The next evening, Curt thought of Christy’s words regarding Debbie’s good fortune all the way to his sister CJ’s house. The long drive to the north of Denver gave him plenty of time to remember every detail about Christy Connors. Why did she have to be so beautiful? Why did she have to haunt his every thought?
So she thinks Debbie is lucky, Curt thought smugly. If only he could tell Christy the truth and cut through the walls that separated them. Curt shook his head. There was too much at stake to blow his cover.
CJ Aldersson lived near the Tri-County Airport. Correction—she lived at the airport. The strip had been built to accommodate an unusual housing arrangement where wealthy pilots could taxi from the tarmac right up to their front doors. The houses were beautiful, with the snow-covered Rockies in the background. Curt pulled up to the house, checking the address against the one written on a piece of paper. This was it.
After parking the car, he made his way slowly up a fashionable cobblestone walkway. Before him, the three-story native-stone house rose up to greet him like a welcoming beacon. Lights shown from several of the windows, giving a warm glow of home. Curt stopped for just a moment in order to take it all in.
At the door, he hesitated. He had not seen his sister in nearly five years. It had been a long time since he’d deserted her, and now he felt guilty for the distance he’d placed between them. Of course they’d talked on the phone from time to time, but he knew he had sorely neglected her. CJ was all he had left in the world, and now she was married and living happily with a man he knew very little about.
Finally getting up his nerve, Curt pressed the bell and waited. A tall man with brown hair answered the door and gave Curt a good once-over before a smile broke across his face.
“You’re the spitting image of Doug O’Sullivan. I’d say that must make you his son, Curt, the long-lost brother my wife has been frantically searching to get in touch with.”
Curt smiled sheepishly. “That’d be me.”
The man extended his hand. “I’m Brad Aldersson. It’s good to finally meet you.”
Curt shook Brad’s hand and glanced past his shoulder toward the sound of a feminine voice.
“Who is it, honey?” The voice had to belong to his sister.
Curt put his finger to his lips and motioned Brad to let him surprise CJ. Brad nodded and quickly backed out of the way in order to let Curt pass.
“Brad?” the voice came louder as a redheaded woman appeared in the hall. “Curt!” she exclaimed with a squeal of excitement. “Curt, is it really you?”
She ran to her big brother’s open arms and held him as though she’d never let go. “I was so worried. I’ve tried to call you for days, but the operator said that your number had been disconnected. Why didn’t you let me know you were coming? Are you hungry? Is anything wrong? Where are you staying?”
Curt started laughing so hard that CJ pulled away and stared at him for a moment with a quizzical look on her face.
“Maybe if you’d slow down and give the man time to answer one question at a time, you’d get more information,”
Brad suggested.
CJ laughed in spite of herself. “I’m sorry.”
“I expected an enthusiastic reception, but nothing like this,” Curt admitted. “I hope I haven’t come at a bad time.”
“Not at all,” CJ replied. “We were just about to eat. You’ll stay and have supper with us, won’t you?”
“Sounds good to me,” Curt replied. Then with a mischievous grin over his shoulder, he asked Brad, “Can she cook?”
“She makes a mean pot of pilot coffee, but her curried beef tips could use some work. I’ve been helping her along, however, and she’s going to make a good wife someday,” Brad replied.
“I can cook, Curt. Just ignore this man. He thinks just because we’ve been married more than a month, he knows it all.”
“That’s not true,” Brad said in his own defense. Then, leaning over, he whispered to Curt, “I knew it all before the month was up.”
Curt put back his head and laughed, while CJ jabbed Brad in the ribs with her elbow. “Men!” she exclaimed and left them both to follow her to the kitchen.
Dinner passed much too quickly for Curt. He’d not been a part of a family for longer than he cared to remember. The last time he’d seen CJ, she had been recuperating from the accident that claimed their parents’ lives. She had certainly recovered from the sullen, moody child of sixteen who he’d run from in despair.
“Why don’t we have coffee in the living room?” CJ suggested as they got up from the table.
Curt took a seat on the couch and the smile suddenly left his face. How could he possibly say what he had come to say?
“You’ve come here with a purpose,” CJ said suddenly. Her statement stunned Curt.
“I guess there’s no use putting it off or pretending that you aren’t right.”
CJ smiled and took a seat beside him. “Go on,” she encouraged as Brad joined them.
Curt ran his hand back through his hair and eased back against the plush sofa. “I wanted to talk to you about the crash—about Mom and Dad.”
CJ swallowed hard. “Go on,” she repeated her words, this time less enthusiastically.
Curt watched as Brad lovingly rubbed CJ’s cheek with his fingers. He seems to adore her, Curt thought, and suddenly he felt better about what he had to do.
“What do you remember about the crash?” he asked.
CJ frowned. “I remember most everything, I guess. The way the plane rocked and then dropped from the sky. The feeling of falling forever. Daddy fighting the controls to land the plane and Mom praying.”
“Did Dad say anything?”
“Daddy told Mom, ‘He’s done us in.’” CJ trembled, and Brad put his hand on hers. “What’s this all about, Curt?”
“Do you remember the air show before the crash?” CJ and Curt had grown up as members of the O’Sullivan Flying Circus. Their father, along with his best friend, Ben Fairchild, had formed O&F Aviation and sponsored air shows all across the country.
“Of course,” CJ whispered. “We were all together. Even Ben was there. You left early to get back to school. Yes, I remember it all.”
“Dad called me,” Curt replied. “I had just gotten back, and the phone was ringing. I picked it up, and it was Dad. He must have been just about to fly out. He was pretty upset, CJ.”
“Why? What had happened?”
“He’d found cocaine in one of our planes.”
“You mean you’ve known all this time and said nothing?”
CJ’s voice was clearly upset.
“You were in no shape to learn that the crash was no accident. How could I tell you that Mom and Dad had most likely been murdered?”
“Murdered?” CJ sounded as though she might faint. “But all this time—all these years, you’ve never said anything. Murder?”
“I’m sorry. That’s why I came tonight,” Curt offered apologetically.
“So what do we do about it?”
“We don’t do anything. You have to stay out of it,” Curt replied. He put up his hand at the look that crossed his sister’s face. “Don’t get started; just listen. What I have to say isn’t going to come easy, and you must swear to keep it confidential. My life and the lives of other people depend on my ability to maintain my cover.”
“Your cover? What are you talking about?” CJ questioned, easing away just a bit from Brad.
Curt met Brad’s eyes before returning his gaze to his sister. “CJ, I know this is going to be difficult for you to accept, but I work with the Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA. I’m here in Denver undercover to try and break a ring of drug dealers. I believe they are the people responsible for Mom and Dad’s deaths, and I believe whoever is in charge is someone inside O&F Aviation.”
CJ fell back against Brad in complete shock. The look on her face told Curt he’d expected too much. Her eyes were huge in surprise, and her mouth had dropped open to speak but remained unmoving, in mute dismay.
“Have you been at this very long?” Brad questioned when CJ seemed unable to collect her thoughts.
Curt nodded. “From the moment the plane crashed, I just knew it was related to what Dad had found. I figured someone wanted him quiet and that a plane crash was the best way to take him out. Unfor-tunately for them, but fortunately for me, they had no idea that Dad had told me about the drugs.”
“The FAA investigation had always seemed a little rushed, as far as I was concerned,” Brad commented. “It seemed strange for the accident of an international flying hero to be so quickly stamped ‘pilot error’ and moved over without so much as a single protest.”
“I couldn’t protest it then,” Curt admitted. “Although holding my peace was difficult. I knew I needed proof. Also,” Curt said, nodding toward his sister, “CJ was in no shape to take the controversy, and I couldn’t risk that whoever was responsible would think she knew something about the drugs and come after her.”
CJ shuddered from head to toe, and Brad wrapped his arms around her tightly as Curt reached out to pat her hand. “I’m so sorry, Sis. If I could have found an easier way to tell you, I would have.”
“I thought this was over with,” she whispered weakly.
“I know.” Curt wondered if he’d done the right thing.
“How can we help you?” Brad questioned. “What can we do to make your job easier?”
Curt frowned and dropped CJ’s hand. “I don’t know. Right now, I just need discretion and sound judgment. I could also use a few prayers,” Curt admitted.
“Of course, you’ll have that,” CJ said, seeming to recover from the shock. “Brad and I will pray continuously for you.”
“Good,” Curt replied. “That means all the world to me.” He glanced at his watch and saw the hour was getting late. “I’d better go, but I’ll be in touch.”
He got up, and CJ jumped to her feet and nearly flew at him. Throwing her arms around him, she let go of her tears. “Oh, Curt, please be careful.”
Curt wrapped his arms around her and buried his face against her auburn hair. “I promise to be especially careful, just for you.”
“Honey, why don’t you go ahead upstairs and lie down. I’ll be right up after I show Curt out,” Brad said lovingly.
“But—” she started to protest, but nodded and left the room while Brad retrieved Curt’s coat and walked with him to the car.
“You looked like you had something else to say,” Brad said sternly.
“I guess I do,” Curt confessed. “Look, I’m worried about CJ. I don’t think anyone will be suspicious of what she knows or doesn’t know—not after all these years. Still, there’s always that chance. Keep your eyes open, Brad. Protect her, and don’t let her share this information with anyone.”
Brad nodded soberly. “I’m grateful for the warning. Don’t worry. I’ll keep her safe.”
“Thanks,” Curt said and reached out his hand to shake Brad’s. “I can keep my mind on business if I know she’s not in danger.”