“Maybe. Probably.”
“How does Pell know such things?”
“I told you, he has mob connections. Someone from that world, a man known as the Broker, contacted Pell shortly after Calloway died. The Broker told him that someone is looking for the journal.”
“There must be any number of people who would want to get their hands on that volume,” Vivian said.
“Certainly. Any of the clients who paid for a murder, for starters. But he or she would have to know about the existence of the journal in the first place. It seems unlikely that any of the people who commissioned the murders would be aware of the volume, let alone that the poems were encrypted.”
“Surely this Broker who contacted Pell knows the identity of whoever is willing to pay any amount to get hold of the volume.”
“Not in this case,” Nick said. “In the underworld there are ways to handle such things anonymously.”
“Why did the Broker contact Pell?”
“He did it as a favor. He reasoned that the death of Calloway might be linked to the theft of the journal because of the timing and because he’s not a great believer in coincidence.”
Vivian stopped pacing and fixed her attention on a large photograph of a smiling, vivacious young woman.
Nick had never met the lady in the picture but there was so much personality radiating from the portrait he felt as if he knew something important about her.
Vivian glanced at him and followed his gaze.
“My sister, Lyra,” she said.
“She looks . . . interesting. Like you.”
Rex sat down beside Vivian and leaned his big furry body against her leg again. She reached down and patted him. He looked thrilled.
Vivian finally turned around. Her expression was resolute.
“Why you?” she asked. “Why did this Luther Pell choose you to protect me?”
“Probably because my uncle recommended me and Pell trusts my uncle’s judgment. It’s not as if he has a lot of choice.”
“What do you mean? There must be any number of people who work as bodyguards here in the Los Angeles area. I’m sure some of the stars have personal guards.”
“Luther Pell doesn’t trust easily.”
“How does this bodyguard business work?”
“Beats me,” Nick said. “I’ve never done this sort of work before.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you? What exactly do you do?”
“I investigate, Miss Brazier. I’ve never had a case that required me to stick close to the client night and day. Looks like we’ll have to figure it out as we go along.”
Vivian narrowed her eyes. “No offense, Mr. Sundridge, but that is not very reassuring.”
“Try to look on the bright side,” Nick said. “It’s not as if I’m working alone. I’ve got Rex.”
Rex’s ears shot up at the sound of his name.
Vivian glanced at him, her gaze softening. “Rex looks like he can take care of himself.”
“Definitely,” Nick said. “And you, too. He was trained by a friend of my uncle’s, a man who used to school war dogs. Actually, Harry trained both Rex and me. He told me on more than one occasion that of the two, I was the more difficult student. Rex is a very fast learner.”
Vivian smiled. “Just like Rin-Tin-Tin. Growing up I saw every movie he ever made. I even wrote him a fan letter.”
Nick kept his mouth shut. Rex was clearly his best asset at the moment.
“We’ll need an explanation for your presence here in my house,” Vivian said. “I suppose we could pretend that you’re a distant relative visiting from back East.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Nick said. “It would be best if we left town.”
Vivian stared at him, clearly flabbergasted. “I can’t possibly do that. I’ve got two weeks’ worth of bookings.”
“We’re talking a few days, a week at the outside. If we’re right about the killer’s obsession with sticking to his personal timeline, he’ll make his move soon.”
He saw the shock of what he did not say—that if she did not leave town she might end up dead within the week—flash in her eyes.
“How am I supposed to explain my sudden disappearance from Adelina Beach?” she said; the bleak expression in her eyes made it clear her heart was no longer in the argument.
“You can tell your clients that something personal has come up,” he said. “A family situation. Leaving town will force the killer to take a few more risks because he will probably try to find you. With luck it will draw him out into the open where Pell and his people can spot him.”
“What about my family? They’ll be scared to death if I tell them what’s going on.”
He hesitated. “I don’t want to tell you to lie to your family, but the truth is, it will be easier to deal with this situation if they aren’t involved. It could put them in danger.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Then I suggest you let everyone think you’re taking a few days off to get some fresh creative inspiration.”
“Right. Creative inspiration.”
Vivian did not appear enthused by that plan. He cast about for a little inspiration of his own.
“How does a honeymoon at the Burning Cove Hotel sound?” he said.
He was rather pleased with the cleverness of the idea until he realized that Vivian was staring at him, horrified.
“Honeymoon?” she said. “Are you out of your mind?”
“It has been suggested on occasion,” he admitted.
“Is that right? By whom?”
“The woman I married, among others.”
Vivian’s eyes widened. “Are you telling me you’re married? After you suggested we have a fake honeymoon together at the Burning Cove Hotel? Your wife must be amazingly open-minded when it comes to your professional work.”
“She’s not my wife. According to the court, she never was.”
“Now what are you talking about?”
“My marriage was annulled.”
“Oh,” Vivian said. She opened her mouth and shut it again.
Nick wasn’t surprised. Over the course of the past year he had discovered that an announcement of an annulment had a way of terminating a conversation. It immediately raised questions that few people dared to ask aloud.