Poked

by Naomi Niles

  “Is there no way you can catch whoever is doing this?”

  I shook my head. “I wish there were some way, believe me, I wish there were. But whoever this is, they are so devious, so slippery, so sneaky, that they seem to be able to move around like a phantom, unseen and undetected, doing pretty much whatever they want on my ranch. And now I know... now I know that they're prepared to kill to get what they want. I can't beat 'em, Mackenzie. I just can't. Not when my daughter's life is on the line.”

  A sudden light glowed on Mackenzie's face as if she had just realized something profound.

  “My brother, Will... I know he's been on the bottle a while, but he's a smart guy when he's off the booze. And he studied investigative journalism. He knows a thing or two about finding things out. Maybe, just maybe, if we get him in on this, and he can stay sober, we might be able to find out who's behind it. It's a long shot, I know, but it's worth a try, ain't it?”

  “A small hope, I guess... but at least it's hope. It's something.”

  “I have a suspect in mind. You may be surprised when I say who, but just bear with me. Checking her out might be an operation that bears some fruit.”

  “Checking her out?” I asked.

  “You did say the suspect is a woman, right?” Mackenzie questioned me.

  “Well, yeah, that's right. We found a woman's footprints, and then the residue of that perfume you said you recognized. Who do you have in mind?”

  Her face hardened as she said the name.

  “Tina.”

  ***

  “So, Will is looking into things right now?” I asked, standing next to the driver's door of the car.

  “Yeah, I told him everything on the phone. Luckily, he's on a sober streak and feeling motivated. I mean, this could work out real well for him too if he uncovers it. It'd be a huge boost for him to write an investigative piece on Circle B using sabotage and even attempted murder to try to take over land. He could get a giant jump start in his career in investigative journalism like that. It's the sort of story that'd be all over news media and social networks. So yeah, he's super motivated, and he's putting everything he's got into this investigation.”

  “Thanks, Mackenzie. I really hope he's able to uncover something.”

  “I hope so too,” she replied.

  “You gonna be okay on the ranch here for the rest of the weekend?” I asked her.

  “I will be, yeah... although I am really gonna miss you,” she purred.

  I hugged her tightly and planted a passionate kiss on her lips.

  “I'll miss you too, Mack. Even though we're only gonna be apart for like twenty-four hours,” I teased.

  “Ughhh . . . twenty-four!” she whined. “It'll feel like so much longer.”

  “I know, I know. And as much I as hate to leave, I’ve gotta go now, my flight is leaving soon. But I'll see you tomorrow evening.”

  “Yes, you will,” she assured me. “Give Cassie a big hug and a kiss from me,” she said.

  We hugged and kissed once more, and then I got into the car and drove off. I stared in my rear view mirror at Mackenzie until she disappeared from sight. Good God, was I a lucky man. How had I managed to find such an intelligent, gorgeous and talented girlfriend? I must have done something right at some point in my life.

  My mind drifted back to the present— to my ranch, my radio station – and, of course, to finding the person who was threatening my life and my daughter's.

  At first, I had been shocked when Mackenzie had suggested that Tina might be the one behind the acts of sabotage. I mean, it had made no sense at first, and I'd thought it was just a catty reaction from feelings of jealousy. But the more I thought about it, the more it sounded plausible. Perhaps Tina's apparent “crush” on me had been nothing more than a ruse, nothing but a lie woven to try to get close to me. The nude picture hadn't simply been a bit of drunken idiocy; no, it had been a carefully planned maneuver designed to publicly besmirch my reputation and thus destroy my public credibility.

  She'd probably been trying to do the same thing that time she'd tried to put her moves on me when she'd asked me to take her home from that bar.

  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I knew very little about her. Sure, she'd listed several radio and musical experiences on her résumé when she had applied for the job at my radio station, but I hadn't actually bothered to cross-reference any of it – which I really should have done. But she knew her way around the studio when she sat in for her audition, so I never questioned her credentials. Her references had checked out, but in all reality, those could have easily been put in place by a corporation with deep pockets, like Circle B.

  For all I knew, it could have all been made up. The first thing I intended to do when I got back to Nashville would be to check up on her résumé and do what I should have done when I hired her — cross-reference all of the items listed on her résumé.

  I was gonna get to the bottom of this. I had to. My ranch, my life and now, most importantly, my daughter's life, were all on the line here. Circle B and their saboteur had taken things too far, and if I didn't stop them now, a real disaster could be waiting in the wings.

  I floored the accelerator and headed for the Austin airport.

  ***

  “WCRST personnel department, how can I help you?” a female voice chimed on the other end of the line.

  “Hi, my name is Chance Lawson, CEO of Corral-FM.”

  “Ah, Mr. Lawson, your station has a great reputation. What can we do for you?”

  “Well, if you don't mind, I'm trying to find information on a current employee of mine who’s résumé states she used to work for you and I'd like you to have a look at your employment records for me.”

  “Sure. Who are we talking about?”

  “Tina Lafayette. She apparently worked at your station as a DJ around two years ago.”

  “I'll have a look at our records; can you hold on a minute or two?” she asked.

  “Sure. Take your time.”

  She put on some annoying music while she checked on the records. I didn't mind listening to it though, as my curiosity was bolstering my patience. I had to be cool, tough, and calculating here. Getting annoyed was not part of my mission. After a while, the woman came back on the line.

  “Are you sure you got the name right?” she asked.

  “Definitely.”

  “Sorry, Mr. Lawson, but we don't have any records of anyone with that name ever working at our station. I double checked to make sure she hadn’t gotten married or divorced, just to be sure, but no. No Tina or any variation of the name.”

  “I thought as much. Sorry for bothering you, and thank you very much for your time,” I said.

  “No problem. Have a good evening.”

  That was another one checked off the list. So far, I'd called four of the stations Tina had listed on her résumé, and none of them had any record of her ever having worked for them. Hell, I was starting to wonder if Tina Lafayette was even her real name.

  She was on air now, and her show was just coming to a close. I smiled coldly at her as she gave me a smile and a wave through the glass of the studio window. After the song playing had finished, she said her goodbyes to the listeners and then handed the mic over to Terry who started his show. She walked out of the studio into my office.

  “Hey there, Chance,” she said. “How does a drink or three sound about now?”

  I realized with a sudden shock that I had her file open on my desk. She hadn't seemed to have seen it, so I quickly, but subtly, pulled a newspaper over it then stood up and walked toward her to distract her.

  “That sounds tempting,” I said, putting on as charming a smile as I could fake, “but I have so much work to do here. I just can't. Maybe tomorrow, though.”

  “Aw, that's disappointing,” she said. “You sure?”

  “I'm sure. Say, you smell real good. Is that... Jasmine Seventeen you're wearing?”

  She smiled. “It is! It's my fa
vorite perfume. How did you know what it was?”

  “An old girlfriend used to wear it. It was always one of my favorites.”

  “You have a good nose, Chance. All right, well I'm off. I'll see you tomorrow.”

  “See you then, Tina. Have a good night.”

  “You too, Chance.”

  She walked out of my office, and I smiled grimly to myself. Jasmine Seventeen. That's the exact scent that Mackenzie had identified on my ranch. As stupid as it made me feel, everything was pointing to Tina being the Circle B saboteur. We just needed concrete proof – we were so close, so very close to getting her.

  While I was racking my brain over how to make that happen, my phone rang.

  “Hello?” I said, answering the call.

  “Hey, Chance, it's Will Shea. I've got some stuff on Tina that you're gonna be real interested about.”

  “I bet you do. And that makes two of us. Let's hear what you’ve got,” I instructed.

  “I've been digging around all day. Turns out that firstly, 'Tina Lafayette' isn't her real name.”

  “I suspected as much. Who is she really?”

  “Her real name is Alice Jane Sexton, and get this – she's a former Special Ops soldier. She was dishonorably discharged six years ago. Something to do with drug smuggling and using the military as cover. She served three years in military prison and was released. After that, she started working in the private sector. Get this, with a specialty in industrial espionage.”

  “Well damn. So we're dealing with a bona fide spy here, Will?”

  “We sure are. This is one dangerous chick, Chance.”

  “That explains how she's been able to sneak around my ranch without being caught. And how she has no reluctance about harming me or my little girl.”

  “Like I said, she's dangerous,” Will repeated.

  “The million dollar question, though, is how can we prove that she's behind what's been going on at my ranch? It’s all well and good proving that she lied on her résumé and is using a fake name, but all I can really do about that is fire her. It won't stop her from trying to sabotage my ranch.”

  “I know, and that's why I've got a hacker friend working on her email account. If we can find a message from someone at Circle B directing her to do the things that have been done, we've got the magic bullet. Keep your fingers crossed... if my friend is able to get into her account and he finds what we need... we win.”

  “I pray that he does, Will, I pray that he does.”

  Things were getting interesting... way more interesting than I’d ever expected.

  ***

  I gave Mackenzie a huge hug and a long, slow kiss as soon as I saw her.

  “You got all your stuff?” I asked.

  “This is it,” she said, pulling her luggage along behind her as we left the arrivals area in the Nashville airport.

  “Let me take that from you,” I insisted.

  “Thanks. Is Will here yet?” she asked.

  “He's waiting at the airport cafe as we speak. And he says he has something special.”

  “Good. I hope it's what you need to put Tina, or whoever she is, away and get Circle B off your back for good, Chance.”

  “I hope so too, Mack, I hope so too.”

  We walked into the airport cafe and saw Will there, sitting casually at a table and smiling. He had a sheaf of paper in his hand.

  “Hey lil' brother!” Mackenzie chimed, and she ran over and hugged him.

  “Hi there, Will,” I said after they had hugged, and I shook his hand.

  “Chance... we've got her,” he said. “We've totally got her. Read this.”

  He handed me the stack of papers and I sat down and read them. They were a series of messages between Tina, or should I say Alice, and that slimy bastard Peter Duvalle who had tried so many times to convince me to accept Circle B's deal. And in the messages, Tina – Alice – detailed every act of sabotage she had committed on my ranch. After I read all of them, I jumped up and gave Will a huge bear hug.

  “You did it man, you did it!” I exclaimed. “Holy shit, you actually did it!”

  “It was a team effort. You can thank my hacker friend... who has to remain anonymous. But yeah, as soon as I write this up into an expose and publish it... we win. Circle B is going down.”

  I was about to order us all a celebratory coffee when Mackenzie's phone rang. Her face went pale as she listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. She put her phone in her handbag and spoke softly.

  “Guys, we can't celebrate now. We have to go. Dad is back in the hospital... it’s serious this time.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Mackenzie

  Our mood turned from elation to dread with one phone call. While it seemed like the problem that had been plaguing Chance had just been solved, the one that had been with me for far longer was now reaching crisis point. Chance, however, somehow seemed to know that in this situation, I needed a rock – and he stepped in immediately to be one for me.

  “Will, get your things together. We'll sort this expose out later. Right now, I'm gonna get ya’ll to the hospital, double time. I'll take your luggage, Mackenzie. C'mon people, let's move!”

  He grabbed my luggage in his right hand and took my hand in his left.

  “I'm ready, Chance,” Will said to him as he stuffed all of his papers into his bag. “I'll see you guys at the hospital.”

  “See you there,” Chance replied.

  We hurried out of the airport into the parking lot. My eyes were full of tears, and Chance could see that I was having a tough time emotionally.

  “Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm here for you,” he said as we rushed toward his truck. “Whatever happens, I'm here for you.”

  “Thank you,” I said, my voice cracking with emotion.

  We got to the truck, and he helped me into the passenger side and threw my luggage into the back – taking time to handle my guitar with care – and then jumped into the driver's seat and gunned the motor. We raced out of the airport and got to the hospital in what I could only guess was record time. I couldn't believe how such a great day had turned so bad so quickly.

  Chance's problems with Circle B were about to be solved, Will had sobered up and gotten back on track to getting his career in investigative journalism going in the right direction – but now Dad was in serious condition in a hospital bed and we didn’t even know if he'd make it through the next few hours. I was trying to be strong, but I didn’t know how I was going to cope with all of this. If Chance hadn't been there with me, for me, I have no clue what I would have done.

  We got to the ER and found my mother waiting outside. She was an emotional wreck; her eyes were bloodshot from crying, and her hands were shaking. I ran straight up to her and gave her a big, tight hug.

  “It just happened so quickly, baby,” she said, her voice quivering with emotion. “One moment he was fine, he was happy, we were laughing at a show we were watching on TV – and the next minute his eyes just rolled back in his head, and he collapsed.”

  “I'm so sorry, Mom,” I tried to comfort her, hugging her once more.

  “Where's your brother? Where's my Will?” she asked.

  “He's on his way, Mom, he's on his way.”

  “He's a good boy, that Will. And you're a good daughter, the best daughter...”

  She was obviously in shock. I took her hand and led her over to a bench where we sat down. I put my arm around her, and Chance squatted down next to us.

  “Can I get you ladies something to drink? Some hot tea, coffee, or even just water?” he asked.

  “Some water would be great,” I said.

  “I'll have some tea if it's not too much trouble. Thank you, young man,” my mother said.

  “I'll be back in a second,” Chance replied as he stood up and strode off.

  Will showed up shortly after Chance left the room. He rushed over to my mother and hugged her tightly.

  “I'm so glad you're here, my boy, so glad you
're here,” she said.

  “How is he? How's Dad?” Will asked, his eyes wide with worry.

  A new voice interrupted us.

  “He's not too good, I'm afraid.”

  We all turned and saw a doctor in scrubs approaching us which prompted us to stand in anticipation.

  “You two are his children?” he asked.

  “We are,” I replied, and he nodded.

  “I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but even though we're doing everything we can, there is a chance that Mr. Shea might not make it through the night.”

  My mother collapsed on the bench next to me.

  “Oh my God, Mom!” I exclaimed.

  “I'll get a nurse to attend to her,” the doctor said. “But I have to talk to someone who can keep a level head, despite the circumstances.”

  Even though shock was running ice-cold through my veins, and it felt as if it was paralyzing me, I stood up. “You can talk to me, doctor,” I said in a shaky voice.

  “Good. Hold on, let me just page a nurse to attend to your mother.”

  He turned to Will. “Son, are you all right to stay with your mother for a few minutes while I talk to your sister?”

  Will nodded. The doctor organized a nurse to come and see to Mom, and then he pointed to a side room.

  “Let's talk in there,” he said.

  I nodded and followed him into the room.

  “Have a seat,” he said pointing to an empty chair as we got inside.

  I sat down, dread and fear pulsing through me as I waited to hear what he had to say.

  “I've been doing this for many years, but it never gets any easier,” he muttered, half to himself as he sat down opposite me.