Masters & Lovers Box Set One

James

"Well, that went south fast," comments Michael. He's sitting in the rear as I drive, arms around Charlotte. She's unusually quiet. In the mirror I see her head resting against his shoulder.

"I suppose that's to be expected when you're dealing with a psychopath." I'm watching my Jade-Eyes. I thought at first, she was simply upset, but there's more than that in her expression.... Wheels are turning in there....

"Still, he told us quite a bit," says Michael.

I'm reluctant to commit myself to that one. "Mmmm, yes."

He frowns, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror. "Do you think he's cooperating out of goodwill?"

"No, I think he's helping himself by helping us to find Charlotte's mother." Abruptly, she wrestles herself free of Michael's embrace, sitting up straight to look out of the window.

What's going on?

"Talk to me Charlotte. What are you thinking?"

She's gnawing on a thumbnail....

Got to get her out of that habit....

"How did he know?" she says.

"Know what, Charlotte?" Michael turns a puzzled face to hers.

"How did he know about us?" She waves a finger between herself and me. "He knew that you're my Master. How did he know?"

Shit!

Michael's mouth flaps a couple of times.... "Corby...."

"Corby didn't know that," she says. "He knew about the auction from the records he could get to. And about there being the three of us, but how could he have known that?"

"We have a spy in the camp somewhere, don't we," I say. "We thought it was just Corby. Everyone did. But there's someone else."

"But who could it possibly be?" protests Michael. "Who would know?"

"Someone in the Haswell setup?" I suggest. "Someone from the clubs perhaps. It's not widely known, but it's not a tight secret either."

Michael rolls eyes upwards. "Oh, crap," he mutters.

*****

Richard

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The Triad gathered in my office, the news that we might have the enemy somewhere within my own corporation leaves me queasy. Michael is sombre. James is masked, and Charlotte sits, blinking hard and fidgeting.

"I'll review our employment procedures, the safety checks and so on," I say to James, stabbing at the intercom. "Francis, do you have a minute?"

"On my way, Mr Haswell."

She enters, notebook and pen in hand. "Thank you, Francis. Did you listen in to what we were just discussing?"

Her face clouds over. "I did, sir. I can't imagine who...."

I silence her with an upraised palm. "I'd like you to assemble a list of all new employees we've taken on in say, the last six months...." I cock a brow at James and he nods. "We can consider from there who might have access to sensitive information."

Francis walks smartly off to her own desk. Through the internal window, I see her jabbing at her keyboard.

"Don't wind yourself into a knot over it," says Michael. "It's only one possibility and we're looking at the others. Meanwhile, perhaps a word with Beth? Just to caution her to be careful of what she says and who she says it to?" "Of course."

"And on the subject of Beth," he continues, "or more precisely, her family, I'm going to keep looking through that old paperwork from her uncle."

"You really think there's something to be found in there?" queries James.

He shrugs. "Who knows? Call it a hunch. But right now, it's not as though we have any other leads to follow to find Charlotte's mother, than Beth's family."

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"Of course. Go ahead." I wave him through to the conference room. "Help yourself. I don't think Francis will be long compiling that information. I'll call you when she comes back to me." He nods and makes his way through.

"While you're here, James, and waiting, can we talk through your proposals for the university library. I've had the Chancellor on the phone every day for the last week. Charlotte, can you sit in on this please...."

*****

We don't get very far. In under ten minutes my phone buzzes and through the window, Francis is waving a sheaf of print-offs at me. "I have the information you asked for, Mr Haswell."

"Thank you. Bring it through would you please."

She places the stack on my desk and is about to leave, but "No, I'd like you to stay for this Francis. If we work through these with several sets of eyes, we're more likely to pick out any likely contenders for our spy." I turn to Charlotte. "Can you tell Michael. He may want to join us."

But before she even rises from her seat, Michael appears at the door of the conference room and wanders into my office, musing over some document he holds. "Who was Edward Haswell?"

James and I exchange startled glances

"Edward Haswell?" I say. "He was my father. Why would you ask?"

Michael brandishes the paper. "Because according to this, forty years or so back, Beth's Uncle Albert was in business with one Edward Haswell."

*****