Текст книги "Заговор мечей"

Автор книги: Джейн Doy Press

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 40 страниц)

In response, Alex used her queen to take Teren’s pawn. “So, you’re saying this is a total coincidence.”

“Yes and no. Sarah actually made the invitation last week, long before we met. But I was going to turn her down last night when she reminded me. Then she told me she wanted to introduce me to her friend Alex, who was an FBI agent.” Teren moved the pawn from in front of her rook. “I figured there couldn’t be more than one of you, so I agreed.”

“I see.” Alex moved her rook’s pawn two spaces up. “And you wanted to see me, why?”

Teren swiped another pawn from the board. “To check in. Find out how you were doing.”

“That’s all?” Alex countered with her rook, removing Teren’s pawn.

“Well, that, and I wanted to congratulate you.” Teren moved her queen’s knight in front of her bishop. “You found the hotel room, I hear.”

That stopped Alex for a second. She took a moment to recover, and moved her king’s bishop across the board. “Yes. Are you the one who stripped it?”

“No. My sources found it just a couple hours before your guys showed up. It had already been stripped.” Teren countered with her queen’s bishop.

“Any guesses as to who did it?” Alex’s king’s knight went forward and right.

“Someone who doesn’t want you to find them.” Teren moved the pawn from in front of her king.

Alex placed her knight two squares from Teren’s king, taking the pawn that had occupied the square. “Obviously. Can you give me a name?”

“No.” Teren slid her queen over one square. “But I can tell you you’re on the right track. And the money angle was the right one to follow.” She glanced up at Alex. “I trust you didn’t find anything amiss in my bank records.”

Alex moved her queen the same distance. “No. You knew I’d check you out, though, didn’t you.”

“Of course.” Teren used another pawn to take Alex’s bishop. “I knew you wouldn’t trust me. It’s always a good strategy not to trust.”

Alex replaced Teren’s rook with her own. “I’m not sure I agree with you, but I’m sure you have your reasons for believing that.”

“I do.” Teren moved her pawn onto the square with Alex’s queen and paused before removing the piece. “Just like you had reason not to trust me.” Her eyes were focused on Alex’s as she spoke.

Alex returned the look. “You were following me Monday night.” Alex looked back at the board and took Teren’s queen with her rook. “Check.”

Teren nodded. “I was.” She took the rook with her bishop. “How did you know I was there?”

“I didn’t know it was you.” She studied the board. “But I got an itch on my back that said someone was watching me.” Alex used her knight to take another pawn. “You were pretty good. I never even caught a glimpse of you. Check.”

Teren nodded, and moved her king forward one spot. “You weren’t supposed to.”

“Why did you do it?” Alex moved her knight to the left and back.

“To test you. To watch you.” Teren cocked her head and looked at Alex. “You were right, you know. We are kind of on the same side, I suppose.” She moved her king’s bishop to the other side of he board. “But the last time I trusted someone who was supposed to be on my side, I got shot, and my partner died.” Teren shrugged. “I choose to be very cautious now. Check.”

In the kitchen, the table had been clear for several minutes, and the dishes were in the dishwasher. Sarah had wiped down the table several times, while Maggie had not only wiped out the kitchen sink, but had polished the faucet. They were trying to keep the giggles to a minimum as they listened to the soft rumble of voices in the other room.

“At least she’s talking to this woman. Last time she begged off right after eating.”

“I remember. We were left trying to console Laura because Alex gave her the brush off.”

Sarah swept the floor one more time, and opened the closet to put the broom away. She stopped when Maggie took hold of her arm.

“Do you hear that?”

Sarah listened. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Exactly. They stopped talking.”

They looked at each other.

“Okay. Either they’re really concentrating on the chess game, or …”

“Maggie, I don’t want to think about ‘or.’ We better get out there.”

Maggie leaned over and kissed her partner. “I think they like each other.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Not that either of them will say so.”

“I know. They’re a perfect match, you know. Two very stubborn women.”

“Sweetheart, people could have said the same thing about you and Alex when you were together.”

“No. Alex and I were good for each other as lovers for a while, but we’ve been even better for each other as friends.” Sarah kissed her partner back. “Besides, I’m not stubborn.”

“Oh, really. And who, pray tell, is constantly insisting that she’s got to find someone for Alex?”

“That’s different. I’m her best friend; it’s my duty. Says so in the contract.”

Maggie shook her head. “Well, come on, best friend. Let’s see if they’re just really concentrating or if they’ve committed hari kiri on each other.”

“Wait. Listen. They’re talking again. Maybe we should give them another minute or two.”

“Sarah, if we wait any longer, Alex is liable to come in here and yell at us.”

“Well, then, let’s give her a reason to yell.” Sarah pulled her partner closer, and kissed her. Neither of them paid anymore attention to the voices in the other room.

Back in the living room, the chess game had continued silently. Occasionally, Alex would raise her head and examine her opponent as Teren studied the board. After her move, Teren would study Alex, contemplating the situation.

Finally, Alex used her queen’s bishop to take Teren’s king’s bishop. Teren countered by taking Alex’s bishop with her knight. In turn, Alex moved her knight back once more. Tern placed her bishop two squares from Alex’s king.

“Check.”

“Yeah.” Alex reached up and knocked her king over. “I concede. You’re very good at chess, Teren.”

“Thank you. I have to be.”

They started placing pieces back on their original squares.

“What do you mean, you have to be?”

“Well, the way I look at it, chess is made up of two parts: defense and attack. You have to balance the two. If you concentrate on only attack, you’ll probably lose your king quite oftent. If you concentrate solely on defense, you may not lose, but you certainly won’t win.”

Teren placed the last of her pawns on the board. “I have to do the same thing. If I protect too much, I can’t complete the objective. But if I risk too much, I’ll die.” She shrugged. “It’s a game of chess.”

Alex nodded. “You make a good analogy. However, in chess, there’s only you controlling the men on the board. If you need help, there’s no one to turn to. That’s not true in life.”

“Isn’t it? Even if I ask for help, the final decision is still mine. People could live or die depending on what I decide to do. If I ask help from someone, and it’s the wrong person, it could mean disaster. In chess it’s just a game, and I might lose my king. In life,” Teren’s eyes looked haunted for just a moment, “it already cost me a partner.”

Neither of them could pull their eyes away from the other.

Sarah and Maggie chose that moment to join them in the living room.

“Sorry we took so long. Had to load the dishwasher and everything.” Maggie stopped talking when she realized that Teren and Alex hadn’t heard a word.

“Anyone up for another glass of wine?” Sarah appeared with the bottle in her hand.

Teren pulled her eyes away from Alex’s. “I’m sorry, Sarah, but I’m afraid I’ll have to call it a night. I’ve got a long day tomorrow, and I should be getting home.”

“Oh, no, Teren. Please stay.”

“I’m afraid I can’t, Maggie.”

Sarah turned to look at Alex, wondering what her friend might have said to make Teren leave.

Alex, for her part, stood as soon as Teren did. “Yeah, I should be going, too. David’ll go ballistic if I’m not on time.”

“Alex, you know you can stay. We’ll drive you home later.” Sarah really wanted to talk to her.

Alex knew it. “No, I really should go. Hey, Teren, you think you could give me a ride? If DuPont’s not too far out of your way, that is?”

Maggie’s eyes went wide, and Sarah’s jaw dropped.

“Sure.” Teren wasn’t sure why Alex had asked, but she wanted a chance to talk in private with the agent.

“But —” Sarah started to object and Maggie quickly broke in.

“That’ll be great, Teren. We would have worried about Alex going home on the Metro.”

” It’s no problem. I’d be happy to give Alex a lift home.”

“Well, good. I’ll just go get your coats. Alex, why don’t you help me?”

Alex rolled her eyes and followed Maggie out of the room.

Sarah was still looking shocked.

“Sarah, I want to thank you and Maggie for having me over. I don’t get a chance to socialize much, and tonight was good.”

“Well, we’re glad you came, Teren.” Sarah had finally gotten her brain unstuck. “I hope you enjoyed yourself.”

“I did. And you’re right, Alex is a special person.”

Sarah just smiled, but in her mind she yelled, Yes!

Alex followed Maggie into the spare bedroom.

“Okay, Mags, what did you want to talk about?”

“What makes you think I wanted to talk?”

“It doesn’t take two people to get two coats. Come on, I don’t want to keep Teren waiting.”

Maggie took her arm. “You like Teren, don’t you?” It wasn’t really a question.

“She’s not bad. A good chess player.” She has to be I suppose, Alex thought.

“Come on, Alex. I know that look in your eye. You do like her.”

Alex shrugged. “She’s beautiful, intelligent, and seems nice. I suppose I could get to like her.”

“Are you going to ask her out?”

Alex wondered if she would be asking if she knew the truth about Teren. “I don’t know. We’ll see.”

“You said she’s beautiful and intelligent. What’s stopping you?”

“At the moment? You.” She grinned at Maggie, who swatted her arm.

“Alright, I’ll take the hint. Let’s go.”

Alex slid her coat on and followed Maggie to the front door.

“Thanks, Maggie,” Teren said as she took her coat. “I’m really glad you invited me. Dinner was great.”

“I’m glad you had a good time. You’ll come over again, won’t you?”

“Absolutely.”

It took a few more minutes to get out the door, with both Maggie and Sarah giving each woman a hug.. Alex could see that Teren was a little uncomfortable being touched, but was tolerating the physical affection with grace. Then, finally, the door closed, and Teren led the way to her car. She used her remote to unlock the doors, and Alex slid inside.

Teren waited until they were out of the drive before she opened the conversation.

“I like those two. They’re good people.”

“Yeah, they are. Course, I could do without their constant attempts at matchmaking.”

“What, you don’t like blind dates?”

“I think there’s a reason they’re called blind dates.”

“What’s that?”

“Cause sometimes they hit you like a train hitting a blind man.”

“Ouch. Are you talking about tonight?”

“No, no. Well, yeah, kind of.” She heard Teren chuckle.“How exactly did you meet Sarah and Maggie?”

” I volunteered to teach karate two nights a week at the women’s center. They signed up for my Wednesday night class.”

“I find it hard to believe that Maggie really wants to learn karate.”

“Well, it’s mainly self-defense, but I like to add some of the discipline of karate. I think it makes the students take it a little more seriously.”

“I see.” Alex turned to examine Teren’s profile. “Speaking of karate, did you have to beat up Mark yesterday?”

Teren glanced at her. “Who’s Mark?”

“Mark Garnett. He was in your class yesterday afternoon. It appears you used him for a punching bag.”

“Oh, him.” Teren’s voice expressed her distaste. “Yeah. I took offense at something he did in my class. He became a demonstration piece.”

“He says he didn’t do anything. First you asked him to work with a person, and the next thing he knew you were throwing him around the room.”

“And of course you believe him.”

Alex paused. There had been no inflection in Teren’s voice, and she knew that her reply would probably set the tone for their working relationship, if they were to have one.

“I saw you when you were using Tony Lewis to demonstrate a point,” she began. “I went to the academy with Tony. He had a tendency then to think he was better than everyone, and if he began to lose a fight, he’d lose his temper. You were right, if you do that, it can kill you. I thought the lesson you taught him was appropriate.”

Teren nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“When Mark told me he was in your class, I warned him. He likes to play around a lot, and I didn’t think you’d appreciate that, so I told him not to mess around. He told me he wouldn’t. And today, when I spoke to him, he said he didn’t.”

Alex turned back to Teren. “So, I guess I’m confused. I believe Mark in that he didn’t do his normal clown act. But, based on what I know about you, I don’t believe you’re the type to just pound on someone without a reason. So, I’m asking. What happened?”

Teren nodded again. “You know, if you ever get tired of the FBI the state department could probably use your diplomatic skills.”

Alex chuckled. “No thanks.”

Teren sighed. She took a breath and let it out before she started speaking.

“There’s this person I’ve been working with. She’s in the Records Department, and she wants to be a field agent.” She glanced at Alex. “I guess you know what that’s like, huh.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, the only thing that’s really stopping her from even applying is that she has no defensive skills whatsoever. So, she asked me for help. I told her that I’d help her if she met some conditions. First, she had to show up at three classes a week. Second, she had to follow a nutritional and conditioning program. And third, she had to do everything I told her to. She agreed. We’ve been working together for nearly six weeks, and she’s getting better.”

She shrugged. “Yesterday, I paired her with your friend Mark because I thought he’d help her without getting too macho and really pounding on her. I was right, he worked well with her.”

“So what happened?”

“I told them I wanted to see them work on her attack. She’s a soft hearted person, and it’s hard for her to actively strike at someone. So, she was to attack, and he was to defend. They were to keep practicing until the end of class, or until she got a punch through his guard.”

She stopped talking for a moment. Alex waited.

“He dropped his guard.”

“What?”

“He dropped his guard. Purposefullly. She was getting a little tired, and so he thought he’d take pity on her and let her hit him. She was happy. I was furious.”

“Because he let her hit him.”

“Yes.”

They were both quiet for a few minutes.

“I don’t get it, Teren.”

“Don’t you? Look, Alex, if she’s on the street, there’s no way in hell her opponent is going to say, ‘Oh, you’re getting tired, so, here, I’ll just let you hit me.’ Instead, their going to take advantage of it, and kill her. It does her no good for someone to ‘let’ her hit them. It teaches her nothing, and gives her a false sense of her ability. It’s wrong, and no one in my class will do that again, or I’ll make an example of them as well.”

Alex was beginning to realize that, despite what she knew of Teren’s previous occupation, she was beginning to really like the dark haired woman. There was sense of honor about her that Alex would never have expected an assassin to have.

“I understand.” She paused. “So, what did you end up doing with your student after Mark headed for the ice bag?”

“I paired her with another student. They worked until the end of class, and then Melissa and I stayed there and worked some more. I told her she wasn’t leaving until she landed a blow. I meant it.”

Alex stared at her. “Melissa. You mean Melissa Hendricks?”

Teren grinned. “Yeah. I take it you know her?”

“We worked together in Research. Nobody could believe she even made it through the Academy.”

She paused. “So, how late did you keep her there?”

“‘Til she hit me.”

“You mean she actually got through your guard? Either you’re one hell of a teacher, or we’re not talking about the same person.”

“Yes, she hit me. She was exhausted, hot, sweaty, and she was sporting a fat lip from not ducking a counterpunch. But, out of desperation, she lunged forward after I threw a punch, and she clipped me on the side of the head. It wasn’t pretty, and it didn’t have much power behind it, but she did it. And that was the whole point.”

“And then you let her go home.”

“Yes.”

Alex shook her head. “Damn. I’m glad you were’t my instructor at the Academy.”

“Don’t be so happy. I probably will be the person you face in your test.”

“I know. I’d ask you to go easy, but you’d probably take it the wrong way, and I’d end up in the hospital.”

Even Teren chuckled at that.

Alex noticed they were just outside the DuPont neighborhood. It wouldn’t be long until they reached her home, and there were several things she still wanted to talk to Teren about.

“I don’t suppose you need my address, do you.”

Teren flashed her a smile. “No.”

Alex nodded. “Look, Teren. We need to talk.”

“I thought that’s what we’d been doing.”

“I mean about the case. I know you have information that can help me.”

Teren didn’t say anything.

“I remember you telling me there was a reason you thought the same person or persons were behind the death of your partner and the murders I’m working on. If it’s something you absolutely can’t tell me, I’ll accept that. But you even agreed earlier that we’re on the same side. If you have any information, I really need you to share it with me.”

“You’ve been doing very well on your own, Alex. Why would you need me?”

“Everything I’ve found has simply confirmed what you told me Monday night. George Mather and Darryl Wilford killed several people. Now their dead. I need to find who killed them.”

“Why? I thought they did you a favor.”

“Because whoever killed them also ordered the murders. They’re the ones I want.”

Teren stayed quiet.

“You told me you wanted them, too.”

“I do.”

“Then help me.”

Teren sighed. “Look, I already told you, when I get the word on Mather’s apartment, I’ll let you know.”

“Teren, —”

“Alex, stop.”

They were both quiet for a moment. Teren glanced at her passenger.

“How do I know I can trust you, Agent Reis?”

Alex tilted her head. “I could ask you the same question, Agent Mylos.”

A nod. “So, it looks like we’re at an impasse.”

“Looks like.”

Teren pulled the car over to the curb in front of Alex’s apartment house. She dimmed the lights, but didn’t turn the engine off.

“Teren, I know the killings were probably ordered by the Klan, but I can’t prove it.”

“You mean Derek White?”

“Yes. He has a cousin in Philadelphia named Kyle Brogan. We can’t prove it, but we’re positive Brogan gave Mather his car to make the hit in. Then he reported it as stolen.”

“I think you’re wrong.”

That stopped Alex. “What are you talking about?”

“Look, I’m not saying White isn’t involved. I think he is. But I don’t think he’s the guy at the top.”

“So who is?”

“I don’t know. If I did, do you think I would need your help?”

They stared at each other in the darkness of the car. Alex was shocked by Teren’s admission, but could clearly hear the frustration in her voice.

“What do you need me to do?”

“You have access to records that I can’t get. Officially, I’m no longer an agent; I’m on leave for at least another two months. I have some sources, but none of them are legal, and I wouldn’t trust any of them not to slit my throat. I need someone who has access to information I don’t have.”

Alex took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “Then maybe you’ll be interested in making a deal.”

“I hate deals, Alex.”

“I’m not fond of them. But my boss, Cliff Jackson, said he would be willing to share resources with you.”

Teren fixed an eye on her. “If?”

“If you share all your information with us.”

Teren gave a hollow laugh. “Right. I give him information, he lets it slip to the wrong person, and I’m the next person getting their ass blown to hell. I don’t think so.”

Alex could see her point. She searched for a way to bridge the distance between their positions.

“Okay. Let me give you a little bit of what we know. George Mather, Kyle Brogan, Darryl Wilford and Derek White knew each other. We can prove that.”

Teren just nodded.

“Because of his involvement in right wing extremist groups, the FBI keeps a general surveillance on White. We know he’s been visiting a lot of different cities. Unfortunately, we don’t know how, or if, his travels tie into the conspiracy. We also don’t know why he would suddenly change his mind and kill his killers before they finished their job. Now, the letter that went to the Post said that at least five people would die, after Max Rhodes.Three have, and we know Mather and Wilford were responsible for two of them. That leaves at least two more killings that are supposed to occur.”

Another nod.

“We also know Darryl Wilford was spending a lot of money, but I can’t trace where it came from. He made huge deposits into his bank account but it was always in cash. There were no electronic transfers.”

Teren gazed at her steadily. Alex was running out of things to say.

“We’ve got Brogan under surveillance, and we’re hoping he’ll crack. We’re also looking at a clothes company that White is involved in —”

“Kittredge.”

Alex paused. “Yes.”

Teren nodded. “Take a close look at Kittredge. And not just at how it’s connected to White, but others that are linked to it as well. Look at the money, closely.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “You know something about the company?”

“I know it makes fine clothes for men. I also know that for the amount it spends on materials, it makes very few fine clothes for men.”

“Really.” Teren nodded. “And I should follow the money?”

“Yes.”

Alex took the tip seriously. “Thank you.”

Another nod.

“I wish I could give you a tip as well, but I’ve already told you everything we have. We’re waiting for reports on a few places we know Wilford visited, but I have no idea if any of them will pan out.”

Teren sighed again. “So, what resources was Agent Jackson willing to share?”

“I’m not sure. You said you needed someone with access to records. What records are you looking for?”

“Financial. Transactions from a bank account in the Cayman Islands. It was closed just after the fiasco in Europe. I want to know where the money came from, and what happened to it.”

“Whose account was it?”

“Mather’s.”

Alex nodded. “Do you have the account number?” At Teren’s nod, she asked, “Will you give it to me?”

It took a moment, but finally Teren nodded again. She pulled a pen from the sun visor, and a notepad from the side pocket on the door. After a minute she handed a paper to Alex. Alex reached for it, and Teren pulled it away.

“I’m trusting you to share what you learn, Alex.”

“Whatever I learn you’ll learn. I promise.”

She took the paper and slid it into the pocket inside her jacket. “Is there a number where I can get in touch with you?”

“I’ll call you. If you don’t want to wait you can always leave a message with Margo. I’ll get back to you.”

“Right. I’ll check this out tomorrow, and let you know what I find.”

“Okay.”

Alex reached for the door handle. Teren turned the headlights on, and watched Alex climb out of the car.

She turned and looked back. “Thanks for trusting me, Teren.”

Teren looked at her. “Just remember, Alex. It’s a chess game. Defend and attack. You have to risk something if you want to win.”

“And you never lose, do you Teren?”

“Only once, Alex. And I won’t let it happen again.”

The last sentence was spoken in a dead voice, and it chilled Alex more than the weather ever could. She nodded once more, then closed the car door. She could once again feel Teren’s eyes on her back as she walked up to the front door. Once she was inside, Teren drove away. Alex breathed a sigh of relief and took the stairs to go to her apartment.

She was changing her clothes when she realized she’d forgotten to tell Teren about Perry Watson’s bank accounts.

Teren watched the front door close behind Alex, and then pulled away from the curb. It would be a long drive to her condo, and she settled in, turning the radio on. But she couldn’t get the conversation out of her head.

Attack and defend. Risk and protect. She had truly felt she could trust the FBI agent, and had therefore taken a risk by sharing the account number with her. Teren had no idea where the money might have gone, but she did know where it had come from. The problem was, if certain people knew she was aware of it, she would find a bomb under her car one day. That was the reason she had hesitated to share the number with Alex.

If the wrong people found Alex sniffing around the account, the agent could be in a lot of danger.

Risk and protect. Sharing the account number with Agent Reis had been a risk, but Teren couldn’t decide who for.

Chapter Ten

Alex walked off the elevator the next day and immediately headed for Cliff’s office.

“Jodi, is he in right now?”

“Morning, Alex. Yes, he’s in, but he’s in conference. Said if anybody needs him he’ll be free about 9:30.”

“Gotcha. Would you tell him I need to see him?”

“Can I tell him why?”

“Just let him know I had a discussion last night with the enigmatic Ms. Mylos. Tell him she’s willing to share.”

“I take it he’ll understand.”

“Yeah, he will. Tell him I’ll be in my office.”

“Will do.”

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

“So, our assassin’s willing to talk?”

Cliff was in the doorway of Alex’s cubicle.

“To a point. She doesn’t trust me, yet, and I don’t blame her. She’s gotten burned before.”

“So, what did she say?”

“Follow the money, and study Kittredge.”

“That’s it?”

“That, and she doesn’t think Derek White is the one giving the orders. She doesn’t doubt his involvement, but he’s not the top dog.”

“Huh.” Cliff scratched his chin as he came into the office and sat down. “You think maybe it’s Gerlach?”

“Teren never mentioned his name. And so far, other than being Derek’s brother, there’s been no connection.”

“Then who?”

Alex shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m just going to follow the money, I guess.”

“Okay. ” He stood. “So, I take it you’ll be speaking to Ms. Mylos again.”

“Yes.”

He nodded. “Good. At least if you’re in contact with her you can keep one eye on her.”

“You think she needs watching?”

“I’m not sure. On just what you’ve said, and what I’ve seen, no. But, she is a trained killer. I don’t think I’d feel safe if we weren’t staying in contact.”

“Good point.”

He pointed to the papers on her desk. “What’s all this?”

“Oh. David and I requested some records from the IRS. Tax returns and audit papers on Kittredge. David’s looking at people involved in the company, and I’m looking at their tax returns. Something Teren said last night kind of stuck in my mind, and I wanted to check on it.”

“What was that?”

“Something about them selling very few clothes for the amount of material they buy.”

“Why is that important?”

“I’m not sure. There are some budget reports in here from when they were audited by the IRS. Maybe there will be something there.”

“Okay. So, David’s looking at the people and you’re chasing dollars. Ben and Mark are going to keep grilling Ricky Wilford. They’re having him look through pictures from our surveillance file to see if he recognizes any of his brother’s friends.”

“Good. Maybe he’ll see a familiar face, and we’ll have another live suspect.”

“Speaking of suspects, how long do you want to wait before leaning on Brogan?”

“Is the surveillance in place?”

“As of last night. And the wire tap is in.”

“Then I think sometime this week will be good. I want to see if I can find a few more facts about his cousin. Then we’ll confront him, and see if he talks to us or White.”

“If he chooses White?”

“I’ll just have to remind him what happened to his buddies who were driving his car.”

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

Alex couldn’t figure out how the Kittredge Clothes Company made any money at all.

First, they had no physical outlet. The only way to get their clothes was to order them by mail, phone, or on-line. While they listed four stores as ‘distribution centers,’ it was noted that these stores did not sell the merchandise. They simply arranged for individuals to pick up the prepaid items. Which made absolutely no sense to Alex.

Also, the recorded prices for these items was absolutely outrageous. The Klaser Coat was listed at over five hundred dollars, while the signature Kittedge line was priced close to seven hundred.

Not that the coats weren’t made well. The materials purchased by Kittredge were top of the line, best quality. Only the best silk was used in the Kittredge shirts, and the gold buttons on the Kabel blazers were fourteen karat gold. Therefore, if the price Kittredge paid for their materials was any measure, the price of the product was justified.

But something didn’t sit right with Alex. She wondered exactly who they were buying their material from. As she looked over their list of suppliers, she noticed a trend. All of the other companies were part of either Atlantic Properties, or its conglomerate The Talcott Companies.

As Alex looked through report after report, she noticed the Kittredge Clothes Company actually made no profit whatsoever. It made enough to cover the price of doing business. Otherwise, the amount spent on material and the amount brought in through sales balanced each other perfectly. As if the amount of materials bought every month were precisely calculated to offset the number of items sold.

Which, Alex decided, was virtually impossible.

David showed up just as she was coming to this conclusion.

“You’ll never guess what I just found out.”

“At this point, David, I don’t think I’d want to try guessing what day it is. What did you find?”

“I got a full list of the shareholders. It reads like the who’s who of the far right.”

“Like who?”

“For one, of course, Gerlach. But there’s also Ned Simpson, from North Carolina. Grand Imperial Wizard Jed Miller from Louisiana. Teddy Rushford from Mississippi. Most of the major groups are represented.”

“Shit. What is this, the new trend? If you’re Klan or Nazi you need to buy a Kittredge coat?”

“I don’t know about that, but I do know that, surprise surprise, each of these men also hold positions within at least one other business under Atlantic Properties or the Talcott Companies.” He dropped into the chair beside Alex. “I got a bad feeling about this Alex.”