Tracking Secrets

by Heather Woodhaven

  “Not that it matters, but I don’t have those kinds of aspirations.”

  She gently pulled her hand out of his. “That’s what my dad said before he became mayor. He soon realized that he could help so many more people if he had a bigger circle of influence. Everyone realized it. He had a huge support group encouraging him to do it.”

  Nick folded his arms across his chest and tried not to be bothered that she had pulled her hand back. “So, did he run for other offices?”

  She shook her head. “I got into the wrong crowd for a brief time in high school, and he didn’t want the press to scrutinize my choices. So he put his dreams on hold until recently. And then... Well, you know.” She cringed. “I’m thankful and ashamed all at the same time.” She shook the paper in her hand. “Obviously he was right to fear the press, but who knows how much good he would’ve done for the state if it weren’t for me?”

  “You can’t think that way, Alexis. You can’t allow past circumstances to dictate your future.”

  “Why not?” Her voice took on a steely quality. She was so tired of that clichéd sentiment. The past had consequences, plain and simple. “Isn’t that why you’re running in the first place? Because you want to do the good that your brother would’ve done had he lived?”

  He cringed.

  Her gut dropped. Her words had consequences, too. “Oh, Nick. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “No, you’re right to think that. It’s true.”

  She closed her eyes, unable to handle the pain that crossed his features. “Even if it was true, I shouldn’t have said it that way. You were trying to encourage me, and I got defensive.”

  “No, you spoke the truth. I can’t judge you, because I’m guilty of the same thing. The past has called the shots in my decisions lately. The bottom line is, I’ve lived with the guilt of being the surviving brother every single day, but I want to honor my brother. For him it was much more than a job. He genuinely wanted to help make the world a better place. So if we get our names cleared and the danger disappears, I’ll still run for mayor.” He exhaled. “Truth is, I’m scared I won’t be able to handle it.”

  “I have no doubt your brother would be so proud.” She tilted her head, wondering if she’d missed something. Nick was more than competent and educated. “Why would you think you couldn’t handle it?”

  “For the same reason that I couldn’t handle medical school.”

  She exhaled, remembering what he’d said. “Because you can’t control people.” She struggled with that daily, as well. “You can’t make them choose the right decisions. I feel the same way, but it doesn’t mean you should give up and stop trying.”

  The words sounded right, but they didn’t entirely reflect her heart. She was falling for this man, hard. Deep down, she wished he’d give up the campaign and his practice, and they could move to the city and pursue what seemed to be happening between them. Why did God have to show her this man who seemed perfect for her but then have his life goals revolve around politics and animals? The two things she could never be a part of.

  Raven rushed ahead of them and pulled to the left. They had reached Joe’s backyard. Alexis unlocked the door. Raven ran through the house, searching for her owner. Tears pricked Alexis’s eyes as she watched.

  They both stood in the entryway, motionless, until Raven ran back to them.

  Alexis leaned down and rubbed her head. “How do you tell a dog its owner is gone?” Her voice cracked.

  Nick took a knee. Raven flopped to the ground for him to rub her tummy. “I have no idea.”

  Alexis walked through the house and made sure all the blinds and curtains were closed before she flipped on the pantry light in the kitchen. It spread at just the right angle that it hit the circular table without filling the room with light. While Joe’s passing hadn’t made the news yet, she knew it would circulate through the town by the morning.

  She spread out the newspaper and stared at the photographs. Her hands shook as she recalled the feeling of almost going over the cliff. For the briefest of moments, she thought she’d been responsible for Nick’s death. She cleared her throat to keep it from closing. “Nick, remember when you saw someone on that cliff above us? Maybe when you thought you saw a gun, it was actually a camera. This had to be shot with a telephoto lens.”

  He joined her at the small table. “Possible. That’s why I wanted to know who took the photo.”

  She pointed to the byline. “I know Tommy from temping at the paper. I’m calling him.”

  “It’s midnight.”

  “The news never sleeps.”

  His lips curled into an adorable smile. “I’m pretty sure that’s not a thing.”

  “I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it somewhere.” She dialed and put it on speakerphone.

  “Hello?” Tommy answered.

  She turned away from Nick’s smirk, knowing he could hear how groggy the voice on the other end of the line sounded. She got right to the point. “Tommy, where did you get those photographs of Nick and me?”

  “Lexi?” She could hear what sounded like sheets shifting in the background. “I’m sorry. I had to print it. It’s news.”

  The brutal headline would plague her nightmares, but a quick skim of the article showed it focused on the facts alone. She wondered which editor made the call to print it, though. “I’m not blaming you. I want to know where those photographs came from.”

  “They’re anonymous.”

  “You must have some idea of where they came from.”

  “Someone used one of those temporary email addresses with a Dropbox invitation. The Dropbox account deleted after I downloaded it.”

  “And you printed it without a reputable source?”

  “It came with links to some Seattle news outlets and the American Bar Association. Those were reputable enough for us to take the lead. If it’s any consolation, maybe it’s someone who really doesn’t want to see Mr. Kendrick get elected. You just happened to be a casualty.”

  She shivered at the last word. But it was clear that this was another dead end. “Okay, Tommy. Go back to sleep.”

  “I really am sorry, Lexi. I hope you’ll keep filling in for us in ad copy.”

  It hit her like a brick. She couldn’t. Even if there hadn’t been drugs and fake witnesses against her or a group of drug traffickers determined to kill her, something inside had shifted.

  Her shameful secret had come into the light, and she was ready to face it. If she and Nick were able to walk freely again, she would go after her Idaho license. And even if the bar association said no, she’d do something...anything that challenged her mind and engaged her heart. It’d taken being in danger to realize she’d put her life on hold.

  She opened the laptop and clicked on the file where she kept the images of the time cards. Nick placed a plate of sandwiches next to her. “Peanut butter and jelly,” he said.

  She almost inhaled one. She’d taken three bites without so much as tasting it. Raven appeared at her side. She tore off an edge and dropped it. “I think the dog approves.”

  “She certainly approves of you.”

  “I meant the sandwiches.” She eagerly took another bite.

  “I know.” He leaned over her shoulder and looked at the images. “What are we looking for?”

  His proximity made it hard not to focus on the fact they’d almost kissed minutes ago. “Um, I’m not sure. Anything that seems out of place.”

  “They don’t all look the same.” He pointed at the screen. “The copy shop ones look different than the newspaper ones. The heating-and-air shop orders the information in a completely different way than the medical practice.”

  That fact had never bothered her before. They were different companies with different logos. But the form in and of itself should’ve been in t
he same order. “Maybe they had to design their own time cards?”

  He straightened and put his fists on his waist. “It doesn’t add up.”

  “Well, there has to be something here if someone was willing to kill for them.”

  “Did Theresa have a scanner?” He pointed to the right side of each image. “These aren’t standard time cards. They have what looks like a bar code, except it’s half the size of a typical one. And what are all these project numbers?”

  She shrugged. “I never asked. I assume it’s the account number for Theresa to reference.” The familiar ache in between her shoulder blades returned. She recognized it instantly as shame for not being more aware. She’d missed so much during her time of self-centered pity. “I’m afraid I considered it beyond my pay grade and never asked.”

  “Too bad you weren’t a tax attorney.”

  “Yeah. I’ve got nothing beyond a rudimentary understanding. But a certified fraud examiner would!” She grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found her old college friend, Victoria Hayes. Correction. Victoria Tucker now. Her dear friend had gotten married to a handsome skydiving instructor named Jeff a year ago in Boise. Alexis still wasn’t used to calling her by her married name.

  She sent the text message and waited.

  Victoria was always quick to respond.

  “It’s one in the morning now, Alexis. Maybe she has her phone set to Do Not Disturb like the rest of us.”

  Alexis let her head fall to the edge of the laptop. Time was ticking. She knew the law would allow Chief Spencer to hold Gerald for only eight hours to question him about Theresa and the drug ring since his trespassing charge wasn’t likely to stick.

  “They picked Gerald up sometime between eight thirty and nine at night, when the fireworks started. Unless the chief finds some other reason to hold him, we have until only five in the morning to find some evidence. Our time is running out.”

  TWELVE

  Nick tossed and turned on the couch. His exhaustion should’ve meant he could have slept anywhere, but his mind wouldn’t turn off. Alexis had pinpointed his unease with his campaign. While he could encourage changes to be made in the town to stop drug use, he couldn’t control people. He could provide more resources for recovery and officers in the schools, but it didn’t mean that the town’s drug problem would be cured. He sat up in a cold sweat. So was it a waste of time?

  His brother had to have faced the same issue, but he had seemed to have an easier time compartmentalizing his work and life. Rarely did he ever talk about work, except if Nick had pestered him with questions whenever they were together. From Nick’s perspective, his brother’s job had seemed more important than his own.

  He looked up at the ceiling as the truth hit him. Even before his brother’s death, Nick had been looking for contentment and his identity in other places besides the true source. If he could just be more, control more...

  Forgive me, Lord. His entire life as he knew it threatened to fall apart. It was about time he put his identity in the right place. Because if Alexis’s friend couldn’t help them figure out the puzzle of the time cards, Nick was ready to turn himself in. His confidence had to come from the Lord.

  Why couldn’t I have met her at a different time? Alexis stirred his heart in a way no other had before. He wanted to get to know her better without running for their lives. Not that it would be easy even if their names were cleared. Alexis didn’t believe that he wouldn’t have other political aspirations. She refused to let them have a chance because of her past. How would he ever convince her that he didn’t care about that? He cared more about their future.

  He shuffled into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. While it percolated, he looked around, hoping to get his mind off the situation. A box of files sat on the edge of the counter with Raven’s toys and training items. Raven’s name was on the front of the files. He pulled them out, curious if they would contain a clue about Raven’s future owner.

  Flipping a folder open, he recognized the first set of papers as a copy of her medical report. He made sure his clients left with a set of them after each visit. It lessened the chance of confusion about what he’d said during an appointment if they had his notes in print. Behind that was a log of Raven’s training schedule and benchmarks. What must have been Joe’s scrawled handwriting was all over the place.

  6/15 Works for approval more than toys or treats. Extraordinary detection of narcotics.

  8/3 Excels at detection. Other elements of police work don’t interest her.

  8/15 Training exercise proved she will protect me but refuses to attack others. She’s a lover, not a fighter.

  Nick chuckled but sobered at the next line written just before the hit-and-run.

  9/1 Starting to wonder if Raven would be better suited as a therapy dog.

  A brochure on therapy dog training had been paper-clipped to the back of the folder. Nick pulled it out to read it but noticed that Raven no longer lay at the base of the couch. Come to think of it, he didn’t remember stepping over her when he got up to get coffee. When was the last time he heard her deep breathing? Maybe that was part of the reason he couldn’t sleep well. Had she gone out the doggie door?

  He started to walk to the back door when something buzzed. Finding Raven would have to wait a second. He followed the buzzing into the hallway. Through the open door of a bedroom, he spotted Alexis sleeping, fully clothed, on top of the comforter with her arm draped over Raven. Her peaceful face was even nuzzled up against the dog’s fur.

  His shoulders relaxed, and he put a hand over his mouth so he wouldn’t laugh aloud. If she hadn’t claimed to hate dogs so much, the image would’ve been heartwarming more than hilarious. Raven lifted her head and turned to look at him as if to say, Would you make that buzzing racket stop before it wakes her up?

  He crossed the room and peeked at the offending smartphone on the nightstand. He hated to wake her up, but this was the call they’d been waiting for. “Alexis. It’s Victoria.”

  She sat up in one smooth motion and swung her legs off the bed. Raven jumped off the bed with a harrumph and rested at her feet. Alexis blinked. He didn’t take the time to let her wake up fully but handed her the phone. She frowned, put her thumb on the answer button and lifted it to her ear. “Hello?”

  “Sorry. Did I wake you?” The voice on the other end was loud enough Nick could hear it. “I thought you said it was urgent. I woke up and saw the tons of messages you left.”

  Nick glanced at the clock on the wall. Seven in the morning came quickly when you didn’t go to bed until two.

  Alexis closed her eyes. “Um, yeah. It is urgent.” She yawned. “Let me put you on speakerphone.”

  She pressed the button and rested the phone on the bed. “Okay,” Victoria said, “so I’m looking at these time cards. Totally old school. Did you say this guy was an investment banker?”

  Alexis looked as if she’d fallen back asleep even though she was sitting up straight.

  “Uh, yes,” Nick answered.

  “Bookkeeping is one thing, but I don’t understand how he would be able to keep up with investments and stock markets without being technologically savvy.”

  “Well, he does have computers,” Alexis said. “He just doesn’t like them. I’ll admit it might be something the police should look into, but he doesn’t come across as smart enough to pull anything dodgy.”

  “Hmm.” Victoria didn’t sound so certain. “My fraud senses are going off, but without doing a full audit on him, these time cards don’t tell me much. Though I did wonder why only some of them have extra numbers.”

  Alexis stood up. “Extra numbers? What do you mean?”

  * * *

  Alexis ran to the laptop and pulled up the images.

  Victoria rattled off instructions. “Check the one for
June 20, when you filled in for receptionist at the medical practice. Then look at July 15. Then there’s one in August—”

  “I see them,” Alexis said. She zoomed in on the images. Sure enough, there was an extra set of numbers on each of them listed underneath Project Number. She’d assumed that was a reference for bookkeeping purposes, but it had to be more than that. None of the other time cards utilized the project number section. And even if they had, not all of her time cards with the medical practice listed a project number. She did the same job, though, each time she worked there.

  “A code?” Nick asked.

  “Maybe,” Alexis said. “Or maybe it’s something for their personal records. A medical practice would have different paperwork needs.”

  “Something about it is niggling in the back of my mind,” Victoria said over the speakerphone. “I can’t figure it out, though.”

  “Can’t figure what out?” a deep voice in the background said.

  “I’m on the phone with Alexis. It’s Jeff,” Victoria said into the phone. “These numbers.”

  “If they didn’t have those extra numbers after the slash, I’d almost think they were GPS coordinates,” Jeff said.

  “Did you hear that?” Victoria asked.

  Nick leaned forward and put his finger on the laptop screen. “These don’t look like GPS coordinates to me.”

  Alexis agreed. The first number had a double digit, a decimal point and a long line of numbers followed by a vertical slash. The second set was a negative double-digit number, a decimal point and a long line of numbers. The third set after the slash was a series of eight numbers.

  “There are different ways of listing coordinates,” Jeff explained. “Most people are used to seeing the little degree symbol and a set of cardinal directions—north and south along with east or west. We call that the DMS method, but another method is to give latitude and longitude. Latitude always goes first. I have no idea what the third set of numbers would be, though.”