The Chilling Deception Read Online Free PDF Page A

Vandyke.”
    “I’m not emotionally involved,” Guinevere said bluntly. “Not in the way Zac first thought. But yes, I am worried. You would be too, if you saw Vandyke. He’s tense and nervous, constantly drinking coffee and making little notes to himself. This proposal is a big one for his company. On top of that he’s got problems with his wife.”
    “Have you met her?”
    “No. But I’ve answered the phone every time she’s called. And she calls him every day. I can’t figure it out. She sounds so lonely, so unhappy. Vandyke sounds the same way when he finishes his conversations with her. But if they’re both lonely and depressed being apart, why on earth
are
they apart? Mrs. Vandyke seems pleasant enough, but what can you tell on the phone? At any rate, I figured if Vandyke could at least stop worrying so much about somebody trying to steal his proposal documents, he might be able to relax sufficiently to make a good presentation to Washburn this weekend.”
    “Zac is supposed to guard the documents?”
    “That’s what I suggested to Mr. Vandyke.” Guinevere went to collect her coat and shoulder bag. “He wasn’t too keen on the idea at first, but I gave him a really brilliant presentation of my own.”
    Carla glanced up warily. “How brilliant?”
    “Well, I convinced him that Zac was the best private security to come along since James Bond. I painted quite a glowing picture of the intrepid man of action. Vandyke finally seemed to think it would be a good idea if he hired Zac.”
    “Does Zac know about your little sales job?”
    Guinevere shrugged into her coat. “Naturally, I didn’t tell him in detail what I said to convince Vandyke,” she said lightly. Discretion was the better part of valor in this instance. Zac would have been furious if he’d found out what a swashbuckling image he now had in Vandyke’s eyes. “But Zac seems happy enough with the idea of the job now.”
    “Have Zac and Vandyke met?”
    “Yesterday, in Vandyke’s office.” Guinevere paused, remembering the meeting. It had gone fairly well. Vandyke had asked Zac several questions about his past work and had seemed satisfied with the answers. Alone with Guinevere, Zac had been downright casual about the job, but he’d managed to put on a politely concerned front in Vandyke’s presence. He’d agreed to go along in the role of Vandyke’s personal assistant.
    “Well, sounds as though it should be an interesting weekend,” Carla decided. “Have fun. I’ll see you Tuesday morning. Maybe by then you’ll have achieved clarity, rationality, and a sense of definition in your relationship with the Frog.”
    “Why does that sound like a contradiction in terms?” Guinevere asked as she went out the door.
    ***
    Saturday afternoon Guinevere again stood at a window watching an endless rain. But, she reflected, this time she at least had the advantage of standing in a luxurious hotel room, and the view was of tiny mist-shrouded islands dotting a stormy sea rather than clock-watching government office workers. The dozens of green islands off the coast of Washington that made up the San Juans comprised an exotic bit of Northwest paradise. The ferry system serviced the larger islands, such as the one on which the resort was located, but most of the smaller islets were accessible only by private boat or seaplane. Many were tiny and uninhabited. It was even possible to own your very own island. Guinevere smiled briefly at the thought. Her very own island. Now that was class. Almost as good as having one’s own executive washroom.
    The phone beside the bed rang. She gave a small start and went to answer it.
    “Are you unpacked?” Zac asked without any preliminaries. His temper had been a bit unpredictable since their arrival that morning, and after he’d discovered he’d been given a room next to Vandyke and that Guinevere’s room was several doors down the hall, he’d begun to show signs of grave uncertainty.
    “Just