Page 18 of Murder List (Buchanan-Renard 4)

“Yes, he has,” Lewis said. “You’ll have help, but it won’t be Buchanan.” He sat down in his chair and scowled at Wincott. “You understand what I’m saying? Buchanan’s got bodyguard duty and that’s all.”

  “Did Sam call you?” Regan asked her brother. She whispered so that the lieutenant wouldn’t hear her. “Is that why you’re here?”

  Wincott and Bradshaw were occupied arguing with Lewis about manpower, ignoring Regan for the moment, but Alec was paying attention.

  “No,” Aiden said in response to Regan’s question. “Henry called Sam and told him you were on your way here. He also told him about the e-mail and the fax you received. I saw the photos.”

  “You did?”

  “There were copies on my desk when I arrived. As soon as I saw them, I called Sam. Neither one of us found out you had made a murder list until we got here. Regan, what in God’s name were you thinking?”

  “Excuse me?” Anger radiated in her voice.

  “You heard me. I cannot imagine why you would do such a thing.”

  She didn’t bother to explain because she knew that no matter what she said, she would still be put on the defensive. And be found guilty.

  She took a breath and whispered. “How did you get those photos? Henry wouldn’t have placed anything on your desk without checking with me first.”

  “Someone put them there. I just assumed they came from your assistant. That really isn’t important, is it?”

  Yes, she thought, it was very important, but she knew that now wasn’t the time to argue about it. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t bother Spencer and Walker about any of this. I don’t want them to worry,” she said.

  “Too late. Someone e-mailed them the photos.”

  “The photos of Detective Sweeney and the saleswoman? They’ve seen those photos?” she asked, trying to understand.

  “Were there others?”

  “No, no there weren’t.”

  “Then the answer is yes. They’ve seen the photos of the detective and the saleswoman.”

  “I wish they hadn’t seen them. They’re going to worry, and—” Her anger and frustration were building.

  Aiden, on the other hand, was his usual stone-faced self. “Worry? They’re frantic. Spencer wants you under lock and key until he gets here, and then he hopes you’ll fly back to Melbourne and stay with him until the police catch this maniac.”

  “I’m not going to do that.”

  “He thinks he can talk you into it. Walker also wants you to stay with him.”

  “Where is he this week?”

  “Paris until the day after tomorrow. He wants you to travel with him, and that, of course, is out of the question.”

  “Aiden, I can make my own decisions.”

  “You won’t even get in a car with Walker. Why would you consider traveling with him?”

  “I’m not going to travel with him, and I’m not going to Melbourne.”

  Aiden nodded and turned to Alec. “As I was explaining to Detective Wincott, we have an excellent security force at the hotel. I’ll go ahead and hire additional men.”

  Was he dismissing him? Alec thought maybe he was and was vastly amused. Did Aiden think Alec worked for him? Even though he found the job of bodyguard a little demeaning, he would keep Regan safe until Lewis replaced him.

  Detective Wincott joined them. Aiden assured him that he and his brothers, and Regan, of course, would do anything they could to help with the investigation.

  “She’s living at the hotel now, and her office is on the third floor, so she never has to go outside, and that should make your job a little easier,” he told Alec.

  Regan was shaking her head. “I can’t just cancel my schedule. I’ve given my word that I would help with some important events coming up. I won’t miss the hospital fund-raiser.”

  “You’re going to have to cancel everything for now,” Aiden said. “If you insist on staying in Chicago, then you’re stuck in the hotel. I’m postponing my business trips until this matter is settled.”

  “But, Aiden—” she began. Her brother had already turned to Wincott and was now discussing the plan for her protection. Neither one of them asked her opinion. Aiden still firmly believed she should be put on their private jet and sent into seclusion.

  In the midst of their conversation, Regan walked out of the office. Alec was right behind her.

  “Would you mind driving me back to the hotel?” she asked. “If it isn’t convenient, I could walk or grab a cab.”

  “What is it with you people? First you and then your brother. I’m not going to go away, so stop trying to dismiss me. Got that?”

  She didn’t turn around. “Yes, all right.”

  “Wait a minute. What about your brother?”

  She kept right on going. “What about him?”

  A slow smile crossed his face. He followed her down the stairs, half expecting her brother to come chasing after her.

  “How come you didn’t defend yourself back there?”

  “When?”

  “When your brother asked about the murder list. He gave me the impression that he thinks you’re responsible.”

  “In a way I am, aren’t I?”

  “No.”

  He grabbed her arm and pulled her back so she wouldn’t go outside ahead of him. They crossed the street and went into the parking lot. Alec opened the passenger door for her, but his gaze, she noticed, was never still. It was as though he expected a sniper to pop up somewhere. He scanned the roofs and the street beyond.

  Once he was behind the wheel, he pushed a button that locked the doors. The sound turned her thoughts. “I’m going to buy a new car today.”

  “You are? What’s wrong with the car you have? You do own a car, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do.” She wondered if he thought she was driven around in a limo whenever she wanted to go out.

  “So what’s wrong with it?” He pictured her driving a Mercedes or maybe even a Porsche, definitely something expensive and trendy.

  “It’s old.”

  “How old? A year? Two?”

  “You think I’m spoiled, don’t you?”

  “Does it matter what I think of you?”

  “No.” She told the lie well and was certain he believed her. It did matter, though, a little anyway.

  The traffic was heavy. When Alec veered to the left to avoid a car that pulled in front of them, Regan flinched, and when he sped up to work his way onto the highway, she reacted again. “Listen,” he said. “You’re making me nuts grabbing the dashboard every time I turn a corner. Try to relax, or is that possible?”

  “Of course it’s possible. Slow down and I’ll prove it.”

  “I know what I’m doing.” There was a bite in his voice now.

  His tone didn’t faze her. “So does Walker, and he’s had God only knows how many accidents.”

  “I’m not your brother,” he said. “And the name is Alec.”

  She noticed he’d slowed the car down. “What did you say?”

  “You might as well call me Alec. You and I are going to be real tight for a while.”

  “If Lieutenant Lewis knew I was going to put him on that murder list, he’d reassign you and hang me out to dry. That’s what I’d do.”

  He laughed. “No, you wouldn’t. You’re too softhearted to do anything like that.”

  “You can’t know if I’m softhearted or not.”

  “Sure I can. I’m a detective.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I detect,” he said with a grin.

  “Are you married?” Now, why had she asked him that? It really was none of her business.

  “No.”

  “I’m not either,” she said.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Regan was trying to come up with a suitable reason she’d asked such a personal question. “I was just curious,” she said. How lame was that?

  They reached the hotel a minute later. Wincott called Alec’s cell phone just as the doorman o

pened the car door for Regan.

  “I wanted to talk to you about the schedule,” Wincott said as Alec followed her into the lobby.

  “What about it?”

  “You can’t be with the woman twenty-four hours a day, despite what Lewis thinks. You’re gonna have to sleep sometime. You could sleep with her, I guess. That would be one way to keep an eye on her during the night.”

  “There’s a plan,” Alec said dryly.

  “Of course, there’s a chance she might not cooperate.”

  “So what do you suggest? You’re running the show.”

  Regan had stopped at the front desk and was going through some papers one of the staff had handed her. Alec stood about ten feet away, his back to her, watching the people in the lobby.

  “Her brother wants her under lock and key,” he said. “That would make our job easier; however, we both know there will be times when she absolutely has to leave the hotel, so how about this? You’re with her all day, in and outside the hotel. Wherever she goes, you go, but when she’s in for the night, we let the hotel security staff babysit her.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “I don’t like it, either.”

  Alec laughed. “Then why did you suggest it?”

  “Bradshaw wanted me to.”

  “Since when do you listen to your partner?”

  “Pretty much never, but he came up with the idea, and I promised I’d run it by you,” he said. “Her brother’s hiring additional security.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I still don’t like it. I don’t trust any outsider to do our job.”

  Wincott agreed. “This bastard … he’s playing a sick game with her, isn’t he?”

  “That’s my guess.”

  “I’ve got a feeling he’s going to want some feedback from her.”

  “I think so too. You do something nice for someone, you want to hear thank you.”

  “Matlin agrees with you,” he said, referring to the staff psychiatrist. “He thinks he’ll want to contact her again, but he’ll do something a little more personal than a fax or an e-mail.”

  “What else did he say?”

  “Bradshaw only just gave him the file, so Matlin’s going to need a little time, but he did notice the ‘your’ was underlined a couple of times. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? On the subject line of the fax. He wrote, ‘Your Murder List.’”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “Matlin thinks underlining the ‘your’ is significant.”

  “Did he say why?”

  “No.”

  “That’s a big help.”

  “I’ll talk to him in a couple of hours. He should have had enough time to go over our notes.”

  “Let me know what he says.”

  “Okay. I’m going to get someone over there tonight to relieve you. Tomorrow we’ll figure out a schedule that works for everyone.”

  “Have whoever you assign call me before he comes over.”

  Alec ended the call and turned to Regan. She handed some papers back to the clerk and said something to the woman that made her smile.

  “Are you ready?” she asked Alec.

  “Ready for anything,” he said. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I’d like to test drive a couple of cars this afternoon.”

  He shook his head. “You’re going to have to put that on hold.”

  “I’m stuck here, aren’t I?”

  “Yes. Do you have a lot of work to do?”

  They crossed the lobby to the bank of elevators.

  “Actually, once I get caught up, I won’t have much to do for a while. This is our slow time, or wind-down time.”

  “How come?”

  “All the grant letters have gone out. The money’s been allotted for this next year, but the process starts all over again in August, when Henry and I begin sorting through all the new applicants.”

  Regan was digging through her purse, looking for her elevator key. She handed Alec her billfold, a pen, lipstick, a packet of tissues, an inhaler, and a notepad before she found it.

  She smiled. “It’s always on the bottom,” she said. She put the key in the slot and pushed the button for the third floor before she opened her purse wide enough for Alec to dump everything back in.

  “I understand no one can get up to the offices without a key,” he said as the doors opened.

  “That’s right.”

  “Bet it would be easy to steal a key.”

  She thought about it. “Yes, it would be easy. So many of the staff have keys, and they get misplaced.”

  “Not good.” The elevator stopped on the third floor as he said, “You need to talk to the head of security.”

  “Yes, of course. I’ll make a note to talk to her tomorrow.”

  “Her?”He sounded surprised.

  “Do you have a problem with a woman in charge of our security?”

  “Not if she’s good.”

  Henry must have heard them talking, because he came rushing toward them when they turned the corner.

  “Man, have I got news,” he said. He was so excited he sounded out of breath. “Aiden called and left a message. He’s posting a guard in front of the elevators and the stairwell downstairs, and another one on this floor. No one gets past without proper identification, and it’s got to be a photo ID. He’s also putting a guard outside your door upstairs, your bedroom door.”

  “When is this supposed to happen?” Regan asked.

  “Now,” he answered. “They’re all on their way, I guess. Anyway, there’s more …”

  He was walking backward as Regan and Alec headed for her offices. “More guards?” she asked.

  Henry shook his head. “No, more news. You’re not gonna believe this.”

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” he said in case she was worried about that. “It’s just … well, you’re not going to believe …”

  “Try me.”

  “You might get mad.”

  “For heaven’s sake, just tell me,” she said, her exasperation obvious in her tone.

  They had reached her offices. Alec stepped around Henry to hold the door for both of them.

  “Before Aiden went with the attorney to the police station, he stopped in here.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “He told me to tell you that he had your car towed away, and he left this for you,” he said. He turned and picked up a padded envelope from his desk.

  Regan looked astonished. “He had my car …”

  “Towed away,” Henry said.

  “Did he tell you where he had it towed?”

  Henry looked miserable when he said, “To a junkyard, but he wouldn’t tell me which one.”

  She took a step back. She could feel her face heating up. She tried to remain calm in front of Alec and Henry, but inside she was doing a slow burn. She took a deep breath. It didn’t help. The burn was getting hotter.

  “Aren’t you going to open the envelope?” Henry asked.

  “Yes,” she said. She tore the seal off and pulled out a set of keys.

  “Did Aiden explain this?” she asked, holding the key chain up.

  Once again, Henry was looking excited. “He bought you a car.”

  Alec noticed that Regan’s left eyelid twitched ever so slightly. It was apparent she was struggling to keep her temper under control. She was doing a fair job of it too.

  “Your brother bought you a new car,” Alec commented cheerfully. “Wasn’t that nice of him?” He added the question just to see how she would respond.

  Her eyelid twitched again. “Yes,” she said, all but choking on the word.

  “It’s a Beemer,” Henry announced. He was looking at the emblem on the key ring.

  When Regan didn’t immediately show any reaction to that news, Henry thought she didn’t understand. “You know what I’m talking about, right? A Beemer’s a BMW.”

  She didn’t trust herself to speak, and so she simply nodded. She was

at a loss for words and so furious with her brother she wanted to scream. His audacity was stunning. Why was he so hell-bent on running her life?

  “Regan, are you okay? You’ve got a real funny look in your eyes,” Henry said.

  “I think she’s still reeling from the surprise,” Alec said. He was trying to be diplomatic. In reality, she looked as if she wanted to kill someone.

  Henry couldn’t quite contain his eagerness. “Yes, I guess I would be reeling too. A Beemer costs a small fortune.” He turned to Regan again and said, “Aiden didn’t mention what color the car was, and I didn’t think to ask him until after he left.”

  She took another deep breath. “The color isn’t important.”

  “Would you like me to test drive it for you?” Henry asked. “I mean, you know, just to see if the car measures up. Aiden told me it’s already insured, and I’ve got the time. My desk is clear, and I’m all caught up.”

  The kid was dying to drive the car, and judging from the look in Regan’s eyes, she was dying to get her hands on her brother’s neck.

  Alec couldn’t help but be impressed with her restraint. Keeping all that anger bottled up inside couldn’t be good for her, though. And what was her brother’s problem? Alec thought it was damned gutsy for him to have her car towed away, no matter how old or junky it was.

  Not my worry, he told himself. He was out of here in less than a month, and he wasn’t going to get involved with anyone before he left. Every family had problems, of course, but Regan’s brother put a whole new spin on the word “dysfunctional.” Alec couldn’t imagine one of his brothers or sisters having his car towed away. If they did, he’d have to kick some serious butt. Aiden didn’t seem to have any problem interfering in Regan’s life, however. Were her other brothers like him? Three men trying to run her life. Good Lord. If that were true he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her … and for any man who tried to get close to her.

  But not his concern, he reminded himself. No, sir. No problem, no worries. Yeah, that was going to be his motto for the remainder of his time in Chicago. He’d do his job to the best of his ability and then get out. Sounded simple enough.

  “So what do you think, Regan?” Henry asked.

  She mentally shook herself. “I’m sorry. What do I think about what?”

  “Do you want me to test drive the new car for you?”