The Private Concierge. Suzanne Forster

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СКАЧАТЬ slot. It was all part of the cost of doing business.

      “Geez,” Black whispered, but with far less irritation in his voice. “Yeah, maybe. We’ll see. If I get something on her, maybe I’ll call.”

      “You call, I pay. No maybes.”

      The slot closed and locked. Rick smiled. No one wanted trouble with the IRS. It was always easier to cooperate, just in case.

      As Rick took a shortcut across the lawn and started back to his SUV, a flicker of movement caught his eye. Through a gate that led to the back of the building, he saw a shrouded figure flit out of his line of sight and disappear down an alley. Rick guessed it was a male by the height, and he’d just come out of the apartment building.

      The rusty latch was jammed. Rick forced the gate, butting it hard with his shoulder. It flew open, and he broke into a sprint. When he hit the alley behind the building, he was already laboring. He stopped to scope the area out and catch his breath. Whoever he’d seen had a good head start. If he couldn’t catch him, he might be able to ID his car, get the license-plate number. It was worth a try.

      The block had several apartments, and the alley was covered parking with mostly empty stalls. Broken-down cars filled the remaining spaces, and debris from the Dumpsters stuck to Rick’s feet as he ran, searching the shadowy crevices at the same time. A couple of tenants, trying to jump-start a car, turned to see who was coming by this time, and what the rush was.

      Tenants or car thieves? Rick didn’t stop to find out. Nor did he ask for directions. He’d learned from his years as a cop that they would almost certainly point him the wrong way.

      The alley emptied into a quiet backstreet. Rick had no clue which way to go, and his vision was playing tricks again. He could see a small pack of dogs, probably trailing a female in heat, and some skateboarders on the opposite sidewalk, but there was no sign of a fleeing man in a hooded tunic and dark colors head to toe. Could it be Jack the Giant Killer he was after?

      He headed east on a hunch and heard the roar of an engine. As he turned, a gleaming black car careened from out of nowhere and roared straight at him. It jumped the curb and grazed him, knocking him over the bumper before it tossed him to the ground. He hit, tucked and rolled, going with the momentum of the impact. He flipped at least three times, still doubled up to protect his head and his vitals. Jesus, what a day.

      He forced himself to get up the second he stopped rolling, but the car was gone. No license number. He wasn’t quick enough for that, but from the chassis it had looked like one of those expensive new luxury hybrid cars. Jack the Giant Killer was environmentally aware? A Jolly Green Giant killer? And wealthy at that.

      Ah, life in southern California, Rick thought, groaning as he bent to dust himself off. He would have some bruises, but otherwise, he was okay, relatively speaking.

      

      Lane glanced at her watch. It was 9:00 p.m., and she’d had a carnival ride of a day. Her triumphant walk on the Avenue of the Stars was over the moment she got back to the office. The police were waiting for her in the reception area, and they’d wanted to talk about Simon Shan, specifically his whereabouts at various times. Lane had insisted that TPC’s client information was confidential. They’d finally gone, but she had a horrible feeling they would be back with a court order. Worse, she’d been accosted in front of prospective clients. A husband and wife real-estate-development team had arrived for their appointment while the police were still there, trying to intimidate client information out of Lane.

      Little chance she’d see the couple again.

      What she really wanted to do now was assume the fetal position and maybe suck her thumb. But she didn’t have time. She had one last task, and it had become a religious ritual, possibly because it gave her a feeling of control, however illusory. Every night before closing up shop she used her cell phone’s voice-activated recorder to review the important events of the day and update her to-do list.

      Somehow, she would get through that ritual tonight, but first, she needed to breathe. She found the universal remote hiding under a stack of papers on her desk. The remote coordinated most of the electronic equipment in her office, and she used it to turn up the mood music playing on her sound system. The bluesy songs of heartbreak and loss soothed her for some reason, especially when she was stressed and overworked. But their magic wasn’t working at the moment.

      She scooped up her cell, left her desk and fell into the room’s upholstered chaise, exhausted. No matter what she did to block out the whispering voices of doom in her head, she couldn’t escape the fear that her company was under siege. And if it was, who was going next?

      There were people who might want to harm her, enemies from her past, but she wasn’t a threat to them now. If she’d meant to name names, she would have done it years ago. Surely they knew that. Now she had too much to lose herself. But the real question was why. If they did want to hurt her, why would they do it this way?

      The Priscilla Brandt situation had deteriorated even further this afternoon. Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised Lane that an advice expert wouldn’t take advice from anyone. Lane had urged her to consult an attorney, which had infuriated her. Apparently all of Pris’s advisers had suggested the same thing, and now she wasn’t taking anyone’s calls, including Lane’s. Lane had been trying to reach her all evening.

      Some people created their own problems, and Pris might be one of them. Lane heaved a sigh and pressed the microphone icon on her cell phone’s digital display, activating the system. Maybe she’d feel better once the record keeping had been taken care of.

      She began to dictate: “Priscilla Brandt wigged out today and attacked a homeless man on her property. I did some short-term damage control by canceling her interview with the morning-show anchor. Long-term, the woman needs anger management, medical intervention and possibly a straitjacket.”

      Lane smiled at the thought. She spent so much time stroking egos and smoothing feathers that it actually felt good to say what she really thought. Also libelous, probably. Certainly, contract-breaching.

      She jabbed the Replay button to record over the item. “Monday, October 7. Priscilla Brandt had a confrontation with a homeless man on her property….”

      Lane’s voice lapsed into a monotone as she went through the rest of the day’s events. When she got to the to-do list, she used verbal commands to delete the things she’d done and add several new items. At the top of her list was the itinerary for her Dallas trip later this week. Next was a reminder to check in with clients who weren’t in crisis. She owed Jerry Blair at TopCo a call to go over some ideas for his daughter’s sweet sixteen. He’d finally hired the party planner she’d recommended, but she wanted him to know she was thinking about him and his concerns. She was also tempted to ask him for some advice. And maybe a good lawyer.

      Lane had become so engrossed in her thoughts she didn’t notice that someone had taken advantage of the office’s open-door policy. The last of her staff had left an hour ago, and no one who didn’t work in the building could get past the security downstairs. She’d thought she was alone. But she couldn’t have been more wrong. A man stood at the doorway behind her, listening to her every word. He didn’t work in the building, and he’d easily evaded the building’s security. He was about to invade hers.

      11

      Priscilla Brandt marched from one end of her living room to the other, yanking open the curtains as she went. It was dark and she couldn’t see what manner of monsters lurked outside, hiding in the bushes, but they could see in. So, СКАЧАТЬ