Working on it,” D.C. said. “I tried Jase and got his voice mail, but I was able to reach his partner, Dino Angelis. According to Dino, Jase and Maddie are currently out of cell-phone reach while they’re tracking down a lead they picked up at Eva Ware Designs. Fortunately, Dino knows just about as much as my brother does about hacking into records.” He patted the laptop before tucking it back under his arm. “I’ll be working on it, too. It’s only a matter of time before we find out who’s behind Rainbow Enterprises.”

Cash put some effort into controlling his frustration as he watched D.C. walk away. What he couldn’t entirely rid himself of was the feeling in his gut that time was running out on them.

12

IT WAS NEARLY SIX when Jordan and Cash stood outside Pete Blackthorn’s hospital room. Since the floor didn’t allow cell phones, D.C. had stayed outside the main entrance to check in with Jase’s partner again. They still hadn’t been able to find out who owned Rainbow Enterprises Limited. Jordan figured the position also gave him a chance to see if anyone had followed them from the hotel. They’d used two cars again, and the police cruiser following them had made it a parade.

Lea had stepped out as soon as they’d arrived to announce the good news. “The surgery took a long time, but his hands are going to be fine. You’ll be able to see him as soon as Detective Alvarez is through.”Jordan watched through the window of Pete’s room as Lea rejoined her grandfather. Shay was in the process of showing Pete some photos, and the old man was studying each one intently.

Now that the jewelry show was over, she should be feeling relieved. During the closing rush, she’d rung up several impressive sales, some with dealers who’d never bought Maddie’s designs before. And she’d taken at least a dozen orders for each of the centerpiece necklaces.

She should want to celebrate. But the nerves in her stomach were still jumping. She’d tried to contact Maddie to tell her the good news, but all she’d gotten was voice mail.

Sensing her tension, Cash ran his hands down her arms, then up again to settle on her shoulders.

“You’re just as worried as I am,” she said.

“I’ll relax once Pearson is behind bars. Whatever or whoever is driving him to take your ranch off your hands has pushed him pretty close to the edge.”

“If Pete can identify Daniel’s picture, will Shay be able to arrest him?”

“Hopefully. But I’m not sure that will get us all the answers we need.”

A man in green scrubs stepped into Pete’s room, and a moment later Shay joined them in the hall. His timing perfect, D.C. stepped out of the elevator and walked toward them.

“Time to powwow,” he said. “I’ve got some news from the other coast.”

“Are Maddie and Jase all right?” Jordan asked.

D.C. sent her a reassuring smile. “I got everything secondhand from his partner since Jase is currently in an emergency room. Nothing serious. And Maddie’s fine.” He glanced around. “Anyone mind if we continue this conversation in the hospital cafeteria? I’m starved.”

No one objected.

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, the four of them were seated at an isolated table in the semicrowded cafeteria. A couple of potted trees blocked them from view on one side, and the scents of hot food and old coffee hung in the air.

Cash and Shay had procured loaded trays, offering a cornucopia of selections—everything from pizza to burgers and tacos. Jordan hadn’t realized until she caught the scent of it that she, too, was starved. After she’d downed her pizza, she looked at Shay. “Was Pete able to identify Daniel Pearson?”“He was.”

“You’re going to arrest him, then?”

“When I do, I want to be able to hold him. The man who tried to run you off the road yesterday still hasn’t regained consciousness, but I’ve been able to trace his prints. Angelo Ricci. He’s a professional from the East Coast—New York, New Jersey.”

“I can have Campbell and Angelis Security check into it,” D.C. offered. “Jase has a good friend in the NYPD, Detective Dave Stanton. Jase will give him your name.”

“I’m obliged. In the meantime, I’m checking out Pearson’s alibi for yesterday. Pete claims that he was attacked just as soon as he climbed up that cliff—maybe nine a.m. or so.”

“We met up with Daniel Pearson and Margo Lawson in Santa Fe around noon. That would give him plenty of time,” Jordan said.

“He didn’t check in with Montgomery Real Estate until after that,” Shay said around a mouthful of burger. “Still, he impresses me as a careful man. He may very well have established an alibi for himself. And he’s socially well-connected. Either he or his lawyers are going to claim that Pete’s a confused old man. The sun was probably in his eyes. While we’re waiting for the DNA on those cigarette butts to come in, it’d be good if we could establish motive.”

Setting his coffee down, Cash turned to D.C. “You got anything yet on that cell phone call he made?”

D.C.’s grin was wide as he pulled his notebook out of his pocket. “As a matter of fact, I do. Rainbow Enterprises Limited is one of many, many small companies owned or at least partially owned by Ware Bank.”

“Ware Bank is run by my uncle Carleton,” Jordan stated.

“Yep. And your Aunt Dorothy currently heads up Rainbow.”

“Aunt Dorothy? As far as I know she’s never been involved in Ware Bank—other than to host the annual Christmas party at Ware House.”

“Pearson called her?” Cash asked.

“Whether or not he talked directly to her is a question. As far as I could tell, there’s no human being on the other end of that line. But he definitely called a company she owns and he could have left a message.”

“So Daniel Pearson might have a connection to my Aunt Dorothy?” Jordan asked.

D.C. nodded. “Which is very interesting when you consider that your Aunt Dorothy has just been arrested for killing your mother and attempting to kill Jase and Maddie.”

Jordan reached for Cash’s hand. “Aunt Dorothy killed my mother?”

“So she says,” D.C. said. “She confessed to Maddie right after she took my brother out with a fireplace poker.”

Jordan’s throat constricted and Cash’s grip on her hand tightened. “Jase and Maddie—are they—”

“They’re fine. Jase is getting patched up in an emergency room. Maddie came out of their confrontation with Dorothy Ware unscathed.”

“But why would Aunt Dorothy kill my mother?”

“Details are sketchy at this point. Both she and Adam Ware have been arrested and are still being questioned by the NYPD.”

“Adam’s been arrested, too? For what?”

“I can only give you a bare bones version. But about a month ago, Adam robbed Eva Ware Designs of one hundred thousand dollars’ worth of jewels in order to cover some gambling debts. When your mother figured that out, she told your cousin that he had to leave Eva Ware Designs, and your aunt didn’t believe that failure should be in the cards for a Ware.”

“But that’s insane.” Jordan pressed her free hand to her temple as she watched D.C. and Shay exchange a look.

“I’ve come across worse excuses for murder,” Shay murmured.

“What about Uncle Carleton?” Jordan asked.

“Adam and Dorothy both claim that he knew nothing about their activities,” D.C. said.

“So Dorothy Ware killed Eva to protect the Ware name,” Cash said. “But why in the world has she been in contact with a real estate agent in Santa Fe for the past six months? And what does she have to do with the attacks on Maddie’s ranch and Jordan’s life?”