“Understood,” Gage replied, mildly dissatisfied. “You told me your children both live on your property?”
“Correct.”
“Do they have families?”
“No. Neither is currently married.”
“I’ve another question.”
“No preambles. Just ask.”
He steadied himself. “Do you truly believe both of your children are capable of murder?”
“In this instance, yes.”
“And you believe one of them did it?”
“Killed my husband?”
“Yes.”
She opened her mouth to reply but halted herself. After resetting her countenance, she said, “I’m not a hundred percent certain, Gage. A large part of me thinks ‘yes.’ Another part of me cannot envision either of them stooping to that level.”
“Would they have reason to kill him?”
“Yes. Doubly so if they knew of my cancer.”
“You said they don’t know.”
“No, they don’t,” she replied firmly.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m positive.”
“What’s the other reason?”
“Just the complications of life.”
“May I ask you to explain that?”
She shrugged. For the very first time, in Gage’s estimation, Claudia seemed to be hiding something.
He pondered the type of children capable of killing their own parent—what sort of family was this? Claudia seemed to be such a kindly lady, how on earth could she have produced sons wicked enough to be capable of killing their father?
“You value directness?” he asked.
“Indeed.”
“Why would they want to kill him?”
“I admire that direct question. However, here’s my direct answer: I’m not getting into that.”
“I understand.” Gage pushed his plate away. “My first recommendation, Claudia, will be to remove all nearby threats.”
“What do you mean?”
“We should either remove everyone from the estate, or remove you from the estate.” He sipped his coffee. “Thoughts?”
She shook her head, firmly. It was the first time he’d witnessed any sort of intensity from Claudia. “Not possible. I don’t want to do that, and I also don’t want to explain in detail about why you’re there.”
“They’ll figure that out, Claudia.”
“Fine, let them figure it out. But no one is leaving. I will not turn life upside down due to one bad apple. And, as I said, I can’t be sure it was even one of them.” She sipped her coffee.
“I hope I didn’t upset you by suggesting that.”
“Goodness, no. You’re doing your job.” She eyed Gage. “Just know, I’m a stubborn old woman. You’ll occasionally stumble across one of these emotional walls I’ve built up for myself.”
Gage expected to get strong pushback to his next question. In fact, he couldn’t believe he was about to suggest it. “If you won’t let me isolate you, which is rule number one in personal protection, then an effort must be made to determine who the threat is. Knowing solves almost everything.” He raised his index finger. “An investigation can be performed discreetly.”
Claudia’s mirthful face hardened upon hearing his suggestion. But rather than respond forcefully, she sipped her coffee between her knotted lips. The server reappeared, warming both of their coffees with a fresh pour. By the time the server departed again, Claudia was staring out the window, her blue eyes clear and focused. She turned back to Gage.
“You’re correct. Determining the threat is important. I suppose I’ll allow some sort of investigation, but it has to be done carefully, discreetly.”
“I can reach out to my contacts and find a suitable investigator.”
“No. You’ll handle it yourself.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ll investigate, and finesse your way through the landmines.” She seemed satisfied with her decision.
“But I’m no investigator,” Gage replied, exasperated. “I told you this back in North Carolina.”
“As I said, I’m stubborn, so your objections don’t concern me. And no outside help, either,” Claudia said, tapping the tablecloth with a painted fingernail. “None, at least as far as the investigation is concerned.”
Gage opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off.
“This is the only way I’ll allow it. It’s better than nothing, isn’t it?”
“With me doing the investigation? Barely.”
Claudia’s laughter was instantaneous. “I give you three days, Gage Hartline, before you mutter the words ‘old bitch’ under your breath while dealing with me.”
He shook his head and chuckled. Despite her age and illness, he could feel this woman’s towering strength. Over the balance of their days together, between the guarding and the investigation, Gage looked forward to learning more about Claudia—understanding her history.
She touched her watch. “Let’s go ahead and make our way out. I’ve called the children together for a meeting later today. I’m going to introduce you then.”
“What are you going to tell them?”
“Among a few other things, I plan to madden them with my silence about why you’re there,” she said, beaming. “You’ll probably think I’m a monster for getting joy from watching them squirm.” Claudia’s smile dissolved. “Don’t give your last name, dear.”
“At all?”
“Not at all.”
Gage nodded his agreement. Today certainly promised to be interesting.
He was ignorant of the massive upheaval that lay ahead.
* * *
The dark gray Mercedes limousine provided perhaps the smoothest, quietest ride Gage had ever experienced. He sat on one side of the back seat, across from Claudia. Their conversation had resolved, so they rode in silence. He viewed the sights sliding past outside the window, his mind awash in so many memories. As Hunter reminded him, he had indeed ventured into Germany with Elena Volkov, though he’d been preoccupied with protecting her from an assassin’s bullet. There had been moments of reflection on that trip, but never more than a few fleeting moments. Only now, as the familiar blue road signs mingled with the late fall landscape off of Autobahn 5, the memories were intense, and rich, and haunting.
He had to remind himself that he was once again here on a mission of protection. What if someone decided to go after Claudia, right here and right now?
I’ve got no
