The Fool Ch. 03

A tall figure stepped from a car as they approached the house; Jordan recognised him immediately and turned to look at Carrie. She, however, kept her eyes on the tall figure, and he noted a strange expression cross over her face. He considered why Sinclair would be here instead of calling to check on them after the incident this afternoon.

"Sinclair?" she asked as if unsure.

"Hi," he said easily. "I just came to make sure everything was alright after today." He seemed to focus his attention on Jordan, practically ignoring Carrie as he spoke. "I'm glad you called me. Your sister seems to have a knack for finding trouble. It's nice to know someone is looking out for her when I am not around."

Carrie scowled at him and opened her mouth to argue before remembering they were on the street. He spoke as if Carrie was a normal young woman who needed looking after rather than a strong independent woman who could look after herself better than either of these men could hope to, and she was more than ready to prove him wrong.

"Oh yeah, she's such a delicate flower, I constantly have to pick up the pieces when things fall apart," Jordan said with a perfectly straight face. "It's good to have someone else to share the load. Thanks for today, man, I appreciate it. I'm still not sure what was going on, or why you sent your assistant to get me."

"I thought you might have some questions about that. Do you mind if we talk inside?" Sinclair looked at the front door of the semi-detached house. He could see Carrie bristle at his dismissal of her and smiled inwardly. When Jordan turned toward the house, he reached out to place his hand on the back of her neck, curling his fingers slightly as they walked in knowing this controlling contact would make her realise that his dominance in their relationship carried further than just their time alone at his hotel. Carrie led him to the sitting room as Jordan disappeared deeper into the house.

Sinclair took a seat in the living room and was pleased when he was able to guide Carrie to sit beside him without argument. He enjoyed the small amount of control she allowed him now, and he had no doubt that she tolerated it rather than allowed it happily. Even so, he enjoyed it almost as much as the battles they had when he had to re-enforce his dominance in their relationship. He wondered if Miles actions today had rattled her more than he thought when she hadn't argued with him or shrugged his hand off as they walked in. She said nothing as they took their seat, and he didn't break the silence as they waited a few minutes for Jordan to join them.

He watched Jordan carefully when he came into the living room. He noticed Jordan was looking at Carrie with an odd expression as he sat with them. He was sure if something was amiss in his inspection of the house he would have been further delayed in his return, so he considered other reasons for the odd look and turned toward Carrie to see if she reacted in any way to his expression. Finding nothing on Carrie's passive face, he continued with why he had come.

"Questions?" Sinclair prompted Jordan.

"Why did you send your assistant and the burn phone?" Jordan asked.

"I'm going to treat you with the respect due to a child of Robyn Ward and stop pretending that I don't know exactly who and what you and your sister are," Sinclair began. "Your sister was the only one seen close enough to the theft Miles experienced to be a suspect, and I am sure you have done enough investigating of your own to know what sort of man Miles Rackham is when he has lost something he values highly. So, if you stop playing at being clueless, I'll stop treating you like a moron."

"That's fair," Jordan responded. His eyes flickered to Carrie, who remained passively sitting beside Sinclair, and back to the man again. "So, he thinks Carrie stole his pistol and tried to scare me into giving him proof of her guilt?"

"Miles is suspicious of everyone, including me. I have a certain reputation, and I was also in that part of the house on the night of the theft," Sinclair admitted. "Shortly after the theft I began a relationship with his prime suspect, I imagine his point today was to scare me into revealing myself and my feelings for your sister," Sinclair put another point of view to both Jordan and Carrie who didn't react to his admission of having feelings for her. "I have no doubt that he has tapped my phone and has people watching me."

"How do you know he hasn't tapped our phones or bugged our house?" Jordan asked sceptically. "You're being pretty open about your associate's motives for what happened today. Are you saying it wasn't just a simple misunderstanding?"

"I thought we agreed that you weren't going to act clueless?" Sinclair asked, his frustration with the young man clear in his voice.

"Okay, let's just put our cards on the table, shall we," Carrie seemed to break out of her stupor. "We didn't steal the pistol, I am not the Fool, but we are good enough at what we do to know Miles is not a man to be taken lightly. Jordan did a sweep of the first floor when we came home to make sure we weren't being bugged. I am sure you realised that, which is why you spoke so openly." She rolled her eyes at both men and took a deep breath.

Both men stared at her as if she had grown two heads, each for a different reason. Carrie stood and moved away from Sinclair's side, positioning herself at a point to the right of the room midway between the two of them.

"There was no threat from Miles today, and you both over-reacted giving him exactly what he wanted. He now believes I'm the Fool and will dog my every step. It won't matter if he does, because I'm not the Fool, and he won't find anything incriminating here. It will put a big dent in the side of our business, however," she said, her anger at the situation evident. "We aren't going to get anything else done here now, so we may as well pack it in and go home." She spoke to Jordan and turned her head to look sadly at Sinclair. "Better for you if we don't see each other anymore. It's been fun, but after today it's pretty pointless for both of us and our businesses, don't you think?"

"No. I don't think. In fact, I don't agree with that at all," Sinclair said, a slight hint of surprise in his voice.

"I think she's right. We're in over our heads. The work we do is with legitimate contracts, on the whole, we can't counter the effect you, Miles and your associates will have on our business if this keeps up. At home, we have friends and contacts that will help us. If we stay here those resources are limited," Jordan said, nodding to himself as if working through the options in his mind.

"If you run now Miles will just assume you're guilty and follow you," Sinclair tried to reason with them.

"So, we wait a few weeks and go then. I can put in for a transfer with work, and that will give us a legitimate reason to move back home," Jordan said confidently, the idea of taking Carrie home and away from this man appealing to him immensely.

"For you maybe, your sister is a different matter entirely," Sinclair said, not taking his eyes from Carrie. "He's been watching me; he knows how much time we've spent together and that the relationship is real. Today's events only confirmed that to him. He believes I have become too close to her to be objective about her guilt or innocence. To end the relationship after today's events would reek of subterfuge. You wouldn't make it to through the airport without being picked up by the authorities on a charge of some description. Besides, I don't want what we have to end just yet, and I can't believe you do either," he addressed Carrie directly.

"I agree that Rackham may have been targeting you, but the question I have now is why does he care if we have a relationship? If I am his main suspect, surely having a friend in a relationship with me would be to his advantage, or does he think we did it together?" Carrie asked.

"He believes I may be being compromised by my feelings for you," he said, watching her carefully as for a second time he purposely admitted to having feelings for her.

"Compromised, how? Have you been investigating me this whole time?" She accused.

"Hazard of the trade, as you know. I'm sure you investigated me too," he shrugged as if it wasn't of any importance.

"For Miles?" she bit back not denying what he said. "Have you been working for Miles this whole time? Did you start a relationship with me because of your investigation for him?"

"If the Fool runs according to schedule, I'm next on the list. I was working for me," Sinclair said easily. "It just happened that my investigation matched with his needs. Now he thinks that I've lost my mind and gotten too involved with a suspect." He smirked at her. "I'm not so sure I haven't."

Carrie studied him silently. Each time she saw it, she wished she could wipe that smirk off his face. She was saved from giving vent to her anger, however, by Jordan interrupting their conversation.

"You wouldn't be the only one," Jordan said, scathingly looking from Sinclair to Carrie meaningfully. "She's right, probably better if the relationship ends tonight."

"For what reason? We haven't argued. The incident today was you being paranoid about terrorists and then worrying that Miles was involved, as far as the authorities are concerned. If anything, she should be grateful that I came to yours and her rescue, as should you," Sinclair said speculatively. "If you're as innocent as you claim, why would you move back to Australia? Why would Carrie need to break up with me?" he looked directly at Jordan, "It was me who went to find Carrie when you couldn't. You asked me for help, remember. Why would you show that amount of trust in me and then recommend your sister and I break up?"

"You and Carrie are used to all this bullshit, not me. I'm just an assistant, like Debbie, so talking in circles won't make me change my mind. As far as I can see, Miles is a dangerous man who thinks Carrie stole from him. That's enough reason for me to want to get her away from here and all of this drama," Jordan said, realising that Sinclair was baiting him. "Thanks for your help today, but if it were up to me, we'd be on a plane tomorrow."

"Then maybe you should go home to Australia, Jordan. From where I stand, you're a liability to Carrie at the moment. Her weak spot, if, as you say, you're just an assistant," Sinclair said. "Go for a holiday, clear your head. Carrie can move in with me, and I'll help her out with the business. No one would blame you for wanting some time to yourself after your reaction to the incident today."

"Wait, what?" Carrie gasped incredulously. This was the goal, of course, to steal his heart and then the Heart of the Heartless, but she felt like the tables had been turned on her, and she wasn't sure she could handle the loss of Jordan's constant presence in her life. "You want me to move in with you?" She asked in a calmer tone of voice.

"It makes sense for a number of reasons," Sinclair shrugged.

"I'm not leaving her here alone with you and your cronies while I go home for a break," Jordon said belligerently, as if ready to fight Sinclair about this.

"What reasons?" Carrie asked, still in shock that he was suggesting that she move in with him so soon, especially after it took baiting him into the fight at Diego's just to start the relationship.

"Just like Miles, a few of my associates and I are not so sure you're as innocent as you claim. I can protect you from them and give you the chance to prove your innocence at the same time if you are with me, as more than just a casual girlfriend. If you're not as innocent as you claim you would be in the perfect position to take what you wanted from me," he said, watching them both carefully, made difficult by the distance Carrie had put between them. "My home, the place that I live, is not here in a hotel, as I'm sure you are aware. I'm sure, with the promise of an exhibition next year, the museum will allow you to work from my homes in a curator capacity."

"You're asking me to live with you on Treasure Island and curate your collection so the museum could have an exhibition," Carrie said slowly, as if not believing what he was offering her.

"That's what you wanted, isn't it? The fact that we are lovers makes the proposition work better for me now than it did when we first discussed the idea of an exhibition," Sinclair said, casually noting the stiff reaction of Jordan as he called them lovers. For a man who was publicly gay, Jordan seemed jealous of the relationship he had with his sister. "The exhibit could run over March and April next year," he added.

"You'd be playing right into the Fool's hands if you did that," she said, and realised that was his point. Was he testing her?

"Not necessarily. We both have skills and can ensure my treasure's safety, don't you think?" Sinclair asked as he stood and moved toward Carrie. He reached out and pulled her tightly against him. He kissed her tenderly, slowly deepening the kiss, and felt her give up her sense of control and melt against him. "We could be good together in business as well as pleasure," he murmured. "I'll give you tonight to think about it."

He released her abruptly and turned toward Jordan, noting the expression on his face. "You know I'm right. She would be far safer with me at this point, and you would be safer out of London." He turned to leave. "Dinner tomorrow at my hotel, say... eight?" He asked. It seemed more of a command than a question, and he left without waiting for a response.

*****

"Look, Jordan, we argued about this last night, and you know this is what we have to do. Why are you acting like this?" Carrie sighed and stopped before accusing him of being jealous. The argument they'd had after Sinclair left last night had gone down that line of accusation and gotten out of hand quickly so that they had barely talked about what was happening before she went to her room, slamming the door on him. "We knew this would happen. Even in our plan we would have to split up for a while this year. We'll skype all the time; we'll make it a condition of me moving in with him. You can do far more for us in setting up a base at home where you have more resources and friends to call on."

"We've always been able to keep the Hats at a distance, up until now. It's not just Miles who will be watching you now, and I can't shake the feeling that being this close to Sinclair and his cronies is doomed to failure, and I won't be close enough to help you when you need it," Jordan scowled.

"I can look after myself. I feel like you and Sinclair have forgotten why I am the prime suspect in the first place. Do I need to remind you just how well I can look after myself?" she asked with an edge to her voice.

"No," he said grudgingly. "But I've been there with you through all of the planning and enacting of each heist. It feels wrong to be changing that now. I know this was always in the plan, but I just want you to know that I don't have a good feeling about it."

"We knew once I let Sinclair see me at Rackham's party that everything would change. Robyn prepared us for this, she knew what was needed, and you have to have faith in that. Everything has worked perfectly up until this point, Jordy. Now you have to trust me, just like I am trusting you to keep doing what needs to be done by the time the exhibition opens." Carrie was feeling nervous about their forced separation as well, but this was what she had worked towards for almost a decade, she couldn't start second guessing everything now. She had known that to get close the final prize she would have to get close to its owner, and this was working perfectly. Possibly too perfectly, she admitted silently to herself.

"I do trust you, it's Sinclair I have doubts about," Jordan said, looking up from where he sat on the end of her bed as she got ready for the dinner. "He seems to be the one in control here, like he knows what our next move will be and pre-empting it. He's giving you everything you were wanting without having to work for it at all. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Given his reputation and profession, I'd be surprised if he didn't try to pre-empt the Fool. What we have to do now is continue acting innocent until he believes us. Let him be in control," Carrie shivered involuntarily knowing just how in control Sinclair liked to be. She turned to look at Jordan thoughtfully.

"If a gig comes up in our business, take it, and he can help us, just like he said he would. We'll let him into our lives and do nothing about the Heart until the New Year," she said, thinking as she spoke. "What better way to prove our innocence than letting him fully into our lives, especially over the holidays. After that, we will have three months to ensure our plan is back on track and running perfectly."

"I guess if you keep me updated along the way and I can get everything we need in place," Jordan considered what she was saying. If he stayed in London and kept the business going, he would be in the best position for when she came back to set up the exhibition. "You'd have to be here to coordinate things in the museum fairly often over the next few months, so that should give us the time we need to make sure we're on track."

"You're going to stay here rather than go home?" She stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him again. "I thought you wanted to go home?"

"It defeats the purpose, don't you think?" Jordan shrugged. "You'll be based here, even if you live with him in one of his homes elsewhere," Jordan said. He'd done his research since handling the burn phone yesterday and found quite a few homes registered to variations of Sinclair Mansvelt and Sinclair Mansfield. "You're job and the exhibition next year will be at the museum." He scowled as he continued. "Your new partner pointed out how guilty we'd look if we took off now, so it makes sense to stay put and just be a little more vigilant about the Hats."

"Sounds like a plan then," Carrie said, ignoring his scowl as he called Sinclair her new partner, and went back to finishing her makeup.

"That doesn't mean I've changed my mind about Sinclair. There's more to his interest in you than professional curiosity," Jordan warned.

"He knows he's the last one on the Fool's list, of course he's interested in me, because he thinks I am the Fool," she laughed. She avoided any hint that the relationship with him was more than professional for her. She didn't want to get into the horrible scene of the night before when he accused her of falling for the charm and charisma of the man who was trying to make them reveal themselves for who they truly were.

"I just need to know you're thinking straight," Jordan, too, was cautious in his wording, and paused before pressing her any further. "I can see how someone like him could sweep a girl off her feet. I just need to know you're still the ice princess I know and love."

"Well, at least I'm dressed for the part," she grinned and stood up, smoothing the pale blue sequinned dress into place. "Ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Jordan sighed.

*****

Sinclair had seen them arrive and studied their body language as they walked through the hotel foyer. Jordan was clearly unhappy, though his expression said otherwise, and he smiled knowing Carrie had made the decision to move in with him. He stepped forward from the small sheltered alcove he had watched them from and greeted them both warmly before leading the way to the restaurant.

He'd spent the day negotiating with the museum's director about the lovely young assistant curator who had convinced him to allow the museum to house an exhibition of his collections. He wondered how much Carrie knew about his homes and collections, or if her investigations had centred solely on his ancestral Island home in the South Pacific... Treasure Island as she called it. If she were the Fool that might be only home she would be interested in.