Читать книгу Dark Tide - Susan Sleeman - Страница 13

THREE

“It’s okay, Gina, take your time.” Dani’s eyes, blue as her designer shirt, never left Gina. “We’re here to help when you’re ready to talk about it.”

Gina tried to let the comfort of Dani’s tone take away her tension, but she could feel Derrick watching her from the arm of a leather chair, and his scrutiny made her nervous. She willed herself not to look at him and cleared her throat before beginning. “This all started with my brother, Jon. He was a member of the Coast Guard’s Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team stationed in San Diego.”

“Wow,” Derrick interrupted. For the first time his face appeared animated. “That’s a pretty exclusive job. Only the best of the best are chosen for those teams.”

“I’m surprised you’ve heard of them,” Gina said. “Most people don’t know anything about the teams.”

“I’ve read about their successes over the years. I find it fascinating. Traveling the globe. Fighting the war on drugs and smuggling.”

Right. A carefree life. No strings, no attachments. A job like that would probably be perfect for Derrick.

“Well, I haven’t heard of them,” Dani said. “I didn’t even know the Coast Guard stationed people outside the country.”

Gina nodded. “Oddly enough, they deploy on Navy ships and go wherever needed. They board suspected drug dealers’ and smugglers’ boats, arrest the criminals then turn them over to the authorities and move on. They can be gone more than two hundred days a year.”

“So they’re like the cops of the water?” Derrick clarified.

“Yes, except they don’t do any of the investigative work on the cases. The Coast Guard team solely handles the arrests.”

“Would be hard to be married to a man gone so often.” Dani stared into the distance.

Gina was sure Dani was thinking about how hard it would be to leave her new husband, and a flash of jealousy bit into Gina at how deeply dedicated the woman seemed to be to her marriage. If Derrick had shown the willingness to make that kind of pledge to her...but he hadn’t. She forced her mind back on her story. “It takes a big commitment and one Jon was looking to move out of after Sophia was born.”

Gina’s voice faltered as she thought about what came next in her story. “His wife, Becki, was in a terrible car crash last year. She was seven months pregnant at the time. She didn’t survive, but fortunately they were able to save Sophia.”

Dani slid forward and squeezed Gina’s hand. “I’m so sorry. That must’ve been rough. Especially with your brother’s frequent deployments.”

“Thankfully he was on leave while Sophia was in the neonatal unit at the hospital. But once she was healthy enough to come home, I moved in to take care of her. Since I was on summer break from teaching, he went back to his team until he could push through the paperwork to officially resign.”

“So you’re a music teacher like you’d always dreamed?” Derrick asked.

“Yes,” she answered, wondering if Derrick ever missed a thing anyone said. “I’m a high school orchestra director. At least, I hope I’m still employed after my hasty departure.”

“I’m sure they’ll understand.” Dani slid back in her seat and draped an arm over the sofa. “So was your brother killed on duty?”

“No. He died in a car crash just a few miles from our apartment.”

“Just like his wife,” Derrick mumbled to himself.

“No, not like Becki at all,” Gina snapped then instantly felt bad about it. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that, but I’m certain Jon was murdered. Becki was simply late for a doctor’s appointment so she was driving recklessly. She lost control and hit a telephone pole. From that day on Jon drove like a little old man. Slow and cautiously. The police say he was speeding and lost control near a cliff. I know better. He would never want to leave Sophia without a father, too. If he lost control of the car, someone must have tampered with it.”

“That should be easy to prove,” Derrick said. “Didn’t the police conduct an investigation?”

Gina faced him, making sure she conveyed the same tenacity she’d once hoped would convince the San Diego detective to keep looking into Jon’s case. “They say they did, but if so, how could they reach this conclusion? It just doesn’t make any sense. And I told them that. I kept after them until they finished the investigation and handed me his personal possessions.” She shook her head. “They were so terse. Like they were glad to be rid of him. Or maybe rid of me. It’s almost like they were covering something up and couldn’t wait to close the case and move on.”

Dani peered at Derrick, and they shared a look that Gina couldn’t read.

Were they like the police—doubting her story?

She sat up straighter. “I know you’re both thinking I’m a crazed sister who can’t accept that her brother is gone. But that’s not true. I had to let his loss go. For Sophia. But I can’t let go of my belief that the police are wrong and he was murdered.”

“Um, actually,” Dani said with a smile, “I was thinking you were a conspiracy theory nut.”

Despite the tension cutting through the room, Gina laughed. Dani always had a way of lightening things up even in the most difficult of circumstances.

“I haven’t gone off the deep end...” Gina offered Dani an exaggerated wink “...yet.”

“But you think the police are lying to you.” Derrick’s humorless tone killed the mood.

Gina shouldn’t have expected him to laugh with her, but his continued tight-lipped approach hurt. “Maybe they’re not lying to me, but after I was attacked in my apartment last night by a man who was looking for Jon’s flash drive, I know I’m not wrong that there’s more to his death than meets the eye.”

“Back up,” Derrick nearly shouted as he came to his feet. “You were attacked last night?”

“Yes. A masked man broke in—I’m almost certain it’s the same man who attacked Lilly and tried to chase me down tonight. He wanted a flash drive that was in the box the police had given to me. I was terrified for Sophia, so I gave it to him. I thought he’d take it and run. But he said I could’ve looked at the files on it, so he had to kill me.” Sophia whimpered and Gina leaned over to rub her back.

Derrick’s nose flared in anger. “How did you get away?”

“He pulled his trigger. The firing pin jammed. Jon made sure I kept a gun in the nightstand during his deployments, so I ran for it. The man kept coming at me. I fired in his direction, and he took off.” Though she was able to keep her emotions in check long enough to tell her story, a long shiver worked over her body, and she wrapped her arms around her stomach for comfort.

“Did you look at the files on the flash drive?” Derrick asked.

“Yes, but the only thing other than photos I took of Sophia was a log of some sort. It looked like someone snapped a picture of the document. Only the bottom part of it showed up, so I don’t have a clue what it was for.”

Derrick perched on the arm again and leaned forward. “I’m assuming you called the police after you were attacked and told them about the flash drive and the log.”

She nodded, moving back from his intense stare. “Not that it did me any good. I only glanced at the log, so I wasn’t able to tell them much about it.”

“If the detectives on Jon’s case didn’t back you up on the log then that must mean they didn’t look at the flash drive when they had it in their possession.”

“You know, I never asked,” Gina said. “But Jon hid the flash drive in a wooden cross that he wore around his neck. The police may not have even realized the drive was there. I doubt they thought it was more than a religious symbol, and they probably didn’t bother to examine it very carefully. Especially when they believed his death was accidental.”

Derrick arched his brow. “Why did he feel a need to hide his drive?”

She hated admitting this, but she had to tell the truth. “Rules prohibited him from carrying a flash drive on board. Guess the Navy worried about secrets being stolen or something.”

Dani nodded. “It’s a problem.”

Derrick gave his twin a fond smile. “And as our agency’s computer expert, she would know.”

“Well, Jon didn’t steal anything. He just wanted to have a way to keep current pics of Sophia with him during long deployments. They had computers on the ship for personal use, but they didn’t have internet access. So whenever they docked, he downloaded to his drive the pictures that I posted online.” She paused. “I know he was violating the rules, but after losing Becki, he needed these pictures to keep going.”

“Did you explain this to the police the night of your attack?” Derrick asked.

“Yes, but there weren’t any signs of a forced entry or odd fingerprints in my apartment, so they doubted my story. There was a bit of blood on the floor—I think I may have shot him—but they said it wasn’t enough blood for a gunshot injury and that maybe Jon had just cut himself weeks before, and I hadn’t noticed the blood until now.”

“So they stopped investigating?”

“Not until they called the detective working Jon’s case, and he told them I was a nutcase. That I’d hounded them all the time when they were already doing their jobs. He suggested I faked the attack to get them to reopen Jon’s case.” Despite wanting to remain calm and in control, Gina trembled.

“Do you have any idea of your attacker’s identity?” Dani asked.

“I don’t know,” Gina answered hesitantly. She hated to direct suspicion at Jon’s best friend.

Derrick eyed her for a moment. “That wasn’t very convincing. Is there something you’re not telling us?”

“No... I mean...” She shrugged. “I’m not sure about this, and I hate to cast doubt on a family friend.”

“I know this is hard, Gina.” Dani sat forward again. “But you’ll have to bare your soul to us if you don’t want your attacker to go unpunished.”

Dani was right. Finding Jon’s killer plus making sure she and Sophia stayed safe were the most important things. “Jon’s friend and teammate Quentin Metzger lives next door. He was with me when the police came to tell me about Jon’s death. Quentin didn’t act surprised. Almost like he expected it to happen. Then he asked if he could go through Jon’s possessions when I got them back from the police.”

Derrick perked up. “Odd and highly suspicious.”

“After my attack, I asked him about the log. He said he doesn’t know what it was for, but I got the feeling that he knew something about it.”

“Did you tell the police about this?” Dani asked.

“Yes. They seemed to blow it off, though, like everything else I told them.” Gina shook her head. “And I don’t think they questioned Quentin. If they had, he would’ve been hurt that I suspected him, and I’m sure I would’ve seen it in his or his wife, Val’s, demeanor.”

“Sounds like we’ll need to talk to him.” Derrick looked at Dani. “We’ll also need to get police records for their investigation into Gina’s attack.”

“If they even investigated.” Gina felt tears prick at the memory of the night. “I’d have stayed around to follow up on them, but I couldn’t risk Sophia’s life. I had to get out of town.”

“And so you came here, but he followed you.” Derrick’s gaze softened into a tender look. She’d been on the receiving end of his concern so many times that it made her heart ache to think about all she’d given up when she’d left him. “Good thing I was nearby.”

“I called your agency before I booked my flight here to be sure you weren’t out of town. After I arrived today, I stopped by the office, but your receptionist said you’d all left for a family event and you’d be in tomorrow. I planned to come back, but this happened tonight and so...”

“You called my cell,” he finished for her.

“Please don’t tell me our new receptionist gave you his cell number.” Dani crossed her arms. “I’ve trained her on the importance of information security.”

“I got it from Zach Miller,” Gina said, mentioning their mutual college friend. “We’ve kept in contact and he’s mentioned both your names recently, so I called him and he had the number.”

Derrick and Dani glanced at each other, and Gina worried they were upset with Zach.

“Don’t get mad at him for telling me, or for not warning you that I was in Portland,” Gina said quickly. “I told him how afraid I was this man would kill me and made him promise not to tell you I was in town. I thought after our past you might refuse to see me. Under the circumstances, I’m sure you would’ve done the same thing Zach did.”

Derrick didn’t speak, but a pensive expression claimed his face.

“What I want to know,” Dani said, tilting her head, “is what does Lilly’s death have to do with this, and how would killing her help this guy?”

“I don’t know,” Gina admitted. “At first I thought he was hoping to exchange her for me, but when he killed her...” She shrugged. “We kind of look alike and it was dark in the house, so maybe he mistook her for me. Then when he got inside he realized his mistake, but Lilly had seen him by then. He could have been worried she could identify him.”

“What about you?” Dani asked. “Can you ID him from the attack?”

Gina shook her head. “He wore a mask last night, but when I saw him tonight he wasn’t wearing one.”

“Odd,” Dani said. “Were there signs of a struggle on the boat?”

Gina nodded.

“Then your friend could’ve tried to get away and jerked off his mask in the scuffle. Once she saw him, he had to keep her from talking.”

“Or...” Derrick’s eyes darkened “...he wanted you to know that he’d hurt the people around you and keep on hurting them until you surrender to him.”

“So that means he’ll keep coming after me. I need to leave town again. I...” Panic rose up her throat and choked off her words. She swallowed hard. “I’ll have to do a better job of disappearing this time. I don’t have any connections to Portland, and he still tracked me here.”

“Did you use your credit card or phone?” Dani asked.

“Yes. I had to call into work and needed to pay for my plane ticket and the cab fare to Lilly’s house.”

“Plane tickets and cab fares can be tracked through credit card receipts,” Dani said absently. “Though he’d have to possess computer skills to do so. And, of course, he’d have to get the cab company to reveal the address where the driver dropped you.”

Derrick ground his teeth together. “If he found Gina using her cards or phone, the man knows what he’s doing. We need to implement preventative measures. Starting right now, don’t use your phone or credit card again.”

How was she going to live without any money? “I don’t have much cash left.”

“We’ll help with that,” Dani offered. “I’m sure once our family hears about your situation, they’ll agree to take on your case. The Justice Agency often helps people who need us but can’t afford to pay.”

“I can pay you. I put Jon’s insurance money in a college fund for Sophia, but if you can wait until the account matures, I’ll withdraw the money.”

Derrick’s mouth turned down. “We won’t take your money.”

“But—”

He fisted his hands. “No buts. We once meant something to each other, and I won’t let you pay for my help.”

With the stubborn set of his shoulders and scowl on his face, Gina knew better than to argue. But there was no way she would take charity from a man she’d hurt so badly. Once they apprehended her attacker and solved Jon’s murder, she’d find a way to reimburse Derrick before she walked out of his life for good.

* * *

Sophia fell asleep with her thumb in her mouth, and Gina laid her on the sofa while Derrick watched her tender care of the child. His desire for a family of his own spiked.

What had he been thinking when he’d insisted on taking Gina’s case?

Sure, he lived for helping people in distress. He’d even trained for it with his criminal justice degree. Losing both of his parents to a car crash when he was eleven and the driver getting off with a minor punishment gave him the ability to relate. An ability that deepened further when his adoptive parents were killed, and he and his siblings founded the Justice Agency. He’s always been passionate about preventing others from suffering his losses and feeling his pain.

But help Gina? She was the woman he’d loved. The woman who still stirred his interest despite their rough breakup. He’d faced murderers with ease, but how did he handle this? How was he supposed to act around her and keep his interest in check?

Especially when he saw the warmth and love on her face when she looked at Sophia. She tucked her legs up under her on the sofa and buried her chin in the collar of his old flannel shirt. He’d often found her in a similar position on cold nights in college.

“Done,” Dani announced as she came back into the room.

“You got a hold of all the siblings that quickly?” Derrick asked.

She nodded.

“Are they on board with helping?” Gina asked, hope alive in her voice.

“Sorry.” Dani shoved her phone into her pocket. “But they insisted on coming over to talk to both of you before deciding. They’re on their way.”

“Here?” Gina dropped her feet to the floor. “Tonight?”

Dani arched an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

“No...I...I guess not.”

A knock sounded on the door, and Derrick’s hand automatically dropped to his gun. “None of them could’ve gotten here so fast.”

Dani drew her weapon and stepped in front of Gina. “I’ve got them covered.”

Derrick eased up to the door and looked through the peephole. He blew out a pent-up breath and unlocked the door. “It’s Mitch.”

“This can’t be good,” Gina said as she came to her feet and stood next to Dani.

Derrick opened the door, but concern for Gina kept his focus on her. She stood the same height and was as regally gorgeous as Dani, but that’s where their similarities ended. Gina’s dark hair with red highlights caught the lamplight and contrasted with the pure yellow of Dani’s. Plus Gina’s nose was wider and her lips fuller than Dani’s.

Perfect for kissing. The thought came unbidden as he remembered the kiss at the mall.

Get a grip, Justice. Think of anything but that.

He looked around the room, seeking a distraction from his thoughts. He had a trip planned to the Rogue River in a week, and his mouth was watering for the taste of fresh salmon.

Yeah, that’s it. Whenever she got to him, he’d think about fishing.

Mitch punched Derrick playfully in the arm. “You lost in space, bro?”

“Do you have an update for us?” Derrick asked, avoiding Mitch’s question and closing the door.

“That and questions for Ms. Evans.” Mitch strode into the room with his usual take-charge attitude.

Dani gave Mitch a quick hug. “You’ll be happy to know Kat’s on her way here, too.”

He flashed a quick smile. “Unfortunately, I’ll likely be back at the scene before she gets here.” His professional mask back in place, he thrust out his hand to Gina. “Ms. Evans. I’m Detective Mitch Elliot.”

“Please call me Gina.” She released his hand, clamped hers behind her back and planted her feet wider.

She’d always stood at attention for bad news or criticism in college. Came from years of standing up to her father. She thought it made her look tough, but he knew she was at her most vulnerable right now, tugging hard at his emotions already raw from seeing her again.

Salmon. Steelhead. Trout. All waiting for me.

“Please sit.” Mitch gestured at the sofa and Gina complied. “I’ve had a chance to look at the alleged homicide scene.”

“You said ‘alleged.’” Gina stared at Mitch. “Does that mean you haven’t found Lilly?”

“I’m sorry, but no, we haven’t. Not yet.” Mitch sat on the arm of a chair. “We did find signs of a struggle at the house, and I have few questions for you.”

Gina flashed a worried look at Derrick.

Despite his resolve to stay aloof, a protective feeling washed over him again. He wanted to take her hand and comfort her. He should simply leave Gina’s case to his family and bow out before the feeling grew into something more, but that wasn’t an option. No matter the emotional toll being with her took on him, he wasn’t leaving her care to anyone else. Not even his well-trained siblings.