Reunion on the Run Page 7

  If he’d had any doubts about her identity, the placard announcing her name would’ve set him straight.

  Alex’s gaze darted around the reception area. They were alone. He had no reason to believe Ruth was being watched inside her place of employment. She’d worked for A & M for a long time and she’d know if the lawyer’s office had any affiliation with Xavier Ambrose or Jared Mitchell.

  “Good afternoon. May I help you?” She studied him, giving him her full attention.

  “Actually, I’m hoping you can help a friend of mine.” He edged closer to her desk and lowered his voice. “Claire Mitchell?”

  “You know Claire? How is she? Is she safe?” The woman’s brow furrowed in what Alex would guess was real concern.

  “For now,” he said. “I was told you recently tried to get in touch with her.”

  Ruth gave him a pensive look.

  “I’m wondering if you’re still willing to speak with her.” He pulled a burner phone out of his pocket. “If you’re willing, Claire can call this number tonight.”

  “How do I know you’re really her friend?” Ruth demanded.

  “I guess you’ll have to trust me. If you take the phone—” he tried handing it to her but she leaned back in her seat, as if it were contaminated “—she’ll call you and you can ask her then.”

  “I don’t think so,” Ruth said. “What I have to discuss with Claire, I want to discuss in person. I want to be sure it’s her that I’m talking to. It’s been a while since we last spoke and even before that, we weren’t exactly close, though I do like her. I don’t know that I’d recognize her voice. Anyone could pretend to be her.”

  Alex clenched his jaw, unsure of how to proceed now that the conversation had taken an unexpected turn.

  Ruth gave her head a quick, decisive shake. “I don’t know you. What I have to say, it could get me in hot water if it got back to the wrong people. I’m not going to take that chance.”

  “If we agree to meet with you, how can we trust that you won’t alert the cops to the meeting?” Alex asked.

  A look of indignation instantly flashed across Ruth’s face. His intuition told him to take her reaction at face value.

  She scowled at him. “Claire Mitchell is innocent! That’s the reason I want to talk to her! Why would I ever call the police on her?”

  He glanced around, half expecting her angry outburst to draw people out of their offices. When no one came, he tried one more time.

  “Please, take the phone. It’s safer for Claire that way.”

  “That might be, but it’s safer for me if I know exactly who I’m speaking with,” Ruth said stubbornly. “Do you have any idea how many reporters I’ve had to fend off? I even had to disconnect my phone. I was Jared’s secretary for nearly a decade. I suppose they figure I have lots of information on his personal life. And maybe I do. But they realized I’m not willing to share, and they finally went away. When I was at A & M, they were swarming the parking lot. Haven’t had one bombard me since I started working here. But how do I know you’re not one of them? Claire’s disappearance is big news. New information would make headlines. I don’t want my words to end up on the front page of tomorrow’s paper. What I have to say could get me in a whole heap of trouble with the wrong people.”

  “I’m not a reporter,” Alex insisted.

  “I’m not taking the chance that you’re fibbing,” Ruth replied. She grabbed a pen and turned back to her work, silently dismissing him.

  Alex twisted around, was halfway to the door, thinking there was no way Claire could take such a risk. But then a realization crashed in. If Ruth was only willing to speak in person, how could they afford not to take that risk?

  Claire’s disguise was a good one. The public was warned to be on the lookout for a woman and a dog. No one expected her to be with him. In a way, being by her side would make her less noticeable.

  He spun around and stomped back to her desk. “Fine. I’m sure Claire would like to meet as soon as possible.”

  “I can meet you at the city park tonight,” Ruth said. “I don’t know you, and I don’t have any reason to trust you. I want a setting that’s nice and public. How does seven sound?”

  It didn’t sound good at all, if she wanted the honest truth. He didn’t like this plan, but she’d made it clear things were going to be done her way.

  “That’ll work,” he said. “Your willingness to help is greatly appreciated.” He pivoted and left the building before Ruth could respond. He scanned the street before he jogged back to the Jeep.

  “Was she there?” Claire asked as he slid in.

  “She was.” He blew out an aggravated sigh. “Only the conversation didn’t go anything like I’d hoped.”

  * * *

  “I’m not convinced this is a good idea,” Alex warned. His fingers were clenched tightly around Claire’s. She was aware of his free hand dangling at his side, inches away from the Glock tucked beneath his windbreaker.

  “It’s the best idea we have,” she argued.

  They were strolling through the park. Alex had changed out of his running clothes. They were both dressed casually, as if they were nothing more than a young couple in love, out enjoying the beautiful evening.

  Even with the constant threat upon them, it was all too easy for Claire to envision just that. Alex’s hand around hers felt warm and familiar. It felt comforting. It felt as though it belonged there.

  It was hard to imagine that the hand that held hers so reassuringly could also be used to inflict damage when threatened. She knew that during his time in the Rangers, and probably to this day, his body was a finely tuned weapon.

  Alex strode with confidence through the park. She knew it wasn’t a faked assurance. He faced danger such as this on a regular basis. With that thought, her heart crumpled just a bit. It was a reminder that she was little more than another mission. One he’d assigned to himself, but just another mission nonetheless. She needed to stop thinking about how nice his hand felt, how enticing his woodsy scent was or how the nearness of his body stirred old memories. No good would come from letting her emotions run away with her common sense. Alex would take off as soon as this ordeal was over. And though he may pop into her life when he visited Mia, she needed to remember that it was their daughter who held his interest, not her.

  The days of them being a happy couple were in the past and she needed to leave them there.

  They had met at a coffee shop while they’d both lived in California, bonding over the fact that they’d both grown up in the Portland area. Claire had been attending college, working on a degree in marketing. Alex had been stationed at a nearby base. They’d dated, fallen in love. He’d proposed before his last deployment. Having finished with school, Claire had returned to Oregon to be near Beth while Alex was away. When his time in the military was completed, he’d joined her.

  He hadn’t been Stateside long before Claire noticed the change in him. It was a change that seemed to worsen instead of getting better. His last tour had damaged something within him, damaged his soul. She’d known he was hurting and had felt so helpless. It had been a rough time for both of them. They were supposed to be planning a wedding. Alex had refused to pick a date, putting her off each time she’d asked. That’s when she’d known their relationship was in serious trouble.

  Despite those rocky months, the happy memories by far outnumbered the bad, but it was the bad memories that seemed to carry the most weight. They were heavy, suffocating, with the capacity to drown out everything that was good.

  Not that it mattered, she reminded herself. Alex wasn’t here to win her back. He was here out of a sense of duty. Though he wouldn’t come right out and say it, she knew he felt a sense of obligation.

  Yes, he had expressed an intense interest in Mia. For that she was grateful. His interest went no further.

  Neither should hers.


  She scanned the park, forcing herself to concentrate on the reason they were there.

  It was crowded this time of day, with the weather being just right for family outings. Kids ran around playing. Couples were spread out on blankets, picnicking. People were jogging the trails.

  “I see her.” Her tone held a mixture of excitement and relief. “She’s over by the duck pond.”

  “Let’s see what she knows.” Alex led the way, her hand still firmly gripped in his.

  She knew that behind his dark glasses, he was constantly assessing.

  Ruth sat straight, stiff as a statue. She looked nervous as she clutched her purse on her lap.

  Alex and Claire casually walked up to the bench.

  Ruth glanced at them, looked away, then swiveled her head as her gaze zeroed in first on Alex and then on Claire.

  She got to her feet and pulled Claire into a hug.

  “I didn’t recognize you at first. I’ve been so worried about you!” she exclaimed. “When they said you ran off, I was afraid it was a lie. I was afraid you’d met the same fate as your husband.” Ruth gave Claire a final squeeze before releasing her.

  She eyed up Alex warily.

  Claire was concerned about how scandalous this might look to Ruth. Her husband had only been gone for a little over a month. Here she was, approaching with another man.

  Alex must’ve come to the same conclusion. “Claire and I are friends from way back,” he said, “her college days actually. When I heard about the ludicrous accusation against her, I knew I had to do whatever I could to help.”

  “Friends?” Ruth asked as she settled back onto the bench. “That’s unfortunate. Claire’s a good woman. She deserves to have a good man in her life. I’d say if you’re willing to help her out of this mess that would make you qualified for the job.”

  Alex chuckled.

  Claire blushed as she took a seat next to Ruth.

  “It’s such a lovely evening!” She glanced around, looking for any sign of trouble. Really, she knew she didn’t have to bother. Alex already had it covered. “It looks as if the ducks are enjoying themselves.”

  A pair of young children stood on the small pier that protruded into the lake. They tossed bread crumbs to the energetic ducks.

  “Changing the topic doesn’t change the facts,” Ruth said. “Now let’s get down to why we’re here.”

  “Your phone call,” Claire agreed. “You said you had information that might help me. As you can imagine, I’m desperate for any information that could help clear my name.” She paused for a heartbeat. “I didn’t kill Jared.”

  “Of course you didn’t,” Ruth said vehemently. “I don’t believe for one second that you had anything to do with Jared’s death.”

  “Thank you.”

  Alex remained standing, a hip cocked against the bench as he kept watch.

  “I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but my dear Charles never did trust Jared or Xavier,” Ruth admitted. “He asked me many times to find a different job over the years. It’s ironic that now that Charles and Jared are both gone, I’ve done just that.”

  “I wish you could’ve left under better circumstances,” Claire said.

  “That’s nothing for you to worry about,” Ruth assured her. “I’m happy you tracked me down. I couldn’t continue to work at A & M, not when I was forced to listen to the way Xavier spoke about you.”

  “What has Xavier been saying about me?”

  “That Xavier, his lips have been flapping nonstop since Jared died. I’m not one for gossip. If you and your husband were having marital problems that should’ve been between the two of you,” she said with a frown. “It’s not his place to be spouting off about it.”

  Claire and Alex shared a look. Neither was surprised by this revelation. Of course Xavier would be doing what he could to perpetuate the rumor that Claire and Jared had a rocky marriage.

  “He said you complained of how many hours Jared had to work. That you were always nagging him about being gone so much.”

  “That’s not true.” If anything, she was grateful for the time he was away. The house was more peaceful with him gone. It was hardly as if she could admit that, though.

  “What else did he say?” Alex asked.

  Ruth frowned at him.

  “I’m not asking for gossip,” he clarified. “The fact is, it could help Claire to know what rumors she’s up against.”

  “He said that Jared had been talking about divorcing you.”

  Claire frowned. She doubted that very much. When she’d suggested it, she’d ended up paying for it dearly.

  “According to him, because you signed one of those prenuptial agreements, you wouldn’t get a penny. To hear him tell it, you killed Jared so you wouldn’t lose out on his millions.”

  Claire sighed and shook her head. “I’ve never cared about the money.”

  Ruth placed her hand over Claire’s. “I believe you. You never seemed the type. I also know you’d never leave the country and leave that darling girl of yours behind, like he’s claiming.”

  “I wouldn’t,” she agreed. Xavier wanted to find her first. She thought he was pushing that story, hoping the police would waste their resources searching elsewhere.

  “He said you’ve got quite the temper,” Ruth continued. “He said Jared confided in him frequently about it. I don’t believe that, either. Anyone who would believe such a thing would be a fool.”

  “Unfortunately,” Claire said, “not everyone is as levelheaded as you. I’m sure there are plenty of people at the office who are going to buy into what he’s saying.”

  A nagging suspicion told her he’d repeated this story to the police, as well. If they took him at his word, her motives for killing her husband were stacking up.

  “That’s why I wanted to pass along a conversation I heard.”

  Claire glanced at Alex again.

  “Go on,” he gently encouraged Ruth.

  “I was in the building a bit later than usual one night,” Ruth began. “I had been in the basement looking through the storage room for an old paper file. When I came upstairs, the two of them were going at it something fierce. Xavier accused Jared of stealing something from him. Something important. Jared didn’t deny it. I heard Xavier tell Jared that if he didn’t return what was his, he wouldn’t live to regret it.”

  “Sounds awfully close to a death threat, if you ask me,” Alex said.

  Ruth nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

  “Why didn’t you tell the police?” Alex asked.

  Ruth dropped her gaze and began to fidget with the straps of her purse. “I should have. I just couldn’t. I was afraid. There was something in his tone I’d never heard before, a fierceness laced with so much hatred. It rattled me.” She turned to Claire, the fear evident in her eyes. The woman was still afraid and it made her even more grateful that she had showed up.

  “I understand,” Claire said softly. “Xavier is a powerful man.”

  “The tension in the office the last few months had been almost unbearable. Xavier was traveling more than usual. I was happy about that,” Ruth confided. “There was less arguing because he was gone.”

  Alex gave Claire a look that she easily read. Xavier had conveniently been out of town the night Jared had been killed. Had he beefed up his travel schedule recently so as not to raise suspicion about being away?

  “I wish I had more to tell you. But that’s really all I know.” She paused. “Actually, there is one other thing. I’m not sure if it’s relevant because it didn’t make much sense to me.”

  They both looked at her expectantly.

  “Your husband told Xavier that he had an insurance policy protecting against his termination.”

  Claire swiveled her head to look at Alex once more. His jaw was clenched.

 
“His termination?” Claire asked as she returned her attention to Ruth.

  Ruth’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “I was always under the impression they were partners. I didn’t realize Xavier could fire him. But it’s not as if I’d be privy to that information. Regardless, your husband said that he knew Xavier had a history of terminating people. He said the policy was in your possession.”

  “Excuse me?” Claire blurted.

  “Xavier was furious,” Ruth admitted. “He said your husband didn’t have the right to share the details of the business with you. Jared assured him he hadn’t, that you would only open the policy if necessary.”

  “Did he say anything else?” Claire pressed. This was the first she’d heard mention of any sort of policy. She had scoured Jared’s office. She had run across no such thing.

  Ruth’s eyebrows puckered as if straining to remember. “He told Xavier that if he were terminated, this policy could take down the entire operation. He laughed—your husband did. He said that if Xavier tried to take him down, they’d go down together.”

  Claire’s gaze locked with Alex’s. Jared had been foolish to provoke Xavier. He had done worse than provoke him, he had practically dared him.

  “Claire,” Ruth said, dropping her tone, “I hope you don’t think badly of me for saying this, but I’ve begun to suspect that your husband and Xavier may have been partaking in illegal activities.”

  She nodded somberly. “I believe you may be right.”

  “I worked for A & M for years. I knew both Jared and Xavier were ruthless businessmen, but I never had reason to think they were dangerous.” Ruth glanced over her shoulder, as if afraid her old employers were standing behind her. “Xavier changed the last few months. After I overheard the argument, I didn’t feel comfortable around him. I started noticing little things. He seemed angry all the time. More and more, he’d keep his office door shut. I think he must’ve been on the phone quite a bit because I could hear him talking, but he was always alone. After the evening of their argument, it seemed he went out of the way to be friendly with your husband, but it seemed forced. Or perhaps my perception was warped.”