said, we'll have things back in operation in a few days."
"I see." She drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair. "Excalibur seems to have hit a run of bad luck lately."
Jack's brow climbed. "You know about Kendle, too?"
"Kendle?"
"The lab tech who got killed in Pioneer Square sometime early this morning. The cops say he was into the drug scene. Someone pulled a gun on him in a parking lot."
"No, I hadn't heard about Mr. Kendle's death. I'm sorry."
"So are we all, Miss Cabot." Jack sat forward and clasped his hands on his desk. "But rest assured neither Kendle's death nor the VT break-in will have any impact on the Soft Focus project. The Veltran presentation will take place on schedule. There was no need for you to come running all the way over here from Seattle to check on the status of your investment."
He had gall, she thought, trying to make her sound like a coldhearted Scrooge. As if she were mean-spirited to worry about the sizable amount of cash he had tricked the Aurora Fund into pouring into Excalibur.
She met his eyes. "I appreciate your assurances, Jack. And I believe you when you say that your employee's death and the trashing of the lab will not affect the Soft Focus project."
"Good. Now, then, if you're satisfied with the situation, I've got a full calendar today. I'm going to have to ask you to leave so that I can do my job."
"But I'm not satisfied," she said smoothly. "I merely said I understood that the murder and the break-in had no impact on the project. How could they?" She paused for a beat. "According to my information, Soft Focus has disappeared."
She had to give him credit, she thought. He did not even flinch.
"Where the hell did you get that idea?" he asked.
She took her time recrossing her legs. "I had dinner with Hayden Shaw last night."
"How nice for you." Jack gave her a politely inquiring look. "His divorce is final, then?"
She stiffened. "I didn't ask. It was a business dinner."
"Right. A business dinner. So Shaw is courting investors to help him get his new generation of fiber-optic networking devices off the ground, huh? I wondered when he'd finally get that project moving. It's been stalled for nearly a year."
Hayden would have been stunned to know that word of his top-secret development plans had already reached his archrival, Elizabeth thought. She reminded herself to proceed with caution. Jack and Hayden had a history. She knew nothing about the origins of the feud between the two men, but she was well aware that it went far beyond the scope of any reasonable business competition.
"You're aware of the Frontrunner project?" she asked.
"Sure. Shaw's going to throw a lot of money down that rat hole before he's finished, but that's his problem, not mine."
She ignored the amused disdain in his voice. "Hayden said he'd heard rumors that the only existing specimen of a newly developed material had been stolen from an Excalibur lab."
Jack steepled his fingers. "I've got some free advice for you, Miss Cabot."
"That's a very kind offer, especially in view of the fact that nothing else in our association has been even remotely inexpensive, let alone free," she murmured. "However, I'm not in the market for advice."
"That doesn't surprise me. But out of the goodness of my heart, I'm going to give it to you anyway." Jack met her eyes. "Don't trust Hayden Shaw any farther than you can throw him."
"Funny, he gave me some very similar advice concerning you."
"I'll bet he did."
She picked up her coffee again. "I suggest we get back to the subject of the rumors."
"You know as well as I do that in this business rumors are as common as stock options in new start-up companies, and even less likely to pay off."
"Are you telling me that the rumor Hayden heard has no basis in fact? Soft Focus is not in trouble?"
"I'm telling you that everything is under control here at Excalibur."
In spite of all the promises that she had made to herself on the way here this morning, she lost her
"I see." She drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair. "Excalibur seems to have hit a run of bad luck lately."
Jack's brow climbed. "You know about Kendle, too?"
"Kendle?"
"The lab tech who got killed in Pioneer Square sometime early this morning. The cops say he was into the drug scene. Someone pulled a gun on him in a parking lot."
"No, I hadn't heard about Mr. Kendle's death. I'm sorry."
"So are we all, Miss Cabot." Jack sat forward and clasped his hands on his desk. "But rest assured neither Kendle's death nor the VT break-in will have any impact on the Soft Focus project. The Veltran presentation will take place on schedule. There was no need for you to come running all the way over here from Seattle to check on the status of your investment."
He had gall, she thought, trying to make her sound like a coldhearted Scrooge. As if she were mean-spirited to worry about the sizable amount of cash he had tricked the Aurora Fund into pouring into Excalibur.
She met his eyes. "I appreciate your assurances, Jack. And I believe you when you say that your employee's death and the trashing of the lab will not affect the Soft Focus project."
"Good. Now, then, if you're satisfied with the situation, I've got a full calendar today. I'm going to have to ask you to leave so that I can do my job."
"But I'm not satisfied," she said smoothly. "I merely said I understood that the murder and the break-in had no impact on the project. How could they?" She paused for a beat. "According to my information, Soft Focus has disappeared."
She had to give him credit, she thought. He did not even flinch.
"Where the hell did you get that idea?" he asked.
She took her time recrossing her legs. "I had dinner with Hayden Shaw last night."
"How nice for you." Jack gave her a politely inquiring look. "His divorce is final, then?"
She stiffened. "I didn't ask. It was a business dinner."
"Right. A business dinner. So Shaw is courting investors to help him get his new generation of fiber-optic networking devices off the ground, huh? I wondered when he'd finally get that project moving. It's been stalled for nearly a year."
Hayden would have been stunned to know that word of his top-secret development plans had already reached his archrival, Elizabeth thought. She reminded herself to proceed with caution. Jack and Hayden had a history. She knew nothing about the origins of the feud between the two men, but she was well aware that it went far beyond the scope of any reasonable business competition.
"You're aware of the Frontrunner project?" she asked.
"Sure. Shaw's going to throw a lot of money down that rat hole before he's finished, but that's his problem, not mine."
She ignored the amused disdain in his voice. "Hayden said he'd heard rumors that the only existing specimen of a newly developed material had been stolen from an Excalibur lab."
Jack steepled his fingers. "I've got some free advice for you, Miss Cabot."
"That's a very kind offer, especially in view of the fact that nothing else in our association has been even remotely inexpensive, let alone free," she murmured. "However, I'm not in the market for advice."
"That doesn't surprise me. But out of the goodness of my heart, I'm going to give it to you anyway." Jack met her eyes. "Don't trust Hayden Shaw any farther than you can throw him."
"Funny, he gave me some very similar advice concerning you."
"I'll bet he did."
She picked up her coffee again. "I suggest we get back to the subject of the rumors."
"You know as well as I do that in this business rumors are as common as stock options in new start-up companies, and even less likely to pay off."
"Are you telling me that the rumor Hayden heard has no basis in fact? Soft Focus is not in trouble?"
"I'm telling you that everything is under control here at Excalibur."
In spite of all the promises that she had made to herself on the way here this morning, she lost her
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