The Puppetmasters Read online

  She raised her chin and asked when he planned to pick up and move. He responded that he had already informed his partners and had begun transitioning his clients.

  “I will be in Seattle for another three weeks. There’s no reason why we can’t still see each other until my last day. I have no hard feelings, and I certainly hope you would want the best for me. I want the best for you.”

  Manipulative, self-centered, insensitive bastard! With tears in her eyes, she rose from the table. “Actually, Jeremy, it would be best if we just ended it now. Since there is no future for us, there is no reason to prolong this. I’m disappointed that you let your mother—and her money—choose your life and affect your happiness. That you could push me out of your life just like that says a lot about your ability and capacity for love and commitment … and more importantly, your honor and integrity. You’ve lost my respect.”

  She paused and then concluded with, “I wish you the best.”

  With all the dignity she could muster and with eyes swimming in tears, Kendall turned toward the exit. Her hip bumped the table as she stumbled away. She missed the last scene, as Jeremy’s water goblet, from which he had just nervously taken a sip, teetered furiously and then fell over, spilling its contents in his lap. The commotion turned more than few heads towards Jeremy’s table. He smiled grimly, figuring he had that coming.

  Kendall managed to get home before the dam broke. She got undressed, wrapped herself in her favorite fluffy fleece throw, and poured herself a generous glass of brandy. She sat on the couch staring out the window of her condominium in tony Belltown, which overlooked Puget Sound, and let the tears stream down her face. She was a pragmatist, and not one given to a lot of emotional outbursts … certainly never in public. She told herself that she would allow these few minutes of unchecked grief and then would pull herself together. After all, she had weathered disappointment and heartache before and knew that the trick was to keep busy.

  Just push it down, and it’ll go away. It always does.

  Soon, events would pull her into a whirlwind of drama that would leave her broken heart far behind.

  CHAPTER THREE

  THE RARE SPRING SUN MADE an appearance through Kendall’s bedroom window when she awoke. She didn’t even notice. Her heart was heavy, and her body didn’t want to move. She went through her morning routine in a fog but managed to maintain her usual schedule. She had to check twice to make sure she had matching shoes on.

  Get going, girl! Move it! Shake it off! She stopped for her usual morning light mocha and a multi-grain bagel and forced herself to assume a cheerful exterior. She had an important position, overseeing general operation of the company, and could not get bogged down with a lot of emotion. Because she was a woman, she also had to take care not to be seen as emotionally unstable or falling apart in any way.

  She pulled into the company parking garage, taking care to wave at the security guard as she passed by. Kendall had no idea how she got into the building, but found herself walking into her spacious office.

  She sat in front of her terminal and zoned out. After thirty minutes, she finally realized she hadn’t even turned on her computer. She hit the power button and gave a big sigh. Keep going! You’re doing great! She sat there staring at the unopened emails. The phone rang, startling her. God, what if it’s Jeremy? Damn! It’s not.

  “Kendall Radcliffe,” she said in a clipped, businesslike tone.

  “Whoa! You sound intense.”

  “Oh, hi, Gwen. Just in the middle of my morning emails.”

  It was Kendall’s friend and the senior vice president of the legal department, Gwen Albertson. She was a feisty red-headed corporate executive who specialized in intellectual property litigation. Since the company was constantly being sued for some perceived trademark, copyright, or patent infringement, she was very much in demand. The law was her passion, and she was loyal to a fault. She defended the company with all the vigor and enthusiasm of a pit bull. After hours, though, she was the life of the party.

  This morning she had received some particularly bad news. The company was being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission for possible violations of the Consumer Protection Act.

  “Kendall, I need you to go to DC as soon as possible. Today, if you can. You need to meet with outside counsel to review the anticipated charges and start formulating our defense.”

  Kendall’s wheels were already turning. There was nothing like a good legal fight to take her mind off personal matters.

  “What’s the issue?”

  “I don’t have all the details. But it sounds like claims of unfair business practices. From what I understand, this is only an investigation at this juncture. We’ve agreed to meet with the FTC in an effort to assuage their concerns. If anyone can halt the investigation, you can. I need you to work your magic and talk the FTC through our business strategy.”

  Perfect! Get me out of the fucking office!

  Kendall was psyched. “Let me finish my emails and make a few calls. I have an 11:00 a.m. conference that will take about an hour. I can probably catch an early evening flight and commit to a morning meeting.”

  They exchanged the DC meeting details, and Kendall finished her work to go home and pack. Her admin was able to secure a reservation on a non-stop flight leaving at 7:15 p.m. She would not arrive in DC until the wee hours of the morning. She fervently hoped she would be able to sleep on the plane.

  She wove through the congested Seattle traffic on her way to the airport and made excellent time. As her seat in the first class section was called for boarding, her cell phone rang. Caller ID flashed Jeremy’s name. She stabbed the power button shutting it down. Wow, that felt good! Now who’s in control? Or so she thought.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  KENDALL AWOKE WITH A START. She blinked as the dazzling east coast morning rays lit up her river-view hotel room. Her brain was momentarily confused and foggy from the lack of sleep, cross-country travel, and the overly soft mattress of the king-sized bed she had slept in.

  She groaned, sat up, and then caught the time on the bedside clock. “Oh, shit!”

  She flew out of bed, took a quick shower, dressed in a slightly rumpled suit, and dashed into the luxury hotel coffee shop for a muffin and coffee to go.

  Kendall sweet-talked her way into the front of the hotel’s taxi line and settled in for the fifteen minute ride to the office of the company’s outside counsel and follow-up meetings with the FTC. As she nibbled on her muffin, she enjoyed the gentle swaying of the cherry blossoms that lined the streets as they made their way into the heart of the city. Springtime was Kendall’s favorite time of year to visit DC, and today put a rubber stamp on it.

  As a burst of anger and flood of tears simmered just below the surface, threatening to make an appearance, Kendall acknowledged them and then boot-kicked the emotions right out of her mind. She wasn’t about to give into a sudden display of sorrow and ruin a most spectacular ride. She concentrated on the thought that she was so fortunate to be able to enjoy the sight of the city’s more than 3,000 cherry blossom trees in full bloom. She chose, instead, to view the sweet landscape as a personal gift to her. I accept. She smiled as the taxi pulled up to her destination.

  Kendall had two very busy days of meetings, including with the FTC, video conferences, and rushed, late dinners. At the end of each day, she arrived back at her hotel only to make a couple phone calls back to the office on the West Coast, check her emails, maybe catch a headline or two of the evening news, and then flop into bed for a restless night of sleep. Even though she traveled quite a bit, she never got used to a new bed until about the third night.

  Kendall checked out of her hotel on the third morning and left her luggage with the hotel porter for the day. She had an evening flight back to Seattle and hoped she would make that flight.

  Early that evening, she consulted her watch as she stepped out of the taxi in front of the hotel. She was startled by the commotion of luggage and boxes being l
oaded into a black stretch limo, blocking her path. Absentmindedly, she walked around the bags and cortege of uniformed bellhops scurrying to and fro, appearing competent and helpful—obviously hoping for a generous tip.

  As Kendall approached the bell captain’s desk to retrieve her stored luggage, a well-dressed man hurried over and gave a slight bow. He was nothing if not the epitome of efficiency. One could see that no mistakes were to be tolerated under his watch.

  “Good evening, Ms. Radcliffe. I’m the hotel’s evening manager, at your service. Your bag has already been loaded.”

  Perplexed, Kendall snapped to attention, and her brows furrowed. “What? Where?”

  “With the others.”

  “What others? I’m not traveling with anyone else. I only have one bag.”

  The manager frowned and started wringing his hands, as if that would help. “Oh dear, what could have happened? Oh, I know.”

  Good grief, the man is talking to himself. I don’t know whether to laugh or slap him. She awaited his explanation with barely contained patience. Her eyebrows rose, hoping to prompt him for a more speedy response. He caught her probing stare and jumped as if he’d been goosed.

  “Oh, yes, Miss—er—Radcliffe. Well, you see, your bag has the same company luggage tag as some other bags that were stored, and they were all pulled for the livery service vehicle outside.”

  He looked like he was going to cry. He couldn’t believe he was part of this mix-up. As he figured it, if she complained, he would receive another poor report in his personnel records. He had only been the night manager for a few months and had already amassed quite a few negative reports. She could see that he was flustered beyond reason.

  “Oh, for God’s sake. I’ll do it myself.”

  She turned and ran out the door, waving wildly to the single remaining valet who had just closed the door of the stretch limo. As it started to roll forward, she yelled, “Stop, you’ve got my bag!” She realized that she sounded like a crazy woman and willed herself to calm down as the limo slowed to a stop. Because of the tinted windows, she could just barely make out two heads in the backseat turning around to see what the problem was.

  Her personal possessions meant more to her than the embarrassment of causing a scene. She ran to the back of the vehicle and pounded on the trunk. The two gentlemen occupying the backseat looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. Then, one of them said something to the other, leaned forward, and opened the door on his side of the limo. The surprised valet ran to assist in opening the door. As the odd-looking businessman exited the limo, he squinted at Kendall, and she recognized him.

  Oh, Lordy, this is not happening, she thought with a panic. It was Paul Fields, the CEO and brainchild of the company she worked for, Orion Premier Net Services. She’d recognize that wild-maned, unkempt man anywhere and had sat in on more than a few meetings with him at the company headquarters in Seattle. Apparently, he recognized her as well. Fortunately, she stumbled across him on one of his better-mannered days. He was known to be quite rude and dismissive of those he felt were eminently beneath him intellectually, starting and ending with employees at his own company.

  He pointed his finger at her, saying, “It’s Kendall Radcliffe in Operations, right?”

  “Uh, yes, Mr. Fields. I’m so sorry.”

  She gave a nervous laugh and continued. “You see, my luggage was accidentally put in your vehicle.”

  His eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really? Are you headed back to Seattle?”

  She peered at her watch anxiously and nodded. “Yes. My flight leaves from Dulles in a little over an hour.”

  Paul Fields appeared to be weighing his options, consulted his watch, frowned, and then blurted out, “I’ve got a charter at Dulles, if you’d like to ride with us back to Seattle.”

  Kendall felt a crimson blush spread across her face, started to sputter a polite decline, and then, realizing he was somewhat amused, suddenly threw caution to the wind and responded, “That would be perfect.” Geez, what have I gotten myself into?

  Upon locating her luggage in the trunk and depositing her laptop bag there as well, she climbed into the limo. She soon saw that the second gentleman was the company CFO and childhood friend of Fields, Glenn Carson. He was as affable as Fields was mercurial and arrogant. He seemed to take the altered plans in stride and patiently awaited the explanation as Fields re-took his seat at the back of the limo. Fields wasted no time in the explanation.

  “It would seem, Paul, that we are going to have company back to Seattle. Do you know Kendall Radcliffe from Operations?”

  He did not wait for a response but continued in a dry voice, “We almost absconded with Kendall’s luggage, and have certainly caused her to miss her flight. So the least we can do is offer her a ride back to Seattle.”

  Carson nodded, smiled, and proffered his hand to Kendall. “No, I don’t believe we’ve met. You are very fortunate, Kendall. We had a successful day on the Hill today, and therefore nothing could alter our run of luck.” He would soon be taking back those words.

  As the limo headed to Dulles International Airport, Kendall vaguely recalled hearing about Fields needing to testify before some House Committee. She was not interested in making small talk with the two men and was more than intimidated, but determined to hold her own. She just smiled and looked out the window.

  The sedan sped to the waiting Bombardier Challenger 850 aircraft parked at one of the private backside hangars at Dulles. Feeling the smooth glide of the sleek limo, Kendall felt a surge of excitement that she was given this opportunity. She was also a bit nervous about flying on a smaller aircraft than the usual crowded commercial jet filled with noisy passengers.

  As they approached the shiny executive plane and one by one made their way up the retractable stairway and into the plane, she could see that it was luxurious. Certainly a higher class of jet than she had ever seen. A smartly uniformed flight attendant met them at the top of the stairway and took their coats as they continued into the seating area of the cabin. There was a heavy smell of leather and the look of finely polished wood throughout the interior.

  Kendall hung back, waiting for direction on where to sit. The two men continued to engage in deep discussion and ignored her as they chose seats in the middle of the plane. The flight attendant raised her eyebrows, unsure where Kendall fit into the picture and not knowing how to assist her. She deliberately chose a seat several rows behind the men to give them privacy and planned to basically make herself invisible for the duration of the flight.

  Kendall was overwhelmed by the luxury all around her. She chose a seat in a cluster of four, with two seats facing her. Her seat was better than the average first class seat on a commercial jet. As she looked around in wonder, the observant flight attendant realized this was a novel experience for her and came over to point out several useful devices nearby. Kendall soon saw that her seat rotated 180 degrees, and that she had a personal LCD video screen that was larger than her window. Wow! Super cool! I may never fly commercial again. Yeah, in your dreams, sister!

  The attendant distributed their drinks, and the three passengers began to visibly settle in and relax for their cross-country trip. Carson suddenly remembered the unexpected guest and turned around to see what became of Kendall. He smiled when he caught sight of her several rows behind them and nodded.

  “Making yourself comfortable, Ms. Radcliffe?”

  She was instantly nervous again and almost dumped her drink on her lap.

  “Yes, Mr. Carson. And please call me Kendall.”

  “Okay, Kendall. And you may call me Glenn.”

  This all appeared to be a grand adventure to Kendall, and she was thrilled at her fortuitous encounter as a result of the mix-up at the hotel. She frowned when she realized that a disquieted sensation filled her body. Her stomach felt knotted and tight. What the hell’s wrong with me? I sure hope I don’t throw up!

  CHAPTER FIVE

  KENDALL TURNED WHEN SHE HEARD the sound of
several sets of footsteps coming towards her. She realized this must be the crew when she saw their matching uniforms and caps. They nodded at her as they strode past and stopped at the executives’ row. The captain, leading the way, stepped forward, introduced himself and his officers, and shook their hands.

  “Good evening, gentlemen. We’ve got a fierce headwind tonight, so relax and try to get some sleep. We’ll be off the ground in a few minutes.”

  He inclined his head toward the man furthest back and continued, “We’ve got an extra man tonight.”

  Fields frowned. He was not good with changes to his schedule and was already pissed that he had extended the offer to have Kendall accompany them. He was a man who was always reining in his temper. The picture of him taking a deep breath and trying to hold back the irritation was quite frightening to those around him, particularly the recipient of his ire. His face turned red and blotchy, and he looked like he would explode. He simply stared at the captain and raised his eyebrows. The captain gave a slight cough and croaked, “Officer Alam is training. There will be no charge for the extra personnel, Sir.”

  Fields pursed his lips and said in an even tone, “I would hope not. Let’s get going.”

  To make matters worse, the company jet was undergoing maintenance, and they had been forced to charter this jet and were unfamiliar with this plane or any of the pilots. Fields liked and trusted his regular crew and was put out that he had to suffer through these unknown quantities.

  The airplane crew made their way to the cockpit and busied themselves with the pre-flight checklist. Finally, the exit door was closed, everything loose stowed away or locked into place, and all passengers and crew belted into their respective seats.

  The plane was backed out of the hangar and began to taxi toward the runway. Looking out her window, Kendall was struck by how small they were compared to the jumbo jet that just rumbled past them. It felt like a small earthquake when the giant engines roared by. She realized that she had to look way up to glimpse the passenger windows. She grinned at the thought that she might feel tiny in this much smaller aircraft, but it more than made up for its size in quality and personal space. She re-adjusted her headrest for the hundredth time and closed her eyes. Again, the nagging feeling and foreboding threatened to send her into a panic attack. She grabbed the armrests and willed herself to calm down. I’ve really lost it this time!