The Millionaire Meets His Match
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“That’s very generous of you, Mrs. Crosswhite. But I already explained I didn’t come here to ask for money. You’ve been very kind. Without your help I don’t know what I would have done. This isn’t how I expected to save my cat, but it doesn’t matter as long as he comes home safely.”
“Just a minute,” Gabe said, completely frustrated by the rapid turn of events. “You seem to have forgotten one or two minor details. Who is going to deliver the ransom money to the kidnappers? Where? When? These kinds of transactions don’t usually occur in broad daylight in public places. There is bound to be some danger to the person carrying the money.”
“He’s my cat. It’s my money. I’ll make the delivery,” Cass said shortly.
“And what if they want Emilie herself to be the courier?”
“Then I will be,” Emilie chimed in.
Cass threw an uneasy glance at the tiny woman. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. If we come to it,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “Look, all these people want is the money. They don’t want trouble. Why are you looking for problems where there are none?”
Gabe sighed heavily. “The problems are there whether or not you choose to see them. I already told you, the relatively small ransom the thieves have demanded means something. The only possibilities I can think of aren’t good. Most likely, it means we’re dealing with amateurs who don’t understand the value of what they’ve stolen. As amateurs, they’ll be twice as dangerous as professional crooks. They’ll be nervous and unpredictable, easily frightened into doing something stupid that could hurt someone. They’ll make mistakes and, unfortunately, you could be the ones to suffer for it.”
The women silently thought over Gabe’s analysis. Cass shifted uneasily on the wicker sofa. “There could be other explanations for why they asked for that particular amount of money,” she said.
“Perhaps ten thousand dollars is all they need,” Emilie suggested.
Gabe smiled tolerantly. “Greed, not need, usually motivates a kidnapper, Emilie. Maybe this first demand is only a way to test the waters. Maybe when the kidnappers call back Friday they’ll ask for twice as much. Or ten times as much. Maybe this is a kind of training exercise for them. Maybe they plan to go into business kidnapping the pets of wealthy people and ransoming them back. It’s a lot safer than kidnapping people, and could be almost as lucrative if you pick the right victim.”
He spread his hands and lifted his palms to indicate the world of possibilities. “I don’t know. But that’s my point. None of us understand the kidnappers’ motives, beyond the obvious desire to acquire some of somebody else’s money. My concern—” he leveled a serious expression at Emilie Crosswhite “—is you, Emilie. I can’t let you endanger yourself. That would be completely irresponsible of me.”
Emilie gazed at him fondly for a few moments. “I know, dear,” she said. “But my mind is quite made up. I intend to help Miss Appleton recover Crudley. You’ll just have to find a way to keep all three of us out of danger.” Gabe shook his head and rolled his eyes heavenward. Emilie leaned toward Cass and confided in a loud whisper, “That means he knows he’s lost the argument.”
“I heard that,” Gabe announced. “And contrary to your interpretation, all it really means is that I’m willing to call a temporary truce. I’m not making any commitments. You’re not making any commitments, Emilie. But Miss Appleton says she has the money. The kidnappers are supposed to call back Friday with further instructions. We’ll wait and see what they have to say.”
“That’s all we ask, dear,” Emilie assured him soberly while giving Cass a surreptitious wink.
As if on cue, a servant entered carrying a tray with three glasses of iced tea. The timing made Cass suspect the woman had been listening at the door, waiting for a break in the conversation. A second look at the woman’s elegant dress and regal bearing caused Cass to reconsider. She was hardly the type to eavesdrop. Her manner was deferential, but not the least bit servile. Tall and slender, she had the same smooth caramel complexion and piercing amber eyes of the gate guard. The two employees had to be related.
Tempting as the iced tea looked, Cass decided to take advantage of the natural break in events to leave. “Well,” she said, standing and ineffectually trying to smooth her wrinkled skirt, “I’ve taken enough of your time. I should be going. Despite Mr. Preston’s conviction that the police won’t be interested, I’d still like to stop by the station and make a report.”
“Suit yourself,” Gabe said with apparent indifference.
“I think that’s a fine idea,” Mrs. Crosswhite said. “And if you think it will help poor Crudley at all, be sure and tell the police that you’ve spoken to Gabriel and me and we’re willing to cooperate in every way.”
Gabe tensed at this suggestion and came dangerously close to scowling at his employer. “I’ll show Miss Appleton out,” he said curtly, striding to the door and waiting with obvious impatience as Cass thanked Emilie Crosswhite one final time.
Chapter Three
Outside, the heat seemed more intense than before. Where were Newport’s famed cooling ocean breezes?
Cass trailed her swift-moving escort back across the broad green lawns to the service road. By the time they reached the rear gate, Cass felt wilted all over again. “I hope you remembered to bring the key,” she said irritably. “I don’t feel like leaving the same way I came in.”
Gabe ignored her tone and stepped to one of the brick stanchions flanking the thick iron gate. Deftly he exposed a hidden control panel and punched in a coded number sequence. The heavy metal grillwork slid smoothly back.
Cass regarded her guide with a fresh flare of anger. “You knew all along how to open the gate. Why did you make me climb that fence?”
Gabe met her hostility impassively. “I needed to confirm my suspicions.”
“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Cass said with a superior tone.
“You didn’t disappoint me at all. I suspected you had great legs, and you do.”
The unexpected turn of the conversation flustered Cass completely, as she was sure Gabe had intended. He was probably still testing her, hoping to provoke some revealing reaction. She wheeled and stalked through the gate.
Gabe caught her before she’d taken two steps, grasping her wrist gently but firmly to pull her up short. “I had to know how serious you were about needing to see Emilie,” he said unapologetically. “It’s your own fault,” he added. “You refused to tell me what was going on.”
“Oh, right. I’m sure if I had told you that my cat was mistakenly kidnapped, you would have flung the gates wide and happily ushered me in.”
“You’ll never know now, will you?”
“I can make a pretty good guess, based on the way you acted up at the house. I would never have been permitted within a mile of Mrs. Crosswhite.”
“Maybe not. Just remember, I don’t have to justify my conduct to you. I’m not only Emilie’s godson and friend, I’m also chief of security for Crosswhite Enterprises. I’m certainly not going to defend myself for wanting to protect Emilie from the con artists and opportunists who’ve been trying to get at her ever since her husband died.”