LITMIR.BIZ

      Toby drove back to the house on Devil’s Elbow faster than was judicious on the twisting road, but an odd urgency propelled him: a niggling suspicion that those two FBI agents would arrive at the house and badger Piet Connor. Not that it would do them any good, and it might just prove his point that the man was way beyond answering their questions. On a good day Piet recognized his nurses and Toby. On a bad day…Toby shook his head. He had only Elizabeth’s word for the vital, intelligent and driven man her father had been before blind ambition and lust for power led him to ally himself with a renegade vampire who’d zapped his mind.

      Toby had promised Elizabeth to look after her father and unravel the tangled mess of Connor Inc.

      So far he’d dismantled the money laundering. It had necessitated closures and redundancies, but they had been needed to sever the links of Laran’s nasty enterprise. And now…Toby turned into the drive that led up to the Connors’ clifftop house. This part of the country was so different from his native South Carolina—and he relished the difference. Even after almost a century and a half, memories of slavery still had him shuddering.

      He eased the car to a stop before the automatic garage doors and pulled inside. Making himself walk at mortal speed, he strode through the house to where Piet Connor sat huddled in a wheelchair in the glazed-in porch. The man spent hours just watching the ocean.

      “Hello, Piet,” Toby said, bending down to be eye-to-eye with his shriveled body.

      A faltering smile followed the light of recognition. “Hello, Toby. Is my Lizzie coming?”

      “Soon,” Toby replied. She’d promised to fly over for a week at the end of the month. He’d be darn glad to see her—and Tom. Tom Kyd had proved his friendship once again by fixing computer records and helping sort out the mess that had once been a thriving multinational conglomerate.

      “I miss Lizzie,” Piet Connor muttered. “Must say I’m sorry. Didn’t mean…” A tear trickled down his cheek as his voice faltered.

      Toby wiped away the tear with the pad of his thumb. “Never mind, Piet. She understands.” More than the old man would ever realize.

      He turned to the nurse in the pastel blue uniform who hovered a few feet way. “Difficult day, Nurse Redding?”

      “No more than most,” she replied. “Will you sit with him while I fix his dinner?”

      “Of course.”

      “Sure I can’t fix you anything?”

      “Thank you. I’ll get something later.” Having plenty of staff did make Piet’s care easier, but it seemed they’d all taken on the mission of trying to feed Toby as well. Thank Abel, none of them lived in, or they’d soon notice his nonstandard eating habits.

      As Nurse Redding walked out and toward the kitchen, Toby moved Piet’s wheelchair closer to the French windows and pulled up a chair beside him. Together they watched the last traces of sunset fade into evening, Piet saying nothing, just grasping Toby’s hand, like a child scared of getting lost. Toby glanced sideways at Piet. Maybe he should have invited the FBI here and let them see once and for all that Piet Connor was no longer responsible for Connor Inc. or much else in this world. But there was the risk that the visit would distress him. When Elizabeth came over, they’d have to talk this out. Heck, he might as well call her now, except—he glanced at his watch—London was eight hours ahead. Tom would be home from hunting by now, and they’d be unlikely to welcome interruption just to talk. He’d call later.

      Meanwhile, he should ponder the ramifications of today’s visit. What exactly did the FBI know, or suspect, about Laran Radcliffe’s activities? If they had any notion of the full extent, they’d have arrived with subpoenas, and search and arrest warrants—not that it would have done them much good. Seemed they had suspicions but no proof. It was his job to ensure that no possible proof remained. Laran was history, his activities over and done with for good. Connor Inc. was once more a legitimate business, and he, Toby Wise, was going to see to it.

      “Dinner’s ready, Mr. Connor!”

      How the woman stayed so cheerful intrigued Toby, but mortals were different, and cheerful was better than dour. “Why not bring it out here, Nurse? I’ll feed him and you can leave. He’ll be fine.”

      She hesitated. She’d balk totally if she knew she was leaving her frail patient in the hands of a vampire. Toby smiled. “Honestly. We’ll be alright. Piet likes listening to the ocean. I’ll feed him, and Nurse Fox will be here in an hour or so and she’ll ready him for bed.”

      She hesitated just long enough to satisfy her professional scruples. With three school-age children at home, she more than welcomed getting off early. “If you’re sure it’s okay. It really would help, and Nurse Fox is always punctual. I’ve warmed up some nice soup, and there’s the vanilla pudding Nurse Watson made yesterday.”

      A few minutes later, the sound of her Toyota faded in the evening air as she drove down the drive toward the main road, and Toby eased his hand from Piet’s and reached for the tray she’d left on the table. He had a strong suspicion that steak and onions or a nice roast chicken was a better choice for a man’s dinner than soup and vanilla pap, but since he’d been a blacksmith, not a cook, in his mortal days, it would have to do.

      It was sad to see a once-strong man dribble his dinner down his chin. The damage that blasted Laran had caused! Yes, he’d received his comeuppance at Elizabeth’s hands, but the harm he’d wrought still lingered. “What made you ally yourself with him, old man?” Toby whispered as he spooned up the pale yellow pudding. “Was it just lust for power, or did he gain sway by force

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