The Harvest Club (12 page)

As he drove away, his first thought was this was bigger than this small town police force could handle. He put a call into Chief Anderson to ask about getting some county or state help.

“Matt, give me any information and evidence you have on Monday, and I will see if it’s enough to get some extra help. If your instinct is right, then we’re dealing with some influential people from several areas.” The chief sounded concerned. “With the kind of money you say is being deposited into these accounts, there’s something major happening. How did you get the information?”

“Jessie got it. By the way, I’m going to do some undercover work at the airport tomorrow. I want to see who some of these people are: names, towns, and how we can connect them to a source.”

“I told you this was your investigation to do with as you see fit. So I trust you to stay on it and work it from every angle.”

His next thought was how to keep Jessie safe. This case needed his concentration, which he found hard to do when she was around. He wanted her involved because the situation was fluid, and he could only be in one place at a time. Hell, she had gotten the letter from a friend that the police didn’t even know existed. Pastor Rick so far didn’t have a clue, but if people continued to talk to Jessie, it wouldn’t take long for him to realize something was up. He hated the fact Rick was Jessie’s boss. She worked in the church alone with him. She was vulnerable. He was jealous. Just like some damn teenage boy.

Jessie was driving him nuts. He was having a hard time keeping his hands off her. She had no clue, and he didn’t want her to. He should try to put some distance between them, but he already wanted to see her again. He was the one boss she would have to date. His mind was made up.

****

Matt simply didn’t make sense.

They had a case to concentrate on. After tomorrow, they could know more about some of the players. Now all they needed was the connection. Who were the people pulling the strings? What were they smuggling, and who had killed Gina?

“Gina, it’s slowly coming together. I hope we’ll have an answer soon for your family.” She smiled, talking to a ghost now.

She needed to do something routine today. The case went on the back burner, and a clean house, laundry, and grocery shopping took its place, anything that could make her life seem normal. A few hours away from it all would do her a world of good.

She stopped at the store on her way back into Blue Cove and did her grocery shopping. With that taken care of, she headed home to do her other chores.

Listening to the washing machine fill with water, she watched as the detergent turned to suds. Absentmindedly, she placed her clothes in the water, realizing for the first time that her life could be in jeopardy.

Gina was murdered because she found out something that was beyond her and Brad, and now Jessie had walked right into the same situation. She had been so smug when she told Matt he didn’t need to worry about her.

“Well, somebody had better.” She slammed the lid down on the washer.

Jotting a quick email to Matt with the airline information, she wandered aimlessly around her cottage, pacing like a caged cat until the music on her phone startled her.

“Hi, baby girl, how are you doing?” Grandma Sadie’s voice came over the line.

“I’m doing okay.” She felt her eyes tear up. “It’s great to hear your friendly voice, Grams.”

“Your email has shaken me, Jessie. I know what happened to you is real. You’re far too sensible a girl to be taken in by someone trying to scare you. How are you holding up?”

“Up to a few minutes ago, I was doing pretty well considering the crazy few weeks I’ve had. Today I realized it’s much bigger than just a simple murder. There are two kids whose security and custody are at stake. People who you should be able to trust, you can’t trust at all. I wonder if my life might be in jeopardy writing the story about Gina.”

“Does anyone there have your back?”

“Matt Parker, the cop in charge of the investigation does. But we seem to fight every time we get within a few feet of each other.”

“You’re no quitter, I know that well enough. I wouldn’t blame you if you headed back to New York. Although, I know my girl, and you’d never do that.”

“No, I’m going to do this story, but I realized today I do need to think about safety and being smart about what I do.”

“When I first met your grandpa, we fought every time we got within a few feet of each other. I can tell you, it wasn’t love at first sight. The thing was, we were both strong people, and neither of us wanted to give up control. It took years for us to realize we didn’t have to, and that’s when we knew we were in love. I’m not saying that is your situation now, but two strong, opinionated people can learn to work together. If you’re in real danger, Jessie—trust him enough to tell him.”

“I will, Grams.”

“You know, I’m only a call or email away. Stay in touch. Oh, and like you asked I won’t mention any of this to your parents. Your dad would be there on the next plane to drag you back here. You’d miss a great adventure, and I wouldn’t be able to live vicariously through you.” Sadie chuckled.

Jessie smiled. “I love you, Grams. Your voice was the one I needed to hear.”

“I love you, too, sweetheart. Talk to you soon.”

Jessie put her clothes in the dryer, picked up the novel she was reading, got a glass of iced tea, and went outside.

The view was breathtaking, and the floral scent of the garden was rich with honeysuckle, lilac, and the irises next to her porch. Jessie could see Mr. Yamamoto busy at work. She smiled at him, and he stopped to chat with her for a few minutes.

A young couple, who were guests at the inn, said hello as they strolled by hand in hand. She returned the greeting, thinking all the while, when things calmed down this could be a really nice life. She would eventually meet that special someone to enjoy life with.

Was Matt in her future?

Matt got to La Guardia about two on Sunday afternoon and found a strategic spot at one of the gates where he could watch the people who walked by. He figured if their flight left at eight, they would be there by three or four since it was an overseas flight. His paper in hand, he kept a close eye on those making their way to the gate for the flight to India. It wasn’t lost on him that he was in Jessie’s old stomping ground.

He’d called yesterday and set up an appointment to have coffee with Lt. O’Malley earlier in the day. It had been well worth the time. Not only did he learn more about Jessie, but he got another perspective on this case. O’Malley had a few suggestions about what Brad and Rick might be dealing in for the kind of money Jessie had found in their accounts. But Matt needed some real evidence before he said anything to anyone.

He could never live here, he thought, too crowded, too smoggy, and people were in too damn big a hurry to enjoy anything. But, if he was honest, he had to admit that most women in Jessie’s place would think this was a piece of cake compared to what she had experienced of peaceful, quiet, small town living so far.

“Now this is interesting,” he muttered under his breath. He watched Pastor Rick and city councilman, Ed Jones walk by together. Not far behind them were Brad and the mayor of Blue Cove. Several other men joined the group, some of whom he recognized as council members, clergy, and even a state senator. He watched them until they boarded the plane. Jason Cummings, he knew from high school. Matt went to the police academy after college graduation, and Jason went into law, wanting to get into politics. He’d been mayor for a couple of years now.

Maybe this was just a goodwill mission trip, like Pastor Rick had said, but why would Brad be going? Matt leaned back in the uncomfortable plastic chair, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He wondered if all of these boys had offshore accounts. It was something they needed to check out. But he’d need warrants, which would take some time. Meanwhile, Jessie could do some snooping around.

As the plane taxied out for takeoff, he headed for the exit, armed with some new avenues to follow. Better get Jessie involved in the research sooner than later. She had the nose for this. Once in his car he gave her a call.

“Hey, Jess, this is Matt. Are you busy?”

“Not really. I take it you saw you what you went to see.”

“Probably more than I wanted to. I’ve started on my way back, but I wanted to get you going on something. Did you get the flight list?”

“Yes.”

“Will you check and see if there is a rabbi, and Episcopal priest listed and if you find names, check for an offshore account along with Blue Cove’s mayor, Jason Cummings, and city councilman Ed Jones.”

“Sure, I’ll take care of it. Is that all?”

“There were several guys I recognized, but I would have to look at the list to see if I can put names to their faces. We’re talking about some other councilmen and a senator. Oh, and Brad Martin was in the group.”

“I’ll get started and email you the list so that you’ll have it when you get back. I wasn’t doing anything but reading and waiting to hear news from you.”

“Let me know, Jess, when you find out.”

“I think you do that on purpose.”

“What?” He tried to sound innocent.

“Call me Jess, when you know my name is Jessie.”

“You make it so easy.” He laughed. “Talk to you later.”

****

Jessie chuckled. She seemed to walk into every trap Matt put out there. At least he got a lot of laughs at her expense. He was like a splinter in her finger, nothing major, but annoying.

She spent the next few hours at her computer. Both of the men Matt had talked about also had offshore accounts in the same bank. Huge deposits had been made on or around the same time as the deposits into Brad’s and Rick’s accounts. She spent the next few hours trying to follow the money trail, but the accounts were well protected. She needed the help of Jeremy who could get through anything. His skills on the computer were something legends were made of.

She sent an email off to him and told him what she needed. If anyone could find it, he could. Now she would just have to wait to hear back. In the meantime, she began to think about what she wanted to ask Pastor John tomorrow at lunch.

She had doubts that Pastor Rick was a real pastor. He might have studied for it, but his heart wasn’t in it. She wondered if it was a cover for his illegal activities.

She emailed Matt the flight list and what she’d learned so far.

“That’s it for me. I’ve had enough sitting at the computer for one day.” She stepped out her front door, looked up into the starlit sky, and with the sounds of the breaking waves in the distance, sighed. She looked around the garden, the paths lit softly with small lights. It was a beautiful evening. As she stood there, she caught sight of a shadowy figure standing beside a tree about fifty feet away. When he saw her looking that way, he dodged quickly behind the tree, and she saw him walk away toward the shoreline path.

It was probably nothing—maybe a guest at the lodge—still, hadn’t she just told herself she needed to think about her safety and take nothing for granted? She would keep her eyes open, lock her doors even in the day, and deadbolt them at night.

She rubbed her arms trying to rid herself of the sudden chill she felt then hurried inside, locking up everything nice and tight. Even from a distance, she could tell he was a very big man.

Jessie’s night was restless. She had awakened several times thinking she had heard a noise. Straining, she listened to all the sounds in the night. Work was calling now, but what she really wanted was sleep, at least a couple of hours more.

She felt a little better after a shower and her morning coffee. Still, a lingering fear lurked at the back of her mind. She should probably tell Matt about the man watching her, and she would if she saw someone watching her again.

She honked and waved at Katie as she passed by the inn. Oh, how Jessie wished she could stop and unburden herself to her best friend, but that was not in the cards, at least not until Matt told her she could.

Another slow work day, a ticking clock that never seemed to move, a phone that refused to ring, and a deathly quiet building all made her fidgety. Suddenly something fell in the hall, and Jessie jumped up to see what it was.

“Sorry, Blondie, did I startle you?” Melinda picked up the broom she’d dropped.

“Just a little. It’s been so quiet here all morning.”

“I bet you thought it was our church ghost.” She cackled. “I know you’ve had to have seen her by now. You want to hear what happened to me last night?”

“Sure, Red, tell me.”

“I think someone was in the building when I came in to straighten and do some cleaning. I always like to come in at night or early morning so I don’t bother the various groups having meetings. The ladies’ circle is meeting today, and I wanted to set up. Anyway, I thought I saw the office door open, and I started down the hall, but then I heard heels clicking across the tile in the lobby, but no one was there when I went to check. When I came back down the hall, the door was shut, but I heard the side door of the church shut. You know what I think?” She paused to look at Jessie shaking her head. “I think Gina was looking after me. I came in afterward and looked around, but didn’t see anything missing. What do you think?”

“You’re probably right,” Jessie stammered.

“I tell you, Blondie, sometimes this church is downright scary at night when no one else is in the building. I think I’m going to start working when you’re here.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Jessie opened one of her drawers to get a paper clip. There, on top of her office supplies, was an envelope with her name on it. She started to open it, and then the phone rang. It was one of the church groups, wanting to schedule some time in the meeting room. She slipped the letter beneath some papers waiting for her attention as the phone rang. She’d get to it later.

Melinda caught her eye and waved as she headed for the lobby. “I’ll talk to you later. I need to make sure I set up right for the women’s group.”