Murder List

Chapter Twenty-six

Regan had cleared her desk. Every piece of paperwork had been signed, mailed, or filed; every e-mail had been read, deleted, or answered, and every phone call had been returned.

She had miscalculated and had thought it would take her several more days to get everything done, and she wasn’t happy about being caught up. She wanted to bury herself in work to keep busy. An idle mind… worries. At least hers did. She drummed her fingertips on the desk.

She still hadn’t openly acknowledged that she was in danger and that she needed a bodyguard, because to do so would put it all right there in front of her face, and she would have to deal with it. She knew she was being foolish, maybe even a little cowardly, but at the moment she didn’t particularly care. She was scared and feeling powerless, and that was just plain awful.

Alec closed the magazine he was reading and then picked up a remote and turned to her. He saw her expression and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

He knew she had to be feeling caged. Every move she made was being watched. He decided he wouldn’t press. “Okay,” he said. He held up the remote and asked, “Where’s the television hidden?”

“Push the top button,” she said.

He was intrigued. As soon as he pushed the button, a seam in the wall adjacent to the window slowly slid back to reveal his dream come true. An entertainment center filled with all the latest technology. He whistled over the size of the flat-screen plasma TV.

He settled back to watch the news but glanced at her again and noticed the frown hadn’t gone away. “Come on. Tell me. What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

She wasn’t going to tell him the truth-that she worried she wouldn’t have enough courage when she needed it-or admit that she was afraid of being afraid, because she knew he wouldn’t understand. How could he? He probably put himself in harms way all the time. He was used to danger, and he was used to standing up when it mattered.

Was he ever afraid? Probably, but she doubted that fear would ever stop him from doing what was needed, and wasn’t that what courage was all about-not letting the fear stop you from doing the right thing?

“Regan?”

She realized she hadn’t answered him. “I was thinking about that expression, an idle mind…”

“Gathers no moss?”

She smiled. “I don’t think that’s how it goes.”

She lost him then. The sports portion of the news came on, luring him like a siren with the promise of scores and clips from all the games. As though in a trance, he immediately turned back to the television screen. She was exasperated. What is it with men? At least the men in her life. Alec’s behavior was like Aiden’s and Spencer’s. No matter how busy her brothers were, they stopped everything at the sight of a baseball, football, or soccer ball. Any kind of sports game grabbed them. They were addicted to the Sports Channel and couldn’t go to sleep without knowing the latest scores. She had a feeling her bodyguard had the same affliction.

Regan dusted her desk blotter and then began to turn one of the pages of her Far Side calendar back and forth while she surreptitiously studied Alec. He had a beautiful profile, she decided. A nice, straight nose, a great mouth. His hair was dark and thick and kept drooping down on his forehead. He needed a haircut. His hair was given to curl, and she had the insane urge to touch it. Were other women drawn to him the way she was? No doubt, she thought. With his good looks and his sexy aura, he probably had women falling all over him. Oh, she knew his type. He had that bad-boy, love-them-and-leave-them thing down pat. How many tears had been shed over him? How many hearts had he broken?

“You about finished?” His gaze never left the television when he asked the question.

How long had she been staring at him? “Just about,” she answered as she quickly looked at her desk and began to shuffle papers around.

She was saved from having any other discussion about her behavior when her phone rang. She almost fell out of her chair when she lunged for the receiver.

Cordie was on the line. Just hearing her voice made Regan feel better.

“Are you all right?” she asked. “Is Sophie?”

“Yes, we’re both fine.”

“You took your time calling me back. I’ve been worried.”

“Worried about what? Everything’s fine, and I only just now checked my messages. Sophie and I have been real busy, and I’ve got loads to tell you, but first things first. I’ve got to make you feel bad because you didn’t come with us.”

Regan smiled. She was so relieved to know her friends were okay. Now that she had Cordie on the phone, Regan could take her time telling her everything that had happened.

“And how are you going to make me feel bad?”

“The weather. It’s beautiful here, and do you know why?”

“I’ll bite. Why?”

“It isn’t raining. How is it there?”

“Eighty degrees, not a cloud in the sky, absolutely no humidity, and there’s a soft breeze-”

“Tell the truth,” Cordie interrupted.

Regan laughed. “We’re supposed to get more rain tonight, and it’s chilly here. And now I do feel bad because I didn’t go with you. Satisfied?”

“Yes,” she said. “And since it’s still so awful in Chicago, I’m staying here, until I run out of sunscreen, anyway.”

“If you’re about finished talking about the weather, I’ve got some news.”

“Oh? How much do you want to bet my news is bigger?”

“I doubt that, but you go first.”

“We’re already piling up evidence against Shields.”

Regan straightened in her chair. “Really? So soon?”

“Yes,” she answered, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. “It was easy, too, because Shields always has the women he brings down here stay at the same hotel. It’s called The Murdock, and it’s a small, family-owned place with lots of charm. Most of the staff have been working there for years. They’re very loyal.”

“And that’s important because…?”

“They remember past guests.”

“Okay. Go on.”

“We’ve gotten the names of two women Shields had down here last year, and guess what? They were both widowed, and they were both very rich. Oh, and we also got copies of Shields’s bank accounts.”

“You what?”

Cordie repeated what she’d just said. Then Regan blurted, “That’s illegal.”

Alec was watching her. She was pretty sure he’d heard what she’d said. She smiled at him, then turned her chair to face the wall and lowered her voice. “How in heaven’s name did you get his bank records? If you aren’t careful, you’ll both end up in jail.”

“We are being careful,” Cordie assured her. “We didn’t break into the bank to get the records. Someone got them for us.”

“Who?”

“A friend of a friend of Sophie’s father,” she said. “And so far we know for a fact that Shields has taken huge amounts of money from these two women.”

“How do you know that?”

“With copies of the checks the women wrote. The bank keeps records, for heaven’s sake, especially when the deposits are so large.”

“But how did you get copies of the checks? No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

“Sophie’s dad has a lot of friends down here.”

“That’s not good.”

“I know, but I’m watching out for Sophie. It’s okay.”

“And who’s looking out for you?”

“Regan, stop worrying.”

“Where’s Sophie now?”

“She went back to The Murdock. We already have the names and addresses of the two women we can prove gave Shields money, but Sophie wanted to make sure there weren’t any others. So what do you think? We’ve made a good start, haven’t we?”

“I’d say so,” she replied, “but…”

“We haven’t seen Shields yet, but we know he’s inside his beach house because we’ve seen his bodyguards, Huey and Louie, on the beach. They’re wearing their uniform black suits and dark ties and sunglasses while they walk on the sand. They look like Feds.”

“ ‘Huey and Louie’?”

“I’ve got to call them something, don’t I?”

“I guess so. Do they stay out on the beach all day?” She could picture them melting in the hot sun.

“No, they have a schedule. During the day they come out every hour on the hour, and they stay outside ten minutes tops. Shields obviously isn’t feeling very safe if he has to have his bodyguards with him all the time. Sophie thinks he’s becoming paranoid because of all the horrible things he’s done.”

“But you haven’t seen him?”

“No.”

“Thank God,” she whispered.

Cordie didn’t hear her. “Here’s the odd thing. Shields’s neighbor to the south is keeping tabs on the bodyguards-”

“How did Sophie get the neighbor to do that?”

“She asked. They’re very friendly down here.”

“Is the neighbor a man?”

Cordie laughed. “Yes,” she said. “Anyway, Huey and Louie have stopped patrolling. Something is definitely going on, but we can’t figure out what yet.”

“Are you finished with your news? Is it my turn?”

“Just one more thing. A woman has visited Shields twice now. Sophie swears she saw her at the seminar. I don’t remember her,” she said. “But Sophie is much better with faces than I am. Anyway, the woman is staying at The Murdock and we’re pretty sure she’s Shields’s next target.”

“He doesn’t waste any time, does he?” Regan kicked off her heels, crossed one leg over the other, and began to swing one foot nervously back and forth.

“No, he doesn’t. Sophie’s becoming obsessed about spotting him. She’s jogged on the beach behind his house a couple of times, but she hasn’t had any luck. We’re going to take one of the boats out tomorrow with our binoculars and see if we can spot him inside. The back of his house faces the ocean, and it’s all glass. If he’s in there, we’ll see him. Knowing Sophie, if she doesn’t spot him soon, she’ll jog right up to his front door and start pounding.”

Regan almost dropped the phone as she jerked upright in her chair. “Oh, no, she mustn’t do that.”

“All right, I’m finished. Now it’s your turn. Try to beat my news.”

“Okay. Remember that little exercise we did during Shields’s reception?”

“The make-a-list-of-the-people-you-want-dead exercise?”

“That’s the one.”

“What about it?”

“A madman got hold of my murder list and is now killing everyone on it.”

A long silence followed her announcement, and then Cordie said, “Okay, you win.”

“I thought I might.”

“Wait a minute. You are joking, aren’t you?”

Regan’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I wish to God I were. It’s true, though.”

“Tell me.”

Her friend didn’t say another word during Regan’s lengthy explanation of what had happened, but she did gasp, several times as a matter of fact, and when Regan was finished, she whispered back, “Who else did you have on your list?”

Regan told her and then said, “I was so certain there was a connection between Sweeney’s murder and Shields.”

“But now you’re not so sure?”

“I’m not sure of anything. Until we know, you and Sophie have got to stay as far away from him as possible.”

“No wonder we can’t find Shields, and no wonder his bodyguards aren’t patrolling the beach. I’ll bet the police have warned them, and they’ve all gone into hiding.”

A minute later, just as Regan was about to hang up, Sophie got back to the condo. Cordie shouted at her that Regan was on the phone. Sophie picked up the extension in the kitchen.

“Hey, guess what?” She didn’t give Regan time to answer. “Shields and his bodyguards have left the island, and no one, not even the police, know where they went.”

“How’d you find that out?” Cordie asked.

“A friend of a friend.”

“Are you going to tell her or should I?” Cordie asked Regan.

“I’ll hang up and, you can-”

“Tell me what?”

While Regan waited, Cordie repeated what Regan had told her. Sophie was shocked into silence.

“What are the police there saying?” she finally asked.

“Detective Buchanan is hoping that whoever sent the e-mail and the fax will try to contact me again. Detective Wincott agrees.”

“Okay, who’s Detective Wincott?”

“He’s in charge of the investigation.”

“And Detective Buchanan? Is he his partner or something?” Cordie asked.

“No, he’s my temporary bodyguard.”

“Dear God…”

“It’s okay, Cordie.”

“We’re coming home on the next flight.”

“No, Sophie, don’t do that. Since Shields has already left the island, you’re probably as safe there as any place.”

Cordie added, “She thinks Shields is somehow involved in what’s been happening because Sweeney was investigating him.”

“I admit, it’s not a firm connection,” Regan said.

“Sweeney hadn’t done anything yet, so how could Shields have known about him?” Sophie asked.

“I still think we should pack it up and head back to Chicago. We should be there with you, Regan.”

“No,” she replied. “Stay there and finish what you started. What you’re doing is important, and it sounds like you’re making great progress.”

“We are,” Sophie agreed. “But we’ll need to stay here another week, maybe even two. There’s so much cross-checking to do with names and dates, and now that I’ve got the hotel’s registration records that go way back-”

“Did a friend of a friend get those for you too?”

“No,” Sophie said. “I just asked, and they handed them over.”

“We are making progress,” Cordie said. “And, Sophie, you did want to talk to that woman who’s staying at The Murdock, and you better do that soon before she finds out Shields has left. This is the perfect opportunity, and we both want to know what Shields promised her.”

“Wouldn’t it be something if she would help us?”

“We could nail him.”

“Call me with updates, okay?”

“Wait, Regan. Are you going to be okay?” Cordie asked.

“I’ll be fine.” She looked at her empty desk and decided to lie to ease Cordie’s anxiety. “I’ve got so much work to do. I won’t have time to worry, and I’m perfectly safe in my office.”

“Okay,” Cordie said. “No matter what, we’ll be home in time for the country club charity thing, but that’s two full weeks away.”

“By then, the police will probably have the madman behind bars,” Sophie said.

Regan hoped she was right. By the time she finally hung up the phone, Alec had stopped watching the television. She stood, stretched, and then told him about some of her conversation with her friends.

“The police down there verified that Shields and his bodyguards have left the island. Do you think Cordie and Sophie will be safe?”

“Yeah, I think they will be, as long as…”

“As long as what?”

He decided to be blunt. “As long as they stay away from you.”