by Cindy Cromer
“Good. I hope this thing doesn’t affect us but I’m glad you are prepared.”
“Caitlin, this is a new secure building and you did a hell of a job writing the response plan. You covered everything, even our hurricane insurance policy is top notch.”
“Thanks, Steve. I did have a lot of firsthand experience to put all of that together thanks to the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes.”
“Yes, you most certainly went through a lot. As unpleasant as it was at least the experience has been invaluable to disaster situations. Wilma was enough for me. I can’t imagine Frances and Jeanne back to back in 04.”
“It wasn’t pretty. I pray we don’t ever have to go through that again.”
“Caitlin, I’ll stay on top of the weather reports and do whatever is necessary. Is your house secure? Do you need me to do anything?”
“No. But thank you. My father has it all under control if it comes to that.”
Steve jumped at the chance to switch the conversation to her father. “Caitlin, how’s your father handling all of this? I don’t mean the hurricane.”
“So far he’s pretty calm. He didn’t come running down here but did send a top notch agent/bodyguard.”
“That’s good. At least you’re well protected.” Steve paused only a moment and blurted out the question he really wanted to ask. “Could you really be the granddaughter of Lukas Bucklin? Imagine the publicity we could get from that!”
“Steve!” Caitlin screeched.
“Sorry, sorry. I guess I’m just dreaming, having plans of grandeur. Reading Brad’s report gave me high hopes. We’re on the brink of a major breakthrough and success. If the Bucklin name was tied to the company, the sky would be the limit.”
“Steve, what the hell’s gotten into you? First you praise Brad and now you essentially want to prostitute me and my family for some PR stunt. That’s not how I operate and you know that. I’ve always been professional and I expect the same from all of my staff, especially the executives.
“One more thing before I hang up. This company will be a success and we don’t need any big shot name in order to accomplish that. Good bye, Steve, send me that report and I’ll touch base with you daily about the hurricane.”
The phone clicked and went dead.
* * * *
Blood rushed to Caitlin’s face. Moisture collected from the heat, when she wiped it away, she realized she’d forgotten to apply sun block. Just as well, her sun tinged cheeks might mask her anger. Steve could bullshit her all he wanted. She knew he only cared about the company and didn’t give a damn about her personally. But to suggest such a disgusting tactic wasn’t what she’d ever expect from him.
Steve may have been somewhat impressed with Brad’s progress but she knew damn well what he really thought. They had gone round and round on this issue, unfortunately in front of the Board of Directors. When Caitlin first told Steve about Tessell, he adamantly opposed and undermined her decision to hire the man. As a voting member of the board he went over her head and called a board meeting. He did have the professional courtesy to copy Caitlin in the memo. Sure of herself and her decision, she took control of the meeting, prepared the agenda, had copies of the background check, employment contract, and a revenue projection meticulously organized.
At the end of the meeting the Board of Directors voted unanimously in favor of Caitlin’s decision. Their vote said one thing but their serious eyes another: one screw up and we pull our investments and confidence in you. Caitlin shuddered at the memory. At that moment she knew how vulnerable she really was. She’d started up a successful company with her own investment, secured a prestigious Board of Directors who had invested heavily in her company. The bottom line was that she may be the owner but until she paid back all of the loans, with one blip, she could be on the street with a vote from the board; if there was a quorum.
“Bastard!” Caitlin shouted. She had a lunatic out there threatening her, a hurricane coming, and now an asshole that could be undermining her.
* * * *
Chris released the helm to Scott and walked toward the back of the vessel. Caitlin fumed, her face red as a tomato, or maybe she’d gotten too much sun. As he drew closer, he saw the phone clenched in her hand and heard her curse.
“Caitlin, are you okay? Not another threat, is it?”
She looked up. A confused look clouded her remarkable gray-blue eyes. “What?” Distracted, she replied. “No, not a threat, but what an asshole! I can’t believe he said that.”
“Slow down, who were you talking to and what happened? You have to tell me. It might be relevant to this case.”
“That son of a bitch, Steve! I thought I could trust him, can you believe he suggested we capitalize on this theoretical horse shit about the Bucklin’s to drive my company, I repeat, my company, forward. I formed and built the company on my own and don’t need help. I’ll be damned if I use anyone to help me climb the ladder of success, especially some stranger who could be my grandfather. I will build my own empire.”
“Why are you being so defensive? None of this is your fault.”
“The hell it’s not!” Caitlin screeched. “I should’ve found out the truth when my father told me.”
Chris leaned back, crossed his arms over his chest, and made a low whistling sound. “Whoa, that was some stream of pent up energy you just let out. Anything else you want to unload?”
“No, I’m successful because of my own merit and experience, and I plan on proving it. I will accomplish and achieve my goals!”
“Miss independent and determined, let me ask you one question. Where do you get all of this drive and ambition from?”
“My parents, of course. My father served as the District Attorney of Monmouth County, New Jersey and my mother succeeded as an accomplished real estate attorney.”
“I know all of that but neither of them would even think about taking on what you have, leaving your position as president of five laboratories and opening up your own company. That tells you something, Caitlin. Another thing you need to ask yourself, is there anyone else in your family that has the aptitude and interest in science that you do? That has to come from somewhere, don’t you agree?
“Lukas Bucklin made a success of his first run at internationalizing his stores due to his chemistry and biology background and revolutionized the process of the bakery department. He designed the show cases and transportation vehicles after he discovered that humidity, not temperature, kept the pastries fresh. That’s what launched his international chain. He expanded rapidly once his patent was approved.”
Caitlin raised an eyebrow. “How do you know all of that?”
“Barry pays me very well. I do all of my research.”
“Then you’ve seen the resemblance between my father and Lukas.”
“Yes, I have.” Chris nodded and concluded the intense conversation. Chris knew Caitlin was pissed at Steve. He also knew Steve Albright was not a suspect, maybe a little weasel trying to capitalize on a terrifying situation, but not a criminal.
* * * *
Steve put the phone back in the cradle. He’d blown it big time and overstepped his bounds. Dammit, he needed to hit the mother lode soon. When he first signed on at CSM, he didn’t expect all of the issues and debts to come out of the woodwork. He’d invested in a real estate deal that was anticipated to be a cash cow, a sure thing. Who knew the market would take a nose dive? One stupid mistake and he was going to pay forever. Once CSM Technologies makes the break-through that’ll be the end of it.
Chapter Twenty-three
The phone rang once, then twice. Jack stared at the digitized incoming number. He knew the area code and it could only be one person calling. He had no desire to hear the voice on the other end of the line and contemplated letting the answering machine pick-up. Given the past animosity, he knew he couldn’t do that. A short conversation might provide a clue to save Caitlin.
On the fourth ring, he present
ed an unfriendly greeting. “What do you want?”
“Jack, I don’t want anything other than to find out if you’re okay. You’re my brother. We haven’t talked in a long time but we are a family. How’s Caitlin?”
“Caitlin’s fine. I don’t believe your bullshit for one minute. You never cared one bit about Caitlin and neither did that bitch of a sister I have. Gary, I’ll ask you one more time. What do you want?”
“I know you don’t believe me but I do care. I’ll leave it at that for now. The reason I’m calling is I’m worried about Ginny. Before you go into a tirade, please hear me out. I discovered something missing from my house after Ginny came here in May. It may be significant to Caitlin’s dilemma.”
“I’m aware that FBI Agent Cox paid you a visit. Why the hell didn’t you tell him when he was there?” Jack demanded.
“I didn’t notice the picture was missing until after he left. I didn’t want to appear guilty by calling him back.”
The hair on the back of Jack’s neck stood up. He breathed deeply in an effort to calm his racing heart. “Picture? What picture are you talking about?”
“Even though you don’t think of me as your brother anymore, my niece, your daughter still sends me occasional notes and Christmas cards with pictures of your grandchildren, even Alexandra’s birth announcement,” Gary said.
Jack resisted the impulse to scream into the phone. He prayed it wasn’t his granddaughter’s birth announcement picture that had gone missing. He recalled the photo at the crime scene was a scan of the original. Could his brother be telling the truth in admitting his copy was missing and suspected their sister took it?
He tried his best to be civil and asked, “What picture, Gary? Why have you just now realized it’s gone?”
“It’s the picture of Caitlin and her family on the day Alexandra was born. I had it on my fireplace. That’s the best picture I had of them.”
Jack inhaled but didn’t say a word, he wanted Gary to continue talking.
“Anyway,” Gary proceeded, “after that FBI agent left, I thought of how odd Ginny acted when she was here.”
“Odd how?” Jack prodded.
“We seemed to be having a good time, saw some shows, gambled. Then she got on a rampage and started interrogating me about, well, you know, you, Mom, and Dad.”
“No, I don’t know. What did she ask?” Jack demanded.
“The same old shit. What did Mom say to me? Is Jack really a Bucklin?”
“What made you notice the picture was missing?” Jack asked again.
“After Agent Cox left, I went fishing and started thinking back to Ginny’s visit and her carrying on about you and Caitlin. When I got home, I wanted to see the picture.
“I’m not the greatest housekeeper and don’t pay attention to the pictures on the mantle above my fireplace, since I’m not one for dusting. I’m sure I put the picture in a gold frame and set it at the center. The frame’s there but now it contains the picture of me, you, Ginny, and Carol at the Jersey shore.”
Jack’s stomach clenched, and his jawed tightened. “I remember the picture but what does it have to do with the other missing photo?”
“That’s the damnedest thing. I remember seeing the picture ever since I was a kid. Mom had it displayed in the living room but I never had a copy,” Gary answered.
“Gary, what the hell are you trying to tell me? You think Ginny switched the photos?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying, but I don’t know why. One other thing, I know this is a stupid question since you haven’t talked to her in years, but do you have any idea where she is? The FBI can’t find her and I haven’t been able to get a hold of her for about two weeks. Supposedly, she has a new boyfriend but wouldn’t say much about him.”
Aggravated and tense, Jack responded, “No I haven’t talked to her and I don’t care about her sleazy boyfriend.”
“Jack, once this is all over can we talk? I do miss you. I’m really sorry I started all of the shit and got you to blame Caitlin for revealing your secret. I’ve changed and gotten my act together and would really like to get to know my brother again.”
“We’ll see.” Jack made a half-hearted promise.
“I guess that’s all I can hope for. I sincerely hope Caitlin’s safe. Please call me if I can help in anyway.”
“Bye, Gary.”
* * * *
Jack set the phone on the counter. He placed his hands on the cold marble and steadied himself. His thoughts wandered back in time to the day the photo at the Jersey shore was taken, Oh, mother, where did you go that day? Was that my real father in the car?
Jack, a high school student, his twin siblings eight or nine years old, and Carol an infant. His mother, Jane, left him in charge for an hour.
During summertime, Jack’s mom, Jane, took them to the beach several times a week. She loved the Jersey shore and enjoyed swimming in the ocean and playing with her children in the sand. They usually went to a beach further south. Not on that day…
“Mom, can’t we go to Manasquan Beach? All of my friends from high school go there, the waves are great,” Jack complained.
“Jack, we always go to Manasquan, Belmar has a beautiful beach too. Let’s give it a try.”
Jack unloaded the chairs and toys for his brother and sisters from the trunk and trudged down the steps toward the beach. By the time he got everything set up, his mother arrived. She laid a sleeping Carol on the blanket and adjusted the umbrella to shade the baby. Ginny and Gary ran toward them with a beach ball.
“Jack, honey, can you watch your brother and sisters for a little while? I forgot something in the car and I want to run over to the beach store across the street. I saw an adorable bathing suit for Carol.”
“Why not? None of my friends are here. What else do I have to do?” The moody teenager in him reared its ugly head.
Jane ignored his acidic remark and didn’t seem to notice his unhappiness. “I won’t be long. You may meet some new friends your age.”
Jack gazed after his mother and couldn’t help but notice her hurried pace, as if she were late for an important appointment.
“Jack!” Ginny cried from the edge of the surf. “Gary hit the ball too hard and it went up on the boardwalk. Can you get it for us?”
Jack turned to check on his baby sister, who slept peacefully. He ran up the few steps to retrieve the ball. When he found the ball he looked across the street. His heart jumped and seemed to stop for a long moment. A long black car idled at the curb and a chauffeur held the rear door open. A man’s hand reached out and helped his mother into the back seat.
Jack grabbed the ball, went back to his brother and sisters on the beach, and tried to block the troubling image from his mind. He ran and chased Ginny and Gary until he wore them out. Carol sipped from a bottle when his mother eventually returned. Laden with bags from who knew where, Jane stopped to snap a picture.
* * * *
It won’t be long until he’d meet with Aces again. He looked forward to shocking Caitlin with the latest masquerade. She’ll recognize him immediately but the master of disguises and new identities had no worries. He’d been able to slip on and off the island of St. Kitts and the FBI still hadn’t discovered anything from the travel records. When the next flight was booked, red flags would go up. By then, it would be too late.
He ran his finger across the top of the picture frame which stood on the coffee table. He heard the shower in the bathroom. He reached for the phone. Only a few minutes remained to make the call and then everything would be set into motion.
He dialed the number and a sensual voice at the other end answered. “Hello, partner, checking up on me?”
“First of all, you’re not my partner. I work alone. You know what you have to do, right? Check-in and not a minute before the time I told you,” he commanded.
“Contrary to what you may think, I’m not an idiot. I can follow instructions, espe
cially for the down payment you gave me. You better come through with the balance once I finish my part.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I owe you another grand. You better make sure you check-in for that flight and get your ass out of the airport as fast as possible.”
“Of course. I’ll see you on Monday on your way back?”
“If all goes well in the Caribbean, I’ll see you where we agreed to meet,” he confirmed and ended the phone call.
He heard the shower still running and took pleasure in the recollection of the spontaneous addition to the already perfect plan he’d concocted.
With a stroke of luck, the two had met during his last pass through Miami International Airport. Met might be too light of a word and stalking sounded too harsh. A one-sided planned meeting would better describe the encounter and innocent situation. People bump into each other all the time and airports presented many opportunities. A lot of small talk could be had after each party exchanged a litany of, “Oops I’m sorry, it was my fault. Let me help you with that bag.”
The circumstances surrounding their introduction were inconsequential compared to the end result. The uncanny resemblance would divert the FBI’s attention. By the time the Feds figured it out, it’d be too late.
* * * *
Relaxed for most of the morning, Tomas glanced at his blackberry. Tension built with each passing hour. He waited for news of the Nevis passenger but heard nothing yet. Something nagged at his mind and he couldn’t put a finger on it. The deviation in the schedule had triggered their attention. Something had to be there, he just knew it. The reports, that’s it. He needed to look at them again. He sent a brief text message to Drew: D, Pick me up 20 mins in front of Mels, T.
Chris drove the boat sending Chad into his last ski lap. Tomas walked up behind him. “Once Chad’s in the boat, drop me off on the beach in front of Mel’s. Drew’s going to pick me up. The guy we’ve been tracking from the Nevis flight is arriving again tomorrow and I need to check something out.”