Chapter 32

Chief Younger’s body was discovered in his home by agents. It looked like a suicide but the person, or persons involved made one or two small errors that caused our people to become suspicious.

“The Chief used a weapon not issued by MI6 and though his fingerprints were all over the weapon, they did not appear to have gotten there voluntarily. We have much to do before we can unravel the circumstances and reasons for Chief Younger’s death, but there are serious questions about his actions prior to the discovery of his body.”

Taking a deep breath, Joan continued. “We are MI6, Lord Terrance. We’re supposed to know everything, but we don’t have a clue as to what Chief Younger was involved in except that it appears to have some connection to people that wish you harm.”

Joan visibly sagged for just an instant. Her moment of weakness was so minute that I was tempted to believe that it was my mind playing a trick on me, but when I put my arm around her and led her towards the suite right across from mine, she went so willingly that I knew she was almost out of it. One of the upstairs maids, Julia, came at my summons and I left Joan with her to get her fed, bathed and down for about twelve hours of sleep.

While she was pampered and tucked in, I was reaching out to Jack to see if his guys could figure out what Younger had gotten himself into. Joan didn’t need to know that I had resources capable of ferreting out otherwise buried information, and I wanted to keep it that way.

As the evening wore on I was completely engrossed in trying to find a thread that when pulled would lead me to the person, or persons responsible for this mess that seemed to be flowing around me. One-by-one, I examined those with reason to want me either to be either dead, or dead broke. Each person failed to fill fit the facts, except...

Deirdre...

My dear aunt had a motive if I accepted that my being discovered cut into her inheritance and – may be more importantly – her father’s attention. If I indulged my suspicious nature, I could imagine Deirdre deciding to bed me was her way of replacing some of the attention she was accustomed to getting from her father. If I went really out on a limb, I could imagine that she might have wanted to be the woman that warmed her father’s bed, as she had with her brother, my father Nolan. Then I could see a reason for her to feel jealous, or angry, or both, possibly enough to want to have me killed. The facts were murky, but the connective tissue certainly existed, so I shared my concerns with Jack and set his guys off turning over rocks that concerned Deirdre.

Even though we were compatible bed partners, Deirdre always had a bit of an edge about her. The brittleness seemed to fade once Chasen died, but it was certainly in evidence when I married Cathay. There was just as many reasons to think that I was insane for thinking about her as there were reasons to suspect her, so I let it percolate hoping that my subconscious would help me think I through.

It was nearly midnight before Joan reappeared.

She slowly descended the main staircase and wandered into my study, dressed in a sharp looking warm up suit, with her dark hair pinned up. For just an instant I thought I was seeing Beth Ann back when I first woke up in Brian’s body.

The momentary confusion must have shown brightly on my face, because Joan frowned, and said, “Lord Terrance. Is everything alright?” Her voice was softer than I remembered, and much sexier.

I shook myself to make the ghost go away, and replied. “When you came down those stairs you looked just like an old girlfriend of mine.” Joan gave me a puzzled look, which reminded me that the government had kept pretty close tabs on my life, and she probably thought she knew about every woman I ever bedded.