Lost Down Deep

by Sara Davison

  “I’m sure.” He glanced at Nancy and then back at Summer.

  Summer cleared her throat. “Nancy, would you mind giving us a few minutes?”

  “Of course.” Nancy gathered up her knitting and stuck it into the bag. “I may slip home for that nap, now that we know how Jude is. Call me when they release you and I’ll come back and pick you up to bring you home.”

  Home. Summer couldn’t remember that word every being associated with anything but cold silence and loneliness. Until she met Nancy. “That sounds great. Thank you.”

  Nancy paused before pulling open the door. “Keep an eye on her, Detective. She’s supposed to be resting, but if I know her, she’ll be sneaking out of here the first chance she gets.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave the room.”

  Summer shot him a look, but he grinned and winked at her as Nancy slipped out into the hallway. When she’d gone, Evan inclined his head toward the door. “She seems to really care about you.”

  “She does. I’d say she’s become like a mother to me except that, as you know, my mother is nothing like that.”

  “I do know, and I’m glad you have Nancy in your life now.”

  “Me too.” She unclasped her fingers and gripped the metal bed railing. “So what’s going on? Who was the guy who was after me and what did he want?”

  “Are you sure you’re feeling up to getting into all this right now?”

  “Absolutely. I’m in desperate need of a distraction at the moment.”

  “Okay.” He ran a hand over his short, blond hair. “The guy’s name was Alexander Kendrick. He worked for Luis Mendoza.”

  Her eyes widened. “The drug lord in Mexico?”

  “Yes.” He took another bite of the cookie. “Mmm.”

  “Told you.” Summer shifted slightly, getting more comfortable. “He said I should ask my parents why he was after me. Do you have any idea what he meant by that? Did my father owe money to Mendoza or something?”

  Evan sighed. “Not your father, Summer. Your mother.”

  She blinked. Her mother? “I don’t understand.”

  “Back in Mexico, your mother kept the books for Mendoza and his cartel. Apparently she was a favorite of his. He called her El Diamante, because he admired how cold and ruthless she could be.”

  The words sent shock billowing through Summer in waves. El Diamante. The Diamond.

  Evan touched her hand. “What is it?”

  She shook her head slightly. “The day Kendrick broke into my house, he told me he had every right to come after the diamond. I thought he was looking for jewellery, but he must have meant her. Mendoza sent him to attack me in order to send a message to my mother, didn’t he?”

  “It looks that way. What Mendoza didn’t know back then was that your mother was taking a cut of the drug money when it came in. Apparently, over the years she managed to bilk Mendoza out of millions of dollars. When she realized he was starting to become suspicious of her, she and your father fled to Canada with you.”

  A cold nearly as deep as the one that had gripped Summer earlier crawled through her now. This isn’t happening. No wonder their houses had been fortresses. Her parents had been trying to protect themselves from the retribution of a drug lord. “Am I still in danger?”

  “I don’t believe so. Kendrick is dead. And we’ve been working with the Mexican authorities to bring down Mendoza for months. Two days ago we arrested Sam Garcia, a narcotics officer for the PD.”

  Summer nodded. “I met him a couple of times.”

  “Turns out he was our mole. He worked for Mendoza, letting him know about planned drug raids and essentially running his operation in Toronto. He’s been talking non-stop since he was taken into custody. Based on his intel, the Mexicans carried out a raid early this morning on Mendoza’s compound. They took Mendoza into custody, along with most of his top people. The cartel has been effectively shut down and Mendoza will be going away for a long time.”

  Summer’s head was beginning to pound and she massaged her temples with her fingers. “I can’t believe this is happening.” She dropped her hands to the blanket. “What about the guy who grabbed me first. Do you know what he was after?”

  “Yeah. That one is on me. Guy’s name is Peter Díaz. Jude actually reported that he’d seen him sitting outside your place a few weeks ago. I ran the plates though and he was clean, so we both assumed he was some random guy who’d pulled over to use his phone or something.”

  “So who is he?”

  “Believe it or not, he’s actually been looking out for you.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “When you moved out of your parents’ place, they hired him as a kind of bodyguard. He’s been keeping tabs on you ever since, including getting inside your house at least once and bugging your place.”

  Summer closed her eyes. “That’s how my father got the recording of my fight with Jude that he planned to use to make it look as though Jude was the one who attacked me.” The thought that everything she’d said in her home, everything she and Jude had said to each other, had been recorded and listened to made her feel as violated as she’d felt when Alexander Kendrick stepped into her bedroom. She opened her eyes and clenched the blanket in both fists. “What about Díaz? Is he dead too?”

  “No, actually. He survived. He’ll be in the hospital for awhile, but they think he’ll make a full recovery.”

  “Will he be charged?”

  “That’s up to you, actually. He did grab you and threaten you with a knife. If you want to press charges, that’s absolutely your right.”

  “But you don’t think I should.”

  Evan shrugged. “Of course I’m not happy that he choked you or held a blade to your throat, but even that appears to have been a somewhat overzealous attempt to protect you. Your mother, whom he refers to as the boss, ordered him to bring you to them if he suspected either that Kendrick was about to make a move on you or your memories came back, which of course both happened this morning. The excessive force was likely a result of the fact that not only was Jude right there but that Díaz is also fully aware of your ability to fight back and he was terrified of failing to carry out his orders.”

  Summer shook her head. “Why do you think he should be let off?”

  He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and withdrew a piece of paper that he unfolded and held up. Díaz stood in the photo, smiling, his arm around a beautiful woman with long, dark hair. Two young girls stood in front of them in braids and yellow and pink dresses.

  Summer shifted her gaze to her partner. “His family?”

  He nodded and folded up the paper. “I was right about the fact that he was clean. Before today, the only other time he committed a crime was when he broke into your house, although even then he used the key your mother gave him and did it on her orders. I spoke with him before I came to see you. All he wanted to do was make enough money to bring his wife and daughters to Canada. He’s devastated that he might have ruined any chance for them to be together.”

  Summer bit her lip. Sounded like Peter Díaz and his wife and daughters were as much victims of her mother’s machinations as she was. “I’m not going to press charges.”

  “I think that’s a good decision.”

  “And I’ll make sure the boss pays him what she owes him. Hopefully that will be enough for him to start the process of bringing his family here.”

  “I hope so. I may check in on him from time to time, see if there’s anything I can do to help. Make sure he gets a legitimate job and stays on the right track.”

  She nudged his arm. “Softie.”

  He stuck the paper back into his pocket. “Don’t let it get around.”

  “What about my parents?”

  “I’m not sure what’s going to happen to them. It doesn’t appear as though either of them has broken any laws here, but the Mexican authorities did inform us that they have launched an investigation into your mother.
It’s possible she will be extradited to Mexico, but that will depend on whether or not they feel they have enough evidence to charge her with anything. Or whether they will consider that stealing drug money from a cartel even constitutes a crime. No evidence that your father, who was a fairly low-level lackey of Mendoza’s, has done anything illegal, except possibly in being complicit in your mother’s crimes. Certainly she had to explain where all that money came from and give him a good reason for them having to leave the country, so he’s likely aware of everything she’s been involved in.”

  “I’m surprised they let me stay in Elora this long if they knew where I was.”

  “Díaz told me they thought you’d be safer here than at home, unless Kendrick found out where you were. And we subpoenaed their financial records. They have been making a concerted effort to come up with the money, even put their house up for sale, but in the end they fell a couple of million short, apparently.”

  A headache pulsed through her temples. Summer reached for her glass of water and took a sip. “The diamond. That fits, actually. Remarkably well.”

  Evan swallowed the last bite of cookie and brushed crumbs from his fingers. “In a way, I can see how it happened, how she got so hard and cold. She had to have seen a lot of horrific things. At some point she must have learned how to block out that part of her that felt anything in order to survive.”

  “That makes sense. She certainly never did seem to feel anything, not for my father, or for me. I’ve always struggled to understand why they got married, or had a child.”

  Evan pursed his lips.

  “What?”

  “I found their marriage certificate and your birth certificate in their file. They were married at a justice of the peace six months before you were born.”

  “Ah.” That was new information. Like all of this, she supposed. “So, she probably didn’t want either of us. Except, given her Catholic upbringing—which she appears to have adhered to sporadically, at best—she got stuck with us both.”

  “That’s something you’ll have to ask her about, I guess.”

  “Oh, believe me, I will.”

  “It’s her loss, you know.”

  “What is?”

  His smile was sad. “The fact that she has never appreciated what an incredible daughter she has.”

  Summer held out her hand and he grasped it. “Thank you for that. It’s tragic, isn’t it?”

  “Which part?”

  “The way they lived their lives. All that money, and it never bought them a moment of happiness. Or peace.”

  “Maybe it’s not too late.”

  She contemplated that. “Maybe not.” Was anyone beyond the reach of redemption? In human terms, maybe, but in God’s? Likely not. Summer squeezed his hand before letting him go. “Where do you suppose Kendrick was trying to take me?”

  He winced. “Given his MO, and Mendoza’s, our best guess is that he planned to drive to your parents’ place and execute you in front of them.”

  Oh. Summer swallowed hard. “I guess I owe you and Jude even more than I thought.”

  “You don’t owe either of us, Summer. You know I’d do anything for you. And obviously Jude will, quite literally, take a bullet for you. Not to mention that, even if neither of us had been there, I have no doubt that at some point you would have been able to take that guy down yourself.”

  She offered him a wry grin. “Maybe. It would have been fun trying, anyway.”

  He chuckled. “In any case, I’m happy it all worked out the way it did.”

  “Me too.” She kneaded the blanket with her fingers. “Will any of this affect my job, do you think?”

  “Of course not. You aren’t responsible for your mother’s actions. In fact, the DS told me to let you know that as soon as you feel ready for active duty again, you’re welcome to come back.”

  She nodded. “Tell him thanks. I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as I decide.”

  His eyebrows rose. “You’re not sure? What, small town living get to you?”

  Summer lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe.” The truth was, this small town had gotten to her, and she wasn’t at all sure she was ready to leave it.

  “Well, selfishly, I hope you come back. I’d sure miss having you for a partner. But whatever you decide, I hope you’re happy, Summer. You and Jude.”

  “Thank you. I think we just might be.” Which would mean that she had found her happily ever after here, like those girls in the movies always did. She managed a smile at that.

  Evan pushed to his feet. “Tell you what. If you promise not to leave the room so I don’t get in trouble with your friend, I’ll see if I can find a doctor and make a case for you getting sprung from here.”

  “That would be great, thank you. Give my love to Tracy. Tell her I’m sorry I haven’t called for awhile.”

  Evan grinned. “Pretty sure my wife understands, given that you had no memory of her. She’ll be thrilled to hear you do now. And she’ll want to get together with you soon.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “So you know, she did try to see you in the hospital and to drop off a card and flowers. She couldn’t get past Díaz, though, who was stationed outside your door. Apparently your parents had ordered him to keep everyone but the medical staff out of your room. Díaz told Tracy they didn’t want anyone disturbing you while you were recovering, but I suspect it had more to do with controlling who went in and out in case Mendoza sent someone after you. Even I couldn’t get in, since your doctor didn’t give the PD permission to talk to you until the night you left the hospital.”

  “That would explain why no one came to see me.” The memory of all the friends she had warmed her. As soon as she and Jude figured things out, she needed to contact every one of them.

  “I’m afraid so.” He tapped the top of the bed rail with his palm. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

  “I will.” Summer watched him as he crossed the room. When he was gone, she leaned back against the pillows and reached for her tea. It was only lukewarm, but still it soothed her a little as it slid down the throat that had gone dry as she’d talked to Evan. A hundred thoughts whirled through her mind, but she could only manage to pin down one.

  She needed Jude.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Jude crossed his arms. “I’m not leaving the building, but I need to go upstairs.”

  The nurse, a red-headed man about Jude’s age, stood next to the bed, his arms crossed too. “I’m sorry, sir, but you aren’t going anywhere.”

  Really? Challenging him to a battle of wills? He’d been with Summer Velásquez for the last two and a half years—he was an expert in that kind of warfare. Jude tossed back the sheet and thin beige blanket. “Look, whether or not you help me, I’m getting out of this bed right now.”

  “You most certainly are not.” Summer strolled into the room. Even in jeans and a burgundy hoodie, her dark hair caught up in a loose bun on her head, she stole his breath away. “You are going to do whatever this nice man tells you to do so that you can get out of here soon and come home.”

  The nurse offered her a grateful smile. “Good advice. I’ll be back in an hour with your next dose of pain medication.” He crossed the room and disappeared into the hallway.

  “Summer.” Jude held out his hand. When she sat down on the chair beside his bed and clasped it in hers, he searched her face. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Heat rose in his chest as he reached out and gently ran a finger along the bruise on her jaw. “He hit you?”

  “Apparently he objected to me kicking him in the face while he was driving.”

  “Summer.” What was he going to do with her? She’s not in your hands. Which was true. And likely something he was going to have to remind himself repeatedly in the future. He tugged the back of her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Not exactly what I had in mind when I bought you those kick-boxing lessons for Chris
tmas last year.”

  Amusement flitted across her face. “What did you think I was going to do with them?”

  “I guess I try not to think about that part.” Jude sobered. “¿Estás bien? Dime la verdad.”

  “I am telling you the truth. I’m okay. Better than okay. The doctor said a couple more minutes and hypothermia would have definitely set in, so you…” She stopped and stared at him, her eyes wide.

  “What is it?”

  “You speak Spanish.”

  Jude pressed his lips together. Something else he’d kept from her. Even used to his advantage. Would she hold that against him?

  She pulled her hand from his and pressed both palms to her cheeks. “The things Daphne and I said…”

  “You mean like how handsome I am?” He shrugged. “It wasn’t anything that I didn’t already know.”

  Summer rolled her eyes. “Since you are still recovering, I suppose I’ll let you off the hook. Although, speaking of recovering, there is another issue we need to discuss.”

  Only one? He could handle that. “What issue?”

  “Have you started smoking again?”

  He blinked. “Why would you ask…?” Ah. Cash’s cigarettes. The guy that abducted her had been smoking when he came after her. No doubt she’d smelled smoke around the café before, too, like he had. Whoever he was had been watching her even then. Jude’s fist clenched, but he forced himself to relax. She was safe now. “That’s why you went looking through my bag, isn’t it? You found the cigarettes in my pocket.”

  “I was hanging your coat up and they fell out. So? Do I need to use my kickboxing skills on you next?”

  He grinned. “No. They aren’t mine. Cash is trying to quit, so I took the pack away from him a while ago. Kind of forgot they were there, actually.” Probably a good thing, given his state of mind the night before.

  She studied him a moment before nodding and folding her arms on the bed rail. “Okay. Enough about me. How are you doing?”

  “I won’t object when that nurse comes back with my pain medication, but overall I’m doing great, now that you’re here.”