Running Hot

THIRTY-SEVEN

Daddy was dead.

Damaris huddled on the edge of the bed, trying to stop the drug-induced shivers while she fought the tears. She’d had him for such a short period of time, only a year, and now he was gone. It was almost impossible to believe. He had seemed so strong, so powerful, so invincible.

William Craigmore had been a wealthy man. His death had made news on the Internet and then in the morning papers. “Reclusive Financier Found Dead in Home.” But she had known hours earlier that something had gone terribly wrong in Honolulu. She had lived on hope for a while, telling herself that the sense of doom was just another side effect of the drug. But when the first reports started appearing online, she was forced to face the truth. Daddy was dead.

The only thing she did not understand was why the body had turned up in his Los Angeles residence. She refused to believe he died from a heart attack. She knew he had gone to Honolulu because he called her once from there to let her know he was on the ground and to reassure her that everything was under control. That was the last time she had spoken with him. The next day his body was discovered at his home in L.A.

Impossible. Whatever had happened to Daddy happened in Honolulu. And that meant that J&J was responsible.

The phone warbled, making her flinch. She turned and picked it up off the bedside table.

“Hello, Vivien,” she said quietly.

“I just heard the news.” Vivien was furious. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I just found out myself. I was going to call in a few minutes.” She massaged her temples. “I needed a little time to get over the shock.”

“What happened?” Vivien demanded.

“I don’t know. The papers are calling it a heart attack but I don’t believe it.”

“I don’t, either, not for a minute. They got to him, didn’t they?”

“J&J? Yes, I think so. I don’t know how. They must have figured out that he was Nightshade.”

“Do you think they know about you and me?” Vivien sounded genuinely concerned for the first time.

“No, we’re safe. Daddy was very careful to keep both of us a secret. Even if they did find out about us, there’s not much they could do. J&J has no evidence that we were involved in anything illegal.”

“This is all so awful,” Vivien whispered. “So completely unfair. It isn’t right.”

Damaris was surprised and touched to hear the anguish in her sister’s voice. Vivien had evidently harbored more feelings for Daddy than she had let on.

“I know,” Damaris said. “We had him such a short time.”

“It is so damn typical of the bastard.”

“What?”

“Dying like this, before he found that aura talent for me. Honestly, if he wasn’t dead, I’d be more than a little tempted to give him one of my private performances.”

“Vivien—”

“Was it too much to ask? A name. That’s all I wanted, just the name of the bitch. But no, Daddy had to get himself killed before he found her. One lousy name, that was the only thing I ever asked of him. The bastard wouldn’t even give me that much.”

Damaris sank back down on the bed. “He did find her, Vivien. He also found her bodyguard. That’s why he went to Honolulu. He was going to fix things for us.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Vivien demanded.

“I didn’t tell you because Daddy wanted to take care of her. I can give you the name but it won’t do you any good. Now that Daddy’s gone we’ve lost our access to the J&J files. It’s just a name.”

“Give it to me.”

“Grace Renquist.”

“You’re sure?” Vivien’s voice sparked with excitement.

“Yes, but, I don’t see what you—”

“Thanks. Bye for now. Rehearsal time. You wouldn’t believe what I’m having to put up with from the conductor here in Acacia Bay. He’s an absolute nobody but he thinks he can give orders to La Sirène.”

The phone went silent. Damaris sat looking at it for a long time. Daddy was dead and, for all intents and purposes, so was she. He had been her source for the drug and now she was cut off. The good news was that soon there would be no more of the dreadful injections. The bad news was that Daddy had warned her that if she stopped taking the drug, she would go insane and die. She had a little more than a three-week supply left. It was just a matter of time now. She wondered if Vivien would miss her.