by Leanna Floyd
His mind picked at odd details, especially those involving Charlie. That part he couldn’t figure out. It was one thing for Alicia to be stringing him along, but Charlie was just a kid. And the times Jacob had spoken with him, the boy seemed to verify all that Alicia had said. Could Jacob be wrong about all this? What if Alicia were just stressed and overwhelmed by her son’s diagnosis? Was Jacob willing to risk their entire relationship because he couldn’t verify her story? And if she were just playing a game with him, would that make it any less painful to lose her?
At first when Alicia called that morning, he was furious but determined not to let her know it. “Sorry about last night,” he said. “How’s Charlie?” She had apologized again for being so upset the night before and claimed she felt terrible about his driving so far for nothing.
“No problem,” he said, playing it cool. “But I still want to see you and Charlie. Thanksgiving is this week… I could come down if that wouldn’t interrupt your family plans.” He hated sounding desperate, inviting himself to spend the holiday with her. Truth be told, he was desperate. He was tired of waiting and gambling his future happiness on someone who might not exist—or couldn’t be trusted even if she did exist.
“Oh, I would love that, Sweetie,” she said. “But, you know how it is with Charlie. I don’t even know if we’ll have Thanksgiving dinner. I just started back to work last week, and I’ve got a ton to catch up on. And I never know how Charlie will be feeling day-to-day. And even if we do go to Mom’s for Thanksgiving, I don’t want our first meeting to be consumed with me introducing you to all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Everyone will be speaking Spanish, talking about family memories in Puerto Rico. And if Charlie is having a good day, I just want him to try and forget what he’s going through.”
“I understand,” Jacob said. “Of course.”
“It just wouldn’t be fair to you, you know? There’s bound to be some family drama with my sister Jazz—holidays are hard for her. We do okay when it’s just the two of us, but when we’re around the rest of our family, everyone naturally compares us. I look, well, you’ve seen what I look like,” she giggled before continuing, “and Jasmine has just let herself go. She doesn’t even try to lose weight anymore. I offer to take her shopping or help her with her makeup or hair, but she always makes a joke of it and turns me down. She’s just so jealous of me, you know? And now that I’m getting all this attention because of Charlie—well, she tries but doesn’t always handle it well.”
“That makes sense,” Jacob said. “You’ve got it all, babe. Who wouldn’t be jealous of you?”
“You’re sweet,” Alicia said. “But that’s not what I mean. There’s just all this tension between Jazz and me on top of everything else, and once she sees you with me—I’m afraid that’s only going to set her off. I hope that makes sense—sorry for rambling.” She took a deep breath and Jacob could hear someone, apparently Charlie, calling her in the background. “Gotta go, Sweetie. But let’s talk later tonight. We’ll meet soon—I promise. I have faith Charlie will make it through this, and so will we. Love you!”
“Love you, too,” he had said, automatically, wondering if he meant it. As he sat there and enjoyed his Bloody Mary, he knew his faith in Alicia was fading fast.
“Is this seat taken?” asked Brooke, kissing him on the cheek before sitting across from him. Jacob was so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t heard her enter. In jeans and a coral-colored cotton sweater, Brooke looked beautiful just then, bright-eyed with rosy cheeks; she looked real. “How you doing?” she said. “Hanging in there?”
Jacob nodded and forced a smile. “Thanks for being there. I know I’ve been a real jerk sometimes about all this.”
“Hey, none of that,” she said. “Don’t beat yourself up. We all wrestle with what we bring to our lives—that’s what keeps people like me in business.”
He appreciated her attempt at humor and just her entire sense of caring about him. This was what love looked like—not some manipulative bot playing mind games online. Their waitress came and Brooke ordered iced tea—explaining she had to work that afternoon—and a couple of appetizers. Jacob found his gaze still pinned to the grey horizon outside, his thoughts still free-floating.
“You sure you’re okay?” Brooke asked. “Do you want to talk? It’s okay if you don’t. I’ll quit bugging you if you just want to hang out and enjoy the view.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice suddenly full of emotion. “I… I just don’t know what came over me. And right now, I don’t know what I think. What if Alicia is who I think she is, and I’m just overreacting? What if everything is legit, and she ends up feeling betrayed because I didn’t trust her? What if I ruin her trust in me and ultimately destroy our relationship?”
Brooke sipped her tea and waited a few seconds to respond. “Do you think that’s the case? Do you really think Alicia is telling you the truth? On the phone you sounded much more… sure of yourself.”
“You don’t have to tiptoe around anything,” he assured her. “Yeah, one minute I’m furious and can’t believe how stupid I’ve been, and the next, I’m afraid I’m making a huge mistake. And either way, it feels like I’m going to lose her.”
“Jacob,” Brooke said and reached across for his hand. “It’s perfectly natural to feel that way… but just remember, the Alicia you fell in love with may not exist. That’s what you’re coming to terms with.”
He squeezed her hand and said, “Yeah, I know you’re right. It’s just… I don’t know what to do with myself… with her… with any of this.”
Brooke let go of his hand as the waitress approached with an order of fried calamari and popcorn shrimp. “What do you want to do about her? I mean, are you wanting clarity about what’s real, or are you wanting to confront her and get answers, or… something else?”
“Yes, and yes,” Jacob said, helping himself to the calamari. “What I want to do is get in my car, drive to Miami, show up on her doorstep, and see what she has to say for herself. I want her to look me in the eye and tell me what the hell this is all about.” His voice flooded with emotion again. “I’ve got to make this stop, Brooke. I can’t go on this way. I’m serious—I’m going to drive down there this afternoon. I’ve got to.”
“You’ve got her address, right?” Brooke said.
He nodded, surprised by her question.
“Good—then I’ll go with you. We can stake out her home and see if anyone is coming in and out of her home. You can see what she looks like, find out if Charlie is really there with her. And if you do decide to confront her, I can be your witness to keep her from pulling any ‘he said, she said’ kind of crap.”
Expecting Brooke to be the voice of reason, Jacob was taken aback by her willingness to go with him on such a fool’s errand. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” he asked.
She finished chewing a bite of shrimp and smiled at him. “Yes, I am. I’ll take my research work with me and do whatever I can to help.”
“What about the trial? I thought you were supposed to be in court on Monday.”
“Well, I guess I’ll either tell Dr. Gregory to find someone else, or I’ll fly back Sunday night.”
“You’re as crazy as I am, you know that?”
“I’m just tired of seeing you in so much pain and uncertainty. This roller coaster has to end, and it seems like you’re finally ready to make it stop. I’m willing to help with that in any way I can.”
Jacob thought for a moment and let his eyes return to the view. “Maybe it’s not the smartest idea to show up unannounced. Maybe I should do some digging first and see what I can find out. The firm has resources—technical forensics, that sort of thing. Maybe I can trace her server’s IP address and see who that’s actually registered to.”
“Smart,” she said. “Now you’re starting to sound like a lawyer.”
“If I—or we—decide to go down there,” he continued, “I want to know what we’re getting into.”
“I know you d
idn’t like it when I brought this up before,” Brooke said, “but I know someone who may be able to help you find out more about Alicia. He’s retired FBI, an old friend of Dr. G’s, someone he still uses occasionally as a consultant on cases. I don’t know his rates, but I’m sure he could do some… digging.”
“What?” he said. “You just thought of something right then—what was that light bulb I saw going on over your head?”
“Nothing,” she said, then added, “it’s just I may know someone else besides Reynolds who could help us.”
“Oh, yeah? Who’s that?”
“Just a friend,” she said and smiled mysteriously. “Let me check and see, okay? I’ll call both Reynolds and my friend this afternoon and get the ball rolling. That is, if you’re sure—”
“I’m sure,” he said. “One way or another, I need to know the truth. I’ll work on the IP address on my end and you see what your friends can do.”
“I’m proud of you, Jacob,” Brooke said. “This isn’t easy. But you’re doing the right thing. One way or another, it will be okay—I promise. The truth will always set you free.”
I should’ve known the nurse would be just as much trouble after she was dead as she was getting there. It wasn’t that someone had found her body. No, I don’t think they’ll be finding her body for a long time, if they ever do. Before I dropped her off a rickety old pier nearby, I left her foot exposed and lightly cut her heel. Blood in the water, along with a couple cement blocks to keep her there. I figured between the gators and the fish, there won’t be much left.
No, the problem was with her family. She and her sisters and mom were thick as thieves, so when their little nurse didn’t return their texts and calls the next day, they called the hospital where she worked. So, within 48 hours, a volunteer search party had formed, the hospital where she worked had offered a reward, and the tearful mom had talked to a local news reporter out of Tampa. Pictures of her smug, Chiclet-teeth smile were suddenly everywhere—grocery stores, coffee shops, bars and restaurants.
I knew eventually someone would remember seeing Nurse Goodbody at our little dive bar. Hell, they might even remember seeing her with someone who looks like me. But I think that’s as far as they’ll get. I always paid in cash and tipped well but not so much that it was memorable. Besides, I look like every other sales rep going up and down the state. The khaki pants, white button-down, and navy blazer I’d worn that night had been left at a Goodwill.
After only a couple weeks, my head started aching again, and I knew a storm-class-five migraine was on its way. Personally, I think it was because the nurse had been so unsatisfying and stressful. She took all the joy out of it. If I were to prevent the migraine of all migraines, I knew I would have to go out hunting again. And this time, I would have to be much more careful.
Because I enjoyed what I was doing way too much for it to end.
So, I thought I would either fly down to Miami for a getaway weekend or else choose something close to home since all the others had been in smaller beaches. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of heading south. I hadn’t been to the Everglades since I was a kid. But I remembered how creepy we felt in all the swamps, covered in vines and cottonwood trees, and, of course, the gators. They say a mature adult alligator can devour a human body in under three minutes.
I think I’ll find out.
Chapter 31
After lunch, Jacob drove to the office, energized by Brooke’s support and their joint effort at finding out the truth about Alicia Gonzalez. He was still half-tempted to keep driving south and just show up at Alicia’s door without calling her this time, but the rational side of him won out. No, he needed a plan. Even if he just ended up cussing her out for being a liar, Jacob wanted to know the objective facts about with whom he was dealing first.
The parking garage was almost empty, only to be expected on a Saturday afternoon. He used his key card and wondered if he would find any of his co-workers in the office. If he were lucky, no one would be there, and he wouldn’t have to make small talk and act like he was there to work on the Barton case. As the elevator headed up to the eleventh floor, Jacob suddenly had a thought. While he hoped none of his co-workers would be in, he realized there was a good chance one of the IT geeks would be working. And if he were really lucky, it would be someone whom he could con into helping him.
He was right. The entire floor seemed vacant. He heard someone on the phone from a hallway, but it sounded like one of the older male partners reserving a tee time. Jacob checked his cubicle and found a stack of files and a note from Lisa DeMato: “Heard Carver is bringing in newbie profiler—don’t understand strategy but we need to be prepared. See our expert’s assessment results on Barton. Make sure we’re ready for her to testify next week.” He shoved the note into the top file and set the stack aside to review later. Once he had his own plan in motion, going through his boss’ latest stack of grunt work would help distract him.
But in the meantime, he logged on and checked email. Then from his phone, he forwarded one of Alicia’s emails to his work account. Now, for the fun part. He scanned the firm’s internal directory and hit the four-digit number from his desk phone.
“IT—this is Luke,” said a young-sounding male voice.
“Luke, hey, this is Jacob Connor up on eleven,” he said. “Glad I caught you—didn’t know if anyone would be in today. I’m working on the Barton trial with Lisa DeMato and need a favor. We’ve got an email from someone claiming to know Zach Barton, but he swears he doesn’t know her. Could you run a trace on the address, get an IP address, and see who it’s registered to?”
“Uh, well, if you want to fill out a requisition form, I can put it in the queue and rush it out for next week.”
“Aww, man, I totally understand,” Jacob said, trying to use his best ‘cool bro’ voice. “But here’s the thing—I really screwed up by not getting this to you earlier this week. Now I got DeMato calling me on a Saturday from her condo in Boca and reaming me out for not chasing this down. I know it’s not right to ask a favor from you, but is there any way you might be able to chase down this IP address today?”
Deep sigh on Luke’s end. “Well, I’m not really supposed to do shit like this, you know? Hugo chews our asses up when he finds out we do stuff without following procedure. I could lose my job, man. I’m sorry but—”
“Luke, I know what you’re saying—I really do. Believe me, I know about having an asshole boss breathing down your neck for every little thing—that’s exactly why I’m calling you right now. But if you were somehow able to do this for me and get this information to me by tomorrow morning, I could see my friend Benjamin paying you a visit.”
“Uh, wow, I don’t know what to say,” said Luke as his voice cracked, making him sound even younger. Jacob imagined him to be about 19, skinny, with thick-framed glasses and pimples. “I’ve never been bribed before.”
“Not a bribe,” Jacob said, keeping that ebullient ‘good buddy’ quality in his voice. “This is just you and me, my man, doing a little business. One bro helping out another, okay? Surely, there’s something you’ve been wanting—maybe Ben and his twin, also named Ben, could take you on a little shopping spree?”
“Well, I have been wanting to try the new Swamp Zombies 5. I guess, maybe.”
Jacob had him! “Dude, I love that game! Although, I have to say, SZ4 really disappointed me. All those zombie-gators were just annoying, right?”
“Yes! Absolutely! I can’t believe you play SZ!”
Jacob could’ve sworn Luke’s voice rose another octave. “We gotta play together sometime, okay? Luke, buddy, you’re a lifesaver! I’ll email you the address to chase and be right down with twin Bens for you, okay? You are a Swamp Zombie-killing beast!”
Sometimes Jacob even impressed himself.
After popping down to the eighth floor and dropping two one-hundred-dollar bills on Luke, Jacob returned to his office. The kid had promised results by noon on Sunday, a
nd Jacob had again stressed what a huge favor this was. It was funny, too. Luke had turned out to look nothing like what Jacob expected; instead of resembling a character from The Big Bang Theory, Luke looked more like some nerdy superhero type. He was definitely young, but the kid was obviously into bodybuilding. Just goes to show, Jacob thought, you can’t judge a person by his voice.
As soon as the thought formed in his mind, he had to laugh at himself because that was exactly what he had done with Alicia. All he had to go on was her voice, and he had built his entire fantasy around the sexy, slightly accented Latina’s sultry sound. If only it were that easy, he thought, for someone to be the person they sounded like.
He logged on to a database the firm used for credit reports and once again, because of course he had tried to find her right after they met, ran Alicia Gonzalez through the system. Only problem, then as now, was that over a hundred women named Alicia Gonzalez popped up in the state of Florida. And over half of those lived in Dade County. And none had an address matching the one he had for his Alicia.
His phone rang and it was Brooke.
“Connor and Douger Investigations,” he said, “what’s up, gorgeous?”
She laughed. “Well, you sound awfully chipper.”
“I just conned some kid into tracing Alicia’s email address for me.”
“Well done, sir,” she said. “I had success, too. I talked to Reynolds, and he agreed to use his sources to find out what he can about Alicia Gonzalez with the address and other details you provided. Still waiting to hear from my other source, so we’ll see.”
“Awesome,” he said, “thank you.”
“You’re welcome, babe,” Brooke said. “I just hope… well, I just want you to have some closure with this. When I was talking to Reynolds, I realized that there’s no telling what we might find out, you know? This woman could be anyone.”
Jacob looked up and saw Luke standing in the hallway, grinning, so he said, “Hey, can I call you back, Ms. DeMato? I may have that information you’re waiting on. Okay, yes, you bet—bye now.” He hated doing that to Brooke but knew she’d understand.
