Semiautomatic Marriage (11 page)

“Oh, I’m sure I can provide you with any information you need. You’ll never be able to get a true overview of the company without some personal direction.” Della’s expression had changed, as had the
timbre of her voice. She was no longer the accommodating employee.

“We’ll certainly be needing your help, Della,” Adam said smoothly. He wasn’t surprised at the change in attitude. If Arthur had left any clue as to what was going on at Horizon, it might be in his personal files. “We know you’re busy and have a heavy responsibility. Whatever we can do on our own will relieve you in time and effort. I’m sure his computer files would be a help.”

Della must have heard the determination in his voice, because she gave a short nod and said, “All right, I’ll have someone move his computer back. Now, you will have to excuse me. I’ll alert all the department heads that you are on the premises. I’m sure that some of the staff you met last evening will be happy to show you around.”

“Thank you, Della,” Carolyn responded. “We really appreciate what you’ve done to make us welcome.”

“I wouldn’t start stirring too many pots, if I were you.” With that warning, she left the office and closed the door with a punctuating bang.

“Ouch!” Adam said. “I guess we know how she feels about us being here.”

“Do you think she knows the real reason we’re here?”

“Most people view any kind of change as trouble. Della could be as innocent as a snowy-white lamb and still be resentful of our presence. Or she could be damn worried that we’ll turn up evidence that will bring the law down on her neck.” He set his mouth. “It really doesn’t matter. We’ll do what we have to do.”

“I’m not sure what that is,” she admitted as she surveyed the large paneled room. An area for conversation—a brown leather couch facing two chairs—had been set up at one side of the office, near large windows. She walked around the room, hoping to somehow draw in the essence of the man who had spent so much of his life there.

“Why don’t you check the desk drawers and see if they cleared them out?” Adam suggested, realizing she needed something to do.

“What am I looking for?”

“Anything that might be in Arthur’s handwriting. I’ll tackle the cupboards. And I ought to check the built-in bar,” he added with a grin.

Some of the tension left her face as she smiled at him. “Yes, you’d better do that—but not till after lunch.”

They spent the morning searching the office until Adam was finally convinced that nothing the least bit informative remained in any of the drawers and cupboards. If there had been anything that would point to illegal activities in the company, the evidence was gone now.

No one interrupted them during the morning, the phone didn’t ring, and the missing computer and files were not returned. He couldn’t very well force the situation without alerting someone to his hidden interest in the company. Forcing himself to be patient was going to be a challenge.

“What now?” Carolyn asked, disappointed on several levels. She didn’t find anything that would give her a personal glimpse of her grandfather, nothing that gave her an overview of the company and certainly nothing that Adam found of interest.

Adam glanced at his watch. “What do you say we break for lunch? We passed a small seafood restaurant just down the block. We could get a bite to eat and then wander upstairs and pay Jasper a visit.”

Carolyn’s first impulse was to say, no, she wasn’t hungry. She knew that once she stepped out the door, she’d be on display again. An ever efficient grapevine had undoubtedly spread the news that she was in the building.

Adam teased her. “What would you prescribe in this situation, Doctor? A lengthy fast or an indulgence of good food and drink?”

His ability to make her step out of herself and laugh surprised her. Instead of increasing her anxiety, his chiding gave her a strange kind of reassurance. She picked up her purse. “Who’s buying?”

He laughed. “My rich wife.”

He opened the office door and waved her out with an elaborate gesture. There was nothing she could do but straighten her back and walk out into the hall. Della’s office door was closed.

Carolyn breathed a sigh of relief when they made it out the private entrance without running into anyone. As she walked to the restaurant with Adam, she enjoyed a sense of victory that she’d made it through the first morning without any disasters. With Adam at her side, she almost felt invincible.

That feeling was shortlived.

A few minutes after they’d entered the restaurant and given their orders to the waitress, Carolyn’s stomach plunged and she lost her appetite.

“Oh, no,” she breathed as Cliff Connors walked into the restaurant. Her hope that he might not see
them faded. His casual stride was purposeful and his smile fixed as he walked directly toward their table.

Carolyn tasted bile as she steeled herself to face the threat Cliff represented. The memory of the night he’d intruded on her and Eric’s intimacy came back with a wash of embarrassment, now mixed with fear. Even though Cliff hadn’t spread the tale at the time, she suspected he’d kept his silence because she knew of his involvement with one of the pregnant nurses. The scales were balanced then, but not now. She realized that money would outweigh anything she could bring against him. What if Adam’s speculation was true? If Cliff spread the sordid tale to the tabloids, her reputation would be ruined. What was the alternative? If she gave in to a blackmailer at this point, where would it end? Her mouth went dry.

Chapter Seven

Adam turned his head to see what had caused all color to drain from Carolyn’s face. “Easy does it,” he cautioned her when he saw Cliff coming toward them.

“Hello, Caro. Long time no see,” he said, grinning at her and Adam. “Good party last night.”

“Yes, it was,” Adam answered smoothly, giving Carolyn time to collect herself. “It was nice of Della to arrange the gathering. We’re looking forward to spending more time with the staff.”

“I heard you were in the building this morning. I guess you’ll be wandering up to the lab to take a look.”

“Maybe after lunch. Would you be available to show us around, Cliff?” Adam smiled broadly as if he was looking forward to the idea of seeing more of him.

“I’m your man. Anything I can do to ingratiate myself with the boss is my style, right, Caro?”

“I don’t know, is it?” she asked without blinking.

Cliff laughed. He seemed a little taken back by her blunt question, as if he hadn’t expected her to take his flippant remark seriously. “You’ll have to
step lively to keep up with this wife of yours,” he told Adam, and started to say something more when he was interrupted by a tall, too-thin young woman who appeared at his side.

“I’m sorry, I’m late,” she told Cliff, slightly out of breath. “I got held up in packaging. Someday the Dragon Lady is going to push me too far.”

Cliff gave her a warning look. “I don’t think you want to bring Della into this conversation, Susan. Meet Horizon’s new owner, Dr. Carolyn Leigh Lawrence.”

“Omigosh.” Susan put a hand to her mouth, and her plain features reddened with embarrassment. She looked almost ill as she stammered, “I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I—”

“I told you you should have gone to the reception last night, Susan,” Cliff chided.

“I’m not very good in a crowd,” she said to Carolyn.

“It’s all right,” Carolyn said quickly, trying to ease the situation. “To be honest, I met so many people last evening I’m not sure I’ll remember half of them. This is my husband, Adam Lawrence.”

“I’m Susan Kimble. Nice to meet you both,” she responded, seeming more flustered than ever. She wiped nervous hands on her brown slacks and sent Cliff a beseeching look. “I work in the business office, and sometimes Cliff and I have lunch together. Don’t you think we’d better find a table?” she asked him as if anxious to end this embarrassment.

Cliff waited just long enough to decide that no invitation to join Carolyn and Adam was forthcoming, then he nodded and smiled at the attractive
waitress who arrived with Carolyn and Adam’s order.

“We’ll see you later then,” he said as he guided Susan to an empty booth.

“That was enlightening, wasn’t it,” Adam said in a matter-of-fact tone as he reached for a roll.

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes it’s amazing how easy it is to learn things without even trying. We know that Della’s nickname is Dragon Lady, which isn’t surprising. And then there’s Susan. Not exactly a femme fatale. You have to wonder what Cliff’s motive is for taking her out to lunch.” He eyed Carolyn as he bit into the roll. “Any ideas?”

“She has something he wants?”

“Good guess. It might be interesting to find out what that is. Maybe she’s just an easy score, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Even though she seems to lack sophistication, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more depth to her than shows.”

Carolyn marveled at Adam’s detached perspective. He seemed to have the ability to look at everything and everyone as if separate from his own feelings.
Like our pretend marriage.

The unbidden thought brought a strange kind of regret. Logically she should have been grateful that he was handling this almost impossible situation so impersonally. She’d let herself fall in love once, but now that her life was spinning off in a different direction, she didn’t need a man to fulfill it, certainly not one who was already taken. The warmth that coiled within her when Adam touched her and called her sweetheart was a weakness she would have to
overcome. If all went well, she’d probably never see him again after this was over.

“What are you thinking?” he asked softly, leaning toward her. “Do you know your blue eyes turn to a lovely shade of midnight when you’re deep in thought?”

The caress in his voice startled her. They weren’t on display now. There was no reason for him to play the loving husband. A shock of dark hair had drifted down on his forehead, softening his strong features, and there was a sensitivity about him that was totally disarming and appealing. She didn’t doubt for a moment that more than one woman had responded to his masculine appeal, and it didn’t surprise her in the least that he had found someone to fill the emptiness his wife, Marietta, had left.

“I was just thinking about Susan,” she lied, then added, truthfully, “She doesn’t look as if she’s the type to play the mating game the way some girls do. I’d like to warn her about Cliff. He has callously dumped more than one young nurse.”

Adam gave his attention to the tasty avocado hamburger, while he silently wondered if the connection between Cliff and Susan was based on matters of the heart or something more mundane like money. And what was Cliff’s relationship with Della? He’d jumped on Susan fast enough when she referred to Della as the Dragon Lady. He kept such speculation to himself and tried to keep the topic of conversation general.

Carolyn played with her spinach salad as she made superficial responses to his light conversation. Silently she wished she could still drive her own old car and head back to her cramped apartment. She
wasn’t ready for this. If Adam hadn’t pushed her into this dangerous charade, she could have taken all the time she needed for a smooth and easy adjustment.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, catching her frown. “I have the feeling I’m not rating too high as a luncheon companion. Maybe we could get better acquainted. You know, pretend this is a first date.”

The irony made her laugh. They’d slept in the same bed last night and were committed to a dangerous agenda, but she didn’t know much more about Adam’s personal habits and preferences than her mailman’s. Maybe less. She knew the bald-headed postal carrier loved sports and saw every Seattle Seahawks’ home game, and she didn’t even know if Adam liked sports. Books? Movies? Television? Any of the mundane things that brought two people together? But what did it matter? They had to stay focused on more important things, such as finding out if her grandfather’s death was an accident or a deliberate act.

Adam watched her eyes shadow and her mouth tighten. He knew that the brief moment when they might have enjoyed a respite from the impending pressures was gone.

She laid down her napkin and shook her head when the waitress inquired about dessert. Adam picked up the bill and they walked out of the restaurant together, his arm around her waist as if they were the newlyweds they pretended to be.

Horizon’s research laboratory was on the second floor of the first building. Sterile conditions were enforced, and Carolyn and Adam were provided
with masks, latex gloves and disposable plastic lab coats. Carolyn was used to hospital procedure, and so the personal protective equipment and speaking in muffled tones from behind a plastic mask felt natural to her. She was silently amused at Adam’s awkwardness and obvious discomfort. In some of the isolated sections, the technicians wore paper lab suits, hats, boots, gloves and masks. Her uncle Jasper appeared in sterile garb and quickly conducted them through the research laboratory.

He made no effort to explain what experiments were being conducted as they passed long lines of black-topped benches and work areas. Numerous computers and printers were in evidence on the counters, and Carolyn knew that much of the lab equipment was automated for both input and output.

Jasper set a pace that gave Carolyn little time to pause and see clearly what the laboratory assistants were doing, but she had no intention of letting her uncle shut her out of his department. Various chemicals and substances mingled to create a distinctive lab odor, and she decided that she’d insist on being briefed on the research projects later.

She didn’t recognize anyone from the gathering the night before. Jasper nodded to an office with windows on one side of the office. His name was embossed on the door. There were a few desks at the end of the rows of benches for the techs in the lab, and Carolyn saw Cliff’s name on one of them. Jasper led them out of the lab on the far side, where they discarded their sterile garb.

“The production and packaging departments are in the next building,” he said as they passed through a glassed-in breezeway that connected with the sec
ond floor of the adjoining building. “And the shipping department is below, on the first floor.”