Credible Threat

by Heather Woodhaven

  Maybe Grandpa was right to wonder if she was behaving herself. The flippant Mr. Darcy comment she’d made earlier was now utterly untrue.

  * * *

  Kurt knew the police had their databases, but he also had some friends in the FBI, some military buddies who had ended up there after serving and college. It wouldn’t hurt to send them a quick note to see if they could hurry the identification along. Their wheels tended to move faster than some of the state-run database retrievals.

  Some time alone had done him wonders. He felt refreshed and ready to put this guy in jail before he could hurt anyone else.

  Rebecca, though, probably needed food and time alone, as well. She appeared more reserved—shy, even—next to him. The laptop remained on the coffee table. She leaned over to study it but kept glancing at him as she scrolled through the rows and rows of financial information. Maybe it was too much for her to jump into work after such a long day.

  He’d almost lost her today. His chest tightened at the memory. She’d been shot at and, while he’d stepped in, the fact remained that someone had pointed a gun at her. Most people didn’t brush off that sort of experience and go about their regular day. “Hey,” he said before really thinking about what was going to come out of his mouth next.

  She set down her laptop. “What? Did you notice something?”

  “You.”

  She blinked rapidly and her mouth opened slightly. “Oh.”

  “I mean I should’ve asked you how you were doing earlier. If you need someone to talk to—I would be glad to listen—or if you need a list of professionals...”

  She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes in confusion.

  Maybe she was in denial or something. He placed a friendly hand on her wrist. Only, when he touched her, heat traveled up his arm. He pulled back, cleared his throat and stared at the image of the lake framed on the wall ahead of him. “You were shot at. People usually need to talk the first time that happens.”

  She inhaled sharply. “Oh. That. Oh.” She folded her hands in her lap. “I guess I was thinking more about everything else that’s happened, been happening.”

  “When I arrived, Delaney said the judge was on the phone with you. You two really are close, aren’t you?” It was another reminder that he could never stand a chance with Rebecca if the judge didn’t approve of him.

  She sighed at the same time as saying yes.

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” He leaned forward and pulled out a box of tea from his bag. “I stopped and picked this up on my way here. It’s not food, but I noticed you seemed to like a cup before bed. Did I get the right—”

  She placed a hand on her chest and leaned forward. “That was so sweet,” she whispered. Her gaze drifted to his lips and she didn’t move away.

  The box of tea fell from his hand. She closed her eyes and tilted her head. He reached for her—

  The beep of the hotel card key sounded, followed by the click of the door handle. Rebecca flinched and jumped as far away from him as possible on the tiny love seat. His hand stayed in midair as the door swung open.

  “Delivery,” Delaney called out.

  He moved his hand to rub his forehead. What had just happened? Had he really almost kissed her? Maybe he was the one who needed to talk to someone, because he’d obviously lost his mind.

  Even if they overcame the family rule, she was going to be back to Ohio as soon as they caught the guard. There was no future for them. He needed to remember that because if she looked at him that way again...

  Delaney set two brown bags of food on the table. “I hope you’re still hungry because I bought a lot of value meals.”

  Rebecca’s eyes seemed to glaze over. She shook her head. “One second. I just remembered a number when...well, I just remembered.”

  Kurt had read that strong surges of emotions could help people recall things. Since they’d been talking about her almost being shot, maybe she’d remembered more of what she’d seen just before she was attacked the first time.

  She typed a number into the search box at the top of the screen. Several highlighted rows of numbers lined up on the screen. She pointed to the fast-food bags with one hand as her other hand clicked and swiped over the keyboard and track pad. “Could you bring me one of those?”

  Delaney frowned but brought the grease-covered bag over. Kurt had never seen a woman inhale a cheeseburger so fast, and with one hand, to boot.

  Her hand hovered over the keyboard. She glanced between Delaney and Kurt and shrugged. “What? You people didn’t feed me, and math requires brain food.”

  Delaney smothered a laugh. “Fair enough.”

  “Come on, numbers. Tell me a story.” Rebecca completely ignored them and hunched over the keys. Her eyes moved rapidly across the screen. She dropped the rest of the food on top of the wrapper as she typed and scrolled speedily for the next few minutes.

  Kurt almost held his breath watching her work. She may have had a desire to work in law enforcement, and her father may have suggested accounting, but Rebecca excelled at it. And from his perspective, it was all her.

  “Aha! That’s where it veered.” She clapped and shoved a finger at the screen. “Okay. So, I figured out where the numbers Levi had on the flash drive were hidden within the company records. If I didn’t know what to look for, I would’ve never found it.”

  “What does it mean?”

  She cringed. “That’s the tough part. I’m not a hundred percent sure. What I do know is that Vista had bought land in the area a few years back. There’s nothing outright shady about that, right? But then they took out millions of dollars in loans to build vacation homes, presumably to rent out to guests who wanted a more private vacation. They did this here and in Colorado, where their other resort is located.” She took a sip of water. “If I had to guess... I think Levi discovered that the loan money was diverted into Mr. Cabell’s offshore account. Technically speaking, to an auditor like me that’s not enough to raise eyebrows because it is still a company account. It’s common to avoid taxes. What’s troubling is that the official company record shows the loan money going to the builders. That’s where the discrepancy is.”

  Kurt had no idea what the discrepancy meant, so he stayed silent.

  She opened up a national real-estate website and entered some of the property lots named in the company accounts. Kurt whistled at the gorgeous homes with vaulted windows and hot tubs and landscaping. “Those look like they would bring in a pretty penny.”

  “They bought the land for pennies on the dollar because they purchased it during the economic crash.” Rebecca frowned. “But there’s no income coming in from them yet. And it’s been years.” She turned to him.

  “Why would that be worth killing an accountant over?” Delaney asked.

  “I was hoping you would know that part.” She ate a few fries. The fan on the air conditioner kicked in, as if mocking how hard they were thinking.

  “Maybe there’s something shady going on inside the vacation rentals? Drug trafficking or something. That would explain why there’s no listed income,” Rebecca suggested.

  Delaney nodded. “Possible. Those locations are remote, miles outside of town, up in the hills. I could contact the county’s Joint Agency Task Force and see if they have any reason for us to get a warrant to search one of them.”

  “Good idea,” Kurt said. “Please do that.”

  Rebecca pointed at the listings on her screen. “Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to drive by some of these properties. Given the suspicions, I’ll need to take some photographs to match the assessor’s report before my audit can be complete.”

  “Okay. We’ll start in the morning and go to that property with three houses listed in a close radius. Delaney, while you’re contacting the task force, could you also contact Detective Hall with our update? See if he’d like to send some men to join us.”

>   If he’d taken the time to get to know Delaney, he would’ve been able to utilize her police background earlier.

  He considered Rebecca’s comment. “I’m glad to accommodate and help you take photos for your report, but I need to make it clear that if there is any reason for me to get out of the vehicle, you must stay inside.” He didn’t need another incident like today. He wouldn’t give her a chance to wander.

  “Understood.” She didn’t make eye contact. Whether it was from embarrassment at her actions earlier or the almost kiss, he didn’t know. His own neck heated at the thought. At least Delaney would be staying in the hotel, as well. Not that he needed a chaperone, but he wouldn’t turn one down, either.

  Rebecca stood. “Until tomorrow.” She left the living room and closed the bedroom door behind her. Her words still rang in his ears. There was a Bible verse in Matthew that basically said not to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow would bring its own worries. Despite himself, he whispered a prayer that tomorrow’s worries wouldn’t involve any more danger for Rebecca...or his heart.

  TEN

  Rebecca had loved the thick rows of trees in the hills until someone had tried to kill her. Now she wondered what was lurking in the forests surrounding her favorite small town. In the side mirror, the lake, the suite that had the most comfortable bed she’d ever slept in and the floating golf green grew smaller as they drove.

  Kurt’s GPS narrated directions. Delaney drove a blue van behind them. The police had sent a couple of plain clothes officers to follow them, as well. This way there would be a car for each house, in case Mr. Cabell turned out to be hiding or running nefarious activities in one of them.

  She’d fought so hard to finish the job set in front of her, but it hit her that her striving would all be for nothing. “Let’s say I take photos of the house, tidy up my audit and send my boss the report. It would satisfy my contract, but really, it doesn’t matter anymore. There’s no way Grandpa will invest, and I highly doubt Mr. Putnam will be publishing my work as a third-party review to get more investors.”

  Kurt nodded but didn’t say anything. Oh, great. He was back to being the Silent Marshal when she thought they’d finally moved past that. Why had she tried to kiss him? Okay, the reasons were sitting right in front of her, but she didn’t want her lapse in judgment to cause problems between them. “I’m sorry I tried to kiss you.”

  He didn’t even look at her but gave a short nod again.

  She crossed her arms across her chest. “Are you giving me the silent treatment?”

  “Of course not.” The GPS notified him to take a turn. A dirt road was visible about a hundred feet in front of them. He touched the far side of his head, which she knew held an earpiece. “Ready to split up?” He paused. “Affirmative.” He touched his ear again then sighed. “Rebecca, I think it might be best if we stuck to conversations about the case. Like you said, the threat is probably over once you’re done with the report, and you’re about to have the final piece in minutes.”

  That hurt. It made sense, but she wanted to still have the friendly conversation. She had vague notions they would keep in touch. Despite the danger, her time in Coeur d’Alene felt more like home than Ohio. Maybe it was because her favorite memories were summer moments with the mountains, bright blue lake and trees. She exhaled and looked out the window. Foolish daydreams. “Fair enough.”

  “I’ll slow down in front of each of the properties. It should be enough for you to grab a photograph, but I’m not stopping until the third house. That’s when you’ll stay in the vehicle.”

  “Why the third?” She knew he didn’t want to talk much, but she couldn’t hold back her curiosity. Besides, this was technically about the case.

  “Our map may be outdated, but I know that the third property is a dead end surrounded by high cliffs. The only way in is the dirt road.” He took a sharp turn. “Here we go.”

  “You want two cars between me and a potential threat following us.”

  He nodded. “You catch on fast.”

  “Your location is on the right. You have arrived,” the stilted voice announced from his phone.

  So the first house should be on the right, but the property was covered in evergreen trees. “No sign of a driveway yet.” She squinted, trying to see if the house was buried deep in the trees. Luxury vacationers did appreciate ultraprivate venues, especially with clients who dealt with a bit of fame. “Maybe GPS isn’t as accurate as we hoped and it’s up ahead. It wouldn’t have been the first time. They’re not the most accurate when there aren’t city roads.”

  Kurt slowed his speed and picked up his phone. “No, this should be right.”

  The dirt road curved around a few mounds of dirt. Odd. The road, in and of itself, wasn’t ideal for vacationers if they had inclement weather, but the mounds of dirt should’ve been gone by now. In the distance she spotted the cliff he was referring to. It wouldn’t take long to reach the end of the road at this rate. The tops of the mountains still had a thick layer of snow that wouldn’t melt until summer. “Kurt, there’s nothing here. There are no houses.”

  “It would appear you’re right.”

  Yet she’d seen the images of the vacation homes in the records from the appraiser. “Mortgage fraud.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before now. This is why Levi found it when no one else did. His sister was in real estate, and he was selling his own land so this type of thing would’ve been on his radar. Maybe he’d noticed they weren’t bringing in income yet and wanted to look at the vacation houses himself.”

  “Well that’ll at least give Detective Hall a place to start with motive for murder. Otherwise, it seems this trip out here has been a waste of time.”

  “Not for me. My boss will be thrilled we discovered fraud. It boosts the company’s reputation, another selling tool for third-party auditors.” In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if a raise or a promotion would be in her future. A month ago the thought would’ve excited her, but it didn’t even make her smile now.

  The sun glinted off something metallic. She squinted. Her eyes were either playing tricks on her, especially given how far away it was, but the Hummer might be hidden behind the trees. She leaned closer to the passenger window and put her hand on the glass to block the sun. “Ku—”

  A loud pop hit the windshield. The laminate front glass popped and cracked, but never shattered around a bullet hole the size of a golf ball. She recoiled and her head hit the side of the door. “Someone just shot at us!” Behind her a chunk of the passenger seat was missing, with a few springs sticking out of it, the same spot where she’d just been sitting. A cry stuck in her throat as her chest seized.

  The SUV spun.

  “What’s happening?” The momentum shifted her head back into the headrest but her left shoulder had nothing to rest on, a reminder that someone wanted her heart to stop beating.

  “Keep your head down!” Kurt grabbed her hand and pulled as he kept his other hand on the steering wheel. His hand moved from her wrist to her back, as if to make her stay down. He didn’t need to tell her twice. His hand left and she felt movement behind her into the back seat, where he kept his weapons. The vehicle jolted to a stop. “Stay put!”

  She turned her head to the side, her cheek practically touching her knee. Kurt had a rifle in his hand. He rolled out of the SUV, took a knee, aimed and fired twice. He jumped back into the vehicle, the rifle in his lap, and took off, barreling forward.

  “What happened? Can I sit up?”

  “Are you injured? Were you hit?” His voice was terse.

  “I’m fine. Stop answering my questions with questions.”

  “Stay down until the threat is clear.” He swerved the SUV and jumped out again. She heard footsteps and shouts but didn’t hear gunshots. Her stomach cramped in the uncomfortable position. She inched her head up until she could peek past the
dashboard.

  Delaney had pulled the van into a diagonal position. The police car behind her had stopped in an opposite position, and another set of officers stood behind their SUV with Kurt. Their guns were down, but they all spoke into phones.

  Kurt pointed toward the SUV. He was heading back to her. She ducked her head.

  The door creaked open. “You can sit up now, I think. Delaney thinks I hit the target. We have more units on the way.”

  “You hit the shooter? How is that possible? I never even saw him. How’d you know where he was?”

  He sat down in the driver’s seat. “I could tell the trajectory of where the bullet came from. It’s not a windy day, and I trained as a sharpshooter.” He shrugged with the last statement as if it was no big deal.

  It was a huge deal to her. She opened her mouth to say so but a wet spot grew on his shoulder. “You’re bleeding! Were you shot?”

  “I’m sure it was from the seat or a spring or something. It’s just a scratch. I’m fine.”

  She reached for him. “No, you’re not.”

  He gathered her fingers before she could investigate. “Yes, I am.” His grip loosened and he shook his head. “I keep thinking I’m going to lose you.” He pulled her fingers ever so slightly toward his face, as if he was going to kiss her hand. After saving her life for what seemed like the millionth time, that simply wouldn’t do. She reached for his neck with her other hand, leaned over the console and kissed his cheek.

  Her heart pounded in her throat as he dropped her hand. His palms moved to cradle either side of her face. Their eyes met and she leaned forward until their lips touched. All her gratitude, devotion and unsaid feelings seemed to be held in that kiss. Who was she kidding? She didn’t want to have a long-distance friendship with this man. She was falling head over heels.