One Track Mind (15 page)

Sleep was elusive and restless. The next morning, she was ready long before he knocked on her door. On the way to the airport, Kane seemed lost in his own thoughts, and Lori was happy not to talk, simply to stare out at the flat landscape that was so foreign to her. She’d never realized that the mountains and foothills surrounding Halesboro gave her a feeling of shelter and security.

At the airport he bought a copy of a Chicago newspaper and immediately turned to the sports section. “Aha,” he said a moment later. “It’s happened. It’s official.”

They were seated in the boarding area, and she gave him a curious look. He showed her the page and said, “Sid Cochran’s buying his own team. He won’t sign again to race for Niday Motorsports.”

Lori blinked in surprise. “I’d heard rumors, and that they didn’t want to let him go. He’s a fabulous driver.”

“I heard it could happen this weekend,” Kane said. “It’s been a long time coming, but I knew it would happen.”

“This is going to hurt Fulcrum Racing,” Lori said solemnly. “He’s their top driver.”

“The owner’s no fool. He’s got a guy lined up. I know that, too.”

“Replace Sid Cochran?” Lori asked. “With who? Wait! That kid who’s only eighteen? The one there’s so much buzz about?”

He flashed a one-sided smile. “The very one. Davy Welber.”

“You’re sure?”

“Ninety-nine percent sure. Fulcrum’s owner, Roger, has been calling me about him for weeks.”

“Calling you?” she said. “You mean you’re—”

“Davy’s agent,” Kane said with satisfaction. “Kent Grosso introduced us. Kent says Davy’s the Next Big Thing.”

“Aren’t you afraid he’ll peak too young?” Lori asked in concern. “And he
is
young for all that pressure.”

“He’s eighteen going on forty-eight. He’s got his head on straight. No ego problem. He’s friendly, natural, easy with people. And he’s a good-looking boy. A great athlete and a PR dream.”

“I’ve seen his picture,” Lori said excitedly. “He’s going to be a heartthrob.” She paused. “Do you think he’d ever come to Halesboro?”

“If Fulcrum and Davy agree to test there. If he wants to do anything beyond that, it’ll be because he volunteers. I’m
in business of making these guys money. I can’t exploit them. Dean and Kent
offered
to put in appearances. And it was good of them.”

“Very good,” she said softly.
And there must be a great deal of good in you, she thought, to inspire such loyalty. And to attract a rising star like Davy Welber.

But she said nothing. Too often she glimpsed another side of him, a darker side. He turned back to his newspaper and she to her paperback book.

When they landed in Charlotte, he walked her to her car. This time when they parted, he shook her hand, which was better than being kissed on the forehead as if she were two or a hundred and two.

“I’ll be in touch and see you soon,” he muttered. “It’s going to be a busy month.”

Fulcrum Racing had agreed to test twice at Halesboro. And there was the Culpepper Furniture 500 coming up and a local race, as well.

“Yes,” she answered. “Busy.”

“I’ll call.”

“Yes. Please do. And thanks for everything. I hope we did some good.”

“I do, too.”

She got into her car and watched him walk away. Was it her imagination, or did his tall figure really seem to give off a solitary aura? It wasn’t loneliness, but rather a kind of isolation, that of a man who was at heart a loner, who was always somehow set apart from others and always would be.

T
HE FIRST OFFICIAL RACE
with Kane as Halesboro’s owner went off perfectly, with far better attendance than usual. His innovations had worked. The pre-race activities—a parade of antique cars and an old-time music show—helped draw in the crowds. The kids attended free and seniors got a discount. Large soft drinks came with the offer of free refills. Twenty-five lucky fans got a free gas card in a ticket stub drawing.

In the scramble of events, Kane and Lori had no time to talk about anything except the speedway and the race. He had to go back to Charlotte that night, but he’d call her in the morning about testing. Niday Racing had signed on for testing next week, and Fast Max was ready to make a deal.

Lori’s head spun after the race. This morning Liz had said that an offer had come from the Missouri law firm, a bid on the mills. The Hornings were going to do it, and Lori couldn’t believe it. Junior McCorkle’s stepdaughter would surely take the offer. It was the only one ever made.

On Tuesday, Fulcrum Racing rolled into town. Justin Murphy and Cork Kerry were good enough to hold autograph sessions after the test. Justin was good-looking and a fan favorite, and Cork, though no beauty, was a legend in his last season of racing. The spectators turned out, all right, and they got to have their photos taken with both drivers by the black stone flame in front of the speedway.

But trouble struck again. The next morning when Lori drove into the speedway parking lot, again she saw Halesboro’s two cruisers and a state patrol car. Instinctively she knew why they were there, and she felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach.

Clyde met Lori at the entrance and told her the vandals had struck again—and done far worse damage: more tires stabbed, and this time the vehicles had been defaced with spray paint—lots of it, insulting to both sponsors and drivers. Obscene words had been burned into the infield grass with bleach.

She rushed to the track. Kane was already there, his face taut with anger.

Justin and Cork were both men with tempers. Cork was shouting at Kane, demanding what the hell kind of place was this? What had security been doing? This had happened once before. Why in hell had Kane let it happen again? What kind of incompetent fool was he?

Morrie, the maintenance man, muttered again about a jinx
until Kane threatened to fire him. Jimmy Pilgram, Morrie’s teenage assistant looked frightened and asked if the track would shut down. It couldn’t—he needed this job desperately. His mother was too sick to work, and he was her sole support.

Justin Murphy looked as if he wanted to punch Kane, and Kane looked as if he might punch back. To cool him down, Lori dragged him into his office.

He couldn’t sit down, he paced. “I put on new security guards, but they all swore they’d seen nothing. Nothing!

“I told the state police I want every one of those security people to take a lie detector test. Every damned one. This is going beyond vandalism—way beyond.”

“Kane,” Lori said, “I think maybe there
is
a vendetta against the track. Or you. Or both.”

He hit the top of the filing cabinet with his fist. “What am I going to have to do? Erect
gun towers?
Station guys with Uzis around the perimeter of the place?”

“Calm down,” she stated. “Did you hear what I said? Somebody’s specifically targeting this track. Who? Do you have enemies?”

He glared at her. “I’ve got people who don’t like me. Sure. It goes with the business. But not to this extent.”

“What about Devlin Development?” she asked. “Is it possible? That maybe they want this land bad enough to try to drive you off it?”

“We talked about that before. Why use such ham-handed tactics? Man, I was lucky to get Fulcrum Racing here, and this is their reward.”

“Then cool them down. They both blow up fast, but it’s a tempest in a teapot, and then it’ll be over. Go out, apologize, and promise to pay for the repairs yourself. It’s only a gesture, but at least this won’t drive up their insurance rates.”

He swore. “You know what? I’m going to have to put in a full electronic surveillance system. I should have done it first thing. But damn! It’ll cost a fortune.”

“
Tell
them you’ll have it done,” she said firmly. “
Tell
them
you shouldn’t have put it off. And that you’re sorry that this had to happen to them to wake
you
up.”

He gave her a long look. “I hate like the very devil to admit this, but…you’re right. I’m also going to offer a reward to anybody who’ll give info that’ll lead to the arrest of whoever’s doing this.”

He took a moment to cool down. “Had breakfast?” he asked.

“No. I brought an energy bar. Thought I’d have that and some coffee.”

“I’ll take you out,” he said. “I owe you.”

She nodded and managed a smile. He tried to smile back but didn’t quite manage. He turned and left.

She went to her own desk and got out the phone book. She was going to call a lawn maintenance company to replace the burned grass. Then she’d phone the speedway in Charlotte and get the name of the best blasted security system business in the South.

S
HE SUGGESTED
that instead of going to The Groove, they go to her house. It might be humble, but it was a refuge. “I’m not in the mood to be stared at,” she told him.

“Me, either,” he said.

Later, sitting at her kitchen table, he said, “Thanks for calling about the grass. I’ll phone Vigil-Corps as soon as we get back.”

“I never saw you mad before,” she said, opening the refrigerator.

“I usually don’t
get
mad. I was mostly angry at myself.”

She frowned as she cracked eggs into a bowl. “You know, it’s funny. Before you came, we had trouble with vandals. Shooting out the lights was one of their favorite sports. And spray painting the outside fence.”

She turned to face him. “But always outside. Never inside. Why, suddenly, are they hitting from within? And how do they
get
in?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. Clyde and I searched
every way I ever could figure to get in. He patched them all. He checked again this morning, and they’re still patched.”

She crossed her arms and studied his expression, which was strained. “And so what do you make of it?”

He gave a harsh sigh. “That maybe that state trooper was right from the beginning. It must be an inside job.”

“But this was a different security company. Somebody got to
both
of them?”

“That,” he said. “Or it’s somebody who works here. Who has access to the infield.”

A shiver ran through her. “But that would mean it would have to be somebody like Morrie. Or Frederick, the head of the driving school. Or…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence, so he did it for her. “Or Clyde.”

“No!” she protested. “Never. Not him. Impossible. Don’t say such a thing.” But even the thought made tears sting her eyes and her chin quiver.

Kane was swiftly on his feet and close to her side. “I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice, taking her in his arms. He held her close and put his mouth near her ear. “Don’t cry. Forget I ever said it. Think of something else.”

Her thoughts went tumbling out of control. His strength made her feel weak, filled with yearning to be held. All she could think was that she wanted, very much, for him to kiss her until she could think no more and escape completely into forbidden emotion.

“L
ORI
,” he whispered, his breath a warm tickle in her ear.

Somehow she gathered her willpower and pushed herself away from him. “Don’t,” she said. “Please don’t touch me like that. Don’t hold me or hug me or kiss my forehead or—anything.”

He let her go, but she saw the reluctance in his eyes. “Why? Scared of what might happen?”

“This summer’s been emotionally battering,” she said, and that, at least, was true. “I don’t need any more complications in my life.”

He took a step backward. “Me, either. Sorry. Old habits die hard.”

Her feelings, tangled, were suddenly shot through with resentment. Is that how he saw her?
An old habit? A rut into which he could carelessly tumble, then right himself again?

“Let’s change the subject,” she said, turning her back on him and mixing milk with the eggs. “Liz said an offer was made on the mills. The Hornings?”

“I can’t confirm that.”

“Do you deny it?”

“I neither confirm it nor deny it. I told you there are things I can’t talk about.”

“You don’t want people to know there’s going to be a real estate boom.”

He shrugged. “We aren’t at liberty to discuss that.”

Lori wondered if
we
included Zoey Horning and working very, very closely with him.

“A discount mall,” she said pensively. “And your talking to Charles Channing. I think I may know the common denominator of all this interest in investing.”

“Yeah? And what is it?

“I couldn’t sleep last night, so I got up and used Liz’s secret weapon. The search engine. Channing’s CapCity Credit Card is in the top five for being economical. And I bet he’s going to make sure it becomes
numero uno.
”

He touched his coffee mug to hers. “It’s a nice theory. Go to the head of the class for imaginative theorizing.”

“So Channing sponsors the track and spotlights the most economical credit card in the country,” Lori said, nervous excitement rising in her chest. “The Hornings come in and put in a giant outlet mall. Maybe not even just an outlet mall. A value-oriented mall. Even lower prices than an outlet mall. Bigger bargains.”

She took a deep breath. “Put in a theme park, a few music shows, offer discounts and coupons, and wham! You’ve got a low-priced family destination for a weekend or a whole vacation.”

He eyed her with a combination of admiration and amusement, but the mocking set of his mouth made her plunge on. “NASCAR projects a family-friendly image. Mall, theme park, shows could make this into a family-friendly destination that’s superaffordable. You’d make Halesboro into a track in that same mold. Probably campgrounds and playgrounds, who knows what else? And it’d all be more economic on a CapCity Credit Card.”

Lori’s excitement wavered, turning into apprehension. She turned and started to scramble the eggs, trying to keep her hands steady. “But all that would cost a fortune.”

“Just for the sake of argument, maybe the old saying’s true,” he countered. “You have to spend money to make money.”

“You could also lose millions,” she murmured.

“No guts, no glory,” he said.

She winced. That had been her father’s favorite saying. She took a deep breath and said, “Still, I can’t get it out of my head. Forty percent of NASCAR fans are women. Suppose a couple with two kids comes to Halesboro, rents a tent at the campground, sees great racing, shops for great bargains, takes in a couple of shows and does the theme park. They could get more for their money here than almost any place in the Carolinas.”

Her body tensed as she spoke, and she stirred the eggs vigorously. “But this can’t spring from the ground overnight like a mushroom,” she said. “It’d take time.”

He shrugged noncommittally. “It depends on how well and how fast it’s done, doesn’t it?”

“I suppose. You said the mills are architecturally sound. They’re still good-looking buildings. But they’ll need to be gutted and cleaned up. They’ll need new heating, plumbing, wiring and telecommunications systems. I read that it could be done in eight months. Another two and a half months to set up shop, maybe? The mall could be opened in early June.”

He sat down, put his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. “Your search engine must have nearly blown its gasket. What else did it tell you?”

Lori knew he was taunting her, but she didn’t care. “I read about theme parks, too. If one was built on one of the old farm properties, it’d all have to be built from the ground up. But a core of old-time craftsmen and women could have shops and give demonstrations. A few simple rides, for starters, some shows throughout the day. It could be done. It’d be a start, the base for more to build on.”

He gazed at her as if she were a naive and infinitely amusing child.

She didn’t like it. “Stop looking at me like I’m an idiot.”

“Maybe it’s a diversionary tactic,” he smirked. “To shake your confidence.”

She pushed the bread down in the toaster and got out plates and silverware. “I’m sorry, but the whole project still reminds me of magical movie thinking—‘If you build it, they will
come.’ What about glitches? They always happen. Think of the vandalism. Nobody’d counted on
that.
”

His expression grew serious. “Plans have been discussed. They
might
fail. Partially or completely. That’s the chance you take in business.”

Tears welled again, and she fought them. If the plans failed, Halesboro would become little more than a ghost town. But if they worked, Halesboro would no longer be Halesboro. Her hometown would vanish, replaced by a big commercial machine with lots of commercial cogs and gears whirling and grinding.

She started to scrape the eggs onto the plates, but her hands trembled and she couldn’t help it.

“Lori?” Kane said.

“What?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice steady.

“Don’t cry on the eggs, babe. It’ll make ’em too salty.”

“Have you ever been smacked on the head with a skillet?” she asked in frustration.

“No. My mother used to threaten to, but I knew she couldn’t. Booze screws up your aim considerably.”

Oh, heaven, he’d had such an awful home life,
she thought with a pang. Not a single advantage except his own brains and drive. But he’d overcome every obstacle. While she, who’d had every privilege, had amounted to so little.

The toast popped up, and she put the two pieces on his plate. “Since you cooked,” he said, “I’ll do the dishes. I’m a trained professional, remember? I’m good at it.”

You were always good at everything,
she thought.
That’s why I fell in love with you.

With all the force she could muster, she thrust that thought from her mind and made herself concentrate on business. “If you’re up to all I think you’re up to, it’s ambitious. Very ambitious. Possibly too ambitious. You could fall on your face.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” he returned, his expression suddenly serious. “But what if such a thing could work? And bring Halesboro back to life?”

Again she fought back tears. And she succeeded. “It
wouldn’t be the way it was,” she said quietly, forcing her voice to be steady. “That’s all.”

“Sit down and eat. I’ll tell you something.”

She sat, and stared at her eggs without appetite. “Okay,” she said. “Tell me.”

He put his hand near hers on the table top, but he didn’t touch her. “A hometown is more than buildings or traditions. Above all, it’s people. People need jobs. Do you know how many jobs could be created here? How much income for city improvements would flow in?”

He leaned forward earnestly. “Housing’s affordable here, and the scenery—and the location—are great. Close to both Asheville and Charlotte. Business here would draw more business. Companies can headquarter here for less than in a larger city. A bigger population means more professionals. Doctors, nurses, dentists, technicians of all kinds. The hospital’s inadequate here. But it would grow. And the schools.

“It’s all going to be good for the
people,
Lori. Think of the people. And ask yourself this—What would your father want to happen? What would he want for the speedway’s future? Would he want to see it thrumming with life again? See the whole town revitalized?”

She kept staring down at her plate. He was right, and she could think of no answer. At last she said, “Your plans are probably bigger than I imagine, aren’t they?”

“You’ve done enough imagining for one day,” he said, but his voice was kind. “Eat, doll. And then let’s get back to the track. There’s work to be done.”

She raised her face and met his gaze. “Right.”

“We’ve got another race to get ready for. And then head for the Poconos.”

She nodded in resignation. She was seeing too much of him. Traveling together again would only make people speculate and gossip more. But she shouldn’t care. There
was
work to be done, and she intended to do her part. For her father. For the speedway. And for the people of Halesboro.

Her nostalgia, her yearning for Halesboro to be exactly as it once was, this was selfish and childish of her. To her chagrin, she realized that she could still think and act like the town’s pampered princess. The first time Kane had come into her life, he’d shaken it to its foundation. And he was doing it again.

B
ACK AT THE OFFICE
, Lori began writing press releases for the speedway’s next race. Her writing was choppy, her thoughts distracted. The Fulcrum team was practicing, and both Justin and Cork seemed to have calmed down.

But her mind was full of trolls and goblins. The trolls scuttled through her thoughts because of the new vandalism. She’d convinced herself that the damage to Kent Grosso’s vehicles might have been a one-time fluke. But this second incident pointed at a campaign of malice and sabotage. Somebody wanted the speedway to fail—a faceless somebody whose motives she couldn’t understand.

The goblins were smaller, capering and sniggering because of her feelings about Kane veered so wildly she did not know how he’d make her feel from one moment to the next.

“Drat!”
she exclaimed, and deleted a sentence that made no sense. She took a deep breath and started over.

She’d left her door slightly open, and now someone rapped at it. It was Kane; she could sense his presence so clearly it was as if a live wire sent its charge through her body. “Come in,” she said, her muscles tensing.

He entered, looking mysteriously calm. “Hi. I just talked to a technician from Vigil-Corps about the security system. This is a long track, it’ll take a large upgrade. We’re talking Matrix switchers, positioning systems, monitors, cameras, fiber optics and coaxial cable. This is the price range he thinks we’ll be in.”

He showed her a sheet of paper with a set of numbers that made her gasp. The lowest of them seemed astronomical. She looked up at him open-mouthed. “Wh-what will you do?”

He shrugged. “Get a few more estimates. But if it’s going to be done, it should be done right, and these guys are good.”

He folded the paper and slipped it into the back pocket of his jeans. “I don’t want any more incidents like last night’s.”

She swallowed hard. “That’s a lot of money. Are you sure…”

He leaned his shoulder against the door frame and crossed his arms. “That I can afford it? Can’t afford not to do it. We want teams to test here. And then we want NASCAR to sanction at least one race here. We
have
to guarantee security.”

“Still, you’re investing a huge amount. How long will it take you to break even?”

“I don’t know. We’ll see.”

“Kane, you’re
serious
about this. You really do intend to put this place back on its feet.”

He gave her a look of displeased surprise. “What did you think? That I bought it on a whim? Like I could return it within ninety days for a full refund? No. I came to play, and I play to win.”

“I—I’m sorry,” she stammered.

“Despite what you suspect,” he said with a sarcastic quirk at the corner of his mouth, “I’m not Satan, come to buy the town’s soul.”

“I said I’m sorry.” She could feel the goblins invading her mind again, gleeful at her see-sawing emotions.

“Okay,” he said, raising an eyebrow in irony. “And I’m sorry about suspecting Clyde. He came to me and apologized for being ‘muddle-headed’ this morning. From midnight until four in the morning, he and his wife were at the hospital in Asheville. Their granddaughter had her baby a little early. The birth announcement’s in the Asheville paper today.”

“Their granddaughter? The one whose husband’s in Afghanistan? Like A.J. was?”

“Like A.J. was. And she and the baby are fine. I’m sorry I had doubts about him, even for a second. But something like vandalism makes you suspect everyone.”

“Me, too?” she challenged.

“No,” he answered. “Not you. Unless you resent me even more than I think you do.”

“Why should I resent you?” Of course, sometimes she did resent him deeply, but that wasn’t the sort of feeling she could admit.

“Good question,” he said, his sarcastic smile in place again. “Very good question. Maybe it’s because I’m an agent of the force you like least in the world—change. I hope you get over it someday. If you don’t, you’re going to end up as a very unhappy woman. And I’d hate to see that, Lori. I really would.”

He nodded in farewell and left, pulling the door nearly shut again.

She stared at the door, confounded. That he would even
think
of spending so much on a new security system amazed her. She’d kept doubting his commitment to the track was altogether genuine, but this proved it was. But why was he so determined? It couldn’t be that he was saving something that she loved simply because she loved it.

Maybe it was to show her that although she’d failed,
he
could succeed. Everyone in Halesboro would be indebted to him, including her. He’d come back the conquering hero, and from the ashes of her defeat, he’d stoke a blaze of triumph that, in a very real way, made not only the speedway but the whole town
his.
He could feast on self-satisfaction. And the rest of the town could eat crow.