“In that case, how can I refuse?”
“It's pizza,” Jessie warned quickly, her heart sinking. She could almost see the computer that served as Hatch's brain as it quickly reprioritized his afternoon. First things first. And item number one on his agenda was the courtship of Jessie Benedict, even if that meant taking an hour out of his precious schedule to eat pizza.
“I'll try very hard not to get any tomato sauce on my tie,” Hatch said seriously.
Jessie narrowed her eyes and decided he was not joking.
“Jessie's going to tell us all about her new case,” Elizabeth announced. “She's going to start work on it right away while Mrs. Valentine is in the hospital.”
“Is that right?” Hatch cocked a faintly mocking brow. “Going to help some little old lady talk to the shade of the dear departed, are we? Or maybe banish a few evil spirits from a haunted health club?”
“No,” said Jessie, stung by the cool sarcasm. “As a matter of fact, I'm going to help rescue a young girl who's been kidnapped by a bizarre cult.”
That wiped the condescension off Hatch's face. “The hell you are!”
* * *
His first, albeit vain hope was that she had been teasing him again, deliberately baiting him the way she so often did. If that was the case, he was reluctantly willing to admit that this time she had managed to draw a reaction.
But as Hatch sat next to Elizabeth in the pizza-parlor booth and listened to Jessie talk about her new “case,” he realized this was no joke. He glanced at Vincent, silently willing the older man to put his foot down. Unfortunately, although Benedict looked singularly annoyed, it was obvious he was unable to think of any barriers to put in Jessie's path other than overwhelming disapproval. Disapproval was not doing the trick.
Hatch glanced surreptitiously around. He felt out of place sitting in the garishly decorated pizza parlor. True, his and Benedict's were not the only two business suits in the restaurant, but they were definitely the two most expensive suits.
Hatch knew full well Vincent had planned to work through lunch. Benedict always had lunch sent in unless he was doing business over the meal, in which case he usually took his guests to his club. Hatch knew the basic schedule because he followed a similar one.
But today they were both sitting here eating pizza and listening to Jessie talk about a farfetched plan to rescue some idiot who'd gotten involved in a cult. As if Jessie knew anything about cults.
Jessie and Elizabeth appeared oblivious of the fact that they were not garnering any male support for the crazy scheme. Hatch watched both females down vast quantities of pizza while nattering on excitedly about just how Jessie should start her investigation.
“The library would be a good place to begin,” Elizabeth said seriously. “You can check the newspaper indexes to see if there are any articles on Dawn's Early Light or its leader.”
“Good idea,” Jessie mumbled around a bite of pizza. She looked at her father. “I don't suppose you've ever heard anything about it, have you?”
“Hell, no,” Vincent muttered. “Sounds like a bunch of damned tree-huggers. Stay out of this, Jessie. You've got absolutely no idea what you're doing.”
“I'm just going to ask a few questions and see what I can turn up.”
“You're supposed to be an assistant fortune-teller,” Hatch pointed out coldly. “Not some sort of unlicensed private investigator. Stick to learning how to read tea leaves and crystal balls. You've got no business researching cults, much less trying to discredit their leaders. People who lead cults don't take kindly to other people trying to prove they're frauds. You could be opening up a real can of worms here.”
Jessie traded a meaningful glance with her sister. “You get the feeling we're doing lunch with a couple of real corporate wet blankets, Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth grinned. “You said their main problem was that they didn't know how to have fun.”
“How right I was.” Jessie waved a slice of pizza at Hatch and her father. “You two better be careful or Elizabeth and I are going to walk off in a huff and stick you with the bill.”
“We'll talk about this later,” Hatch said evenly as he saw Vincent's mouth tighten.
“Sorry, didn't mean to bore you,” Jessie drawled. “By all means, let's change the subject.”
Vincent glanced at Hatch. “This is the wildest thing she's come up with yet.”
“I think it sounds like fun,” Elizabeth said loyally.
Hatch eyed Elizabeth thoughtfully. The girl was a little shy but certifiably brilliant. Hatch did not doubt that someday she was going to cure rare diseases or journey into remote tropical jungles in search of exotic plants. In the meantime it was obvious Jessie was struggling to make certain the younger girl built a relationship with her father.
Hatch had figured out weeks ago just what Jessie's role in the complex Benedict family was. She was the go-between who held everything together, the one who linked Vincent to the clan and the rest of the clan to Vincent. It was clear that her real job in life was holding the Benedict family together. Anything else that might come along in terms of employment was going to be strictly part-time. He wondered why none of the family, including her own father, realized that.
“Don't forget you're supposed to pick Elizabeth up at ten o'clock on Saturday to take her to the science fair,” Jessie reminded Vincent.
“I won't forget. Got it on my calendar.” Vincent gave his younger daughter a knowing look. “You going to win first prize again this year?”
“Maybe.” Elizabeth spoke with shy confidence. Then she frowned. “Unless they give it to Eric Jerkface.”
Hatch frowned curiously. “Who's Eric Jerkface?”
“The science teacher's favorite. He looks like he came right off of some television show featuring cute kids, and he knows how to kiss up to the teachers. You know what I mean?”
“Of course Hatch knows what you mean.” Jessie smiled blandly at Hatch over her sister's head. “He's very familiar with that kind of corporate mentality, aren't you, Hatch?”
“Very.” Hatch shot her a withering glance and turned back to Elizabeth. “What's Jerkface's project?”
“He's doing something on extraterrestrial life.”
Jessie was incensed. “Nobody even knows if there is any extraterrestrial life. How can he do a project on the subject?”
“Eric Jerkface talked the teacher into it,” Elizabeth explained.
“Well, the project's bound to bomb next to yours,” Jessie declared. “You're going to knock the socks off the judges with your chemical analysis of a toxic-waste dump, isn't she, Dad?”
“Right,” Vincent agreed readily. Then he scowled at Elizabeth. “I just hope you're not going to turn into one of those radical environmentalists.”
“Ecologist, Dad, not environmentalist,” Jessie said quickly. “And Elizabeth hasn't decided which scientific career she wants to pursue yet, have you, Elizabeth?”
“No I'm still making up my mind.” Elizabeth concentrated on her pizza.
“No rush, I guess. Just don't take as long to make up your mind about a career as Jessie's taking,” Vincent muttered. “What's the difference between an ecologist and an environmentalist, anyway?”
Elizabeth assumed a serious, pontificating tone. “Ecology is the science of studying the environment. Environmentalism is the social and political movement that causes all the headlines.”
“I wonder if Edwin Bright is a genuine ecologist turned con man,” Jessie mused, “or just an opportunist.”
“I don't see that it matters,” Hatch said flatly. “Either way, you don't have any business getting involved.”
“But that's just it.” Jessie's smile was radiant. “This is business. I'm working for a living. I should think everyone would be pleased. Just think, I'm actually holding down a job for longer than one month.”
“Save me,” Vincent growled.
Jessie turned to Elizabeth. “I'll tell you something, kid, you definitely des
erve first place, and if for some reason Eric Jerkface actually wins, we'll all know it was because he was the teacher's pet and got by on his looks and charm alone.”
Hatch reached for the last slice of pizza. “You haven't even seen Jerkface's project.”
“Doesn't matter. Elizabeth's is tons better.”
Hatch smiled slightly. “I get the impression that once you choose a side, you stick to it, come hell or high water. Is that right, Jessie?”
“Jessie is nothing if not loyal.” Vincent eyed his eldest daughter with a severe glare. “Sometimes to a fault.”
“I don't see it as a fault,” Hatch said. “I've always considered loyalty an extremely valuable commodity.”
“Just another business commodity you can buy or sell, right, Hatch?” Jessie inquired coolly.
Hatch deliberately wrapped his fingers around his glass of water. It was better than wrapping them around Jessie's throat, he told himself philosophically.
Half an hour later Vincent stalked back into his office and threw himself down into the big leather chair behind the desk. He leveled a blunt finger at Hatch.
“This problem with Jessie,” Vincent announced, “is all your fault.”
“My fault?”
“Damn right. If you hadn't fired her when you first came on board, she'd still be working here at Benedict Fasteners instead of running around investigating weirdo cults.”
“Come off it, Vincent. You were so grateful to me the day I fired her that you bought me a drink, remember? She was a loose cannon here at Benedict. Hell, she was wreaking havoc downstairs in personnel. If she'd stayed, your whole organization would have been in a shambles by now.”
“It wasn't that bad.”
“Oh, yes it was,” Hatch shot back. “The department heads were up in arms. The word was out. Want a few extra days of sick leave? See Jessie in personnel and give her a good sob story. She'll arrange things. Want a long weekend? See Jessie in personnel and tell her your grandmother died again. Jessie will fix things up for you. Think you got overlooked for promotion because your boss secretly hates your guts? See Jessie in personnel. She'll be on your side.”
Vincent winced. “Damn. It was getting out of hand, wasn't it?”
“Yeah. And nobody dared call her to heel because she was the boss's daughter. How long do you think that could have gone on before every last shred of corporate discipline disintegrated, Benedict?”
Vincent held up his hand. “You're right. She was a loose cannon around here. But that doesn't change the fact that if she were still working here at Benedict she wouldn't be dealing with cults.”
Hatch went to the window and stood thinking quietly for a few minutes. “Maybe you're panicking over nothing.”
“I am not panicking. I am seriously concerned. And what's this ‘me’ business? You're just as panicked as I am. I saw the way your jaw dropped when she exploded her little bombshell about starting an investigation. First time I've ever seen you looking like you'd been caught off-guard, Hatch. I'd have gotten a good laugh out of it if we'd been talking about anything else except Jessie's damn-fool cult-busting project.”
“All right, maybe you…maybe we are seriously concerned over nothing.” Hatch swung around to face him. “Look, the worst that can happen is that Jessie manages to locate the headquarters of this DEL crowd and asks to see Susan Attwood. Or maybe she'll try to talk to the leader, the one they call Bright.”
“So?”
“So, think about it logically, Vincent. How would you react? More than likely Jessie will be politely told to mind her own business and that will be the end of things. She's not a threat to anyone, and whoever's running the show at Dawn's Early Light will know that. They'll treat her like an annoying reporter and just stonewall her.”
Vincent gave that some thought. “You're probably right. But, hell, I wish she'd stay out of it. Why can't she find a regular job like everybody else?”
“Jessie's not like everyone else.” Hatch walked over to the desk and stood looking down at the huge basket of bright flowers. “Does she always bring you flowers on your birthday?”
Vincent's eyes softened as he followed Hatch's gaze. “Started a couple of years after Elizabeth was born. Connie and I were already having problems and she and Lilian were talking about going into the interior-design business together. They were spending a lot of time on the project and somehow Jessie wound up taking care of Elizabeth a lot. One day Jessie showed up here at the office with a bunch of flowers in one arm and her little sister in the other. Said she was taking me to lunch. Been the same every year since. I've sort of gotten used to it.”
Hatch cautiously touched the petal of a flame-colored lily. It was as soft as gossamer silk, as brilliant as a sunrise. “Kind of strange. Giving a man flowers, I mean.”
“Like I said, you get used to it.”
“Nobody's ever brought me flowers.”
“Don't whine about it,” Vincent said with a grin. “Marry the woman and you'll probably get flowers for your birthday too. How did things go last night?”
“The Galloway deal is closed.”
“Well, hell, I know that. I mean how did things go between you and my daughter?”
“I'm not going to tell you every detail of my personal life, Benedict. But I will tell you this: I found out I'm working under a serious handicap.”
“What handicap?”
“She thinks I'm too much like you in some ways.”
“Bullshit. That's just an excuse. Besides, she likes me.”
Hatch remembered Jessie's quivering mouth crushed beneath his own and the feel of her arms wrapped around his neck. “She likes me too. But she doesn't think I'll make her a good husband. Says she doesn't want to marry a man who's more concerned about his work than his family.”
“Women. They don't understand the demands of the business world. Always want to come first in a man's life. You'd think they'd figure out that companies like Benedict Fasteners don't just run themselves. I thought Jessie would have more common sense.”
“Something tells me common sense is not one of Jessie's biggest virtues,” Hatch said.
Vincent scowled. “Jessie's all right. Hell, what you said at lunch hit the nail on the head. She's real loyal. In the end she always does what's best for the family. You know what the real problem is here? You're still making her nervous. That's what the real problem is. You want some advice, Hatch? Stop making her nervous, goddammit.”
“Advice? From a man with two ex-wives? Forget it. I'd rather muddle through this on my own.” Hatch ceased stroking the scarlet lily and headed toward the door.
But on the way back down the hall to his office, Vincent's words rang in his ears. She always does what's best for the family. Hatch nodded in cool satisfaction. He was counting on it.
“So how did the big date go last night?” Elizabeth asked as Jessie drove her back toward her Bellevue school.
“I told you, it wasn't a date, it was a business dinner.” Jessie guided her little red Toyota onto the bridge that crossed Lake Washington via Mercer Island. She kept her expression serious, trying to look as if she was having to concentrate very hard on the sparse afternoon traffic. Elizabeth knew better.
“Hey, Jessie, this is me, your very smart kid sister, remember?”
“You mean my smartass kid sister.”
Elizabeth shrugged. “Everything I know, I learned from you.”
“Don't blame your bad manners on me. Bad manners are usually the result of hanging out with a bad crowd. Remind me to check out your current peer group.”
“You can spot them right away when we get to school. They're the ones wearing black leather jackets and safety pins in their ears. So how'd it go, Jess?”
“What do you care?”
“Are you kidding? Everybody in the family cares. Mom says the situation is very delicate.” Elizabeth studied the expensive landscape of Mercer Island with a thoughtful expression. “She says the best thing that could happen for everyo
ne is for you to marry Hatch.”
“This may come as a shock, Elizabeth, but that's not really a good enough reason for me to marry him. Not that he's asked me.”
Elizabeth shot her a shrewd glance. “The moms are going to want to know how last night went too.”
“I'm aware of that,” Jessie said through set teeth.
“What are you going to tell 'em?”
“As little as possible. It's none of their business.”
Elizabeth frowned. “I don't think they see it that way. I heard Lilian talking to Glenna on the phone yesterday. She was saying they all had a ‘vested interest’ in this relationship. I think that was the phrase she used.”
“You know what ‘vested interest’ means, Elizabeth?”
“There's money involved?” Elizabeth hazarded.
“You've got it.” Jessie smiled without any humor. “If I marry Hatch, Benedict Fasteners stays in the family and has a good chance of going big-time. Which appears to be everyone's fondest dream.” Including Hatch's.
“The moms say Hatch is a real corporate shark and that he'll know how to turn Benedict into a giant in the industry.”
Jessie shrugged. “I wouldn't be surprised. But I can't see being married to a shark, can you? Too many teeth.”
Elizabeth giggled. “Just don't let him bite you.”
“I'll try to avoid it.”
“Jessie?”
“Yeah?
“What happens if you don't marry him?”
Jessie hesitated and then decided to lay it on the line. “Dad might sell the company when he retires. But my guess is that he'll never retire. He'll just continue to run it the way he has been for the past thirty years.”
“Would that be so bad?”
Jessie chewed on her lower lip. “I don't think so, but everyone else seems to.”
“Including Dad. You know, I think it would be kind of sad for him if you don't marry Hatch. Dad really wants Benedict Fasteners to grow, doesn't he? He's real excited about the idea.”
“What is this? Are you going to lay a guilt trip on me too? I don't need anyone else pushing me into this marriage, Elizabeth.”