Christy Barritt - Hidden Agenda

“My dad told you all of that?”

She nodded. “We had nothing to do but talk. I mean, sometimes we took walks outside or sat by the water or I read books to him. But mostly we talked.”

Ed’s face tightened, and Bailey wondered about his expression. What was he thinking? That she was lying and that his father couldn’t possibly be that kind? Or did he regret that he’d missed out on his father’s final days?

“Did he talk about his work very much?”

Bailey shrugged. “I don’t know. He did mention some of the senators he had to work with and some of the places he got to visit. He usually only talked about that if he had company.”

Ed raised his eyebrows. “Company?”

Bailey nodded. “He had some people from work visit him a few times.” At least someone had cared enough to. She kept that thought silent.

Ed tilted his head to the side. “I thought my father wanted to get away from everything—and everyone. Especially work. He associated it with too much pressure, pressure he didn’t need with his heart condition.”

Maybe that’s what Ed told himself to justify not coming to visit himself. Speaking of which...

She stared at Ed a moment, wondering what kind of heartless man didn’t visit his dad in his final days. Whether she liked it or not, it appeared she’d be finding out.

* * *

Ed saw the judgment in Bailey’s eyes. He wanted to pretend that he didn’t care, but he knew he did. He didn’t have to explain himself to Bailey, though. God was the only one who needed to understand, and the two of them had already had many talks about everything that had gone down.

Claire had judged him enough that he’d had his fill. The two had dated for a year and Ed had hoped to marry her one day. She was an executive assistant for a company in DC and had to travel a couple of weekends a month for work.

At least, that was her cover story.

In reality, she was working for an elite group of international spies determined to steal US secrets. Ed—and dating Ed—had been a part of the plan she’d devised to get information from him. Thankfully, Ed had seen the light, so to speak, in the nick of time. He’d been heartbroken and angry. Then he’d simply poured more of himself into his work.

“Why are you here, Ed? Why did you come now and not earlier?”

Bailey’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned toward the woman, ignoring the strange desire he had to trust her. Trust made people weak, and he couldn’t afford that right now. What he’d said earlier was true. Bailey had the most access to his father. She, for all intents and purposes, should be his first suspect.

“I’m here because someone murdered my father, and I intend to find out who.”

Any enemies would have been wise to hire someone with an innocent face like Bailey. She seemed so unsuspecting, and that would make her the perfect culprit. There was a part of him that wanted to believe there were good people in the world, but experience told him to remain cautious.

“I really don’t understand. Why would you think he was murdered?” She finished her cracker, leaned back in the chair and pulled her blanket to her chin.

He shrugged. “I have my reasons. Did anything out of the ordinary happen in the days leading up to his death?”

She drew in a deep breath and looked off into the distance a moment. “He did ask me to protect his things. He said something about someone coming here and destroying people. We’d just watched an action movie on TV, though. I thought maybe he was confusing TV with real life.”

Interesting. He’d continue to let her think his father’s words had been accidental. But Ed knew the truth.

Nothing was as it seemed, and Ed didn’t know who to trust—including his colleagues at the CIA. He couldn’t help but wonder if they were involved somehow. Was all of this a cover-up on their part?

“I can’t imagine why anyone would want to kill your dad,” Bailey whispered. “He said he was just a number cruncher at the State Department. Certainly that’s no reason that he’d be in danger—unless adding something up incorrectly is reason for murder.”

“Sounds like you’ve been watching too many spy movies.”

She frowned. “Yeah, maybe I have. But I’m not the one who thinks Mr. Carter was murdered.”

He bit down, knowing he couldn’t say anything and fluctuating between being amused and irritated. “Maybe you should get some rest. It’s been a long night.”

Bailey frowned and pulled the covers up around her shoulders.

Ed wouldn’t be getting any rest, not knowing the fact that someone else had been in this house. Until he knew what was going on, he’d be on the lookout.

* * *

Morning sunlight streamed through the windows as Bailey opened her eyes. It seemed against all odds she’d fallen asleep. The last thing she remembered was staring at the fire, trying to figure out the craziness that had become her life. She’d been determined to stay awake, to keep a lookout for danger. So much for that plan.

She blinked a couple of times before everything came into focus. Ed squatted by the fire, adding more logs to the flames. He looked up when he noticed her stirring.

“Morning,” he mumbled.

She pushed herself up in the recliner. “Morning.”

Thoughts of yesterday continued to swirl in her head. The man. The threat. Lauren. Ed. Mr. Carter.

She nearly groaned. She’d so desperately wanted all of this to simply be a nightmare. Reality felt like a cold slap in the face.

She needed to think of a way to convince Ed to let her stay. She needed to look for that information. She’d wasted time already. She should have started looking last night, but she knew that she was under Ed’s watchful eye and she was no good at being sneaky.

“I’m not sure when the ferry will start running again,” she began. “But I was thinking about sticking around for a little bit longer, until things settle down a bit.”

“I’m nearly certain transportation to the mainland will be back up today. Half of the island evacuated, and I’m sure residents will be interested in getting back to check out the damage.”

“Yes, and a lot of them may need help,” Bailey countered, desperate to sound natural, despite the anxiety racing through her. “I’d hate to leave everyone in their time of need.”

“That’s kind of you, but don’t feel obligated. I know you need to look for another job.”

“As a matter of fact, your father arranged to have me paid for a few weeks after his death. That was just one more reason I stuck around to help tie up loose ends. I almost feel indebted to stay here and earn my keep.” Her heart pounded. The excuse sounded believable to her. Would Ed go for it?

Ed stood. “Sounds like my father. He liked to take care of people.”

Bailey shrugged, not ready to give up quite yet on convincing Ed. “Well, the people on the island have become like family. You should be there for family when they need you.”

Ed did the stare. The look was becoming all too familiar.

Bailey grabbed an apple from the table and stood up, stretching. She immediately missed her blankets. She had to push aside any sign of weakness, though, and prove herself to Ed.

She needed to somehow earn his trust while keeping him at arm’s length. There were still so many uncertainties about him; he was hiding something.

“I almost dread seeing the damage outside. Mr. Wilkins, the groundskeeper, evacuated before the storm,” Bailey said. “I’m not sure when he’ll be back.”

Bailey strode over to the front door and pulled it open. She was expecting to survey the landscape outside. Instead, she stifled a scream at the towering figure standing there.