Hidden Talents

  “That's easy,” Caleb said. “He wanted to do a little more fussing with the scene, didn't you, Firebrace? You couldn't resist checking the details. You wanted to make certain that you hadn't left any evidence behind.”

  “Once I knew Ambrose's body had been discovered, I thought it was safe to go back,” Firebrace explained. “After all, what could be more natural than for an old friend to stop by after hearing of the tragedy?”

  Caleb eyed him thoughtfully. “And who would notice, after all, if you helped yourself to a couple of cameras or some lighting equipment. Just a few mementos of your old friend and partner.”

  “Well, why not?” Firebrace's smile was bitter. “Ambrose sure as hell didn't need the gear any longer. Some of that equipment was worth a small fortune.”

  “There's one thing I don't understand,” Serenity said. “How did you know that I'd gone to see Caleb about my plans for expanding my business?”

  Firebrace shrugged. “Ambrose called me up a couple of weeks after you went to see Ventress the first time. He tried to hit me up for a few bucks. It was a regular routine with him, you know.”

  “I know,” Serenity said softly.

  “As usual, I told him I didn't have a dime to spare,” Firebrace said. “Then, out of the clear blue sky, he started talking about the old days. Said something about life being weird and how what goes around, comes around. He said that he'd just sent a friend to see Crystal Brooke's son. Asked me if I remembered Crystal.”

  Caleb glanced around the walls of the studio. “Obviously you did.”

  The gun jerked in Firebrace's hand. “Ambrose was having one of his good days. He wanted to talk. He told me all about Miss Makepeace's plans for Witt's End.”

  “Did you know about the pictures he'd taken of me?” Serenity asked.

  “Sure.” Firebrace made a face. “He'd bragged about them last spring after he'd finished the shoot. He said at the time that it was some of the finest work he'd ever done.”

  “When he told you that I was going to see Caleb, you remembered the old scandal, didn't you?” Serenity said. “You knew what you could do with those photos. You realized that if you could convince the Ventresses that I was involved with Caleb, you could capitalize on their fear of a new scandal.”

  Firebrace rocked on his heels. “Very clever, Miss Makepeace. You're right. I knew all about the Ventresses. I had a good idea of how they'd react to the news that the heir apparent to the family fortune was following in his father's footsteps. All I had to do was make it appear that Caleb was romantically involved with you. That was easy to do.”

  Serenity frowned. “How did you do that? Caleb and I weren't really involved in anything but a business arrangement at that point.”

  “I took a few shots of you and Ventress leaving his office here in Seattle together. One of you and him going into a restaurant. Franklin Ventress's imagination did the rest.” Firebrace chuckled humorlessly. “Imagine my surprise when I discovered later that you and Ventress actually were involved.”

  “You were too smart to go to my grandfather with your demands,” Caleb said. “You knew how he'd respond to a blackmail threat.”

  “Hell, yes, I knew.” Frustrated anger flashed in Firebrace's eyes. “He'd refused to pay thirty-four years ago when I'd sent him the pictures of Crystal and Gordon Ventress. But I knew there were other members of the family who weren't so stubborn and who would do anything to keep the precious family name from being dragged through the Ventress Valley News again.”

  Serenity drew a deep breath. “You were the one who tried to blackmail Roland Ventress all those years ago?”

  “Everything went wrong that time,” Firebrace said in a strange, faraway voice. Then his eyes hardened. “But I made up for it this time. I planned things more carefully. I contacted the banker in the family, not the old man. I knew Franklin Ventress would be an easier target. I was sure he'd pay.”

  “What made you think you knew him so well?” Caleb asked, suddenly and deeply curious about the answer.

  “Crystal told me about him,” Firebrace said impatiently.

  “What did she tell you about him?”

  “Just what your father had told her. Franklin was having an affair with Gordon's wife. I knew he had hated Gordon Ventress with a passion. I took a chance that he probably also hated Gordon's son and would give anything to see him ruined in the old man's eyes.”

  “Damn,” Caleb said under his breath as the missing pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “So Franklin came across with the first five thousand without even batting an eye, didn't he?”

  “He wanted the pictures. He wanted them real bad.”

  “Too bad you didn't take that one payment and run.”

  “It was only five thousand,” Firebrace said, looking genuinely offended. “I couldn't stop there. I figured someone in the family would pay again to keep the pictures out of the papers.”

  “You were greedy,” Caleb mused. “And you still had the negatives, after all. Why not go back just once more?”

  “I planned to go back several more times,” Firebrace said. “As often as I could, in fact. But then Ambrose broke his neck in that fall and destroyed my plans.”

  “Because with him dead, you no longer had any protection,” Caleb said. “Continuing the blackmail scheme would be a lot more risky without a fall guy to take the rap. Sooner or later someone might start an investigation. The trail might lead to you. Still, you had to go back just once before you packed it in, didn't you? It was just too much money to throw away.”

  Serenity studied Firebrace as if he were a member of the rodent family. “You couldn't resist contacting Franklin with another demand a few days after Ambrose died, could you?”

  “It was worth the risk. I'd only gotten one payment out of him. I knew those pictures were worth at last another five grand to the Ventresses. It was unlikely that Franklin Ventress would ever find out precisely when Ambrose died,” Firebrace said.

  “Or even that he was dead?” Serenity asked.

  Firebrace scowled. “Why would anyone tell him something like that? Asterley's death certainly wasn't significant enough to make the Ventress Valley News. Besides, Franklin Ventress was the last person who would start asking questions. All he cared about was his own revenge on Gordon's son.”

  “But why did Franklin hate Gordon so much?” Serenity asked softly. “Was it just because Gordon was Roland's heir?”

  “That was probably part of it.” Firebrace sounded irritated. “But not all of it. According to Crystal, it was mostly because of Patricia Ventress.”

  “Patricia?”

  “Don't you get it?” Firebrace said. “He loved her. Really loved her. And she left him because of the scandal. He never saw her again.”

  “It fits,” Caleb said slowly.

  “Crystal understood.” Firebrace narrowed his eyes. “She knew how much Franklin cared about Patricia. She said he'd seduced Patricia in the beginning because he was envious of Gordon and wanted to take something that belonged to his cousin. But in the end Franklin fell in love with Patricia.”

  “Franklin blamed my father for the humiliation Patricia endured.” Caleb thought quickly. “Franklin could never forgive him because the scandal cost him the woman he loved.”

  “He could never forgive you, either,” Serenity whispered. “He had to punish you for daring to get involved with a woman who reminded him of Crystal Brooke.”

  “Yes.”

  “Franklin paid for those photos the first time because he wanted ammunition to use against Caleb,” Serenity said slowly. “But why was he willing to pay the second blackmail demand?”

  “Because he was a Ventress,” Firebrace said with a grim laugh. “Damn family is so proud it makes me sick.”

  Caleb fingered the stone in his pocket. “You're right. Franklin has the Ventress pride. He didn't want another scandal to hit the local papers any more than anyone else in the family would have wanted it. He knew my grandfather wouldn't pay b
lackmail so he had no choice but to do it himself.”

  “He was caught in his own trap,” Serenity said.

  “Exactly,” Caleb said. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Serenity watching him, saw her gaze dip briefly to where his hand disappeared into his pocket. He hoped she realized that he still had Webster's latest discovery, but he couldn't take the risk of looking directly at her to see if she understood the significance of that fact. He kept his attention on Firebrace.

  “You seem to know a great deal about my family,” Caleb said.

  “I learned everything I needed to know about your whole damned family over three decades ago,” Firebrace said. “Nothing has changed. You Ventresses still think you're more important than the rest of us. You think you can have anything you want just for the taking.”

  “You wanted my mother, didn't you?” Caleb said softly. “You wanted Crystal Brooke for yourself.”

  Firebrace flinched as if he had been struck. “She was mine.” He blinked several times. “Your father stole her from me. He seduced her with his money and his fancy family name and his big-time political connections. Promised her the world. And she believed him, the little fool. She believed he would marry her.”

  “And in the end, that's exactly what he planned to do, wasn't it?” Caleb said.

  “She tried to treat me like a friend,” Firebrace said fiercely. “She didn't understand that she belonged to me. She wouldn't allow anyone else to photograph her except me, you know. She trusted me to make her look like a goddess. And I did.” He flung out a hand to indicate the photographs laminated to the walls, ceiling, and floor. “Take a good look. I made Crystal Brooke unforgettably beautiful.”

  “I think she was already beautiful to begin with,” Serenity said crisply. “Furthermore, if you cared so much about her all those years ago, why did you try to blackmail the Ventresses? You must have known how much damage you would create.”

  “It was for her own good,” Firebrace insisted. “I thought that once the Ventresses realized what was going on between her and Gordon, they'd put pressure on the bastard to end the relationship. But it didn't work. Roland Ventress wouldn't even pay for the pictures. So I sent the photos to the editor of the Ventress Valley News. I thought the resulting scandal would force Crystal and Gordon apart.”

  “Instead, my father walked away from his family, his political career, and my grandfather's money,” Caleb said. “He announced he was going to get a divorce and marry Crystal.”

  “Before I could think of another way to stop the marriage, it was too late. Crystal and Ventress had both been killed in that crash.” Firebrace's voice rose to a keening wail. “You were the only one left alive. It wasn't supposed to end that way. As far as I'm concerned, the Ventresses killed Crystal just as surely as if they'd put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger. After everything I did for her, she was gone forever.”

  “Just what did you do for her?” Caleb asked softly. “You certainly weren't the one who took these pictures of her, were you?”

  Firebrace's face contorted with fury. “I was her photographer. I made her a goddess. If she hadn't thrown herself away on that son of a bitch who was your father, she'd have become a brilliant film star.”

  “Not because of your photography,” Caleb said. “This is Ambrose Asterley's work, isn't it?”

  “That's a lie,” Firebrace shouted. “A damned lie.”

  “I don't think so,” Caleb said with growing certainty. “I've seen work that resembles this quite recently. There's something about the play of light on the face, the way she looks into the camera, the otherworldly feeling of the picture. Asterley captured those same elements in the pictures that he took of Serenity.”

  “No,” Firebrace yelled. “These aren't Ambrose's pictures. Ambrose was a failure.”

  “He may have been a commercial failure because of his drinking problem, but the man knew how to handle a camera.” Caleb curved his fingers more tightly around Webster's rock. “And as his business partner, you ripped him off on a regular basis, didn't you? You must have really panicked when he finally gave up and headed for Witt's End. You knew you'd never survive without his talent.”

  “That's not true, damn you,” Firebrace shouted. “You don't understand. I was the one with the talent.” He raised the gun a notch and bared his teeth. He braced himself to pull the trigger.

  Caleb risked a quick glance at Serenity. And in that instant he knew that she had already read his mind. She had one hand wrapped around a tripod.

  With a swift, violent movement, Serenity sent the metal stand crashing into the forest of lamps and cameras. The domino effect took hold. Expensive equipment began to topple to the floor.

  “My cameras!” Firebrace screamed. He took his gaze off Caleb and instinctively turned toward the scene of the disaster.

  Caleb knew it was the only chance he would get. He pulled Webster's rock out of his pocket and hurled it at Firebrace's head.

  The small missile struck its target with a dull thud. Firebrace jerked, dropped the gun and crumpled to the floor without a sound.

  Several more tripods holding lights and cameras fell with a thundering clatter. The crash of metal and glass seemed to go on forever before a stark silence fell on the black-and-white room.

  Serenity looked at Firebrace's motionless body for a shocked instant. She whirled and ran toward Caleb. He opened his arms and caught her close.

  “I was right,” she whispered against his jacket. “You did have Webster's rock in your pocket.”

  “You mean I had Webster's unique, one-of-a-kind, hand-selected, genuine Witt's End paperweight in my pocket,” Caleb said. “Remind me to make room for his innovative new product in the catalog. No home should be without one.”

  Serenity made an odd sound and clung even more tightly to Caleb. “Webster will be thrilled.”

  Firebrace groaned.

  Caleb released Serenity and walked across the room to where the photographer lay on the floor. Firebrace's lashes fluttered and then opened. He looked up with a dazed expression.

  “You'd better find a phone and call 911,” Caleb said to Serenity.

  “I think I saw a phone out on the counter.” She started toward the swinging door. “This is going to be a real mess to explain to the cops.”

  “I'll take care of it.”

  “Yes, I know,” Serenity said softly. “You're good at that kind of thing.” She went through the door.

  “It wasn't supposed to end like this,” Firebrace muttered thickly. He gazed up at the picture of Crystal Brooke on the ceiling. “She wasn't supposed to be in the car.”

  A chill went through Caleb. He went down on one knee beside Firebrace. “Who wasn't supposed to be in the car?”

  “Crystal.” Firebrace stared blindly at the huge photo of Crystal's face. “I loved her. I didn't want her to die. Only Ventress was supposed to be in the car when the brakes failed. Only Ventress and the baby.”

  “You son of a bitch,” Caleb whispered. “You killed them both, didn't you?”

  “Cost me a thousand dollars to bribe the mechanic. But it didn't work. She died, too.” Firebrace's eyes filled with tears as he gazed up at Crystal Brooke's face. “Why doesn't anything ever go right for me?”

  Caleb waited until much later that evening to make the call to Franklin.

  “Just tell me one thing.” Caleb tightened his grip around the hotel room phone. “Why did you do it?”

  “You don't understand,” Franklin said in a defeated voice. “Gordon always got the best of everything. He even got Patricia. But she didn't love him. She never loved him. She married him for his money. Her family insisted on it. The Clarewood fortune had all but disappeared because of a series of bad investments.”

  “So she married my father?”

  “She called him a rude, unsophisticated cowboy,” Franklin said. “She told me she couldn't stand to get into the same bed with him. She hated his hands on her. She hated Ventress Valley just as much as she h
ated Gordon.”

  “She turned to you for consolation, didn't she?” Caleb leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He was aware of Serenity watching him quietly from the other side of the room. “And you encouraged her.”

  “I loved her,” Franklin said fiercely. “I admit that at first I wanted her just because she belonged to Gordon. But I fell in love with her. I thought, after the scandal broke, that we would marry.”

  “Instead, she went back to Boston.”

  “It was Gordon's fault,” Franklin whispered. “Everything was his fault. Patricia had to leave after he died. She said that if she married me, Roland would turn on me. She said he would blame me for seducing her. Accuse me of causing problems in her marriage. She said he would cut me off from the Ventress money.”

  “And you knew that was probably exactly what would have happened, didn't you?”

  “Roland went a little crazy after Gordon died. He would have vented his rage on any available target. We knew that. Patricia didn't want me to suffer, she said. Said it would be better if we never saw each other again.”

  “You kept quiet about your affair with Patricia and she left town.”

  “Patricia was right. It was for the best. There's no telling what Roland would have done if he'd discovered our affair. But I did love her. You've got to understand that.”

  “Not enough to risk my grandfather's anger.”

  “For God's sake, I couldn't. There was too much money involved. And the family name. Gordon had already done enough damage. I had a duty to avoid any more scandal.”

  “You did your duty, is that it? You stayed in Ventress Valley, married, and raised a family. And prospered. And nursed your grudge. And then one day you got a phone call telling you that history was about to repeat itself.”

  “I did what I had to do. It was my duty to prevent you from humiliating all of us the way your father had. I did it for the sake of the family.”

  “I don't think that was why you did it at all, Franklin.” Caleb met Serenity's gentle, sympathetic eyes. “I think you did it because you wanted plain, old-fashioned revenge.”