"Good. Think quickly. That keynote speech of Zach's is Thursday. After that..." A shrug. "It's up to you whether or not he has a reason to stay."
Not entirely, Victoria mused, her insides twisting as she once again pondered the big picture. It also depends on how things unfold at the Hope Institute, and when this whole ugly investigation comes to an end.
"Victoria?" Meg prompted.
"Hmm? Yes, I promise to think fast. Right now, that's all I can promise. When I come up with answers, you'll be the first to know."
Meg's eyes twinkled knowingly. "Or maybe the second."
2.30 pm.
Victoria made her way through the posh offices of Waters, Kensington, Tatem & Calder and went straight to Miss Hatterman's cubicle.
The stony-featured woman looked up from her keyboard as Victoria approached. Approval glinted in her eyes as she took in Victoria's tailored wool suit, which was a deep hunter green—suitably muted in hue. "Ms. Kensington. Welcome to your first day. Has someone shown you to your office?"
"Not yet." Victoria gripped the handle of her briefcase with rigid purpose. "I wanted to check in with my father first. If he's free, that is."
Not a flicker of reaction. "I'll see." She ignored the telephone on her desk and its intercom feature. Instead, she pushed back her chair and rose, walking the short distance to his private domain. A brief knock at the tightly closed door. She waited a few seconds, then opened the door and entered, closing it with a firm click behind her.
Victoria wasn't surprised. She knew the drill. Miss Hatterman was trying to avoid a potentially sticky situation. Whether he was in or out, Walter Kensington kept his office door shut. As a result, he could declare himself "out" whenever he chose to. And if he chose to now—well, his secretary was letting him do so, an impossibility if he answered his intercom page.
Not much chance of him going that route. Not when his daughter was finally obeying his wishes by showing up, on command, for her first day of work at his law firm.
Sure enough, Miss Hatterman returned, gesturing as she went to her desk. "Go right in."
"Thank you."
Victoria approached her father's office with a.mixture of curiosity and uneasiness. How would he react when he saw her? Would he be relieved or unsurprised that she was unharmed? Was he already aware that someone had driven her off the road Saturday night, or would it come as a shock? And what about Audrey? Did he know she'd tried to call Victoria again?
Time to find out.
Gazing fixedly at the gold nameglate on the door, Victoria readied herself and knocked.
"Come in."
"Hello, Father." She crossed the threshold of his imposing domain, watching him turn away from the windows to face her.
"Victoria." No visible reaction, and a greeting that was customarily terse. "Your start at Waters, Kensington, Tatem and Calder is finally here. I'm pleased. I've awaited this day for a long time."
Damn that poker face of his. Not a flicker of anything other than approval at her presence.
"I'm pleased to be here, too." She walked over, hesitated as she reached him, then found her way over to one of the plush chairs across from his desk and sank into it. A kiss, even a perfunctory one on the cheek, would be bad form in her father's eyes. This was, after all, his law firm, not their living room.
"Before I find my office and settle in, I wanted to stop by and thank you for Saturday night's party. I meant to call you and Mother yesterday, but things have been hectic since I left Greenwich the other night."
A mildly questioning lift of the brows. "Hectic? How?"
"To begin with, some lunatic tried to run Zach and me off the road on. our way back to the city. It was pretty terrifying."
Her father's stare bored through her. "What do you mean he tried to run you off the road? Was he drunk?"
"It would seem so, yes," she answered carefully. "The whole thing happened so fast. It was on the curvy section of the Merritt Parkway. He crowded us until we had to veer off into the trees. Fortunately, we weren't hurt. The car, on the other hand . . ." She gave an offhand shrug. "Anyway, we spent the wee hours of Sunday morning filing a police report. I was pretty shaken."
"I would imagine." He was scowling now. "But neither of you was hurt."
"No."
"Good." Obvious relief.
"And then, as if that weren't enough, Audrey tried calling me yesterday while I was out."
"So I heard." Walter's mask was back in place. He now sounded more irritated than anything else. "Apparently, nothing I said to her got through."
Victoria's ears perked up. "What do you mean? What did you say to her?"
"I visited your sister at the Institute early Saturday morning. She was starting to show some improvement, at least from a health standpoint. I wish I could say the same with regard to her maturity level. Instead of appreciating the progress she's making, she was upset because she wants you to visit her. I told her that was out of the question until she was better. She seemed to accept my decision. At least I thought she had. Evidently, I was wrong."
"I see." Victoria leaned forward, reacting with precisely the straightforward protectiveness her father would expect. "Maybe she doesn't understand the Institute's policies with regard to visitors. I know I don't."
A glower, "We're not starting this again, are we?"
"No. I'm simply pointing out that Audrey's not as pragmatic as you. She's emotional. She probably needs you to explain things to her in a way she can accept. Gently. Sympathetically. So she'll realize that the Institute's limitations are there for her own good. She's fragile right now. You know that."
"Only too well." Walter crossed over, seated himself behind the massive cherry desk, and made a steeple with his fingers. "I took care of things this morning. I was there when Audrey woke up. I repeated the reasons for her confinement. She knows she can see you as soon as she's released. That calmed her."
Victoria's insides clenched, but she forced herself to show only her customary amount of concern. She had to walk this tightrope. Audrey's safety was on the line. "Is she really all right? Because she sounded so disoriented on the phone. I could hardly make out her word?."
"She is disoriented. Some of that's the medication. She's also frightened by-her body's ups and downs. But her doctor has assured me she's improving. She's eating, sitting up, responding well to her therapy. Saturday was a setback. Things are back on track now."
"You're sure?"
"Very."
She had to stop now. Any more pushing and her father would start to get suspicious. She'd verified all she could. Her father had seen Audrey, which meant her sister was safe. As for ensuring the continuation of that safety, well, if the worst were true and her father was actively involved with the drug syndicate, her response just now must have reassured him that Audrey's call hadn't done any permanent damage. According to the way she'd presented things, hearing her sister's voice had made her anxious, but it hadn't pushed any panic buttons. Hopefully, the result of that would be, at worst, that Audrey would be more heavily guarded, but not punished.
Even that thought made her ill.
Her father was sitting in taut silence, watching her and waiting to see whether or not she meant to drop the issue.
She looked him squarely in the eye and drove home her point. "All right, Father. You know I'm not comfortable with the Hope Institute's policies. But I trust your judgment. You want the same thing I do—the best care for Audrey. I feel better knowing you saw her today, and that she wasn't as upset as she sounded in her message. Just, please, send her my love. And tell her that the day she's released, she and I have a date. Will you do that for me?"
Walter emitted a sigh. "Yes, Victoria, I will." He reached for a file. "Now, I've got a client meeting to prepare for. Shall I ask Miss Hatterman to show you to your office?"
"That won't be necessary." She took the hint and rose. "I'll find it. And I won't be in it for long. I have two people to see before I get settled—Ms. Bonner a
nd Ian Block."
"Ian is expecting you," her father replied, not even giving lip service to his fellow senior partner. Was that because he didn't acknowledge Elizabeth Bonner as such, or because he was hoping to divert Victoria from touching base with her for some other, uglier reason?
"As I told you last week," he continued, "you'll be working closely with Ian. There's no one better equipped to familiarize you with the various corporate clients we represent. He's on top of the mergers and acquisitions we're negotiating, our pending litigations—everything I want you involved with. For that reason, I arranged to have your office near his. Just ask his secretary to show you in the minute you get down there. Let's see, her name is Miss White or Miss Whiting—something like that. She'll take you to Ian, no questions asked."
Victoria winced. This time it wasn't her father's lack of respect fox his subordinates that got to her. It was the realization that he'd obviously instructed Ian Block to drop everything when she arrived. That would do wonders for their working relationship. She'd just broken the ice with the very ambitious Mr. Block. Now she was afraid they'd be back to square one.
If so, she'd deal with it. She wasn't here to make friends. She was here to get information.
Still, it would be easier if her road wasn't paved with enemies. So, she'd stop at Ian Block's office first, do some damage control,
But after that she was going to find Elizabeth Bonner.
* * *
24
As it turned out, Ms. Bonner found her.
Victoria had just stepped into her new office—a room much too large to be temporary, just two doors down from Ian Block—when the older woman walked in.
"I heard you'd arrived." Ms. Bonner carried herself with the presence of a savvy politician—one who was far too aloof to be up for reelection. Then again, it wasn't Victoria's vote she'd be campaigning for.
She looked stunning, the essence of a wealthy professional woman, her navy silk suit exquisitely cut, her makeup flawless. "I'm on my way to a client meeting. I wanted to tell you that the file we discussed is on my secretary's desk. Pick it up when you have a moment."
"I will. Before you go—" Victoria added quickly, determined to learn something before her subject disappeared— to a client meeting, she'd said. Funny. Her father was also on his way to one of those.
"Yes?" Ms. Bonner was halfway to the door.
"I did some research for a matrimonial client I'm currently representing. There are quite a few parallels between that case and the one you're bringing me in on. I brought some notes to go over with you. I was hoping to do that this afternoon."
"That won't be possible. I'll be tied up for the rest of the day. Later this week, perhaps." She glanced at her watch.
Why is she in such a hurry? Victoria wondered. Is it to get to her client or away from me?
She braced herself and took a dangerous stab at finding out. "I don't mean to be presumptuous, Ms. Bonner," she said in a puzzled tone, "but when we spoke last week you seemed very eager for my input on this case. Enough to bring it up before I'd even started working here. Has something changed since last Thursday's breakfast?"
An icy stare. "Nothing's changed, Ms. Kensington. I simply have a meeting to get to. As I'm sure you realize, I have a great many clients to divide my time among."
"And I'm just a new, young attorney, one who's not even a permanent member of your firm," Victoria returned, acting on instinct. "I understand that. I'm not arrogant enough to expect you to rearrange your schedule to suit me. I just want to be sure that's what this is about. I'd hate to think you were avoiding me."
A flicker of surprise—and something Victoria could swear was discomfort—flashed across Ms. Bonner's face and, just as quickly, was gone. "Why would I be avoiding you?"
You tell me, Victoria wanted to blunt. "Forgive me for overstepping my bounds, Ms. Bonner. But I'm a very direct person—much like you, I suspect. I want my time at Waters, Kensington, Tatem and Calder to be productive. I'm aware that in order to make that happen, I have a great deal of resentment to overcome, since everyone assumes I'm here as a result of nepotism. I'm willing to take on that challenge. But I didn't expect it to extend to you. Nevertheless, I'll ask you outright: Do you have some problem with my being of counsel to the firm?"
Elizabeth Bonner shut the door with a firm click. "Let me get this straight," she said, her brows raised in haughty astonishment. "Are you asking if I'm threatened by you?"
"No, I'm asking if you're bothered by my last name. We both know my relationship with my father doesn't make me popular. Do you feel I'm undeserving of the opportunity he's given me?"
"If I did, you wouldn't be here. I speak up loud and clear, Ms. Kensington, especially when it comes to employees I don't believe are worthy candidates. Your credentials are outstanding. So is your reputation. That's why you're in this office. Not because your last name happens to be Kensington. As for my personal feelings on the subject, frankly, I'd welcome another woman who's strong enough to battle her way to the top—if your performance matches your résumé. Does that answer your question?"
"Yes," Victoria replied, everything inside her screaming No! Impressive as Ms. Bonner's reply had been, it hadn't addressed the real issue.
Time to be more direct.
"I appreciate your candor, Ms. Bonner. And again, I apologize for being presumptuous. I was just concerned. First you rushed off Saturday night, then again now. I wanted to make sure I hadn't offended you in some way."
"Saturday night?" Again that odd expression.
"At the party," Victoria prodded. "When I was speaking with Mr. Hopewell. You left rather abruptly. Actually, so did he. But that didn't concern me. I've known Mr. Hopewell since I was a child. Besides, I'm not working for him— except as a representative of this firm, of course."
Ms. Bonner cleared her throat. "I had some papers to give Mr. Hopewell. I assure you, my departure had nothing to do with you."
A knock sounded at the door, and Victoria wanted to choke whoever was out there.
Ms. Bonner opened it.
Ian Block stood on the threshold, the embodiment of handsome corporate charm.
He looked surprised to see the older woman, and his gaze flickered from her to Victoria and back. "Excuse me. I didn't realize you were—"
"I was just leaving." Ms. Bonner turned to Victoria, her frosty veneer back in place. "Pick up that file and look it over. Oh, and make an appointment with my secretary for later this week." Her nod was crisp. "Ian." She left the office.
Ian looked after her, then stepped into Victoria's office. "Did I come at a bad time?"
"No, of course not." Frustration churned at Victoria's stomach. What was that woman hiding? "We were just discussing a matrimonial case Ms. Bonner wants me to work on."
"I see." Ian shut the door. "I was wondering why I hadn't seen you yet. According to the wisps of gossip that have drifted my way, you've been here almost an hour."
Ian's dry tone found its mark, and Victoria's head came up. She searched his face, trying to determine how much of the original resentment was back. "I hope you didn't revise your schedule because of me. I'm perfectly able to get started on my own—no matter what instructions to the contrary you've been given."
One brow rose. "Is that your way of saying you don't want my help? Or that you won't report me if I don't offer it?"
"It's my way of saying I'm open to your help—if you have the time and inclination to offer it. If not, I won't be writing up a complaint and turning it in to my father."
"Thanks for letting me know." Ian's chiseled lips curved into a tight smile. "So, I see you're settling in nicely. It's unusual for Ms. Bonner to pay a visit to a junior associate."
"I'm sure it was a courtesy. Just like your offer to help."
Ian's expression didn't change. "Except she has nothing to gain—or to lose."
"Neither do you. Or have you already forgotten our conversation Saturday night?"
"I remember it. But,
like any good attorney, I require proof."
"Fine. Then keep a close eye on me and you'll get some."
"I did—Saturday night, in fact. I noticed you charming Benjamin Hopewell at the front door. A shrewd, move. He's one of our biggest clients."
"Charming him?" Victoria almost burst out laughing at the irony of Ian's assumption—on many levels. "That's hardly what I was doing. Actually, Mr. Hopewell was remarking about how tall I've gotten since the last time he saw me, and I was assuring him he looked well even though so many years had passed. Not exactly a dazzling win-over attempt on my part. No, Ian, you're safe. I wasn't snuggling up to one of your clients. I was simply saying hello. Or good-bye, as the case may be. He ran off to get some papers after that."
"Papers. Right."
The sarcasm in Ian's voice was beginning to rankle her. "You say that as if you doubt it. Do you honestly think I'd try to woo away one of your clients right in front of you?"
"Actually, no."
"Then why the sarcasm?"
"Because Hopewell wasn't picking up any papers."
"Then why would he say he was?"
Silence.
"Ian?" Victoria's heart started pounding. Could she be on the verge of learning something? "If Mr. Hopewell wasn't getting papers, what was he doing?"
Another brief hesitation. Then Ian shrugged offhandedly. "You might as well hear your first bit of office gossip. Not that it's a secret, just a quiet reality you got a glimpse of Saturday night as they rushed off together. Oh, I know they're both consenting adults. But there's been some disapproval among the senior partners. Conflict of interest and all that. Even though they're both far too intelligent and level-headed to let their personal relationship interfere with their professional one."
Victoria blinked as the meaning of Ian's explanation sank in. "You're saying that Ms. Bonner and Mr. Hopewell are involved?"
"For years now."
"You know this for a fact?"
"The whole office does, Victoria. Ms. Bonner wouldn't deny it if you asked her. She's a firm believer that her personal life is her own and she should be free to see whomever she pleases. She just chooses not to take out newspaper ads about it. Especially now, when she's so eager to have her name added to the firm's."