Dead Ringer (38 page)

She put her hand on the driver's arm. "Could you do me a favor? Find out where Victor is and if Marian's with him. I'd like to see him alone."

At her touch, the blush suffused the young man's face again, but he picked up the radio and called one of his buddies, who told him "Victor had been out looking for Angelina but had been delivered back to the house fifteen minutes earlier.

"He went into his office to hear the patrols report on Miss Montgomery," the voice over the radio squawked.

She quickly put a hand to her lips to reinforce her request for secrecy. Her driver hesitated, then nodded.

"Ask him about Marian," she whispered.

"Any sign of Rover?" he asked into the radio.

Rover? Angelina gave a silent snort of amusement. Well, Marian did follow Victor around like a puppy dog, or so Angelina had thought before this morning. Now she wasn't sure who was holding the leash.

"Nope," screeched the radio. "But she asked for a detail to sweep out the trees and brush the wind brought down last night. Knowing her, she's probably supervising."

"Roger that. And out."

The driver replaced the radio. "Looks like Mr. Borian is in his office. Bailey's right; Miss Marian likes to oversee everything personally."

Angelina could definitely attest to that.

"The storm kicked up a lot of mud and dirt and brought down a bunch of scrub. If she's in charge of the cleanup, she's most likely there."

Angelina hoped so. But if not, it was too late anyway. They'd arrived. The driver hopped out and ran around to the passenger side to help her out of the Jeep.

"Let me take you in," he said, bending to swoop her up.

"That's all right," she said quickly, putting her hands up to forestall him. "I'll manage. Thank you."

"Are you sure? All right, then. And, miss, it was my pleasure." He got back in the Jeep and sped off.

Wincing in pain, Angelina hobbled up the stairs and into the house. She tried swallowing, but her mouth was so dry it was nearly impossible. She gulped a ragged breath and headed for Victor's office.

The animal heads lining the walls stared down at her just as they had the first time she'd entered his domain. Now, like then, they seemed an oppressive gauntlet she had to pass through.

Limping, she held on to the walls to help take the weight off her foot and kept her gaze focused dead ahead. The scent of spice wafted with her, as if carrying her toward the arena. Toward the sand and the sun and the waiting lion.

Every heartbeat sounded like a clap of thunder; her gait dragged in slow motion. She blocked out the throbbing ache in her foot so she wouldn't think about how helpless she truly was, how vulnerable.

If Marian was in the office and not on cleanup duty...

She couldn't finish the thought.

Rounding the corner to Victor's office, she leaned against the wall and listened as a collection of male voices inside discussed the search for her. She strained her ears, but heard nothing remotely feminine in the tones.

Pray you don't need your hearing checked.

She closed her eyes, grabbed a breath for courage, and took the last few hobbling steps into the room.

Victor sat behind his desk facing four men. All were intent on maps spread over the desk between them. As she stumbled into the room, Victor glanced up. A look of astonishment crossed his face and he leaped up.

"Angelina!" He ran around to where she stood and helped her into a chair. "Are you all right? We've just been talking about you. How did you-find her some water," he barked to one of the men and dismissed the rest.

"Where have you been? You worried us to death. What happened to your ankle? You!" He gestured to one of the departing men. "Find a maid and ask her to bring a pillow for Miss Montgomery's foot." He dragged one of the other chairs over to her and propped her injured foot on it.

The man dashed out of the room, and a few minutes later, two maids arrived. One carried a tray with a glass and a blue bottle of Eden's Gate water, and the other held a pillow that she fluffed and placed under Angelina's leg.

"Thank you," she murmured, and "No, I'm not thirsty," and "Please, don't fuss."

Victor wasn't appeased. "But what happened? Where were you? How did you find your way back?"

"I got lost in the storm and found an old mine to shelter in."

"An old mine?" Victor snapped his fingers. "Of course, I'd forgotten about that place. How clever of you!"

"Not so clever," she averred, looking down at her hands so he wouldn't see the lie on her face. "Grisha found me this morning and there was... oh, Victor, there was a cave-in. I'm afraid he's trapped inside." She clutched Victor's arm. "You must do something to get him out of there."

Victor's face paled. "But I saw him this morning. He was fine."

"Well, he's not fine now. Please, Victor, please hurry. He's badly injured. I don't know how much longer he'll last. Take as many men as you can spare, help him."

"Of course, of course." He picked up the phone and began barking orders. When he was done, he called for a maid to escort Angelina to her room. She quickly stopped him.

"I can manage. Don't worry about me. Just go, go!"

He kissed her bravely on the cheek and dashed out. The minute he was gone, she let out a huge breath and slumped in her seat. She'd gotten Victor out of the house. So far, so good.

She eased herself off the chair and limped to the desk. Picking up the phone, she glanced around, ears attuned to the slightest sound. Outside the office men were shouting orders to one another; she hoped in the ruckus no one would remember where she was.

Fear made her fingers stiff and cold, but she punched in the contact number she'd memorized all those days ago. In two minutes, Roper was on the phone. In ten, she'd told him everything.

"I'll be there as soon as possible. Can you hold on?"

She chewed the inside of her lip. "Finn's in bad shape. And I just told Borian a whopper of a lie that will probably come back to bite me."

"All right, my dear. I'll get there as fast as I can. And good work."

She replaced the phone and leaned over the desk, drenched in sweat and chilled to the bone. Help was on tile way, but would it arrive on time? She closed her eyes. She wanted to sleep for a week.

Her eyes snapped open. Oh, God. She'd forgotten the most important thing of all. Her hunch about the pluto-nium.

Stupid nit.

Now she'd have to risk another call to Roper. She reached for the phone again and froze as Victor burst back into the office.

Marian was with him.

Her eyes lit up in disbelief when she saw Angelina. "But you're ... you were ... I thought-"

Angelina took pity on her. "Surprised to see me, Marian?"

"You see?" Victor interrupted. "I told you she's perfectly fine. We'll have the doctor in to check her ankle, but I suspect it's only a bad sprain. Those cuts on her arms and hands look nasty, though. Marian, get some antibiotic ointment and help her clean up."

Victor started toward the door, but Marian grabbed his arm. "But Vic-"

"Really, I must go. There's been a terrible accident. Grisha is hurt." He pivoted toward the door, but Marian ran around to block his way.

"You can't leave her here. I told you, she's working for the government. She's a spy, a federal agent."

Victor tried to step past her, but Marian wouldn't let him, and finally he stood still, looking irritated. "Jealousy is unbecoming to a woman of your intelligence, Marian."

"It's the truth, I saw her and her partner, that so-called aide to the governor. They were together in the mine, surrounded by sophisticated equipment."

Victor flashed a wary glance at Angelina and then back at Marian. "Can you show me this equipment?"

Angelina dug her nails into her palm to keep from crying out. "What is she talking about? What equipment? You're wasting time, Victor. Grisha is hurt." She forced her voice to sound weary and harassed, even though chaos swirled in her head. Had she been wrong? In spite of his deep desire not to, would Victor take Marian's accusations seriously?

"Of course I can show you," Marian said.

"You can't show him what isn't there." Angelina met Marian's eyes.
The evidence is gone, remember? You destroyed the equipment in the cave-in.

A stricken expression crossed Marian's face. "Well, actually I... I can't show you, not exactly, but-"

Victor exhaled an exasperated breath. "You're wasting my time, Marian."

He started to leave, but she put her hands on his chest, a gesture that was both intimate and supplicating. "You must believe me, Victor. You've always relied on my judgment, please, you know how much I care about you."

Victor removed her hands with a grimace of distaste. "Stop this. You're embarrassing yourself. And me." He stepped aside and clasped Angelina's hand. "I apologize. Marian is a bit unhinged about Grisha."

A long, slow cry wailed from deep within the other woman. Half-crazed, it sounded as unhinged as Victor accused her of being, and it stopped him in his tracks.

"Marian-"

"No!" she cried. "I won't let you ruin everything. Not again. Not after all I've done for you." With a spastic jerk, she reached into her pocket and came out with Finn's gun.

Victor stared at her with annoyance. "Put that away. You're being ridiculous."

Her face flushed bright red.
"Vm
ridiculous! I've worked and slaved for you. I've humiliated myself for you, done things no human should, but I did them because I love you. I love you, Victor."

"No, Marian. You're just upset." He pulled out a chair for her. "Here, sit-"

"I won't let her come between us again."

His brows scrunched together in puzzlement. "Again? What are you talking about?"

Angelina saw her opening and pounced. "She killed your wife, Victor."

"What?" He turned an astonished gaze on Angelina.

Stomach in a knot, she forced herself to look Victor in the eye and jump over the cliff. "Marian killed her sister. She admitted it to me. And now she wants to kill me."

"Shut up," Marian said.

But Angelina persisted. "She caused the mine cave-in. She shot Grisha because he tried to protect me, then left him for dead. She's crazy."

"Shut up!"

Victor eyed Marian with growing revulsion. "Is that true?"

The flush had gone, leaving Marian's face gray. Her disturbed gaze roamed around the room, as if searching for a way out. "Of course not. She'll say anything to save herself."

Out of nowhere, Angelina smelled Carol's presence, as though her mother were there, supporting her, lending her the right words. "Was Carol enjoying a slight remission in her cancer? A remission that seemed as though it might last? Did she have a few glorious days of happiness and then die unexpectedly in her sleep?"

Horrified recognition dawned on Victor's face. He stared at Marian in disbelief.

"It's not true." She shook her head and backed away, her voice desperate. "I swear. It's not-"

Victor lunged at her. "Did you do that? Did you kill my love? Did you?" She fired but must have missed, because he continued his dive forward and fastened his hands around her throat.

Marian's face turned red, then bluish.

Angelina tried to pull him off. "Victor! Let her go! Let the police-"

He elbowed her away and tightened his hold on Marian. "Did you kill her?" he roared. "Did you? Did you?"

Hoping to get help, Angelina hobbled painfully to the door. Behind her the sickening gurgle of Marian's struggle for breath vied with Victor's demented shouts.

A shot blasted in the room.

Angelina whirled in time to see Victor's hands slacken. Marian freed herself, coughing and gasping.

"Yes, I killed her!" she rasped. "I killed her, you stupid fool. She didn't believe in you. I believe in you.
I love you."

But Victor didn't seem to hear. He staggered backward, looking down at himself. Marian's eyes widened in horror, and Victor turned away from her.

And that's when Angelina saw the red flower blooming in the center of his chest.

Oh, my God.

"You shot me," he said. Then he fell.

"Oh, God, no!" Marian dropped the gun as if it were toxic. "I didn't mean it. I swear, Victor, I didn't mean it." She bent down, caressing him, crooning to him. Tears streamed down her face. "I love you. I'll be your helpmate. You'll see. Everything will be fine. I promise. We'll conquer the world together." In a frantic gesture, she tried to stop the blood with her hands, but it was too late. A stream of red trickled from his lips. When she saw it, she moaned and covered her mouth with bloody hands.

Angelina stood stock-still, shocked to the marrow.

"Carol," he whispered, scanning the room for the familiar face.

His plea penetrated Angelina's disbelief; she couldn't refuse the dying man. Limping back, she sank down beside him. "I'm right here."

He fumbled for her hand and tried to squeeze it, but had no strength.

"Where's Marian?" he whispered.

Angelina turned his head so he could see the woman, sobbing on the other side of him. "Come... closer, Marian," he whispered. "Kiss me good-bye."

"Anything, my darling, anything. Oh, God, Victor, I love you." She leaned forward to brush his mouth, and his other hand came up holding the gun.

He blew the top of her head off.

CHAPTER
23