She didn’t know how Burke felt about Allie’s invitation. Didn’t know if Burke wanted to join Allie for a meal, maybe for appearances sake. At the moment, she didn’t care what Burke wanted. She was tired of having him decide her every movement for her. She simply wasn’t up to any more pretense this day.
She turned to Allie and shook her head, “I’m sorry, Allie. Not tonight.”
Without giving Burke a chance to refute her, she walked away.
* * *
He watched Eve Collins leave the conference. Head down she pushed through the double glass doors that led to the parking lot. The late afternoon breeze caught her hair and it swirled around her face.
Through the mass of dark strands, he saw that her features were pale and drawn. She looked “blown away”. The joke provoked a chuckle. Simply put, Eve looked blindsided by the situation she found herself in. Didn’t know what hit her. As well she should. He had worked hard to orchestrate recent events.
Before anyone could speculate if Richard Patterson had been working alone, the man who now watched Eve had thought it prudent to provide a decoy. Who better for that role than Patterson’s actual business partner? Eve had been the perfect choice. He laughed again.
There was no doubt about her guilt. His text message earlier to meet in a room in this hotel was icing on a very tall cake. When the buyer failed to attend the meeting, it appeared she had warned the buyer of the trap.
And now, with his anonymity assured, it was time he returned to the task at hand: obtaining the formula. He had taken steps to do that. It was just a matter of a little more time.
He could afford to be patient. Once the formula was sold, the hefty payoff would assure there wasn’t anything he could not afford.
Eve Collins reached Richard Patterson’s vehicle and got inside. Eyes narrowed now, his attention returned to her. Eve’s role in his plan was almost complete. There was just one more thing for her to do and that was to - die.
* * *
Burke was quiet on the drive back to the cottage. Eve welcomed his silence. She was too upset for conversation. With him for his refusal to consider her innocence. With this latest development in her situation.
Was it the buyer who’d contacted Burke? If so why hadn’t he gone ahead to the hotel room? Had he stayed away because he discovered that his plan with Richard had gone wrong? She had no way of knowing. She did know that the failure of whoever had made contact to appear in Richard’s hotel room had reinforced Burke’s notion of her guilt.
Richard’s accomplice had not shown up in the hotel room either. The one person she desperately needed to make an appearance. Was that because Richard hadn’t been alive to let him know about the plan to meet at the hotel? That made sense since Richard was the contact to the buyer.
Eve released a frustrated breath and leaned back against the head rest. Round and round she went with no answers. Bottom line: the accomplice hadn’t revealed himself which meant she was no closer to proving her innocence. Until she did, she would remain under suspicion of treason.
She shuddered. Frustration gave way to the true emotion driving her: fear.
Burke stopped at the restaurant they’d breakfasted at. While she waited in the car, he went inside. He returned with two take-out meals which he placed on the console. The aroma wafting from the containers revealed that he’d bought chicken.
At the cottage, Eve left the car, striding quickly over the mowed grass. She’d almost lost it with Allie. The last thing she wanted was to break down in front of Burke.
When he opened the door to the cottage, she moved to precede him inside. He clutched her arm, halting her.
Eve turned on him. “You think I have the buyer in here ready to spring an ambush on you?”
“I can’t discount the possibility.”
She didn’t know if he was deliberately trying to bait her or truly believed what he said. “You’re unbelievable.”
“You want to know what I’m really thinking?” Burke crossed his arms. “Your buyer has gone to ground. He won’t show for tonight’s meeting either. He knows that this is a bust and he’s better off to cut his losses and move on.”
Burke’s prediction sent a chill through her. “I hope you’re wrong.”
Burke’s gaze hardened. “I hope so too, Doctor.”
* * *
Burke confirmed that he and Eve were alone in the cottage. He needed to phone Lanski and went outside where the signal would be stronger for his cell phone.
The fresh air was welcome. He needed it to clear his head and cool his temper. He’d lost his temper with Dr. Collins. Again. Unheard of for him when dealing with suspects. He made sure to keep his emotions in check when on the job.
He wouldn’t have to worry about her much longer. By this time tomorrow, whether or not they apprehended the buyer, she would be out of his life.
That thought didn’t give him the satisfaction or pleasure that it should have.
Burke made the call to Lanski. Two rings later, his second in command picked up.
“Our people are in place, boss,” Lanski said. “At your signal, we’ll move in. We’ll get the buyer when he shows.”
Burke grunted. “If he shows.”
“You don’t think he will?”
Burke left the question unanswered. “There’s been no activity from Dr. Collins’ cell phone, I take it?”
“No, sir. I would have let you know immediately. I’ve been hoping that the lady doc might have named the buyer by now and we can just round him up.”
“She’s still saying she doesn’t know what Patterson was up to. We know that Patterson never met his buyer, so we have no reason to think Dr. Collins would have. She doesn’t know who is supposed to show up here tonight any more than we do.”
“So she says.”
“Something’s not right,” Burke said quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“This afternoon, if it was the buyer who contacted me, he didn’t ask if I had the formula with me. He just went ahead and set up the meeting.”
“An oversight? Or maybe he assumed Patterson would have it with him at all times.”
“The people we’re dealing with don’t leave things to chance. This guy would make sure.”
“Maybe he realized that he hadn’t confirmed you had the formula and that’s why he blew off the meet.”
“No.” Burke shook his head. “This guy has been on the ball since the start of this.”
“Dr. Collins must have tipped him off somehow.”
“That was my first thought.” Burke narrowed his gaze at a squirrel perched high on a tree limb. “Now, I’m not sure. Since he didn’t ask about the formula, makes me think it wasn’t the buyer at all. That we have another player in this game.”
“Doesn’t sound likely.”
“Something else is going on here. I don’t know what.” Burke didn’t add that the not knowing had his stomach churning. “The buyer doesn’t want to play games. He wants to do business. What happened today wasn’t about getting the formula.”
* * *
The midnight hour came and went. Eve stood waiting for a knock on the cottage door that did not come. Burke had been right. The buyer was a no -show.
Still when he said it aloud, the words struck Eve hard. “So what are you going to do about that?” she asked. “All right, the buyer hasn’t shown himself. Fine.” Eve flung her arms out from her sides. “Onto Plan ‘B’.”
He turned from the window to face her. “There is no Plan ‘B’.”
“Then let’s come up with one. Maybe you weren’t convincing as Richard and your cover was blown. Maybe the buyer and accomplice were tipped off. If so, we need to find out who did that.”
Burke gave her a steady look.
“You can’t still be thinking that I alerted anyone because if you are--”
“It doesn’t matter at this point.” Burke loosened his tie, the movement jerky, laced with anger, belying his words.
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter. This guy poses a threat to our security and you’re just going to let him go? Just like that?”
Burke went still and his gaze bore into hers. “Oh, we’re not going to let him go. Make no mistake about that. We will continue to search for the buyer. You, however, will no longer be involved in the search.”
Eve’s stomach plummeted. “So this is it? You’re now going to send me to Washington where I’ll be charged?”
“I’m not going to send you. I’m going to escort you. And, yeah, you’ll now have to answer to the claims against you. Get yourself a good defense lawyer, Doctor, you can play this out in the courts for years.”
Years. She could be in custody or with her life on hold for years.
“That’s unacceptable, Burke. I’m not ready to give up looking for Richard’s accomplice.”
“Well, you can hire investigators to do your digging for you through your lawyer. We’ll be leaving for Washington in the morning.”
Eve shivered. She could see there was no way to convince him otherwise. It was over. Just what the government had to make a charge of treason stick, she didn’t know, but would soon find out.
The cottage suddenly felt stifling. Eve went to the door.
“Where are you going?” Burke asked.
“Outside,” she said and before he could ask anything further, hurried out.
Would he follow her? She was in his custody, after all. But, when he didn’t she figured he must have reasoned, just where would she go? The cottage delivered on its promise of seclusion. She’d never find the road on foot at night and Burke had the keys to Richard’s car. Eve closed her eyes, fighting despair. She wrapped her arms tight around herself and headed for a small stand of trees and shrubs that made up a garden.
A scattering of stars and a quarter moon lit her path. She still wore the suit and strappy sandals she’d put on for the conference and the shorn grass chilled her bare feet.
A wooden swing was placed among the trees. As she approached it, she was grabbed from behind.
Chapter Five
A large hand closed over Eve’s mouth. An arm wrapped around her waist, scooping her off her feet.
She fought panic, and stiffening her elbow, reared back, striking her captor in the sternum. He let out a whoosh of air and released her. She turned toward her attacker, prepared to deliver another blow, then stopped.
“Matt?”
“Eve.” He paused for breath. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Another pause. “Did I hurt you?”
Since he was the one on his knees in the grass, clutching his chest, the question seemed ridiculous.
“Matt, what are you doing here? How did you find me?”
He held up a hand, the large hand that an instant earlier had covered her mouth and she saw that the metal she’d felt against her lips was a class ring.
“I’ll explain. Just let me get my wind back.” He exhaled a breath that wheezed. “Hot damn, woman, you pack a punch.” One side of his moustache lifted in a smile.