The Beachside Cafe (Saltwater Secrets Book 3)

by Sage Parker

  An hour later, they were pulling up to the massive building where Alex had his personal laboratory. Jaymee made sure the bag on her lap didn’t tilt as she was getting out. She didn’t want any of the sauce on Alex’s sub sandwich to spill out.

  They went through the front doors and walked down the huge hallway toward the double doors at the end. There were other people walking around, most of them wearing lab coats or dress shirts with a nice solid-colored tie to bring some color.

  When they got to the doors, Cameron looked up at the monitor hanging above them to their right. He pressed a red button on an intercom box.

  “Hey, Alex. Let us in. Food delivery for the genius.”

  Cameron took the bag from Jaymee and held it up in front of the camera.

  “Ah! My eats!” Alex’s voice came through the box and the doors made a loud buzzing sound. The larger door on the right sprung open just enough to indicate it was no longer locked.

  Cameron touched another button and the heavy doors began to swing open on their own. Alex was in the middle of the room where there was a circle sunk into the floor like some old seventies living room. One long bench seat stretched the circumference of the circle and it was covered in a soft-looking red/purple fabric.

  On a previous occasion, Alex had told them his uncle, who had originally built and run the laboratories, had put the “hole in the ground” as he called it, around the year 1971 and it was a tremendous hit with the ladies.

  Jaymee’s only question was why would he create a private lab and then stick something in it that would appeal to ladies. How often did he let ladies into his private lab?

  Unable to answer those questions, Alex had skirted off onto another subject, which happened quite often with the sharp-minded scientist.

  “Greetings!” Alex said, lifting one hand and hurrying up the curved metal steps to get to them. He reached out for the bag Cameron was holding. “I am starving to death! Thank you so much, Jaymee!”

  “It’s my pleasure. There’s a bag of chips and a slice of pickle in there for you, too.”

  “Ah! You are a dreamboat, my friend. A pure dreamboat.” He gave Cameron a side-glance. “This one’s a keeper,” he said out of the corner of his mouth. “Don’t mess it up.”

  He turned and scampered back down the metal stairs. Cameron and Jaymee shared an affectionate look as they followed him down.

  “So have you been perusing the files in the IDL computers?”

  “I got access to the personnel files, yeah. Everyone on your list has a reputation for something. I mean, all of them. I’m surprised the list isn’t longer.”

  “Well, Doug wouldn’t have been blackmailing them if they were straight-laced individuals,” Cameron said. “I suppose there are some good people working there.”

  Alex had dropped into the chair in front of the computer, setting his bag of food next to the keyboard. He glanced at Cameron as he took the food out. “Highly doubtful actually. No one working with the kind of experiments they are doing is above suspicion. They’re already devious, playing with people’s lives and health and wealth. From the lowest assistant researcher to the CEO.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Cameron said. He bent over the table and stared at the computer screen. “So what can you tell us so far?”

  “They all have reputations, like I said. Especially this one.” Alex had ripped open the bag of chips and was using one of them to point before he put it in his mouth. “You see that? Multiple complaints about her.”

  “What does she do there?” Jaymee asked.

  “She’s an assistant researcher.”

  “We think she might be up to something with Dylan Lianetti. Do you think you can find a link between them? Are they having an affair or something?”

  Alex snorted. “If not, she’s got enough stuff hanging over her that she would probably need his legal advice. Look. Multiple counts of harassment, one of stalking and she wasn’t stalking Lianetti. She was stalking to carry out some kind of revenge. These people are all shady. I wouldn’t trust not a one of them. Not in my lab and not in my personal life.” He swiveled the chair, eyeing both of them. “Don’t get too involved in their lives.”

  “You know,” Jaymee said thoughtfully, “if Doug was blackmailing them for doing something illegal, couldn’t the detectives just arrest them for that and they can get answers out of them?”

  Alex shook his head, stabbing at the air with yet another chip. “No. I mean, yeah, I suppose they could but getting a confession out of them about what happened to Doug would probably be impossible at that point. If they’re all out and roaming free, we have a better chance of them leading us to wherever he is. One of them is bound to slip up. Plus, I think it would be a great idea to gather as much information as possible to shut down IDL for good and capture all the criminals. We go after these few right now and they’ll close ranks, hire lawyers like Lianetti and they’ll all go free. We have to catch them when they think they’ve won.”

  “A backhanded win for us and the whole operation gets busted.”

  “Exactly.” Alex nodded, his eyes on the screen again. As if he had a sudden thought, he sat forward and started typing in a search box at the top of the screen. “I think… we might be able to…” He didn’t finish his thought.

  Jaymee was about to ask what he was thinking when he hit the enter key and a picture popped up on the screen. “Yeah, look. I thought I saw this earlier.” He looked at Jaymee. “Do you recognize this picture?”

  Jaymee examined what she saw, her memory lighting up, taking her back to that day. “Yes, of course. That’s Mercury Park. That’s where IDL has – or had, at least – all of their company picnics.”

  “Looks like all our major players are captured in this pic, no pun intended.” Alex sat forward again, pinching his finger and thumb together, touching the screen and zooming in on the pic by spreading his fingers. Jaymee was surprised to see the picture didn’t distort when he brought it closer. As if he heard her thoughts, Alex looked up at her. “This computer is special. It has a lot of additions and can do things most computers can’t. However, it can only do what I program it to do. It’s not A.I. I don’t want robots taking over and won’t be the one responsible if that happened.”

  Jaymee nodded. “Yeah, I don’t want robots taking over either.” She looked at Cameron. “Do you?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. That’s a no-go for me.”

  Alex raised his eyebrows at both of them. “Laugh all you want, that’s a future you should be worried about. That and aliens coming back for the planet they abandoned years ago.”

  Jaymee didn’t know whether to laugh or not. She didn’t want to hurt Alex’s feelings. She leaned forward and stared at the picture. “There’s Doug,” she said, pointing to the screen.

  Alex turned his attention back to the picture and touched the screen to move it from side to side as he spoke. “Yes, that’s him. I don’t see you in this picture but it might have just been of employees. You may not have even attended this one, unless you went to them all.”

  “I usually did. I don’t remember this one, though. And no, I don’t seem to be there.”

  “So we’ve got Doug here and look at the way he’s staring out like that.”

  “He’s looking at something,” Jaymee said, curiously.

  Alex moved the picture again and Jaymee sucked in her breath.

  “He’s looking…” Alex said quietly, “at her.”

  Jaymee clenched her teeth. “Amanda Dinklage.”

  SIX

  Armed with a list of addresses, Cameron and Jaymee set out to find Carmine Russo. He had also been in the picture of the IDL picnic. In fact, he had been standing right next to Amanda, a look of pure adoration on his face. It was obvious he worshipped her.

  Cameron, Jaymee and Alex all agreed that the best way to capture a woman was to find the man who was weak for her. It was an outdated picture, seven years old by the timestamp. Things had likely changed for the entire
staff of IDL in the last seven years.

  When they were in the car, heading to speak to Carmine at his home address, Cameron glanced at her. “Can I ask you something?”

  Jaymee nodded, pushing through her bag, looking for her chap stick. “Of course.”

  “What kind of stuff was Doug doing at IDL? He was in stock and bonds, I thought. A successful day trader. Why would he be working in laboratories?”

  Jaymee found her strawberry chap stick and applied it as she answered. “Before he went into trading and all that, he was a researcher. He started out at a university and switched around until he found IDL. He was in love with that job for the first five or six years. But something happened that changed his attitude. He no longer liked it and didn’t even want to go to work somedays. I thought it was a pain having him around all the time. Now I know it was a pain.”

  Cameron chuckled. “So did he ever tell you what happened that soured it all?”

  “No, he never did,” she responded. “But I kind of got the impression he’d been… maybe looked over for a promotion or something that someone else got that he felt like he deserved. He started whining about his colleagues. They didn’t like him or wouldn’t talk to him or were laughing at him behind his back.”

  Cameron raised his eyebrows, glancing at her before returning his eyes to the street ahead. “Laughing at him? Sounds like he was struck with a bad case of paranoia. Was he on drugs? Smoking pot, maybe?”

  Jaymee laughed. “What a question. Of course not.”

  Cameron shook his head, grinning. “No, of course not. I’m just saying if he knew what was going on at that lab, if he was in on it or discovered something he shouldn’t discover, that might be what led to all this.”

  “But what did he discover?” Jaymee asked. “I didn’t see anything on his computer other than the blackmail. He didn’t have some kind of conspiracy theory about IDL.”

  Cameron shrugged. “I mean, if he worked there, it’s kind of hard to imagine he was too dense to know what they were developing.”

  “If he knew that, why wouldn’t he blackmail the CEO when he left the job? Why go after the small fry?”

  Again, Cameron shrugged. “I don’t know the answer,” he said. “But it’s something to keep in mind. It might have gotten him killed.”

  “True. I think, though, that we should focus on one thing. Finding out who killed him while the detectives go after IDL as a whole.”

  “That’s probably wise.” Cameron narrowed his eyes and sat forward against the steering wheel, peering out at the street, running his eyes up and down the sidewalks on either side of the street. “This really, really doesn’t look like a place a researcher at IDL would be staying.”

  “It doesn’t look like a place where someone who is being blackmailed would stay either. There’s no money in this neighborhood.”

  “Maybe this Carmine Russo is sitting on a fortune but doesn’t want to live somewhere that might be robbed. He’s doing a good job if he’s a rich man hiding out.”

  “You’re right.”

  They pulled up in front of an old apartment building that looked like it was one of the first buildings to ever grace the coast of California in Grand Bay. Two windows on the second floor were broken out. Graffiti was sprayed down one side of the building and a tremendously large mural of a black man and woman was painted on the other side. Despite the illegality of the art, Jaymee was impressed with the skill.

  “Wasted talent,” she murmured as they walked up the stone path to the front deck. There were four steps leading up to it and the right side of the second step was cracked as if a tiny earthquake had rumbled just below it.

  “Watch yourself,” Cameron said, steering her far away from the small crack. She gave him an amused look.

  “I’ve been walking for a really long time now, Cam,” she said, affectionately.

  He grinned and shook his head.

  Jaymee scanned the mailboxes, three on each side of the door totaling six.

  “He’s in four,” Cameron said. “According to the personnel files.”

  They entered the apartment building and went up the steps to the second floor. There was an apartment on the right and one on the left. The one with the broken windows, Jaymee judged, would have been three. At least Mr. Russo wasn’t freezing in the wintertime.

  Jaymee knocked on the door.

  “Mr. Russo?” she called.

  They heard a shuffling sound on the other side and the door was opened enough for a scrawny man to peer out at them. “What you want?” he asked.

  “I… I’m sorry, my name is Mandy Townsend and this is my associate, Christopher Weaver. We’re just in the neighborhood asking questions of the residents, particularly in this building. We… we’re thinking of purchasing a lot of this land here and fixing up the apartments.”

  “You gonna kick me out of my home?” Carmine sounded scared.

  Jaymee shook her head. She was surprised she’d thought of the story so quickly. She would have to count on Carmine not recognizing her from the IDL picnics. She didn’t remember him from them, so she thought it would be unlikely he would remember her.

  “No, no,” she said hurriedly. “We want to fix it up nicer. Repair the problems, like those steps and the broken windows in three. We see the need. The building is strong and the foundation is sturdy. I don’t see why we’d have to kick anyone out.”

  Carmine pulled the door open a little more but still had a suspicious look on his face. “Thought I heard the foundation was cracked.”

  Jaymee felt chills cover her and she laughed softly, waving one hand in the air. “I think you must have heard wrong. That’s not what our inspectors say. I’m wondering if we might be able to step into your apartment and just look for problems? Are you having any issues? Vermin? Bad plumbing? Electricity flickering?”

  Carmine looked like he was pondering whether to trust her or not. Jaymee and Cameron both used their most charming smiles to get in.

  When the little man pulled the door open and swung one arm out to invite them in, Jaymee inwardly sighed in relief. She passed him with Cameron on her heels.

  Jaymee couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Carmine was not living in the lap of luxury. If he was a rich man sitting on his money, he must have zero need for creature comforts. His furniture was old, his couch was broken, and he was using a flat metal transmitter sitting on top of an old box TV.

  Jaymee blinked in utter disbelief. A researcher at IDL was living in squalor?

  “You have a… very lovely home.” Jaymee almost choked on the words.

  Russo snorted, going around them to pick up some newspapers he’d spread on the couch. “Ain’t a lovely home but your nice for saying so.”

  “Are you… employed?” she asked, turning in a circle. Her eyes fell on Cameron, who looked as surprised as she was.

  Russo snorted again, dropping into an old chair with an old blanket thrown over it. He reached to the side and grabbed a beer bottle from the side table.

  “Used to be,” he said. “Not anymore. Used to be a researcher for a place called Intersectional Dynamics Laboratories. Sounds fancy, don’t it? Take a load off, why don’t ya?” He tilted the bottle in their direction before tipping it back and taking three large swallows. Jaymee could tell by the number of times his Adam’s apple bobbed in his neck.

  She and Cameron shared another look.

  Jaymee had the sudden urge to get out of the apartment as fast as she could but she forced herself to sit on the couch and converse with the man. By the time she and Cameron left, she’d crossed the poor, pathetic creature that was Carmine Russo off their suspect list.

  SEVEN

  “Well, if he was still being blackmailed, I don’t know where he was getting the money from,” Cameron said as he started the Jeep.

  Jaymee nodded. “I agree. He’s not our suspect. I don’t think he’s left that apartment in a week. Poor guy. I feel sorry for him.”

  “He worked at IDL. He was a
researcher. He’s no better than the rest of them. Except he’s become a prisoner unto himself.”

  “He’ll probably drink himself to death.”

  “Depending on what he did at the labs, maybe that’s a suitable end for him. At least he’s not still there conducting experiments on people.”

  “I wonder if that’s really what they’re doing,” Jaymee said quietly.

  “Let’s go to the police station and talk to Lou. Maybe they’ve got an update for us on IDL. We might be able to help them and they’ll be able to help us.”

  “I like that idea. Let’s go.”

  They were quiet most of the ride to the police station. Cameron found a rock station that was playing their favorite tunes. They bopped along to the music, singing when they knew the words. Jaymee was surprised to feel happiness when there was so much going on, so much danger and tragedy in the world.

  Cameron made her feel that way, though. He was a positive influence on her. His bright blue eyes told her he had strong feelings for her. Every time he looked at her with that look, she felt faint. He was a breath of fresh air in her life. She hoped for a beautiful and positive future with him in it.

  They got to the police station and he jumped out, going around the car to open her door. She was fully prepared to open it herself but was making sure her cell phone was in her purse first. She looked up in surprise when her door swung open and he was standing there, beaming at her.

  “Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” she said, getting out. She leaned to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Who said chivalry was dead? Thank you, Cam.”

  “You are very welcome,” Cameron replied, closing the door when she was clear of it.

  They went into the police station side by side. Cameron had one hand tucked in his suit pants, looking calm and collected. Jaymee couldn’t help admiring him silently. If she told him every time she thought he looked good, she’d never shut up about it.

  Detectives John Spencer and Lou Monroe were sitting at their desks, which were pushed up against each other. Lou was on the phone but John waved them over.