Undercover Eagle

by Harmony Raines

  “Whenever you want to go, let me know.” He moved closer to her and slipped his arm around her shoulder. “Be happy, Leona.”

  “Thanks, Liam.” She blinked away tears. “I want the boys to have so much fun that they forget all about the first few years of their lives.”

  Liam handed her a tissue and she wiped her eyes. “They’re young, they’ll bounce back.”

  “They already have.” Leona blew her nose. “I thought I’d ask now since it’s likely going to be when you are busy here.”

  “I’ll find a way to manage. Maybe I’ll get my mom to come and visit.” He liked that idea. His mom would love it here in Bear Creek. Perhaps that was the answer to all his problems.

  “I’d like to meet her.” Leona looked happier and ate her pastry with relish. “Oh, that is good.”

  “I’m sure she’ll invite herself once I tell her I’ve found my mate.” That was going to be an interesting conversation. His mom longed to see one of her sons settle down with his mate, and since Mike was in jail, the pressure was on Liam.

  “How is Beverly?” Leona asked.

  “Intriguing.” Liam drained his coffee cup and immediately poured another.

  “Intriguing? Looks as if she makes you happy.” Leona picked up her coffee cup and took it to the sink.

  “She does. I didn’t realize there was a piece of me missing until I found her.”

  Leona grinned at him. “I’m so very pleased for you, Liam. She’s a hard worker, with her head screwed on, even if she likes to pretend otherwise. I hear she runs the grocery store with military precision, without forgetting about kindness and understanding.”

  “I’m lucky. Very lucky.” He took his coffee cup and left the kitchen, heading for the storeroom, with Leona close behind him. “Let’s get these orders out before the store opens. It’s going to be a good day.”

  They worked through until lunchtime, when Leona went out to grab them both sandwiches from the bakery. Liam busied himself checking off the inventory from a new order that arrived. The sound of the store door opening drew his attention.

  “Brad. How can I help you?” Liam asked.

  “I thought I’d drop in and ask if you had an update on the egg situation.” Brad walked around the store. “You’ve done a great job with this place, it’s a real asset to the town.”

  “Thanks, I enjoy it. Want a coffee?” Liam went to the kitchen and poured two cups, offering one to Brad.

  “Thanks. Oh, this is the good stuff.” He took another gulp. “Not like the kind you get in a police station.”

  “No,” Liam agreed, keeping his expression neutral. Was Brad fishing for information?

  “Back to the eggs,” Brad prompted.

  “I went to the nesting site this morning with Beverly.” He ignored the curious smile that spread across Brad’s face. “We saw the two guys. Beverly took photos of them, she said she would drop them off to you later.”

  “Photos, that’s good. I didn’t know the two of you would be such a good surveillance team.”

  “We got lucky. They must have thought no one would be on the mountain at that time of day. They had one hell of a surprise.” Liam went back to putting his new stock on the shelves.

  “They saw you?” Brad asked, his interest piqued.

  “We wanted to drive them away from the real nesting site. And showing ourselves made the most sense.”

  “Do you think they’ll keep looking until they find the real nest?”

  “It’s difficult to say. But probably yes. The birds are close to the original site, we saw them, and heard them. If these two are hell-bent on stealing the eggs, then they’ll go back.” Liam hated the idea of the nesting golden eagles losing their chicks before they were even born. “They’ll have to go prepared, with someway to incubate the eggs. My guess is this morning was a reconnaissance mission.”

  “So, what do we do? Set up a remote camera?” Brad asked.

  “It would be useful for evidence, but would be next to useless in terms of catching the thieves. These guys would be gone before we could get up there.”

  “Maybe not before you got up there,” Brad suggested.

  “True.” Liam could fly up there and make a citizen’s arrest. “Or we could set up a decoy nest.”

  “I’m listening.” Brad drank his coffee, looking alert.

  “We could feed them false information and set up a nest of our own. Maybe even use the original site nest. We plant fake eggs with a tracker on them if necessary. Then we feed the two guys the information that the eagles have in fact laid their eggs there.”

  “I’ll start phoning around, see if any of the hotels or B&Bs have two men fitting their description staying locally.” Brad pulled out his notepad and wrote in it.

  “We have a name. Derek Turner. I think it was the smaller guy’s real name, but he might not have checked into a hotel under that name. In fact, I would be surprised if he did. Oh, and one of them had an Eastern European accent.”

  Brad nodded. “Don’t you miss your old life?” His words stunned Liam.

  “I don’t know what you mean.” That was a lie; he knew exactly what Brad meant.

  “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. I just wanted you to know I appreciate having a man like you in town. You never know when a particular set of skills will be needed.” Brad put his notebook away. “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll be in touch.”

  “I’ll work on the plan.” Liam continued to stock the shelves until the door closed behind Brad. He was certain the sheriff would keep his word and keep his secret. Still, he sure would like to know how it got out.

  “Was that Brad?” Leona asked, returning with fresh sandwiches and fruit. The two of them often shared lunch in the small backyard behind the store if the weather was good; if not, they sat behind the counter watching Netflix. She was his best friend.

  “It was.” And he had secrets he couldn’t share, even with her. “We’re coming up with a plan to catch the egg hunters.”

  “Great. That should give you something to occupy yourself.” Leona placed their lunch on the counter. “Inside or outside?”

  “Outside.” He poured two fresh cups of coffee and she followed Liam out of the back door. “What did you mean, occupy myself?”

  She sat down next to him on the swing seat that was already here when he moved in. Liam didn’t know if it was Mike’s, or if it was just part of the place before his brother moved in. “I play this game where I try to guess who you were before you came here.”

  “Who I was?” He bit into his sandwich. Tuna salad, with just the right amount of mayonnaise.

  “Yes. You don’t say a lot about your past. So, I got to guessing. The longer I worked with you, the more I realized how way off the idea that you were just some regular guy, like a janitor, was.”

  “Why couldn’t I be a janitor?” Liam asked. There was no way Leona could have guessed his real job. No way. Yet it worried him.

  “Come on, you’re too creative. And then there’s your voice.” She bit into her sandwich and turned her face to let the rays of the weak spring sunshine down on her.

  “My voice. What’s wrong with my voice?” He listened to how he spoke, it sounded normal to him.

  “Well, you blend.”

  “Blend?”

  “If someone comes in with a southern accent, you mirror it back at them.” She laughed at him. “You don’t remember the way that Scottish guy looked at you? The one who bought the climbing gear. I thought he was going to punch you.”

  Liam frowned. “So did I, but I thought he was just in a bad mood.”

  “Yes, he thought you were mimicking him,” Leona spoke as if it was obvious, but Liam didn’t know he did it. But he did know why.

  “I wasn’t.” Liam frowned; fitting in was second nature to him. Yet it had made him stand out.

  “So, I thought maybe you did a stage show. You know, impressions.” She giggled. “I have a vivid imagination.”

  “I had no i
dea. I thought you had your mind on the job, and all this time you’ve been trying to figure me out.” Liam shook his head. “No idea at all.”

  “You said that Beverly was intriguing to you. Well, you are intriguing to me.” She finished her sandwich and held her coffee cup in both hands. “At first it worried me.”

  “I worried you, why?” Liam asked, shifting to look at her.

  “Because of… Things. I wanted to be sure I could trust you. No one in town knew you. And your brother was a drug dealer.” She looked nervous. “After Clive... and with social services in our lives, I couldn’t afford to screw up.”

  “Hey, I’m sorry. I should have been more open with you.” Liam would never want to cause Leona pain.

  “No, I should have trusted my instincts. I used to, but I married an abusive man, and that knocks your confidence.” Leona’s voice faded away.

  “I had no idea.” Liam had been so wrapped up in himself, he hadn’t taken Leona’s state of mind into account. “So, what’s your verdict? What was I before I moved here?”

  “I wondered if you were a movie star, since you keep a low profile.” Leona leaned away from him as she studied him. “I could see you in a movie.”

  “Thanks, I’ll ask Carter for advice, I sure could do with the money.”

  “Which is why I ruled that out. Since you don’t have a lot of money.” Leona shifted the subject. “I admire you. Whoever you are. To move here so your mom didn’t lose her money.”

  “It’s the least I could do. After Mike let her down so badly.”

  “Which also ruled out one of my other theories, that you were a crook.” Leona glanced at him sideways. “You’re not a crook, are you?”

  “No. The opposite.” There, he’d said it.

  “The opposite, you mean you’re a cop?” she asked incredulously.

  “I am. I was. I don’t know what I am right now.” He drank his coffee, struggling to meet her shocked stare.

  “I never would have guessed. Not in a million years.” She gave a short laugh. “Why keep it so quiet?”

  “I was undercover. Worked some of the worst kind of jobs. I figured it was best to keep a low profile.”

  “Because people you’ve arrested might come after you?” Leona asked.

  “No.” He sighed, time to be completely honest. “Because when I came here I intended to build the business up and then sell it. Pay back my mom and go back to my old life. I didn’t need to appear on Facebook as Liam Jackson, undercover cop. It might blow my cover.”

  “Wow.” She sat in silence for a moment. “That really must have hurt, having a drug dealer for a brother.”

  “It did. He always was such a loser. But a drug-smuggling eagle is about as low as you can get.”

  “I’ll keep your secret,” Leona told him. “If you want me to.”

  “I’m not sure I do. Since I don’t think I’ll be going back to that life. Not now.” Liam stood up. “Thank you, Leona.”

  “For what?” Leona asked, getting up to stand next to him.

  “For thinking of me.” He hugged her. “Most people would be more concerned about losing their jobs.”

  She shrugged. “Does Beverly know?”

  He shook his head. “She doesn’t know anything. Not about shifters or any of it.”

  “She needs to know,” Leona told him gently, but firmly.

  “I’ll tell her tonight.” As they went back to work, Liam felt the weight he’d been carrying shift. In some ways, his confession to Leona had cemented a decision he’d already made. He was going to commit to staying in Bear Creek. He was going to commit to Beverly. And he was going to catch those men who thought they could come here and take what wasn’t theirs.

  Chapter Eleven – Beverly

  “Hi, Brad.” Beverly had worked through her shift with no lunch break to make up for being late this morning. This was the first chance she’d had to take the photos to Brad. “I know you’re closing up soon, but I wanted to show you these.”

  “Ah, the pictures of our suspects.” Brad looked down at a piece of paper on his desk. “Derek Turner and Olsen Creta.”

  “You’ve identified them?” Beverly asked. What an anticlimax, she’d hoped to come in with some vital piece of information for the sheriff.

  “I spoke to Liam earlier and then spent the afternoon calling around the local hotels until I found someone matching their description. Although they used false names, but since Derek was stupid enough to give you his real name, I then managed to identify them both. They are staying at The Catherine Hotel under the names Timothy Smith and Petra Jones.”

  “Original! Good detective work, Sheriff.” Beverly held up her phone. “So, you don’t need these?”

  “Yes. I do. They will prove to be vital evidence.” He grinned at her, and her pride swelled. “Good job, Beverly.”

  “Thanks.” She blushed a little. “A girl likes to do her best.”

  “You always do.” Brad took the phone from her and connected it to his computer. “Nothing on here you don’t want me to see?”

  Beverly snorted. “Have you seen my life?”

  Brad looked up as the photos were downloading, his brow furrowed as he studied her. This must be how criminals felt when the eyes of the law were upon you. “You have a good life here in Bear Creek.”

  “What do I do except work in a store? It’s not exciting, not life-changing.” She thought back to the conversation she’d had with Jacob and Carter yesterday, was she being too hard on herself?

  “I remember back to when we had the snowstorm and you helped organize everyone to ensure no one who couldn’t get out went hungry.” Brad was full of admiration.

  “That was Neil, not me.” She looked down at her feet.

  “Take some credit. Neil organized the firefighters, you organized the stock.” Brad folded his arms, his eyes appraising. “You need to have a little more confidence in yourself.”

  She snorted again. “Come on, I’m one of the most overconfident people in town. So people say.”

  “That’s what you try to convince us all.” Brad raised his eyebrows. “We can’t always see ourselves the way others do. And we aren’t always honest with ourselves.”

  “What are you, the town shrink now?” Beverly’s face flushed red. He was right, but she always hoped no one else noticed.

  “I wear many hats in this town.” The files finished downloading and he disconnected her phone and gave it back to her. “I’ve only copied the ones from the mountain today,” he reassured her. “Don’t delete them, and don’t lose your phone.”

  “I won’t.” She gave him a quick wave and then left the office. “See you later.”

  “Bye, Beverly,” Brad called after her.

  Beverly skipped across the street, making her way to Liam’s store. He would be closing soon too, and she hoped they could have dinner together. There was a nice romantic restaurant in Bear Bluff that she had longed to try, but hadn’t had anyone to go with. It was small and intimate, not the kind of place you visited with a girlfriend.

  The front door of the store was locked when she reached it, so she went around back. “Liam,” she called. No answer. She knocked, but there was still no answer. Without thinking, she turned the doorknob; it wasn’t locked. “Liam?”

  “Come on in,” Liam called from somewhere inside.

  “OK.” Beverly slipped inside and shut the door behind her. Walking along the narrow corridor, she entered the small downstairs kitchen, where freshly washed coffee mugs lined the drainer. “Where are you?”

  “Upstairs. Come through the store, and around the back of the counter.” His voice was closer, but still far away. There were living quarters above all the stores along the main street; their layouts were very similar. Beverly and her parents lived in an apartment over the grocery store, which had once been two stores before they were knocked into one and extended.

  Beverly walked through the rails of hiking clothes, and around the back of the counter. She pause
d at the foot of the stairs and smoothed her ponytail. Maybe she should just let her hair down, she was off duty after all. Tugging at the band holding it in place, she slipped it along the length of the ponytail, until her hair was free to spill around her shoulders. She ruffled it up, trying to look sexy and windswept.

  As she shook her hair out, something under the counter caught her eye. “What the hell?”

  She crouched down and looked closer. Betrayal seeped through her bones. Liam had been playing her all along. He was just like his brother. A lying, thieving piece of crap.

  “There you are.” Liam ran halfway down the stairs and then stopped.

  “What the hell is this?” Beverly jabbed her finger at the bowl under the counter.

  “Not what you think.” Liam came the rest of the way down the stairs and took hold of her hands, pulling her around to look at him. “Let me explain.”

  “Is this how you hope to pay back your mom? By selling the eggs yourself? Is this why the nest was empty?” Beverly’s temper flared. Why her? Why couldn’t she just find a decent man who loved her?

  “These aren’t those eggs,” Liam started to explain.

  “So that makes it better?” Beverly spat.

  “No. Yes.” Liam shook his head. “They were infertile eggs. I’ve had them for a while.”

  “Really? Do I look that gullible? You just happen to have these eggs lying around?”

  “No, I had them stored away with the rest of my stuff that I hadn’t gotten around to unpacking. When Brad came around earlier, we figured we could use them, so I suggested a decoy nest. We can set those two guys up.” His words sounded all too plausible.

  Beverly looked down at the eggs. “I want to believe you, Liam. I really do.”

  “It’s a good plan.” Liam sounded genuine. He had to be a good liar to carry this off. “Come upstairs and I’ll explain it to you.”