Nora's Redemption

by Carol Henry

  Coleman led him down a narrow corridor where he opened a door leading into a long warehouse. Large aerated tanks lined both sides of the spacious room. The temperature was cool, the scent of seawater and marine life concentrated.

  “This is our holding facility. We’ve upgraded our systems to chill the water temperature to thirty-six degrees in the tanks. As you know, this allows for better quality and taste, and it locks in the freshness. We have a water filtration system to simulate the lobsters’ natural environs, which helps maintain their freshness before we ship them, as well as during shipment.”

  Coleman called to a man leaning over one of the tanks at the far end of the building. “Jim. Got a minute?”

  A man with a five o’clock shadow, looking to be about in his fifties, looked up and then ambled over.

  “This is Jim Sherman, our tank room manager. He oversees the grading process. This is Gavin Redmond, doing some research on the area fisheries.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” Gavin shook Jim’s hand, aware Coleman didn’t divulge the real reason he was there.

  “Gavin is here to find out a bit about our operation.”

  “Well, we have a quality control team. Five of the most experienced lobster men in town and a few newly hired hands who seem to know what they’re doing. Hard to explain the control process, but experience is key. These men know a thing or two about lobsters. They’ve been at it a long time. The McClintocks are lucky to have them.”

  Gavin wasn’t so sure about the luck, but he kept up a personable commentary with the men as they inspected the tanks, and then he stepped outside onto the pier to check out the fleet. The McClintock Fisheries had two trawlers tied up at the pier at the moment. But harbor life thrived, and the area was afloat with kayaks, sailboats, and in the distance, a cruise ship tendering in passengers near Bar Harbor. Not surprising, Pier Two, across the way, was a beehive of activity with tourists and locals visiting the vendors and carts lined up along the midway for the evening crowd.

  “Most of our fleet left early this morning and haven’t returned yet. We maintain a fleet of fifteen,” Coleman stated. “Our captains are experienced and dependable, and our trawlers are equipped with the latest technology. We employ a few private fishermen during our busy season. The McClintocks have secured the rights to several of the fishing areas.”

  “Impressive.”

  After returning to the warehouse, Coleman confided in him that although the McClintock business was holding their financial status steady, they’d barely been able to supply their clients with an ample amount of requested fresh catch the past month. The single lead Gavin could provide was that it appeared their traps and nets weren’t the only ones being targeted. Although the licensed area north of the McClintock traps was also being sabotaged, they hadn’t been as hard hit. He had found no chemical imbalances in any of the tests he had taken, which meant the ocean floor wasn’t being damaged and didn’t account for the dwindling number of lobsters.

  After he returned home later that evening, Gavin checked his test results and put in a call to Coleman with the lab reports. He’d barely had time to sit down at the table to eat when his front door swung open and a gust of fresh air whooshed through the foyer.

  “Gavin! What’s going on?” Bethany demanded. “I’ve had two weepy applicants call me, demanding to know why their appointments were suddenly cancelled.”

  “Hi, Beth. Come on in, why don’t you?” He stepped aside to let his sister enter the large foyer. The old cottage on Eden Street, once his grandparents’, now his, held memories from a childhood both he and his sister shared. But having her drop by unannounced today could only mean one thing. She’d found out he’d hired someone she hadn’t scrutinized first.

  “What brings you here tonight? As if I can’t guess. You might as well join me for dinner. I was about to sit down.”

  “What a greeting.” She kissed him on the cheek and made her way to the dining room.

  “I’m eating in the kitchen tonight. I’m afraid it’s simply pizza and a salad. It’s been a busy day.” His meeting with Coleman Baker sitting at the top of his list.

  “So I gather.” Bethany headed to the kitchen, sat at the circular table, and helped herself to a slice of pizza waiting in the open box.

  He dished out salad from the bowl on the counter and poured soft drinks before he joined her at the table. “So what do I owe the honor of this visit?”

  “This woman you hired? Why did you let her arbitrarily dismiss the others I already pre-interviewed for you?”

  “Girls. They were all young girls.”

  “Girls I’ve already interviewed for you. They were all qualified.”

  “They were all too young and inexperienced. Listen, Beth, I’m not looking for a relationship, especially some young blonde bimbo who has one thing in mind. I’m not interested in any of them. And I’m not interested in an office affair.”

  “I want you to be happy, Gav. You should see how you’ve moped about these last two years. Even Mother agrees. It’s time to move on.”

  He rolled his pizza and took a bite, the cheese stretching between the crust and his teeth. He pulled on it, chewed, and swallowed.

  “I’ll be happy when I’m happy. In the meantime, hoping to fix me up with one or more of these girls isn’t going to work. I need to concentrate on continuing to get this business back in shape. And solve the McClintock case.”

  “And when will you be satisfied the business is back in shape? Huh? When will that be? We’re all worried about you.”

  “Yes, well, just because Mom has moved on, and you’re happily married to Ed, doesn’t mean I have to have a woman in my life to be happy, too. I certainly don’t want someone young enough to be my daughter.”

  “They aren’t that young. And you aren’t that old.”

  “Let it go, Bethany. I’m not in the market.”

  “So tell me all about this new woman you hired on the spot. What, is she fifty, pudgy, and has salt and pepper hair?”

  He gave her a piercing glance, a gaze he realized didn’t faze her in the least. He took another bite of pizza, washed it down with his soft drink, and cleared his throat.

  “Are you more upset you didn’t get to vet her first? Or the fact you don’t know anything about her looks? For your information, she is a few years younger than me, about your age, is blonde, and is a beautiful, single woman. But I am not interested in her as a fling or a relationship. She’s efficient, self-motivated, and actually insisted I hire one of the other applicants.”

  “Really? Then why didn’t you hire one of the other applicants instead?”

  Good question. He was still trying to figure that one out. And he wasn’t about to share his knowledge of Nora Spears’ connection to the McClintocks.

  “She didn’t get all demure or fawn all over me. She took control at a moment’s notice and took the initiative to actually do some work while I was out of the office. I haven’t been disappointed so far.”

  “So far? It’s only been one day, for goodness’ sake.”

  “Are you going to eat the last piece of pizza?”

  “You’re evading my question.”

  “It wasn’t a question. Eat your salad.”

  “You’re impossible.”

  “So I’ve been told. Was there another reason you stopped by tonight?”

  “Yes. Mom called. Wanted to make sure you were going to attend the memorial for the fallen vets at the Lobster Cove annual Memorial Day celebration, you being a vet and all. Dad is being honored post mortem, too.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “In uniform?”

  “Don’t push it, sis. It’s been a few years. I’m pretty sure the uniform is a bit snug.”

  “You aren’t out of shape, Gav. Try it on. Mom would be proud. So would Dad.”

  “We’ll see.”

  His Air Force blues still hung in the closet. After serving tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he’d had enough destruction of human liv
es. His father had wanted him to be a Navy SEAL like him, but the closest he came was becoming a marine biologist when he left the armed forces. Some might consider it a cop-out—to him it still amounted to a search and rescue operation—whether marine life or human life, men’s livelihoods relied on his findings.

  He opened his bedroom closet after Bethany left, pulled his uniform from the far reaches behind the suits, and stared at it. He’d been proud to serve his country, was still moved whenever he remembered the many lives he and his men had saved. He contemplated the men he hadn’t been able to save and put the uniform back in the closet. He’d show up and do his part, even though he didn’t need the recognition. He hadn’t served his country to be considered a hero. He might have managed a minor bullet scratch to his leg, but if anyone was a hero, it was his wife. Battling cancer, keeping it to herself for so long, not wanting him to know, knowing he’d quit the military to look after her. And she had been right. He wished he had quit sooner and had been able to spend more time with her—time to take care of her when she’d needed him the most.

  ****

  Nora read over the instructions Gavin had left on her desk early the next morning. His note said he would be in the lab until noon and didn’t want to be interrupted unless a major emergency developed. She wasn’t sure what he considered a major emergency, but she’d have to play it by ear. She logged into the email system and retrieved the directions for finding all the security codes, passwords to files, clients’ email addresses and phone numbers, and the combination to the safe in his office. Obviously he was an extremely confident and trusting man, or a careless one, if he trusted her with this information so soon after hiring her. Even Sebastian hadn’t trusted her with the knowledge he’d set up an account at the bank in her name. She could only imagine what else he’d kept from her. Not for the first time, she wondered if he had been serious about divorcing Juelle.

  On a sigh, she made her way to the alcove where the coffee machine’s light blinked, waiting to be pressed. She popped a hazelnut coffee pod in the dispenser, a large cup underneath, and hit brew. The immediate nutty coffee aroma filled the room. She closed her eyes and let it seep into her senses. After adding sugar and a large dollop of creamy half and half, she took a hearty sip, letting the warm caffeine slide smoothly into her system. It would be mere minutes before the much-needed caffeine kicked in.

  She rounded the alcove corner on her way back to her desk and stopped short. A tall woman who definitely had to be Gavin Redmond’s sister stood in the entryway. The young woman had the same dark, piercing blue eyes as Gavin. Her dark auburn hair hung below her shoulders with long, wispy strands swept back behind her ears. She was as beautiful as Gavin was handsome. They both had high cheekbones and a well-defined long nose. Her full lips were covered with a deep rose shade of lip gloss, which matched her nail polish. Nora’s own knock-off work dress of pale lavender felt limp and subdued in comparison to Gavin’s sister’s crisp blue denim shirtdress and matching navy braided belt.

  “You must be Nora Spears, the new administrative accountant. I’m Bethany Hawthorn, Gavin’s sister.”

  Nora placed her cup on a napkin on her desk and extended her hand to Bethany. “Nice to meet you.”

  Bethany didn’t hesitate and shook her hand in a firm confident grip.

  “I’m sorry, but your brother is in the lab this morning and asked not to be disturbed until noon. Can I give him a message?”

  “No problem. I’ll go back and give him the message myself. I’m sure he won’t mind.”

  “Let me give him a call and let him know you’re coming.”

  “Not necessary. I know my way.” Bethany drifted through the alcove, waving her hand behind her. “Nice to meet you.”

  Nora lifted the phone and called through to the lab. It rang twice before Gavin answered.

  “This better be an emergency.” His tone was hassled.

  She pictured him running his hand through his rich, dark hair. “If you call the fact that your sister is on her way to the lab as we speak, then yes, it’s an emergency. I thought you’d want to know.”

  “Shit.”

  The phone banged in her ear. She felt sorry for Bethany when she arrived at Gavin’s lab. It didn’t sound as if things were going well with whatever he was working on.

  She hung up, turned to the computer, and immersed herself with the Redmond accounts. Half an hour later, she heard Bethany in the kitchenette making herself a cup of coffee. Cup in hand, Bethany returned, sat on the sofa, and casually took a sip of the steaming brew. A mist of vanilla filled the tense space between them.

  “So what’s your story?” Bethany breathed as if she were exhaling a puff of smoke.

  The woman’s focus was meant to be intimidating, but Nora could be as direct and unflinching.

  “I see you’re as blunt as your brother.”

  “So I’ve been told. So how did you manage to acquire this position in so short a time? What? A single minute?”

  “Hardly. I worked an entire morning on-the-job training before he offered me the job.”

  “Not what I heard. I must admit, you actually look like someone I would have picked for Gav.”

  “I hope I haven’t been given the job due to my looks. Just so you know, Bethany, I told your brother as much. And as long as we’re being direct, you should know I insisted your brother hire someone you’d already vetted, whom I perceived to have more experience.”

  “Hmmm.” Bethany lifted the cup to her lips and drew in half the contents before she settled it more securely in her lap, her brows raised. “I’ve heard stories about how you were involved with Sebastian McClintock.”

  “I’m sure you have. However, I’m not about to discuss my personal life, or all the sordid details, with you or anyone else. It’s history. And no one else’s business.”

  “Appreciate your candidness. Keeping it to yourself will go a long way in protecting the company’s reputation. We don’t need a scandal. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the McClintock’s is Gavin’s biggest client.”

  “Mr. Redmond and I have already discussed the matter. He hired me anyway.”

  “Bethany!” Gavin bellowed from the alcove doorway, a frown etched across his face, his eyebrows drawn. “Weren’t you in a hurry to get to your appointment?”

  Bethany stood and smiled at her brother. “Making sure Ms. Spears has the stamina to deal with you and your clients on a daily basis. I’m convinced you’re in good hands.”

  “I can assure you she has. And I am.”

  Bethany handed Gavin her empty cup. The smirk on her face didn’t seem to intimidate him. He took the cup and shook his head. His chest heaved as he emitted a deep sigh.

  “It’s been a pleasure, Nora. No offense, no hard feelings?” Bethany waved as she walked toward the front entrance.

  Nora rounded her desk, keeping her eyes on Bethany as Gavin’s sister moved across the room. “None. Have a good day.” She swung around to find Gavin’s intense stare focused on her.

  “I hope she wasn’t off-putting. She can be quite intense.” His words sounded like an apology.

  “So I discovered. But I am a bit confused. I’m not sure whether she just vetted me and my past in order to determine if I have designs on you, or to save your company from the likes of me.”

  “She may be pushing for me to have a fling or two, but as I’ve already stated, that isn’t going to happen. As far as the McClintocks being our major client is concerned, as much as my family professes it’s a big deal, it’s not going to make or break my business if I lose their account. I’ve recently picked up a couple other large accounts. And as you so articulately informed my sister, it’s no one else’s business but yours.”

  How long had he been standing there listening? Had he overheard the entire conversation? Did the McClintock case not have a bearing on his business as Bethany had indicated?

  “Thank you.”

  “No. Thank you for letting me know Bethany was on
her way to the lab. It gave me time to make sure the specimens I’m working on wouldn’t be contaminated, and so I could meet her at the door. She tends to walk around the lab to see what I’m working on if I don’t catch her in time. My grandfather started the business. It’s been in the family a long time, and she’s hung out here a lot over the years. She thinks she has free reign where the business is concerned. Not to mention her husband is a cop, and she has it in her head she can help solve any mystery that comes along.”

  “I didn’t know the protocol. Calling you seemed the right thing to do.”

  “It was. Thank you. Since I’ve been interrupted, this would be a perfect time to go over our clients’ files and see if you have any questions about the accounting system. We can order lunch in from the lobster pound on the wharf. Save us from having to go out. I have a busy afternoon out on the bay ahead of me.”

  Chapter Five

  Saturday morning, Jessica Martin, of the Jessica Martin Real Estate Agency, a young, strikingly beautiful businesswoman in her mid-twenties, met Nora and Jackie at the front door of a small bungalow hidden behind a row of tall pines. A flagstone sidewalk led from the dirt driveway to the front porch.

  “Welcome, ladies. Come on in. I think you’ll like this place. It’s rather charming, and even though it’s close to the park entrance, it’s secluded and still close to town. There is a small backyard, already fenced in, but there are no other houses beyond. It’s all woodland and is shaded most of the year. But it has a cozy fireplace in the front room, and the kitchen is small but adequate.”

  From the outside, it was ideal. Small, homey, and didn’t appear to require much upkeep.

  “It sounds lovely already.” Nora smiled in anticipation. “I can’t wait to see the inside.”

  She and Jackie followed Jessica inside and were immediately struck by the rustic, log-cabin look of the interior. A large brick fireplace covered an entire wall opposite the picture windows across the room that let in an abundance of sunshine from the east. She strode over to the window and peered out at a grand view of the bay.