She went to the Seaboard e-mails first, learning there was a rumor about an affair between Virgil and a woman in accounting. Jade didn’t know the woman, but she shuddered at the thought of anyone having an affair with Virgil. He was simply not an appealing man.
Then she brought up a mental image of Virgil’s stocky wife from the Christmas party. The risk of angering his wife was another valid reason to stay far away from Virgil. If the rumor was true, it was a bad deal on all fronts.
Jade answered a few technical questions from her colleagues, thinking maybe she’d phone Cathy Margolis in the morning and talk about Aidleman Grocery. Virgil didn’t have to know. She didn’t like feeling so far out of the loop. And she hated not having any work to do.
She carefully backed her way out of the hotel’s server. Then she retrieved the half bottle of merlot that was left over from her trip to the convenience store last night. She tore into a package of pretzels and settled back into the armchair. The pay-per-view channel had a large catalog of movies. She decided a nice, riveting murder mystery would keep her mind away from Logan.
*
Logan sipped his way through a local microbrew at a corner table at the Twin Peaks lounge. He’d picked a spot where he could keep an eye on the two men who’d been following Jade this morning.
The Twin Peaks Resort had been in the Edwards family since the late 1800s, so it was an easy matter for Logan to find out the strangers’ names from the front desk. They were Ewan Smith and John Castle from New York City, and they had checked in for four nights.
“I saw you on the dock.” Elroy swung into the seat across from Logan, signaling to the waitress to bring him the same beer as Logan.
Logan didn’t respond to Elroy’s broad hint about his and Jade’s kiss. He was too busy speculating on what Ewan and John were doing in Mirror Falls. Business seemed unlikely. Although the town was often host to small conventions, the two of them were here on their own. Recreation seemed equally unlikely. They looked healthy enough, but nothing about the way they were dressed said they appreciated the outdoors.
Elroy spoke again. “At first I thought she was Sasha.”
Logan’s mind jumped back to that mind-blowing kiss. “She’s definitely not Sasha.”
“She looks a lot like Sasha.”
“Only the hair,” said Logan. “And hers is darker. It’s not so red.”
“She’s the same height.”
“Taller.”
“Same build.”
“Slimmer.”
“Same profile.”
“Smaller nose, green eyes. Flecks of gold in her irises. I’ve never seen a color like that before.”
“I admire your powers of observation.”
“She’s not Sasha,” said Logan. He was positive his reaction to Jade had nothing to do with Sasha.
Elroy seemed to give up. “Did you take her sightseeing?”
“Up to Bowen Valley. I had a delivery to the lodge.” Logan couldn’t help a smile that grew at the memory of dunking her in the river.
“Good flight?” asked Elroy, watching him closely.
“She seems nice. Funny. Pretty sporting, actually.”
“Is that why you kissed her?”
Logan watched as Ewan and John paid their bill and rose from the seats. “Why the third degree?”
“Seems like you might be on the rebound.”
“I’m not on the rebound. What do you suppose is up with those guys?”
“Which guys?”
“Fortysomething, suits, your five o’clock. Make it look natural.”
Elroy slowly turned his head. “Insurance salesmen, maybe. IRS. Old guys who don’t own blue jeans. Why?”
“I can’t figure out what they’re doing here.”
Elroy raised his brow. “Is this some new parlor game?”
Jodi, their waitress, dropped off Elroy’s beer. “You guys want menus?”
“I’ll take a burger,” said Elroy.
“Clubhouse,” said Logan. “On multigrain.” He’d long since memorized the menu.
Jodi’s path crossed with Ewan and John’s on their way out of the lounge.
As they left, Logan accepted that there was nothing more he could figure out about the men tonight.
“Did you have any flights today?” he asked Elroy, changing the topic.
“Up to Blackwatch. A couple of guys are attempting the east summit.”
“Did they look capable?”
“I think so. I hope so. They had the equipment, and they said they’d climbed Silver Star last summer in Washington state.”
“That’s comparable,” said Logan. “If they don’t make it, you can always pick them up on the plateau.”
“How does your day look tomorrow?”
“I’ve got an early morning pickup at a fishing camp, but after that it’s clear. Joe’s doing a couple of grocery runs in the Cessna. You?”
“I’m clear so far. Beaver available?”
Logan smiled. “You thinking it’s generator-delivery day?”
“Be nice to have it installed and running before the first snow.”
“I’m all for that.”
Logan’s thoughts went fleetingly to Jade. There was no denying he’d like to see her again. But they hadn’t made any plans. He wasn’t about to hang around town hoping to run into her. If they met up again, they met up again. If not, well, it had been one hell of a kiss.
Chapter Four
It was midafternoon before Jade admitted to herself that she was hoping to run into Logan. She’d walked along the lakeshore, wandered through a few shops, spent an hour in the hot springs, then showered, changed, dried her hair and put on a little makeup. She gazed out her hotel window now, seeing that two of his airplanes were still gone from the dock. She knew he had other pilots working for him, but she guessed he was likely out flying.
She was getting hungry, so she decided to go find a restaurant for lunch. After that, maybe she’d download a novel, sit in the park and read for a while—waste another few hours of her life.
She still couldn’t figure out why people thought vacations were so much fun.
She perched on the edge of the sofa, stuffing her feet into a pair of low-heeled boots. It was too warm for a jacket, so she slung her purse over her hunter-green sweater.
A pounding sounded on her door, and her first thought was that it might be Logan. But then the pounding came again, hard and aggressive.
“Ms. Korrigan?” It was a sharp, male voice.
She glanced at the telephone, wondering if she should call the front desk.
“Ms. Korrigan, are you in there?”
She inched her way toward the peephole.
“This is Sheriff Clive Edwards of the Mirror Falls Police Department.”
Jade stopped. The police? Was something wrong? Had something happened to Logan?
She quickly pulled the locks off the door. “I’m here.” She swung it open wide to reveal the sheriff flanked by two deputies. “What happened?”
The sheriff stepped forward. “Ms. Korrigan, you are under arrest.” He grasped her upper arm.
“What?” she squeaked.
He spun her around. “On suspicion of electronic theft.”
“What?” she repeated. “What are you talking about?”
“You have the right to remain silent.”
The cold steel of a handcuff closed around her right wrist. Her first instinct was to struggle, but she quickly restrained the impulse.
“You have the right to an attorney.”
“I don’t need an attorney. And I don’t need to remain silent.”
“Ma’am, I need to read you your rights.”
“But—”
“Ma’am.”
She clamped her jaw shut while he finished his recitation and secured the handcuffs. She told herself not to panic. It would all make sense in a few minutes. They’d tell her what was going on. Then they’d realize they’d made a mistake and let her go, likely before
they even left the room.
“What do you think I did?” she asked, struggling to keep the tremor from her voice.
“Attempted electronic theft of personal information, including credit card information.”
“No, no.” They had to be confused. “I protect information. I don’t steal it.”
“If you say so, ma’am.” He guided her through the doorway and into the hall.
“There’s been a mistake.”
“You can explain to the judge.”
“The judge? What judge?”
“Surely you’re aware of how the American judicial system works.”
The situation suddenly felt frighteningly real. “But I didn’t do anything. How can this happen? How can you just take me away?” She strained to look behind her. “Did you lock the door? Did somebody lock the door? My tablet is—”
“We’re bringing your tablet along as evidence.”
“Evidence of what?”
They came to the elevator, and she realized a lobby full of people were about to see her marched out of the hotel in handcuffs. Embarrassment shouldn’t be her biggest concern right now, but somehow it was. What could she say? What could she do? How could she demonstrate to her fellow hotel guests that she was completely innocent?
“You hacked into the Twin Peaks Resort computer system.”
Everything inside her froze. Her throat closed over, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Only to check my e-mail.”
“Uh huh.”
She twisted her head to look up at the sheriff. “Seriously. I only wanted to check my e-mail. The guest wireless was down, and I needed—”
The elevator door slid open in front of them, and Jade swallowed hard. She was going to jail. She was being arrested, and she was going to jail, and she had committed a crime.
They turned inside the elevator car.
“I’m a software developer,” she tried to explain.
“No kidding,” said one of the deputies.
“That’s my job. A legitimate job. I protect people’s security. I don’t compromise it.”
“You just admitted to hacking into the hotel’s computer,” the sheriff pointed out.
“That was only a matter of convenience. I didn’t want to cost anybody—” She clamped her mouth shut.
It was probably time to call a lawyer. She wondered if Mirror Falls had lawyers. Should she call Virgil? He was the one who’d put her in this ridiculous town. Should she call her family? Did any of them have a lawyer? Did they know a lawyer? Maybe Jillian would have an idea.
Jade battled the panic that was threatening to swamp her thought processes. She firmly assured herself it would all get straightened out. It had to…eventually.
But in the meantime, she’d be locked up in jail. She’d be sitting in a jail cell instead of a restaurant. Her fear turned to frustration.
“This isn’t relaxing, Virgil,” she muttered through clenched teeth.
“What did you say?” asked the sheriff.
“I said vacations suck.”
The elevator pinged, opening to a lobby full of curious stares.
*
On the pool deck at the Sunny Autumn Seniors Community, Sam glanced up at the sound of his name.
Lizbet had joined Sam and JW in their usual spot on the pool deck. But instead of sitting down, she gripped the back of the lounger, her face pale and eyes wide.
Sam came to his feet, moving toward her. “Lizbet? Are you all right?”
JW stood as well. “Do you need a doctor?”
“I just got off the phone with Jillian,” said Lizbet.
Sam found himself touching her shoulder. “Are you ill?”
“It’s Jade.”
A cold feeling settled in Sam’s stomach. Had Logan somehow stepped out of line? Had he upset or hurt her? Sam was going to bloody kill him.
Lizbet gazed up at him. “Jade’s in jail.”
JW reacted first. “Why? Where? Lizbet, sit down.”
Sam nodded his agreement, urging Lizbet to the closest chair. “Tell us what happened. Is Logan in jail with her?” He couldn’t wrap his mind around anything that made sense.
Lizbet shook her head as she perched sideways on a lounger. “They say she stole electronic information, credit card numbers from an Edwards family business. She didn’t, Sam. She’d never do something like that.”
“Of course she didn’t,” Sam agreed.
From what he’d heard about Jade, she was honest and principled. It made absolutely no sense that she’d break the law. Nor would she compromise her values and risk her professional reputation for some quick cash. And if she did, he was confident she would never have gotten caught.
“This is our fault,” Lizbet moaned. “I sent her there. My granddaughter is in jail, because of me.”
“We’ll help her,” said Sam.
Lizbet looked hopeful for the first time.
He didn’t know what she’d need, but he’d figure it out once he got there. “Did she say anything about the evidence?”
Lizbet shook her head. “It’s the Twin Peaks Resort. Jade was staying there. Jillian says Jade piggybacked on their Internet connection, and they accused her of stealing credit card accounts.”
The more Sam heard, the more puzzled he became. Could Jade have been solving a crime rather than committing one? If so, why didn’t she tell them what she’d been doing? Maybe it was confidential. Or maybe she’d tried to explain, and they hadn’t believed her.
He quickly realized he could waste a lot of time on pointless speculation. He needed facts, and he needed evidence. No matter what was going on here, the town of Mirror Falls would need technical help to get to the truth.
He straightened, making up his mind. “I’m going to Mirror Falls. I can check out their computer system, and nobody will suspect I’m there on Jade’s side.”
Lizbet gripped his hands. “Would you? Would you, really?”
“Absolutely. I’ll get there just as soon as I can.”
*
Since Sheriff Clive Edwards was Logan’s second cousin, Logan was given immediate access to the Mirror Falls holding cells. Inside, he paced his way down the narrow hallway, his anger and disgust building as he grew closer to Jade’s cell.
He and Elroy had returned early from their trip to the cottage because Elroy had received a last-minute booking. Thank goodness they had. He rounded the corner now and smacked his hand against the bars, rattling the door to her cell.
Jade recoiled where she sat on the plank of a bed. Then, recognizing it was him, she quickly came to her feet.
“I’m trying to figure out,” he barked, not holding back any of his anger and disgust, “if there was something I said, some small piece of information I gave you yesterday that allowed you to victimize my family.”
Her complexion blanched. “Logan, you don’t understand.”
“I understand perfectly. What was all that about? The sweet talk, the jokes, the kiss? No wonder you were so interested in my family history, who was who and what they did.” He gripped the bars with both hands, sickened at the thought that he’d been so easily duped. “Is that how you con people? You breeze into town, case the place, find a likely mark?”
“They’ve got it all wrong. I didn’t do anything of the kind.” By contrast, her tone was soft. She blinked her clear green eyes, her innocent expression slamming him in the solar plexus.
He fought against a reflexive burst of sympathy, reminding himself she was a criminal. “Yes, you did.”
“No, I didn’t. I don’t care what they’re saying. I don’t care who misunderstood—”
“Misunderstood? Are you kidding me? You hacked their computer system.”
“I admitted to that.”
“You broke into their customer database.”
“That I didn’t do.”
“They have the evidence. They saw where you went, what you did. You stole their clients’ credit card numbers. I can’t even imagine what it’ll do to
their reputation, their business.”
She moved closer, her expression hardening. Thank goodness for that. He could deal with her temper a lot more easily than her false wounded virtuousness.
“Think about it, Logan.” Her tone remained steady. “Why would I do that? I could get maybe ten or twenty thousand for that kind of information. Why would I take the risk? And, by the way, if I’d tried, I would have succeeded. It’s a professional insult for you to believe I’d get caught.”
It took him a minute to frame a response. “That’s your defense? That you’re too good to get caught?”
She was clearly angry now. “I am too good to get caught. But my defense is that I didn’t do it.”
“You just happen to know how much the information is worth on the black market? You’ve obviously done this before.”
Her shoulders suddenly slumped. “I haven’t done this before. I didn’t do it now. But I’m sorry, Logan. I’m sorry this is happening. I really liked you.”
“Yeah, well, you made me like you, too. I can only assume you’ve had practice.”
She shook her head.
“Tell me, Jade. Was it my fault? Did I say or do something that put my family at risk?”
“It was nobody’s fault. I did not steal any credit card numbers.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I’m sorry you don’t. But that doesn’t change the facts.”
He took a step back. “That’s it, then? You’re sticking with denial. You’re not going to help at all.”
“I can’t help. Because I have no idea what happened.”
“Damn, you’re good.”
She wrapped her hands around the bars, looking forlorn and beautiful in the dank surroundings. “Logan, please.”
He steeled his emotions. “Are you going to try to play me some more?”
“I’m not playing you. I want to find out the truth. I want to find out what happened just as much as you do.”
“I doubt that.”
“Yesterday.” She compressed her lips, a cloud coming into her eyes. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I had fun yesterday.”
An Extraordinary Match (The Match Series Book 3) Page 5
