7

The evening sky was marbled with reds and oranges and a touch of purple. Lucas breathed in the peace and tranquility. He felt closest to God when he was in this plane. Flying was therapy. The heavenly kind.

After his wife’s death, he’d fly and pray and question God. The answers didn’t come quickly, but they did come. God had been faithful to him through it then, and He would be faithful now. Asking Nikki to help had been the right thing to do. She’d be able to figure out what was happening.

He’d kept track of her through the years. First, the Army and then the police force. After several commendations as a police officer, she’d gone out on her own. And knowing Nikki, he could just imagine why. She was a free spirit. She didn’t mind following rules, but she probably found out rather quickly that there was a rigid and oftentimes political framework in law enforcement. It was always a struggle between the constituents they protected and the city hall who governed them.

After becoming a private investigator, Nikki had a few high-profile cases as well. She was good at her job. She’d be able to help him.

Coming into Maiden, he flew above his family home. Even from this distance, it still had the air of gracious Southern living. White pillars adorned the large Civil War–era house. Wrought-iron gates. The mandatory stable and tennis courts. And the swimming pool. That was one thing he’d enjoyed as a child—and so had his friends.

He’d detested the house growing up. Too big. Too formal. Too many expectations, especially from his father. But his mother still lived there, and it was now his official residence. He’d sold his house after Victoria’s death and moved into the guesthouse.

After landing the plane, he hopped out. He could take the golf cart up to the house, but the exercise would do him good. It had been a stressful day. Now that Nikki had agreed to help, he was a bit more optimistic.

The quiet and the night air worked their magic as he walked towards the guesthouse. His tense muscles relaxed, but he couldn’t get his mind off Nikki.

Why had he allowed his father to break them up? What would have happened if their relationship had been allowed to run its natural course? Would they have gone their separate ways when he went to college or would they have made it work? Not that it mattered—he wasn’t looking for romance.

After Victoria’s death, he’d recommitted himself to his work. To the plan to become President of the United States. Now even that was at risk.

He stared at the guesthouse—his home now. There wouldn’t be a speck of food in there and he was hungry. He’d sneak up to the main house and surprise his mother. He walked up to the back door. Hitting numbers on the security keypad, he smiled at the modern convenience. His mother hadn’t been happy when he and his sister had insisted on it after his father’s death but she had acquiesced to their wishes.

A small night-light shone from the kitchen counter. He walked to the refrigera—

“Mister, don’t make another move. I don’t know who you are, but I suggest you turn yourself around and skedaddle before I shoot you.”

“Mama, it’s me, Lucas.”

“Oh, my goodness. Lucas.” A moment later, light flooded the kitchen. His mother stood in the doorway with a shotgun pointed at him and her silver hair askew. “I didn’t realize it was you. Sorry.”

“Put that gun away, Mama.”

With a sheepish smile, she leaned it against the kitchen wall. “Well, how was I supposed to know it was you down here skulking around like some thief in the night? A single woman needs to protect herself, you know.” She smoothed her hair.

He arched a brow. “With a double-barreled 12 gauge?”

“It was good enough for my daddy and it’s good enough for me.”

“You can’t be walking around with that thing. You’re either going to kill yourself or someone else.”

“That’s the point.”

“Mama—”

“If you think I’ll let some thief just walk in and do what he wants, you’re sadly mistaken. And I won’t argue about it. I may be old, but I can still take care of myself. It is so good to see you.” She crooked a finger and then put her arms around him. “You should have called.”

“I know. But it was a spur-of-the-moment trip.”

She stepped back. “You don’t do spur-of-the-moment.”

He couldn’t deny the truth of her words. “A man can change.”

She looked at him over her glasses. “Not that much. Elizabeth called here looking for you earlier. She was beside herself that you’d missed your appointment with the senator. But when you hadn’t shown up by bedtime, I figured you’d gone somewhere else.”

He certainly wouldn’t tell her where he’d been or who he’d seen. “What did you tell her?”

“What could I tell her? The truth. You haven’t been here in months. And that I hadn’t heard from you since you called last Sunday. She seemed worried.”

“I already explained to her I needed a few days to myself. She shouldn’t have called here bothering you.”

“It was no bother. What’s going on, Lucas?”

“Nothing, Mama. Why would you ask that?”

“Humph. The better question is why you can’t look me in the eye when you say nothing’s wrong.” She pointed at the marble kitchen island. “Sit down. I’ll fix you some scrambled eggs. I assume that’s why you were sneaking into my kitchen in the middle of the night. Looking for something to eat.”

“It’s not the middle of the night, Mama.”

“It is for this old lady.”

“You don’t have to cook. I’m more than capable of finding something to eat.”

She pointed once again. “Sit.”

He grinned and slid onto the stool. “I am a bit hungry.”

A few minutes later, she placed the scrambled eggs in front of him, filled with all his favorites—cheese, onions, hot peppers, mushrooms, red and green peppers. A moment later, toast and orange juice appeared.

“Looks delicious, Mama.”

She nodded and sat down. After he ate a few bites, she smiled and said, “Now tell me what’s wrong.”

Should he tell her? Probably not—it would only worry her. “Delicious. The best scrambled eggs ever.”

“Don’t think I don’t know you’re avoiding my question. Elizabeth told me you not only missed your appointment but a vote today as well. You wouldn’t do that unless you had a very good reason.”

He set down his fork. “Mama, I won’t insult you by telling you nothing’s wrong. But I can handle it. In fact, I am handling it. I have a plan that’s already in motion.”

“A plan. Well, that sounds promising. So why exactly are you here then?”

“To visit my mama, of course. And it’s time for me to get my act together. Time to stop feeling sorry for myself.” He stabbed a piece of pepper. “Someone told me to start acting like a politician today.”

“Sounds like a very smart person to me.”

“To me too, Mama.” After saying good night to his mother, Lucas walked into the guesthouse. His home away from home. He looked around. It didn’t feel much like home in spite of his mother’s efforts. But then again, nowhere did these days. Victoria had been his home, and now she was gone. “I’m sorry, Victoria. I should have kept you safe.”

Maybe the game master had the right idea. Maybe he should resign from politics.

He walked through the tiny living room to the spare bedroom—his office when he was here. He stared at the laptop. It was late and he knew he shouldn’t turn it on. If he did, he’d be up for hours. And now that he’d left without notice, there would be a ton of work waiting. He’d check his email and that would be it. He needed to get some sleep. Lucas scrolled through the list. His throat constricted when he saw the subject line listed as MUST SEE.

Not again.

Ignore it. If he opened it, he probably wouldn’t get any sleep. Curiosity won. As the picture loaded, he broke out in a sweat. Behind him in the picture was a window with the logo Kent Investigations. And right next to him stood Nikki. It didn’t matter how hard he tried to hide, they would find him. His gaze moved downward. He read the caption.

SOMEONE WILL DIE IF YOU REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKE TWICE!

Who would die? Nikki? Himself? What mistake? And why did they think he was about to repeat it? He had no idea what the warning meant. This wasn’t suggestive of danger—it was blatant. Were they serious? Surely not.

The game master wanted to freak him out. And he’d succeeded.

He pulled out the business card Nikki had given him and forwarded the email to her. Would she actually get it? Probably not. No one else ever did.

After he sent the email, he hit the icon of the print button. Nothing happened. It wasn’t on. He jumped up and moved to the printer, plugging it in and then turning it on. The red light blinked off and the green one blinked on. He hurried back to the computer.

The screen was blank. The picture was gone—just like all the other times.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Nikki. It rang several times and then went to voice mail. “Nikki, this is Lucas. I received another email. I sent it to you. Let me know if you got it.”

Had he put Nikki in danger by going to her for help? Was that what the message meant? He wouldn’t take that chance. He’d tell her that her services were no longer needed. He’d have to hire someone else or deal with it alone. He slammed a fist into the desk. Knowing it was hopeless, he went through file after file, trying to find the email. But it was gone. Had Nikki received the email?

He pulled out his phone and hit her number. It rang several times and then went to voice mail again. He started to leave a message. What if they were listening? He hadn’t thought of that. Did they have some sort of bug installed in his phone? His mind flashed through some of the conversations he’d had. Crucial information was often discussed. Matters of national importance. He’d need to have the phone checked out tomorrow. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? Because he was too frazzled. Too emotional to be clearheaded. He hit the end button.

Was he being ludicrous? They already knew he’d been in contact with Nikki. Was that the mistake they referred to in the email? Were they warning him not to involve anyone else in their game?

Maybe he should resign. He’d threatened to do that at Nikki’s office. The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded. Quitting would be worth it if they left him alone. If they left Nikki alone.

They’d said not to make the same mistake twice. Nikki was the first investigator he’d hired. So that couldn’t be what they meant.

He called Nikki’s number again and left another message. He didn’t tell her the picture was of her office. She could look at it and come to her own conclusions as to whether it was a valid threat. It was only after he’d hung up that he realized he’d not told her he was in Maiden, rather than Washington, DC.

He paced around the room. His phone rang. “Hello, Elizabeth. What can I do for you?”

“Lucas, I wanted to know when you’d be back to work. Should I cancel your appointments for next week?”

Nikki said that she would be in DC next week. He had to be there so she could do her work.

“Don’t cancel them. I’ll be back Monday.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.”

“Where did you say you were?”

“I didn’t say.” He trusted Elizabeth, but he wouldn’t tell her where he was in case they were listening. Of course, they probably knew anyway. “See you on Monday.” He clicked off before she could ask him another question.

Nikki probably wouldn’t call back until morning.

Lucas decided to call it a night. As he climbed into bed, he pushed the ringer up to full volume in case Nikki called back. He’d tell her about the warning then.

****

Lucas woke up, surprised that he’d actually fallen asleep. He’d tossed and turned most of the night. He grabbed the phone.

Maybe Nikki hadn’t received the voice message or the email.

He rang her number again.

No answer.

He left a simple voice message this time. “Call me.” Jumping out of bed, he moved directly to the computer. After scrolling the new emails, he breathed easier. No new ones from the game master. He thought back to last night’s email. In the light of day, it seemed more like a prank. Nothing the game master had done had ever been threatening before. So maybe this email wasn’t from him.

Still, Lucas couldn’t take that chance. He would tell Nikki her services were no longer needed when she called him back. After he showered, he headed up to the main house. His mother was in the kitchen. “Morning, Mama.”

“Morning? It’s practically afternoon.”

He checked his watch. “Mama, it’s barely five minutes after nine. I would hardly call that afternoon.”

“In my day, people didn’t waste the day by sleeping it away.” She grinned. “Ready for some pancakes?”

“Stop pulling my leg, Mama. You know how much I love those.”

“I do. That’s why I mixed up a batch.” She picked up a bowl sitting on the counter.

“Got pecans in there?”

“Of course.”

“Then pancakes sound like a marvelous idea.”

The batter sizzled as she spooned it onto the griddle.

Lucas got the maple syrup and two plates. He poured a cup of coffee. “Want a cup?”

“I would love a cup, but my doctor says one cup a day is all I get. And I had that hours ago.”

“Not everyone gets up with the chickens.”

“Maybe they should. Everyone would get a lot more accomplished if they did.” She walked over with a platter full of pecan pancakes. “You know what would be another marvelous idea?”

He speared two with his fork. “What would that be, Mama?” He reached for the syrup.

She didn’t speak for a few moments as she readied her own plate. “That you tell me what’s going on, Lucas.”

“Can’t I just be home for a visit?”

“Of course you can, but I don’t think that’s what’s happening here.”

“Why not?”

“Call it mother’s intuition.”

“I told you last night that I can handle the situation. The situation isn’t why I’m here.” He grinned. “I suddenly had a hankering for some maple-pecan pancakes.”

“So you say.”

“Can’t a man miss his mama?”

She gave him a look as she took another dainty bite of pancake. “What’s on your agenda for the day?”

“Not a whole lot. I thought I’d drive down to Hickory and show my face at the mall. Shake some hands. Show people I’m still alive and kicking. Then later come back to Maiden and make a few stops around town.”

“Why don’t you call your sister? Suzie loves the mall. That way, it will look a little more natural to people. I wouldn’t want them to think you just went there to be seen.”

“You need to take over as my campaign manager.”

“If I did, would you tell me what’s going on?”