We last read Chapter 62, in which Beth arrives at the majestic Pegasus Club, and meets Oliver, the butler Tristan told her she can trust. Beth spies an open study door, with people gathered around a large landscape model or diorama. She is unable to see what it depicts. She also sees the trophy case that held her costume, but it now has a black blanket draped where her costume had hung. Was her costume underneath the blanket, awaiting a grand reveal by Wheldon to his guests? She catches a brief glimpse of Conner in a side room, before Oliver leads her to her room. Oliver slips her a note from Raven Tristan, in which Tristan explains that she might not be able to help Beth as much as she had hoped during the gala, as Wheldon will have other people with her. She finds a gift from Wheldon in the room — an expensive pearl necklace. She leaves her room and heads downstairs to find the study door closed and monitored by a guard who won’t answer her questions about what is behind the door.
This is the second story, so if you want to start from the very beginning, you can jump over to book 1, and begin with the Prologue of Sapphire Angel, Superheroine. Or to start at the beginning of book 2 (this story), click over to the Prologue of Power Play.
Thanks for reading!
The front door opened, drawing Beth's attention away from the empty sitting room. A butler led the way, dressed in the same style tuxedo worn by Oliver. The bellhop brought up the rear, pulling two suitcases. A man walked between them, his swagger filling the room with his presence.
Beth did a double take, recognizing him as Mark Bishop, the senator Sapphire Angel had followed in Florida. He had been with Wheldon and MacGregor Lockheed's aide, and had slipped away when she had saved Conner. At first glance, he looked to be in his thirties, but as she looked closer, she noticed faint lines on the tan skin around his eyes, and graying of his blond hair around his temples. His casual smile added to his good looks.
He looked to the man in the rear and said, "If you be could be so kind as to take my suitcase to my room. Xavier usually puts me in one of the end rooms. I will be up shortly."
"Yes, Senator," the man said, giving a nod before struggling up the stairs with the two suitcases.
To Beth's surprise, Bishop turned and made a line directly toward her. She straightened herself and tucked her hair behind her ear. He reached her and gave a small bow.
"Hello. I'm Mark Bishop, and I'm very pleased to meet you."
Beth's heart fluttered. The man might be old enough to be her father, but he exuded charisma, and his captivating gray eyes drew her in.
"I'm... I'm Beth Harper. Nice to meet you, too."
He gave a slight nod.
"If I could be a bit forward," he said, "you are beautiful." His speech was casual yet confident, as if he were so sure of himself he didn't need to worry about how he came across.
Beth blushed, glanced to the side, and murmured, "Thank you."
He stood a few inches over six feet and looked down at her. His eyes probed her, looking right to her core and causing her to shiver. Those eyes, coupled with his confident demeanor, suggested he was accustomed to getting his way.
"I look forward to hearing all about you at the festivities tonight, Beth Harper."
"I... yes," Beth stammered, unable to come up with a reply.
"Your eyes are stunning," he said, still accessing her with his gaze.
"Thanks," she replied, as she tucked her hair behind her other ear and bit her lip. She needed to say something, instead of acting like a love-struck schoolgirl, but his presence mesmerized her.
"I am only speaking the truth," he said, giving a slight bow.
Beth forced a smile. Why couldn't she come up with something charming to say?
"I... uh, should get going," she said. "I have some things to take care of before the reception."
"Very well," he answered. "I am very glad I will have something — or someone — to look forward to." He gave her a wink, and took a quick look up and down her body, almost like he was possessing her with his eyes. He ended with another small bow and walked to the stairs.
Beth exhaled, realizing she had been holding her breath. She turned toward the rear hall, wanting to kick herself. She had looked at him the same way men looked at her, when she was Sapphire Angel. Starstruck. It was time to get a grip and remember who she was.
She continued down the hall, glancing around to make sure nobody was looking. Beth opened and peaked in several doors as she passed, finding them to be unlocked. She discovered a restroom, a meeting room, and an ornate dining room connected to a kitchen. A row of large double doors led to a giant room with a marble floor and elaborate chandeliers. This had to be the reception room. She also found a door with stairs leading down into darkness. A basement, perhaps.
She reached the end of the hallway. To her right was a closed door leading to Wheldon's private sitting area, where she had met him during her first visit. She ignored it, instead heading through the door and out onto the dock attached to the building.
As Beth stepped outside, her heels clicked on the wood surface and a breeze blew through her hair. She moved to the rail and looked out over the lake, spotting the fishermen going about their business in silence. It was tranquil back here. This would be a nice refuge, if it weren't tainted by the presence of Xavier Wheldon.
"I see you made a friend already," said a familiar voice behind her.
She gasped in surprise and spun around to find Conner standing in the open doorway.
"I didn't hear you coming," Beth said, putting a hand to her chest. "You startled me."
"Sorry," Conner replied, stepping out onto the dock. He let the door close behind him.
"When did you get here?" she asked, looking up at him and realizing how much she had missed him.
"About twenty minutes before you did," he replied. "I understand you had a nice limo drive. I had to drive myself."
"Some of us have more exquisite needs," she said with an exaggerated bat of her eyes. She paused, held his gaze, and said, "I'm glad you're here. I was worried you might not come."
"And miss the fireworks? If you're here, it means you're still trying to get to the bottom of things. I can't let you do that alone."
"I'm going to try. There's something happening here. I just need to figure out what."
She wanted to tell him about Raven Tristan, and Tristan's belief something was going down tonight, but if she mentioned Tristan, it would lead to more questions. And more lies.
"Yea, I can't explain it, but I get that feeling, too," Conner said. "Call it an investigator's sixth sense. There are some strange bedfellows coming together here tonight, based on who I've seen already."
"Who have you seen?"
"Influential people, some who share Wheldon's political views, and some who don't. And some share his views on nuclear power. Others don't. An interesting mix."
They both remained silent for several months, before Conner made a sweeping gesture with his hand, taking in the building and the grounds. "Your description of this place didn't do it justice."
Beth met his gaze and looked down.
"Conner..." she said, wringing her hands together. "I'm really sorry."
"For standing me up for breakfast, leaving me in the dark for a couple days, and then blowing me off after the meeting?"
"Yes," she said, cringing. "For all that. And for just being distant and abrupt."
Conner said nothing. When she raised her eyes, he wore an affable smile on his face.
"Don't worry about it," he said. "You've been under pressure. Let's start fresh."
"I'd like that."
Neither of them spoke for several moments.
"Beth, watch out for that guy," he said.
"Which guy?"
"Mark Bishop."
"Why?"
"He's a player. He'd like nothing more than to add you to his list of conquests."
Beth frowned. "I can take care of myself."
Conner chuckled. "I'm quite aware of that. But Mark Bishop is a powerful guy and used to getting what he wants. And probably not just in Washington."
"You wouldn't happen to know his position on nuclear power, would you?"
"I'm one step ahead of you. He's one of those I was talking about. He's opposed it at every step," Conner replied.
"Why would Wheldon have him here?"
Conner shrugged. "I'm not sure. An olive branch? Or trying to win him over?"
Beth shook her head. "He seemed like he'd been here before. He told the bellhop he usually gets an end room. Maybe he's just friends with Wheldon."
Conner considered this for a moment. "Well, I'll keep an eye on him." He leveled his gaze at her. "For more reasons than his relationship with Wheldon."
Beth blushed and looked away. "Don't worry, Conner," she murmured.
"And I'll be keeping an eye on everybody else, too," he continued, "to figure out who might be involved with Wheldon."
"Conner, did you know that President Andrews will be at the plant tomorrow morning?"
Conner's head jerked up, and he shook his head. "I'm not much of a news person. I had no idea."
"Do you think he's involved in all of this?" she asked. "Maybe everybody is waiting on him to get here and take the lead in whatever is going on? It's way too big a coincidence."
Conner gave a slow nod and took in a deep breath. "I don't believe in coincidences." His jaw was set, and his forehead was creased in thought.
Beth narrowed her eyes. "You know something, don't you?"
"Yes," he said. "I planned to tell you at our breakfast before you stood me up. I learned something from those military contacts I was waiting on. Word of mouth stuff. Xavier Wheldon and the President were in the military together, as we already know. Wheldon served in an elite squad under the President's command. Wheldon's brother was in the squad and was killed in a really bad firefight, in some top secret mission. Some feel the President left him behind to die."
Beth balled her fists at her side and nearly stomped her foot. "Why didn't you bring this up at our last meeting with Olivia and Richard, when we laid our cards on the table?"
"It didn't seem relevant at the time, because I wasn't aware the President would be here. And the part about Andrews leaving Wheldon's brother behind is just a rumor."
"You should have told me," Beth said. Could she fault him, though, for not sharing information with her? In addition to not telling him about Raven Tristan, she hadn't told him Stanley was looking into Tanner's past, to see if there might be a reason Wheldon needed him.
"It still doesn't seem relevant," Conner replied. "If the President is coming up here for the plant's ribbon cutting, there can't be bad blood between him and Wheldon, if that's what you were thinking."
"I don't know," Beth said. "Maybe the President is coming because he feels guilty. Settling the debt, in a way."
"It could just be that the deal is good for the President's nuclear agenda. The simplest answer is usually the correct one."
Beth shook her head. "That just doesn't feel right to me. You don't believe it, do you?"
Conner sighed. "No, I don't. I'll call in and see what I can find out about the President's visit."
"I presume you're calling Olivia?" Beth asked. "You could just wait and ask her about it on your next date."
Conner snorted. "It was hardly a date. She said that to get under your skin. We just got together to go over cases. I set her straight."
"I'm sure you did. She won't let you go that easy, from what I saw of her."
"Beth, you have nothing to worry about with me and Olivia. I broke up with her for good reason."
"Would it be too nosy of me to ask why?"
"Let's just say she's a bit of a control freak. With members of both sexes, I learned. It's a power thing for her. Maybe it's insecurity, going back to her weird relationship with her dad. She likes to control people if she views them as more powerful than her. But that's not my point. My point is there's no way I'd ever be with Olivia again. After you get to know someone, you sometimes learn something about them that makes it impossible to be with them."
"Oh, uh, yeah," Beth replied. Did that include learning someone was a superheroine?
"Enough about her. I know we have a job to do here, but I'm looking forward to spending time with you tonight. The cocktail hour and dinner should be fun."
"The cocktail hour... I almost forgot. What time is it right now?"
"Ten till five."
"Oh jeez," Beth replied, her head jerking up. "I have to get ready."
A smirk came over Conner's face. "Taking some time to make yourself beautiful for me?"
Beth smirked back at him, but was glad to see he was getting back to being himself. "Exactly," she said.
"See you in a bit then," he said. Beth gave him a smile, turned, and headed back inside. As she felt Conner's eyes on her, his words echoed in her head. After you get to know someone, you sometimes learn something about them that makes it impossible to be with them.
This is the second story, so if you want to start from the very beginning, you can jump over to book 1, and begin with the Prologue of Sapphire Angel, Superheroine. Or to start at the beginning of book 2 (this story), click over to the Prologue of Power Play.
Thanks for reading!
I appreciate any comments or email.
Wonder how Beth’s going to look after getting ready. And glad to see that Conner also feels off about Olivia; I doubt anyone wouldn’t, to be honest.
Still don’t have quite as good of a reading of the situation between the President, Wheldon, and Wheldon’s brother as I would’ve liked. I will say this, though; if I served in a regiment under the President and he left my sibling to die, I’d feel pretty agitated too. …..Maybe this is an assassination attempt on the President? Oh, no……that’s WORSE than nuking the planet! And there’s still the matter of that study that the guard was watching……
Saving the President would be a very impressive bullet point on Sapphire’s record…..at any rate, let’s keep going!