Smoke and Sin (The Perfect Gentlemen 4)

“Do you know the name of the woman who persuaded him to let Constance out that night?” Roman asked while trying to shrug yet another cat off his shoulder.

Ellen shook her head. “Mum said it was some member of her family. But she didn’t have to sign in or out like other people. Everything was kept real quiet. Given who the son turned out to be, I suspect the family is still keeping quiet.”

“Actually, her son desperately wants the truth,” Gus said.

“Did he have my mum killed?” She kept stroking the cat absently, but raised her pale stare.

Roman turned to her. “Absolutely not. Her son has suffered greatly as a result of this accident, too. He wants to find out if it was actually a murder.”

“I know we’re talking about President Hayes. You can say his name.” She cocked her head. “I was wondering if you’d come to kill me. It doesn’t matter. The cancer will get me soon enough. It’s why I’m not screaming or calling the police. When you showed up, I realized I might get some answers of my own.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Gus reached out to the woman, laying a hand over hers. “And I’m sorry your mother got caught in this, but we’re not the bad guys. We’re trying to figure out who did this and why. We were hoping you knew something about the recordings of Constance’s sessions that disappeared. Maybe your mother told you who took them or where they might be stored. Whoever took those tapes is trying to use them against her son. We need to know what’s on them.”

“Don’t know what’s on them, but whatever it is, I’m sure it’s something that could be used against him. Mum knew it, too.”

“Can you shed any light on where they might be now?”

“Of course. Mum took them,” Ellen replied readily. “Said the docs had gotten rich enough and it was her turn. She said she’d earned the money that information would fetch, and she expected that it would be a lot. I don’t know who she thought would give her the money. I told her the plan was insane. And then she was mysteriously killed. I never did believe her attack was a random thing by some punks wanting drugs. Whoever she blackmailed wanted those tapes, and they were willing to kill for them.”

Gus sat back, alarmed…but not surprised. She’d known for a long while these people were willing to kill to further their cause, whatever that was. Still, she and Roman needed to listen to those recordings. They needed to hear Constance Hayes in her own words. If they couldn’t, Gus wasn’t sure how they could move forward in their investigation. And Roman would have become a human cat lounger for nothing.

“So your mother died and they took the tapes she’d secreted from the hospital?”

“Yes,” Ellen replied. “Well, the ones she hid in her house. Not the two in storage. Those are still in the box Mum packed them in. I don’t want them. If I’d been smart, I would have destroyed them long ago. Never listened to them.” She paused, then admitted, “I wanted to know why she died, but I was afraid to find out.”

“Are you saying some of those tapes are somewhere in your keeping?” Roman asked.

Ellen looked him over, her lips firming to a stubborn line. “Yes, but I want something, too. I lost my mum over those blasted things. So I want to make sure I get something out of this deal.”

“What do you want?” Gus was ready to pull out her checkbook.

“A good home for my cats.”

“Done.” Gus would find homes for every single one of these purring, affectionate felines if it meant she got her hands on those tapes.

Ellen relaxed, her whole body slumping back into her comfy chair. “Good. Don’t want them going to a shelter. Nasty places. They’re too often euthanized, particularly special-needs babies. Cats need homes.” She sent Roman a little smile. “I think Mr. Darcy knows who he wants to go home with.”

Gus turned to find Roman now surrounded by cats.

“Can we have the tapes now?” The cat on the sofa back batted a paw at his hair, messing up his normally perfect do.

He gritted his teeth and took it like a man.

And Gus fell in love all over again.

* * * *

“I’m not taking those cats. You can’t make me.” Roman stood outside one of the village shops, where they’d paused to ask for directions. And buy a lint brush. Gus rolled the adhesive contraption over him, saving his suit from becoming a casualty of the catpocalypse.

She brushed over his shoulders, peeling the cat hair off his precious Hugo Boss. “I said I would help find them all good homes and ensure they were fed and taken care of. I didn’t say they were moving into your condo. Even if we could get them back to the States, I don’t think your building allows pets.”

“I was thinking of moving.” He watched as she knelt, since it appeared Mr. Darcy had left half his fur on the cuffs of his charcoal slacks. “Not that I want twelve animals, but maybe one would be nice. I also want a place with more room. Maybe something in the suburbs.”

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. “You? Somehow I can’t see you out of your high-rise.”

He shrugged. “It could happen.”

Lots of things could happen.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find someplace lovely.” She went back to working on his slacks.

He’d never once thought about leaving the city until the night before. He didn’t spend enough time in his condo to warrant buying a damn house, but sometime in the middle of the night he’d had a vision of a house he actually occupied more often than never. A house where he had breakfast and rushed home so he could have dinner. A house in which he didn’t live alone, where he could do stupid things like host a barbecue for his friends or raise a couple of kids.

A house with Augustine.

Of course, first they had to pray those tapes were where Ellen House claimed her mother stored them. Then they had to ferry them back to London and hear whatever ugly truths they held.

“Did the shopkeeper know how to find the place Ellen told us about? Did we take a wrong turn?” Roman asked as he held out his hand and helped her stand upright again.

Damn but she was pretty, even when she was holding a fuzzy lint brush.

“We didn’t go far enough. It’s another mile north, and then we’ll turn left onto a country road. He warned me, though, that no one’s lived at the Farrington Farm for a few years,” Gus explained. “I told him we wanted to look at it because we were thinking about buying it. It’s not such a crazy idea. If he looks into it, I even gave him the name of my real estate agent.”

“Why do you have a real estate agent?” How seriously had she looked at taking the job with Sara? He wasn’t about to let that happen.

She didn’t meet his gaze. “I’ve thought maybe I would get a place here if something irresistible came on the market. I love England.”

She wanted a getaway house. He liked that idea. As long as it wasn’t full of furry, shedding creatures, he could embrace that. He only wanted one pussy in his life. “That’s nice. I thought you were talking about finding a place in New York.”

She stopped briefly. “No, if I go to New York, I’ll probably stay with Sara until after the baby arrives. Maybe a while longer so I can help her.”

She’d lost her own baby, and it had filled her with such pain. But she still wanted to help her friend. He’d always been so intimidated by her moxie and her complete willingness to go to the mat for the people she loved. He needed to stop being intimidated and start working so she directed all that blustery affection and fierce loyalty his way.

“I don’t want you to leave DC, but I’d be willing to help out, too. Sara will need a lot of it,” he said quietly.

That turned her head. “You willing to change a diaper?”

He stood a little taller. “Hey, I’ve run votes on the Hill. Nothing dirtier than that. I can handle a diaper or two. I think I’ll have to do that a lot in the near future. After all, most of my pack has settled down and is looking to procreate. Maybe it’s my turn.”

She nodded, but didn’t say

anything.

“Do you think we’ll ever tell them we were first?”

She eased into his arms, wrapping him up in a hug. She laid her head over his heart, resting it there for one beautiful moment. “If you want to. I’ve never talked about it. No one knew except Mad.”

He embraced her tight and breathed her in, loving how perfectly she fit against him. “I think I’d like to talk about it, if it’s okay with you. I want to have a long talk with Dax when he gets back.”

Her face turned up, lips forming a heart-stopping grin. “I want a front-row seat for that fight.”

“Hey, I thought you said Dax would be thrilled.”

“Only after he beats you up a little. He’s my brother after all.” She shrugged and broke away from him. “We should get going. I know the farm is supposedly abandoned, but I think it’s best if we get in and out as quickly as possible.”

“If no one’s there, we shouldn’t find ourselves in jail for trespassing.” At least he hoped.

Roman jogged around the car and opened the door, settling Gus inside. Then he dashed around to the driver’s seat and eased the vehicle onto the road.