In Too Deep

by Lynn H. Blackburn

  Sabrina could imagine Margaret Campbell Lawson saying that.

  “I’m not proud of it either,” Adam said. “I’m still finding my way. But I’m not sure what I think about why God couldn’t have let me get justice and be in the office to prevent this.” He waved a hand toward the area where the body had been moments ago.

  “You may never know,” she said. “For now, you have to trust that you were doing the job God gave you to do last week, and it didn’t include meeting with Lisa Palmer. But this week God has given you the job of finding out why she wanted to meet with you and getting justice for her. And I hate to go all drill sergeant on you, but you aren’t going to find out what happened if you sit here all night.”

  He squeezed her knee again. “You’re right. As usual.”

  He twisted toward her on the log, and she had to move her arm to stop herself from falling to the ground.

  He reached for both of her arms with his hands and steadied her. “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “No harm, no foul,” Sabrina said.

  “I don’t mean about bumping you off the log,” he said. “I mean about what I said before—about logic.”

  “It’s no big deal. I stink at comforting people. And at emotions. Or talking about emotions. Or pretty much anything that can’t be explained with a spreadsheet or a diagram.”

  Adam laughed. “You’re amazing.”

  The look on his face was one she’d seen from time to time but didn’t know what to make of. She’d seen that look on others. Ryan looked at Leigh that way a lot. The best word she could come up with to describe it was adoration. But she didn’t know what to make of that either. She must not have been reading it correctly.

  A shout from the shoreline saved her from having to say anything. She would have been sure to say something wrong anyway. Gabe waved at them. She couldn’t catch his exact words, but his meaning was clear. It was time to go.

  Adam stood and pulled her up with him. “Thank you.”

  She didn’t know how to reply, so she didn’t. She took two steps away from the log and rolled her ankle on a rock. “Ouch!” She caught her balance and sighed. Dumb feet. She had never been particularly graceful.

  Adam didn’t point out her clumsiness, but he did offer her his arm. “Walk with me?”

  Funny how this man managed to make her feel protected while never making her feel like she needed to be protected. He walked beside her until they got to the base of the hill, then stayed close as they made their way up the rocky slope.

  “The laptop is up here,” Gabe said to Sabrina. “I’ll need you to sign for it. Forensics has already started working at the victim’s house, and I need to get over there. But you and I are talking tomorrow.”

  Something to look forward to. “Okay. I’ll take it to the lab and get started on it.”

  When everything had been signed off, Gabe tapped the pen on the clipboard he’d been using. “You’re going to your lab now?”

  “Yes,” she said. “It will take a while for it to dry out.”

  “It’s Sunday night.”

  Sabrina had no idea where Gabe was going with this. “Technically, it’s late afternoon, but it’s almost dark, so—”

  “Afternoon. Night. Whatever. That’s not the point. It’s going to be dark by the time you get to the university. Will there be anyone there?”

  “I’ll go with her,” Adam said from behind them. Gabe’s face and posture relaxed at the words.

  “I spend plenty of time in my lab alone.” She looked at Adam. “I’ll be fine.”

  She turned back to Gabe in time to see him shaking his head at Adam. She wasn’t any good at verbal nuance and had a bad habit of misreading body language cues, but even she could tell something was up with these two. “What am I missing?”

  Adam shuffled his feet a little. He didn’t want to scare Sabrina, but she needed to understand how serious this was. “Someone killed this woman. They may or may not have known she had the laptop in her car. They may or may not have known she had written a message on her stomach. We have no idea what or who we’re dealing with.”

  He glanced around the darkening surroundings. Gabe did as well.

  “There were news helicopters out today.” Gabe’s hatred of news helicopters clearly hadn’t abated in the years since a reporter used one to blow his cover on a high-profile drug bust. “I think it’s safest for us to assume the bad guys know you’re here. For all we know, you could be followed as you leave. I don’t think it’s wise for you to have possession of the laptop without having someone around to provide some protection.”

  Adam tried to hide his relief. “I can go with her tonight,” he said. “Her lab is secure. Once we get it there, I think she’ll be fine.”

  “Okay.” Gabe pointed at Sabrina. “I won’t be surprised if we wind up with more items requiring your assistance. I’ve already talked to the captain, and he’s given me the approval to send everything straight to you. And Adam, you’re officially on this case as well. Clearly, whatever she wanted to talk to you about is at the heart of this, so my guess is we’ll need to solve the white-collar-crime angle for us to find her killer.”

  Excellent. Adam fought a smile. Now he wouldn’t have to fight to be kept in the loop. Sabrina’s pep talk must have worked better than he’d realized. An hour ago he had dreaded the thought of digging into this case. Now, he was chomping at the bit to solve it—to bring justice to the woman he hadn’t had the opportunity to help while she was alive.

  “I’ll be with the ME in the morning for the autopsy,” Gabe said. “She said she was going to start around nine.” Gabe’s expression changed. “Adam.”

  Uh-oh. Why didn’t he like his tone?

  “Since you’ll be hanging out with Sabrina this evening, maybe you could go ahead and get her statement about the victim. That would be one less thing I have to do later.”

  “Statement? What statement?”

  Sabrina studied her shoes and didn’t make eye contact.

  “She didn’t tell you?” Gabe asked.

  “It didn’t come up.” Sabrina’s words were low, but there was a defensiveness to them Adam couldn’t make sense of.

  “Well, it’s up now,” Gabe said. “Our victim was Sabrina’s late-father’s accountant. I have no idea if it makes any difference to our case, but please get a statement before you call it an evening.”

  Sabrina gave Gabe a curt nod.

  Adam’s mind swirled. He’d known Sabrina’s dad had needed continuous care. Early onset dementia had taken his mind several years ago. But when had he died? How could Sabrina not have mentioned it?

  And the victim had been his accountant? What was that all about?

  Based on the mutinous expression on Sabrina’s face, she didn’t want to talk about it.

  Gabe appeared to be oblivious to Sabrina’s displeasure. “Want to plan to meet me for lunch tomorrow and we’ll see where we are?”

  “Sure,” Adam answered.

  Sabrina regarded him with an expression he couldn’t decipher, but something was wrong.

  “I don’t need a babysitter,” she said.

  “I’m not babysitting you. I’m the protective detail for the evening.”

  Her expression darkened.

  “Come on, Sabrina.” Gabe’s voice had done that thing it did when he was flirting. It went all soft with a bit more of a Spanish accent than he usually had. “I know it stinks to have to hang out with pretty boy, but it will make things much easier if you can take one for the team. Just for tonight. I promise I’ll get some burly deputies to hound your every step for the next few days at the lab.”

  She glared at Gabe. “I don’t know how long this will take tonight. Adam’s going to need to get some sleep.”

  Whoa. Did she think he was that fragile? “What am I, a three-year-old? None of us will get much sleep for the next forty-eight hours.”

  Gabe shifted his feet in a way that put him between Adam and Sabrina. “Adam’s right. I probably
won’t sleep until Monday night. If I’m lucky. Too much time-sensitive stuff to do. You can make him sit outside your lab if you want. Just take a picture and send it to me so I can post it on the bulletin board in the office.” Gabe chuckled at his own joke, but Sabrina’s expression hadn’t softened.

  “Do you think I can’t defend myself?”

  That brought Gabe’s chuckle to an abrupt halt. “I think you shouldn’t have to.”

  Sabrina blinked a few times at that and the set of her mouth relaxed a fraction. Adam eased closer to Sabrina, forcing Gabe to step back. “Please,” he said. “If you don’t give me permission, I’m going to be sitting outside the lab anyway.”

  “Fine.”

  “Thank you.” Gabe handed her the box containing the laptop. “I’ll be able to focus on my work knowing you’re in good hands.” Gabe winked at Adam. “I’ll be in touch.”

  When he was several yards away, Sabrina muttered, “I still think this is ridiculous. You’re an investigator. Not a nanny.”

  “I’m glad we’re clear on that. I had several nannies growing up. They were awful.” He shuddered for effect.

  Sabrina didn’t laugh at his attempt at humor. Okay. It was a lame attempt, but she could give him a few points for effort.

  She paused at the door of her car. “I had a wonderful nanny.” She had a faraway look about her, and even in the twilight he could see an ocean of pain in her eyes. “She sacrificed too much for me. I never want anyone to have to do that again.”

  Before Adam could form a coherent response, she stepped to the back of the car, opened her tiny hatchback, and settled the evidence box inside. She slammed the lid of the hatch with a bit more force than necessary and all but ran to the driver’s-side door. “I’ll see you at my lab.” With a grim nod, she climbed in and pulled away even before she had her seat belt fastened.

  What had just happened?

  Adam jogged to his car and jumped in. It took him a minute to catch up to her on the highway, and once he settled in behind her, he attempted to make sense of their conversation.

  He’d known Sabrina for two years. She’d contacted the sheriff and formed a partnership that would allow the sheriff’s office to benefit from the lab and high-tech equipment in the new forensics department at the local university. The sheriff had asked him to help set up the procedures and operational guidelines, and over time he and Sabrina had developed a friendship.

  He couldn’t deny he was attracted to her. Had been from day one. She was unlike anyone he’d ever known.

  His family pushed women toward him all the time. Women he had zero interest in. They were always beautiful and usually intelligent. But too often they worried too much about how long it had been since their last pedicure and what zip code they lived in. All they wanted to talk about was the latest social event or where they wanted to vacation. And while there wasn’t anything wrong with those things, he couldn’t make himself care.

  But Sabrina was different. She worried about things that mattered. Her work ethic blew him away. She didn’t care about clothes or hair or how many square feet the pool house had.

  He’d rather sit in her lab with her, her hair pulled up in a messy bun and glasses sliding down her nose while she pulled data from a hard drive than sit in the fanciest restaurant in Carrington with any of the elegant women who populated the social circle he’d grown up in.

  Gabe and Ryan teased him about her, and he tried to downplay it, mostly to keep them from doing it more.

  But he had it bad for Sabrina Fleming. And he couldn’t have her.

  The day after he’d decided to ask her out, he saw her at dinner. With his cousin Darren.

  He wouldn’t mess with anyone’s relationship. Especially not Darren’s. Darren was all right, and he couldn’t blame Sabrina for being interested in him.

  So he tried to be content with a friendship that meant the world to him, although she kept a tight lid on her past. But tonight a window into the mysterious inner world of Sabrina Fleming had opened.

  He couldn’t help but wonder if Darren knew about Sabrina’s father. Or about the self-sacrificing nanny.

  Somehow he doubted it.

  Fifteen minutes later he pulled into a parking space beside her and met her at the back of her car. Gabe had been right. It was completely dark outside of the glow from the streetlight Sabrina had parked under.

  He should send an email to campus security about the lighting out here. There were way too many dark corners and shadows. He scanned the area around them as Sabrina lifted the evidence box from the car. He stepped closer, every sense attuned to the sounds around him.

  “Paranoid much?”

  He heard Sabrina’s snide whisper but didn’t respond. They could chat when they were in her lab. And the doors were locked.

  He didn’t offer to take the box from her. She probably wouldn’t let him, and she didn’t need him to carry it. But the main reason was he wanted to be free to respond to any threats without worrying about the evidence.

  Grateful for the excuse to walk close to her, he put one hand on the small of her back as they walked inside.

  The building was locked up for the weekend, so she punched in security codes for the exterior door and then the elevator before they reached the door to the forensics lab. This time she entered a code and then leaned forward for an iris scan before the door lock released.

  Adam didn’t allow himself to relax until the outer door had latched behind them and the motion-sensitive lights flickered on, illuminating the entire room.

  Sabrina nudged him with her elbow before stepping away and placing the evidence box on a long row of tables. “Thank you for your service, Investigator Campbell.” Sarcasm dripped from her words.

  He laughed. “Are you hassling me?”

  “I’m trying to. Is it working?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Good,” she said with a self-satisfied smirk.

  Adam pointed to a chair near the door. “Will I be in the way there?”

  “Not at all,” she said. “Mi lab es su lab.” She pointed to a big, shiny silver machine. “Except for that. Don’t touch that.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said.

  None of his cases last summer had required her assistance, so it had been a while since he’d been in her lab.

  It was a rectangular room. One computer station after another filled the perimeter, each with multiple oversized monitors and keyboards. Locked cabinets filled the walls above each station. In the middle of the room were several taller stations, also with massive monitors. He knew from past experience that Sabrina preferred to work standing up.

  Her personal office could be reached through a door at the far end of the lab. He liked her office—it reflected her quirky personality, and had a comfortable, rather than a formal, feel.

  But she didn’t head for her office.

  Sabrina tapped away at a few keyboards and then took the evidence box over to a low desk beside a wall that looked more like something you’d see in a medical lab than a computer lab. Boxes of gloves, tiny vials, and random stickers were on small shelves on the wall, along with compressed air and more typical office items like staplers and pens.

  She opened the cabinet above the table and removed a bowl and a massive bag of rice. She donned the latex gloves, poured the rice into the bowl, and only then did she turn her attention back to the laptop.

  “Let’s see what we have here,” she said.

  “What do we need this to be?” Adam asked.

  “Well,” she said around a small screwdriver she was holding in her mouth, “unless she made some crazy modifications to this machine, we should have a nice solid-state hard drive.”

  “Right.” She’d told him about this before. “Solid state is better for recovering data. Remind me again why that is?”

  She kept working, taking the laptop apart with the care of a heart surgeon. “Solid-state hard drives don’t have any spinning platters inside. Those babies are quick to
corrode and much harder to retrieve evidence from once they get wet. But a solid-state hard drive is just sticks of memory on a circuit board.”

  “Have you ever gotten data off the spinning-platter kind?”

  Her little smile answered his question before she did. “Yes. But it’s challenging.”

  “But you’re the best.”

  She snorted. “Hardly. I’m very good. But sometimes it’s serendipity over skill. You can’t recover what’s not there anymore.”

  She continued working for another five minutes before she lifted the hard drive out and settled it in the bowl of rice.

  She took the components of the laptop and placed them in a separate container before putting all of them in an evidence storage locker in a large closet. From the outside it looked like a large broom cupboard—or it would if a broom closet required an iris scan to open it.

  “I’ll be done in a few minutes,” she said as she tidied the workstation. “Don’t you need to take a statement or something?”

  3

  Sabrina glanced at Adam in time to see the surprise on his face before he pulled it back to a more professional demeanor.

  Maybe if she didn’t look at Adam it wouldn’t be so bad.

  Can I tell him? Everything? Can I trust him?

  She forced herself to analyze her emotions. Why did she care? Shame for the things her family did without her consent? Yes, that was part of it. A big part of it.

  But . . . that wasn’t all of it. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but part of it was because she wasn’t sure how Adam would respond. Or how his family would respond if . . .

  Oh, who was she kidding? It wasn’t going to happen. Guys like Adam Campbell might fight it for a while, but eventually they married someone the family approved of.

  And she would never be that someone.

  She risked a glance at Adam. He leaned against one of her tall desks. A notepad and pen he must have snagged from one of the workstations sat in front of him. When they made eye contact, he gave her a sad smile.