Thank you very much for your kind reviews. I hope you all enjoy the story. I'm sorry for the delay in updating, but I was on vacation :-)

Here we go with the next installment. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Chapter 4

Relationships

"Without trust there is no betrayal." Suzanne Collins

"The estate has a very modern security system. Only people who know the code can get past the iron gates. The only exception is the small wooden door that leads to Blake's estate. It's the only connection between both estates. These days only the family uses it," Preston explained, pointing at the small gate behind the fencing that surrounded the estate. It wasn't exactly a fortress, but the house was well-shielded from curious eyes. Jessica narrowed her eyes to get a better vision of the gate Preston had just described. An old, clinging rose framed the narrow wooden door and she couldn't help but to think of the tale of Sleeping Beauty. The garden on the far side of the fence had a very romantic, even dainty look about it. Too dainty for her own taste and she doubted Kate was a very hands on gardener.

It had taken Jessica and Preston over an hour to explore the estate. Jessica had already seen the tennis court, the garden, and the path leading to the beach. She still hadn't seen the pool or the infamous balcony from which Carter McIntyre had been thrown over. But she had understood the pool lay behind the house and couldn't been seen from the beach or the street. She was tempted to ask Preston to go there, but she didn't want to exhaust him. They both hadn't slept a wink the night before, but while she was used to it thanks to her writing habits, he looked drained. They were slowly strolling back to the house and stopped at a beautiful waterspout fountain that was the center of the front yard. Preston was a bit out of breath and she used the small break to let her eyes wander around. She remembered how the limousine had to stop on their way to the house, because the driver had to type in a code.

"Who knows this code?"

"The family and the staff," Preston answered. "But the system was out of order when the murder happened."

"What a coincidence," Jessica said with a hint of irony clouding her voice.

"Yes, it sounds indeed a little too convenient," Preston admitted. He sighed and checked his watch. "Dinner is at eight o'clock and it's almost six now."

"We should go back."

Preston offered Jessica his arm and she took it with a smile. To her own relief she felt a little more comfortable around him than she did before and the same seemed to apply to him.

A constant tension had been nagging at her during the flight and after their arrival, but now that her brain was occupied with a murder case that was much more complicated than she had imagined, she was too busy thinking to feel awkward.

"You haven't really told me how you feel," she said with a worried look at his pale face.

"I'm fine…. I admit I have been better," he added, when he saw the disbelief written all over her face. "And before you ask, I'm eating an apple every day."

Jessica suppressed a smile. The memory of her first meeting with Preston came back to her mind. It all seemed to have happened a lifetime ago. Her life had changed since then and sometimes she wondered how it would look like, if Preston hadn't published "The Corpse danced at Midnight" in the first place. He had believed in her as a writer and today he still believed in her, even when the premise between them had changed.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said and she meant it.

"And I'm working on my exercise, as you can see."

For a few minutes silence fell between them and they just strolled down the yard, side by side. Then Preston said. "There's something I want to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Kate invited a guest for tonight. Blake Napier will be there as well. Kate thought it would be nice, if you met every person involved in the most unsuspicious way."

"I see…. Is that the reason she tells everyone I'm an old friend of yours instead of explaining the real reason why I'm here?"

Preston grinned. "Your conclusion is accurate as always, Mrs Fletcher."

"That wasn't hard to understand. But the question is, how do you feel about sitting at the same table with Mr Napier?"

He shrugged, but avoided looking at her. "What's past is past. We've met after I moved in here and we haven't been at each others' throats. Most of the time he ignores me like I ignore him."

"So the motto is 'live and let live'?"

"So to speak."

It took Jessica half an hour to decide what to wear. In the end she picked a black silk pant suit and matched it with a white top. Not too smart or too casual. Satisfied with her outfit, she decided to take a small tour around the house before dinner. She really wanted to check out the infamous balcony.

On her way down the hallway Jessica passed a room with a double door that was widely opened. Inside was a well-spaced den with pleasant, but simple, but expensive furniture and a balcony that offered a spectacular view over the dunes and the ocean. From the perspective she figured the room was right over the grand-sized living room.

"It happened in there. Carter fell over that balcony."

Startled Jessica turned her head. Preston had been watching her from the door and was now closing in on her. He had changed into black tie and looked refreshed and agile.

"I see…. But isn't there a study downstairs as well?"

"There is," Preston confirmed. "But this one is Aaron's private study. He preferred to work here, while the study downstairs belonged to his father. Kate told me this was once a library."

Together they stepped in and Jessica looked around. The room was neatly tidy. Nothing in here gave away that a crime had taken place.

"It's quite a way to the balcony," Jessica said, while she estimated the distance between the small table and the French doors. "At least 4 meters."

"According to the police Aaron and Carter had a fight that night. Carter fell and hit his head." Preston pointed at the sharp corner of the low table. "He got back onto his feet and then Aaron stabbed him."

"Stabbed him with what?" Jessica asked.

"That's the question." Preston shrugged. "They never found the murder weapon. The coroner believed it was a letter opener or another sharp, thin object, but there's no real proof."

Jessica eyes fell on the desk whose top was almost empty. Only two objects were gracing it: one was a beautiful old desk lamp and the other was a golden letter opener. Preston followed her gaze and said, "There was no blood on it and the blade is not thin enough."

"My guess is the police assumed the original piece got replaced?"

"Of course."

"Was it?" she asked.

"According to Kate, no." Preston went to the desk and picked up the letter opener. He ran his thumb along the knifelike object. "There's an engrave that says 'D.H'. It stands for Donald Harper, Aaron and Aidan's father. It belonged to him."

Lost in her thoughts Jessica crossed the room and opened the glass door that led outside. The wind was cold, but Jessica still took her time to absorb the scenery. From her spot she could overlook the whole estate. Her eyes fell onto the pool. There were four lights placed at every corner of it. She sensed Preston next to her and a faded memory came back to her mind.

Automatic light timers - the one flaw in Preston's cover up for the murder of Dexter Baxendale, the one thing that had slipped the police – and almost her own attention.

Wouldn't it be odd for Kate to swim at night without any illumination?

"What are you thinking?" Preston asked curiously.

"I'm not sure," she said, deciding not to share her thoughts for him for the time being. "It's just that some things just don't make sense." She looked up the building facade behind her and noticed two lamps next to the french door.

"That's what I said," Preston agreed. "I mean there are a lot of holes in the lines of arguments on the part of the authorities and yet Aaron was convicted."

She had a feeling of knowing where he was going and asked, "You think there is a conspiracy behind it?"

Preston shrugged, "Not necessarily. I mean from what I read Aaron's lawyer didn't exactly give the performance of his life in court, which is odd, when you consider that he had one of the highest paid lawyers in the country."

Deep down inside Jessica had to agree with him. It was indeed strange that a wealthy man like Aaron Harper was convicted on almost circumstantial evidence. She made a mental note to find out more about the media coverage of the case later.

"Should we go downstairs?" Preston asked after a look at his watch. "It's almost eight o'clock."

"Of course! I admit I'm quite hungry now." It was also getting cold. The sun had vanished almost completely and the wind was freshening up. They crossed the den and Jessica stopped when she noticed a framed photograph in a book shelf. It was the same photo she had already seen on the plane. It showed the teenage trio of Kate, Aidan, and Aaron sitting in a tree, their black hair wet, their faces red from the sun and laughter, the dunes of the beach in the background. Jessica stepped closer and took the picture into her hands.

"It's a lovely photograph," she said, and Preston looked curiously over her shoulder.

"The innocence of youth," he remarked quietly. "I doubt they could imagine what life had in store for all them."

"No," Jessica agreed pensively. An old song appeared on her mind, one her mother had sung to her when she had been a child.

"THERE were three rauens sat on a tree,

Downe a downe, hay down, hay downe

There were three rauens sat on a tree,

With a downe

There were three rauens sat on a tree,

They were as blacke as they might be.

With a downe derrie, derrie, derrie, downe, downe."

With a small sigh she put the photo back on the shelf and took Preston's offered elbow.

When Jessica and Preston arrived downstairs, Kate and her guests were already having cocktails. It was a small, intimate group of four people that almost looked lost in the extensive room. As Preston had told her earlier Kate had invited one more guest who happened to be the only person in the room Jessica hadn't met yet. Blake Napier was a very distinguished and attractive man in his early sixties who instantly reminded Jessica of Preston.

The Preston Giles I met seven years ago, she added silently. The self made man who wasn't broken and consumed by guilt. Though she had to admit that in his black tie he almost looked like his former self. Perhaps it was what Kate's mother had found attractive in both men, this certain cloud of power and self assurance. It would explain why she married Blake after her divorce from Preston. To Jessica's mild surprise Melanie Myers was also present. She was chatting with Blake who seemed to enjoy the young woman's attention. He was so occupied with their conversation that he didn't notice when Kate and Aidan passed him to greet Jessica.

"Mrs Fletcher!" Aidan said. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Aidan makes the best martinis," Kate said and tapped her fingernail against her glass. "Dry as the desert."

"Careful," Preston warned her. "The martinis are not just dry as the desert, they are as dangerous as a Fata Morgana."

"I think I'll take the risk," Jessica said with a twinkle in her eye. Preston excused himself and followed Aidan to the bar, leaving Kate and Jessica alone.

"I hope you could rest a bit," Kate said.

"I took a long hot bath," Jessica said. "Preston showed me around earlier. You have a lovely estate."

Kate smiled, grateful for the compliment."It is. It's beyond me why Aidan is living in his beach house and not here. We have so much space here that we could shelter two other families."

"Perhaps he likes his own space," Jessica suggested vaguely.

"Yes, he's quite a loner. Always was…. Some weeks ago he told me about his latest project, a trip around the world in his yacht," Kate chuckled. "And the worst thing is I think he'll actually do it one day."

Jessica laughed. "Why not? It's a dream worth pursuing."

In the corner of her eyes Jessica noticed that Blake was closing in on them while Melanie joined Aidan and Preston.

"There is he," Kate whispered over Jessica's shoulder. "I haven't told him you would be here, but then I didn't have to. Melanie took care of it. Beware of his charm and excuse me, please. I'm going to check with the kitchen."

Before Jessica could respond, Kate was gone and Blake's voice reached her ear. "I hope my eyes are not fooling me!"

"That depends on what you had hoped to see," Jessica replied with a smile, causing Blake to laugh out loud. In a grand gesture he greeted her with both hands and made a small bow.

"J.B. Fletcher, the writer!" Blake said. "My late wife was an avid fan of yours. And so am I! Blake Napier. At your service!"

"How very nice of you," Jessica said and wondered why he wouldn't let go off her hand. She lowered gaze onto his hands that were still clasping hers and noticed a long scar that ran across the back of his left hand.

"I think my favorite book of yours has to be "The Corpse danced at Midnight". I was truly compelled by it." Most of the time Jessica felt humbled when people complimented her on her work as a writer, but this time, she felt a little sting in her chest. Her first novel was inevitably linked to Preston and if Blake only knew half of her story with Preston, his praise was more of a provocation than honest admiration. Over Blake's left shoulder she saw Aidan and Preston standing at the bar, talking to Melanie. But while Aidan was busy making new drinks, Melanie and Preston were both staring at Blake and Jessica. Jessica did her best to ignore Preston's penetrating gaze and tried to focus on Blake.

"I haven't heard that from someone in a long time," she replied. "People usually talk about my latest book, not my oldest."

"Only a timeless book is a good book," Blake said swiftly. "What brings you here of all places?"

"Preston invited me," Jessica answered truthfully.

"Ah yes, he was your publisher, wasn't he?" The question was rhetorical and Jessica decided not to dignify it with an answer.

"It must have been strange for you to meet him again after all these years," she said instead. "I'm sure you didn't expect him to become your neighbor again."

Blake was slowly losing his smile. "Some things can't be helped," he answered cryptically. "It was Kate's wish to have him around. Who am I to disagree with it?"

"She strikes me as quite an extraordinary woman."

"She is," Blake confirmed curtly. "She always was. I'm sure you know about her career as a swimmer."

Jessica nodded, "It's quite a way from the Olympic Games to the head of the board of a company like Harper Industries."

"I won't argue with anyone about the subject. I'm not sure she has found the right place for herself," Blake said and this time he sounded less enthusiastic. "If you will excuse me, Mrs Fletcher. I have to talk to Aidan about his latest mysterious business trip."

To Jessica's surprise the rest of the dinner had turned out to be rather uneventful. Preston and Blake obviously avoided each others' company whenever possible and she was grateful for it. It meant Preston's vow to keep away from people who could cause his temper to explode was honest and not just cheap talk.

The dinner party dissolved shortly after eleven o'clock, and unlike Kate who decided to have one more martini, the other guests left the house or went upstairs to call it a night. On her way to her room Jessica passed again Aaron Harper's study. The doors were closed now and after a quick glance over her shoulder Jessica decided to check out the one thing that had been bothering her all evening.

The door wasn't locked and Jessica swiftly slipped inside the room. After a few seconds of blind groping she found the switch… hesitated, and decided to leave the room in the dark. The moon was shining through the window and as she had expected there was a soft glimmer of light coming from the lamps from the balcony itself.

Determined, she crossed the room and opened the French doors. She stepped out in the cold night air, anticipating the view from the balcony. As she had hoped the lights at the pool were switched on and she had a perfect view down to it. Wouldn't it be the same thing from the pool up to the balcony? Not if the lights illuminating the balcony were switched off… but that she could easily find out by reading the police report. Deep down inside Jessica had the feeling that Kate was lying about what she had seen the night Carter died. Did she lie to protect her husband or someone else? Herself perhaps? Or was she lying to divert from something else entirely?

Jessica sighed. For tonight she had seen enough. Then she heard voices from somewhere. Holding her breath she waited. Someone was laughing. Again she stepped forward and then she saw Blake and Melanie walking hand in hand as they passed the swimming pool. She couldn't understand what they were talking about, but that wasn't necessary. Their actions were speaking for themselves as they stopped and melted into a passionate kiss.

With some degree of satisfaction Jessica turned her face away and went inside. Her instinct, her gut feeling hadn't betrayed her. Blake and Kate's secretary were indeed having an affair. That changed everything. It was obvious that Blake was unhappy with the way Kate ran the company. With Melanie as a possible mole Blake possibly had perfect access to any kind of information that could help him to regain control over Harper Industries. Did Kate know about Melanie's relationship with her step father? Possibly not, because otherwise it would be a high risk to keep her close.

It was time to leave, before someone found her. On her tip toes Jessica rushed back into the hallway, hoping she wouldn't have to explain her little excursion just yet. She had just reached her room when she heard Preston's voice behind her.

"Jess? Is everything all right?"

Sighing inwardly, she looked up. He was standing in his open door, the first buttons of his shirt open, exposing his bare chest and two scars where Millie Stafford' s bullets had hit him. Had she ever seen him casually dressed like this, she wondered briefly, and instantly reminded herself not to think about it.

"I'm all right. I was just…." She didn't know what to say or what to explain.

"Sneaking around," he completed, amused, causing her to blush. "Sleep well," he added with a smile and vanished inside his bedroom.

Federal agent Thomas Chambers stood at the beach. Today was one of these days when the ocean was calm. Summer was coming and the wind was still breezy, but became softer. But he wasn't there to enjoy the seaside or to remember the good things about this place. Everything good about it had died with Deidra.

He was watching a beach house that belonged to Aidan Harper. It was a modern building, clean shaped and with a lot of glass. Not especially what Thomas would have picked as a place of refuge, but taste wasn't the only thing that separated him from the Harper family. While Aidan and his brother had grown up as multimillionaires, Thomas had grown up as the son of a police cop. Twenty years later, nothing had changed. Aidan and Aaron were the millionaires and Thomas was the cop. The one thing that had changed was that Thomas had become the man who had put one of them behind bars. It was a small victory over a family who believed the laws and morals weren't made for them. Aaron Harper had been so sure he wouldn't be convicted that he refused to give evidence in court. Neither his own wife nor his own twin brother had fought for him. None of them had given evidence. None of them had given battle.

Until today he wondered why. He had known the three for over two decades now. Ever since they were children the three of them had been a unit. The sort of secret club that conspired to get everything they wanted. A glorious trio that believed themselves to be invincible. Nothing could tear them apart. If one of them lied, the others told the same lie regardless of the consequences. Until last summer. Last summer had changed everything.

The day he had arrested Aaron Harper he had believed Kate and Aidan would fight tooth and nail to get Aaron off the hook, but it had never happened.

All of this left in him the disturbing thought of having overlooked something. From the day of Aaron's conviction Thomas had been left restless. And now as he was standing on the beach and watched Aidan Harper crossing his living room in the middle of the night, his instincts were on alert. Something was up. Perhaps the battle had just begun.

~~~tbc~~~