Working for the Enemy 12

I'm hoping this will all make sense (or at least more sense) after this chapter.

Hope you enjoy.

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Perry finally persuaded Della to shed her shoes and take a walk on the beach down to the small private cove where the sand was white, the rocky outcrop was perfect to sit and watch sunrises and sunsets and Perry could finally breathe for what felt like the first time in months.

Perry had quickly changed into slacks and a polo, whilst Della had slipped into a bright blue and white sundress. They walked in silence for a few minutes before climbing steadily up the carved stone steps onto a flat part of the cove rock. Laying the blanket they had grabbed, they both settled to watch out across the ocean. If they were going to have a blazing row, they both admitted it may as well be both in private with no one around for miles and watching out across a beautiful view. The reality was there would be no blazing row, Perry knowing he had to be truthful and Della knowing that no matter how she felt about it all, she had to give him a chance to explain after what had unfolded in the last twenty four hours. Pulling her legs up to her chin and holding them securely with her arms, Della began.

'So, from being dismissed from working with you, to some unfathomable reason I'm here and not strangling you slowly for making my life a misery the last couple of months, tell me everything.'

'Everything?'

'Yes, everything or I pack and leave and take my chances back in the D.A's office, and you can go jump in the ocean!'

'Alright.' Perry leaned back and anchored himself with his arms supporting his weight slightly behind him. 'We had a client who gave his name as Billy Hull. He came to us three months ago asking for advice. While he was waiting for his appointment, he managed somehow to stash an audit document in the law library. The one that you found.'

'Yes, it had the name of William Keel on it as I said this morning.'

'Think about it. What is Billy short for?'

'William.'

'What's the name for a part of a boat that's attached to a hull?'

'A keel by any chance? I'm not here to play word games with you Mr Mason.'

'It was William Keel that came to see us. He worked as an independent auditor in government. He was the type of guy brought in when all else before it had failed. When I discovered who he was, you were well into your investigation about the paper you'd found. '

'You told me to leave it, that it was nothing. But it was something and you didn't trust me.' Della's voice dropped a little. 'Then everything started going downhill.'

'I'm sorry.' Perry shifted uncomfortably and brought his knees up also mirroring her position. 'Della, I found out this guy was uncovering major corruption in the Mayor's office. That mayor is a good friend of Tom Leopold's family and Laura had done some corporate work for all of them at some point. They all attend the same club and when I started getting close to the source of the corruption and their plans to rig the up and coming election, they knew it. I could have blown this thing wide open there and then but I didn't think there was enough to secure a solid conviction. You already had loads of information, you just didn't know how important it was. To be honest neither did I at that point. When I began asking questions, I kept getting fobbed off. It was a clerical error here and there, nothing more they said.'

'Why didn't you trust me and Paul with this? We could have helped you blow it open as you say.' They went silent for a few moments just looking at the water. 'Perry I used to trust you with my life. I would have done anything to help you.' She never looked at him but he could hear the sadness in her voice.

'I know,' he sighed then ventured. 'They threatened you.'

Della spun her head to look at him. His face was expressionless. 'What? I didn't get any threats.'

'They made them directly to me. Threatened your reputation at first and then added in a physical threat to underpin that they were serious about me backing off when they became convinced I wasn't going to. Laura is on the fringe, at the very least, of this conspiracy I know that much. She told them about you, about us.'

'There is no us. I worked for you that's all. We worked really well together. At least I thought we did. Well, you make it sound sordid that we….we….'

'I care about you. I care about you a lot. Early on into my relationship with her I began to understand that I saw Laura as nothing more than a passing infatuation and she knew that the longer you worked for me.' Perry touched fingers lightly to Della's cheek. Unlike when Tom Leopold had done the same a couple of hours earlier, she didn't recoil or move away in disgust, but found herself leaning into his touch. 'Laura told them I was in love with you.'

'You're not in love with me, don't be silly.'

'Yes I am. You're my Achilles heel, and Laura knew that. I told her it was over between us a couple of months before all this started. I wanted to see how our relationship worked out. I didn't want to push and over step boundaries if you didn't feel the same way about me.'

'I did feel that way about you but I ignored it. I began thinking it was like some unspoken agreement. We'd care but wouldn't show it and certainly I wasn't going to throw myself at you. I'm not that kind of woman.'

'I know. You're a true lady and that's why I wanted to take things slowly. Dinner, dancing after work, the odd business trip where we could kick back and relax, maybe get closer.' Perry let his eyes roam over her face. He was committing it to memory in case she decided to leave him once and for all or he never got the chance to see her again. 'Anyway,' he continued, 'They couldn't move me any other way but when they made direct threats about you, I was torn at first.'

'Why? You've never given in to threats or coercion before. You're a fighter.'

Perry let out a little laugh but it held no amusement. 'Della, I'm trying to tell you, they didn't go for the head, they went straight for the heart. You. Paul even.'

'Paul's a big boy, he can take care of himself. You didn't trust him at first either. And I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself too.'

'You and Paul are my best friends. Paul is my oldest friend. He understands now why I did what I did at first. I didn't want him getting dragged into something where he'd lose his livelihood. These people will stop at nothing, are very influential and I couldn't risk either of you getting hurt.'

'Funny, that's exactly what you ended up doing.' Perry gently allowed his hand to wander to the back of Della's neck and caress just below her hairline. He toyed with the curls for a second before sighing heavily and pulling her towards him tenderly so their foreheads were resting against each other.

'I know. I'm a world class fool. By trying to protect you I pushed you away and made you hate me. In the end they almost won just by my actions in doing that. The night I called after Laura had fired you, I wanted to spill everything there and then, but I guess I thought I knew better.'

'Then why on earth did you agree to marry her? You would be dragged into any investigation, the waters would be muddied and you could at the very worst have lost your licence to practice and gone to jail for something you say you're not part of and have been investigating.' Della reached for his hand and pulled it away from her neck. Perry quickly captured it in his own and pressed a light kiss to the palm of her hand.

'William Keel ended up dead, that's why. The bar fight where he was stabbed to death by Sampson. It wasn't a true bar fight, it was a set up. Keel received a message that someone close to the mayor and the Leopold family was going to blow the whistle on their plans to rig the election, get another of their own in office and take control of everything. The changes in state policy means the new mayor will now have control over the police budget, water, utility companies, everything run by the government. That's a lot of opportunity to bend power to their own purpose and funnel a lot of funds into private accounts and dish out hefty contracts to family and associates. They pay people to fix the books. That's what Keel had started to uncover. When he didn't bend to their threats they had him effectively assassinated.'

'In the barroom brawl?'

'Yeah. He was lured there under false pretences, someone picked a fight with him, things got out of hand and when the dust settled, he was laying dead with a knife sticking out of his chest. No more investigation.'

'But Sampson? He's a scion of one of the country club families. I'm surprised they allowed him to….'

'Pay off. He's the third son and a real disappointment to mommy and daddy. Having met him, he's pretty damn stupid and desperate as well. Paul dug up the fact that he owed a lot of gambling debts to a lot of unsavoury characters. I suppose he thought this was his chance to get out from under those debts after his parents refused to bail him out again. Laura stepped in as part of his defence. I got pushed out, but knowing what I know I wouldn't have taken a case like that in the first place. I let her run with it because it I guessed what was happening and he was always going to be convicted.'

Della's eyebrows furrowed as she pulled her head back. 'I have a couple of things I still don't understand and you still haven't explained.'

'Only a couple?' he grinned showing her his deepest dimples. She shook her head. When they were on display she always lost her train of thought.

'Lose the dimples Mr Mason, you know I can't think when you flash those around,' she teased. 'Now, about the case first. He's been convicted but I heard them yesterday talking about asking for the maximum sentence. If he's done them a favour, so to speak, why not ask for the minimum? Both Laura and the ADA are in positions to do that.'

'They needed shut of him. Kid had a big mouth. Yesterday he asked to see Hamilton. Said he had some information which could be used to negotiate a lighter sentence.'

'And this morning he was found dead in his cell?' Della pursed her lips digesting the information.

'Yes. Hamilton and I think he was taken out of the equation. His cell mate is a lifer anyway. Admitted it straight away.'

'But that's awful. What about his family, they won't be too happy, black sheep or not. And his cell mate. What does he get out of it?'

'I'm certain the family will be well compensated through contracts. His father owns a construction company. The cellmate, a few extra perks. When all you are going to see is the sky through a barred window for the next fifty years, some more TV time, fifteen minutes of exercise extra and cigarettes for life make a tempting deal.'

Della nodded contemplating what she had just heard. Pushing herself to stand, she wrapped her arms about her and brushed the wind swept curls away from her eyes. Perry stood and settled behind her, placing his hands on her bare shoulders he circled her skin with his thumbs.

'I'm guessing the second question is about Laura and me?'

'Yes.' Her answer was barely audible.

'I never, ever asked her to marry me. I've already told you, I broke it off with her a couple of months before all this because I wanted to give us a chance. I know she kept calling and I did take her out to dinner in those couple of months. I thought we could still be friends, colleagues. Then this started and I had to cosy up to her a little more to find out what was happening. I'm not a member of her club and I used her.'

'You led her on?'

'Yes.'

'You slept with her to use her to gain access to the club and the members?'

'Yes.' Dell shrugged his hands from her shoulders.

'It was wrong of me to take matters that far again, I admit that. But she wanted me and…..'

'And you used her to satisfy your own needs?'

'My needs Della were to get to the bottom of what was happening. We used each other.'

'I understand Perry.' Della turned and rolled up the blanket. Perry watched in silence until she began making her way back to the beach down the steps. It was then he followed her, taking hold of her arm, he turned her to face him, searching her face traying to read her emotions and thoughts. He couldn't so he ploughed on with his explanations.

'I'm sorry. They started making threats and the only way I could protect you, find out more and keep an eye on Laura was to work with the enemy and beat this thing from within. When it was suggested Laura and I should get engaged I was pretty non-committal, but I needed to gain their trust so I went along with Laura's act. She put that rock on her finger, I didn't. I've only ever bought her two pieces of jewellery and neither of those were an engagement ring.'

'Then she fired me and you let her.' Della pouted angrily.

'Yes, but I was furious when I found out. Any arguments about it always took place in front of the people I was investigating. She was clever like that. Her running commentary on you also laid the groundwork to ruin your reputation if I didn't go along with it. I called Hamilton and we met and I told him everything. That's why it took me so long to call you that day. We made plans to look after you. What I didn't know at the time was that he would place you as Leopold's secretary.' Perry let go of Della's arms and used his fingers to turn her chin up to look him in the eyes.

'Last night.' Della croaked.

'Last night?' Perry repeated the question not understanding for a moment.

'You said Laura came to see you.'

'Yes, she let me know you had heard her and Leopold in the office.'

'She made a threat?'

'Not overtly. It was to make sure I was on board with wedding plans of all things. Let's just say we were to have an open marriage. She's Leopold's lover.'

Della shivered but not through cold. Her mind was busy processing everything she had been told so far but questions still lingered.

'When the wedding?' she asked not really wanting to know the answer.

'There isn't going to be one,' Perry responded flatly. 'I told her it was over once and for all. That I was never going to marry her and at the very least, I was going to ask you back as my secretary. Maybe then I would tell you how much I've fallen in love with you. And,' he paused with a grin. 'If after all that you didn't knee me in the groin and slap my face, I was going to push my luck and kiss you.'

Della dropped her head to look at the sand. When she raised it again a ghost of a smile had formed about her lips.

'And now?'

'Now what?'

'Well I haven't kneed you in your man parts and I don't slap people no matter how much they've deceived me.'

'Well then Miss Street, I'd very much like to kiss…..' Before he'd even completed the sentence, Della drew his mouth into hers, lightly at first, then harder. When they finally parted, Perry sighed wistfully.

'Does this mean I'm forgiven?'

'No,' Della answered honestly. 'There are lots of ways you could have done things differently Mr Mason. Trusting me and Paul would have been a start.'

'I know that now.' He kissed her cheek, then her chin and then worked his way back to her nose. 'I should have handled things differently, but those threats. They were too serious to ignore and my only concern became protecting you at all coasts. Those costs were born by both of us in this. I've never told a woman I've loved her before, but saying it to you is the easiest thing in the world.'

'We need to finish this Perry, once and for all or we'll never be free of this whole issue, Laura or the ADA.'

Perry eyed her suspiciously. 'What are you proposing we do?' he asked cautiously.

'They know I heard them yesterday, and I haven't been scared off, neither have you.' Della planted several quick, light kisses about his mouth. 'I have an idea and it starts with me going back to the office.'

TBC