Copper Beach dl-1 Page 11

  “Sounds like the man you’re negotiating with is aware that you have a connection in the paranormal-books market,” Sam said.

  “Sure,” Dawson said. “Probably why I was invited to the negotiating table. In my world, you use whatever edge you’ve got.”

  “So you decided to use me?” Abby asked.

  Dawson had the grace to redden. “Sorry. That didn’t come out right. I’m not trying to take advantage of you, Abby. I’ll pay you for your time. In fact, I’ll give you a very hefty bonus if you can turn up that lab book before my competitors get hold of it.”

  “Any idea how many other people are looking for the book?” Sam asked.

  “No,” Dawson said. “But I have to assume that at least a couple of the other players who want the account have hired their own experts. What do you say, Abby? There’s a lot of money at stake, and a big chunk of it can be yours if you find that book for me. I’m on a deadline, by the way. I need to get it as soon as possible.”

  Abby shook her head. “I’m sorry. I realize the account is important to you, but you don’t know much about my world. Some books are dangerous. Some collectors are ruthless. Your investor may be one of the bad guys.”

  “The bad guys in my world are focused on the money. They operate Ponzi schemes. They don’t set up elaborate scenarios just to acquire old lab books.”

  “The fact that your investor knows enough about you to figure out that you’re connected to me is not a good sign,” she said. “That means he knows he can’t approach me directly, because he can’t get a referral.”

  “He needs a referral to get you to broker a deal for an old book?” Dawson asked, incredulous.

  “Yes,” Abby said. “That’s how I work.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  Abby said nothing. She just looked at him. But there was suddenly energy in the atmosphere. Sam heard a low growl and looked over the counter. Newton was on his feet now, very still, very focused. His whole attention was fixed on Dawson.

  Dawson flushed. “I didn’t mean anything personal. Just an expression. Come on, Abby, it’s just an old lab notebook. I know it’s valuable to this particular collector, but we’re not talking illicit drugs or the arms trade here. People don’t kill each other over forty-year-old notebooks.”

  “Actually, they do from time to time,” Abby said. “Which is why I try to stay out of that end of the market.”

  Dawson’s face was a study in outraged disbelief. “You expect me to believe that this book is that valuable?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “But I do know that it is associated with the paranormal, and collectors in that market are often eccentric and unpredictable.”

  “Abby, this is supposed to be your specialty. You find weird books for weird people who believe in the paranormal, right?”

  She smiled faintly. “Something like that. It’s nice to know you have so much respect for my professional expertise.”

  Dawson grimaced. “Come on, I know you’re holding a grudge because of the past. And let’s face it, you did have some serious issues when you were in your teens. Remember the time you came home with that old book you picked up at a yard sale? That night you set fire to it in the bathtub.”

  Abby’s shoulders were rigid. “That was sort of an accident. But no one believed me.”

  “Because you scared the hell out of everyone and set off the alarm,” Dawson shot back. “We ended up with a house full of firefighters and a lot of water on the floor. Mom was furious. You embarrassed her in front of the neighbors. That was when Grandmother said you should be put into an institution.”

  “I’m well aware of your grandmother’s opinion of me,” Abby said.

  “It’s not like that was the only scary incident. You exhibited some very bizarre behavior when you were in your teens. Mom had every reason to worry about the twins.”

  “No, she didn’t. I would never have hurt anyone.”

  “What about the time you disappeared for nearly two whole days? Mom and your father were frantic. The police wouldn’t look for you, because they said you were probably just a runaway. Then we got that call from the cops saying you’d been found at the scene of a fire that had started in a bookstore. The dealer was injured and had to be taken to the hospital. The only reason you didn’t end up in juvenile detention was because your father got you a good lawyer who got the charges dropped.”

  “Got news for you, Dawson,” Abby said. “The Summerlight Academy was only about half a step up from jail. The doors and windows were locked. There were forced therapy sessions. There were counselors who wanted to test me and my friends, over and over again.”

  “What was the family supposed to do? They couldn’t risk keeping you at home. The shrinks told us that you really believed you had paranormal powers.”

  Abby’s smile was edgy and cold. “I do believe that. Which is why I’m in a position to warn you that the lab notebook is dangerous.”

  “It’s just a damn book.” Dawson’s voice hardened. “I need to find it. I’m not fooling around here.”

  “I realize that the account is worth a lot to your firm, but there are other gazillionaires out there,” Abby said. Her voice softened. “Let this one go. Find another.”

  “Damn it, this is business. I’m not asking for a favor. I told you, I’ll make it worth your while.”

  “Thanks, but I can’t take the job.”

  “This is about the past, isn’t it?” Dawson’s face reddened with anger and frustration. “About the fact that your father married my mother for her money and found out too late that my grandmother had it locked up in a trust.”

  “Believe it or not, this is not about the past.”

  “It is all about the past and the money. Don’t you get that? Grandmother saw through your father right away, but Mom wouldn’t listen.”

  Newton had stopped growling. More than ever, he resembled a scaled-down version of a junkyard dog. He looked remarkably dangerous. There was a little wolf in every dog, Sam thought. People who forgot that sometimes had nasty encounters with teeth.

  “It’s all right,” Abby said to Newton. She stooped and touched him lightly with her hand. “It’s okay.”

  Newton did not take his focus off Dawson.

  “Whatever happened in the past isn’t important here,” Abby said. “Everyone has moved on, including me. We’re the perfect blended family now, remember?”

  “Bullshit.”

  Her mouth curved slightly. “True. But family is family.”

  “This isn’t funny,” Dawson said tightly. “You’ve had it in for me from the start because Grandmother made sure you and your father would never get a dime of her money.”

  “I don’t suppose it will do any good to tell you that I never cared about the money,” Abby said.

  “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s always about the money,” Dawson said. Bitterness edged his mouth. “And right now you’re letting the past get in the way of both of us making a hell of a lot of it. Want some brotherly advice? Grow up and get over it.”

  “I repeat, this isn’t about the past.” Abby locked her arms beneath her breasts. “It’s about you getting involved in something you know nothing about.”

  “I realize I don’t know anything about rare books,” Dawson said, exasperated. “That’s why I’m here. What I know is that I need this investor and you’re the only one who can get him for me.” He closed one hand into a fist. “Name your price, damn it.”

  “No,” Abby said.

  Dawson’s jaw twitched. “You know, don’t you?”

  “Know what?” Abby said.

  “You know that my firm is in trouble.”

  She frowned. “No, I wasn’t aware of that.”

  “I took a real hit a couple of months ago when a major project, a sure thing, went south. It was a Ponzi scheme, and I fell for it. My clients don’t know about the losses yet. I can juggle the numbers for a few months while I recover. But the only way I can dig myself
out of this hole is with new capital. I have to close the deal with this investor. If I don’t, I’ll go under.”

  “Oh, damn,” Abby whispered, shocked.

  “Lawsuits will be the least of it. You think some of your clients are dangerous? I’ve got a couple who will go to the Feds. I could wind up in prison.”

  “I’m sorry,” Abby said. Her tone was surprisingly gentle. “But you can recover. You’re good at investing.”

  “Abby, I’m standing on the brink of bankruptcy and maybe looking at jail time. I need to land this account.”

  “I’m sorry,” Abby repeated. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

  “Why not?”

  Sam picked up his coffee. “For one thing, she’s already got another client for that lab book.”

  Dawson swung around, jaw working. “You?”

  “Me,” Sam said.

  Dawson pulled himself together immediately. “I’ll buy the book from you. Just name your price.”

  “I don’t have the book yet,” Sam said. “If and when I do get it, I won’t be selling it.”

  Dawson turned back to Abby. “This is your idea of revenge, isn’t it?”

  “No,” she said. “I swear it’s not.”

  “I hope you enjoy it.” Dawson slammed the briefcase shut, picked it up and went down the hall.

  The door closed behind him.

  “Excuse me,” Abby said.

  She rushed out of the kitchen and disappeared into the bedroom. Newton hurried after her.

  Sam got up and followed the pair, not sure what he should say or do. It was clear that Abby was accustomed to handling her problems all by herself or with the help of her close-knit circle of friends. But he happened to be the one who was here today.

  He walked into the bedroom. Abby was sitting on the edge of the bed, clutching a tissue. She was not crying. She had one hand on Newton, who had his front paws propped on the bed beside her.

  “Please go away,” she said, a little too politely. “I’ll be fine.”

  Sam went to the bed. He pulled her to her feet and into his arms.

  “We’re a team now,” he said. “That means you’re stuck with me.”

  She pressed her face into his shoulder and sobbed.

  16

  AFTER A WHILE SHE REALIZED THAT THE HUMILIATING BOUT of visible weakness was finally over. She stopped crying. The temptation to stay where she was, wrapped warm and tight in Sam’s arms, was almost overwhelming. It took everything she had to push herself away from him.

  “This is so embarrassing,” she said. She stepped back and managed a shaky, rueful smile. “Sorry about the drama. Sorry about your shirt, too.”

  He glanced down at the damp spot. “It’ll dry.”

  “I’m okay now. Just lost it there for a while.” She grabbed another tissue and blew her nose. “I haven’t been sleeping well lately, and now there’s the blackmail thing and that stupid lab notebook and Dawson facing bankruptcy and…and last night.”

  “I thought last night went well,” he said neutrally. “It certainly did for me.”

  “I didn’t mean that. Not exactly.” Utterly mortified now, she tossed the tissue into the little wastebasket and rushed past him toward the bathroom. “Never mind. Give me a few minutes to wash my face.”

  “Sure,” he said.

  She fled into the bathroom, closed the door and turned on the cold water. She winced when she saw her tear-swollen face in the mirror. She was not one of those women who cried in an attractive way. But, then, it wasn’t as if she’d had a lot of experience. She rarely cried these days, and when she did, she made certain that she was always alone.

  It was the stress. She’d been under a lot of it lately. She had to get a grip.

  She leaned over the sink and splashed the cold water on her face for a couple of minutes, then turned off the faucet and grabbed a towel. When her face was dry, she took another critical look at the wan features of the woman in the mirror. Show no weakness. She reached for a lipstick and a compact.

  A short time later, feeling back in control, she went into the front room. Sam was standing at the window, looking out over the rain-dampened city. He turned around when he sensed her approach.

  “You can’t stay here,” he said. “Not now.”

  She stopped in the middle of the room. “What?”

  “There are too many people after that book, and a lot of them have decided you can get it for them. I’m going to take you to a different location, one that is more secure. You’ll be safe there, while I look for the blackmailer.”

  “What on earth are you talking about? I can’t just disappear.”

  He smiled. “Sure you can. You’ll see.”

  “What are you proposing to do with me? Stash me in a hotel room under a different name?”

  “No. I’m going to take you to the Copper Beach house. I’ve got good security there. In addition, strangers stand out like sore thumbs on the island. It’s hard to get ashore without being noticed.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Horrified, she held up both hands, palms out, and waved him to silence. “Thanks but no thanks. I appreciate the thought, but that is not going to work.”

  “Why not?”

  She lowered her hands. “You said it yourself a few minutes ago. We’re a team. We’re going to have to work this thing together. You don’t stand much of a chance of finding that lab book, let alone breaking the code, without my help. And I need you to track down the blackmailer. Let’s face it. Finding out that my stepbrother is under a lot of pressure to come up with that book really put the icing on the cake, didn’t it? I’m in this thing up to my neck now, and there’s nothing either of us can do about it except see it through.”

  He looked at her for a long time.

  “Do you always get to the bottom line this fast?” he asked finally.

  “Believe me, if there were viable options, I’d be running for the exit by now. You need me, Sam Coppersmith. And I need you.”

  He raised his brows. “Like I said, we’re stuck together.”

  She smiled. “Well, we do have Newton.”

  Sam looked at Newton. “Good point.”

  Bored, Newton trotted into the kitchen and began to slurp water out of his bowl.

  Abby walked across the room to stand directly in front of Sam. “But I can’t think of anyone else I would rather be stuck with in this situation.”

  “You’re sure about that?”

  “Absolutely certain,” she said.

  “Okay,” he said. He stroked her cheek with the back of the finger on which he wore the fire-red crystal. “I agree we’re in this together. But I’m not changing my plans. We’re going to Copper Beach.”

  “Why?”

  “We need a secure base of operations. Copper Beach is built like a fortress. Most of your work is done online, right?”

  “Well, yes.”

  “Looks like a lot of my work will be done that way, too.”

  “You’re going to try to find Dawson’s major investor, aren’t you?”

  “It’s a solid lead. Worth pursuing.”

  “I can’t just walk away from my life here in Seattle. Among other things, I need to put in an appearance at my father’s book-launch event. That’s on Friday night. He’s giving a talk and signing Families by Choice. There will be media. Dad has made it clear that it’s very important that the whole family show up.”

  “You’re not going into exile. You’re just going to Copper Beach. We can get back here for the book-signing event.”

  She looked around, searching for other excuses not to leave her new home.

  “All of my stuff is here,” she whispered. Okay, that sounded excessively juvenile. She squared her shoulders. “But you’re right. No reason I can’t leave for a while. Like going on vacation, right?”

  He smiled. “That’s one way to look at it.”

  “Newton will enjoy the country. He loves to visit Thaddeus because he can run around in the woods.” She tur
ned toward the bedroom. “I’ll go pack.”

  She was in the process of folding her nightgown, the lacy new one that she had bought on impulse and had been saving for some special occasion that had never seemed to come, when she heard the chimes that told her she had new email.

  She put the nightgown into the small suitcase and picked up her phone. She recognized the code instantly. For no good reason, a chill of apprehension iced her senses.

  “Thaddeus,” she said softly.

  She opened the email and read the brief, cryptic note. She hurried out into the living room. “We need to see Thaddeus right away. He says he wants to talk to both of us in person. Something about an auction for the lab book.”

  Sam tossed his two soy sausages to Newton and dumped the dishes in the sink.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  17

  “DID HE GIVE YOU ANY DETAILS ABOUT THE AUCTION?” SAM asked.

  He was at the wheel of his SUV, driving into the foothills of the Cascades along a narrow, winding road. The terrain was turning steeper and more heavily wooded. Abby was strapped into the passenger seat, her attention focused on the view through the windshield. Newton was in the backseat.

  Abby had been unusually quiet since she had locked up her condo and stowed her suitcase and her dog in his vehicle. He had sensed how hard it was for her to accept that her home was no longer safe. He wanted to tell her that she could trust him to take care of her, but he knew that would not make up for the temporary loss of the one place that was hers, the small, cozy space where she was in complete control. He understood about control issues. Hell, he had them, too. Who didn’t?

  “No, but obviously rumors are circulating that the lab book will soon be up for auction,” Abby said. “That’s good news and bad news.”

  “What’s the good news?”

  “I know how to track that kind of chatter. I don’t usually do business with the dealers who work the deep end, but thanks to Thaddeus and Nick, I know who they are and I know how to contact them. I’ll try for a preemptive bid for the lab book. Failing that, I can guarantee that my client will top any other offer.” She gave him a quick, searching look. “That’s right, isn’t it?”