Mission--Colton Justice

by Jennifer Morey

  “Daddy?” Jamie asked from across the office table in Jeremy’s office, his jean-clad legs dangling off the chair. His blond hair was messy and he had ketchup on the corner of his mouth.

  Jeremy finished the last of his sandwich. “Yes?” Jamie had opted for a hot dog. They’d brought takeout back to his office.

  “Can I have a dog?”

  “Since when do you want a dog?” He had never asked for one before, but then he was only three.

  He swung his feet back and forth. “I was in a ax-dent—don’t I get a present?”

  “You weren’t hurt.”

  Jamie lifted his blue eyes up, doing a poor job of hiding his mischief. “I coulda been.”

  “What kind of dog do you want?” Adeline asked.

  Jeremy saw her adoration and felt her having a maternal moment. More and more Jeremy thought of her that way, as Jamie’s mother, his biological mother.

  “A big one,” Jamie said excitedly.

  “And why do you want one?” Adeline asked.

  “Because they’re cute and other kids have them.”

  “Dogs require a lot of responsibility,” Adeline asked. “Are you sure you’re ready for that? You’d have to feed him and make sure he went out to go potty.”

  “We’d have to get food.”

  “Yes, we sure would.”

  “Do they eat the same food all the time because they don’t like our food?”

  Jeremy met Adeline’s look and smiled with her, then laughed a little. “Dogs don’t eat people food. There’s all kinds of different flavors of dog food.”

  A knock on the open door made Jeremy look up to see his assistant.

  “You said to let you know when Oscar came in. He just went into his office.”

  “Thank you.” Jeremy turned to Adeline. Oscar had been out of the office all morning and hadn’t answered his home phone or cell. “Will you stay here with Jamie?”

  “Sure.”

  Jeremy left his office and headed a couple down to Oscar’s. Oscar connected his laptop to the docking station and sat as Jeremy entered and closed the door.

  “Jeremy,” Oscar greeted. “I took the morning off. I hope you weren’t looking for me earlier.”

  Oscar reported to the chief executive officer, not Jeremy. Jeremy held the position of chairman of the board and worked as the chief technical officer. While he also reported to the CEO, no one was under any illusion Kincaid Enterprises was his company.

  “Where were you?” He walked farther into the office and stood closer to the desk, leaning on the back of one of the chairs.

  “This morning?” Oscar seemed taken off guard as he booted his computer. “I stayed home.” He smiled but Jeremy didn’t feel any sincerity. “Honey Do List was getting a little long.”

  “Did you go anywhere?”

  “No. I was home. Why?”

  “Someone tried to run Adeline and Jamie off the road this morning.”

  Oscar blanched slightly and this time Jeremy couldn’t be sure of his sincerity. “Are you serious? Why would anyone do anything like that?”

  “She’s looking into Tess’s accident for me. Maybe someone is getting nervous.”

  “Wow. So Tess was really murdered?” Oscar leaned back and contemplated Jeremy. “Wait a minute. Why are you asking me where I was this morning? You don’t think...” His eyes narrowed. “Is that why you haven’t brought Jamie over for my wife to watch? You think I tried to run Adeline off the road? You think I killed Tess?”

  “I don’t think anything yet. You had a relationship with Tess, and Livia might have wanted revenge. Have you seen Livia at all? Talked with her?”

  “No. She hasn’t contacted me in any way. I swear it. Jeremy, I can’t believe you don’t trust me.”

  “I don’t trust anyone connected with Livia. Don’t take it personally.” If he was innocent. Jeremy had no reason not to trust Oscar, but his absence this morning did warrant a closer look.

  “Just making sure?” Oscar seemed to relax a little. “I suppose that makes a difference, given we’re talking about Livia.”

  “Thanks for understanding.” Jeremy left the office and when he reached his, he saw Adeline sitting close to Jamie and getting him set up with some toys. She looked up and watched him close his office door and go to his phone. He found Oscar’s home number and called Camille.

  She answered on the third ring.

  “Hello, Camille. It’s Jeremy.”

  “Yes, Jeremy. Are you bringing Jamie by today?”

  “No. Adeline is watching him for me. You remember she donated her eggs and was our surrogate?”

  “Ah. Yes. That must be special for her. And maybe a little difficult?”

  “She’s a natural with him.” He wouldn’t comment on whether being with Jamie caused Adeline any discomfort or unease. He didn’t want to think about that. He didn’t want to take that time away from her but the two of them would go back to their lives once Tess’s killer was caught.

  “Oscar wasn’t at work this morning. Did he stay home with you today?” He didn’t say that Oscar was at work right now.

  “Oscar wasn’t at work?”

  A sinking feeling ran through him. “No.”

  “He wasn’t home, either. He got ready like he always does and took his briefcase. He didn’t say he was going anywhere else.”

  “He’s here now, but he claims he stayed home this morning to work on a Honey Do List.”

  Camille fell silent but Jeremy could hear her breathing. “He lied.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad or unexpected news. What did he drive this morning?”

  “I didn’t look but he normally drives the BMW.”

  “Do you own a black Suburban?”

  “No, why?”

  He wouldn’t get into that. “I thought I saw him driving one this morning.

  “Well. It looks like my husband and I will have a lot to talk about over dinner tonight.” She sounded a little choked. “I’m not surprised, though. I’ve suspected this for a while now.”

  “You think he’s having an affair?” Is that where he’d gone? Adeline had been attacked on the road in the morning. He hadn’t shown up to work until much later. He still had time.

  Oscar would walk into a confrontation when he got home. How would he react? Would he attempt to harm Adeline again? Or would he go straight for Jeremy this time?

  Chapter 8

  Adeline had just put Jamie to bed when Knox arrived. He’d called earlier, saying he had some things to discuss about the case. She heard him talking to Jeremy downstairs. She descended and joined them in the family room, catching the warmth in Jeremy’s eyes when he saw her. Knox turned and said hello. He stood tall and confident, his light hair trimmed short and blue eyes following her as she came to stand before them. His wife had caught herself a fine, nice man. He fit the role of sheriff, too. There was just something about him.

  “I was just explaining to Jeremy that Claudia saw Oscar with another woman yesterday morning. They were coming out of the local B and B about two hours before you were nearly driven off the road.”

  What was Oscar doing coming out of a hotel in the morning with a strange woman? Had he spent the night with her or had he met the woman for early morning sex? After the two had parted ways, what had Oscar done with the rest of his morning? Had he spent it with his mistress or had they parted ways then?

  “What was Claudia doing outside the hotel?” Adeline asked.

  “Her boutique is near there,” Jeremy said. “She sometimes walks to run errands.”

  “She owns a boutique?” Claudia was an entrepreneur. Adeline loved hearing about women like that. They gave women in general a boost in credibility. Better to be self-sufficient than rely
on others to make a living.

  “Quite successful,” Knox said.

  “How does Claudia know Oscar?” Oscar worked for Jeremy, so she turned to him.

  “She’s been to my house for gatherings. I invited Oscar on occasion,” Jeremy said. “We should talk to him again.”

  “I want to talk to Rusty Nicholson, too.” She didn’t want to rule out any potential suspects. “Evan won’t talk to us. You fired him.”

  “What about this deputy?” Knox asked, giving the side of his mouth a scratch and then resting his hands on his hips.

  Jeremy explained how Rusty Nicholson handled Tess’s accident, how he had minimized Jeremy’s concern that Livia may have caused the crash on purpose.

  “We’ve long suspected there are some crooked deputies in the department. With Livia missing—at least her body—there has been no activity that I can see.”

  No nefarious activity he meant.

  “Who is Evan?” Knox asked.

  “Jeremy’s former chief financial officer. We saw him meet with the deputy and give him money,” Adeline said.

  Knox looked from Jeremy to Adeline. “You two have been busy. Anyone else come up on the radar?”

  Adeline thought a moment. “Did Tess have any enemies?” She hadn’t asked that question before, mainly because Tess had seemed like such a good person.

  “Not that I’m aware,” Jeremy said. “Everyone loved her.” Then he appeared to consider a little longer.

  A thought came to Adeline, a memory of conversations she’d had with Tess, girl-talk during Adeline’s pregnancy. Tess had fond memories of high school. The smile and light in her eyes left, though, when she brought up one girl.

  “Most everyone,” Adeline said. “In high school there was one girl who couldn’t stand her. Your typical green with envy syndrome.”

  “She told me about her, not long before she died,” Jeremy said, seeming to search his mind for a name. “Holly something.”

  The conflict had bothered Tess. She’d tried to be friendly to the girl but she refused to accept Tess as anything but a rival.

  “She competed with her in sports and cheerleading. She said the woman disliked her to an extreme. She didn’t understand why and chalked it up to just what you said—jealousy.”

  Adeline found that possibly significant. “What made her tell you about her so long after high school?” Adeline would think, as his wife, she’d have told him long before she had.

  “She saw her in town. Later that day, she told me. The woman moved back to Shadow Creek. Tess said she still looked at her the same way, with so much animosity. I wouldn’t say Tess was scared, but I think she had a bad feeling.”

  Bad feeling as in, really don’t want to deal with that icky person, or I think that person might try to kill me? The rational investigator in her went with the former.

  “Realizing Tess married you must not have gone over well, I bet.” A successful businessman—a handsome, sexy businessman.

  “What’s her last name?” Knox asked.

  Adeline tried to recall. “I don’t remember.”

  “I don’t, either,” Jeremy said.

  “I’ll ask Claudia. I bet she can find out,” Knox said. “She said she recognized the woman with Oscar. She came in to Claudia’s boutique not long ago.”

  “Good. Thanks for all your help on this,” Jeremy said.

  “Yes, thank you. I feel like you’re doing what Jeremy hired me to do.”

  Knox grinned. “I’m glad to help a fellow law-enforcement type. And I promise I won’t step on your toes.”

  “My toes are fine. And I can stop by Claudia’s shop tomorrow.”

  Knox turned to Jeremy. “Humble and pretty. You scored big.”

  Jeremy didn’t seem uncomfortable but Adeline was. Had Knox seen something between the two of them? She recalled how Jeremy had looked at her when she came into the room.

  “I don’t think Adeline is the scoring kind,” Jeremy said.

  He touched her with the way he said those words. He considered her someone who deserved more than a score. She deserved a good man. Did he consider himself that man? Or maybe he could...?

  * * *

  The following morning, a friend called about stopping by later that day. Jeremy finished with a meeting and headed back to his office. He spotted Alastair Buchanan standing before his executive assistant. He could tell Alastair must be flirting with her, because he smiled crookedly. By the way her eyes rolled up to look at him, she wasn’t impressed. Usually his Scottish accent and tall and lean good looks captivated women, as did his light eyes and clean-cut hair. But his assistant was in a relationship.

  Adeline was stopping by on her way back from talking with Claudia to get Tess’s high school nemesis’s name. She had his car today.

  Alastair saw him and gave up whatever he’d attempted with Jeremy’s assistant.

  “Jeremy.” He stepped toward him and they shook hands.

  “Good to see you again. What brings you by?”

  “Catch up with a friend and ask him about some technology investments.”

  “You’re looking to invest?” Heir to the multibillion-dollar Clyde Whiskey fortune, Alastair could certainly afford to invest. “Are you bored with whiskey?”

  Alastair chuckled. “I’m always looking for something new.”

  Jeremy started toward his office and closed the door after Alastair.

  “You’re always up on what’s new, so I thought I’d come by for a visit.”

  Jeremy sat behind his desk and Alastair sat across from him, propping his ankle on his knee and looking relaxed with his elbow on the arm of the chair.

  “It so happens your timing is perfect. I’ve been looking into two start-ups, one that’s coming up with new software for automobiles and another that’s developing a virtual reality headset.”

  “Do they seem like sound ventures to you?”

  “Software is a multibillion-dollar industry. I’d go with that over networking-type investments. That type seems to follow economic trends like recessions. If business trails off, then companies are most likely to cut budgets in their information technology divisions.”

  “Small start-ups are risky, though, aren’t they?”

  “Especially the high-tech start-ups.” He smiled. “But that’s what makes them exciting.” And what kept his business exciting. “I look for companies that come up with outside-the-box products that consumers will love. What you have to watch is whether the company is capable of providing adequate software support after the sale. In many cases, none of them can.”

  “And the software start-up you have in mind can?”

  “Not at the moment but they have a plan in place to implement as soon as revenue flows.”

  Alastair sat in silence awhile, seeming to think that over. “What about the virtual reality company?”

  “I like that one better. They take virtual gaming to the next level. Their product is going to be a big seller.”

  “How do I find out more?”

  “I’m arranging some meetings with them now. They aren’t quite ready to make a presentation to us but they’re close. How long do you have?”

  “As long as it takes.”

  “Maybe you could check out the sights of Shadow Creek. Adeline and I took Jamie to Bluewood Ranch. There’s a lot to do there, and the owner is right in your age range. Maybe you can flirt with her, too.”

  Alastair laughed low and brief. “Who is Adeline? You didn’t mention a woman in your life.”

  He walked right into that one. “It’s not what you think. I hired her to look into Tess’s accident.”

  “But you took her to the ranch with your son. That sounds personal.”

  This could lead into some sensitive areas. “She�
�s helping me with Jamie, too. I had to fire my nanny, remember?”

  That seemed to satisfy Alastair. “Ah. Yes. You had me worried there. I thought I might lose one of my best single friends.”

  Jeremy covered his discomfort with a smile.

  “But it is time to start putting yourself out there,” Alastair said, lowering his foot. “What does Adeline look like?”

  He would ask that. Hot. Beautiful. Sharply dressed. “She’s attractive.” He kept his tone as neutral as possible.

  “Are you interested in her? She’s a PI, so she must be smart.”

  “She is.”

  “So...you’re not interested?”

  He wouldn’t let it go until Jeremy answered. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that. And I have to be careful with Jamie.”

  “Why? He needs a mother. And...isn’t Adeline the surrogate?”

  He would remember that.

  “Yes.”

  “Jamie is her son. The three of you could make a family together.”

  In a perfect world, sure.

  “Daddy!” Jamie came bounding into the office. Adeline stood in the open doorway, her hand still on the knob. Had she heard them talking? His assistant must have told her to go on in.

  He swiveled his chair as Jamie reached him and took the boy up onto his lap. “How was your day?”

  “Good. We went to a girls’ shop.”

  “A girls’ shop?” He looked up at Adeline, whose expression hadn’t changed as she entered the office. She seemed immersed in her private thoughts. “You mean Claudia’s?”

  “Yeah. I don’t like it there.”

  The way he said that put light in his heart. “Kinda boring for a boy, huh?”

  “Yeah. But Adda got me a chocolate shake after.”

  “Oh, yeah? She did, huh?” He looked up at her sparkling eyes as she watched and listened along with Alastair.

  Jamie picked at Jeremy’s shirt collar. He often did things like that when he was about to ask a manipulative question.

  “Daddy?”

  Love for his son burst inside him. “Yes?”

  “Is Adda going to stay with us forever?”