“I’ll have to bring in a couple other men from the security division, if you want Ms. Reed watched at night.”
“Only one for now,” Dylan replied. He turned and faced Sal Rigo, who stood in front of his desk. Like Dylan, he still wore his suit from the Alumni Dinner. “Bring in Janocek. I’ve already reviewed his file and he was on my original list before I narrowed it down to you and Peterson. I know I don’t need to emphasize again the importance of absolute discretion in regard to this.”
“Of course. I’ll see to it myself when I brief Janocek that he’s completely on board. No one will lay an eye on him.”
“Make sure of it,” Dylan said, giving the other man a pointed glance. Rigo looked a little abashed. Dylan hadn’t disguised his annoyance with Rigo and Peterson recently because they’d allowed Alice to see them during their surveillance of her. On one occasion in the woods, Peterson’s ineptitude had caused Alice considerable distress when she’d thought someone was following her with malicious intent.
“I will, sir. I know we disappointed before, but it’s fairly tight quarters there at the camp. Plus, as you know, watching over Ms. Reed isn’t our only responsibility. Kehoe keeps us pretty busy.”
“I realize that,” Dylan acknowledged. He’d originally directed Rigo and Peterson to observe Alice more than anything, not guard her. He needed to know if she was having any unusual or adverse reactions to the Durand Estate, any memories from her childhood. But he’d also wanted to be assured of her general safety. The problem was, despite his doubts about the direction of a threat, Dylan increasingly wanted Alice not just watched, but protected.
“Plus, Ms. Reed is very observant and . . . mobile,” Rigo added with a small smile.
“Are you calling her fast?” Dylan asked dryly.
Rigo shrugged. “She’s a good athlete. And she notices things. She’s more aware of her surroundings than most.”
“She had to be, where she grew up,” Dylan muttered. “I assume you and Peterson can trade off tonight until you bring Janocek in?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll take over for Peterson in a few hours, so he can get some rest.”
“And you? When will you get your rest?”
“After tomorrow is over. There were plenty of times in the Army I went two nights without sleep.”
Dylan nodded slowly, well aware of Rigo’s stellar Army special operations record before being hired in Durand’s security division. “Anything else significant happening at the camp?”
“Thad Schaefer is still meeting up with the Seifert girl at night, but he’s all eyes for Ms. Reed every day at the camp.”
“And Ms. Seifert doesn’t appreciate that much, does she?”
“No, sir.”
“Is she a threat to Alice?” Dylan asked bluntly.
“I don’t believe so, but I learned early on in my training that one of the most unpredictable things in nature is a jealous woman. Schaefer is more of an issue. He’s following Alice at times.”
“With what intent?”
“The obvious one, I think,” Rigo said with a bland glance. “I’ve never seen him behave in any aggressive manner toward her.”
“He’s a problem. More so because Alice refuses to see it,” Dylan mused. “She leaves herself wide open to him, and that kid is being poisoned by someone.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dylan scowled. They both knew to whom he referred. He hadn’t briefed Rigo or Peterson on the Alice Reed–Addie Durand connection. He’d only emphasized that Alice was important. Rigo and Peterson were also aware that Kehoe and his interactions with Alice were a prime object of interest for Dylan. He knew that the two men were probably frustrated by a lack of more solid information for their mission. The fact of the matter was, however, Dylan didn’t have a specific reason for suspicion when it came to Kehoe. True, Kehoe was generally known to be bitter and disapproving of Dylan’s position as CEO. But he wasn’t the only one who was a Fall dissenter at Durand. Universal popularity was rare for a person in a position like his. But Kehoe was also a top-level performer and leader for Durand Enterprises. Just because Kehoe wasn’t a cheerleader for Dylan was hardly damning evidence against him.
He hesitated to tell Rigo or Peterson that he’d given the two security operatives a mission mostly based on intuition and a hazy but powerful feeling of unease.
“Have you seen Schaefer with Kehoe much?” Dylan asked.
“I see him talking to Schaefer at times, but maybe only a little bit more than the other counselors.”
“Is Kehoe still giving Alice a hard time?”
“It’s more of a silent disapproval than anything too overt. He’s not as open and friendly with her as he is with the other counselors. He knows you’ve taken an interest in her.”
“Nobody ever accused Kehoe of not being intelligent. And after yesterday in the woods, he definitely suspects that you’ve been given the job of keeping an eye on Alice.”
“Yes.”
“It was inevitable. If he gives you a hard time again, please let me know.