the desk and came toward David. "I trust Sam implicitly, but he's safer not knowing your true identity."
"Why are you here?" David asked. "Or better yet, why did you have me summoned here?"
"Let's sit." Ellison indicated the sofa.
Ellison took a seat, laid the file folder on his lap and relaxed against the enormous cushions. Sitting on the opposite end of the sofa, David stared inquisitively at the file folder.
"As you know, Caroline McGuire inherited the house on Sheffield Street in Baltimore when her mother died," Ellison said.
David nodded but remained silent. What was he supposed to say? Yes, I well remember that house, that December night and what transpired between Caroline's stepfather and me.
"Unknown to us, the house had a hidden corridor in the basement." Ellison ran his fingertips around the edge of the folder. "It was probably constructed by the original builder, but there are no blueprints on record for the old house, so there's no way of knowing for sure." Ellison kept his gaze fixed on the folder. "When Caroline and members of her cousin Lyle's church were working in the basement, they found the hidden passageway and a small, portable safe that Preston had put there."
Now Ellison had gained his attention. David's heartbeat accelerated. A secret passageway? A hidden safe? "Were they able to open the safe?"
Ellison nodded. "Yes, Caroline finally figured out the combination and was able to open the safe."
"I assume there was something inside—something important. Otherwise you wouldn't be here."
"The safe was empty—" Ellison paused for effect "—except for an envelope. And inside that envelope was a letter Preston had written to his wife, Lenore." Ellison lifted the folder and handed it to David. "We didn't get our hands on the original, so this is only Gavin Robbins's account of the letter that Caroline showed him."
David flipped open the folder, scanned the typed page and cursed under his breath. " Goddammit !"
"Somewhere out there Preston Shaw left some damning evidence against some very important people," Ellison said. "People who have, for the past fifteen years, thought they were safe. Leaders of the Loyalists Coalition who ordered Preston to kill Senator Harwell."
"How did Caroline react to the letter? And Fletcher Shaw? What did he have to say?"
"Gavin tried to convince them to let the matter drop. He told them that after all these years—"
"Let me guess. . ." David bounded off the sofa, slammed the folder against the palm of his hand and glared point-blank at Ellison. "Caroline is determined to find out what the key unlocks. She wants to find out who killed her stepfather and why."
"Since she discovered the letter and the key, she's been relentless in pursuing the search." Ellison rose to his feet. " She's tried the locks on every door in the house on Sheffield Street, but to no avail. And she is in the process of contacting everyone who ever knew Preston. She even telephoned me, but I was able to avoid taking her call."
"Sooner or later, you'll have to talk to her." Years ago David had feared something like this would happen. During the weeks and months directly following Preston Shaw's death, the Peacekeepers had kept a vigilant watch over Shaw's wife, son and stepdaughter. Then when nothing had materialized, no evidence to point the finger at Shaw's accomplices in the Senator Herbert Harwell assassination scheme, David had hoped that Caroline was safe. That she would always be safe. "If these people find out she has a key that will unlock the evidence against them, then Caroline is in danger. You'll have to keep her under surveillance. . . make sure she's—" The look in Ellison's eyes, a mixture of regret and sadness, warned David of bad news. "What's happened? Is Caroline all right?" David's heartbeat roared in his ears.
Ellison grasped David's arm, manacling his biceps through the material of his shirt. "While Caroline was attending a party aboard Fletcher Shaw's yacht, someone
"Why are you here?" David asked. "Or better yet, why did you have me summoned here?"
"Let's sit." Ellison indicated the sofa.
Ellison took a seat, laid the file folder on his lap and relaxed against the enormous cushions. Sitting on the opposite end of the sofa, David stared inquisitively at the file folder.
"As you know, Caroline McGuire inherited the house on Sheffield Street in Baltimore when her mother died," Ellison said.
David nodded but remained silent. What was he supposed to say? Yes, I well remember that house, that December night and what transpired between Caroline's stepfather and me.
"Unknown to us, the house had a hidden corridor in the basement." Ellison ran his fingertips around the edge of the folder. "It was probably constructed by the original builder, but there are no blueprints on record for the old house, so there's no way of knowing for sure." Ellison kept his gaze fixed on the folder. "When Caroline and members of her cousin Lyle's church were working in the basement, they found the hidden passageway and a small, portable safe that Preston had put there."
Now Ellison had gained his attention. David's heartbeat accelerated. A secret passageway? A hidden safe? "Were they able to open the safe?"
Ellison nodded. "Yes, Caroline finally figured out the combination and was able to open the safe."
"I assume there was something inside—something important. Otherwise you wouldn't be here."
"The safe was empty—" Ellison paused for effect "—except for an envelope. And inside that envelope was a letter Preston had written to his wife, Lenore." Ellison lifted the folder and handed it to David. "We didn't get our hands on the original, so this is only Gavin Robbins's account of the letter that Caroline showed him."
David flipped open the folder, scanned the typed page and cursed under his breath. " Goddammit !"
"Somewhere out there Preston Shaw left some damning evidence against some very important people," Ellison said. "People who have, for the past fifteen years, thought they were safe. Leaders of the Loyalists Coalition who ordered Preston to kill Senator Harwell."
"How did Caroline react to the letter? And Fletcher Shaw? What did he have to say?"
"Gavin tried to convince them to let the matter drop. He told them that after all these years—"
"Let me guess. . ." David bounded off the sofa, slammed the folder against the palm of his hand and glared point-blank at Ellison. "Caroline is determined to find out what the key unlocks. She wants to find out who killed her stepfather and why."
"Since she discovered the letter and the key, she's been relentless in pursuing the search." Ellison rose to his feet. " She's tried the locks on every door in the house on Sheffield Street, but to no avail. And she is in the process of contacting everyone who ever knew Preston. She even telephoned me, but I was able to avoid taking her call."
"Sooner or later, you'll have to talk to her." Years ago David had feared something like this would happen. During the weeks and months directly following Preston Shaw's death, the Peacekeepers had kept a vigilant watch over Shaw's wife, son and stepdaughter. Then when nothing had materialized, no evidence to point the finger at Shaw's accomplices in the Senator Herbert Harwell assassination scheme, David had hoped that Caroline was safe. That she would always be safe. "If these people find out she has a key that will unlock the evidence against them, then Caroline is in danger. You'll have to keep her under surveillance. . . make sure she's—" The look in Ellison's eyes, a mixture of regret and sadness, warned David of bad news. "What's happened? Is Caroline all right?" David's heartbeat roared in his ears.
Ellison grasped David's arm, manacling his biceps through the material of his shirt. "While Caroline was attending a party aboard Fletcher Shaw's yacht, someone
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