Delaney’s mouth and eyes held hints of strain. She placed her hands on her hips as if ready to abandon her usual calm.
“Now, before you say anything, I know I should’ve never let Rebecca out of my sight in the first place. It was a rookie mistake.” He cringed at his words. “I didn’t mean—”
Her eyes narrowed. “I may be a rookie within the Marshals, Kurt, but I was a police officer before I joined. You knew that, right?”
He didn’t really recall what her previous training had been before she’d been assigned to the district. “I never questioned your qualifications,” he said instead.
“Well, maybe you could’ve used my input when dealing with the police. Because it seems clear to me that delivering the warrant should’ve been left with the Sheriff’s Office.”
“They wouldn’t have made it in time. They were right behind me and were informed of what I was doing.”
She exhaled, the disapproval evident on her face, but she didn’t comment. “Did you know Judge Linn was responsible for bringing Rebecca here, for this job, in the first place?” She raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t think so.”
It was news to him. “He should’ve mentioned—”
“That’s right. He probably didn’t because deep down the judge knew the police should’ve been handling the threat instead of us from day one.”
“And this is where experience comes in, Delaney. We take judges’ requests seriously, despite motivation.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”
He flinched. “I don’t see—”
“It’s relevant because you’ve been treating her more like a partner than a protectee.”
Kurt pulled his shoulders back. “And with time, you’ll find that all cases are not handled equally in the Marshals. You’re used to policy and procedure being laid out for you, no matter the circumstances. We’re given more space to handle things the way we deem most effective given the situation.”
She inhaled. “That may be, but I requested this town as my first assignment because of you.”
He took a step back, surprised. He had no idea.
She held up a finger. “You have the best fugitive capture rate in the ninth circuit, and I wanted to learn from you. I was told you liked to work alone, but I didn’t think you’d shut me out of your process. Clearly protection isn’t your forte, and that’s okay, but stop acting like you have to do this on your own. I know the judge requested you but that doesn’t mean I can’t partner with you. I know police work. Keep me more in the loop and let me bridge the divide.”
It took a tremendous amount of self-control to keep wisecracking and defensive comments contained. Bottom line, she was right. He’d been a poor leader.
In high school, he’d liked to think of himself as a great leader. He’d brought his baseball team to state championships all four years. They’d won the title three of those years. Looking back, all he could remember was the glory of the home runs and the strikeouts he’d thrown. No wonder his team had felt he’d let them down when he’d broken his ankle. He’d never treated them like a team. There was no leadership when he did it all on his own. In the military and even in the Marshals, he either followed orders or did everything on his own. What made him think he could ever lead a team? He wasn’t cut out to get a promotion.
“You’re right. I haven’t kept you in the loop like I should. Your input would be valued.”
Her eyes widened. “Thank you. I’ve got some accommodations lined up for tonight. Now what?”
“Two priorities come to mind. If Rebecca is up to it, since we’re already here, let’s see if she can find the numbers she needs. The key to all this must be in there. Second, we need to get the identification of the security guard that shot at her. It’s possible we’re only dealing with one guy, and he’s probably the one who murdered the accountant.”
She exhaled. “Do you have any guesses at motivation?”
“None. I’m hoping Rebecca can find that missing piece.”
“Okay. I can work with the Sheriff’s Office to identify him.”
“That’d be great. How do you feel about interviewing the owner, Mr. Cabell, as well? He’s been mysteriously absent thus far.”
She beamed. “I can absolutely do that. I’ll get the police on a search for our suspect.” She spun off and walked toward Detective Hall and the other officers.
He exhaled. He wanted to be a leader.
Rebecca was watching him. His heart surged again. Delaney was wrong about one thing. He wasn’t treating Rebecca like a partner. But he wanted to, the kind of partner that he could pull into his arms after a hard day’s work. He frowned and blinked the thought away.
He crossed the distance and nodded at Detective Hall before addressing the man sitting on the floor. “Mr. Putnam, did you hire the head of security?”
“No, no, no.” Putnam shook his head and looked as if he was about to get woozy again. The paramedic grabbed his wrist. “Mr. Cabell hired him.”
“Is it policy for your security guards to carry weapons?”
“Absolutely not. Well, except for Giomar. He has a gun, but that’s because whenever Mr. Cabell travels, he goes as his personal guard.” Putnam’s balance wavered. “Was...was that the gunshot I heard?”
“I think we better take a little trip to the hospital,” the paramedic said. “Your heart rate is erratic.”
If Putnam left for the hospital, Kurt would have to wait hours before getting the answers he needed. “Mr. Cabell needs a personal guard?” Kurt pressed.
The paramedic waved over the second guy to join him.
“I always thought he was paranoid, but he’s an extremely rich man.” Mr. Putnam shook his head. “It didn’t seem outlandish.”
The secretary, who was still quite peeved with him, rushed in front of Kurt and grabbed Mr. Putnam’s briefcase. “I’ll go with you to the hospital.”
Rebecca gestured in the direction he’d been talking with Delaney. “I guess you heard about my grandpa’s part in this.”
“I’m not convinced the judge has any part, other than not wanting to sway you toward giving this place a green light with your audit.”
She seemed to stand taller. “You think? That would make so much sense. He wanted to make sure I stayed impartial.” She exhaled and put a hand on his arm. “Thank you.”
“He should’ve told me, though. I imagine he wanted to make sure I didn’t have any inkling to pass it on to the local P.D.”
“That would be Grandpa. He’d want only the best.” Her eyes glistened as she smiled at him. “I’m glad he got the best. Thank you for saving my life...again. If I’m being honest with myself, I’m starting to rethink my live-in-the-moment lifestyle.”
“I’m not going to say I disagree with you, but it’s not all bad. It probably means you can compartmentalize, which is what I’m hoping. I need you to forget that someone is after you for a few moments and focus on the numbers.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “It’s time to get to work. Let’s go find a murderer.”
NINE
Rebecca’s stomach growled for the fifth time in ten minutes.
Delaney looked up from her device. “I promise we don’t usually starve our protectees. As soon as Kurt gets here, I’ll go pick up some food.”
She’d at least had a good breakfast, but that was the only thing she’d eaten all day. It seemed to be becoming a pattern. Delaney rummaged in her duffel bag and pulled out a protein bar. “Will this help?”
Her stomach growled yet again. “Apparently my stomach doesn’t trust me to answer correctly. Yes, please.” She ripped open the wrapper and chomped down on the nutty goodness and was pleasantly surprised at the taste of chocolate. She bit another three-inch bite and leaned back into the hotel sofa. Her laptop whirred to life on the coffee tabl
e in front of her.
Delaney had gone a different direction than the last hole-in-the-wall motel. They were now in a suite at Vista’s main competitor, a resort and spa that sat right on the lake and even boasted having the world’s only floating golf hole. Rebecca had yet to use any of her vacation time that’d been building for the past few years, aside from a stray day here and there to stay with her parents during the holidays. With all the traveling she did, she never craved more time in a hotel, but this resort and spa was something else.
The clock that hung on the beige wall said it was nine o’clock already. It’d taken ages for the police to have all their questions answered and to get their computer expert on the phone to help her access Levi’s computer. Detective Hall had grown quite grumpy. Apparently he should’ve been at his daughter’s concert, and he wasn’t too thrilled that Kurt had enlisted Rebecca as his asset to check the files.
They’d copied all the financial files to the police’s evidence cloud as well as hers. Kurt promised to make sure all evidence was deleted from it once Rebecca was done evaluating the numbers. It didn’t matter that she’d pointed out that, under her auditing contract signed by Vista Resorts, she was supposed to have all of the financial files anyway.
And while she couldn’t wait to dive into the numbers to understand what Levi had found, the adrenaline had dissipated. She was exhausted and hungry and frustrated that her body didn’t understand that a man was out to kill her so she didn’t have time to be human.
Kurt was getting a change of clothes at his place, which she didn’t begrudge him since he still had brown paint on his back, but she was about to demand room service if he didn’t show up soon. At least Delaney had supplied her with a couple of clean outfits. Most of the pants had elastic waists since Delaney didn’t know what size she wore. They were at least comfortable.
Delaney followed her gaze. “Now that I know we’re the same size, I’ll bring you some jeans in the morning.”
Her phone rang. “It’s the judge. Can I answer?”
Delaney nodded. “Go ahead and take it. Feel free to use one of the bedrooms for privacy.”
She tried to flash a grateful smile, but as tired as she was, it might’ve looked more like a grimace, especially since she was trying to get herself out of the deep couch. She hit the accept button as she walked around the coffee table. “Grandpa?”
“It’s so good to hear your voice, sweetie. I’m on my way back to town.”
He had nothing to come back to since the bomb. An invisible heavy weight settled on her chest. She hadn’t spoken to anyone in her family since the last two near misses, and the longing to be with them almost crushed her. “You know everything that happened?”
His sigh held so much weariness. “I do. I’ve been told I can still live in the house, though. They’ve got the windows all boarded up, and I’ve got crews coming to repair everything in the morning.”
“Prepare yourself. It may be okay for you to stay there but it’s going to stink. I didn’t get a look after the fire was put out, but I’ve heard the kitchen is totally gutted.”
“Don’t you worry about me. I hated having such a huge house to myself, anyway. I suppose I’ll be glad tonight because my room is the farthest from the dining area. Your grandma loved that kitchen.” His voice wavered. “She designed it.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“Deputy Marshal Brock got in touch with me a few minutes ago. Honey, I never would’ve recommended you for the audit if I thought I was putting you in danger. Not even for a second. I was going to tell you after you finished your report. There was no intent to deceive, though I must admit, I probably wouldn’t have given Putnam’s suggestion to invest a second thought if...” He coughed. “Who am I kidding? There might’ve been some hidden motive to get you to visit me.”
Her heart twisted. So much work to get a visit from her. “I’ll come more often. And you can come to Ohio anytime, you know. I don’t think I’ll be traveling as much.” Once she got home, she would see about transferring to a position that allowed her to stay put and make connections easier.
“Let’s just focus on keeping you safe for the time being. You should know I’ve called your father.”
She gulped. “Are you two—?”
“We’re still talking, for now. He’s furious with me and worried about you, but since it looks like this has nothing to do with my job, I think in the end we’ll be okay. I wanted to apologize for my part in this, for bringing you here. I asked your dad to let you rest so he won’t call you just yet, but he’s eager to speak to you. That marshal still not handsome enough to tempt you?”
She laughed at the sudden change in conversation. “Well, he is pretty handsome, Grandpa.”
“That’s what worries me. Is he behaving himself?”
“Of course. As if you even need to ask.”
“Are you?”
She gasped at his question. A knock sounded at the hallway door. “Good night, Grandpa,” she said in response. He chuckled and returned her goodbye.
She rushed out to find Kurt in the living area wearing clean jeans and a navy polo so crisp it looked ironed. He dropped a duffel bag to the ground but, sadly, nothing else was in his hands. Her shoulders drooped. “I thought you had food.”
Delaney grabbed up some keys and shook her head. “Trust me, you don’t want him to pick out dinner, or you’ll be eating corn dogs.”
Kurt smiled. “They’re fifty cents at the gas station.”
Her stomach would take corn dogs right now. It would take anything. “I don’t care.” Her appetite wasn’t the problem. Given the grave situation, she had zero cravings.
Delaney hopped up. “I’ll be right back with some real food. Salads okay?”
Rebecca paused for a second. “Salad is great as long as there are big hunks of meat and sticks of potatoes to go with it.”
Delaney shook her head, as if disappointed Rebecca didn’t have more refined or healthy tastes. “Burger and fries. Got it.” The door clicked behind her as she left.
Alone again with Kurt, her energy returned. Hopefully he had a plan for what they did next. “I hear you talked to my grandpa. Any other news?”
Kurt shook his head. “The head of security hasn’t been identified yet, and the owner is nowhere to be found, if that’s what you’re asking. The guard was using a fake name at the offices, but the police picked up his fingerprints from his desk and a coffee mug. If he has any priors or, judging by his accent, went through immigration in recent years, he’ll likely be in the system.” His kind eyes searched hers. “At least we can hope. How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine.” Her mind was occupied on the way he’d said hope. “Do you have faith?” After their previous conversations, the question tumbled out before she could hold it back.
“In myself?”
Oh, yeah. She’d once told him she had faith in him. “No, that’s not what I meant. You wouldn’t be so good at your job if you didn’t. I’m asking...” Her bravado failed her. Faith was a very personal topic for a lot of people. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
He quirked an eyebrow and smiled. “I see why you’re good at auditing. You have no problem asking questions.”
“I follow a thought trail, I suppose. Sometimes it’s random, but it often leads me somewhere interesting.”
Kurt sat on the couch and placed his cell phone and a computer next to her laptop on the coffee table. He reached into his duffel bag and pulled out a small, worn Bible. He tapped the cover. “I wouldn’t feel safe without knowing someone’s got my back.”
She knew it. “You’re a Christian.”
He nodded. “Is that a problem?”
“No.” She smiled. Logically she believed in God, and it comforted her that Kurt did, as well. Her belief didn’t come without struggle, though. She let busyness co
me first before her time with God, and sometimes doubt lingered when her friends all seemed to have amazing testimonies. They’d seen evidence of God working on their behalf. But in her case, either He hadn’t or she’d been too busy to notice.
Kurt tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
He laughed. “You get to ask me the questions, but you’re not going to reciprocate?”
She placed a hand on her hip. “I didn’t want to tell you things about myself if you didn’t want to know. You could ask.”
“I’m asking.” He bent his head and swiped across the track pad on his laptop.
Kurt was truly a man of few words. She almost pointed out that he hadn’t literally vocalized a question, but she obliged. “I’m a believer, but I don’t have an exciting testimony. I imagine you do, given your background.”
He leaned back and crossed his arms at his chest. “I suppose it depends on what you define as exciting. God loved me enough to send His son to pay the price for my sins. I’m saved and get to spend eternity with Him.” He shrugged. “I think that’s pretty exciting.”
It was as if a hammer shattered hard parts around her heart she didn’t know were there. She bit her lip and blinked back sudden tears that threatened. He was right. And she’d stayed alive all week despite a man trying to kill her. Why hadn’t she taken a moment and thanked God for that? “Then I have an epic testimony.”
She loved the way his grin made little lines next to his eyes. Some people called them crow’s feet, but that term didn’t fit at all. They were more like happy arrows to his gorgeous dark eyes. “As do I,” he said. “Since junior high.”
He patted the spot next to him on the couch. “I know it’s late, but are you up for some detective work?”
The idea of working side by side with a handsome, intelligent man whose faith and ideals matched her own suddenly gave her the drive to answer yes and dive into the monotonous task of retracing each financial transaction. As much as she loved to live her life in the moment, wandering from one thing to the next, she still craved her parents’ and grandfather’s approval. That’s why she’d chosen to become an accountant, albeit a traveling one. She sat and Kurt smiled. He smelled clean and fresh, as if he always smelled like pine trees and cedar.
Credible Threat Page 11
