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‘Without a note we can’t know that for sure,’ she said hotly. ‘They might be intended to destroy my character in your father’s eyes—make me seem like a danger to his family and thus wreck any chance of anyone associated with me ever getting any business from KR.’
‘And who would benefit most from that?’
‘Directly? Well, the other security companies who are making competitive bids, I suppose.’
‘And are they really likely to use that kind of dirty trick against one of their own, at considerable risk to their own reputations?’ he asked. ‘A thing like that could boomerang and be as much a threat to themselves as to you.’
Put like that it sounded highly unlikely. Rachel had been so certain of Matthew’s guilt that she hadn’t bothered to ponder any solid alternatives.
‘Well, how many enemies do you have?’ she challenged.
He shrugged. ‘Since Dad has started telling people I’m thinking of standing for local body elections all sorts of cranks have come out of the woodwork. In my opinion anyone who isn’t a friend is potentially an enemy.’
She was appalled by such cynicism. ‘Why leave out your friends?’ she said cattily.
He laughed, and picked up the envelope and his beer. ‘Because they’re such a rare and precious breed. The only way to have a friend is to be one. Prosperity has plenty of glittering acquaintances—real friendship sticks around for trouble…like now…’
She faced him, arms akimbo. ‘I’m not your friend. I’m only here because you didn’t give me any choice.’
‘A friend in need is a friend indeed—we’re both in this together, Rachel, whether you like it or not. Come on, we have some homework to do…’
To Rachel’s embarrassment, “homework” consisted of comparing memories with Matthew, who lay on his stomach on the bare floor in a patch of sunlight minutely examining the latest photographs, which he proclaimed as identical to the first three.
‘So, we could conclude that there probably are no more—the photographer just managed to get these few shots, not a whole roll of film—otherwise why wouldn’t he have sent pictures progressively more explicit and therefore threatening—’
‘Because it didn’t get any more explicit!’ Rachel proclaimed, from her lofty perch on the couch.
He rolled on his side and propped his head on his hand. ‘Didn’t it?’
She looked suspiciously down into his narrow handsome face. ‘Don’t you know?’
‘I told you.’ He grinned. ‘My recollection gets a bit hazy after the bondage bit…My doctor said you told him I was delirious.’
She took a gulp of her water. ‘There was no bondage! I temporarily restrained you—gently—when you tried to pull down my dress—’
‘After you had undressed me…’
‘Your clothes were wet and you wouldn’t take them off for yourself. Your doctor said I did the right thing.’
‘So we didn’t make love?’ he asked wistfully.
All this time he had thought they might have been lovers?
‘No! What kind of woman do you think I am? No, don’t answer that,’ she said hastily as he opened his mouth. ‘Believe me, Matthew—nothing happened.’
‘But we wanted it to…I seem to remember—’
‘That you were confused—you had a fever,’ she reminded him.
‘Mmm, you look as if you were pretty hot yourself,’ he murmured, returning to his study.
Rachel felt that way now. ‘Matthew—’
‘Matt.’
She gritted her teeth. ‘Is it necessary to use a magnifying glass?’
‘How closely did you look at the photos I sent you?’
