Falling Awake(39)
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz

That seemed to appease Lawson a little. “I’ll talk to Beth and ask her to look into the circumstances surrounding Hardy’s death,” he said. “No sense in wasting your time on that front. She’s got the resources to do it discreetly. And she’s thorough.”

“No argument there.”

“Meanwhile, you concentrate on Isabel Wright. She may know more than she realizes or she may know someone else back at the center who can give you an angle on the identity of Client Number Three.”

“True.”

“Fine. Stick with Isabel Wright, then, and see what you can learn from her. She’s the best lead we’ve got.”

“You’re trying to distract me again, Lawson. But it’s okay. I happen to agree with you. Isabel is my best hope.”

18

after Tamsyn left for a class, Isabel finished her salad and pushed the empty dishes out of the way. She opened the hefty instructor’s manual to Lesson Six: “Empower Your Students.”

She was making notes on teaching the importance of identifying and focusing on one’s personal strong points and wondering how she could possibly connect that to creative dreaming when the light shifted in a subtle fashion.

She looked up and saw Ellis coming toward her across the terrace carrying paper cups emblazoned with the café’s logo. He wore black trousers and a khaki shirt. A narrow leather belt rode low on his waist. As usual, his eyes were concealed behind a pair of sunglasses. She was rather pleased that she happened to have her own shades in place. Two could play the guess-what-I’m-really-thinking game, she decided.

“Get any sleep last night?” he asked, setting the cups down on the table.

“Not much.” She pried the lid off her cup and discovered green tea. Perfect. “What about you?”

“Couple hours, max. He pulled out a chair, sat down and snapped the lid off his cup. “Spent a lot of time thinking and then I called Lawson.”

“Well?” She closed the manual very quickly and shoved it out of the way. Lawson and his mysterious agency were a lot more interesting than learning how to empower students. “What did he say?”

“He admits that Gavin Hardy’s death may be more than an amazing case of coincidence in action, but he’s skeptical. However, he has his own agenda in this situation.”

“And that is?”

“He desperately wants to learn the identity of Belvedere’s anonymous third client. So desperate, in fact, that he just hired me to investigate that angle.”

His cool, uninflected tone of voice made her curious. “That’s just what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“Sort of.”

“What do you mean? You were planning to look into this mess anyway. Now you’ve got Lawson’s backing and resources. Not to mention you’ll get paid for your time.”

“The thing is, the situation is what you might call delicate.” The rock-solid line of his jaw worried her. “In what way?”

“Lawson thinks the third client is some honcho in another government agency that is engaged in the same type of Level Five dream research and is equally obsessed with secrecy.”

She frowned slightly. “I’ve heard there can be communication problems and even major turf wars between various government agencies.”

“After more than three decades in government work, Lawson is what you might call paranoid on the subject of his rivals, real or imagined.”

“In other words, he’s got his own theory about Client Number Three and it doesn’t align with yours.”

“He sure isn’t going for the idea that Vincent Scargill is Number Three or that Scargill was the one who murdered Hardy.”

She widened her hands. “So what if Lawson has his own theory about who killed poor Gavin? The bottom line is that he’s agreed to let you investigate.”

“Like I said, it’s not quite that clear-cut.” Ellis drank some tea and then lowered the cup with great care. “He told me to stick close to you because he thinks you’re our best lead.”

“Oh, wow.” Excitement spiraled up inside her.

He watched from behind the dark glasses. “On that point, Lawson and I happen to agree.”

“Oh, wow.” It was all she could do to stay in her seat and try to look professional. “I get to assist you with your investigation?”

He raised his brows. “You’re a lead, not an assistant.”

Her spirits plummeted. “Oh.”

“But I would very much appreciate your cooperation,” he added softly.

Be bold, she thought. This is your big chance. You’re a freelance dreamer now with a skill set to sell. You’re in a position to negotiate. But what if he calls my bluff?

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, etc., etc., she reminded herself. You’re supposed to be a future Kyler Method instructor. Think positive.

“I could cooperate a lot more effectively if I were actively assisting you in your investigation,” she said, going for super cool.

His expression tightened. “Isabel—”

“I’m serious, Ellis. I realize I haven’t had any field experience, but I’ve got a lot of Level Five dream experience. Also, I know more about the inner workings of the center than you do because I was inside it for a year. And when it comes to Dr. B., I’ve got more context than you could possibly have. I worked side by side with the man for months. Face it, you need me.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about this situation.”

She spread her hands. “Okay, fine. So fill me in.”

He looked at her for a long time, not speaking. She knew he was once again deliberating how much to tell her. The habit was becoming annoying.

Seconds stretched out into a full minute of silence.

Isabel sighed, sat back and held up her hand, palm out. “That’s it, I’ve had enough of operating on a need-to-know basis, especially when I don’t agree with you or Lawson on what I need to know. Either start treating me like an equal and a professional or find yourself another Level Five dream analyst who is sufficiently familiar with this case to help you conduct an investigation.”

His brows rose above his dark glasses. “There is no one else I can substitute and you know it.”

She smiled grimly. “Yep.”

“You’re playing hardball again, aren’t you?”

She shrugged.

“Thought so. Getting pretty damn good at it, too.” Ellis went quiet for another few seconds. “You handled yourself well with the cops last night,” he said eventually.