Perfect Partners

first ring.
    “Blackstone here.”
    “It’s Escott.” Keith sounded out of breath but triumphant. “Damned if the son of a bitch didn’t try to torch the place, after all. Showed up about twenty minutes ago. I saw him myself.”
    “What happened?”
    “The guards and I managed to stop him, but he got away. The bastard left two cans of gasoline behind. Can you believe it? He was going to burn the whole damn place down. He didn’t care what it would do to this town. You were right when you said he’s decided that if he can’t have Copeland Marine, nobody can have it.”
    “Did you notify the cops?”
    “Sure. They’re on their way. But, Blackstone?”
    “Yeah?”
    “I wouldn’t count on them holding him for long, even if they do stop him. He’s still Victor Copeland, and you know what that means in this town.”
    “I know.”
    “There’s something else,” Keith said slowly. “The guy has really flipped this time. I’ve never seen him like this. I don’t know what he’ll do if he gets out of Echo Cove. Are you absolutely certain Diana and Letty are safe?”
    Joel looked across the room at Morgan who was levering himself up out of the sleeping bag. “I’ll make sure of it, Escott.”
    “All right. I’ll call you if I get any more news.”
    “Right.” Joel hung up slowly, his gaze still on Morgan. “He tried to destroy Copeland Marine. Escott and the guards stopped him, but he got away. Keith’s worried about Diana.”
    “And you’re worried about Letty?”
    Joel nodded. “I think I’d better stash both of them someplace where Copeland would never think to look.”
    “What about the cabin?” Morgan asked. “They could be there in an hour and a half or so. And there’s no way in hell Copeland could know about that place.”
    Joel drummed his fingers rapidly on the desk. “The question is, how long can I persuade Letty to stay there?”
    “Probably not for long. You’d better catch Copeland fast.”

19

    I ‘m not so sure you should have come with us, Stephanie.” Letty turned her father’s BMW off the main road and started along the winding blacktop path that bordered the river gorge.
    “I wanted to come with you,” Stephanie insisted firmly. “Morgan has obviously decided to play cops and robbers with Joel, and I would have been sitting around the house, bored to death. I wouldn’t even have had you to go to any classes with me, Letty.”
    Letty glanced at her in surprise. “I thought you only wanted me to go with you to your classes because Dad wanted it.”
    Stephanie smiled wryly. “I’ll admit that at first I did it to please Morgan. But I went to one entitled Looking Forward to Successful Potty Training all by myself yesterday afternoon, and I have to admit it wasn’t nearly as interesting without you. I kept thinking about all the amusing comments you would have made. Especially when the instructor demonstrated the proper position of the toddler on the seat.”
    “Why would I have found that funny?”
    “Because he used himself as a model.”
    Letty chuckled. “Okay, so I probably would have found that worth a wisecrack or two. But are you sure you feel comfortable about leaving the city for a couple of days in your condition?”
    “I’ve decided to stop being a wimp about this baby.” Stephanie adjusted the seat belt for the hundredth time. “I’m perfectly healthy, the baby is perfectly healthy, and my due date is three weeks away. Besides, we’re only an hour and a half away from Seattle.”
    “I’ve heard first babies are often late,” Diana volunteered quietly from the back seat. They were the first words she had spoken for over half an hour.
    Not that any of them had been particularly chatty, Letty thought as she slowed the car to navigate the narrow, twisting road. None of them had wanted to be shipped off to the wilderness while the men engaged in a demonstration of modern machismo.
    But Joel and Morgan had presented a united front that had been backed up with an urgent phone call from Keith.
    With all three men pleading, threatening, and cajoling, Letty and Diana had reluctantly thrown in the towel. That was when Stephanie had volunteered to keep them company during their exile.
    “Actually, my doctor has been wondering lately if the dates might be a little off,” Stephanie said in response to Diana’s remark.
    “Keith has been talking about having a baby lately.” Diana stared out the window of the car. “I told Letty I’ve been