Identity Crisis (22 page)

‘Ms. Delaney.’ The reporter from the
Oregonian
spoke up. ‘What about the threats on your life?’

‘There are no threats on my life. There never have been. I get an occasional email from an overzealous fan, like every other writer or actor or anyone else who has a public profile, but there are no threats on my life, so you can all rest easy tonight that I’m safe here with Garrett, happily writing away, and that the next Tess Delaney novel will be in your book stores very soon.’

‘If that’s true, if there are no threats on your life, then why are the security people still here?’ Mr. Pittman put in.

She smiled sweetly. ‘Mr. Pittman, my publicist is always a bit paranoid for my privacy at my request. That shouldn’t come as any surprise. Plus I’m sure I don’t need to remind anyone that Garrett’s house has just been well and truly egged. I believe there might have even been a tomato or two. Just a precaution. That’s all.’

‘That’s a lot of security for just a precaution,’ Pittman said.

Carla Flannery spoke up again. ‘My sources assure me the threat is real.’

God, they were tenacious, Kendra thought. But she only smiled and said, ‘Just a precaution, like I said.’ Then they all turned and walked back into the house according to plan.

Chapter Twenty
-one

He hadn’t intended to watch them. He rather liked seeing the reports on television, knowing that in a way he was orchestrating the whole thing. And Garrett Thorne’s ex-wife showing up was just icing on the cake, that was all. Oh, what a mix it was. He had hoped when he’d heard of her arrival that Tess would come to see what a worthless excuse for a human being Garrett Thorne was. He had hoped against hope that the man had had his fill of Tess and was dumping her for his ex. But even as he hoped that, the rage that ran through him nearly choked him, that anyone in their right mind could jilt Tess, that anyone in their right mind could even look at anyone else. And for the briefest moment he had fantasized about how he would punish Garrett Thorne for hurting his beautiful Tess. But none of that was true.

Bile rose at the back of his throat as he watched the two couples fawning over each other in front of the press, as Thorne pawed and preened and all the while his ex looked on like he was God himself come down to save the day. Well, he wasn’t! He wasn’t.

And what the hell was the matter with Carla Flannery? She barely got one question, and a weak one at that. She was supposed to be an ace journalist. She was supposed to be young and hungry. Hell, he could have hired a kid off the street to do better than she had.

As the four disappeared back into Thorne’s house, he yanked his cell phone from his pocket and texted.

You can do better than that, Ms. Flannery. I’m very disappointed in you.

He sent it with a hard press of his index finger, then, as an afterthought, he texted again.

By the way, nice touch, the motorhome. Makes you seem important. But really, the kaki T-shirt is too tight. It makes you look like a slut with a military fetish. Daddy’s little girl, maybe?

They barely made it into the house before Garrett’s BlackBerry rang. He shrugged his resignation. ‘No doubt that’s Don calling to see how it all went.’

Everyone nodded agreement and waited for him to connect. Kendra grabbed a much-needed Diet Pepsi and passed around drinks from the fridge.

Sure enough it was Don, so, as they all settled around the kitchen table, Garrett put him on speaker phone.

‘Is Kay all right?’ Don offered no greeting, no “how did it go?” His voice was tight and breathy in a way Garrett had never heard him before. Everyone’s gaze turned to Kendra, who froze in her seat.

‘Yes.’ Garrett said, his stomach knotting dangerously at the tone of Don’s voice.

‘Thank God,’ Don breathed. ‘Look, just listen to me. I’ve forwarded you an email I just got from this Razor Sharp bastard.’

Garrett nodded to Stacie, who was already heading up the stairs for his laptop. Before he could say anything, Kendra spoke up. ‘What happened, Don? What did the email say?’

‘Shit, Garrett, you have me on speaker phone?’

Kendra stiffened in her chair. The bright color that Garrett had noticed always tinged her cheeks when she was making a public appearance, when she was doing the job she did so well, was suddenly gone and her face was porcelain pale. Harris scooted his chair close to her and slid an arm around her, and Garrett was jealous. That should be his job. But the angry glare Harris leveled at him was a reminder of whose fault it was that Kendra was in this position to begin with. As if he needed reminding. He swallowed back the burn of his guilt as Stacie returned with the laptop.

‘Pull it up,’ Kendra said, moving closer to Garrett. ‘I want to see it.’ Stacie stood behind her with both hands resting on her shoulders.

Just then, there was a knock on the back door. Stacie opened it and Dee and Ellis shoved in, caught the mood of the moment, and moved close to Kendra and Garrett close enough to look over their shoulders at the email.

‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ Don was saying. ‘Listen, Kay, it might be better if –’

‘I said pull it up.’ Her voice was hard and distant.

Willing his hands not to shake, Garrett did as she asked. There were two new emails; one just forwarded from Don, and the other one, just below it, was from Razor Sharp.

Garrett took a deep breath and opened the email.

Clearly you can’t control your bitch, Bachman. You’re her publicist. It’s your job to protect Tess’s reputation. FAIL! Don’t you know what she’s doing in there with Garrett Thorne and his whore of an ex and Harris Walker? The press may believe their lies, but I don’t. If you can’t control her, I will, Bachman. And I promise you, I’ll make sure she behaves herself.

R.S.

Everyone’s eyes were on Kendra. Garrett was sure everyone’s hearts were in their throats, just as his was, everyone aching for her, everyone fearful. But this time, she didn’t run for the bathroom. This time she didn’t hyperventilate. This time her blue eyes were like ice and the air around her was electric with her control. She squared her shoulders and glared at the screen, raking her teeth across her bottom lip. Garrett was once again amazed at just how tough, just how brave she was.

‘I got it just a few minutes ago,’ Don said. ‘I’ve never gotten one from him before. I passed it on to Ryde. Does he know about this, Kay? Have you heard from him?’ Don asked.

‘He knows,’ Kendra replied. ‘Open the next one.’

This time the color rose in Kendra’s cheeks. Harris cursed out loud and Dee moved to flank Kendra next to Stacie.

‘What does it say?’ Don asked.

‘Jesus, you callous bastard,’ Garrett said, ‘you can’t really expect me to read it out loud! I’ll email it to you.’

Before he could forward the message, Kendra pushed his hand away and began to read aloud. Her voice was distant and without emotion. There was no trembling, no wavering. Just hard, cold resolve.

You’re a whore and a liar, Tess Delaney. You may be able to fool the press with your innocent radiance, but I see right through you. Whores go to jail when the police catch them, Tess. I promise I won’t let you off nearly that easily.

R.S.

‘That sonovabitch,’ Ellis said softly, laying a hand on Dee’s shoulder. He had his BlackBerry out.

‘What are you doing?’ Garrett asked.

‘Getting in touch with Wade,’ he said. ‘If the police can’t help, maybe Wade can. Send him the emails, Garrett, and I think we all need to make a trip down the Pneuma Building. I’ve got Jeffries waiting in the alley with the limo,’ he said.

When Dee saw the look of surprise on everyone’s faces, she added, ‘We figured the two of you would be getting pretty claustrophobic by now. Not that Garrett’s house isn’t nice, and all, but, Ken, I know you don’t like being in one place too long. We were just going to drag you back to Ellis’s place for a little break from all of this, but I think our first stop now definitely needs to be Wade’s dungeon.’

‘Pack what you need,’ Ellis said. ‘You’re not coming back here tonight.’ He gave a glance around. ‘There’s plenty of room for everyone. I’ll have Galina throw an extra bean in the pot and make the beds up in the bunk house.’

‘It’ll be a slumber party.’ Dee squeezed Kendra’s shoulder in an obvious effort to cheer her up.

But both Harris and Stacie shook their heads.

‘I have a very early meeting down on the Malheur Reserve tomorrow,’ Harris said. ‘We’re planning some migratory shoots. But if you need me, Ken –’ he took his friend’s hand ‘– I’ll cancel.’

‘I have a feeling she doesn’t need either one of us,’ Stacie said, lightly touching Harris’s arm. ‘But I echo Harris’s sentiments.’

Kendra shook her head. ‘No. Do what you both have to do. I’ll be fine. I still think it’s all just idle threats. Every celebrity gets them.’ She forced a smile that didn’t look too convincing.

Stacie nodded. ‘I have meetings with my lawyer and the realtors to finalize the papers on the gallery,’ she said. ‘I can stay in the house if you want me to, Garrett. That way it won’t be empty.’

‘Don’t be stupid,’ Garrett said. ‘This asshole clearly doesn’t like you very much either. There’s no way you’re staying here alone.’

‘Garrett’s right,’ Dee said.

Stacie nodded. ‘Well, I haven’t stayed at the Heathman in a while. I think I’d quite like a few days of being spoiled. And Dee, Garrett, Ellis, you all have my number if you need me.’

Harris went to the living room and peeked out the drapes at the front yard to where they could still hear the reporters shuffling and mumbling. ‘Ken –’ he called back over his shoulder ‘– why don’t you and Garrett get what you need and get all set to go.’ He turned his attention to Stacie. ‘Is your rental car still out front?’

She nodded. ‘Might be covered with eggs, though.’

‘We can handle eggs, I think.’ He said. ‘How about if we draw the press’s attention while you all make a fast getaway?’

Stacie nodded agreement.

‘I’ll keep the security here,’ Garrett said. I’ll phone and see if a couple of them can just hang out in the house so it feels like we’re still inside, what do you think?’ He slipped his arm protectively around Kendra. ‘That way maybe they won’t go looking for us.’

It had taken Carla ages to stop shaking. She sat in the motorhome with the doors locked, trembling like a leaf, with the final text from the stalker wavering in and out of focus in front of her eyes. She wanted to look away. She wanted to run away actually. She wanted never to hear from this sicko again, but where could she go?

She needed to tell her father about this. He would know what to do.
Daddy’s little girl
. She stared down at the email and shivered. He had researched her, then. If he knew her father, he had researched her. He hadn’t just picked some random reporter from the crowd. He had chosen her specifically. Her hand was shaking so bad that she dropped her iPhone, and it skittered across the floor of the motorhome. ‘Bastard,’ she said beneath her breath. Daddy’s little soldier. They’d called her that in school, teased her mercilessly. He couldn’t have actually known about that. How could he have reduced her to this in just one short text?

She scrambled to pick up the phone. When she could get her fingers to stop shaking enough to cooperate, she texted.

Where are you?

The response was almost instant.

Never far, Carla. Never far. Didn’t you think I’d check up on you to see how you were doing?

‘Jesus!’ She caught her breath with a little sob, and looked frantically out the windows of the motorhome, but there was a jumble of people. Lots of them now leaving after Tess’s little appeal to the mob. He could be anywhere. He could be anyone. He could be a she, though she was pretty sure he wasn’t.

Why are you doing this?
She forced her fingers to type.

Because Tess is a lie. Tess isn’t who you think, Carla. Tess isn’t who anyone thinks, and she should pay for her slutty ways.

She gulped the dregs of a cup of instant coffee she’d made just before Tess and friends had spoken to the press then she texted again.

Tell me. Tell me who Tess is, then, and how do you know?

This time there was no response. She waited for what felt like an eternity, and when she was pretty sure he was done playing with her, she stood on legs now a little bit more steady and shoved the door to the motorhome open. She could see Mike Pittman standing on the sidewalk in front of Thorne’s house, typing frantically onto his iPhone. He gave her an absent nod when she came to stand by him.

‘Did you see anyone suspicious?’ she asked.

He offered a bored grunt. ‘You’ve been standing here in the same crowd of loony-tunes I have, Flannery. If I’d seen anyone suspicious, how the hell would I have known?’

The man was right there, she thought. She stood staring at the front door of the house, and for a second she was tempted just to march right up there, knock on the door and force the issue. For a second.

Thirty minutes later, they were all four tucked neatly into the back of the Pneuma Inc. limo with Garrett and Kendra facing Dee and Ellis.

Kendra had been the ice queen since Don’s phone call with the news of more emails from Razor Sharp. Frankly, under the circumstances that worried Garrett a lot more than her hyperventilating or losing her breakfast. He knew she couldn’t have completely shaken off all of those feelings, all those memories every email from that bastard must bring back to her, and yet she seemed to have shut it all away. How could anyone have gone through what she had and not taken it all badly? And yet she was cool, distant.

Across the seat from him, Garrett could feel his brother studying him over the top of his glasses like he always did when he was about to ask a question Garrett was sure he didn’t want to be asked. ‘What?’ he said.

Ellis smiled his slow, lazy smile, the one that seemed much more freely given since Dee came into his life. ‘Just worried about you, bro. That’s all,’ he said. ‘They were pretty rough on you out there.’

Garrett shrugged. ‘I’m fine. That was nothing I haven’t had to handle before.’

‘And you handled it well,’ Kendra said. ‘I didn’t get the chance to tell you that after we talked to the press.’

‘I have no doubt he did,’ Ellis said. ‘Like he always does. Needlessly.’

Garrett bristled. ‘I really do appreciate your concern, but I don’t really need this lecture again, Ellis. Not right now.’

‘He’s right, though,’ Kendra said.

Across the seat, Dee still held Kendra’s hand in a grip that could have never been misconstrued for anything other than fiercely protective. Garrett was amazed there wasn’t a broken finger or two. And he felt a huge sense of relief when the look Dee offered him was warm and empathetic, so much more than he deserved, but then Dee had always given him so much more than he deserved. God, he could understand why his brother loved the woman. She was so good for him. What the two of them shared was the very essence of what he tried to capture in Tess’s novels, what he was certain every person longed for down deep. He did. He longed for it so badly that at times the ache felt as though it would rip him apart – to have come so close so often, to have almost been there. He studied Kendra out of the corner of his eye. What had happened that she had so shut out even that longing, something that seemed so basic to the human psyche?

Kendra’s iPhone buzzed a text, and she pulled it out of her bag. ‘It’s Harris,’ she said. ‘Looks like our little performance dispersed the angry mob, but the reporters haven’t budged.’ She nodded to herself. ‘They still think Tess’s life is under threat, no doubt.’