Harmony 03 After Glow (11 page)

“Thanks for the heads-up.”

“The client is making arrangements to pick it up Friday at five. Shrimp wants you to supervise the crating and packing and see that it gets safely out the door with all the paperwork in order.”

“I’ll make a note.”
Lydia pulled her desk calendar toward her and flipped the pages to Friday’s date.

“Also, just so you’ll know, I’m going to slip out of here a little early today. Got a date with Jack tonight.”

Jack Brodie,
Lydia knew, was another in a long line of ghost-hunter dates for Melanie.

“Don’t tell me, let me guess,”
Lydia said. “The two of you are going to spend the evening somewhere in the Old Quarter.”

Melanie wiggled her brows. “Jack promised me that he’ll summon a little ghost or two to burn before we go back to my place.”

“Have fun,”
Lydia mumbled.

“Oh, I’m sure I will. You know what they say, there’s nothing like a hunter in bed after he’s burned a ghost. We’re talking hot, hot, hot.” Melanie grinned from the doorway. “But you already know that, don’t you? After all, you’re dating the top hunter, himself.”

“Emmett is stuck in an office for the foreseeable future.”
Lydia knew she sounded unbearably prim. She couldn’t help it. Melanie’s easy way with sexual innuendos and her casual lust for hunters was always a bit disconcerting. She could feel herself turning a vivid shade of pink. “He hasn’t got time to zap ghosts for fun and games.”

“Too bad.” Melanie disappeared around the corner.

Lydia sat for a long time, staring morosely at the front page photo of the
Tattler
. The gossip about a scandalous lovers’ triangle at the top of the Cadence Guild was only going to get worse. The story was simply too juicy to fade away.

If anyone could take care of himself, it was Emmett, she thought. But he had his hands full at the moment.

Something told her that the next few days and weeks were going to be very difficult for all of them.

E
MMETT OPENED THE
file that Perkins, Wyatt’s administrative assistant, had just handed him. “This is the list of people who phoned Wyatt the day before he was shot?”

“This is the list I gave to Detective Martinez, when she interviewed me,” Perkins said with clipped precision. “It includes all of the business calls, both incoming and outgoing, that were made from this office on that date.”

Emmett looked up. Perkins probably had a first name but no one in Wyatt’s headquarters had used it in so long that it had been forgotten. Perkins evidently preferred it that way.

He was a small, dapper man who looked more like a butler than a professional secretary. A circle of close-cropped gray hair surrounded his gleaming bald pate. He peered at Emmett through gold-framed spectacles.

“Can I assume from the way you responded to my question that there were some calls of a personal nature that were not included on this list?” Emmett asked evenly.

Perkins cleared his throat. “There was one that I saw no reason to add.”

Emmett raised his brows. “You made that decision on your own?”

Perkins drew himself up to his full height. “I have worked for Mr. Wyatt for twenty-three years. I think I know him well enough to say that he would not have wanted me to give the caller’s name to the police.”

“Because?”

“Because the call was from an old friend of his who was, I’m sure, in no way connected to the dreadful events.”

Emmett rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’ll need the name, Perkins.”

“Yes, sir, I understand, sir. The caller’s name was Sandra Thornton.”

Emmett frowned. “She gave you her name when she phoned?”

“No, sir, but I recognized her voice immediately.”

“She calls frequently?”

“She hasn’t called at all in the past two years, but before that Miss Thornton and Mr. Wyatt had a close, extremely personal relationship for a period of several months. During that time, she called Mr. Wyatt’s private number on several occasions.”

One of Wyatt’s former mistresses, Emmett thought. Great. Talk about complications. He closed the file and stacked his hands on top of it. “Let me get this straight, Perkins. One of Mercer Wyatt’s old lovers who hasn’t been in touch in two years just happens to call the day before Wyatt gets shot and you didn’t think that was worth mentioning to the cops?”

Perkins looked down his nose at Emmett. “I beg your pardon, sir, but this is Guild business of the most personal nature.”

Emmett tried not to grind his back teeth. He reminded himself that this was the Cadence Guild, not the new, reformed Resonance Guild. In spite of Wyatt’s avowed intentions to modernize the organization, they still did a lot of things the old-fashioned way in this town. And by long-standing tradition, Guild affairs were guided by one unshakable precept:
Guild business stays within the Guild.

“What’s the story on Sandra Thornton?” Emmett asked, reigning in irritation. “Think she’s still got feelings for Wyatt? Was she angry when he broke off the relationship?”

Perkins blinked a couple of times in obvious surprise. “My understanding is that Miss Thornton was the one who ended the affair, sir, not Mr. Wyatt.”

“Did she call it off because Wyatt was seeing other women besides her?”

“I have no idea why she ended the arrangement, sir.” Perkins cleared his throat. “Mr. Wyatt did not confide that information.”

He wished Perkins hadn’t used the word
arrangement
.

“Did Wyatt say anything after
Thornton called? How did he react? Was he annoyed?”

“Perhaps a bit preoccupied, sir, but that was all.” Perkins hesitated. “He did ask me not to mention the call to Mrs. Wyatt, however.”

“Why not?”

“Mr. Wyatt cares deeply for Mrs. Wyatt. I believe he was afraid that she would be hurt or upset if she knew that an old flame had contacted him.”

Tamara would not have been pleased, that was certain. Emmett considered his options. He would turn the information over to Detective Martinez, but given the extensive resources and manpower available to him through the Guild, he could probably find Sandra Thornton a lot sooner than the cops.

Wyatt’s last coherent words before he went unconscious rang in his ears:
It wasn’t politics, it was personal.

“Get hold of Verwood,” Emmett said. “Tell him I want to see him immediately.”

Lloyd Verwood was in charge of Guild security here in Cadence. The only thing Emmett knew about him was that Wyatt had appointed him to the position. That was enough. Verwood wouldn’t have gotten the job if he wasn’t good.

“Yes, sir,” Perkins said. “Shall I—”

He stopped when the door opened without warning. Tamara Wyatt walked into the office. One look at her tense, drawn expression and Emmett knew that she was very tightly rezzed. The stress she was under was taking its toll.

“Perkins.” She nodded at the little man. “Wondered where you were.”

“Mrs. Wyatt.” Perkins bobbed his head deferentially and then looked at Emmett for directions.

“That’s all for now, Perkins,” Emmett said. “Let me know when Verwood gets here.”

“Yes, sir.” Perkins left, closing the door discreetly behind him.

Tamara went straight to the window and stood looking out at the view of the
Dead
City and the mountains beyond. In spite of the strain she had been under since the call that had summoned her to the hospital, she was as sleek and polished as ever. Her dark hair was neatly coiled in an elegant chignon that focused attention on the excellent bones of her striking face. She wore her amber in her earrings.

Tamara was a ghost-hunter, a strong one, although she had never worked much underground. Her interests lay elsewhere. Tamara preferred the halls of Guild politics to the alien catacombs.

She was a beautiful woman, endowed with that subtle aura that people called glamour. The old meaning of the word implied sorcery and magic and looking back he figured he must have been under some kind of spell when he had proposed to her. Or maybe he just hadn’t been paying much attention, he thought. Either way it was hard to explain why he hadn’t noticed the single-minded, all-consuming thirst for power that guided Tamara’s every move.

The tabloids had got it wrong this morning. His engagement to her hadn’t ended because she had been swept off her feet by Mercer Wyatt. Tamara would never have allowed herself to be distracted from her objectives by anything so mundane and inconsequential as passion.

The truth was that Mercer and Tamara were in many ways a perfect match, he thought. In spite of the fact that Wyatt was nearly four decades older than her, they had a lot in common. They both had a talent for manipulating Guild politics and they were both obsessively loyal to the organization.

But last month Mercer had informed Emmett that he intended to retire so that he would have more time to enjoy life and his lovely new bride. Emmett was pretty sure that news must have come as a shock to Tamara.

“I assume you’ve seen the headlines in the tabloids this morning,” Tamara said curtly.

“Hard to miss ’em.”

“They couldn’t get much worse. What if the media picks up those old rumors about you being Mercer’s illegitimate son?”

“My birth certificate states that I am the son of John London. As far as I’m concerned that’s the way it’s going to stand.”

“What a hideous mess.” Tamara turned away from the window and began to pace the room. “Any news from the police?”

“No. I assume they are following their own leads.” He leaned back in his chair. “I’m going to start a private investigation using Guild resources.”

She nodded in a distracted manner. “I just came from the hospital. Mercer’s two daughters are there now. They arrived a couple of hours ago.” Her jaw tightened. “They are not particularly fond of me, you know. They tolerate me because they have no choice, but as far as they’re concerned I married their father for mercenary reasons.”

“Well, look at the bright side. They’ll probably want to stay in a hotel while they’re in town. You won’t have to put them up at your house.”

“That is not very funny, Emmett.” She halted on the far side of the room. “There are a couple of problems that have to be dealt with immediately. First, you do realize that your temporary appointment has to be ratified by a majority of the Guild Council as soon as possible?”

“I’ve scheduled a meeting of the Council on Thursday. Can’t do it any sooner than that because three of the members are out of town.”

She frowned. “Confirming you as the acting head of the organization may not be a sure thing, even though everyone knows that Mercer handpicked you to take over in his absence.”

“I think that, under the circumstances, there won’t be any problem getting a majority.”

“Maybe not, but there’s always the possibility of a challenge from one of the members of the Council,” she warned.

“I don’t think that’s very likely, do you?”

“I’d like to say that it won’t be an issue. After all, you’ve only been appointed on a
temporary
basis.” Her eyes narrowed. “It’s not like you’re taking charge of the Guild permanently, is it?”

“No,” he agreed mildly. “Wyatt can have this desk back as soon as he wants it. What’s the problem, here, Tamara?”

“Foster Dorning may be the problem.”

Emmett raised his brows. “What makes you think that?”

“He was elected to the Council a few months ago. He came up through the ranks very quickly. Mercer thinks Dorning greased the way with a lot of bribes and favors.”

“Sounds like Guild politics as usual.”

She looked at him from across the room. “I think he has his eye on this office. He may try to take advantage of the current situation.”

“By issuing a formal challenge?”

“If Dorning won the challenge and claimed the position before Mercer gets out of the hospital it might be impossible to unseat him. You know how murky Guild law and tradition are when it comes to this kind of thing.”

“Let me worry about Dorning.”

“Emmett, I know you’re a very strong para-rez. I’ve seen you work. But the word is that Dorning is extremely powerful, too. What’s more, I don’t trust him. If it comes down to a formal challenge—”

“I said, I’ll deal with Dorning. What was the other problem?”

Frustrated and angry, she opened her mouth to argue. But whatever she saw in his eyes must have convinced her that it would be useless to pursue the issue. In the end she went with the forced change of topic.

“The Restoration Ball is the other problem,” she said stiffly. “It will be held on Thursday night. Mercer and I had planned to attend.”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I think under the circumstances everyone will understand if you send your regrets.”

“It’s not that simple, damn it.” She resumed her restless pacing. “You know how important the annual ball is in
Resonance
City. It’s no different here. It’s the social event of the year. Everyone who is anyone will be there. The Cadence Guild
must
be represented.”

“You can’t be serious about showing up at the ball, not with Wyatt in intensive care. If you think the scandal sheets were bad this morning, just imagine what the headlines would look like if you danced the night away while your beloved husband fights for his life.”

“Of course I can’t go.” She gave him a repressive glare. “You will have to go, instead.”

“Forget it.” He sat forward and reached for a pen. “I’ve got more important things to do than put on a tux Thursday night.”

She came to stand directly in front of the desk. “Listen to me, Emmett, you not only have to go, you’ve got to take a date.”

The absolute conviction in her voice and face gave him pause. Tamara might be single-minded, even ruthless, but she did not do things without good reason.

“You’re worried about the image of the Guild, I assume?” he asked quietly.

“Yes. Mercer and I have worked very hard in the past year to make the Guild part of the mainstream here in Cadence. You know how difficult it is to change the way the public views the organization. It took you six years to do it in Resonance.”