The Heart of the Jungle, стр. 20
"So what happened?" Chris asked, leaning in with interest.
Jason looked away. "I wasn't cut out for it." There was a brittle edge to his voice that hadn't been there before.
Chris pulled back, completely stunned by the change in Jason's demeanor. He'd obviously crossed into dangerous territory. He was instantly apologetic. God knew he understood the inclination to avoid intensely personal revelations. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."
Jason's expression softened as he realized how inappropriate his sudden defensiveness had been. "It's okay, it's just...." He seemed to struggle with how to articulate his thoughts. "Just bad memories."
Chris reached out and lightly touched his hand. "I have a few of those myself," he said.
Their eyes met and held. The casual touch was nothing more than one human reaching out to comfort another, yet something indefinable passed from fingertip to flesh in the brief moment of contact. There was a compelling chemistry at work, something that could be felt but not readily described. It was intriguing, if a little alarming.
The sound of the sliding partition broke the connection, and they became immediately self-conscious. Chris stared fixedly into his tea, as though trying to divine his future in the murky depths. Jason focused his attention on Hiroko, though he seemed to be having some difficulty concentrating on her presence.
Hiroko was sensitive enough to notice that she had interrupted a private moment, and she took their orders quickly and rushed away, her eyes begging forgiveness for the intrusion. Jason watched her go and turned his gaze back to Chris.
When their eyes met again, the mood had shifted. "I've been wracking my brain," Chris said.
"Oh? Over what?"
"Michael. I can't think of any reason he would want to fake his death. He could have left at any time."
"That's the big mystery."
"I've been working this over in my mind since I heard the tape in your office, and I might have a suggestion."
Jason raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Let's hear it."
"What if...." Chris had to swallow hard. The idea was so horrific to him that he had trouble articulating it. "What if they wanted me to kill myself? I have a history." His eyes unconsciously sought out his wrists.
"Make things bad enough, push the right buttons... doesn't really get much worse than this, does it?"
"Do you have any idea why he would have wanted that?"
"Maybe to get me out of the way so they could blackmail George?"
"Interesting theory," Jason said, nodding slowly.
"I'm not a rich man. I don't have any assets of significance. They wouldn't have anything to gain by handing a ransom demand to me. Besides, Michael would have known I would take it straight to the police. George, on the other hand... if he had something to lose, his firm's reputation, for example, and I wasn't in the picture, well, that would probably compel him to pay whatever they asked for."
"You sure you haven't done this before?"
Chris shook his head and frowned. "I don't know. It doesn't explain why I needed to kill myself. This guy Brunner, if he's the criminal you say he is... seems like there are easier ways to off me than waiting around for me to do it myself. The more I think about it... it just seems too elaborate. There has to be something else, something we're missing."
"You underestimate yourself. For someone who doesn't claim to know much about Brunner, your theory is as good as anything I could come up with," Jason said. "He's known for particularly elaborate schemes."
"How much money would they have made from selling her?" Chris tried, thinking of another angle. His voice trembled at the thought of it.
Jason considered. "A couple hundred thousand, maybe."
"That's all?"
"Obviously that theory is out. I like the ransom demand of MacQuery better. Sounds more like Brunner's style. George could afford to drop a couple million without batting an eye."
"I only met Brunner once or twice," Chris mused. "I didn't really like him. He seemed like a snob. Made me feel like a bumpkin."
"He's probably one of the most conniving criminals I've ever met. He's crafty. He's power hungry and well-connected. That makes him dangerous."
"Brianna was the only thing that really mattered to me." Chris tried to blink back the tears that brimmed in his eyes. He was unwilling to make such a show of weakness again.
"If she's alive, I promise you we'll get her back. We'll make Brunner and Michael answer for what they've done."
Chris blinked rapidly. The embarrassing tears would not relent. In response, Jason reached out. He placed his hand atop Chris's. Chris looked into his eyes and then quickly looked away. Something in Jason's stare alarmed him. Maybe he was just imagining it.
But no, when he looked back, the intensity remained. Jason's gaze had taken on a new magnetism. The scrutiny was similar to but more genuine than the affected flirtation Chris had endured during their first meeting. Although it had been a very long time since anyone had looked at him in just that way, Chris knew instantly what it meant---at least subconsciously. His hands trembled, and butterflies arose in his stomach.
His body was automatically responding to the mysterious transformation of posture and expression that had come over Jason. Although he willed his hand to move, it seemed to be melted directly into Jason's warm flesh.
Heat flared in his cheeks. He was certain they had become flushed.
Summoning all of the strength of will he had, he averted his eyes and pulled his hand away, though he was positive it was the most difficult thing he'd ever had to do. Confused and utterly betrayed by the treachery of his automatic responses to Jason's charisma, he couldn't force himself to look back for several minutes. How could this be happening? As much as his body might want to act upon the strange ideas that were forming in his mind, he could never follow those impulses. This vague desire was