Текст книги "Заговор мечей"

Автор книги: Джейн Doy Press

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Wilford, on the other hand, had consistent deposits of five thousand dollars, in cash. What was even more interesting to Alex was that there were no withdrawals. Wilford made several large purchases, buying a motorcycle and several guns, and he paid cash for them. Since he didn’t ever withdraw the cash, Alex wondered just how much money the man had – and where it had come from.

There were a few items on George Mather, including his marriage date, his wife’s death, and his graduation from Penn State University. Jenny had underlined this part, and written, ‘See Brogan report’ next to it. When she checked it, Alex realized it was another small connection. Mather and Brogan had gone to the same school. It didn’t mean the two had known each other, but it was a little more they could throw at Kyle Brogan. Maybe, if they threw enough stones at him, he’d crack.

David finally got there a little after ten o’clock.

“You know, Alex, I was so tempted to ride the Metro in today. I could have parked at the station, and hopped the train. It would have taken far less time.”

“So, why didn’t you?”

“Miri told me she’d make me sleep on the couch.”

Alex laughed for a moment, then sobered. “She’s really afraid of it, isn’t she, Dave?”

“Yeah. The second attack in New York was pretty bad. She was nearly raped.”

His partner stared at him. “You never told me that.”

He nodded. “She doesn’t like to talk about it. Hell, she didn’t even tell me that part until a month after it happened.” David shrugged. “But you can understand why she gets scared.”

“Yeah.” She was quiet as she watched David hang up his coat, and turn on the computer on his desk. “I spoke to Sarah this morning. She talked me into dinner tonight.”

“Oh, really?” David couldn’t help grinning. “Will it be three, or four?”

“Four. And you probably already knew that.”

“No. Well, not for certain. She said she’d asked someone, but she didn’t know if they’d show. She was going to remind them last night.”

“Uh-huh. You know this person?”

“Nope. But Sarah says she’s hot. If she wasn’t with Maggie, she’d be tempted to ask her out.”

“Great. Sarah and I do not have the same taste in women.”

David stopped and looked at her. “Are you saying you don’t like Maggie?”

“No! I love Maggie. I just wouldn’t choose to go out with her, that’s all. She’s not my type.”

“I don’t get it. You say you and Sarah don’t have the same taste, yet she went out with you.”

“Yep, and that proves my point. I would never date someone like me.”

David grinned at her. “Neither would I.”

Alex glared at him.

*******************************************************

David volunteered to get more hot chocolate for Alex while he got himself some fresh coffee. While he was gone, Alex called Philadelphia.

“Okay, Alex, do you want the really bad news or the semi-good news?”

“Are those my only two choices?”

“‘Fraid so.”

She sighed. “Okay, the really bad news. Always begin with the worst, my dad said.”

“The room was clean.”

“Nothing? What about their stuff?”

“Gone. Not only that, but the room had been stripped. Towels, blankets, sheets, everything. And the whole place was wiped clean, including the remote control, the bathroom faucet, and all the knobs. Somebody didn’t want anything left behind.”

“Damn. I don’t like that, Ken.”

“Me neither. It was kind of eerie when we walked into the place. It was absolutely sterile.”

Alex tossed her pencil onto her desk in frustration. “Okay, the semi-good news. Hopefully it will cheer me up.”

“Steve and Louis can confirm that it’s the same type of bomb used in Atlanta.”

“How can that be? One was a remote, and the other was hooked to the ignition. Plus, you said yourself the two were different in strength, and even in placement.”

“Yeah, I said all that. But I’m a forensics expert. They’re the bomb specialists. They crawled through that wreck, and found a bunch of tiny little metal fragments inside the engine of the car. It’s the same thing they found in the car in Atlanta.

“Pieces of metal? I don’t get it. With all the metal in the vehicle, and especially in the engine, how can they tell what belongs there and what doesn’t?”

“This metal has a different chemical composition. It’s totally foreign to the engine of a car.”

“Okay. This is good news because?”

“Well, I said semi-good. It doesn’t bring us any closer to who planted it, but at least we know it was the same guys that gave them the bomb in Atlanta.”

“Right. At least we know that.”

“Now, I think you and David should think about coming up here next week.”

“Why?”

“I believe you should be the next set of agents to talk to Mr. Kyle Brogan.”

“Any reason why?”

“Because you are the expert on his cousin Derek White, and you can probably shock him with what you found yesterday.”

“What we found – oh, you mean the picture of White, in the background of the one of Mather and Wilford.”

“Well, yeah.”

“I don’t know if we want to go to him with that yet, Ken. After all, it ties his cousin in with the killers, not him. If he didn’t break, we’d have to release him, and he’d probably warn White, and Gerlach as well. If those two are part of this, I don’t want them to have any idea that we’re on to them.”

There was a pause on the other end. “Okay, I agree with that line of reasoning. If we move too soon we might spook them, and they’ll hide. But, Alex, what did you mean we don’t have any connection between Brogan and the killers?”

“Well, okay, we have a small one. Brogan and Mather both went to Penn State, and their years there overlap. But it’s a huge campus, Ken, and there’s no way to know if they actually met there.”

Ken waited a moment longer, thinking. Then he realized why she wasn’t getting it. “I forgot, you’ve never seen Brogan.”

“No, I never have. So?”

“Alex, I found a copy of that picture you were talking about. The one of White shaking hands with a guy.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Are you sitting down?”

She was, but she the question made her sit up straighter. “Yes.”

“The man holding the silver cup in his hand is Kyle Brogan.”

For a moment, Alex just sat there. When she found her voice again all she could say was, “Holy fucking shit.”

*******************************************************

“I don’t believe it.”

Cliff was standing by the window in his office staring into the sky beyond it.

“We’re busy trying to find ways to show a connection, and it’s all there in two photographs.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I don’t fucking believe it.”

He turned around and stared at the two agents in front of him. “All right, Ken wants the two of you up there. Think you should go?”

Alex bit her lip and thought about it. “Well, yes, but maybe not as soon as Ken thinks. Brogan is shaken, he thinks, and maybe we should shake him a little more before we confront him again.”

“How so?”

“Put him under surveillance. Maybe a phone tap?”

“How will that spook him?”

“Make the surveillance a little obvious. Let him know we’re going to watch him. Then, if he calls his cousin in a panic, we ‘ll know.”

Her boss nodded. “Any thoughts, Dave?”

“I agree with Alex.”

“You usually do.”

“That’s because she knows her stuff.”

Cliff snorted. “Good thing for us, eh?”

He dropped into his chair, and sighed. “All right, I’ll call Philly and ask for some help with surveillance. I’ll also ask for authorization for a wire tap. You check out what Derek White has been doing for the last few months. We’ve got tons of photos, and reports. Go through them, and find something.”

“I’ve already sent a request for all phone records, for Gerlach, White, and Brogan. Plus, I sent photos of Mather and Wilford to the guys who normally do surveillance on White. They’re gonna pass it among their team.”

“Good. Damn, I’d love to slam the door on a cell with Derek White in it.”

“You and me both.”

With that, Cliff looked up and waved a hand at them in dismissal. “Get out and get to work, you two.”

“Right. I’ll make sure you get a progress report before we leave tonight.”

Cliff’s eyes were already intent on the paperwork in front of him as David and Alex left his office.

*******************************************************

Searching through a report is easy, Alex thought, when you have a name that you’re looking for. But in these surveillance records on Derek White, Alex wasn’t just looking for a name. She was searching for names, dates, places, anything that would tell her Derek White was involved in the assassinations.

There were plenty of places, and even more names and dates, which was what frustrated Alex. She had no way of knowing which, if any, were significant. Along with going to Idaho to see his brother, Derek White had taken several long trips. On these he was sometimes seen doing the normal tourist traps. Other times he’d visit a person. Very seldom was he seen actually attending a meeting of any organizations outside his own. The few times he did, the meeting was private, and heavily guarded.

Finally, out of frustration, Alex began putting together lists of the cities her subject had visited. She was disappointed to find that, though he had often visited Atlanta, Philadelphia, and New York, he was not in any of those cities when the killings occurred.

But he had been to Boca Raton, Florida, and Williams Beach, Virginia. He’d also visited Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Houston, Texas. But he’d been observed playing tourist in both Florida and Colorado, and actually went to several church services in both Houston and Virginia. There was nothing out of the ordinary in any of it.

Alex felt like screaming. She’d been reading for hours, without a break, and she knew she’d have to stop soon and get lunch. It was already past one o’clock.

She’d just stepped out of her office when the phone rang. With a sigh, she went back to answer it.

“Alex, it’s Jenny. Just finished faxing the last part of the report. Stuff on Perry Watson, mainly.”

“Really? What did you find on him?”

“Bank records. And some fascinating financial transactions. I’d tell you all about it, but I have a meeting in three minutes. Remember you’re buying lunch tomorrow.”

“I remember. Hurry up, and tell everyone I said hello.”

“Will do. Bye, Alex.”

Alex hung up and left, determined to get food.

She swung by the fax machine, and stepped into David’s office. He was on the phone, and could only nod at her. She mimed eating, and he nodded again. Finally, with a hand covering the mouthpiece he whispered, “I’ll meet you down there.” Alex nodded.

She got on the elevator, Jenny’s fax in her hand. She started flipping through the pages, reading bits and pieces. Her eyebrows went a little higher with each passing minute.

It seemed Perry Watson was a rich man. His back account held in excess of $70,000. Regular deposits of between ten and twenty thousand dollars occurred, the money being transferred from an overseas account. But what caught Alex’s eyes and held them was the date. The account had been opened only five months ago.

By then, Perry Watson was supposed to be dead.

With a start, Alex realized she’d missed her floor, and the elevator was on its way back up. She pushed the button for third floor again, and waited.

The doors opened at the floor she’d originally left, and David entered.

“Hey, that was fast. Did you just grab something, or did you forget your wallet?”

“Neither, I got distracted. Have a look at this. This is a record of a bank account in the name of Perry Watson.”

“Wow, looks like the man had some dough. Look at the amount of cash he’d withdraw – nearly ten grand a week.”

“Yeah, but look at this. The last withdrawal was Wednesday, February second. The last deposit went through the Friday before Dabir was killed.”

David looked up, puzzled. “I thought Perry Watson is supposed to be dead.”

“He is.”

“How could a dead man show up at a bank and withdraw money?”

“He couldn’t.”

“Great. I feel like Alice in Wonderland.”

“Why?”

“Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser.”

*******************************************************

It was, David decided, rather frustrating.

He was trying to reach someone at the Kittredge Clothes Company who could explain their arrangements with Whitley’s Fine Clothes for Men, but no one could tell him. He’d been switched from Sales to Marketing, back to Sales, then to the Promotions department, and back to Marketing. He was getting the feeling that either the company was so disorganized that it couldn’t make any money, or someone was giving him the runaround.

Rick hadn’t seemed to have any problems getting information.

After being ‘accidentally’ hung up on for the second time, David decided there were other ways to go about this. His first call was to Rick Price.

“Rick, who did you talk to at Kittredge?”

“I talked to someone named Anne, in their Sales department. Why?”

“Because I’m getting switched from department to department, and nobody knows who I’m supposed to talk to.”

“What are you trying to find out?”

“They have a unique agreement with a store here in Baltimore, and I wanted to know more about it.”

“Oh. Well, you could use the trick I did.”

“What was that?”

“I told her I was a manager at a a men’s clothing store, and I was interested in possibly having Kittredge Clothes be represented in my store, but I wanted to first check with a few other stores to see how their products sold. She was very helpful.”

“Great. I’ll give a call back, and see if I can find Anne.”

“Let me know if I can do anything.”

David dialed the number for Kittredge again, this time determined to get an answer. When the line was picked up, he asked for Anne, in the Sales department.

“This is Anne White, can I help you?”

“Hi, Anne, a friend of mine here in Baltimore told me I should get in touch with you. His name is Charles Clymes, and he manages a store called Whitley’s Fine Clothes for Men. Do you know who I’m talking about?”

“Oh, yes. I remember Mr. Clymes. And you are?”

“Um, my name is David, uh, Jackson, and I wanted to talk to you about the agreement you have with Whitley’s. It’s rather unique, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes, I suppose it is. But it works out for both us and the store. We don’t have to worry about extra inventory, and he doesn’t have to spend any money on products that might not sell.”

“I see. I understand you have several stores that carry your products?”

“Um, yes, we do. But only Whitley’s in Baltimore.”

“What about Philadelphia?”

“Yes, we have an agreement with a store in Philadelphia, as well.”

“I see. Can you tell me how many stores carry your products?”

“Uh, well, um, I’m sorry, Mr. Jackson, I don’t seem to have that in front of me.”

“Well, can you tell me just what stores carry your line of Klaser coats?”

There was silence for a moment. When Anne spoke again, her voice sounded much friendlier.

“Mr. Jackson, you should have told me from the first that you wanted a Klaser coat. I would have transferred you right away.”

“Well, I’m not sure I do, Ms. White. At this point I just wanted to know how many places carry them.”

“Carry them? Mr. Jackson, the only way you can get a Klaser coat is to order one.”

“So, you don’t sell them in any stores, anywhere.”

“No, of course not.” Ms. White paused. “Mr. Jackson, where did you say you were calling from?”

“I’m calling from Baltimore, ma’am.”

“I see, and your inquiring about our product line, why exactly?”

“Well, as I said, Mr. Clymes is a friend of mine, and he told me about this deal. I work at another store, across town, and I’m trying to reach the manager’s position. So, I’m doing some research. Charles told me that while he didn’t get to examine your products closely, they did seem to be of good quality.” David could feel his nose getting longer with each word.

“He also said that the deal was really beneficial to the store. I was wondering if you sold all your products this way, or if it was just the coats.”

“Well, just the coats are sold this way, and we only have that agreement with four stores. Our other products, including shirts and blazers, are available through our on-line site, and a few local stores in Alabama and North Carolina.”

David looked at his notes and frowned.

“Um, Ms. White, someone told me that your line of shirts was available in hundreds of stores along the east coast.”

“Oh, no, our line is much too exclusive for that.”

“I see. Well, thank you for your time, Ms. White. Have a nice day.”

“You too, Mr. Jackson.”

David hung up the phone, and tapped his pencil against his notes on his desk.

“Something smells very fishy.”

*******************************************************

Alex looked up to find David in her doorway grinning crazily.

“David? Are you all right?”

“Oh, fine. Just fine.”

“Good. Care to tell me why you look like a madman?”

“I’m enjoying the thrill of discovery. Like Columbus.”

“Really.”

“Yeah. Or, wait, maybe that’s Colombo.”

Alex stood up. “Okay, Dave, what did you find?”

If it was possible, David’s smile got even bigger.

“Remember Kittredge Clothes Company?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, it seems they didn’t exactly tell Rick the truth.”

“About what?”

“They don’t have hundreds of places that sell their clothes. They’re too exclusive for that.”

“I see. And that’s important?”

“Well, it told me something was up. They have the same agreement with all of their outlets, and the only place I can confirm you can order their clothing is on their website.”

“Okay. So, they exagerated their size when Rick talked to them?”

“Just wait, Alex, it gets better.”

“I can’t wait.” She sat back down, and motioned him to do the same. “Tell me, before you bust something trying to hold back.”

David settled into the chair, holding a yellow legal pad on his lap.

“Okay. The company name is Kittredge Clothes Company. Right?”

“Right.”

“And their line of coats is called Klaser, with a ‘K.’ Right?”

“Okay.”

“They have another line of clothes, a blazer, which is called Kabel, with a ‘K.’ Now, their website address is Kittredge-dot-com. On that website, they have their list of exclusive labels, and they have it in this fashion.” He put the tablet on the desk in front of Alex and wrote the three label names one on top of the other. Then he circled the first letter of each name.

Alex’s eyes grew wide. David saw it and grinned.

“Yeah. My thoughts exactly. So, I decided to do some checking. Guess what?”

“What?”

“Kittredge Clothes is a subsidiary of Atlantic Properties, which is a subsidiary of the Talcott Companies. Talcott Companies is also the corporate owner of East Penn Telecom, which is the company that employs one Kyle Brogan.”

Alex opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

“Oh, I know that’s not much, but it gets better. Kittredge is located in a little town just outside of Birmingham, Alabama. When they decided to build their factory, the town gave them some serious tax breaks. They basically gave them the land the factory sits on.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Well, guess who the Mayor of that small town is?”

“I don’t think I really want to know.”

“Sure you do. It’s a man name John White. His daughter Anne is the one I spoke to in the sales department.”

“Really.”

“Yeah. You want the final kicker?”

“Go ahead.”

“We always thought that Derek changed his name because he wanted to. We were wrong. He actually broke tradition, and took his wife’s last name. I guess he thought it made a stronger statement.”

“His wife’s name is Lisa.”

“Yep. And her sister’s name is Anne.”

“That means John White is …”

“You guessed it. The mayor is Derek’s father-in-law.”

Alex just stared at the tablet on her desk, with the circled K’s.

“Oh, one final little fact.”

“Dave, I don’t think I can take anymore.”

“The major shareholder in the Kittredge Clothes Company is Mayor John White. Second largest shareholder is his son-in-law.”

Alex glared at her partner.

“David, I really hate it when you gloat.”

*******************************************************

David agreed to drop Alex off at Sarah’s, since they were late leaving work. Looking at her watch, Alex knew she’d never make it by 7:00, and her friends wouldn’t be happy.

“Tell Sarah it was my fault, Alex.”

“Sure. After all, it was your fault.”

“Hey, I was joking.”

“I’m not. If you hadn’t insisted on going through every record on Kittredge, we would gotten out of there on time.”

“Maybe, but you were the one that insisted on calling the IRS. I never would have thought of asking about audits on the company. It was you that made us late, trying to sweet talk that revenue guy into sending us those records tomorrow instead of Monday.”

“Yeah. But you’re not going inside, so Sarah won’t yell at you. I have to spend the evening there, and I’d rather she blame you than me for my being late.”

They pulled into the driveway.

“You enjoy yourself tonight. And don’t forget, great sex is safe sex.”

“In the interest of our partnership I’m going to forget you said that.” Alex opened the door, and climbed out. David waved as he left. Alex took a deep breath, and walked towards the front door.

It opened before she got there, and she smiled as Sarah held open the screen.

“You’re late, Alex.”

“Yeah, well, blame David.”

“Right. It was probably your fault, but he agreed to take the blame.”

“Would I do that to my partner?”

“Yes. Now get in here and give me a hug.” They stopped just inside the doorway, and Alex felt her friend’s arms wrap around her. She sighed. Sarah had always given the best hugs.

“God, Alex, you’re thin.” Sarah pulled back and looked down into Alex’s eyes. “You haven’t been taking care of yourself.”

“I’m fine. I just haven’t had much sleep.”

“It’s the Dabir murder, isn’t it? I’ve tried to stay away because I know you hate anything breaking your concentration on a case. But, Alex you really need to take a break once in a while.”

“I am. I’m over here, aren’t I?”

Sarah smiled, and stroked Alex’s hair. “Yeah, you are. And I’m glad.” She hugged Alex again, then led her towards the kitchen. “Maggie’ll be happy to see you, too. It’ll give her another pair of hands in the kitchen.”

“You mean dinner’s not ready? Darn. I thought if I was late, I wouldn’t have to help.”

“Un-huh. Just for that you get to build the fire.”

“Aw, Sarah, you know I’m terrible at that kind of thing.”

“Then, maybe you can ask Teren to teach you.”

Alex stopped for a moment. “Teren?”

“Yes. You remember, our fourth dinner partner?”

“Her name’s Teren?” She resumed following Sarah, and they turned the corner into the kitchen.

“Yes. She’s our karate instructor. She teaches a class at the women’s center on Monday and Wednesday nights.”

Maggie looked up from the pot she was stirring on the stove. “Hi, Alex. Ready for dinner?”

“I told her since she’s late she has to build the fire.”

“Good. Teren is in the dining room setting the table. I’m sure if you ask her, she’ll help you with the fire.”

“Right. I’ll just go ask.”

There was a tingling on Alex’s neck, and her stomach muscles were clenched. She took the several steps through the kitchen, and out into the dining room.

Teren Mylos was calmly setting silverware on the table.

She looked up and smiled. “Hi. You must be Alex. I’m Teren; it’s nice to meet you.” She winked

Alex just blinked.

Chapter Nine

Dinner was actually pleasant, if a littler quieter than other dinners at Sarah’s. Alex tried to watch Teren without being obvious, while Teren chatted away with her hosts, smiling at Alex whenever their eyes met. Once in a while Sarah or Maggie would try to coax Alex to join the conversation by asking her a question. Alex would smile and answer in the shortest terms possible. Then she’d go back to watching Teren.

“So, Alex, how are you doing on this case you’re working on? Sarah said it had to do with Reginald Dabir’s death?”

Alex looked at Maggie. “Yeah. I’m trying to find who killed him.”

Teren looked up. “That’s right, you work for the FBI, don’t you?”

Their eyes met. Alex’s voice was tense as she answered, “Yes, I do.”

Sarah had noticed Alex watching their guest, and she could see something was wrong with her friend, but she had no idea what. Whatever it was, she decided, was probably unimportant. Sarah was determined this was going to be a good evening.

“Alex is one of the best agents they have. Her and her partner David were even given special citations after they caught a serial killer in Minnesota.”

Teren’s eyes went wide. “You were on that case?”

“She cracked that case, Teren. Didn’t you, Alex?”

Alex looked at her plate. “It was a team effort, Sarah. Everyone worked together.”

There was nothing but the sound of forks against plates.

Finally Teren broke the silence. “Maggie, you are an excellent cook. This chicken is perfect.”

“I’m glad you like it, Teren. I’ve always liked cooking. Sarah does the baking, but she’s terrible with anything on the top of the stove.”

“Really? Well, I can’t even do that. I nearly burned the house down the last time I tried to make toast.”

Everyone laughed. Even Alex chuckled.

“What about you, Alex, do you cook?”

“No. I don’t have time for it.”

Sarah leaned toward her friend. “Oh, come on, Alex. You’re a great cook. You used to make the best lemon chicken, and your beef teriyaki is legendary. I used to look forward to coming home on Fridays, just because I knew you were cooking.”

“Wait, Sarah, you mean you and Alex used to be together?”

“Well, yes, we were.”

Alex glared at Sarah. “It didn’t last long.”

“And yet the three of you are still friends? I think that’s great.”

Sarah smiled at her guest. “It is great.” Then she returned Alex’s glare. “Most of the time.”

Alex reached for her glass of wine and sipped it. “So, Teren, what do you do for a living?”

Teren smiled. “Actually I teach hand-to-hand at the FBI office. When you come up for recertification, I’ll probably be your instructor.”

Maggie looked at Teren. “What’s recertification?”

“To remain on active duty, a field agent must prove that he can handle him or herself in a fight. Agents are tested at least quarterly on their proficience with their weapon, and at least twice a year they must pass a hand-to-hand combat test. They can study karate, or some other martial art, but they have to be able to defend themselves against many different kinds of opponents.”

“Alex is a kickboxer,” Sarah said proudly.

“Really?” Teren’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t know that. We’ll have to spar sometime. I used to do a little kickboxing, though I don’t think it’s as good for self-defense as tai-kwan-do or jujitsu.”

Alex kept her eyes on the figure across the table. “It depends on whether you’re defending yourself on the streets or on the gym mat. Personally, I think kickboxing is better for street fighting. It always surprises an opponent.”

“It would, unless the opponent is skilled in any martial art. Then, the edge goes to said opponent.”

“I have found that even those with good martial arts skills can be surprised when faced by a kickboxer. I know I’ve surprised a few people.”

Teren smiled. “I’m sure. I bet most people wouldn’t expect someone of your size to do something as strenuous as kickbox. That would be a surprise, I suppose.”

Maggie and Sarah laughed. Alex sipped her wine.

“You’d have found it a surprise, I think.”

The words were said quietly, but they were enough to stop Teren as she brought her fork to her mouth. It finished its journey, then Teren reached for her wine glass.

“Yes,” she said. “But it would have been a pleasant surprise.”

Their gaze met, and held.

Maggie and Sarah couldn’t help but notice. The two of them smiled at each other, thinking they were right. Sparks of some kind seemed to fly between their friend, and their guest.

“Well, if everyone’s finished, why don’t we go into the living room? We can talk in front of the fireplace, and get to know each other a little better.”

Sarah winked at Maggie as Alex and Teren stood, picking up their glasses of wine.

“Sarah will you help me clear the table?”

Teren turned towards the couple. “I’ll be glad to help.”

“No, no, you go get comfortable in front of the fire. After all, you did build it.” She glanced at Alex. “And besides, you and Alex both worked all day. Sarah had a half-day and I didn’t work at all. We’ll take care of this. You two go get comfy.”

Alex cringed inwardly at her friend’s blatant attempt at matchmaking. She knew she’d have to have another talk with Sarah about her and Maggie’s choices of dinner mates. But right now, there was nothing she could do. Maggie and Sarah gently urged them out of the kitchen, and she and Teren found themselves in the living room, alone.

Alex tried to focus on something other than the ice-blue eyes that watched her. Her gaze landed on the chess set arranged on the side table. Teren saw it as well.

“Do you play chess, Alex?”

“Yes. You?”

“All the time.”

Alex nodded. “I smell a rat.”

“What do you mean?”

She motioned towards the kitchen. “Those two don’t play. At all.”

Blue eyes met green again, and for the first time, they both laughed.

“Well, we might as well let them think their plan worked.” Teren motioned to the set. “After you.”

“Would you prefer black or white?”

“Black.”

“Really. I would have thought someone like you would want to move first.”

“On the contrary. I’ve discovered that those who move first usually lose.”

“I see.”

They seated themselves, Teren behind the black pieces, and Alex across from her, behind the white.

“It does seem rather odd that this was already set up, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. The last time I saw this table it was piled with books from Maggie’s workplace.” Alex moved her queen’s pawn forward two spaces.

“Where does she work?” Teren countered by moving her king’s knight.

“She’s the manager at a bookshop, near DuPont. It’s not far from my home.” Alex brought her king’s knight in front of her pawns.

“I see. And Sarah?” Teren moved her queen’s pawn forward.

“Sarah works for a real estate firm. She’s an appraiser.” Alex countered with another pawn.

“How did you and Sarah meet?” Teren took Alex’s pawn.

“Why are you here, Teren?” Alex moved her king’s pawn.

“Because I got invited to dinner by two students in one of my night classes at the women’s center. You?” Teren moved the pawn from in front of her knight.

“Are you saying you didn’t know I was going to be here?” Alex pushed her pawn forward to meet Teren’s.

“No. But I didn’t know until last night.” Teren replaced one of Alex’s pawns with her own.