A touch of love Page 12

  Shelley turned around to get a look at it but the Buick Regal between them blocked her view. "I haven't paid much attention, but I don't remember seeing one."

  Jesse pulled off the freeway an exit early, at Orange Grove, but the Corvette kept right on going toward Pasadena. Aubrey promptly dismissed it as a threat, but Jesse remained suspicious. "If that's the same car I saw this morning, then he knows where we're headed. Let's everyone keep an eye out for him."

  They dropped Shelley off at her mother's house, which was right around the corner from hers, then took a circuitous route to Aubrey's, and didn't sight the Corvette on the way. Jesse let Trisha and Aubrey out of the Volvo before he drove it into the garage, and Trisha promptly drew her boss aside while they had a minute to speak privately.

  "I thought Gardner looked awfully cute today, but if he has a crush on me as Shelley claims, he hides it well. He didn't even sit beside me at lunch. Do you think I ought to call him and ask him out?"

  Aubrey regarded her assistant with a befuddled stare. She couldn't imagine a more spectacular mismatch than the self-conscious young man and the supremely confident Trisha, and hesitated to encourage it. "Why don't you wait

  until Saturday, and make a few friendly overtures. If he's interested, he'll respond.''

  "And if he doesn't?"

  "Well, what would you do if it were anyone else?"

  Trisha waved to Jesse as she started down the driveway toward her car. "I'd forget it. Thanks, I'll do just that."

  "What's she going to forget?" Jesse asked.

  Aubrey waited until she had unlocked the back door to respond, and then did so in a hushed whisper. "Asking Gardner for a date on Saturday, if he doesn't seem any more interested in her than he was today."

  "She'd ask him out?"

  "This is the nineties, cowboy. Don't women ask men for dates in Arizona?" Aubrey went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to get a drink of water. "I want to take a shower before we go out."

  "Take your time, and yes, women do invite men out in Arizona, but I told Gardner to play it cool with Trisha. I thought once he improved his looks that she'd go into her attack mode, and apparently she has, but we ought to coordinate our strategies so we don't have those two working at cross purposes."

  "I can't even coordinate my own life, let alone theirs, Jesse. Let's just stay out of it. Please."

  Jesse nodded, but he had plans aplenty for them both.

  Not wanting to surprise her in the morning, he was just about to broach the subject of a return trip to the Ferrells' house while they were eating dinner, when Aubrey surprised him by mentioning his cousin first. He carefully chewed his bite of steak and laid his fork on his plate. They were seated side by side in a comfortable red leather booth, and he hoped the mellow surroundings would influence her mood.

  "I was surprised by the question about the photograph today," Aubrey confided, "but only because ithadn'tcome

  earlier. It's been three days since it appeared, and while I may have let you frighten me into allowing you to stay at my home on Monday, I really don't feel that I'm in any danger because of it." She paused to make certain he understood how serious she was.

  "I don't want to regard every rusde in the bushes or car I see twice in a single day as a threat"

  ' 'Wait a minute. What rustle in the bushes are you talking about?"

  Jesse appeared alarmed, and Aubrey hadn't meant to scare him. "Oh, I'm sure it was nothing. I thought I heard someone in the backyard last night, but Guinevere was on the back porch and she didn't bark. It was probably just an opossum. They're nocturnal and they wander the neighborhood, foraging for tasty leftovers in the trash."

  Apparendy completely unaware of the pain she had just caused him, Aubrey took another bite of scampi, but Jesse was so angry with her he shoved his plate away. "Why didn't you tell me about this last night? Did you think the killers would walk up and ring your doorbell?"

  "Will you please keep your voice down," Aubrey asked. The couple dining in the next booth hadn't turned to stare at them, but if Jesse continued to berate her that loudly everyone in the dimly lit restaurant was sure to turn their way. "No. I did not expect danger to plunk itself down on the doorstep, but still, you're making too much of this, which is exacdy why I didn't wake you last night."

  Jesse shook his head. "When did you plan to call me, when you felt the cold edge of a knife at your throat?"

  Aubrey had also lost her appetite, laid her fork across her plate, and blotted her mouth on her napkin. "I think we ought to continue this discussion at home. Then you can pack your things and go back to Edith's."

  "Like hell." Jesse didn't know which was worse, that she hadn't called him when she had heard a suspicious noise,

  or that she wanted him gone, but he wasn't about to leave. "The only way to settle this issue to our individual satisfaction is for you to come out to the Fen-ells' house again tomorrow. This time, I want you to pump up that intuition of yours, or whatever else it is that painted the clear picture of my last ride in your mind, and get us some real clues as to what happened to Pete and his family."

  'Til do no such thing."

  Jesse wrapped his fingers around her wrist. "Yes, you will, or I'll feel obligated to serve as your bodyguard forever. Look at it that way, Aubrey. The only way to get me out of your life is to find the Ferrells, or what's left of them, and catch their killers."

  Aubrey didn't fight his confining hold, she simply stared at his hand and waited for the awful images she was sure would appear, but other than outrage, she felt nothing. "I think we better leave," she ordered in a hushed voice, "or I'll ask the manager to call the police and have you arrested."

  "What's the charge? Caring more than I should about a stubborn redhead who doesn't know enough to report a prowler?"

  Aubrey didn't know what to make of his sudden declaration that he cared about her. Completely confused, she said, "Let's straighten this out at home."

  Jesse brought her hand to his lips, then released her. "That's fine with me, but now that you've become so agreeable, I think I'll finish my steak."

  Aubrey leaned back against the soft, red leather and hoped it took him long enough for her to think of a convincing way, other than summoning the police, to send him away. Where was an Indian brave when she needed one, she wondered, but that bit of wildly creative imagery brought her no peace that night.

  masquerade as the Caped Crusader, or whatever superhero's popular now?"

  Jesse couldn't believe she didn't know. "It's the Power Rangers, and there are five of them. But that's beside the point. I don't want to play a superhero; I just want to make certain you'll be safe."

  "Aren't you concerned about yourself?"

  Jesse shot her a condescending glance, and Aubrey immediately recognized her mistake. "Of course. You rode bulls for a living. How stupid of me to forget that you don't even know the meaning of the word fear."

  Jesse took care not to slam his door so loudly he would wake every baby in the neighborhood, but he certainly didn't appreciate Aubrey's sarcasm. It was true he had gotten her into the mess she adamandy denied being in, but he did not believe cooperation to get her out was too much to ask.

  Guinevere was inside, and started yapping at him as soon as he unlocked the door.

  "Okay, rag mop. You've impressed me with how fierce you are. Now come on, back me up here." Aubrey had left several lights burning in the house, but Jesse flipped on a lot more as he moved through the downstairs. He didn't see anything out of place, nor find a window unlatched, but remained alert as he climbed the stairs. He paused outside Aubrey's bedroom, but neither heard nor felt anything odd. When he toured the room, the only scent was vanilla incense, and he felt sure no one had been there since they had left.

  There were three other bedrooms on the second floor, and this was his first chance to see them. All were just as beautifully furnished as hers, but without the clutter that would have come from even occasional use by a guest. There were a
lso two bathrooms in addition to Aubrey's, one decorated in pink, the other sky blue. The towels

  hanging on the racks were new, and the rolls of toilet paper unused. The couch in the den folded out into a bed, so he hadn't had to sleep on the floor, but it now struck him as insulting that Aubrey hadn't offered him the use of one of the spare bedrooms.

  "This is a damn movie set," he remarked under his breath, and the sound of his voice echoing off the walls was enough to send Guinevere into another barking fit. Fearing Aubrey might worry that something had happened to him, he hushed the dog and hurried back down the stairs, but when he opened the back door, he found Aubrey leaning against his Chevy, gazing up at the stars, obviously completely unconcerned about his welfare. Still aggravated that she apparently didn't trust him enough to give him a room upstairs, his voice had a graveled edge. "I should have told you to stay in the truck with the doors locked."

  "Why? I don't recall anyone being attacked in the driveway near here."

  "Want to be the first?" Jesse scoffed. The dense cloud cover which so often blanketed Los Angeles was missing that night and the stars beckoned with a sparkling brilliance. He paused only a moment to enjoy the spectacular view, then coaxed Aubrey inside.

  "Let's make some tea," he suggested, thinking he probably needed the soothing brew more than she did. While Aubrey lit the fire under the teakettle, he went to the refrigerator, opened the freezer compartment, and knelt down to survey the contents. "I knew you'd have frozen yogurt. Would you like some?"

  "That's wonderful, Jesse. I'd like you to leave, while you're just making yourself more at home. Aren't you needed at your ranch?"

  Aubrey was sorting through the tea canister looking for a particular type of teabag rather than facing him, but she was making no effort to hide her frustration, and Jesse

  readily picked up on it. 'Til take that for a yes." He grabbed the carton of strawberry frozen yogurt, closed the freezer, and stood. He knew where the bowls and spoons were, and quickly got them out.

  4 'My ranch will survive a couple of weeks without my being there to supervise, so I'm not worried that I'll find nothing but tumbleweeds when I get home. Now that we've gotten my ranch out of the way, let's try to concentrate on the real problem." Jesse didn't want to lecture her, but he had a difficult time speaking in a relaxed, conversational tone.

  ''You're so different at the seminars that it's hard to believe you're the same person," he mused aloud. Not sure how much yogurt she wanted, he gave her the same generous portion he scooped out for himself and returned the carton to the freezer. He leaned back against the counter while they waited for the water to boil.

  4 'At the seminars, you're supremely confident," he explained, "but at the same time you exude warmth. You're approachable there, and the audience responds positively. Once you bring the seminar to a close, however, you retreat into yourself. Or maybe you're simply a consummate actress, and the Aubrey Glenn people see at the seminars is an act."

  Aubrey fought not to be insulted by what she considered an extremely unflattering description of her behavior. "We all have multifaceted personalities," she argued. "Just because I choose to show one side during seminars, and another in more private settings, doesn't mean either is an act. I'm no phoney."

  "I didn't say you were." The water was hot, and Jesse waited until she brewed their tea to suggest they move into the living room to talk. He picked up the bowls of yogurt and led the way. Expensively furnished in fine antiques, the room had a twenty-foot ceiling with exposed beams.

  It was a charming setting decorated in lush shades of cranberry and gold. Certain she would take the wing chair in the far corner, he turned to block her way.

  "Come sit with me on the sofa so we don't have to shout across the room." He set the yogurt on the coffee table and waited for her to make herself comfortable. That she chose the far end of the cranberry velvet sofa didn't surprise him, but he took care not to crowd her and sat toward the other end. He stretched out his legs to get comfortable.

  "I truly believe we can use your talents to solve my cousins' disappearance." Aubrey opened her mouth, but already knowing she would argue, Jesse raised his hand. "Hold on a minute. Just let me finish. I'm way past making an appeal to your sense of citizenship, and I never meant to use your fondness for my aunt to coerce you into working on the case. Please believe me.

  "Trisha thinks we make a good team, and so do I. That's why I want us to work together: I truly believe we'll make a difference. We might also discover something important about ourselves." His voice softened. "Or something more, I should say."

  Self-discovery was the theme of The Mind's Eye, and that Jesse would quote her book in an effort to impress her struck Aubrey as incredibly low. She watched him take a spoonful of yogurt and hoped that he would choke. He didn't

  "You already know how highly I value self-discovery," she responded as calmly as she could, "but you're not the one who's had to face the frightening visions. To expect me to willingly repeat that experience, for whatever reason, is simply too much to ask."

  Jesse let the yogurt slide down his throat. Cold and sweet, it helped him keep a firm hold on his temper. He took another bite and nodded to acknowledge Aubrey's point. He really didn't care if he had to keep her up all night,

  he was going to win her cooperation; that's all there was to it.

  A sudden hideous screech from the backyard brought Aubrey to her feet. "My God. What was that?"

  Jesse set his yogurt aside and stood. Guinevere had heard the strangled cry, too, but the dog was cowering at her mistress's feet rather than barking. "Does Lucifer ever get in cat fights?"

  "He's neutered, but occasionally he does. Tomcats exchange low, threatening moans before they sink their claws into each other, and I didn't hear anything that sounded like him."

  "Stay here," Jesse ordered, but as he slipped past Aubrey, she followed right behind him. "I should have known," he murmured under his breath.

  "This is my house," Aubrey reminded him, "and I'll go wherever I please."

  Jesse reached the side door first and flipped on the patio lights. "Shouldn't the lights be on in the pool?"

  Aubrey ducked under his arm to look out. "Yes. They're on a timer." She pushed the door open, then recoiled slightly. "What is that awful stench?"

  Jesse eased open the screen door. "It smells like burnt fur. I sure hope Lucifer wasn't playing with matches. Do you have a flashlight?"

  Aubrey ran to the other side of the kitchen to grab one off the counter. "Let's go together." She waited until Jesse had stepped out the door, then turned on the flashlight. The patio was well lit by a single bright bulb on the side of the house, but the pool and surrounding area lay in shadows. She swept the yard with the bright beam. It made an eerie circle on the well-tended shrubbery, but there was nothing unusual to see—until she aimed the light at the pool.

  "There's something floating in the water," she whispered.

  Jesse took Aubrey's hand to ensure a cautious approach. In another couple of steps, he recognized the victim. "It's the opossum you claimed you heard last night. He's obviously dead and he didn't have time to drown."

  Gripped by terror, Aubrey pulled Jesse back from the edge of the pool with a frantic jerk. "Don't get any closer. He might have been electrocuted."

  "What?" Jesse felt as though the patio had taken a fast five-foot drop and it took his stomach several seconds to catch up. "Of course. The poor critter must have sidled up to the pool for a drink and zap, he was toast. We're calling the police right now, Aubrey. This was no accident, and if we'd stopped for a swim before going out to dinner, we might have lost more than our appetites."

  Aubrey had refused to believe Jesse's claims that she was in danger, but clearly someone had wanted her dead badly enough to rig the lights in the pool to electrocute her. That thought was far worse than any vision could ever be, and she didn't intend to let the culprit get away with it. She backed away from the pool with a shaky step, but she had
never been more determined.

  "I'll help you, Jesse," she promised in a breathless rush. "You have my word on it. The visions were horrifying, but they were no more than sickening images. This threat is real."

  Jesse let out a startled howl as Lucifer brushed up against his leg. "Here's your cat. Let's bring him inside before he gets thirsty."

  Aubrey shut off the flashlight and scooped up the affectionate tomcat in her arms. "My cleaning woman was here this morning, and I've never known her to take time out to swim, but my God, what if she had? The pool man comes tomorrow. If that poor opossum hadn't been killed

  tonight, we wouldn't have known the pool wasn't safe and it could have been him we found floating face down. What kind of monster sets a deadly trap when he can't be certain who'll be the victim?"

  Jesse held the screen door open for her. 'The kind who wipes out whole families without batting an eye. I wonder if anyone saw a gold Corvette parked nearby today."

  Aubrey set Lucifer down in the kitchen and went to the telephone. "I don't know what to tell the police."

  Jesse moved to her side and took the receiver. "Don't worry. I'll just get them over here, and they'll be able to see the problem for themselves." Jesse dialed 911 and reported a strong suspicion someone with deadly intentions had tampered with Ms. Glenn's pool. The police station was only a mile away, and as he replaced the receiver, he heard sirens in the distance. "Can't ask for better service than that. They're on the way."

  "Our frozen yogurt's melting," Aubrey murmured absently, and Jesse drew her into a comforting hug. Without a thought of what tricks her mind might play, she slid her arms around his waist to return it. For a brief instant she felt safe, then embarrassed to need his warmth so badly, she backed away and went to the front door to wait for the police.

  Aubrey's street was soon blocked by police cars and fire engines, their motors running with a deep, throaty hum. Lured by the noise and flashing lights, neighbors, who hadn't spoken to each other since the last major earthquake, came outside to mill about on the sidewalk and speculate on what had prompted such an impressive response from the city.