At ten o’clock the restaurant closed and they stepped out into the fresh night air.
“Walk on the beach?” Cain asked.
“Tide is up. Is it safe?”
“We’ll stay close. Just here. We’re not going home soaking wet tonight.”
Donna smiled. Her attraction had been growing once the evening’s conversation turned lighter. Cain had shared some basic knowledge of how the various parts of the Navy work together. It was nothing classified, but the way he told it made Donna excited. His passion for helping people and ridding the world of evil people was admirable. He had wanted to make a difference since he was young, and now he was. At least he had been. She didn’t feel he was lost since his departure from the service. It seemed more like he was looking for a replacement. She started to visualize how she could become that replacement, at least for a time. While he’s in town at least. Quick flings weren’t her specialty, but there was something magnetic about him. She told herself she’d like just a quick fling, but she wondered if there was more to it.
She was used to cracking cases and understanding people. As understandable and straightforward as he seemed, there still seemed to be a lot more to him beneath the surface. It was her nature to want to know more.
They stepped out onto main beach and Cain stopped and offered his hand.
She stopped in return and looked at it. “Just a walk on the beach, right?”
“Just a walk on the beach.”
Donna accepted his invitation. His hand engulfed hers. It was strong, but gentle. She could feel its strength and wondered where that hand had been and how its strength had been utilized.
He walked slowly, which was nice. The leisurely pace allowed her to take in the evening and enjoy his company.
As they walked, neither one said a word. They just gazed into each other’s eyes. On one occasion they had broken their gaze with a giggle as someone new to a relationship might. But it was only one time. They held each other’s eye contact well. It was a shared mutual strength.
Cain liked that she was strong and wasn’t intimidated. In his day-to-day dealings with people he often caught them looking away. He always thought it was his size, or muscles, but wondered why that might intimidate people. He was a calm person.
And his calmness resonated with Donna. Working as a police officer she got used to being around high-strung individuals. Whether they were stressed out people who had been brought in for questioning or arrest, or even her colleagues who got worked up about working the beats in some of Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods, tension was a normal part of her life.
It felt great to shed all that. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so carefree. The air was crisp, but warm. The breeze was ever so light, and perfect.
Cain guided them up the coast and to an area where there were some rocks on the sand. They were quite a ways away from the high tide line, which Donna appreciated. She’d had enough water adventures to last a lifetime.
Cain had been carrying a light jacket in his off hand. He placed it on the ground for Donna to sit on.
“Thank you,” she said. She appreciated the chivalry and knew she’d appreciate a warm bottom when it was time to go. But going was the last thing on her mind.
They sat and stared off into the ocean. It was clear and still as glass. No boats, no fish, no other people. Just the two of them.
Donna leaned over and put her head on Cain’s shoulder. His warmth radiated onto her. She had never snuggled at the beach before, and wondered what had taken her so long. Of course she knew the answer. She had buried herself in her work for years. Never enough time for herself, let alone a proper personal life that included a man, and not just any man. A very special kind of man. One who could handle her passion for her job and her feisty no backing down attitude. Cain seemed like the perfect catch. And it was the perfect time. She was starting over for the second time in her life. It was the beginning of her third major chapter in life’s journey. Lucky number three.
She closed her eyes and counted to three. When she opened them Cain was looking at her.
“See anything interesting out there?” he said as he turned his gaze to the ocean.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “But I prefer the view that’s right in front of me.”
Cain returned his gaze to Donna. He could feel his chest beating. His blood was flowing everywhere. He felt energized and alive.
“Me too.”
They leaned in to each other in unison and their lips met for the first time.
CHAPTER 15
Detective Davis sat at her desk the following morning reading reports from the crime scene.
She was still glowing from the night before, but wanted to make sure not to lose her objectivity and professionalism. She was the lead for an ongoing investigation. An investigation that was quickly going nowhere, and for which the lead suspect, according to her chief, was the man she kissed last night on the beach.
Her heart was excited about Cain, but her head was saying otherwise. If she could wrap up this case quickly, maybe things could work out. At the moment wrapping up the case seemed a long way off.
She looked for a motive. Andrea’s computer and cell phone had been taken into evidence from the scene. Fortunately her computer didn’t have a password and her passwords for her social media sites were autosaved.
She looked through each picture on Andrea’s Instagram page. She then browsed through her Facebook messages. She tried to tie them together to paint a picture of a young girl’s life. There was nothing too out of the ordinary. A girl who spent time fussing over boys and meeting up with her friends.
Andrea did seem to be on the go a lot. She was often meeting her friends for coffee, or drinks, or a ciggy break. Often up to and over 10 times a day. She wondered just how many coffees and cocktails one girl could consume. Knowing Laguna’s steep fines for serving alcohol to minors and the strict carding policies around town, Donna figured it was unlikely she would get served alcohol without heading out of town to some seedier bars. Her use of the word drinks was probably just a way of speaking, unless they were sneaking beers on the beach or at their parents’ houses.
The deeper she dug the more she did notice that there were a lot of meet-ups taking place outside. Lifeguard towers, Laguna Canyon, and fast food shops with outside seating where Donna remembered a lot of younger people often worked and frequented.
Meeting her friends seemed normal, but why so many meet-ups each day? It was like she spent her hours outside of class constantly on the go. Maybe that was normal for a social butterfly in one of the countries most affluent communities, but Donna wanted to dig deeper.
She pulled up her email and looked for credit card statements. She found a few and scanned the charges. It was consistent with her emails. There were lots of coffee shops, juice bars, and anything else under the sun where you might pop in for a quick hello with a friend. Often places with outside seating, but definitely not all.
With all these friends someone had to know something. She sorted the messages and looked for the most contacted friends. That’s where she would dig.
First, she pulled out another burner phone, and contacted Petty Officer First Class Phillips. He hadn’t had any new information last night, but promised to work late to see what he could dig up. She needed something to clear Cain which in turn would solve a lot of problems for her. Getting her chief off her back about him and the case pointed in the right direction would be a great start.
“Petty Officer First Class Phillips, United States Navy.”
“Good morning.”
“I wish it were better.”
“What do you mean?” Donna felt her pulse skip a beat. He must have bad news on Cain.
“Seems your mystery man is just that. A mystery.”
“Nothing?”
“Well, he was telling the truth. He was in the Navy.”
“Any chance of more?”
“Yes and no.”
&nbs
p; “What do you mean?”
“They go together. Yes, there is more and for that reason any digging will likely result in no more information.”
“I’m not following you.”
“He wasn’t just in the Navy. He was on the teams.”
“Come again?”
“The teams. The SEAL teams. He’s a Navy SEAL veteran.”
“And we can’t pull anything from the SEAL records?”
“Unlikely. His records are really blank, and there’s not even any whiff of some kind of false record or some fake identity they made up just to send anyone looking down the wrong path. It was like they just wiped him and are sticking it in the face of anyone who looks.”
“Any thoughts what that might mean?”
“Yeah, probably high level stuff. My bet is he was good, really good. Probably involved in the cream of the crop in terms of ops.”
“Like the one that got Osama bin Laden?”
“Exactly. Not specifically I mean, of course, but ops of that caliber.”
“Wow. You’re going on instinct?”
“We can’t all go on instinct, Brennan.”
“Very funny.”
“I made some calls. Talked to a few people. When it’s wiped like this, in this manner, this is what you should expect.”
“Okay. Thank you for looking. And please let me know if anything else turns up.”
“Believe me, I will. You’ve pricked my curiosity.”
“But our guy is clean?”
“Should be. If he wasn’t it would be way easier to get some information. A profile would pull itself together pretty quick.”
“Got ya.”
“I wouldn’t worry if he’s clean as much as I’d just worry what he’s up to.”
“Really?”
“Well, maybe not worry … just wonder.”
“Why so?”
“Well, he’s kind of drifting. Something might have happened that made him question some things. My initial thoughts would be that he might fit that profile.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Nothing specific, but he was probably high level, then all the sudden he’s a civilian. Talk about a complete reversal in lifestyle. And not only is he out, he doesn’t have any ties. That can be a guy who saw something or experienced something, and now he’s questioning a lot of things.”
“Okay.”
“Brennan?”
“Yes.”
“I can hear it in your voice. You’re interested in this guy.”
“I’m not!”
“It’s okay. I understand. I’m just saying … be careful.”
“You know me.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
CHAPTER 16
“What’s his name?” Felicia said.
“Whose name?” Donna said.
“Come on. I know this isn’t the first time you’ve used chopsticks.”
“Their sashimi is slippery.”
“Yeah, right. And you’ve been zoning out because you’re suddenly infatuated with fish?”
Donna was excited to have lunch with Felicia. She wanted to learn more about this prescription meds problem. She wasn’t so excited that her emotions were so easily readable.
“Fish are very interesting.”
“Yeah, how so?”
“Well for starters … they swim.”
“Riiight. Are you going to at least tell me his name?”
“First of all there’s no one. But I have had to do some professional investigative work which has me thinking a lot.”
“And did these investigations include any hunky guys?”
“When duty calls, I answer.”
“I knew it!”
Felicia extended a chopstick and Donna replied with a tap of her own. It was the culinary version of a high five.
“So, I’m guessing you’ve read the papers?”
“Papers? You mean the news about that girl’s murder? Come on. Everyone’s taking about it.”
“Yeah, that’s he problem. A lot of talk and no arrests so far.”
“Any leads?”
“According to the chief, yes, but in my mind no way.”
“What do you mean?”
“First of all I’m telling you this as a friend. This is off-the-record, but either way it’s okay. It’s not about the case. You know I can’t talk about that.”
“Okay, but …”
“But, in the course of the investigation I met a mysterious man.”
“Ooh, how mysterious are we talking?”
“That’s the problem. Too mysterious.”
“And you like him?”
“Let’s say I’m interested.”
“Don’t go and tell me it’s just a work interest.”
“No, it’s more than that.”
“Any chance of it going somewhere?”
“Hard to tell now. We’ll see I guess.”
“Name, occupation, looks?”
“Why do I feel like everyone’s asking me all the questions these days?”
“Come on. Out with it.”
“Well, he’s definitely the tall and handsome type. Big, broad shoulders. Strong hands. Manly hands. He’s very rugged.”
“Like cowboy rugged?”
“Well, if cowboys swam then yeah. That’s a good analogy.”
“Swimming cowboys? What does that mean?”
“He just got out of the Navy.”
“Oh, a military guy. I like him already.”
“But not just any military guy.”
“Don’t say it.”
“Yep, he was a SEAL.”
“You’re seeing a Navy SEAL!”
“Please, a little discretion. We’re in public.”
“Does he have a friend?”
“I barely know about him yet.”
“Oh, this is good stuff. Just how much have you got to know about him?”
“You know I’m not going to tell you that.”
“We’ll see. In time.”
“Speaking of time, it’s time to talk about this prescription meds thing.”
“You’re dating a Navy SEAL and you want to talk about prescription meds?”
“We’re not dating, and yes, I do.”
“Buzz kill.”
“Kill is right. These things are dangerous. I did some looking around into these drugs. What level of abuse are we talking about here?”
“Well, there have been cases of kids driving up to the front steps of the emergency room and dropping off a friend. Right there on the front steps, and then driving away.”
“You’re joking me?”
“I wish I was. They want to get their friend to the ER, but avoid getting caught themselves.”
“Some friends.”
“That’s what I say.”
“What about the prescriptions?”
“Doctors can’t write them fast enough.”
“Do you have any control over who gets what?”
“If we suspect abuse we can report it.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Believe me. I have. I thought that would take care of it. I guess I was too naive.”
“What do you mean?”
“The whole good beats evil. I report it and then it seems like the prescriptions to our counter increase. I felt like maybe it sent out some kind of message to the abusers that this is where you can go.”
“But nothing happened?”
“Yeah, something happened. The pharmaceutical companies increased our shipments. I was so irate. I still am.”
“Can you report it to a higher level?”
“I have to a few. The higher up I go the more of a canned reply I get.”
“What can we do?”
“I don’t know. I’ve tried a few things. At first I pretended to be out of stock. I thought that would help, but it didn’t. The pharmaceutical rep called me the next day and asked if my stock was missing. They’re keeping track of our deliveries. Watching them p
retty carefully it seems. The rep was angry when I told her what I had done.”
SEAL's Secret: A Navy SEAL Romantic Suspense Novel (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 24) Page 5