Chapter 22
Harlan knocked on Kenneth’s door. The hour was unacceptable to pay a call to anyone, but he wanted the element of surprise. He couldn’t sleep anyway. Might as well wake Kenneth and get some questions answered.
After Storm had fallen asleep in his arms, he couldn’t lie there thinking about the situation between them. He wanted to hold her all night, but his mind raced over the past two days. He was falling hard for her and he should stop it before he couldn’t come back from it. The problem was, he didn’t want to stop it. He only wanted more of her. When she gave herself over to him completely, opened up to him as if she had never been that open with another man, he wanted to bury himself in her and never leave.
The door swung open. Harlan almost jumped. Too much thinking and not paying better attention might get him killed.
“What the hell are you doing here? Did something happen to my daughter?” Kenneth tightened the belt of his robe around his waist. The man’s white hair stuck up on one side. A red crease ran down his cheek.
“Storm is fine. I need to ask you a few questions. May I come in?”
“Is she alone? Who’s watching her?”
Harlan had called Kian and asked him to come over and sit outside the room in the hall. Raider had been hung up with something and couldn’t get away. Kian was his next choice. Kian was the toughest of the group. Just a look from Kian had some of the meanest men trembling. No one would get inside that room and Kian would not allow Storm to go anywhere if she woke up and tried to find Harlan.
“She’s safe. I made sure of that before I came here. Now, can I come in? Even though it’s late, anyone could be watching. I doubt you want to give away any information that might harm Storm.”
Kenneth stepped aside to allow him to pass. The hotel room was standard with neutral carpet and beach paintings on the walls. The double bed was unmade on one side. Kenneth had discarded his pocket change on the bedside table beside along with an Android phone. The room smelled old and stuffy, a lot like its occupant.
“Okay, Mr. Fender, what is it you want to know that it couldn’t wait until a reasonable hour?”
“I apologize about the time, but enough has already been wasted.” He didn’t know how long he had before Storm couldn’t take what was happening and went back to her real life. She had practically said as much earlier when she tried to work through her feelings about him and her situation.
“I’m assuming this is about Camilla’s claim that someone tried to poison her.” Kenneth sat on the edge of the bed. The mattress sagged under his weight. He stroked the bridge of his nose.
Harlan remained standing, putting himself between Kenneth and the door, leaving enough space so as not to crowd Kenneth. He needed him to feel calm while speaking and Harlan’s arrival would have put anyone on edge. Not his finest moment in negotiating, but he was right about time running out.
“Why do you still refuse to call her Storm?” He kept his voice neutral with the right amount of lift at the end so the inquiry would not seem threatening. He also wanted to give Kenneth a chance to speak so Harlan could get a read on him.
“My ex-wife and I had settled on Camilla. That was my grandmother’s name and she was someone very dear to me.” The lines around Kenneth’s mouth relaxed. His lips made a small attempt to smile.
“I was close to my grandmother too.” Revealing a little of himself to Kenneth would help in creating a relaxing place to talk and build a little trust.
“Without my knowledge, Camilla’s mother put the name Storm on her birth certificate. I didn’t know for weeks. By the time I found out, my ex-wife and two sons had grown attached to the name they were using. As a nickname my ex-wife would say, but the three of them begged me not to change it. Camilla was still her middle name. And though it may appear at times that I am a callous man with a lack of caring, that is not the truth. I was young once and loved my wife. I wanted to make her happy. What I didn’t want was to be married to a drug addict.”
“I can understand that. Where is Storm’s mother now?” Storm hadn’t mentioned anything about drug use.
“I have no idea. So, tell me why you are here, interrupting my sleep.” Kenneth gripped the back of his neck. “These damn hotel pillows are killing my neck.”
“I came over here tonight because I want to know what you think of her ex-husband.”
“Randal?”
“Does she have any other ex-husbands?” He hoped not. He didn’t like there being a long line of husbands in her past that he would have to compete with. He’d gladly take on the competition, win it even, but he didn’t like the idea of too many men in her bed.
“Just Randal. Randal is a squeamish man. No real spine. Jealous of everyone around him.”
“Even of Storm?”
“Especially her. I never liked him. Didn’t understand what she saw in him. But she never listens to me. When I questioned her decision to marry Randal, she argued that I was always trying to get in the way of her happiness.”
“Were you?”
Kenneth stood and pointed a finger in Harlan’s face. Anger replaced the calm demeanor in his eyes. “Now, you listen to me, young man, my daughter’s welfare has always been my top concern. She’s brilliant and deserved to be with a man who could keep up with her intelligence. Who would make a good companion for her when she became president of the college. Randal can barely keep eye contact.”
Harlan smirked. No one had called him young man in almost two decades. He had to give Kenneth props for his performance. Kenneth seemed to know exactly what other people wanted to hear when a father spoke about his child.
But Harlan knew better. Kenneth’s tells were up front and out in the open. Though he doubted Kenneth had any idea he’d given himself away, the neck touching and aggressive stance were clear indicators Harlan had hit a nerve.
“Who would want to poison Storm?”
Kenneth walked over to the window and pushed the curtain to the side. There wouldn’t be much to see with the lights on in the parking lot along with the light in the room. Kenneth would want space from him about now and that window was the only way to pacify him.
“Did you ask Randal? My money is on him.” Kenneth turned back toward him.
“So, you think this man, who you claim has no spine and can’t even make eye contact would also possess the aptitude to commit murder?”
Kenneth gripped the back of his neck again. “You asked. I don’t know anyone else who might want to hurt her.”
“What about the vice president that she was up against for the position of president? What do you think about him?”
“Dennis did not do that. All of my vice presidents have been vetted and have an excellent history with the school.” Kenneth drummed his fingers on the windowsill.
Storm’s father presented several fidgeting behaviors during the conversation. Harlan was inclined to believe Kenneth knew more than he was letting on, but if he pushed too hard or accused Kenneth of hiding something, then he would most likely throw him out of the room. He needed to proceed slowly.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and read a text from Storm. “Excuse me a minute. I need to deal with this.”
“Is it Camilla? Did something happen?” Kenneth leaned forward, though from his spot by the window, he would never be able to read Harlan’s phone.
“It’s not Storm.” He would not allow Kenneth to ever read his phone.
“What else could be so important at this hour?”
“My team and I have been helping the locals with the fallout of the volcano eruption. One of my teammates has a question.”
He lied. Storm must have woken up and found him gone. Now she would be running every possible scenario through her head about his absence. He wasn’t in the business of making love to a woman and leaving without saying goodbye, but she didn’t know that. She knew nothing about him, really.
Taking a walk. I’ll be back soon. Keep the bed warm for me.
More lies. He hoped she would climb back into bed and forget that he wasn’t there when she wanted him. He would tell her the truth when he returned to the room. He didn’t want her calling him or trying to convince Kian to bring her here. Kian might be a tough SEAL, but Storm was smart and might find a way to convince him.
The message went undelivered. She probably turned the phone off again.
“That’s very heroic of you and your teammates to help out. What kind of team are we talking about?
“Navy. Retired.”
“Impressive. Have you ever seen battle?”
So much this old man would have nightmares for the rest of his privileged life if he even had an inkling of what Harlan had seen. “Some, sir.”
“An officer?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Where did you go to school?”
He would need to put a stop to the questions. Kenneth knew all that Harlan would allow him to know at the moment. If he and Storm became a couple, then he would indulge a father’s questions about the man dating his daughter. But for now, Kenneth was only a counterpart. Harlan shifted on his feet.
“May I use your bathroom?”
Kenneth waved his hand in that direction. Harlan closed the door behind him and hit the lock. Coming in here was more about the interruption to Kenneth’s interrogation of him. A counterpart isn’t the one who gets to set the pace or gather the information. That was the negotiator’s job. Now that he was in the bathroom, he’d take a look around and see what else he could learn about Storm’s father.
The case for Kenneth’s shaving kit was high-end, soft leather. Inside were the usual items. Nothing out of the ordinary. Several orange pill bottles lined the counter under the mirror. Cholesterol. High blood pressure. Blood thinner and Viagra. That one was a surprise. Did old Kenneth think he might get lucky on this little trip to tropical paradise? Harlan tried not to picture it. He flushed the toilet for good measure and ran the faucet.
“Kenneth, how well do you and Storm get along?’ he said when he returned to the room.
“We’re like any father and daughter. Do you have children?”
“There seems to be some strain between the two of you.” He ignored Kenneth’s question.
“I only asked because maybe you have a daughter who has hit that age when you no longer understand that little girl. Camilla was about twelve when that happened to me. I stopped understanding her. Her brothers, on the other hand, were never a mystery to unlock.”
“So, you admit that you and Storm have problems.” He wanted to tell Kenneth to stop calling Storm by her middle name, but he did not want to start an argument. For now, he needed Kenneth on his side.
“We argue. Yes. But not in the areas that count.”
“Such as?”
“The college. We agree on what’s best for the school. That’s what’s important.”
Harlan bit his tongue over what was really important was the love a father had for his daughter no matter what.
“Are you sure you can’t think of anyone who would want to hurt her? Did she snub the maintenance guy at school? A parent whose child was denied attendance?”
Kenneth made a show of thinking, but his fidgeting hands around his neck and nose said he was most likely trying to decide which lie would sound best. “There were two sets of parents actually. They had tried to bribe Camilla in allowing their children to attend. You know, I had forgotten that until right now.”
“Of course, you did.” He kept the sarcasm out of his voice and forced sincerity in its place.
“I can provide the names for you. You could check into them. That might be a good place to start.” Kenneth grabbed his briefcase by the desk. “I may have to call my assistant. I don’t have my notes with me.”
“Please get those names for me as soon as possible.” He doubted any such list would ever materialize.
“Certainly.” Kenneth’s smile beamed, but it didn’t reach his empty eyes.
He would let Kenneth believe he had pulled a fast one—for now.
But the truth was coming out. It couldn’t stay hidden. Even the guilty wanted to confess. Kenneth was no different.