Zinnia by Jayne Castle Page A

that’s a joke, it’s in extremely poor taste.”
    â€œI’m noted for my lousy taste. But that’s another matter. Bottom line here is that I prefer to pay for what I want and Fenwick knew that. He had assured me that he would let me top any offer he got and I believed him. As I told you, we had an understanding.”
    â€œA gentlemen’s agreement, you mean?”
    â€œI’m flattered that you classify me as a gentleman, Miss Spring. I had the distinct impression that you thought I was one of the lower life forms.”
    Guilt assailed her. She knew that she had been very rude. “I’m sorry. I certainly did not mean to imply that I thought you were a, uh, lower form of life.”
    â€œIt’s difficult to accuse a man of kidnapping without insulting him in the process,” he observed.
    â€œYes, I suppose so.” She was thoroughly mortified now. “I beg your pardon. I’m afraid that I jumped to some unfortunate conclusions.”
    He inclined his head in a graceful manner. “Apology accepted. If you want to know the truth, I found your concern for Fenwick rather touching. Not many people would go that far for a business client. Especially one who was an irritable, eccentric, secretive matrix.”
    The satisfaction in his words disturbed Zinnia. It occurred to her that Nick Chastain was a man whoprobably preferred to hold the high cards in any situation. Making her feel guilty and coaxing an apology from her were subtle ways of shifting the balance of power in their relationship.
    This was a man who knew how to manipulate and intimidate others and did not hesitate to do so when it suited his purposes.
    Fortunately their association was fated to be extremely brief, Zinnia thought. She knew that if she had any sense she should be profoundly relieved by that fact. And she was relieved. Definitely. No two ways about it. The last thing she wanted to do was get mixed up with Nick Chastain. She had problems enough in her life.
    So why was she feeling a small wistful twinge of regret at the thought that she would probably never see him again after tonight, she wondered. Too much stress. That was the key. Her emotions were all over the board at the moment. After all, she had just stumbled into a murder scene.
    She took a firm grip on over-stressed nerves. “Whoever did this must have been looking for something.”
    â€œMaybe. But I don’t think it was the journal. It would have been too valuable to hide here in his main sales room. He was a matrix. He would have concealed it in a more clever fashion.”
    She peered at him, wondering why he seemed so certain of his conclusions. The evidence of a frantic search was all around them. “There’s an old saying that things hidden in plain view are less likely to be discovered.”
    His mouth twisted with polite disdain. “No matrix would subscribe to that dumb theory.”
    She thought about it. “You’re right. Matrix-talents are too secretive by nature to trust the plain view concept.” She looked around. “Morris had other valuable books in his collection besides the journal.Two original North monographs, for example. Perhaps the murderer was after them.”
    Nick studied the ransacked room and then shook his head once. “I doubt it. This place was torn apart in a random fashion. Whoever did it wasn’t searching for valuable books.”
    â€œHow can you be certain of that?”
    He shrugged. “I can see at least two volumes of the third edition of the Founders’ Encyclopedia on the floor. Each of them is worth at least five hundred dollars to a collector. No one who knew anything about the antiquarian book trade would have left them behind.”
    â€œOh.” Impressed, Zinnia switched her gaze back to Nick’s face. He was watching her intently. Their eyes locked and for a moment she could not summon the will to look away.
    The world grew very still