Credible Threat

by Heather Woodhaven

  “They’re asking if you need an ambulance,” Kurt said.

  Rebecca straightened, pulled her shoulders back and pushed the curls away from her eyes. “No. I’m fine.”

  “The victim is inside,” Kurt told the officer. “We need a perimeter set up around the property in case the shooter is still on-site.”

  “Yes, sir.” The cop strode over to speak with the others.

  “I need to know if Levi was the man that gave me the flash drive.” Her voice shook but her eyes had turned steely and determined. “I need a second look to be sure.”

  Kurt blew out a steady breath, his frustration building. “Follow me, but don’t touch anything.” He led her to the entryway but didn’t go any farther. They’d ask about the flash drive and leave. One officer was taking photographs, another dusting for fingerprints and another taking electronic notes.

  The lead investigator pointed at Kurt. “I assume you want to consult on this?”

  It was actually the last thing he wanted to do. The more he got involved, the greater chance reporters would get wind of a federal judge’s granddaughter being a target, but he needed to have all the facts at his disposal. “I’d like to be kept in the loop at the very least, but as I explained on the phone, she needs to stay out of the media.”

  “Understood. I’ll have some questions for her, though.”

  Rebecca averted her eyes from the deceased man’s form and stared at the ground. “I think this might have to do with his job at Vista Resort Properties. I think this man tried to act as a whistle-blower. I’m sure he snuck me a flash drive before he died. Is there any way I could look at his files?”

  “You? No.” The detective would need to rule her out as a potential suspect, even if Rebecca would be the best consultant he could find for the case. Kurt understood that and didn’t argue.

  “Deputy Brock will eventually get a look,” the detective added. “But not until we do first. Don’t get your hopes up, though. So far we don’t have anything to work with. There’s no phone, no computer and no flash drives. No papers, either.”

  “Okay, you heard him. There’s no flash drive here. We can go.” Kurt turned to guide Rebecca away, but she shook her head.

  “This has to be about the audit,” she whispered. “Think about it. They tried to kidnap me...maybe to find out what I know. Only I made it easy on them because the flash drive was plugged into the computer. They take it and, after seeing what’s on it, know they have to kill me. That’s why the threat escalated.”

  “You’re making a lot of assumptions without facts.”

  “Because it makes sense. So, they tried to kill us by shoving us off the bridge. Then they find the whistle-blower that gave me the information in the first place. Levi must have known something fishy was going on at the company because he had this place for sale and, judging by the luggage, he was scared and getting ready to get out of town. The guy who tried to get me interrogated him to make sure he hasn’t told anyone else and then killed him and took all the evidence with him.”

  “That’s some good out-of-the-box thinking, but we have no facts to support it.” He wouldn’t acknowledge that he had the same train of thought until he had some hard evidence. There was no room to assume it was the threat on Rebecca. It was possible the two incidents were completely unrelated.

  “Look at the bookshelf.” Rebecca leaned over the threshold and held up a finger.

  The investigator studied the shelves filled with cases of video games. “He’s a gamer.”

  “Not just any games.” She waved her finger, pointing at the logo on each spine. “Look at the platform. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that has a cloud application on it.”

  Kurt frowned. “How do you know that?”

  She shrugged. “I’m a cool aunt, hip with the times. The point is that if Levi had any spreadsheets on his personal cloud—”

  “He could still be signed in and we would see those files on the console,” the investigator finished for her. “Anything he saved to the cloud might shed the light on his killer.”

  “Exactly.” She exhaled. “It would also point the way in figuring out the truth to this audit.”

  The detective gestured over her shoulder, making it obvious the time had come to get out of the way of the crime scene team. Kurt’s stomach felt like lead; a sure sign that something was bothering him. He wasn’t sure why but knew it had to do with her hypothesis.

  Yes, he liked her. And, moments ago, pulling her into his arms felt right, but he hadn’t forgotten that she’d be on a plane to Ohio as soon as it was deemed safe. If the threat turned out to be from the resort, he would need to hand over most of the control to the police. He could protect her a little longer if it was the judge’s desire, but their time together would be at an end. Why did that bother him so much?

  An officer stepped outside holding a small card with her gloved hand. “You’re Rebecca Linn? The deceased had your business card.”

  It was like a light switch in his head. If the killer thought he’d eliminated Rebecca, he’d know by now that he hadn’t succeeded. He hadn’t waited around to make sure they’d drowned or the police would’ve located the Hummer. Nothing had been in the news. So, if the killer had a connection to the resorts, the lack of notification to the Vista Resorts’ employees that the auditor had died would also be a clue. “We need to get you back to the judge’s house.”

  Rebecca held a hand out toward the scene. “The detective said he would have questions for me later. And we can take a closer look once they’re done.”

  There she went again with her use of the word we. If anyone was getting a closer look at the crime scene, it would be him. Not them. “Negative. They have my information and can contact me if they find something on the gaming console. My primary concern is your safety, and your auditing job is not dependent on staying at a murder scene. Let’s go.” He would call Delaney on the way back and have her track down a staff directory for Rebecca to peruse. Ideally they would have one with photographs, but if not, maybe a name would still be enough of a trigger.

  She huffed and followed him back to the SUV. “But there might be something here to point us to the murderer.”

  Yet again another reminder why he was more suited to fugitive tracking. He couldn’t force Rebecca to do anything she didn’t want to do, and she didn’t seem to respect his expertise in safety. “This isn’t time to live out a childhood fantasy, Rebecca.”

  She jolted to a stop a foot from the SUV and raised an eyebrow. “When someone confides in you, it’s poor form to use it against them.”

  He reared back. He had no intention of using anything against her. “I’ve never been one to share secrets, so I’m afraid I don’t know how to play your game. I know how to keep you safe, and you’re making it very difficult.”

  Her cheeks flamed and she got into the passenger seat without further argument.

  Kurt started the ignition and made a three-point turn to get around the other vehicles.

  “It wasn’t a game.” The way she stressed the last word emphasized her displeasure. “It was conversation.”

  He hated disappointing her, but he was also at his wit’s end. “Something I’m not supposed to be doing with you in the first place.”

  “Why not?” She gasped. “I knew it. Grandpa told you not to talk to me, didn’t he?”

  “I’m not sure why that would bother you, seeing as I’m merely tolerable. Not handsome enough to tempt you.” The words slipped out of his mouth and he wished he could yank them back and stuff them in his duffel bag, where they could never escape. He’d looked up the Mr. Darcy comment last night and while he had tried to brush it off as no big deal—because he shouldn’t even care—it’d been bubbling underneath the surface all day.

  Her cheeks flamed. “You...you understood that reference?”

  Maybe they should’ve stayed at
the crime scene, after all. It might’ve been safer than the territory he was about to enter.

  SIX

  For a split second, Rebecca considered jumping out of the vehicle and taking her chances with the shooter to avoid further embarrassment. “It’s not that you aren’t handsome. I mean your face...your shoulders...” No, she didn’t want to start listing specifics. She held up her hand. “All the qualities, really.” That didn’t sound right. “I mean...” If her face heated any more it would burst into flames.

  “You can stop now.”

  “Thank you.” She dropped her forehead into her hands. She kept her head there but turned her face to study him. Patches of red lined his neck. Was he flushing or mad? She had to fix the mess she’d made. “I was trying to make the point that despite your good looks, I wouldn’t be trying to start a relationship. You have to understand I was only trying to ease Grandpa’s mind. My family has this thing that I should totally avoid—”

  “Anyone in law enforcement. Yes, I know.” He held up a hand. “It’s fine. You don’t need to explain. I shouldn’t have said anything at all.” He sighed. “And it wasn’t my intention to throw something you shared in confidence back in your face. I felt it was necessary to get you to leave faster. I should’ve tried another tactic.” He glanced at her. “Either stay down or look up. We have to go over the bridge again.”

  Her heart warmed at his apology and thoughtfulness. She straightened and stared at the ceiling. “You weren’t entirely unjustified. I suppose I was trying to call the shots more than let you do your job. I’ve been told I can be stubborn if I think I’m right.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, really? I hadn’t noticed.”

  She playfully slapped his shoulder. “Hey, I can say it, but you can’t.” She blinked rapidly. She’d just interacted with him like a friend, but he wouldn’t even be with her if he wasn’t on duty.

  The severity of the situation hit her afresh. Her stomach churned with nausea.

  “Hey, are you okay? We’re almost across.”

  “It feels so wrong to laugh when minutes ago...” She waved her hand toward the back window but refused to let her mind dwell on Levi’s body. If she did, his bloodied shirt and broken form would start playing on a loop, and she wouldn’t be able to fight the tears back any longer.

  “It’s a coping mechanism,” Kurt said, his voice soft and kind. “It doesn’t take away the other feelings, but it helps handle them. We’re over the bridge now.”

  “Thank you.” Her throat tightened and her words sounded garbled. “I like facts more than feelings.”

  “You and me both.”

  She liked looking at the facts before making a decision. People thought she could be impulsive, but she didn’t see it that way. She purposefully lived in the moment and made decisions fast. Did she do that to avoid feelings?

  Every choice she’d made since she’d arrived came into question. Maybe if she’d been more diligent, she would’ve found whatever information was on the flash drive at the resort offices by herself. She’d have sent the red flag immediately to corporate, where there would be no way it could remain a secret. Levi Garner would’ve never had to get involved.

  Then again, if she weren’t ruled by living in the moment, her impulse to check what was on the flash drive would never have been acted upon. If she’d never checked the flash drive, if it hadn’t already been plugged into her laptop when the man attacked her, would they have left her alone? Would they have left Levi alone?

  She sucked in a deep breath. If there were files on the video game console, she’d stay to see if she could complete the audit, but if not, maybe it was best for everyone’s safety to let it go and return to Ohio.

  Kurt’s gaze flitted over her face before he turned back to the road, his forehead creased. “It’s best not to think too much about what you saw, Rebecca.”

  She liked the way he said her name.

  “We’re almost back to your grandpa’s house,” he said. “True confession time.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’m kind of rooting for this to be about your audit.”

  “Ah. So you can get rid of me faster.” She said it in a teasing tone but her throat tightened all the same. Why’d she care so much that this man like her?

  His eyebrows jumped. “No, that’s not it. If this has nothing to do with law enforcement, maybe your dad will see that crime can happen anywhere. If being an officer is really your dream career, it’s not too late. You’re not too old.” He winked. “Yet.”

  She returned his smile, but she needed to process. He was right. Her dad wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. Her career, supposedly the safest, had brought her into danger. Yet she had no desire to change careers. Her childhood dream had lost its appeal the moment she had seen Levi. After today, working with numbers sounded a lot more appealing than dealing with violence and crime.

  Kurt pulled into the driveway and rolled down the window as a police officer approached.

  “Justice Linn sent flowers for Miss Linn,” he said.

  “You made sure they were safe?” Kurt asked.

  The officer pointed at the house. “Looked right down into the vase. Nothing but a little water and stems. Left them inside on the counter.”

  Kurt turned to her. “Does that sound like something your grandpa would do?”

  She placed a hand on her neck, overwhelmed by her grandpa’s gesture. “He wouldn’t have ordered them himself, but it does sound like something he would ask his secretary to do.” She smiled. “It’s sweet.” She missed Grandpa. They’d really had only one night together with his busy schedule, and that was the night they’d called in takeout and found the movie version of Pride and Prejudice in Grandma’s old collection. Grandpa wasn’t much of a movie watcher, as evidenced by his falling asleep, but it’d been fun.

  Kurt drove the rest of the way into the garage. She didn’t even try to exit the car first this time. He opened her door and took her hand, something he hadn’t done since the first time he’d helped her into his truck. Heat traveled up her arm, and they looked into each other’s eyes. Forget wanting a job in law enforcement. If the threat and danger was related to her boring accounting job, her family wouldn’t be able to object to her being in a relationship with someone in law enforcement, either.

  He dropped her hand like it was a hot brick, as if he’d heard her thoughts, and pulled back his shoulders. “It occurred to me, in the interest of ruling out other possible reasons for the threat, that we haven’t asked you much about your personal life.”

  She pulled her chin back. Her personal life? “What do you need to know?”

  He shrugged. “I can let you rest and have lunch first. You’ve had a trying day.”

  She followed him up the two steps to the connecting door to the house. He went first and her hand kept the door open as she stepped inside. A gorgeous red vase filled with daisies sat in the middle of the counter. She jerked to a stop at the threshold and blinked. Nope, still daisies.

  Kurt eyed her. “What’s wrong? What is it?”

  She stood her ground and pointed. “Grandpa would never send those.” Even his secretary would know enough not to send them. “We’re both allergic to them.”

  His eyes widened. He spun her shoulders around so forcefully she almost tipped, but he pushed her lower back forward. She avoided falling on her face by leaping over the steps into the garage.

  “Go! Run!”

  Her back stiffened. Why? Because someone wanted her to have an allergic reaction? She wouldn’t go into anaphylactic shock or anything, at least she hadn’t yet. There’d be some bad hives and itchy eyes and—

  Kurt barreled toward her. She couldn’t make her legs move as fast as she wanted. His strong arm wrapped around her middle and lifted her into the air. A shriek escaped at the surprising force of his actions. Kurt ran with her in the air, toward the
closed aluminum garage door.

  It was as if the air itself compressed and turned into a powerful wall as it hit her and radiated her back with heat. Kurt pulled her into his chest and dropped her to the ground in one swift move as a deafening boom hit her ears.

  He thrust one hand in front of them to ease their fall. She cradled her arms around her head. He stayed hunched over her, his forehead touching the ground next to hers. Ripping metal, thuds, glass breaking and crashes surrounded them. She flinched with each sound of impact. Kurt’s body lurched sideways. His sudden movement flipped her to her back. He groaned but she was too afraid to open her eyes and look in case stray glass debris hit her. She pressed her hands over her face. Splatters of wet and powdery substances fell onto her hands. It didn’t burn, so she prayed nothing landing on them was acidic or toxic.

  The air stilled except for the smoke alarms beeping in unison from inside the house and in the garage. She opened her fingers enough to peek. The connecting door to the house was no longer on its hinges but up against the SUV’s windshield. Amazingly it had only cracked the glass but hadn’t broken it.

  Smoke rolled toward them from inside the house. The corners of the garage door bent outward, revealing sunlight and shoes rushing toward them. Tools that had once hung on the pegboard against the wall had impaled the rest of the garage door.

  She gulped. If they’d still been standing...

  Tears pricked her vision. She turned her head to Kurt. He lay flat on his stomach, half underneath the side of the SUV, covered in brown paint. A can from the garage shelf must have hit him. Her lungs burned, and while the last thing she wanted to do was to talk, she tried anyway. “Are you—” Coughs racked her body and she couldn’t say any more.

  Kurt propped up on his elbows and nodded. No words came out of his mouth, either, but she took it to mean he was okay. Men shouted outside, their words muffled over the high-pitched ringing in her ears.

  The garage door creaked and groaned until the officers had opened it enough to enter. One officer rushed toward her and picked her up by the elbows. Her limbs moved like a rag doll until her sense of up and down returned and she could stand. Kurt waved off the officer helping him, stood and reached for her hand.