There were two uncomfortable but attractive wooden chairs in front of Victor’s desk. He didn’t want students or subordinates to be at ease, but he didn’t want the décor marred either, Heidi assumed. Steve ignored Victor and held one of the chairs for Heidi, then exchanged some sort of unspoken communication with Jake and sat in the other one himself, while Jake took up a position beside Heidi, one lean hip almost grazing her shoulder.
Heidi pasted a mechanical smile on her face. “Victor, I’d like to introduce Agent Steve Marinucci from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, and Mr. Jake Delos. Gentlemen, this is Dr. Victor Kress, chair of the marine zoology department.”
“Is she under arrest?” Victor’s blatantly hostile question was like a slap in the face. She’d known he wasn’t her biggest fan, but she’d never realized he outright despised her like this.
“Not at all,” Marinucci replied smoothly. “What would give you that impression?”
“The officer who was here yesterday indicated that she was the prime suspect in Dr. Van Dorn’s homicide,” Victor answered.
Steve’s eyes narrowed. “And who was here yesterday, Dr. Kress? The San Diego Police?”
“No, he was definitely a federal agent. Don’t you people talk to each other?”
“Actually we do,” Marinucci crossed his long legs in front of his chair and lifted one eyebrow. There was more to this man than the harmless veneer he’d presented on Jake’s boat, Heidi decided.
He continued. “And not a single agency filed a report of visiting your offices yesterday. Want to try again?”
Victor squirmed, then caved. “All I know is that two men showed up here with what appeared to be proper credentials. They asked what Drs. Van Dorn and Eriksen were doing in Mexico and then searched their office. They did give me a card. I was supposed to call this number if Dr. Eriksen showed up.” He fished a business card from the top drawer of his desk and handed it across to Steve. “My understanding was that they were treating Van Dorn’s death as a homicide and that she—” He glared daggers at Heidi. “Was the prime suspect. Not very hard to believe. Check his will. I suspect you’ll find that Ms. Eriksen is suddenly a very wealthy lady.”
“Since there is no evidence indicating that Dr. Van Dorn is dead, she’ll have quite a wait to collect anything,” Steve replied equably. “Seems to me that if she’d intended that, she’d have made sure we found a body. Aside from that, we have reliable witnesses to the fact that she herself was in danger. So I think you can rest assured on that count. Now, if we could see the offices? I’d like you to show us exactly what the other so-called agents were looking for.”
“First, I’d like to make some calls and verify your credentials,” Victor grumbled.
“After yesterday, I’d say that was a wise choice. You can call this number, or you can look in the phone book for the nearest DEA offices. Take your pick.” Steve tossed a card across the desk toward Victor.
Victor, ever contrary, chose door number three. He pressed the intercom buzzer on his desk. “Sara, I want you to look up a phone number for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and place a call, please.”
“Certainly, Dr. Kress.” Sara’s voice was cool and professional. “I’ll buzz through when I have the connection.”
No one spoke as they waited. Heidi could feel the coiled tension radiating from Jake where he stood behind her left shoulder. Finally, the intercom buzzed, Victor verified Steve’s credentials, and grudgingly, he led them through to the tiny office shared by Heidi and Brad.
“Where’s the computer?” Heidi looked at her desk and tried to regulate her breathing, which had gone crazy when she saw the empty surface. Her hand trembled and goose bumps prickled on her arms as she reached out to lift her denim jacket off the hook beside the door.
Jake’s hand was suddenly there, taking the jacket and holding it out for her to slip her arms into. How had he known she’d gone suddenly chilled?
“They took that with them,” Victor replied. “Along with a box full of files.”
Heidi staggered. “All our research…gone.” Her voice came out as little more than a whisper. Losing their work was almost like losing Brad all over again. And when they found him—if they found him—he’d be devastated. His research had meant everything to him.
“Were you in here while they worked?” Steve asked.
Victor shook his head. “Of course not.” His face had sagged, making him look every one of his sixty-some years as he finally realized he’d probably abetted the real criminals. Heidi almost felt sorry for him, until he glared at her with a look that said, “This is all your fault.”
“They were probably smart enough not to leave prints.” Steve sighed and ran a hand through his tousled blond hair. “But I’ll have a team come in, just in case.” He turned to Heidi. “We have your prints on file, but do you know if your partner was ever fingerprinted?”
“I think so,” she said. “We both did some substitute teaching back in our leaner years. They fingerprint you for that.”
“Good, then we’ll be able to rule his out as well. And I’ve got a warrant for his apartment, so we can hopefully get some DNA off his hairbrush or toothbrush or something.”
He didn’t say why, but Heidi knew. It would help to identify the body, if they ever found one. “Top drawer of his desk.” Heidi pointed. “Brad had long hair, and was very proud of it. He kept brushes stashed everywhere. And I didn’t even think about it yesterday, but his apartment is in the same building as mine. I have a key, but it’s with all my others, and my wallet—in a locked trunk at our campsite in Ensenada. Assuming they haven’t ransacked that as well.”
“The good news,” Jake interjected, his hand still a steadying force on Heidi’s shoulder, “is that after searching everything, they’ve hopefully figured out that you’re no threat to them—that your purpose for being in Mexico really was nothing more than dolphin research. That might mean you’re out of danger.”
“Except that they might think I saw them—faces, I mean.”
“Except for that,” Steve admitted. “Now what did you need out of here?” He pulled a pair of latex gloves from the pocket of his suit coat.
“There are a bunch of personal items in the top drawer of that desk.” Heidi pointed to the messier of the two small workspaces.
The agent opened the drawer, saw the jumbled pile of toiletries, loose change, hair ties and tampons, then smiled and stepped back. “Help yourself. Got a bag?”
She pointed to a reusable grocery bag hanging on a nail by the door, and he nodded. Heidi stepped up and sorted out the items she’d need—sunscreen, lip balm, her second-favorite hairbrush, and a pair of sunglasses. “Bottom left-hand drawer,” she added, and waited until Steve had opened that one as well. A pair of battered canvas sneakers and a baseball cap went in from there, along with the spare bikini and beach towel she kept here, since campus was on the beach, after all.
“Anything else?” Steve’s smile was patient and understanding, while Jake continued to glower in the direction Victor had disappeared.
“Just these.” Her eyes watered as she picked up the bifold picture frame and looked at the photos. One was of her with her parents, the day of her high-school graduation. The other was of her and Brad at Disneyland, both wearing fake mouse-ears. She carefully tucked the frame into her bag, then added the stuffed lobster, Sebastian from The Little Mermaid, that Brad had won for her on that same visit. He’d been their office mascot ever since.
She turned to Jake. “I’m ready to go.” Suddenly, she just didn’t care about her research. The dolphins would still be there waiting when all this was over. And then she could pick up the tattered remains of her life and move forward again.
* * * * *
Steve had tossed Jake his car keys, saying he’d have someone drop him off at the marina to pick it up. Now that they had wheels, Heidi and Jake spent another frustrating few hours dealing with Heidi’s bank. Eventually, though, she had some cash, and her account number
s had all been shifted so no one else could get into her funds, limited though they were. As they walked to the boat, an hour or so before sunset, Jake’s cell phone rang. Once they’d climbed on deck, he turned to Heidi.
“That was Wen,” he told her quietly. “He’s got a meeting set up for me with one of his ‘assets’ tonight.”
“In Ensenada?” It would take them a few hours to get there on the Siren, and only a little bit less if they traveled by car.
Jake shook his head. “Rosarita.” Just south of Tijuana then, so closer. “Wen also pulled some strings with the other Feds to back up Steve. We’re cleared to go, as long as we check in with Marinucci at least once a day.”
“Do I want to know how you got this kind of leverage?” She jumped back down to the dock, untied the bowline and tossed it on board. Then she walked back toward the stern and undid the single rope that still connected them to the pier before hopping back over the rail. Jake climbed the steps to the pilothouse and started the inboard engine. They worked in concert, without instructions or questions, as if they’d done this together a hundred times.
“Probably not,” he admitted when she joined him up top. “Let’s just say that Uncle Sam owes me a few favors.”
“Works for me.” The boat moved away from the dock, out of the marina and into the bay. When they passed a Harbor Patrol vessel, Heidi held her breath, but they didn’t hear so much as a peep. Once they were out in the open ocean, she released the breath in a long, deep sigh, while Jake brought the Siren up to cruising speed and set their course.
A pod of dolphins was frolicking in their wake, and Heidi smiled. These were common dolphins, not the Pacific white-sided species she’d been studying, but she loved them all the same. Any member of the order Cetacea, be it a bottle-nosed dolphin or a humpback whale, had a special place in her heart.
“Did you know that cetaceans are the only mammals other than man that have sex face to face?” It was a beautiful, sunny day, she was surrounded by the scent of the ocean and the cheerful sounds of the dolphins, and she was actually starting to relax for the first time in days. To top it off, she had a sexy, hot-blooded man beside her. She knew the mention of sex would turn him on, and she couldn’t resist teasing him just a little.
“I did,” Jake assured her with a little rumbling laugh that said he knew what she was up to. Apparently he was also willing to play along. “Did you know that gray whales do it in groups of three or more?”
“Umm-hmm. Whales and dolphins are also the only other mammals that have sex when they’re not in breeding season.”
“In other words, just for fun,” Jake agreed. “And their languages are so complex that you scientists are just beginning to understand them.”
“You know a lot about marine mammals,” Heidi complimented him, leaning her shoulder against his. “How’d you get so smart?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he muttered cryptically. “But I grew up on the ocean. What got you so interested in our flippered friends?”
“A trip to Sea World in third grade. Oh, I know that we shouldn’t keep healthy animals in captivity for our entertainment, but the educational value is considerable. At least in my case. I hung out at the pool with the non-releasable animals for hours. I spent all my souvenir money on smelt so I could feed them. Then one caught the fish in his mouth and tossed it back to me. I threw it back and he did it again. We played catch for like five minutes before the attendant came and yelled at me for teasing the dolphin. When she left, I swear, the dolphin shook his head as if to say, ‘What an idiot!’ It was almost as if we were having a conversation.”
“Maybe you were,” he offered thoughtfully. “You are a little bit psychic, after all. Maybe the dolphins are too.”
It had crossed her mind, but she couldn’t afford to let herself believe in such fancies. She’d never even mentioned the idea to Brad, let alone another living soul. “Yeah, well if you ever breathe a word of that around anyone in the scientific community, my career is toast. It’s hard enough to get taken seriously as a blonde female. Dolphin-huggers are not considered reputable academics.”
A weird look crossed Jake’s face, but he didn’t say a word.
She could hear the dolphins. Oh, she didn’t really believe it, but she was definitely getting at least some of their psychic messages. The idea was astounding. Jake had never met a human before who could do that. He didn’t know whether to be elated or terrified by the concept. Had he finally met a woman who might, just possibly, understand his strange situation? Not that he was going to tell her, of course. It was a big leap from accepting a touch of ESP to believing in magic and mythical beings. She was still a scientist, which made her his kind’s worst enemy. No matter how much he liked her, or how much she liked him, she still had friends with labs and scalpels and electrodes.
Jake didn’t really know what he was doing with her. Why hadn’t he turned her over to Steve, then headed for safer waters? It wasn’t sympathy, or simply the urge to help. He could have done that from a distance. Was it just plain loneliness? It had been a long, long time since he’d had a woman on his boat, at least for more than a quick fuck and a cup of coffee in the morning. Decades, at least. And he couldn’t remember ever sitting with one like this, watching the dolphins and chatting. Her hand resting on his thigh was more comfortable than erotic, though he was still in a state of semi-arousal. That was pretty much a constant when she was nearby, which was another unexplainable first. He’d never been the kind who looked for companionship and sex from the same person. And he wasn’t even going to think about his species’ concept of life-mating. He wasn’t a true merman anymore, at least not for another twenty-some years. He couldn’t be falling prey to their traditions. Especially one he’d never believed in anyway.
“I want you to stay on the boat when I go to meet Wen’s contact tomorrow afternoon,” he said as they sat on deck, watching the sunset.
“I was planning on checking with the hospitals and local police.”
“No offense, blondie, but you kinda stand out down there. It isn’t safe for you to be out in public right now.” She chewed on that one for a while, so he added the clincher. “Look, we’re pretty sure these guys have a mole in the U.S. Do you honestly think they won’t be hooked even tighter with the local cops? I know you want to find Brad, but it won’t do him any good if you get yourself killed. You could even lead the bad guys right to him.”
She sighed, slouched back into the seat. “Damn, I hate it when you’re right. You promise you’ll check for me?”
“I promise someone will. Wen liked you, and he doesn’t like a whole lot of people. He said he’ll do everything he can to find you friend and believe me, he has the resources to do it.” Yeah, both human and otherwise. Jake had first met Wen during World War Two, when the agent had been springing American prisoners from Japanese POW camps and had recruited Jake to help. Jake didn’t know exactly what Wen was, but neither of them had visibly aged in all the time since. And Jake had never once seen Wen in the daylight.
“He’s not American-born is he?” Heidi asked. “His accent was just a little too perfect, if you catch my drift.”
“Wen doesn’t talk much about his past. I’m pretty sure he’s a U.S. citizen now, but no, I don’t think he was born here. And I’m not about to ask him. If he answered, he’d probably have to shoot me.”
“This is too weird.” Heidi shook her head, as if to clear out the cobwebs, and her silky hair bounced, grazing Jake’s cheek. Then she leaned her head against his shoulder and he took a deep breath of her clean, fresh scent. “I find it hard to believe that anything the past few days has been real. I mean, I am so not the type to be hanging around with secret agents.”
“Don’t look at me, I’m just a retired dot-com-er.” He wound an arm around her shoulder, pulled her a little closer. It felt right, having her snuggled against him.
“Yeah, right. And I’ve got some oceanfront property for sale just south of Tucson.”
“Anybody ever tell you you’re a very skeptical lady?”
“Not skeptical, observant. Scientific method, and all that. Goes with the doctorate.”
“Ah. Well then, same goes. I am so not the type to be hanging out with eggheads,” he teased back, enjoying the banter. “Yet here we are.”
She chuckled, laid her hand on his knee. “Yep. Here we are. Miles from nowhere.”
“So, wanna get nekkid?”
Her reply was a wicked, sexy grin.
“Race you downstairs.”
Heidi shrieked as Jake tackled her to the bed, rocking the entire boat.
“Gotcha,” he murmured, nuzzling the side of her neck.
“I’m not usually like this, you know.” She tilted her head to the side, giving him room to play. The hard ridge of his erection pressed up through the thin layers of their clothes.
“Like what?” Kisses and nips punctuated each word. “Hot? Horny? Hedonistic?” Then he lifted her shirt and closed his lips around her nipple, bra and all, making her squirm. “Wet?”
“Promiscuous,” she managed. She fumbled with the fly of his jeans until she had his erection free, took hold of it with her hand, and squeezed. His hum of pleasure vibrated on her breast, so she did it again, then panted. “I don’t usually hop into bed with guys I’ve just met.”
“Good to know.” He paused to pull her shirt and bra over her head, then switched breasts, using the tip of his tongue to toy with her taut nipple. “I’m glad you made an exception.” When she leaned closer he took the hint and drew the whole peak into his warm, wet mouth.
Then there was nothing more to say. Their remaining clothes were tossed aside as he played her like a Stradivarius in the hands of a master. With a gentle push he rolled her to her back, came down on top of her, his head still between her breasts. He rubbed his cheeks against them, yesterday’s rough three-day stubble having gone soft and silky. Then he tickled her.
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