Deadly Valentine (25 page)

They'd received their drinks just as she heard a woman call her name. "It is you, Tess."

"Shelby, how are you?" Tess asked. "You remember Mr. Valentine."

"I certainly do," Shelby said holding her hand out to Jack. He stood and took her hand. Shelby's face flushed with appreciation. Tess couldn't fault her. Jack was potent. Without waiting for an invite, Shelby sat at their table.

"Does Daniel know you're on a date with Mr. Valentine?"

"Oh, it's not a date," Jack said with a wink to Tess. "Tess and I are old friends. We're catching up."

"Old friends?"

Tess nodded. "I was once engaged to Jack's friend."

"Wow. He must have been a real winner if you passed over Jack here."

"Actually," Jack said leaning towards Shelby. "She was too good for him. But what could I do?"

"Too bad she's taken again," Shelby said.

"Too bad," Jack agreed. "Tell me Shelby, do you think I could take Daniel?"

Shelby laughed showing all her straight capped teeth. "I can't imagine any man besting you, Mr. Valentine."

Tess wanted to barf. "Are you here with Philip?"

Shelby somehow managed to tear her eyes away from Jack to look at Tess. "No. This is my girl's night out. You remember. You came a couple of times."

Tess nodded. It was another one of those things Kate had talked her into as a way to make friends and network for her fledgling law practice. The problem was, Shelby's friends only talked about shopping and how much money their spouses made.

"Anyway, he's home taking care of the Senator and I guess Helen. You heard about Tom didn't you?"

"Yes I did," Tess said. "I stopped by the hospital to visit Helen earlier."

"Do you know she's staying at the house?" Shelby asked, condescension lacing her tone.

"Yes," Tess said trying to determine why Shelby would have a problem with Helen staying at the house. She grew up there after all.

"I feel bad for her and all, but please. That woman didn't want anything to do with us. And now all of a sudden her brother's dead and her husband is attacked. I don't think that's a coincidence."

Tess looked to Jack who shrugged. "No, I don't think it is."

Shelby's eyes widened. "I'm surprised to hear you say so. I know you and Helen are tight."

"Why would my thinking Asa's murder and the attack on Tom are related have anything to do with Helen?" Tess asked.

"Because she probably did it," Shelby said.

Jack looked as surprised as Tess felt. "What motive would she have?" he asked.

"Money. The Senator's undivided attention. Who knows? She could have easily slipped into the house. The back door was open. And she was home with Tom when he was attacked."

Tess reined in her anger enough to say, "Of all the people involved, I would say that Helen is the least likely to have killed Asa or attacked Tom."

"It's not any more nutty than me or Mr. Valentine having done it. In fact, I've been reading about these things and it's most likely to have been a family member."

"You're a family member," Jack pointed out.

Shelby waved her hand away. "By marriage. And I don't get anything by having Asa and Tom out of the way. I don't know if you knew this, but Asa didn't think much of me. It's all because I chose Philip over him. Petty really."

Tess looked to Jack. "I didn't know you and Asa ever … ah…dated."

Shelby laughed. "We didn't date. We had an affair. But I wanted a family."

Or money, Tess thought. It was common knowledge that Asa never intended to marry again since Lauren had gotten a significant amount of money in the divorce and he wouldn't trust a prenuptial to protect his assets.

"Unfortunately, it's just not happening for Philip and me."

"What's not happening," Jack asked.

"A family. The doctor says everything is working properly on us, but no babies."

Tess took a sip of wine and tried to hide her horror at the idea of Shelby being a mother.

"I hear there are other things you can do about that," Jack said. Tess kicked him under the table. She didn't want to hear about Shelby's baby escapades.  His lip twitched slightly in amusement.

"But you have to take all sorts of hormone shots and be poked and prodded…ikk," she said with a shiver. "If God wants me to have babies, he'll give them to me the natural way. It's more fun that way, if you know what I mean." Shelby fluttered her baby blues at Jack.

"I do," Jack said with a quick grin to Tess.

Tess rolled her eyes and then looked around the restaurant for one of Shelby's friends. "Shelby, isn't that Sally … ah Sally Christenson?"

Shelby looked where Tess indicated. "That's Sally, but not Christenson. She's Dalson now, of Dalson Pharmaceuticals. She made out really good this time." Shelby stood. "It's been fun. Call me sometime Tess and we can have lunch."

Tess smiled, but pressed her lips together to bite her tongue.

"It's always wonderful to see you, Mr. Valentine," Shelby gushed.

Jack stood again and shook her hand. "Take care Mrs. Worthington." For a minute Tess thought Shelby wouldn't let go. But then her friend called her name, and Shelby broke off to go to her.

"You enjoyed that way too much," Tess said.

"I'll admit it was amusing. Why people need TV is beyond me. You couldn't write this stuff and sell it. No one would believe it."

Shelby was quite a character, Tess agreed. "What do you think about what she said?"

"I agree. The natural way is much more fun-"

"Not that!"

He laughed. "You mean about Helen?"

"Yes."

"What do you think about it?" he asked.

"I think Shelby is nuts."

"That we agree on."

"Helen would never do anything so awful. Then again I wouldn't have thought Tom would be mixed up in this either."

"You think that second computer Tom had was Asa's?"

"Yes. But I can't figure out what Tom would be being doing with it? Why would he take evidence that could help catch Asa's killer?"

Jack shrugged.

"Your table is ready Mr. Valentine," the host said.

~~~~

By mutual agreement, Jack and Tess decided not to talk about Asa or the case. "We are, on a date," he reminded her.

"That's not what you said to Shelby."

"I was trying to protect your reputation." 

During dinner, Tess could feel herself being drawn in by Jack, despite her desire to keep some distance. They'd only been reconnected a couple of days. Too soon to think they had a real relationship. Yet with each look, each touch, he pulled her in deeper. How could she protect herself from heartbreak if she couldn't keep her heart from soaring each time he looked at her?

"You think too much," she heard him say.

"What?"

"I can see the wheels turning in your head."

"Just a lot on my mind."

He reached across the table and took her hand. "We don't have to decide right here and now where this thing is going with us."

She knew where it was going. The question was when. And how much would it hurt?

"I can tell you-"

"I need to use the ladies room," she said. It was cowardly to avoid the conversation. Fortunately he let her go.

Tess' hands straddled the basin as she looked at herself in the mirror wondering how she'd gotten there. No, she knew how'd she gotten there. What she didn't know was what she was going to do about it. It was too easy to like this man. To love him.

When she'd left Washington DC for Jefferson Tavern three years earlier, she'd made two promises to herself. One: never fall in love again. And two, if she broke rule one, never be with a man who could ruin her. It hadn't been that hard to keep her promises. No man had peaked her interest enough to fall in love. She might have entertained thoughts of Daniel at one time, but they didn't last long. By not breaking promise number one and by being her own boss, she could pretty much guarantee that promise two would be kept.

But in a matter of a few days, she was on the verge of breaking both of those vows. She was standing on the cusp of falling for Jack. Actually, she'd already tipped over the edge and was gripping the ledge with all she had to keep from falling any deeper. She had a choice to make. Based on her past experience and the promises she'd made to herself, she knew the best course of action was to climb back up on firm ground and send Jack packing.

But his pull on her was strong. Or maybe, if she was completely honest with herself, she wanted what he could offer, even if it was just for a short time. For so long she'd been moving through life, but not living. Jack awakened something in her that she wasn't quite ready to make dormant yet again. And he could be good for her. He had a way of putting things in perspective and reminding her to enjoy life. Then again, fairy tales only happen in books. And if she let go and fell, she'd get hurt. Even more hurt than when her relationship with Brad ended. She wasn't sure that was a risk she wanted to take.

Then there was her career to consider. She hadn't done anything wrong in dating Jack. Had they been together before Asa's murder, she would still represent him. Many lawyers helped family and friends. But she supposed it still looked bad. Like a cliché, although it was usually a male lawyer sleeping with his female client. She wondered if her other clients would think there was something sordid about her representing and dating Jack.

A hacking sound from behind her pulled her from her thoughts. She lifted her eyes to the stalls reflected in the mirror. She heard the sound again, this time sounded like gagging.

"Are you okay?" Tess asked.

There was another gag and then, "I'm fine." But the woman continued to gag. Tess thought she should give the women privacy. It was bad enough to be sick, but to know someone was listening to you made it even worse. Tess knew that first hand. Then again, the woman sounded bad and Tess worried she needed help. She waited quietly and a few minutes later the stall door opened and the woman emerged.

"Shelby?"

Shelby's eyes widened. Her expression surpassed surprise or embarrassment and went right to horror with a tint of anger.

"Are you okay?" Tess asked.

"I'm fine," Shelby said with a wave of her hand as she made her way to the sink. "I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me." She set her Donna Karan metallic purse on the countertop, opened it and pulled out a travel toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste. In college, Tess remembered that women who carried such supplies in their hand bags either slept over at their boyfriends house or were bulimic. She wondered if Shelby carried her toothbrush for one or both of those reasons.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Tess asked.

"I'm fine. Really. I just ate something bad. Now that it's out, I feel fine. You know how it is."

"Do you want me to call Philip-?"

"No!" Shelby's toothpaste spattered the mirror. "No, thank you. I'm okay. I'll just clean up here, have a glass of water and then head home."

Tess wasn't convinced, although it was more her reaction to calling Philip than being sick that bothered her. In fact, with the color coming back into her cheeks, Shelby looked fine.

"If you're sure then," Tess said as turned to the door.

"Wait a minute." Shelby turned and leaned against the counter. "You and Jack. Are you really old friends?"

She knew that Shelby was fishing for something Tess wasn't ready to admit to herself much less talk about. Taking her question literally, Tess could answer without lying or sharing more than she wanted. "Yes. We knew each other when I was in Washington."

"And there's nothing going on between you two?"

Since Tess wasn't sure what was going on between her and Jack, she felt it best to stick to the old line. "We're friends."

Shelby's face suggested that she didn't believe Tess. "You know Daniel has him at the top of the suspect list?"

"I know he's a person of interest."

"So, what's it like dating a possible murderer?"

Shelby's excitement over the possibility of going out with a murderer was odd. "I don't actually think he is the murder. Otherwise I wouldn't be dat- having dinner with him."

Shelby frowned. "Well, then who do you think did it?"

"I don't know. It could have been anyone in the house."

"Like who?"

Tess shrugged. "I don't know. Who do you think did it?"

"I think it was Jack. He argued with Asa and he was by himself downstairs with Asa." Which of course went against what she'd told them an hour earlier. Tess wondered if Shelby was trying to get information. Two can play that game, Tess thought. Now was the opportune time to question Shelby about her story that Philip had been with her upstairs.

"As I remember-"

"Remember?" Shelby said. "You were passed out."

Tess had to concede that point. "But I remember people saying that they were spread out through the house. After Jack and I found Asa, he went to the foyer where he spoke with Philip."

Shelby's jaw tightened as she shook her head. "That's not possible because Philip was with me. We came downstairs together. It seems that your Valentine isn't being truthful to you or the police."

"There is definitely lying going on." She watched Shelby to see her reaction.

"You think I’m not telling the truth."

Tess shrugged. "Someone isn't telling the truth because someone in the house killed Asa."

"It didn't have to be someone in the house," Shelby said. "Lauren was mad enough to have snuck in. And although you don't think so, Helen could have come in too."

"I suppose that could have happened, but I don't think so. I think it was someone already in the house. Once everyone is interviewed, I'm confident the police will figure it out," Tess said even though she wasn't actually one-hundred percent sure.

"Everyone has been interviewed."

"Everyone has made statements. But if it were me, I'd want to have a good talk with the help. Especially Sarah." Tess immediately regretted her comment. She didn't want to cause Sarah grief or have her lose her job over a careless remark.

Shelby's confident stare waffled. "The help? What would they know?"