Guarding Raine Part 33

About your only friend, I hasten to add.

" They walked downstairs together. " Don't kid yourself, I've got lots of friends.

" " Name one," Trey invited. " Aside from the obvious, I mean." " Go to h.e.l.l." Trey laughed. " Been there, Mac: Actually, that's where I met you." " That's a fact," Mac agreed. Trey had also been involved in covert operations, and his an Mac paths had crossed several times before that

fiasco in Central America. It had been Trey who had hauled Mac out ofthe remains of the bombed building, Trey who'd made sure he got to ahospital.

When Mac got the chance to retire his commission, he'd talked Trey intogetting out With him. His friend had been leery of leaving the onlyadult life he knew. Mac always suspected he'd been addicted to theexcitement, the adrenaline of the job. When they'd decided to puttheir own company together, Trey had committed only for a year. But four years later he was hooked. In their business there were enoughrisks to keep even Trey happy.

" I've been busy while you've been living a life of ease," Trey toldhim' as they walked into Mac's office. " Do tell.

" " I finally found out where Winters used to work, and I talked tosome people there.

They all seemed to have the same opinion of him.

Shy, quiet guy, good at' his job.

" " Why did he leave?

" Trey shrugged. " To start his own company.

He wasn't fired--they were sorry to see him go.

So I looked him up in the Yellow Pages and paid him a visit.

" Mac gave him an interested look, " What did you find out?

" " Well, he's got some ideas on tax-deferred bonds that wouldn't do us any harm to look into.

You know, when we get the mortgage on the company paid off, we're going

to need some ideas like that, and I'm not so sure our accountant is up

on all the latest"" Trey?

" The man stopped in mid-sentence and looked at him. " Did you find anything out from Winters that would help the case?

" Mac asked patiently. " I was getting to that.

Anyway, I gave him a phony name and said I was looking for a good accountant.

He's eager and seems to know his stuff.

He gave me some references to check out, and that's what I did.

" " Bingo," Mac said softly. " Yeah," Trey agreed. " Raine's name was

one of them, of course.

But I did talk to four others on the list, and one of them told me something interesting.

I told each of the people that I'd heard Raine Michagls used Winters

Accounting, and got no responses from three of them.

But there was one guy I talked to who seemed to think that Raine was Winters's girlfriend.

" Mac went still. " Where'd he get that idea?

" " From Winters.

Apparently they'd met up in a bar and had a couple drinks together, and

Winters started spinning some tale about Raine and him being real

close.

" Trey shrugged. " The guy was given the impression that they were dating, and heavily.

" He looked at Mac quizzically. " Is it true?" " No." Trey lifted his eyebrows at his friend's emphatic tone. " You seem pretty sure.

" Mac looked away, aware that more than his opinion had colored his answer.

He wasn't going to give voice to the fact that the thought of Raine

involved with anyone filled him with primitive urges.

"Tve observed them together,"

he said.

"Winters hangs around her like a puppy dog, but she doesn't treat him any differently than she does her other friends."

"Maybe that's a problem for him,"

Trey suggested.

Mac considered the suggestion.

All we know is that the guy' has a crush on her. " "Crushes have been known to take ugly turns."

"Yeah, they have,"

Mac agreed darkly.

"But even before this news, I was already considering Winters, K!a.s.sen

and Sarah Jennings as possible suspects."

"The woman, too?"

Mac looked grim.

"All three of them are close to Raine. They've had access to her mail

and her home. So did the art students, of course, but the other threewould certainly be aware of the state of Mrs. Michaels's health.They'd know just what to say on the phone to send Raine into apanic."

Trey nodded.

When Mac had called him to fill him in on the details of the accident, he'd sounded like h.e.l.l.

That was when Trey had started to get the feeling that his friend was a

little more involved than he wanted to admit.

He'd shaken off the feeling.

Having a client almost get killed under your watch was enough to upset

anyone.

But the way Mac looked today spoke of a man under a strain of some

kind, and Trey couldn't help wondering just what, or who, was causing that strain.

"Anyone could get that information on Lorena Michaels's health. If a

person was really digging, they could find out all about Raine's family. Whoever is after her wouldn't necessarily have to be someone she knows."

Mac turned a grim face to his friend.

"That's what makes this so d.a.m.n frustrating."

"Have the police turned up anything on the car that ran her off the

road?"

Mac shook is head.

"Not a thing. No one has come forward about it. Anyway, I've decidedto step up security 6ut here. I'll have two men covering the propertyat all times.."