Death of a Waterfall (The Hayden Falls Saga) (13 page)

Donnie laughed. "The lessons definitely paid off."

"Why'd you give up so soon?"

"Did you notice the two left feet? Besides, I think that woman I bumped into will kill me if I get back on the dance floor." He laughed. "And if you tell anyone about this, I'll deny it until the day I die."

"Don't worry, hon," she said with a sultry smile and a wink. "It's our dirty little secret, remember?"

Chapter Eleven

Rob was irritated that Jim hadn't been able to keep their appointment for lunch yesterday, so now he had to take his Saturday morning and go meet with him. He'd much rather be home with his wife making love or just lying around in bed. They didn't get nearly enough chances to do that. Rob sat at a table in the back of Darcy's Diner, sipping on a cup of coffee that was way too strong. Darcy's was an okay place. It could benefit from a major remodeling with the faded walls, uncomfortable chairs, and tacky floor. It was a popular hangout for the local college kids after a night of binge drinking, which explained the writing on the bathroom walls and initials carved into the corners of the tables. A place like Darcy's wasn't normally an establishment Rob would visit, but Jim had insisted.

"Sorry I'm late," Jim said as he approached the table. "Rob, I'd like you to meet Martin Rowe. He's the leader of Midnight Rebels, Inc., that organization I was telling you about."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Jacobs," Martin said.

"Yeah, right." Rob nodded and stood, taking Martin's proffered hand. "Likewise." The three men sat. Rob waited until Jim and Martin placed their orders before speaking again. "So, what did you find out, Jim?"

"Not much." The waitress returned and set two cups of coffee on the table. Jim took his and emptied three sugar packets into it. "Based on the little information I have, it's going to take some more time."

"I don't have time." Rob's hand balled into a fist and he had to resist the urge to bang it on the table to emphasize his point. "You know what's at stake here, Jim." Rob's voice was thick with frustration and laced with warning.

"I'm fully aware of what's at stake, Rob, which is exactly why I invited Martin to join us today. He can help," Jim blew on his coffee and then took a sip before continuing. "All I have to go on is a name and a state. That's not much."

Rob blew out a breath. "I don't know much more either." He hated not knowing. It made the entire situation that much more aggravating. If he just knew the truth about who Donnie really was, then he could take the appropriate steps to fix things. But without any information, he didn't have any choice but to sit and wait. He wasn't the sit and wait type of guy. "What are you doing to figure this out?"

"For starters, I've narrowed my search to a dozen or so small towns around Philly based on population, poverty level, and within distance of a hospital, but it's still going to take time," Jim said.

"I've got a guy on my team who is a genius on the computer. He's taking a peek at the most recent census, trying to get figures regarding single parent households in that area," Martin replied.

The waitress took that moment to return with their food. She placed their plates in front of them, and they ate in silence for several moments. Rob was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. The eggs he'd ordered weren't runny and the bacon wasn't burnt. The orange juice was tepid though, and had too much pulp for his tastes.

"I've also instructed my guy to check out the employment records for all the hospitals in the area, searching for anyone with the last name Marks," Martin said as he wiped the egg yolk from his plate with a piece of toast. "We should be able to narrow things down some more."

"And what's this going to cost me?" Rob asked, eyeing Martin suspiciously. Jim had mentioned that Martin was looking for financial backing for his group, but Rob had a feeling Martin's willingness to help wasn't just about the money.

Martin pushed his plate away, took a drink of his coffee, and then cleared his throat. "Gathering the information won't cost you anything. If you want it, I'm going to need to know why."

Rob stared dumbfounded. His body tensed and the tips of his ears turned warm. Who the hell did this guy think he was? "Why does it matter why I want the information?"

"When I started Midnight Rebels, I promised my men they would never be asked to do anything if the reason wasn't right. We don't do cheating spouses or jealous lovers or revenge. And we are not a murder-for-hire operation." Martin's gaze was set firm on Rob's, neither of them flinching or giving any indication that they were going to budge. "So, Mr. Jacobs, why are you so dead set on finding out about this kid?"

Rob sighed and looked at Jim, who gave him a curt nod as if to confirm that Rob needed to start talking. Rob hated the idea of telling Martin, a total stranger, what his reasons were. No one, except Jim, knew the truth, and Rob preferred to keep it that way.

"His team is our only hope," Jim said.

Running a hand through his hair, Rob said, "And whatever I tell you goes no further than this table, right?"

"Right," Martin confirmed with a nod.

Rob hesitated a few more moments, deciding if he should divulge all the gritty details or just a few to appease him. "About twenty years ago I was working as co-counsel on a big murder trial in Philly. I met a woman at a bar one night and had an ongoing affair with her. When the trial was over, I ended it. She didn't take it well and threatened to tell my wife, so I paid her off to keep her quiet." Rob sliced a look in Jim's direction--a clear warning for Jim to keep his mouth shut. "A few months later, she called and tried to blackmail me. When I refused to give into her demands, l she threatened to get even with me."

"And what does any of that have to do with Donnie Marks?" Martin motioned for the waitress to refill his coffee.

"I think Donnie might be her son. The way he carries himself and speaks, it reminds me of her." He sneered the last word. "I'm afraid that she might've sent him here to go after my daughter."

"I understand better than anyone your concern, Rob, but it seems like a stretch that she'd send her son to California to go after Teghan in an attempt to get back at you." Jim looked at Rob with a look that Rob knew all too well. Jim was trying to get Rob to confess the truth--the rest of it anyway. Rob had conveniently left out a few parts, but in his opinion, they were parts that Martin didn't need to know.

"Well, it seems like too much of a coincidence to be anything else," Rob snapped.

"I agree. Then again I've seen some crazy shit in my line of work." Martin laughed. "It's best not to rule anything out just yet."

"What was her name? Barbara something?" Jim asked.

Rob finished his now cold coffee. It almost made him gag. "Yeah, Barbara, but her last name wasn't Marks, it was Schaffer."

"She probably married." Jim shrugged.

"Well, we've got a name now. It's something to start with." Martin stood. "I'm going to give my guy a call and have him start searching for Barbara Schaffer Marks. Excuse me."

Jim leaned across the table and lowered his voice to an angry whisper. "You lied to him."

"He's got enough information to do what I need done. He doesn't need to know anything else." Rob's voice was low and menacing.

"And what the hell do you think is gonna happen when he finds out?" Jim glanced out the window to where Martin was standing, talking on his cell phone. "Don't fuck with these guys, Rob."

"Don't you fuck with me, Jim!" Rob pointed at him. "This is my family we're talking about here. I'm not gonna let some little shithead kid come waltzing in and tear it apart."

"We were both there twenty years ago. We both know the truth about what happened."

"And we both agreed never to speak of it again." Rob's stomach was in knots. He couldn't believe this was happening. He'd made it very clear to that money hungry bitch what would happen if she ever tried to contact him or his family.

"Yeah, that was before he showed up in Hayden Falls."

"It might not be him." Rob didn't believe it though. His gut was telling him different, and his gut had never led him astray before.

"Then why are you so damn hell bent on finding out who this kid is?"

Rob grunted. "You know why."

"And you know that we erased all traces of the incident. There's only one way to know for certain."

Rob's jaw clenched and he felt the vein in his neck throb. Everything Jim said was the truth, but Rob didn't want to admit it. At the moment, Rob was kicking himself in the ass for being so thorough all those years ago. He should've known better. He should've given himself some sort of way to know, something to protect himself from the very situation he was now in.

"Do you think Donnie knows anything?"

"If he was sent here by his mother, then I'd have to guess he does." The thought sickened Rob, to think that Donnie knew the truth and was taunting Rob by being with Teghan.

"You said Donnie is roommates with Teghan's friend, Alex, right?" Jim asked around a mouthful of bacon. Rob nodded. "Maybe you could get some information from Alex."

"No, that won't work. Alex is a great kid, but his loyalty is to Teghan. If I start asking questions, he'll say something to her. I can't risk it." As inconvenient as it was, Rob was thankful Alex was so devoted to Teghan. It was one of the reasons Rob liked Alex so much and why Rob didn't understand how Teghan could've just broken up with him like she did, and now getting involved with the likes of Donnie Marks. Rob had raised his daughter better than that.

"Alright, I got my guy working on it," Martin said as he returned to the table and took his seat.

"I was just telling Rob it might be beneficial to try and get some information from Donnie." Jim waved to the waitress. When she arrived, he asked for the check and then handed her a credit card.

"From what you've said, it doesn't appear as though Donnie is going to be very forthcoming with answers, so we can have him followed, see what he does, who he speaks to." Martin adjusted his tie and smoothed it down the front of his shirt. "We could tap into his cell phone, be able to listen to his calls and read his text messages."

"No." Rob shook his head. "I don't want to go that far just yet." If for any reason Teghan found out he was having Donnie followed, Teghan would never forgive Rob. That was something he couldn't deal with. Teghan was his daughter; she was Daddy's Little Girl and he wasn't going to let anything jeopardize that.

"Okay." Martin nodded. "Okay then. We'll see what we can dig up and go from there." He stood. "It's been a pleasure, Mr. Jacobs. Jim."

Rob stood and shook Martin's hand again. "Thank you, Martin. I'll be in touch." When Martin had left, Rob looked to Jim. "I hope him and his team are as good as you say they are."

"Don't worry, Rob. We'll get this figured out, and Martin's team is the best there is. I wouldn't have brought him in otherwise." Jim patted Rob on the back. "I'll let you know as soon as we have anything."

Rob watched Jim leave the diner. What a nightmare this whole thing was turning out to be. He never thought having that one affair would cause him so much damn trouble. Not that he ever planned to have another affair, but if he ever did, he'd be a hell of a lot more careful about who he slept with.

Chapter Twelve

"Get in." Donnie leaned across the seat and opened the door for Teghan. Every free moment they could spare for the past two weeks they'd spent together, which usually amounted to an hour here or there, but today he was hoping they'd have the entire day alone, without interruption. He was going to make the most out of it too. By the end of today, he wanted Teghan to be his, fully and without reservation.

"Why?"

"Just get in." He laughed.

Teghan climbed into his Ford Explorer, buckled her seat belt, and looked at him. "Where are we going?"

Donnie smiled. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No." He took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. "I thought it'd be fun to just drive around and see what we find. Maybe stop somewhere, have a picnic."

"The last time I drove around aimlessly was the day I got my license," she said. "Then when I got bored, I went to the mall."

"Well, we're not going to the mall," he said. "And we're not aimless. We're looking for something..."

"We just don't know what," Teghan finished for him.

"Exactly." They both laughed. Donnie glanced at her. The smile that lingered on her lips was beautiful. Hell, everything about her was beautiful. Right down to the tiny, brown mole on her neck.

"What're you staring at?" she asked.

"Feel like making a day of it? Drive up the coast?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding her head. "That sounds fun."

Donnie put the truck in gear and headed toward the Pacific Coast Highway. It was a breathtaking stretch of road that winds along the rugged cliffs of California's coastline. He'd always wanted to drive the twisty, dangerous road since he'd seen pictures of it in one of his uncle's National Geographic magazines. Making the drive with Teghan just made it all the more awesome. They rode in silence, Donnie concentrating on the road while Teghan stared out her window. The sounds of seagulls squawking, as waves crashed against the imposing cliffs was surreal, giving the interior of the car a feeling of tranquility. "It must've been wonderful growing up around here," Donnie said.