"Well," Paul said, and cleared his throat. "It's obvious that until the instigator is found, Tanya is not safe. Whoever it is, he or she may still be active."
Kevin raised one eyebrow. "And so…?"
"We just received information on the death of Tanya's parents. It was no accident. The technical report speaks of explosive aboard their plane."
Tanya gasped, drawing in a deep breath and holding it. She stared, wide-eyed, at Paul and shivered.
Kevin gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"Whoever killed Tanya's parents may be very close to the people who want Tanya dead now," Paul said, staring intently into Kevin's eyes. "That's what we believe. That's why we want Tanya properly protected."
Kevin frowned. "It certainly took your company a long time to dig out facts about Tanya's past, facts that shouldn't have been too hard to find. You've been at it for six months!" Kevin paused, his breathing rapid. "However, no one knows that Tanya is here. You know of this cottage because you had gathered information on me before-when Tanya left for the Riviera, I mean."
"That is true…but both Malcolm and I feel that Tanya should be in a safer place."
For a few moments, there was silence, then the silence was broken by the sound of a car approaching the cottage.
Paul jumped to his feet. "Stay here," he said and darted to the front of the house.
Joe Halliday opened the door of his car and stepped out.
"Joe!" Paul said with a sigh of relief. "Malcolm sent you, too? Might be a good idea. I'm having a really rough time trying to get Tanya out of here."
"Malcolm thought you might need some reinforcement," Joe said softly.
A few hours later, Joe, Paul, Kevin and Tanya were seated before the fireplace inside the cottage. Kevin went outside to fetch some wood, then cleaned the ashes from the fireplace and lit a fire. He cradled Tanya in his velour jacket and rubbed her shoulders.
"You'll be warm in no time flat," he said smiling at her. He sat beside her on the sheepskin rug, their backs to the flames.
"I have a suggestion," Joe said. "Why don't we all sleep here tonight? Then Tanya can leave with us in the morning… That will give the two of you a few extra hours together. I don't think the situation is too dangerous for Tanya, not with three men inside the house."