Love Inspired Suspense December 2015, Box Set 2 of 2 (11 page)

Jake assessed Rachel. “Did something happen today?”

“Why don't you tell me?”

“What?”

“Your grandfather said you had a conversation with Celeste before church. What did you two talk about?” She had no right to ask him that question, but she was the one who tried to help him piece his life together after Celeste broke off the engagement. She couldn't do it again.

“She was asking how I felt after the wreck on Friday.”

There was curiosity in his tone. Staring out the windshield, she gritted her teeth to keep from saying anything. She wasn't going to force him to confide in her. If he wanted to get hurt again, then—

“But mostly we talked about what happened eight years ago. She actually apologized for what she did.”

“What did you say?”
What did you do?

“I told her in the end it was for the best. I just didn't know it at the time. Coming back here has made that clear to me. As we talked, I realized that I don't hold any grudges against her. That surprised me at first.”

Me, too
. But Rachel kept that to herself. “What's different?”

“I'm different. I'm not the same heartbroken guy who left for Anchorage. I should have come home years ago, and I would have realized Celeste and I wouldn't have worked.”

“That's good because all I can say is you'd better not be a stranger to Port Aurora ever again. I missed you.” The last word caught in her throat.

Jake edged closer and clasped her hand. “I've missed you, too. I don't know what's happening between us, but I want to see where it goes.”

She touched his lips with her fingertips, wanting to say so much but settling on, “I like the idea of getting reacquainted with each other.” She was falling in love with Jake—that was the only thing that explained the feelings she was having. But how would she know for sure? She'd never been in love—had purposely avoided it. Maybe she was wrong. Confused thoughts raced through her mind.

He stared at her for a long moment, then released her hand as he put his on the car door handle. “Is everything set for tonight?”

“Yes. I'd hoped that you and I could check out the shipping warehouse tonight while everyone was partying, but I discovered that my master key no longer works. They've changed the locks.”

Jake rotated toward her, thunder in his expression. “You did what?”

Rachel flinched at the fury in his voice. She needed to do something to help, but all Jake wanted to do was protect her.

CHAPTER TEN

R
achel pressed back against the driver's-side door. “I didn't really plan to do it. I saw an opportunity while going to get the centerpieces from Celeste's car to try my key in the door. I looked around, and no one was there. I wasn't at the door more than half a minute.”

Jake curled his hands and squeezed them so tight they ached. “What part of
don
'
t investigate the building
do you not understand?”

“I wasn't going to. But if my key had worked, and it should have, I was going to suggest I go back with you and Mitch later tonight. I know you shouldn't search the warehouse without a warrant, but I can. I could take Mitch and see if he found anything. You could keep watch. Well, at least that had been my plan, until the key didn't work.”

Her explanation flowed nonstop from her, which indicated to Jake she was nervous. She should be. “I don't think you grasp the seriousness of this situation.”

“I've seen TV shows about—”

“Stop right there. Real life crimes aren't wrapped up in an hour or two with a happy ending. These people mean business. Chance talked with a DEA agent who said recently their office in Seattle has become alerted about Peter Rodin's recent activities.”

“What activities?”

“His association to a big-time Russian mafia boss.”

“Do you think because we are so close to Russia, someone at the fishery is smuggling in drugs from there?”

“It's at the top of my list of theories.”

“I can't believe Brad would condone that.”

He loved how she always looked at the good in people. She'd lived a sheltered life. Probably the first time crime touched her was Betty's murder. “He might not know. It's only recently that law-enforcement agencies discovered a link between Rodin and the Russian mafia. If I were going to look at boats involved, it would be the ones added after Rodin became a silent partner. Also, there are a lot of new employees since the expansion. Any number of them could be involved.”

“So they could be using the fishery without Brad's knowledge?”

“Yes.”

“Then we need to get Mitch onto the Alaskan King and maybe even the Tundra King since it was overhauled in Seattle.”

“There could be a scent, but without the drugs actually on the boat, it would be hard to use that as evidence. They would move the drugs off the trawler as soon as possible.”

“During unloading?”

Jake nodded. “Have any shipments gone out since the last boats came in?”

“Not until the first of next week.”

“I'll need a list of the shipments. Where they're going. When. How.” He hoped to turn this investigation over to Chance O'Malley and the DEA, so all he needed to do was protect Rachel, Linda and Gramps.

“I usually get the information after the fact for billing purposes.”

“Who has it?”

“Ivan Verdin. His department readies the fish for shipping after processing, schedules the deliveries and moves them to the ship or plane.”

“That's where the drugs will be, in shipping, then on some transport to their destination.” He spied Gramps standing at the front window by the Christmas tree, trying not to look at them in the Jeep. “We probably need to go in.”

“I'll go see Ivan tomorrow about the shipments. I'll tell him I want to wrap everything up before vacation starts on Wednesday.”

Jake's gut tightened. “No. Gramps, Chance and I will keep our surveillance on the shipment warehouse to find out when the shipments go out. I want you as far away from there as possible. You are not involved in this anymore.”

“Are you going to be at the bait shop again?”

“No, I have a room for Chance at the bed-and-breakfast that has a great view of the harbor. He's flying in tomorrow morning. I'll pick him up at the airport and make a big deal that a friend is visiting. That will give us a reason for going in and out of his room.”

“I'll stay away from shipping if you promise you'll be careful. Someone came after you on Friday, not me.”

He held out his hand. “A deal.”

She fit hers within his. “Yes. I want my town back.”

He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her. She meant too much to him. She'd always been there for him, and he was the one who had let her down. He left rather than dealt with his feelings after Celeste called off the wedding. Then he poured his life into his work, focusing on helping others in his job and spare time. He never really came to terms with his mother leaving or Celeste breaking their engagement. He'd been running away from his feelings for years. Maybe that was why he felt so strongly about returning to Port Aurora.

“Jake, are you all right?”

He blinked, orienting himself to the present. He still held Rachel's hand, and in the dim light he saw worry lining her face. When neither of them was at risk, he needed to have a long talk with Rachel. He wanted to make sense out of all these feelings swirling around inside him.

“I don't know about you, but it's cold out here. Let's get inside before Gramps sends out a search party.” He grinned, released her hand and opened the door.

When Jake entered Linda's house right behind Rachel, Gramps gave Rachel then Jake a mug of coffee. “I figure you need it to thaw out. I could have thought of warmer places to talk.”

A blush tinted Rachel's cheeks as she made her way to the fire. She put her drink on the mantel and held her hands out near the blaze, rubbing them together. “This feels good.”

Linda came from the kitchen with a plate of cookies. “This can tide us over until dinner tonight. Celeste told me fish would
not
be on the menu. The main course will be prime rib.”

Gramps patted his stomach. “What a treat! Although without fish to catch, Port Aurora would be an extremely small community.”

Jake moved closer to the fire. What was going to happen to the town if the fishery was involved in drug smuggling? If Rodin was behind it, how would the fishery keep going without its major backer? Thousands of people would be affected if the main industry failed. If he had a hand in taking it down, Jake needed to figure out a solution.

* * *

Rachel scanned the crowd crammed into the huge hall at the fishery. This year the Christmas party had been opened to a lot more people besides the workers. In addition to the elaborate buffet tables featuring many side dishes, freshly baked bread, salads and desserts, she counted four different stations for prime rib, ham and chicken. At the front of the room stood a fifteen-foot Christmas tree, decorated in different fish ornaments interspersed among glittering balls of silver and gold.

“Brad and Celeste outdid themselves this year,” Lawrence said over the noise in the hall.

Jake put his hand at the small of her back. “Speaking of Brad, I need to talk to him. He said something today about giving me a tour inside the fishery, and I'm going to see if he can tomorrow. Do you see him?”

Rachel leaned toward him and whispered, “I thought you were turning the investigation over to your friend tomorrow.”

“I am, but I'll help where I can. Chance wouldn't likely get a tour of the shipping warehouse, but I can.”

Rachel took Jake's hand and pulled him toward the right side of the room along the wall. “So it's okay if you keep putting yourself in danger, but not me.” Jake was only involved because of her.

He inched close to her. “Yes. I'm a police officer. I've been trained for this. You haven't.”

For years she'd worried about him in Anchorage, especially when she'd heard of a serious crime committed there. The serial bomber had heightened her fear something would happen to Jake. And it had. “You don't want me in danger. I don't want you to be, either.”

“It's part of the job. Before I left for Anchorage, I was a police officer here, and you never said a word.”

“Because crime here wasn't anything like a serial bomber, gangs, murder. With all that has happened, it just makes me realize how dangerous your job is.”

He boxed her in, hands placed on the wall by the side of her face. “There's nowhere totally safe. Stay out of this.”

She stared at his mouth, set in a firm line. “I'm going to, but what will happen if we can't get proof?”

“There is no more
we
in this investigation.” He frowned. “But to answer your question, until that moment comes, let's think positive. When I was injured and had a lot of downtime in Anchorage, Jesse Hunt, another canine officer, kept me informed of what was going on for a while. I sank deeper into depression. I was stuck on medical leave and couldn't do a thing about a case, and yet it consumed me. About a month later something had to give. I needed to focus on my recovery, or the feeling of helplessness I was experiencing would grow. I've learned to concentrate on the moment—not the future.”

She'd remembered how he had been when he first came home and saw Celeste. “How about the past?”

He cocked one corner of his mouth. “I'm working on that. It helped to talk to Celeste this morning. But when you come home after being gone so long, the past hits you square in the face. I can forgive Celeste, but I don't know if...” He heaved a sigh.

“You can forgive your mother?”

“It's one thing to be rejected by Celeste and totally different by the woman who gave birth to you.”

Rachel cupped his face. “I know, and you've had a constant reminder of that while you've been here. I'm surprised you put Chance in the bed-and-breakfast.”

“It was the best solution. It isn't the same place as when I lived there as a child with my mother.”

Chief Quay stepped into her peripheral vision, and all thought of continuing this conversation vanished.

“What are you two concocting?” the police chief said with a chuckle.

Without missing a beat, Jake replied, “She's trying to pry information about her gift from me.”

“Yeah, I hate surprises.” Rachel placed her hand on Jake's arm. “Nobody is waiting to eat. If we don't get our food, there's not going to be any left for us.”

“Leave it to Rachel to worry about dinner.” Jake threaded his fingers through hers. “Any news about Friday night?”

“Nothing. The other set of footprints near the SUV went toward town for about two hundred yards, then crossed the road and went down a turnoff. There were tire tracks, most likely from a big truck. That must have been his transportation, but there are tons of trucks in Port Aurora. We're matching the tire tracks with a database, but what we've found doesn't narrow the hunt down much. Don't worry. I'll let you know if anything worthwhile comes up.”

“Thanks, Randall.”

Rachel watched the exchange between the men. Jake didn't feel the police chief was involved, but he couldn't rule him out, either. How entrenched was the drug-smuggling ring in the town? The thought that the police might be part of it nauseated her. For Jake it would be devastating. He knew some of the officers—worked with half of them. But she couldn't deny Aunt Betty's warning, either.

Jake panned the crowd, his gaze pausing on the other side of the room. “I see Brad is in line. Let's hurry and get behind him and Celeste. I want to finagle that tour out of him after I get Chance settled. It will be interesting to see if he says yes.”

“What will you do if he says no?”

“Go to the next plan.”

“And what's that?”

His roguish grin appeared, his dimples and bright eyes enthralling her. “I could say Plan B, but that's cliché, and I don't have a Plan B at this moment.”

“You think you can charm a tour out of Brad?”

“No, but I could out of Celeste, especially after her apology this morning. She'll want to make amends.”

Celeste might have apologized, but Rachel didn't want her escorting Jake anywhere.

He slung his arm over her shoulder and weaved their way through the throng of people until they arrived at the buffet tables set up on the left side. Jake walked down the line until he reached Brad, who was second from last.

Jake held out his hand. “This is some party you've thrown.”

Brad pumped Jake's arm vigorously, then draped his arm over Celeste's shoulders as though staking claim to her. “You clean up nice.”

Jake swept his arm down his body. “Oh, this old suit? I was told I needed to dress up or stay behind, then I heard there would be prime rib and I put on a tie. Not my favorite piece of clothing.”

Brad laughed. “I know what you mean. Most days at the fishery it's informal. This town doesn't have too many reasons to dress up. Celeste wanted this to be one of them. We're having a DJ play music after dinner. Has your dancing improved over the years you were away?”

Jake looked him straight in the face. “Not one bit, so I won't be taking part in that activity.”

Brad swiveled his attention to Rachel as the line moved forward. “Then if you need a partner, just come get me.” He switched his gaze to Celeste. “That is, if my wife is okay with me dancing with another woman.”

“Please do. After all the decorating today, I'm exhausted. I'm going to sit back and watch everyone.” Celeste smiled at someone behind Rachel. “Captain Martin, I heard you had a great catch.”

The captain of the Sundance, a short man with a full black beard, paused. “I'm impressed with all you managed to do today. When I helped bring in the tables, I never thought the hall would be decorated so lavishly, Mrs. Howard.”

“A hobby of mine to keep me busy.”

“You've outdone last year,” the Sundance's captain said, then continued to the back of the line.

“I have to agree, Celeste. You had to be working for months on these decorations.” Rachel picked up her plate at the beginning of the long table. “Brad, I've been telling Jake all about the changes you're making. I wanted to show him around, but I have to get the next payroll out by Wednesday instead of Friday.”