by T. L. Haddix
His tone droll, Ethan chimed in, “Gordon likes sushi.”
The other man stared at Ethan, puzzled. “How did you…? Oh, that’s right. I’d forgotten about that. The night with Beth, when we went to the Dragon. Before you two were married.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Ethan said, his brows clashing together in a fierce scowl.
Wyatt could tell Gordon was trying to not laugh. When Stacy looked to him for an explanation, he shrugged. Then her eyes widened, and he could see that realization dawned.
“Wait a minute. That night. Okay, I understand.”
It was Gordon’s turn to shoot a fierce look across the room. “What do you know about that night? Not that there’s anything to know,” he hurried to assure Ethan.
She looked from Ethan to Gordon. “Nothing either of you need to concern yourselves with, just girl talk.”
Wyatt whistled. “Stacy, why do I feel like you just put Beth in the doghouse?”
Gordon tried to smooth things over by saying, “Nobody should be in the doghouse. It was just dinner and a kiss.”
“You kissed my wife?” Outraged, Ethan sat forward to glare across Stacy at the other man.
Gordon held up his hands. “She wasn’t your wife then. And we’re talking one kiss.”
Stacy’s smile was condescending as she patted Ethan on the arm. “Don’t worry. She said it was like kissing one of her brothers.” Gordon sputtered a bit. “I’m sure it’s no reflection on your prowess,” she told him insincerely.
Before the teasing could lead to bloodshed, Wyatt stepped in. “Okay, kids. As entertaining as this is, we need to get back on track. Gordon, you and Stacy are meeting with Kathryn this evening. Let’s use the rest of the weekend to find out what we can about Leslie Simms.”
With one last glare at Gordon, Ethan nodded. “Will do, Boss.”
“Good. Then unless there’s something else, I’ll let you get out of here and try to enjoy what’s left of the weekend.”
“How’s Maria?” Stacy asked as they all stood. “I was planning on stopping by this afternoon to check on her.”
“She’d probably be grateful for the intervention. Her parents were on their way over there a short time ago.” He checked his watch. “I’m going to pick her up around four, though, so keep that in mind.”
As the three filed out of his office, Wyatt sat back in his chair and rubbed his face. Whatever happened with the extortionist, he’d built a solid department, staffed with dedicated, talented officers. That they genuinely liked each other enough to tease like siblings was just an added bonus.
Chapter Thirty Six
Monday morning, Stacy commandeered Ethan for the interview with Leslie Simms. When she fumbled with the keys to her cruiser and cursed with frustration, he couldn’t hide his concern. The behavior was completely out of the norm for the usually calm detective.
“You okay?”
She started to make an angry retort, then groaned. “I don’t know – yes. No.” Managing to get the car unlocked, she let him in. She didn’t start the vehicle right away. Instead, she turned to Ethan, her eyes full of questions. The bruises had bloomed across her cheek, and though she’d used makeup to cover them, they were still partially visible.
“Did you know that Kathryn Owen was Gordon’s wife’s best friend in the world?” she asked quietly.
“Um, yeah. I guess I did.”
Her fingers tapping out a rhythm on the steering wheel, she looked through the windshield, not seeing the parking lot beyond.
“Kathryn’s nice, damn it. She was hovering over my bruises like a mother hen. I didn’t expect that. And she was very gracious about helping with the case. Oh, and she brought a chocolate cake. No one who looks like her should be able to bake like that. It’s an unfair advantage. I can’t even boil water without burning it.” She started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.
Ethan would have laughed if it hadn’t been for the very real sadness in her eyes. “Stacy, if you didn’t have a job where looking neutral is a requirement, you’d be just as striking as Kathryn is. And if not being able to cook bothers you so much, do something about it. Take lessons. God knows that if Beth can learn to cook, anyone can.”
She shook her head. “It isn’t just that. Anyhow, what we need to do is look for how this woman has her server set up, and what sort of access her employees have.”
Ethan let her redirect the conversation. “Lovely. This is definitely an instance where having Maria along would be useful.”
When Stacy shot him an innocent look and turned into the parking lot of the Lighthouse, he was incredulous. He cursed under his breath. “Wyatt will kill all three of us.”
“Ethan, we need her. She’s an adult, and when she tells me she’s up to going with us, I tend to believe her.”
He shook his head, jaw clenched. “I’m not taking the blame for this.”
“Don’t be such a nervous Nellie. Wyatt will understand.”
“You have lost your ever-loving mind if you believe that,” he told her as she pulled up next to where Savannah’s car was waiting for them.
Maria got out and eased into the backseat behind Stacy with a smile, and with a wave at her sister, they were off. “Hey, guys. Thanks for including me.” Ethan turned in his seat and glowered at her. She had the grace to blush. “Uh-oh. When did you tell him?” she asked Stacy.
“When we pulled into the parking lot,” he answered for her. “Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea of how upset Wyatt is going to be?”
“Some, yes, but what are you going to do if you need a computer expert? As competent as my team is, I’m the best in the department. Besides, this is still an ‘eyes-only’ case, right?”
He just looked from her to Stacy, and back again. “Has Wyatt ever really been mad at you? Either of you? As in scared and mad on top of it?” When they shook their heads, he turned to face forward. “God help us, then, because you don’t have a clue what you’ve done.”
“You can’t say that we’re not right about this,” Stacy said, exasperated.
“No, I can’t. But whether you’re right or wrong won’t make one bit of difference to him. Not until we’re all busted back down to patrols.”
As they pulled up outside the small office building that housed Prime Transcription, Maria spoke from the backseat. “I’m going to stay here and try to access their wireless network.” She pulled a small laptop out of her bag and turned it on. “What’s the goal here, fact finding?”
“Yes,” Stacy told her. “We don’t have enough to go to the prosecutor for a warrant. All we have is a gut feeling and some very circumstantial evidence.”
“This is a big risk we’re taking here, going in without a warrant. If Simms is our extortionist, or someone in her office even, this will tip her off and she could destroy evidence before we can stop her.” Ethan sighed. “We don’t have a lot of choice, though. Are you seeing anything?” He turned to look into the backseat.
“Yes. I found several wireless networks, and two of them seem to be Prime’s. They have good security – not something that will be easy to crack. Other than that, nothing’s jumping out at me, though.”
“Okay, then. Come up here so that you can get out if need be,” Stacy told her as she held open the door. “We’ll head inside and hopefully call you in a little while to come in, assuming we can gain Simms’s cooperation.”
Maria moved around the car and took Ethan’s seat, smiling as he closed the door for her. “Thank you, sir.”
“You’re sure you’re up to this?” he asked, a worried frown creasing his brow.
“I’m positive.”
He shook his head with resignation. “Okay. Call us if you need us.”
~ * * * ~
Maria watched as Stacy and Ethan went inside, then let out a huge breath. Ethan was absolutely right. Wyatt was going to be beyond angry when he found out what they’d done, but she really hadn’t felt they had a choice.
As she wait
ed for word from inside, she went back over the information she had gotten from Sharon Jenkins’s server. The more she went over it, the more convinced she became that she was missing something. Hopefully, she would be able to get into Prime’s system and learn more, and then whatever pattern she was having trouble seeing would click into place.
Chapter Thirty Seven
When Ethan and Stacy walked into the transcription service’s front office, Leslie Simms herself greeted them.
“My receptionist should be back any second now, and then we can talk in my office.” She turned back to the copier and started running another document through it. The silence was awkward, and Ethan exchanged a glance with Stacy. He walked over to a ruthlessly organized bookshelf, walking his fingers down the spines of the thick, medicine-related tomes.
“Don’t touch those!”
The sharp reprimand surprised him and he jumped, turning to the woman who’d issued it with a quizzical look. Leslie explained, “I have them organized very carefully. You’ll mess them up.”
Eyebrows raised, Ethan held up both hands and made a show of stepping away from the books. As he gazed around the room, he noticed that the entire office seemed almost sterile. The area was so clean that he would almost feel safe eating off the floor.
Just then, the assistant returned. Without bothering to introduce the detectives, Leslie Simms led them into her office and closed the door. Ethan wasn’t surprised to find it as sparsely decorated as the outer room.
“Have a seat,” Leslie said. “What can I do for you? If this is about a fundraiser, I don’t have time or the inclination to donate.”
Stacy cleared her throat. “No, Ms. Simms, this is not about a fundraiser. Certain information has recently come to light which leads us to believe you may have a data leak.”
The woman appeared indignant. “A data leak? As in patient information?” When Stacy told her yes, Simms’s face became pinched.
“No, I don’t think so. You’re mistaken.”
“With all due respect, ma’am, we wouldn’t be here if we weren’t fairly certain,” Ethan remarked. “We’d hoped to gain your cooperation in the matter, and not have to obtain a search warrant.”
The woman had drawn up tighter and tighter as he spoke, but at the words “search warrant,” her eyes had widened. He hoped that meant he’d gotten through to her.
“What, exactly, is it that you think is going on with my records?”
Stacy answered, “We believe someone is accessing medical records through your system in order to obtain private information about various people in the community. They’re using this information for blackmail purposes.”
“That’s preposterous.” Simms straightened the desk pad on her immaculate desk. “However, I know you people won’t just take my word for it. What is it you need from me? I’d like to get this over with as soon as possible, as I do have more important matters to take care of today.”
“We’d like to have our computer expert take a look at your system and your network, that sort of thing. Also, we’ll need lists of everyone who has had access to your computers in the past six months. That includes any current or former employees,” Stacy said.
“With the exception of Gloria, my assistant, I don’t have any employees. I hire independent contractors.” She stood, forcing Stacy and Ethan to do the same. “Get your expert in here, then. I’ll have Gloria start getting a list together.”
“I’ll get Maria,” Ethan told Stacy. He was glad to escape from the office, and took a deep breath of fresh air as soon as he opened the hallway door. His relief didn’t last long, however, because standing next to Stacy’s cruiser, as angry as Ethan had feared he would be, was Wyatt.
Chapter Thirty Eight
Wyatt vibrated with anger and concern as he walked toward the car. Maria apparently hadn’t noticed his vehicle when he had driven by the first time. He had been going the opposite direction from the way she was facing, and he could hardly believe his eyes. If there hadn’t been traffic behind him, he would have slammed on the brakes. As there were other cars, though, he had circled the block and parked just up the street on the opposite side.
For a few minutes, he had just sat there, trying to rein in his temper. When he thought he had it under control, he got out and walked over to the unmarked car. Maria looked up as he approached, her eyes widening. He leaned against the vehicle and bent down to peer inside.
“Good morning.” She closed her laptop, lacing her fingers together on its top, and gave him a nervous smile.
“Did Stacy give you a ride this morning?”
Her face fell. “No, Wyatt.”
“Were you injured and in need of assistance?”
She shook her head, a flush climbing from her chest to wash across her cheeks.
“Then you were stealing this car?”
Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms. “No, Wyatt.”
“Ah… then I know why you’re here! Stacy arrested you. That has to be it.”
Maria sighed. “Wyatt—”
He held up his hand. “No. Not a single word. Don’t even try to sweet-talk your way out of this.” At that, her eyes flew to his, and shocked outrage spread across her face. He was glad because he was spoiling for a fight.
“Sweet-talk? Really? That is so insulting!”
“We’re not going to have this discussion here.” He opened the door. “Let’s go.”
She didn’t move. “Go where? I’m not leaving.”
Before he could argue, he heard the door of the office building behind him open. Turning, he watched Ethan come to a dead stop. The detective’s eyes widened, and his face actually paled.
“I didn’t know,” Ethan said, hands held out in supplication. “I swear to you; I didn’t know until it was a done deal.”
Maria got out of the car. “Are you ready for me, Ethan?”
His gaze moved back and forth between her and Wyatt. “Yeah, we are.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Wyatt ground out. “You should be at home.”
She quirked an eyebrow at him. “I was needed. I couldn’t not come. And now isn’t the time or the place to have this out.” Handing Wyatt her laptop and bag, she eased back into the car, rolled up the window, and locked the door.
Wyatt walked her over to Ethan, handing him the bag. “You watch out for her like she was Beth. When the three of you are finished here, I want you in my office. Understand?” His voice was low, and from the look on Ethan’s face and the way the detective swallowed, Wyatt guessed Ethan knew just how close he was to losing it.
“Yes, sir.”
Without another word, he stormed off.
~ * * * ~
Maria and Ethan watched Wyatt head back to his SUV from where they stood on the steps.
“Well, that’s a look I haven’t seen in a long, long time,” Ethan said. “I’d hoped to never see it directed at me again.”
Maria had to bite her lip and fight to prevent tears from forming. “I’ve never seen him that angry. I knew he’d be upset, but… what did you do to provoke him that much?”
Ethan held open the door and grimaced. “Stole his cruiser when I was seventeen and ran it up that big oak tree in front of the Widow’s Walk,” he said, referring to a local ice cream shop.
She stopped in the hall. “The one right next to the river? That was you? I remember when that happened.”
“That’s the one. That tree was all that stopped me from going over the embankment into the river. I literally came this close to dying.” He held up his finger and thumb an inch apart. “We’re so screwed. He only gets that mad when he’s scared. You’d better not get so much as a paper cut today, or Stacy and I will be out on foot patrol.”
“We don’t have foot patrols.”
He groaned. “I have the feeling we will soon.”
Maria followed Ethan down the hall into the transcription service’s office. When they walked in, Stacy looked up from where she sat at an empty desk. “Wh
at’s wrong?”
“Wyatt was here,” Ethan said as he set the bag down on the desk.
“I’m sorry, but before we get started, I need to use the restroom,” Maria said.
The assistant handed her a key attached to a small ruler. “It’s down the hall on the right, next to the stairs.”
“Thanks.” Maria took the key and turned to leave.
“Are you okay?” Stacy asked.
Maria didn’t stop, just threw a terse “Yes” over her shoulder.
In the bathroom, she fought to regain her composure. Wyatt’s anger had shaken her more than she wanted to admit. She closed her eyes against the tears that threatened, and tried to focus on her breathing.
After he had picked her up Saturday afternoon, the weekend had been perfect, like something out of a romance novel. They’d spent their time snuggled on the couch, watching old movies and laughing at the antics of Mix and Match. Wyatt had been so gentle, treating her as though she were something fragile and precious. Having grown up in a household filled with strife, being coddled and taken care of wasn’t something she had experienced often in her life.
When the threat of tears faded, she pulled out her phone and texted Wyatt. “I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry.” It seemed like hours before he texted her back, and she was almost afraid to look when her phone finally chimed.
“Too late to worry about that. We’ll talk later.”
Dejected, she started to head back to the office. Halfway down the hall, another message came in. “Be careful?”
She texted him back. “Of course. You, too.” Leaning against the wall, she said a quick prayer of thanks. She had no doubt Wyatt was still furious, but he also still cared, and as long as he cared, there was hope they could settle things without disaster.
Chapter Thirty Nine
Once Maria got started, it became obvious both detectives didn’t need to be there.
“If you need to leave, Ethan, I think we’ve got it covered,” Stacy said. Gloria had settled them in the office’s conference room, and they were out of her direct line of sight.
