Lazlo’s Last Stand

“Who, then?”

“I don’t know, who else knows about the skylight?”

“Besides Adam? Me, my brother Edward, the people who installed it, I suppose, although there’s no reason they’d know who it belonged to, since the work order was channeled through the bank on the ground floor. And,” he added after a moment, “now you.”

She drew a sharp reflexive breath, as if a gust of wind had struck her in the face. “You don’t-”

“No,” he said softly, an odd little smile touching his lips, “I don’t.”

“What about Edward?”

“No.” He said it with flat certainty. “Not that I don’t think Edward’s scruples can be bought. For one thing, he, uh…Well the truth is, his bad habits do tend to keep him chronically short of cash. But he’s my brother. He’d never do anything to hurt me. Never.”

“Girlfriends, then?” She said it stiffly, pushing it past the pain that had come to wrap itself around her heart.

He looked at her for a moment, and his lips curved in a sardonic smile. “Believe it or not, no. You’re the only woman I’ve ever invited into that bedroom.”

She opened her mouth but words refused to come. She stared at him while the moment stretched into unknown minutes, counted in the thumping beats of her heart. His eyes seemed to catch fire and shimmer back into hers.

It was the kind of moment that can’t possibly drift away into nothing. A moment like that must have a resounding conclusion, must end with a bang, an action or words that change everything. Either that, or…an interruption.

Like a tap on the door, and the door opening, and Kati’s face, wreathed with smiles, and her voice singing out in cheerily defiant Hungarian, “Kesz az ebed!”

Which even Lucia knew meant it was time for lunch.

“I just refuse to believe Adam would ever betray you,” Lucia said. “It has to be someone else, and I’d like a chance to try and find out who, that’s all.”

It was the next morning, the first time Corbett had been alone with her since her emotional-and, he was sure, deeply regretted-outburst the day before. As it turned out, the “lunch” Kati had interrupted them to announce would be the main meal of the day, since it was already midafternoon. And she’d outdone herself, as usual, with a spread that included everything from stuffed cabbage rolls and chicken paprika to the rolled crepes called palacsinta she always made when he came because she knew he was fond of them. Anyway, she always had a tendency to go all-out when Corbett was in residence, and having another woman to show off for had no doubt only prodded her to even greater efforts.

Josef had joined them, as well, so conversation was sprightly and filled with all the world news and local gossip. And since it was mostly in Hungarian-Josef’s English being much less fluent than his wife’s-Lucia had contented herself with smiling and nodding, watching and listening. And, Corbett was sure, soaking up a great deal more than anyone suspected, given that remarkable mind of hers, until she’d begun to nod off over coffee and Kati’s homemade pastries. Even geniuses, it seemed, needed their rest now and then.

As Corbett studied “his” genius now, he recognized the stubborn set of her mouth and, realizing she’d do it whether she had his okay or not, nodded. “Fine. Go ahead.”

But as she started to swivel back to the computer, he placed both hands on the arms of her chair to stop her. “However, not right now. I have something to show you. Come-get dressed.”

“I am dressed.”

Pouting, her lips were so tempting he could feel juices begin to pool at the back of his throat. “Hmm,” he said, swallowing a remark he knew he’d regret, “I can see that. I meant put on your coat and mittens. It’s outside.”

She cocked a wary eye toward him. “Oh, God. What is it? Not skis. I said-”

“It’s not skis, I promise. But you’re going to have to come outside to see it.”

“I’d rather not. I can do much more good right here. If I-”

“I have no doubt of that. However, you could also do with some fresh air. Come-up you get.”

Her chin rose another notch, and he realized there were now only scant inches separating his mouth from hers. He grew light-headed at the thought.

“You’re not-”

“-Your teacher,” he said, straightening up before he did something he’d regret even more than words. “I know. You’ve already reminded me of that fact. However, you are in my protective custody, which makes me your custodian. I am also, as you seem to forget, your boss. I will expect you bundled up and on the front steps in-” he drew back his cuff to glance at his watchless-wrist “-five minutes. Do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly.”

“Good.” He turned away to hide his smile, feeling ridiculously buoyant, considering he could feel her furious glare burning holes between his shoulder blades.

Chapter 8

It was more like fifteen minutes later when Lucia ventured onto the clean-swept front steps of Josef and Kati’s cottage, grumbling under her breath, hugging herself and shivering theatrically. Corbett, who had obviously been pacing, judging from the path his footsteps had worn in the snow, gave her an annoyed stare, which warmed her heart considerably.

The truth was, she felt invigorated, and not the least bit cold. She knew she was playing a risky game, taunting him so, particularly since she didn’t know him well enough to be able to predict what his reaction might be under these unaccustomed circumstances. Since her impassioned declaration of love, which obviously hadn’t fazed him, she’d felt a new sense of freedom. As if a reckless and wicked imp had come to sit on her shoulder and was constantly whispering in her ear, What have you got to lose?

It was another lovely sunny morning, cold and sparkling, looking more than ever like a pen-and-ink drawing with snow still lying thick on the ground but melted off rooftops and the black skeletons of trees. Refusing to acknowledge the beauty of it, Lucia focused instead on the object on the ground near Corbett’s feet.

“What,” she inquired darkly, “is that?”

He reared back, as if astounded by her ignorance. “It’s a sled.”

“Uh-huh. Where did you find it?”

“It was in the outbuilding.” Bending down, he picked up the gleaming wood-and-metal contraption by one end and bumped it against the ground to dislodge the bits of muddy snow that were clinging to its runners. “We dug it out last night, Josef and I, after you passed out at the dinner table.”

He’d spent hours cleaning and oiling it, actually. In a way, it had been therapy for him, working methodically with his hands and thinking about everything that had happened that day.

Everything. Thinking about her, mostly. And Adam. The possibility one of them could have betrayed me. Telling myself it couldn’t be her. Not Lucia.

Asking himself when she could possibly have done it. Then remembering that she’d been alone in the cave house all night that first night. Knowing that with her computer knowledge she could easily have sent off a message…

No. I won’t believe it. I know I don’t know her as well as I thought I did, but still…My God, look at her.

Even bundled up and red-nosed, her body round and as shapeless as a bear’s, she was still so adorable she made his throat ache with a repressed urge to laugh out loud. Even when she directed a frigid stare at the sled, then at him, and said frostily, “What part of ‘I don’t do sports’ don’t you understand?”

Lifting his gloved hands to his mouth to cover a smile, Corbett huffed out a cloud of freezing vapor, then said in a stern but patient teacher’s voice he knew would annoy her, “This is not sports. It’s a child’s toy. All you have to do is sit on the thing. Or you can even lie down on it. Look.” He dropped the sled onto the snow, gingerly lowered his backside onto it, grasped the rope holds on the sides and leaned back. “You see? You steer with your feet-like this.”