Douglas Victor Ashton. The name leaped off the page to her startled gaze. His mother was listed as Marie Elizabeth Ashton, and the father… Her heart faltered in her chest and her breath caught. Victor James Channing. Douglas was Uncle Victor’s illegitimate son.
“Oh, my God.” The words escaped her in an exhaled rush.
She hadn’t heard the office door open, hadn’t heard him cross the room. Didn’t know he was there until he spoke.
“Well, cousin, aren’t you going to welcome me into the family?”
Charley’s eyes snapped upward, unable to focus on anything but the barrel of the gun pointing at her.
Chapter Seventeen
Cole’s chair groaned in protest as he shifted his weight restlessly. He’d been staring at the open folder on his lap for at least an hour and still hadn’t made it past the first page. In disgust, he closed it and tossed it to the desk, watching it slide a little before coming to a stop next to his booted feet.
“I take it you aren’t going to the Red Dog today?”
He looked up at Kristy’s voice. She was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed in front of her.
“No, I’m not. At this point, I have no idea when or even if, I’ll ever go back.”
Uncrossing her arms, she moved to the chair across from him and propped her feet on the desk, mimicking his position. “Want to talk about it?”
Cole shrugged. “Not much to talk about. Charley left. I don’t know when I’ll see her again.” He gave a wry half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “She said she’d call me. But it felt like a don’t-call-us, we’ll-call-you kind of thing.”
“You told her everything?”
“Yes.”
Kristy sighed. “And she didn’t believe you.” It was more statement than question.
Cole glanced out the window, unconsciously checking for any sign of a silver Blazer. “Yes, she did believe me. At least she said she did. And I don’t doubt she still loves me.”
Kristy was looking more confused by the minute. “Then I don’t understand. Why did she leave?”
“Victor Channing.” He took his feet from the desk and allowed his chair to ping upright. “Even though she’s willing to concede that he’s manipulative enough to keep us apart for ten years, she refuses to believe her uncle might hate me enough to want me dead.”
“Dead? You mean what happened at Duncan Mills?”
“Not just that. Someone tampered with the Jag. What happened to Charley and me yesterday was no accident. That’s what Ben Zimmerman was here for earlier. He wanted to find out who hated me enough to want me dead.”
“And you told him Victor Channing.” Kristy groaned. “In front of Charley.”
“I didn’t have much choice, Kristy. She might have gotten suspicious if I’d ask her to leave first.” He shook his head. “Besides, there have been too many secrets, too many lies. Either Charley loves me and trusts me, or she doesn’t. I’m not Channing. I can’t and won’t ask her to choose between the two of us.”
“That’s very noble and self-sacrificing of you.”
Viscously, Cole slung the ink pen he’d been holding across the room and shot to his feet. “Noble? Self-sacrificing?” His face was twisted with anger, but pain glittered from his eyes. “Do you know how much I’d like to strangle Victor Channing? Do you have any idea what it’s taking to stop myself from dragging Charley back here and forcing her to stay?”
The anger drained out of him almost as fast as it had started, and he ran his hands over his face tiredly. “Do you think I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life alone because the only woman I’ll ever love can’t bear the thought that I might think her uncle is a murderer? It’s killing me, Kristy, but there’s nothing I can do about it. What if Victor keeps trying and Charley is really hurt in his attempts to reach me? She could have been killed yesterday. I can’t take a chance on that happening even if it means losing her.”
“I know.” Kristy’s voice was soft. “I just wanted to make sure you did. But Cole, what if it wasn’t Victor? What if Charley is right?”
He turned his back to her, leaning one shoulder against the glass as he stared out at the dry Nevada landscape. “Then I’ve probably lost her forever, anyway. I’m not sure she’d ever forgive me. But who else could it be? There’s no one who hates me that much but Victor.”
“What did the sheriff think about it?”
“He’s talking to Victor today, but without proof, Ben can’t do anything. And I really doubt Victor will be gracious and offer up a confession.”
The phone rang and he looked over his shoulder as Kristy picked it up, hope flaring briefly that it might be Charley.
Kristy must have seen the look in his eyes, because she shook her head gently. “Hi Roger.” She listened for a second. “No, he’s here. Hang on and I’ll let you speak to him.”
Cole strode to the desk and reached for the phone. Maybe the head of Jordan Enterprises security had discovered something about the Duncan Mills accident that would help. “Roger? What’s up?”
Roger was a bull of a man and his voice reflected it, coming across the line in a deep bass. “Not sure how much help this info is going to be Cole, but I did find one interesting little item.”
“About Victor Channing?”
“You could say that. I have to tell you, I only discovered this during a routine check on the names you gave me. Channing himself seemed to be squeaky clean. At least ‘til I found this.”
“Spit it out, Roger.” He nodded when Kristy gave him a brief wave and left the room.
“Douglas Aston? The guy you said was Channing’s personal assistant? Well, turns out he’s a little more than that. I’ve got his birth certificate here in front of me. He’s Channing’s son.”
Cole went still. “Are you sure?”
“Well, Ashton’s mother sure as hell thought he was. She listed Channing as the father.”
A feeling of urgency gripped Cole. “Listen, Roger, I want you to fax me a copy of that birth certificate right now. And keep digging. I want anything you can find on Ashton.”
“Will do.”
Cole hung up and redialed the phone, his eyes on the fax machine. It began to hum at the same time someone answered the phone he was holding. “County Sheriff.”
“This is Cole Jordan. I need to speak with Ben Zimmerman.”
“One moment.”
While he waited for Ben to pick up, he grabbed the paper from the fax and scanned it. “Ben? Are you still talking to Victor Channing?”
There was a slight hesitation. “Yeah, he’s still here Cole, but I was just about to let him go. There’s nothing I can hold him on.”
“Do me a favor. Keep him there for a little longer? Something’s come up.”
“What?” Ben suddenly sounded interested.
“I’ll tell you when I get there. I’m on my way.” He lowered the phone with a click and jogged out of the room.
* * * * *
Ben must have been watching for him. As soon as Cole walked through the door, the sheriff appeared from a side office. “This had better be good, Jordan. I’ve reached the point where it’s either arrest Victor and let him call his lawyer, or release him.”
Cole thrust the birth certificate into his hands. “Take a look at this.”
Ben glared at him for an instant then glanced down at the paper. And did a double take. “Son of a…” He stopped and took Cole’s arm. “Let’s go in my office.”
Once inside he shut the door behind them before facing Cole. “Okay, I’ll admit this is a shocker, but it still doesn’t give Victor a motive to try and murder you.”
Cole’s agitation was increasing with every moment. “What if we were wrong, Ben?” He began to pace up and down in the small room. “What if the accidents weren’t aimed at me? What if Charley were the intended victim?”
“That’s crazy. Everyone in this town knows how Victor feels about Charley. He wouldn’t harm a hair on her head.”
“Not Victor!” He made a valiant attempt to control his anger and fear. “Ashton! Think about it, for God’s sake! He had the opportunity, and now we have a motive. Charley is Victor’s sole heir. And you’re right. Victor loves her like she’s his own daughter. Can you imagine how that felt to Ashton? Instead of being the prodigal son, the favored child, he was given a menial job, forced to keep silent about his relationship with Victor. And he was forced to watch while all the love that should have been his was showered on Charley. He must hate her.”
Ben glanced back at the birth certificate and then headed for the door. “I think it’s time to have another talk with Victor. Come on.”
* * * * *
The room where Victor Channing sat was typical of every interrogation room Cole had seen on television cop shows. A long table occupied the center of the room, several tattered chairs scooted up under it. The only other item in the room was an old water cooler burbling in the corner.
Victor looked up when they entered, his gaze going immediately to Cole. “What is he doing here? I demand you either release me or let me call my attorney.”
“Soon, Victor. I’ve got a few more questions for you.” Ben sat down across from him. Cole remained standing near the window.
“Look, Jordan, I never claimed to like you, but we both know I’m not a killer. You’re just doing this to get even with me. For God’s sake, tell him.”
Cole shoved his good hand in his pocket. He wasn’t sure he trusted himself not to deck the man. “You’ll be pleased to know, Victor, that Charley agrees with you. She doesn’t think you’re capable of murder, either.”
“You told her.”
“Yes,” Cole agreed. “I told her all of it. Right from the beginning.”
The man in front of him aged ten years right before his eyes. Lines appeared on his face that hadn’t been there only a second earlier. He almost felt sorry for Victor. Almost, but not quite. “You were wrong about one thing, Channing. She believed me. She knows that I didn’t leave her for revenge.”
Victor slumped in his chair. “I guess that means you win, Jordan.”
“I only wish you were right. Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone is going to win in this situation.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” Ben interrupted, “I want to know where Ashton was late Sunday night.”
Channing’s confusion was apparent as he looked from one of them to the other. “Douglas? I don’t know. I suppose he was in his room. He retired around ten that night. What’s going on? Why do you want to know about Douglas?”
Casually, Ben tossed the birth certificate to the table. “Why don’t you tell us about this, Victor?”
“Where did you get that?” Channing’s skin went a pasty gray.
“The where doesn’t matter. What matters is that he may be trying to kill Charley.”
“Oh, God.” Victor wrapped his arms around his middle and rocked back and forth. “What have I done.” He looked up pleadingly at Cole. “You have to stop him. If you love her, don’t let Douglas hurt her. I’ve always known he wasn’t quite right, but I’d hoped…”
Ben reached for the paper and folded it. “Why didn’t you ever acknowledge him, Victor?”
“His mother…” Channing paused and covered his eyes with a palsied hand then started again. “I met his mother when I was a young man and in love with someone else. Someone who didn’t love me. I thought Marie would help me forget, and for a while she did. She was such a shy, fragile little thing, and from a good family. But after four months I knew it wasn’t going to work, so I stopped seeing her.”
He took a deep breath and lifted his gaze to the two men watching him. “I never knew she was pregnant. She didn’t tell me. Not then or later. I would have done something if I’d known. I found out that when her family discovered her condition, they threw her out. Marie wasn’t capable of supporting herself, much less a child. I still don’t know how she survived as long as she did, and Douglas won’t talk about it. She died when he was eighteen. That’s when he found me. I know I reacted badly. I made him take blood tests to prove his claim, but it was true. He is my son.”
Victor shook his head. “I didn’t know what to do. There was Charley to consider, and my standing in the community. It was also clear that Douglas wasn’t mentally capable of finding meaningful employment. So I gave him a job and made him promise to keep silent. It was wrong of me. I realize that now. But I did try to love him. He rebuffed all my attempts. It was almost as if he didn’t know how to feel.”
“How does Douglas feel about Charley?”
“I don’t know. They’re both polite when Charley is around, but he doesn’t have a lot to do with her. And he’s certainly never said anything derogatory to me about her.”
“He’s never shown any hostility toward her?”
Victor shook his head at Ben’s question. “Douglas doesn’t show emotion of any kind.”
“Do you know where he was Friday between about five and seven?” Cole asked. Ben glanced at him. “Duncan Mills,” he explained to the sheriff. “The men leave at five and Charley and I arrived around seven. Whoever sabotaged the stairs had to do it during that time period.”
Ben nodded. “Answer the question.”
“He was running some errands for Lettie about then, I believe. Although it does seem strange that he’d do them during the dinner hour.”
“He knows a lot about mechanics?” Ben continued.
“I’d say he’s almost a genius where automobiles are concerned. He provides the maintenance on all my cars.”
“Okay.” Ben stood. “Do we have your permission to search your house, Victor?”
“Of course.”
The sheriff glanced at Cole. “I’m going to get some men together, just in case we find something, then I’ll head out to Victor’s. Victor is going to stay here until we have Ashton. I don’t want him getting in the way.”
Victor lifted a hand in a silent plea. “Don’t hurt him, Ben. Please. He’s still my son and he needs help.”
Ben nodded. “We’ll try to do this easy, Victor.”
Cole pushed away from the window ledge. “I’ll go stay with Charley. I don’t like the idea of her being alone while Ashton is loose.”
“Good idea. I’ll call and let you know what happens.”
“Thanks, Ben.” He paused in the door and looked back at Victor. “It seems I owe you an apology, Channing. Looks like you weren’t trying to kill me after all.”
Channing appeared stunned, but finally found his voice. “I guess you had a reason to believe it, after the way I treated you. Just promise me you’ll take care of her until this is straightened out.”
Cole gave him a curt nod. “I will.”
* * * * *
The sun’s scorching heat had turned the inside of the rental car into a furnace, and Cole flipped the air onto high as he backed out of the parking lot. How was Charley going to react when he told her that he’d been wrong? Would she give him a chance to apologize?
And how was she going to take the discovery of Victor’s illegitimate son and the fact that he might be trying to kill her? It was going to be a shock no matter how gently he broke the news.
His cell phone beeped urgently, and Cole steered with his injured arm while he fumbled it open. “Jordan.”
“Cole!” Frannie’s voice sounded edgy and worried.
“What’s up, Frannie?”
“I’m at Charley’s. And I’m worried. She told me not to call Ben, but she’s been gone too long. I have a bad feeling about this, Cole. I tried to call her a few minutes ago and no one answered the phone. I don’t know what to do!” The last words were almost a wail, and Cole felt a chill run over him.
“Calm down, Frannie, and tell me what’s going on. I’m already halfway to Charley’s.”
“No! Don’t come here. Charley went to Victor’s. She wanted to find something that would prove he was innocent. She called me about thirty minu
tes ago and said she had, but I’m afraid something happened.”
Brakes squealed and horns blew as Cole made a sudden U-turn and headed in the opposite direction. “Frannie, hang up and call Ben. Do it now. Tell him what you just told me, and tell him to forget the warrant and get out to Victor’s. I’m on my way there now. And tell him to hurry!”
Fear raced along every nerve ending in his body as he accelerated the Taurus, images of Charley alone with Douglas spurring him on. No matter how hard he pushed it, the car wouldn’t go over eighty, but even at that speed the landscape seemed to fly past.
An old pickup loomed in front of him and Cole laid down on the horn, then shot into the oncoming lane, narrowly missing a car before he cut back in front of the truck. He had a blurred impression of the driver shaking his fist, and then they were gone.
He didn’t slow until he reached the long driveway leading to Victor’s house. Breaking abruptly, he took the turn then slammed the car into neutral and shut off the motor, letting it glide to a stop halfway to the house.
Everything looked normal from here. He could see Charley’s Blazer sitting by the front porch, but there was no sign of movement. Stepping out of the car, he eased the door shut. If anyone happened to look out, he’d be clearly visible, but there was nothing he could do about that.
For a moment, he considered his best course of action. No doubt the doors were locked, and he couldn’t very well knock. The windows, he decided. He’d try to locate Charley first and see exactly what the situation was.
Boldly, he walked to the house, then slid into the shrubbery, pausing to look in each window he came to, making sure to stay well to one side. If they hadn’t seen him yet, he wanted to make sure they didn’t.
The house seemed eerily silent and Cole’s fear went up another notch. The sound of pots and pans rattling as Lettie prepared diner were absent, and when he peered into the kitchen there was no sign that anyone was cooking. He moved on, around the corner of the house.
Instantly, he became aware of the muted sound of voices. They were coming from the open French doors of Victor’s office. Moving faster now, he made it to the doors in two strides, then stopped.