Free Dead Wrong by William X. Kienzle Page B

accusation—that the rumors are true.
    Koesler was puzzled. He had seen for himself that Brenda had offered no defense, no denial, this evening. It couldn’t be because she was slow; on the contrary, Koesler was well aware that, if anything, she was extremely bright, imaginative, and witty. He’d had occasion in the past to trade barbs with her, and she always gave as well as she received. Nothing in his experience with Brenda would have foretokened this evening’s defensive behavior.
    She had not denied or disputed Mary Lou’s insults, but had absorbed them without challenge.
    So, what if the rumors were true? What if she and Ted Nash actually were having an affair?
    Koesler’s brow furrowed. There’d been plenty of opportunity for Brenda to consult with him. She worked downtown; so, in effect, did he. She was mobile. Such mass transit as existed in the metro area was, at best, undependable and inconvenient, so Brenda drove to work Monday through Friday. It would have been simple for her to hop in her car and visit him here at St. Joe’s. She could have done it during her lunchtime or after work. She knew he would be especially available to her. And she knew him well enough to know that he would be open and not judgmental.
    She had made no attempt whatsoever to consult him.
    Koesler had his own way of dealing with that sort of attitude. Hands off. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, and all that sort of thing.
    But this was different. The way this family relationship had developed, Brenda might just as well have been a blood relative. He cared for her—and for Mary Lou too, for that matter—the way he would for a real cousin.
    Particularly now, as he reflected on his closeness to Brenda, he began to worry about her.
    Charlie Nash made it clear that Nash Enterprises, this impressive company he had built from the bottom up, was precious to him. Perhaps more precious than anything else on earth. On earth or in heaven.
    Now that he was reconsidering it, he thought that Nash’s appeal that Koesler convince his cousin to break off the affair was by far the most considerate, humane solution Nash was going to offer.
    After that might come who knew what.
    On the strength of his one meeting with Nash, Koesler had come to believe the man would stop at nothing to preserve his baby. If that meant that Brenda would have to be physically removed, so be it.
    Brenda murdered? It was a possibility. Did Brenda understand that? How would she react if she did know her life might be in danger?
    It was next to impossible to know. But Koesler’s best guess was that Brenda would rise to the challenge. She was not the type who would be intimidated.
    Koesler began to put the whole thing together. He would have to get involved. He would not be able to live with himself otherwise. If something were to happen to Brenda, it would at least partially be his fault. He was convinced of that.
    But what to do?
    Getting through to Brenda would be like walking through a brick wall. And how much time did he have? No one could tell. Yet the very fact he had been summoned to Nash’s apartment, as well as the urgency in the older man’s voice, indicated time was definitely a factor.
    It would be difficult, then, to try to convince Brenda of the seriousness of this threat. It was unlikely that she would respond to his argument unless he had the luxury of time to explain perhaps repeatedly and in great detail with ever more convincing logic.
    If he could not move Brenda in what might be the allotted time, what else might he do?
    How about Ted Nash?
    Koesler had to assume that Nash had tried to get through to his son, probably very forcefully. If that were indeed the case, the confrontation between father and son would already have occurred, probably shortly before Nash had contacted Koesler.
    Why hadn’t Nash proposed that Koesler try to convince Teddy rather than Brenda? Because Charlie figured that Koesler would have better luck with his