"Lucky me," he murmured, slipping an arm around her as he sipped his own drink.
"You make such a cute couple," Maggie commented with a pleased little sigh.
"Maggie, love?"
All three of them glanced up the hall as a man poked his head around the door, a small frown on his face.
"Do we have any more club soda? I can't—"
"I'll find it," Maggie called out, interrupting him and then said, "Lou, this is Nick's friend, Jill. Jill, my husband Lou."
"Hello," Jill greeted him with a smile.
"Hi Jill," Lou grinned, then gave Nick a thumbs up. "Nice one."
Maggie shook her head as he disappeared back into the room, then smiled at Nick and Jill. "You two should join the party. I'll catch up with you later."
"Thanks for the warning," Nick teased.
"Ha ha," Maggie muttered as she walked away and then paused and turned back to say, "Oh, I almost forgot, some of the parade people beat you here. Most are in the back room, though there was one fellow hanging out in the front room watching for you."
Nick frowned at this news. "Watching for me?"
"No. It was Jill he asked about."
Jill was aware of Nick stiffening next to her even as ice slid down her back.
"What did he look like?" Nick asked, dread in his voice.
"About your height and build, dark hair. Intense eyes and a bit cold," Maggie answered, frowning now as well. "He followed a group of parade people in. I thought he was with them, but they're all hanging around together and he's sticking to himself… Is there a problem?"
Nick's gaze locked with Jill's but he shook his head. "No, I'm sure it's fine."
"Maggie? Lou sent me to ask if you have any ginger ale?"
All three of them glanced up the hall to see another male peering around the door frame. He looked like an older version of Nick and Jill knew at once that this must be his brother, Mac, the police officer. The way his gaze was moving over her rather than focusing on Maggie made her suspect Lou had mentioned her presence and he'd come for a look see at "Nick's friend."
"Mac, Jill. Jill, our brother Mac," Maggie announced, telling her she'd been right. She then continued up the hall saying, "I'll find the ginger ale and club soda." At the door she paused and glanced back to add, "I'll catch up to you two later."
Jill waited until the pair were out of sight before turning anxiously to Nick. "You don't think the guest waiting for me is John Heathcliffe, do you?"
"I don't know," Nick said with a frown. "I suppose he could have overheard the others talking about the party while he was in the parking lot, and then followed a group of them here and entered on their heels."
Jill bit her lip at the prospect. She'd just begun to feel safe again.
"Look," Nick said suddenly. "I think you should wait in the library while I walk through the house and check out the guests. If he's here, we'll leave before he knows you've arrived. If not, we can relax and enjoy the party. Okay?"
When Jill nodded, he urged her to a pair of double doors and ushered her inside.
"You can use the phone to try to call your brother while I'm gone. I'll be quick," he assured her as he pulled the door closed.
Turning away, Jill moved to the telephone on the desk and quickly punched in her brother's number. She wasn't surprised when the answering machine picked up again, and almost hung up, but then changed her mind and said, "Kyle, where are you? I need to talk to you. It's really important. I'll call again."
She hung up, shoulders sagging and head dropping unhappily to her chest. This was the best and worst day of her life. As much good was happening as bad, but all together it was exhausting and beginning to wear on her.
The sound of the door opening made her straighten abruptly. Jill didn't want Nick seeing her looking as defeated as she felt. Taking a breath, she forced a smile and turned, only to freeze when she saw John Heathcliffe moving quickly toward her.
Eyes widening, Jill swiftly shifted around the desk, placing it between them. "Leave me alone. I'm not going with you."
"Of course you are." John started around the desk toward her.
"No she's not," Nick countered from the doorway. His mouth tightened at John's surprised expression and he said, "I saw you slipping in here. What happened? You saw us arrive and what?… Hid in the coat closet to wait until Jill was on her own?"
Ignoring the question, John continued around the desk. "Don't interfere. I'm taking her with me."
"The hell you are!" Nick rushed forward, catching John's wrist before he could touch Jill. He then swung at him with his other hand balled into a fist, but the scientist grabbed his wrist before he could land the blow and the two men began to struggle. They were about the same size, and apparently equal in strength because at first they simply crashed first one way then the other, neither of them able to pull free or land a blow, but then John suddenly released the hold he had on Nick's wrist and reached into his pocket.