Murder in the Clear Zone Read online

  “Interesting developments? Hey, let’s get one thing straight, right up front. I came here only to find out what was in the safe deposit box. Period.”

  Bard laughed. He didn’t know what else to do. “And we’re about to do that, Ms. Lord. Okay?”

  She searched his face with a narrow-eyed scrutiny, and then said, “Okay.” But her tone was still laced with distrust.

  Back in the car, they headed toward the ocean. Paula hadn’t said more than a few words, and those weren’t very friendly. Bard glanced over at her when the traffic backed up due to some freeway repairs. Her dark auburn eyelashes lowered as she scanned the contents of one of the envelopes. The serious set of her lips had an ardent sweetness to them. He was tempted to pull over at a scenic turnout, take her in his arms and kiss her. He gripped the steering wheel tighter. She already didn’t trust him and that would prove she had just cause.

  Even after they got past the road repairs, the bumper-to-bumper morning traffic moved slowly. He didn’t need to check the rearview mirror except when he changed lanes, because he’d made sure that no one was following them with his on-and-off freeway tactics coming into San Diego.

  ****

  One end of the coffee table in the living room of the luxurious suite was stacked with the empty dishes and silverware from their room service breakfast. Paula drained the last of her coffee then picked up the stack of envelopes and sorted through them. The one she’d read in the car was an insurance policy from a company she’d never heard of, and she stuck it in the bottom of the pile to review more carefully later.

  “Give me half of those.” Bard’s green eyes held steady, testing her trust. “If I run onto something personal, I’ll stop reading.” A strand of dark brown hair had fallen onto his forehead. Fatigue lined his face.

  The door between their rooms stood open. One end of the coffee table in the suite’s living room was stacked with the empty dishes and silverware from their room service breakfast. Since she’d met him she’d continually probed his motives. Each time he passed a test, she would come up with another. But he’d reversed the game. It was her turn to pass or fail. It was ironic how something that seemed to come so natural to most people was almost impossible for her. There could be things in these papers to give away her past, things she didn’t want anyone to know.

  His words, everyone needs to trust someone, echoed in her ears. She searched his face. Was it safe to trust him? Inhaling deeply, she willed herself to try. Her hands trembled as she forced herself to surrender some of the envelopes.

  ****

  Bard smiled at Paula, silently cheering. She was coming around, taking another tiny step toward believing in him. He needed only a breath of trust. Her faith meant more to him in that moment than anything she could have given him. The fact she was there with him should have been enough. It wasn’t. But this was. They had taken a step from wary togetherness to merging as a team. Together they’d get through this. He wanted to kiss her square on the lips to celebrate, but he knew it would be perceived as something more.

  He looked down, forcing himself to concentrate on the stack of envelopes. He didn’t find much in the first one, just a copy of an honorable discharge from the army and some dog tags. Then he found a puzzling letter on top of a Corps of Engineers document. “What did you say Charlie did for a living?”

  Paula removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I don’t exactly know. Like I told you, he invented things. I think he did some work for the government.”

  “You won’t believe this, but I think your Charlie was an undercover agent for the Army Corps of Engineers.” Bard knew, as with many governmental agencies, there was a corps department staffed with agents who carried out special security projects like the one within the clear zone.

  Paula moved closer. “What makes you think that?”

  “This letter from the Clear Zone Project Chief in Los Angeles.”

  He handed her the letter. She put her glasses back on and scanned it. “It doesn’t say that. It just gives details about the project.”

  “Specific details. This attached list includes backgrounds of every person living in the clear zone. Only an agent would be given that kind of confidential information.”

  “Can we check it out?” Her voice rose in excitement.

  “We can try. Get your purse. We’re going to L.A.”

  ****

  In Los Angeles, Lopez watched Bard and Paula cross the street and go into The Corps Of Engineers building. It had been easy to track Bard’s Z unseen. The steady blip of the tracer led the way.

  Lopez hadn’t figured out how to get near Paula’s house to bug the place with the security guard and his dogs there, this tail job gave him time to think and plan. Although Janus said he didn’t pay him to use his brain, Lopez knew thinking ahead was the only way to stay alive.

  He stepped into the phone booth at the corner and dialed. When Janus came on the line, Lopez spoke quickly, telling about the trip to the bank, the hotel, and that Nichols and the widow were in The Corps building.

  “They’re onto something!” Janus said. “Keep on their tail. I’ll send a couple of the guys to help you pick them up.”

  “What if they resist?”

  “Convince them. No holds barred.”

  ****

  Paula exhaled in relief when The Corps Chief Thomas Reed agreed to see them without an appointment. She’d expected to be sent away. The chief came around his desk, and the men shook hands. Their exchange of friendly words indicated they’d worked together in the past and respected each other. Midday sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling window and splayed like windmill vanes across Reed’s desk. His silver hair glistened in the bright sunlight.

  With owlish eyes, Reed looked at Bard. “I was curious when my secretary said you were here. No one said you were coming.” He gestured for them to sit down.

  “We won’t keep you long,” Bard said, in a confident voice. “This is Paula Lord. Her brother was Charlie Borden.”

  Color drained from Reed’s square, granite-like face. “What do you mean was?”

  Bard reached over and gripped Paula’s hand, giving her the support she needed to face his next words. “Charlie’s dead,” he said. “Someone shot him and left him in the wash behind the clear zone.”

  For an instant, shock flickered in Reed’s gray eyes then they dulled quickly, masking his emotions. “What brings you here?”

  Paula wasn’t surprised the police hadn’t notified The Corps. The cops had labeled Charlie a drifter; someone not worth their interest. Unless they could tie his murder to her.

  “We found Corps documents in the safe deposit box Charlie shared with Mrs. Lord.” Bard leaned closer to the desk as he spoke. “They led us to believe Charlie worked undercover for you.”

  “May I see them?” Reed’s voice remained even. His face disclosed nothing, but his hand shook as he held it out.

  Paula handed him a photocopy of the letter and documents.

  A flush crept up Reed’s thick neck. “There’s nothing here to confirm Charlie worked for us.”

  “The confidential nature of the information confirms it,” Bard said. “You can play games, or we can help each other. I figured you’d be as interested in finding Charlie’s killer as we are.”

  He looked at Bard as if he were staring through him, then he turned to Paula. “I’m deeply sorry about your loss, Mrs. Lord. But you folks have this all wrong.”

  “Wrong my foot!” Frustration hardened Bard’s features. “Don’t you care that one of your agents is dead? Kids are being shot, or that the houses in the clear zone are being stripped bare?”

  “I care. Very much.” Reed looked directly at Paula. “What did your brother tell you about his work?”

  “Nothing. But I’m not stopping until I uncover the truth. And his killer.”

  “I think we’d all be better off if you two forget you ever saw these letters,” Reed said.

  Paula stood, leaned forwar
d, eyes narrowed and flashing and went into her bring-it-on stance. “Maybe the newspapers would like to see this letter.” She flushed at Bard’s startled look, but it didn’t silence her. Chief Reed couldn’t simply pat them on the head and send them away. “Reporters would kill for a scoop about a Corps agent being murdered in the clear zone. Especially when they find out you’re denying it ever happened. Yes, going to the media is an excellent idea and could serve a dual purpose. It would show the world that Charlie was more than just a drifter.”

  Reed squirmed in his chair and then gestured for her to sit back down. She glared at him a moment longer, then with chin held high, she complied, feeling victorious.

  Bard took his hand across his mouth as though hiding a smile. He cleared his throat. “Don’t doubt for a minute that she’ll do it,” he said, sounding dead serious.

  Reed ran his index finger slowly around the circular base of his spotless, glass ashtray. “I’ve seen your file, Nichols. And I know a little about Mrs. Lord, too. Charlie thought the sun rose and set on her.”

  “Then you know you can trust us,” Bard said. “All we want is to put Charlie’s murderer behind bars and stop the violence and rip offs going on in the project.”

  “I’m going to level with you two. But realize the more you know, the greater your chances of ending up exactly like Charlie.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The office went deadly silent. Bard watched Paula stiffen, but otherwise she showed no emotion. “I think you’ve got that wrong,” he said, feeling the shift of power. “The more we know the greater our chance of not ending up like Charlie.”

  Reed placed two fingers on his sparkling ashtray and gave it a spin. The desk’s high polish gave no resistance. Rainbow prisms danced skittishly around the room. Finally, he said, “Okay. Charlie was one of our men.” Reed’s gray eyes softened when he looked at Paula. “You had to be told the truth sooner or later anyway, Mrs. Lord. You’re Charlie’s beneficiary.”

  Bard’s stomach knotted. This was exactly what Cory needed to fatten his file and back up his accusations against Paula.

  “Telling you later would have been my choice,” Reed said.

  “Now that you know he was murdered, do you have an idea who might have killed him?” Paula asked.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t.” Reed stood and faced the window. His wide shoulders drooped slightly, as if burdened by a heavy weight. He was silent for several moments, then, as though something important occurred to him, he turned and walked around the desk and extended his hand to Paula. Looking bewildered, she let him help her to her feet. “While you’re here,” he said guiding her to the door, “would you mind verifying some information?”

  “Now?” Paula asked.

  “Please. Miss Phillips is in charge of that type of thing, and she’ll be going to lunch shortly.”

  Bard didn’t get up, refusing to be brushed off. “Look, we still have questions.”

  “Of course,” Reed said in an even tone. “But first things, first.” He placed his hand between Paula’s shoulder blades and gently urged her through the doorway into the outer office. “Miss Phillips, please go over Charlie Borden’s beneficiary form thoroughly with Mrs. Lord. Make sure we have all the correct information.”

  Reed turned and faced Bard. “Before we get back to your questions, I have a bookkeeeping matter I need to clear up. I have a problem with the last claim figures you mailed in.” He spoke louder than necessary then closed the door on Paula and Miss Phillips.

  “You aren’t interested in my figures.” Bard growled. “So what is it you don’t want Paula to hear?”

  “Charlie made friends with one of the house-stripping gang,” Reed said. “A guy named Deeter. He gained his trust, or so he thought, and Deeter was taking him to meet the big boss. That was the last report. Deeter is the only name I have to go on. I didn’t want to mention his name in front of Mrs. Lord. If she thought he had something to do with her brother’s murder she might do something dangerous.”

  “Deeter flew the coop,” Bard said flatly. “I think he got wind that I was looking for him.”

  “Why were you after him?”

  “I suspected he knew who was behind the looting and killing.”

  Reed leveled his gaze. “It’s personal to you, isn’t it?”

  “I’m thinking of The Corps.” It was only partly true, but Bard figured he didn’t need to get into his desire to help Paula get justice for Charlie. “If it gets out that The Corps refused protection to the people living in the clear zone, The Corps’s name will be mud. First, the press’ll get into it, then lawyers. Lawsuits will cost you a helluva lot more than protection.”

  Reed tilted his head to the side and arched a bushy brow as though sizing up Bard. The Corps chief opened his leather-covered humidor and offered him a cigar. He declined. Reed ran his tongue over his stogie then bit off the end. “I know about the classified work you did in the Air Force, and that your security clearance was top level. You’re a natural.”

  “A natural what?”

  “You’re already under contract with us for the next twelve months. No one would suspect a relocation agent of working undercover. How would you like to take Charlie’s place?”

  Bard looked at Chief Reed, dumbfounded. “Me? Go undercover?” His gut coiled with apprehension and excitement.

  Silence stabbed the air for a dozen heartbeats. Reed went to his filing cabinet and pulled out a thick file. “Why not? Do what you did in Hawaii. Infiltrate.”

  Bard rubbed his jaw. He’d stopped a weapons theft ring dead in their tracks by joining the thieves and getting the goods on them. “That was a long time ago.”

  “A man with your skills doesn’t lose the instinct.” Reed leaned forward and leveled his gaze. “We need you, Nichols. If we replace Charlie with a stranger, it’ll send off signals.”

  “And you think they won’t I.D. me?”

  “You’re already part of the landscape. Like I said, they won’t suspect a relocation agent of working with Corps Intelligence.” Reed stroked one of his thick, silver eyebrows as though it helped him think. “I’m generally against using civilians in the field because of the danger. But with your special ops background it’s a perfect set up.”

  “If you care about what’s going on in the clear zone why haven’t you authorized security guards?”

  Reed’s jaw tightened. “Charlie’s decision. He didn’t want some trigger happy guard to tip his hand, or get in his way.”

  “I don’t want anyone in my way either. With my life on the line, I want full control.” Since Reed had studied his file, he would already know the way he operated.

  Reed gave Bard a long, hard look and said, “The only thing I insist upon is that you don’t tell anyone. After what happened to Charlie, we can’t risk leaks.”

  Bard shifted in his chair. “You think there’s a leak in The Corps?”

  “With Charlie’s cover blown, it raises the possibility.”

  “Who do I trust?”

  “At this point, me. And Matt Higgins. He’ll be your back up. However, with the need for secrecy, you’ll be pretty much on your own. You’ll be wired, of course. Once you set up the meeting with the gang boss, Higgins will be standing by in case things go sour.”

  “Where was he when Charlie needed him?”

  “Charlie didn’t stay in contact.”

  “If he had, could you have saved him?”

  “Once they marked him, I doubt it.”

  “Why would anyone in his right mind take this assignment?”

  “For the same reason you took the one in Hawaii. You care.”

  Bard rubbed his jaw. “Yeah, that flaw has always given me trouble.”

  “You’ll do it then?”

  Bard gave in to his urge to grin. “Was there any doubt? You said you don’t have anyone else who can pull this off.” Seriousness gripped him again, and he intensified his gaze. “But that isn’t all,” he warned. “I’m personally invested in this
project. And The Corps owes it to Charlie to protect Paula.”

  Reed’s owl eyes didn’t even blink. “Remember, you can’t tell her anything.”

  ****

  With his hand firmly on her elbow, Bard guided Paula out of the air-conditioned building into eighty-degree L.A. heat. His awareness of her cool, soft skin under his fingers reminded him that in spite of her tough facade, she was really quite delicate. Unfortunately, that realization heightened his concerns over the new assignment. His goal was to infiltrate the clear zone gang while managing to keep Paula and him alive. The catch—leaving her in the dark could work against that goal.

  Pausing curbside, waiting for the walk sign to appear, he inhaled the faint fragrance of honeysuckle emanating from her sun-warmed skin. She looked up at him. The vibes from her closeness and the trusting look in her wide, blue eyes jolted him. He forced himself to break eye contact, and noticing that the light had already turned green, he urged her forward and they dashed across the street.

  Not wanting to waste time walking to the entrance of the parking area, they stepped over the low chain bordering the lot. The sun reflected blindingly against the sea of windshields. His Z was in the first row.

  He held the door open for Paula and when she slid a few inches across the seat and gracefully swung her legs inside, her ivory skirt hiked up. His heart accelerated at the flash of thigh.

  “I know Charlie’s murder wasn’t a random thing,” Paula said. “Dammit, I want his killer.” She shook a small determined fist. Her bravery touched something deep inside and the root of his protective instincts deepened. He touched her shoulder gently. “You’re not in this alone. I take it personally when evil bastards kill people in my project.”

  Paula placed her hand over his. “I’m glad you’re with me.”

  Her whispery words and fleeting soft touch sent a welling of emotion that threatened to explode in his chest. He knew that was as close as she would ever come to admitting she needed someone to turn to, to lean on and something he’d bet she had little of in her life. “I’ll be there for you, Paula, or die trying.”