“Your protection is understood.” Sutherland’s face flushed at the intimation. “The Brotherhood respects a woman’s sanctity outside of marriage. It is completely disrespectful of you to imply otherwise.”
Voice even, Rachel replied, “No more disrespectful, Colonel Sutherland, than your earlier insinuation to me.”
His jaw tight, Sutherland rose, indicating that she was dismissed. “The soldier outside the door will take you to your room.”
As she exited the office, Rachel had the distinct impression that he wished he could dismiss her from the compound as easily.
The large richly furnished room she was shown to looked out over the front lawn. Her luggage was already there, stacked in a neat pile. She thanked the young soldier who’d accompanied her upstairs, and waited for the door to close behind him. The smile abruptly faded from her lips as she turned back toward her luggage. The first order of business was to check the security in her bedroom. It wouldn’t be the first time a genial host had provided her with a room complete with hidden cameras or bugs.
She went to the largest of her suitcases and lifted it on her bed. Opening it, she removed a small CD player, set it on the bedside table, and turned it on. Unhooking the small remote attached, she tossed it, with seeming nonchalance, next to the suitcase. Then she went about unpacking, keeping a close eye on the small piece of equipment. The fake remote, in fact, housed delicate sensors that would detect any recording equipment in the nearby vicinity. By the time she’d finished her unpacking, there was no discreet telltale light winking from the remote. The room was free of security devices.
She quickly finished the unpacking. Checking her watch, she decided there was time to explore the upstairs before changing for dinner. She wanted to get a thorough map of the compound fixed in her head, and she’d begin with the house.
Palming the phony remote, she opened the bedroom door, then stopped short. The young soldier who’d escorted her upstairs was standing outside her room, leaning against the wall. He quickly straightened when he saw her.
Rachel smiled, a quick mask for her disappointment. “May I help you?”
Her words, or perhaps her sudden reappearance, seemed to have taken the young man by surprise. “No, ma’am.” Standing at attention, he fixed his gaze squarely over her left shoulder. “Colonel Sutherland requested that I stay here in case you need anything.”
She hid her dismay behind a regal nod. “How thoughtful of him. And of you. Perhaps you can tell me when dinner will be served.”
“Dinner?” The soldier’s face went blank. “The men eat at six in the mess hall.”
“And does General Carpenter join you there?”
“No, ma’am. Not usually.” Silence stretched, until comprehension dawned. “You’ll be eating with the general, ma’am. In the dining room downstairs.”
“And what time would that be?”
He finally looked straight at her, his expression confused. “I couldn’t say, ma’am.”
The smile she bestowed on him was dazzling. “Would you please find out for me? I don’t think either one of us want to be responsible for keeping the general from his dinner this evening.”
He looked torn for a moment, but her final sentence appeared to decide him. “I’ll do that and be right back.”
“Thank you.” Rachel waited until the sounds of his retreat receded before opening the door wider and walking into the hall. She’d have to make her search quick.
She was not surprised to find that the door closest to her own was locked. She’d already discovered that her bathroom adjoined to what she could only surmise was another bedroom. The adjoining door had been locked, as well. It would be logical to assume that Carpenter had the suite next to hers. The knowledge had her nerves prickling. There was no doubt that their proximity would grant her easy access to search his quarters. It was the access the proximity granted him that lent to her unease.
Continuing down the hallway, she swiftly inspected the rest of the space upstairs. There appeared to be eight bedrooms in all, and none of the rest were occupied. Other than the locks in Carpenter’s room, no other security devices were evident. Apparently the man was confident that the security at his front gate was sufficient to keep out unwanted guests.
She mentally took note of the number of windows and their distance to the ground. She would be most comfortable if she could plan at least three different escape routes from various regions in the house. But she’d need closer observation to measure exact drops and distances.
Returning to her room, Rachel entered the bathroom and picked up the hairbrush she’d set on the counter. Grasping it in both hands, she gave it a twist, and the brush separated at a barely visible seam. She reached inside the hollow handle and withdrew a slender wire. Without hesitation she went to the adjoining door and fell to her knees, wielding the flexible wire on the lock. Within seconds she had the door open and started on the one which would open to Carpenter’s room. She gave a mental tsk of disapproval when it opened just as easily. A man in Carpenter’s position should really be more careful.
She swung the door open and surveyed the rich furnishings, the desk strewn with paperwork. When her remote signaled the room was clean, she did a quick walk through. Another doorway in the room proved to be a large walk-in closet, and a third would lead to the hallway.
She strode to the middle of the room, turning slowly, her gaze sweeping the area. Something nagged at the edge of her consciousness. Her brow furrowed for a moment, then she mentally estimated the square footage of the area. It was a good size. But the next door down the hallway from this one had seemed farther away than this space would warrant.
Observing the room again, Rachel’s gaze finally fixed on the paneled wall behind Carpenter’s bed. Crossing the room to examine it more carefully, she found what she was looking for in the far corner—an almost invisible rectangular crack in the inlaid wood. Carpenter had built himself a secret room.
Again she was forced to revise her opinion of him. Clearly it would be a mistake to underestimate this man. Paranoia and a need for secrecy drove the leaders of these groups. Carpenter would be no different.
Rocking back on her heels a little, she eyed the paneled wall speculatively. There was no knob, no lock in sight. Most likely there was a spring mechanism hidden in the wood itself that would release the door. It would be complicated to break in, but not impossible. Rachel didn’t believe in impossible.
Her interest was piqued, but further exploration would have to wait for another day. The sound of voices drifted over to her.
“Next time you disobey a direct order, I won’t be so lenient.” The words were faint, but unmistakable. “You were told to stay at your post.”
Sutherland. Cursing mentally, Rachel hurried toward Carpenter’s bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. There was no longer any question in her mind that the colonel had set the young man outside her door to watch her.
She closed and locked her own bathroom door. With a quick adjustment of the shower, she had the water pounding down, drowning out the voices she’d heard. She slipped the remote into a pocket of the terrycloth robe she’d hung on the back of the door, kicked off her shoes and shed her pantyhose. She stepped under the spray fully clothed, then got out again. Wrapping the robe around her, she wrenched open the door and started into the bedroom, her hair dripping.
“Colonel Sutherland!” The shock in her voice wasn’t totally feigned. She’d expected him to be pounding on her door, not standing halfway into her bedroom. The young man who had accompanied him was waiting outside the open door in the hallway, his eyes wide at the scene unfolding before him. Righteous indignation dripped from her every word. “What possible excuse could you have for barging into my private quarters?”
The