by Tawny Weber
“There is only the cook, one house girl, and myself.”
He crossed the room to stand near her. “That’ll be fine.”
She pursed her lips and then nodded. “Of course.” As she led him back down the hall, Cooper heard the sound of hushed, but angry voices filtering up the staircase. He glanced at Rosa, who pretended not to hear. Then they came to the top of the stairs, and the voices quieted.
Robert Whitlock stood below them in the front hallway, his back to the staircase. He was facing another man whose face Cooper couldn’t see. Just then, as if sensing his and Rosa’s presence, the second man looked up and met Cooper’s gaze.
Hal Framen.
Chapter 7
The restaurant where Victoria took Jessie occupied the entire top floor of the building. It featured a panoramic view of downtown Fort Lauderdale, with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop. Under different circumstances, Jessie would have enjoyed lingering all day, sitting next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, drinking in the sunshine and sharp, clear blue of the sea and sky.
Unfortunately, she barely noticed the scenery. Instead she spent the whole hour and a half trying not to think about Cooper.
She failed miserably.
Pushing her empty plate out of the way, Jessie leaned forward to rest her arms on the table. “Tell me about Sam Cooper,” she said to Victoria.
“Pay-back time?”
Jessie smiled. “Something like that.”
During lunch, Victoria had asked dozens of questions about Robert and Nicole. Jessie hadn’t really minded. Victoria had listened to everything Jessie said, without appearing to pass judgment. It continually brought Jessie’s thoughts back to the discussion that must now be taking place between Robert and Cooper.
“What would you like to know?”
“I don’t care.” Jessie shrugged. “Anything you want to tell me.” Right now she just needed to talk about something other than her sister and Robert Whitlock, and Cooper seemed like a good topic. “How long have you known him?”
Victoria settled back in her chair and crossed her long legs. “We grew up together, same neighborhood, same schools—ran in the same circles. And no,” she smiled and answered the question on Jessie’s mind before she could ask it. “We never dated.”
Jessie’s face heated, realizing her transparency.
“Then, after high school, he joined the Navy and we lost touch.”
“That makes sense.” He obviously loved the water.
“He was a SEAL. Didn’t he tell you?”
“No.” But that explained the underlying danger she sensed in him, the coiled strength and readiness. From what little she knew about the SEALs, they were one of the most highly trained branches of the U.S. military.
“We hooked up again years later when he first went to work for the FBI, which I expect he never told you about either.”
“No. He never mentioned it.”
“It surprises me he never mentioned the SEALs, but the Bureau . . .” Victoria smiled knowingly. “He rarely talks about it. My guess is that he wants to put that part of his life behind him.”
“Why?”
Victoria shook her head. “You’d have to ask him. He’s never volunteered the information. And I’ve never asked.”
Jessie had known Cooper for less than twenty-four hours, but his reticence to speak about himself fit what little she knew of him. The man was riddled with contradictions, and as he’d said, there were a great many things she didn’t know about him. Maybe that was for the best. After all, everyone had their secrets. She should leave his alone.
But for reasons she refused to examine, she couldn’t.
“How long did he work for the FBI?” she asked.
“He went to college after leaving the service, and at one point they recruited him. His training and smarts . . . it’s a very compelling combination for the feds. We ran into each other a few years later when worked on a case together.” Victoria grinned and added, “From different sides of the street.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Well . . .” Victoria paused, whether to gather her thoughts or decide how much to say, Jessie couldn’t tell. “In some ways it was a pretty standard case. A seven-year-old girl named Maria had disappeared from a playground in Little Havana.” Again she hesitated, this time her eyes darkening at the obviously unpleasant memory. “Children disappear too often. This time, however, Maria was the second child to vanish from the same family within a year. The local authorities suspected the mother of foul play.”
Jessie shuddered at the thought.
Evidently, Victoria noticed. “Yeah, it’s a horrible thought, that a mother could harm her child. Her children. In this case, I didn’t believe it. I knew the family.”
“You knew them?”
“Not well. I have family in Little Havana. It’s a small community. Anyway, it was a very tricky situation”—leaning forward, Victoria crossed her arms on the tabletop—“and my first big case. Maria’s grandparents had hired me. Partially because they couldn’t afford anyone with more experience, and partially because my family was from the neighborhood.”
“And Cooper?” Jessie asked.
“The Bureau had created a special task force to locate missing children, and he was their star investigator. They’d been drawn into the case because there had been some evidence indicating that Maria had been transported out of Florida.”
Victoria paused for a moment to stare out at the sun-drenched city, then she turned back to Jessie. “At first, when the FBI found out the family had hired a private investigator, there was friction. They don’t like outsiders treading on what they consider their turf.” She shook her head and laughed abruptly. “Fortunately, Cooper’s only concern was for the girl, so we ended up working together.”
Jessie was almost afraid to ask the next question. “Did you find her?”
“Cooper found her. Actually, he found both her and her older sister.”
“Were they—”
“Alive?” Victoria nodded. “Yes. That time we got lucky. It turned out an aunt and uncle thought they could do a better job of raising the girls than a single mother.”
It seemed unthinkable to Jessie. She couldn’t imagine how anyone could purposely put a close relative through the agony of losing a child. Shaking off the disturbing thoughts, she said, “So he’s as good as they say.” It wasn’t a question but a statement of fact.
“Better. He has a gift for finding people who are lost.” Victoria leaned back in her chair, her eyes taking on a new intensity. “I’m good at what I do, Jessie, but I can’t touch Cooper when it comes to a missing-person case.” In a lighter tone, she added, “Of course, if you ever tell Cooper I said that, I’ll deny it emphatically.”
Jessie laughed. She really liked this woman. Under different circumstances, another time and place perhaps, Jessie thought they could be friends.
“Ready to go?” Victoria asked.
“Sure.” She pushed back her chair and stood. “Do you think Cooper will be back yet?”
Victoria glanced at her watch. “He’s been gone nearly two hours. Maybe.” Then she shrugged and added, “But then, it depends on what Judge Whitlock wanted.”
And what he decides to tell Cooper, Jessie thought.
Cooper took his time descending the long staircase to where Whitlock and Hal Framen stood watching him. “Sergeant,” he said, before either of the other two men could say anything. “Funny running into you again. It must be my lucky day.”
“Again?” Whitlock turned toward Hal.
“Cooper was at the hotel with Miss Burkett when she discovered her room had been ransacked,” Hal answered.
Whitlock nodded. “Of course.” Smiling tightly, he turned back toward Cooper. “Please tell Jessie that if there is anything I can do to help, she should call.”
“I’ll tell her.”
“So what are you doing here, Cooper?” Hal asked.
“I could ask you the same question.�
��
“Mr. Cooper is here at my invitation,” Whitlock said to Hal, his voice carrying a warning. “But I believe he’s just about finished. Am I right, Mr. Cooper?”
“Not quite.” Cooper slipped his hands into his pockets and smiled. “Rosa has been very helpful, and she was just about to introduce me to the rest of the staff.”
“What the hell—” Framen began, but Whitlock stopped him with a sharp look.
“Well then,” the judge said, “don’t let us keep you.”
Cooper turned toward Rosa. “Shall we?”
He followed her out of the room, very aware of the two sets of angry eyes directed at his back. The prickly sensation would have normally had him diving for cover. Fighting his instincts, he didn’t even glance back.
As Rosa led him toward the back of the house, he sorted through what he knew and what he only suspected.
Hal Framen was the officer working on Nicole Whitlock’s disappearance. It was conceivable, even probable, that he’d be here talking to her husband, gathering information just as Cooper was doing. If he hadn’t heard Hal and Whitlock arguing, Cooper might have bought it. But cops did not argue with judges. Not a judge like Robert Whitlock, who could crush a man’s career with a single phone call—unless, the cop and judge knew each other a whole lot better than one would expect.
Cooper smiled to himself.
Things were starting to get interesting. He’d just begun shaking things up a bit, and already the cockroaches were scrambling out of the walls.
A half hour later, Cooper didn’t feel quite so optimistic.
Interviewing the staff had been useless. If any of the three women knew anything, they weren’t talking. He’d spoken to each one individually, but they had the same story, the same answers. Yes, Judge and Mrs. Whitlock had a wonderful marriage. Perfect. Yes, she was young and beautiful and adored her husband. No, they never fought. No, no one had noticed any strangers around lately. No, Mrs. Whitlock had not changed her habits. She hadn’t seemed upset or frightened or different in any way lately. Everything was perfect.
Except for two facts: Nicole Whitlock had disappeared, and they were all very sorry about that.
Climbing into his car, he slammed the door shut. It would have been too easy for a member of Whitlock’s staff to slip with an important fact. Even the police would have picked up on something like that.
Well, he thought as he started the car, he had Nicole’s books and a lot of suspicions.
Now it was time to deal with Jessie. Time to find out just how much of her story had been true and how much was lies.
“You don’t have to stay with me all afternoon,” Jessie said, as she and Victoria rode the elevators from the top floor. “I’m sure you have work to do. I can sit in the reception area, read a magazine or something, and wait for Cooper.”
The elevator doors opened, and Victoria stepped out. “You’re not getting out of my sight.”
“Victoria, I’m not going anywhere.”
“That’s right. Because I wouldn’t want to face Cooper if I lost you.”
Shaking her head, Jessie laughed lightly and followed Victoria into her office. “You know,” she said, taking a close look at the tastefully appointed room, “I really didn’t notice before, but this is very impressive.”
“If you want high-paying clients . . .” Victoria moved toward a grouping of expensive leather furniture . . . it has to look like you’re worth it.” She settled onto the couch with a satisfied smile.
Jessie took a seat in one of the chairs. “Well, you’ve succeeded in looking the part.”
“Thanks to Cooper.”
“Is this another secret you won’t admit telling me?” Jessie teased.
Victoria laughed. “No. This one he’s very much aware of. Oh, and don’t get me wrong. I earned every bit of my success. But this is a tough business for a woman. No one believes you could possibly be any good.”
“But Cooper believed in you.” Somehow Jessie knew he wouldn’t let gender bias get in the way of evaluating someone’s ability to do a job.
“We’d worked together, remember? So when he left the FBI, he came to me with an offer. He wanted to work alone, but he needed a place to hang his license and staff to take care of his paperwork and calls. He also acknowledged there would be times when he’d need another investigator or two.”
“And you had what he needed?”
“My agency was small stuff . . . .” She laughed abruptly and shook her head. “Let me rephrase that. I was just barely scraping by. But, yes, I had what he needed. An office. A secretary. And my skills.”
“Sounds like a match made in heaven.”
“Well, I don’t know about that.” Victoria smiled, and suddenly Jessie found herself wondering about Victoria’s relationship with Cooper.
She was an attractive woman, with dark, wide-set eyes and a full mouth. If not for Victoria’s no-nonsense manner, Jessie would have described her as sultry. Besides that, she was in the same business as Cooper, and from all accounts, good at her job. Jessie could see how a man like Cooper would find Victoria attractive. Maybe there was more to their relationship than appeared on the surface.
Jessie pushed the thought aside. It was none of her business. And why should she care, anyway? Cooper was nothing to her.
“It worked out great for both of us,” Victoria said after a moment. “He picked up half my office expenses, but more importantly, he lent my agency credibility. Suddenly, there was a man’s name on my door. I hated that it was necessary . . .” She shook her head, the look in her eyes revealing how inconceivable she still found the whole thing. “You wouldn’t believe the difference it made. Suddenly, I was legit.”
“So how long have you been in this office?” It wasn’t the question Jessie wanted to ask, but it was safer than what she really wanted to know.
“A couple of years,” Victoria answered. “When we moved, Cooper’s name came off the door. By that time, it no longer mattered. I’d earned a reputation as a good investigator. I didn’t need his name. He still pays half the office expenses, and I supply the manpower whenever he needs an extra hand.”
Suddenly, Jessie realized that she envied Victoria. She envied her time with Cooper, her familiarity and easiness with the man. What would it take to be comfortable around someone like him? Jessie didn’t know, but suddenly she wanted to very badly.
“Jessie.” Startled, she turned toward the door. As if hearing her thoughts, Cooper loomed in the doorway. “We need to talk. Now.”
Chapter 8
Both Jessie and Victoria stood.
“In my office.” Cooper started to turn, but stopped when Victoria stepped in front of Jessie.
“What’s this about?” his associate asked.
So that was the way of it. Jessie had managed to pull the wool over Vicki’s eyes, too, a feat he hadn’t thought possible. Victoria Fernandez was the best judge of character he knew.
Well, this time she could very well be wrong.
Meeting her gaze head-on, he said, “I need to speak to Jessie alone. I thought my office would be the best place for all concerned. But if you’d rather we go somewhere else . . .”
Victoria planted her hands on her hips. “I’m not suggesting you go somewhere else. I want to know why you look ready to take someone’s head off.”
“That’s okay, Victoria.” Jessie placed a hand on the other woman’s arm and smiled reassuringly. Then she turned back to meet Cooper’s gaze, her eyes cautious but steady. “I know what he wants to talk about.”
A band of anger tightened in Cooper’s chest. He hadn’t realized until that moment how much he’d wanted—no, counted on—Jessie telling him that Whitlock had lied. Evidently, that wasn’t going to happen.
Knowing she would follow, he turned and walked out. He waited for her in the office he rarely used, standing in front of the window, staring at a skyline he barely saw. When she entered the room, he felt her presence behind him like a brush of warm air. It
wasn’t until he heard the soft click of the door closing, however, that he spoke.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
When she didn’t answer, he spun around.
She stood ramrod straight in the middle of his office, no trace of an apology on her features. “I didn’t think it was important.”
“Not important?”
“It has nothing to do with Nicole’s disappearance.”
“You came to me yesterday, accusing Robert Whitlock of harming his wife.” He paused, letting his words sink in. “And you don’t think it was important to mention that you’d been engaged to the man?” He took a step toward her. “That he’d jilted you to marry your sister?”
She didn’t flinch. Holding her ground, she lifted her chin to silently meet his gaze. He had to hand it to her; she had guts.
“Damn!” Burrowing his fingers through his hair, he swung back to the windows. The woman had lied to him, for God’s sake, and here he was admiring her courage.
“You’re overreacting,” she said.
“Overreacting?” He faced her again, wanting to pace and barely containing the impulse. “I’ll tell you about overreacting. Overreacting is being so bitter and angry at your ex-fiancé for ditching you that you accuse him of murder and kidnapping. That, lady, is overreacting.”
This time his words struck home. She took a step back, grabbing the top of a chair as if to steady herself. “I was afraid that was how you’d see it.”
“You’re damn right that’s how I see it. So would the police, or any other investigator with half a brain.”
“That’s why I didn’t tell you.” The simple statement, spoken in that honeyed voice of hers, stopped him. “Besides, as I said, my past relationship with Robert has nothing—nothing—to do with Nicole’s disappearance.”
She was partially right. If she’d told him the whole story yesterday, Cooper would be halfway to the Bahamas by now. Even with what she had told him, he hadn’t bought it until—
