The fire flickered and danced, and they sat in silence, watching it while enjoying their drinks.
“You tired?” he asked.
Jenessa nodded. “It was a wonderful day, but I’m beat.”
“I hope we didn’t do too much. You were supposed to rest, and that didn’t happen today.”
She raised his hand to her mouth and kissed the back of it. “It was worth it. I wouldn’t change anything.”
“Let’s go to sleep and get you all rested up. I want you ready for a repeat performance tomorrow when we get home.”
Chapter 18
They’d been back in D.C. for two days. While being with Jenessa every night was fantastic, the case wasn’t going so great. Kole was losing hope she’d find anything useful on Victor Strauss’s computer.
He brewed a fresh pot of coffee, pouring two mugs and heading to the library. He set one on the desk next to Jenessa and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. “How’s it going?”
“Good, I think.”
“Good?” Kole snagged the kitchen chair he’d brought in yesterday and sat next to her, staring at symbols on the computer that meant nothing to him. “What did you find?”
“Old campaign pictures,” Jenessa replied, typing furiously. “I didn’t think to check them earlier, but S.A.T.O. has communicated through codes embedded in pictures before.”
Kole could only hope something would turn up and point them in a new direction. As things stood, they had no other leads. While Jenessa had continued searching Victor’s computer the past two days, Kole had put his skills to work investigating the remaining board members and any secret service agents he thought might have a motive to join S.A.T.O. So far, nothing had panned out. Jenessa had already verified no one had more money than they should, and Kole’s investigation turned up nothing out of the ordinary in their personal lives or spending habits. Even Charles Tessier’s money all seemed legit, at least from what Jenessa could find.
“If this doesn’t tell us anything,” he said, “I’ll have to turn Carter in. I was hoping someone else was in cahoots with them and Carter was a pawn in their game, but that’s looking less likely.”
“Carter’s only part of it,” she replied. “We need to find something to lead us to Paul. If we take him down, the entire organization collapses.” She paused in her typing and glanced at Kole. “Well, him and Terrance Couch. Getting Terrance would deprive them of their weapons maker and be a big blow to S.A.T.O.”
“He needs to be stopped. That acid’s vile.” Kole shuddered, wondering where it would show up next.
Suddenly on the computer screen, file after file began loading, each on top of the other.
Kole glanced at Jenessa, reassured to see she wasn’t alarmed. “What’s happening.”
“It was just as I thought,” she said. “Email messages imbedded in picture files. I think we just found the jackpot. Whatever Victor knew before his death, we’re about to find out.”
“Can you print them?” Kole hadn’t felt this excited about the case since starting it. “It’ll be faster if we both read.”
She nodded and the printer hummed to life. “If one of us finds something that seems relevant, we can highlight it. We’ll discuss what we found and see if we have enough to report to your father.”
Kole grabbed the first few pages off the machine and settled back in his chair. There were hundreds of files there. It would be a long afternoon, but hopefully worth it in the end.
Kole rubbed his eyes. “It’s all plans and times for things that already happened. There’s nothing about future attacks. That’s not real helpful.”
Jenessa looked up from the paper in her hand, sympathy written on her face. “And they all confirm that Carter killed Ross. At least they show he wasn’t working alone, and it alludes to the blackmail. That one email said to ask about his mother.”
“But it didn’t say who he was in that message. It could have related to anything and been about anyone.” Kole sighed. The information they found might help Carter out a bit, but there was no definitive proof he was being blackmailed. Hints confirmed the story Carter told, but they’d never hold up in court as proof Carter wasn’t in on the plan.
“Wait a minute!” Jenessa held up a finger. “This is interesting.”
“What?” He leaned toward her, trying to get a look at the email she read.
“This is from two days before Victor was murdered,” she replied. “It’s a message he wrote.” She passed the paper over.
Kole glanced at it, reading quickly. ‘This is bullshit. I’m taking all the risk. If you want any more help from me, you’ll triple the payment. I want the money by next week, or I’m going to the cops.’
Kole looked at Jenessa, eyes wide. “He tried to blackmail S.A.T.O.?”
“Seems that way. The man was greedy.” Jenessa shrugged. “Look at how he threatened your brother about stealing that necklace. He wanted money, and he felt empowered by his involvement with the terrorist group.”
“Are there any more messages?” he asked.
Jenessa held up another paper. “Last one. It’s the response.”
“What does it say.”
“We understand your concern. Accept our apologies. Order those fancy chocolates you love so much and have him pick them up tomorrow. The money will be along next Wednesday.”
Kole gave a fist pump. “Carter might be an asshole, but this email proves he didn’t murder Victor.”
Jenessa nodded. “But he still killed Ross. Nothing can change that.”
“But this email also helps prove who ‘he’ is. At least the district attorney can see Carter was coerced into killing Ross. It’ll help him get a good plea bargain if he agrees to testify against the S.A.T.O. members.”
His brother would never be president, should never be president, but it relieved Kole that Carter wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. Hitting on Jenessa was one thing—a thing he’d probably never forgive Carter for. However, that wasn’t murder.
“Do you think this is the entire plan?” Jenessa asked. “Paul Billings usually has plans within plans. Were Victor and Carter his entire game plan? If so, why? We’re missing something.”
Kole nodded. “But I can’t find anything suspicious surrounding anyone else. We could break into all their computers over the next few weeks if it would make you feel better, but I think it’s time to report our findings to my father and turn Carter over to the police.”
Jenessa tried to be happy for Kole, glad that his brother would get a good deal when they brought their findings forward. However, nagging doubt ate away at her. She couldn’t believe Paul would put his only pawn in a position of possibly being arrested. If Carter was the important player in this game, having him deliver the acid chocolates to Victor was a huge risk.
If Paul intended to run the show while Carter was president, he’d want to keep Carter’s good name intact so the man could get elected. It didn’t add up. Paul wasn’t the type of man to make rash decisions or stupid mistakes. He was coldly calculating, and always five steps ahead of most people.
It was pure, dumb luck that Carter left that night without knowing anything had happened to Victor. If they hadn’t argued, Carter would have been sitting in the room when Victor died. It was also incredibly lucky that Kole and Jenessa were the only people who saw him. Anyone could have noticed him and reported it after Victor’s murder. That seemed like a huge risk for Paul to take if Carter was his ticket to power.
Kole was ready to close the case, but there was no way it was over.
As he reached for his cell phone, Jenessa held a hand out. “Wait.”
“Wait?” He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“We don’t have Paul yet, and we have no leads back to him. I know you want to get this over with so you can stop worrying about Carter, but I think we need to finish the entire investigation before turning Carter in and letting Paul know we’re figuring out his plan.”
Kole held his phone loosely in his hand.
Finally, he sighed and nodded. “You’re right. We should do the entire job first. I’ll tell Dad we need access to the other board members’ personal computers. I’m sure he can make dinner arrangements or something in their houses over the next month. He said he trusted me with this investigation. He’ll give me more time if it extends past Christmas if I let him know we’re making progress.”
She reached for his free hand. “The case taking longer isn’t all bad, is it?”
“You mean because I can spend more time with you?” A grin twitched his lips. “A man does need sleep sometimes.”
“I try to sleep,” she reminded him. “You’re the one who gets overly excited when we cuddle.”
“Maybe we should take care of our needs right now. Then, tonight, we’ll be ready to sleep at bedtime.”
It was the middle of the day, but oh so tempting. Every time they were together, things got better and better. It was as though they communicated on a deeper level than she’d ever done with a previous lover. They didn’t need words to know what the other needed at this point.
“We could work more later,” he said. “We don’t punch a time clock.”
He was right. With a grin, Jenessa stood from her chair, tugging at him to get him to stand.
Just as he complied, his phone went off, playing Hail To The Chief.
Jenessa released his hand. “Crap. Can’t ignore your dad.”
Kole gave a long sigh, letting her know the interruption was more than inconvenient. He’d already gotten himself worked up. He jabbed at the phone and lifted it to his ear. “Look, Dad. I’m kind of busy right now. Can I call you back?”
Jenessa shook her head, though was unable to hold back an amused smile. She sure hoped President Sharp didn’t realize what Kole was busy doing.
Suddenly, Kole slumped down into his chair. “What? No, wait. Hang on a sec. I’m going to put you on speaker so Jenessa can hear.” He set the phone on the desktop and pushed speaker mode, waving Jenessa to her chair. “Okay, what are you talking about?”
“It’s Stanley Brighton’s wife,” William said.
Jenessa sank into her seat, a feeling of dread replacing the former happiness. “What happened to her?”
“I don’t have all the details,” William said. “Stanley wasn’t entirely coherent. It seems he went home for the weekend and had meetings set up with his constituents today. When he arrived at his house to take his wife to lunch, he found her on the floor in a pool of blood.”
Kole sucked in a loud breath, and Jenessa covered her mouth with her hand, feeling nauseous.
“Is she...” Kole paused, seeming unable to go on.
“She’s alive,” William said, “but barely.”
Jenessa figured Kole couldn’t ask the question that needed answered most, but she had to know the truth. “Where’s Carter today?”
Kole shot her a dirty look. “Does he know what happened yet? He really admires Stanley.”
Jenessa held back a sigh. She understood why Kole continued to protect his brother, at least a bit. If it weren’t for her need to find Paul, she’d throw Carter to the wolves. Family was different though. Blood truly was thicker than water. Still, they needed to know if Carter did this.
“He knows what happened,” William replied. “He came in this afternoon right as I got the call. We heard about it together.”
Kole sagged in his chair, obviously relieved.
Jenessa didn’t know what to feel yet. Carter could have done it, then hurried back to D.C. and claim he was in town all along. His secret service detail never suspected when he’d snuck away from them before, so she couldn’t rule Carter out simply because he was in D.C. now. On the other hand, maybe she was right to wonder if Paul’s master plan involved Carter at all. Could this have been someone else? “Do we think this is related to the other attacks, sir, or just random bad luck?”
“It’s related,” William confirmed. “Early reports confirm the housekeeper was drugged with MG-37. We know it was a S.A.T.O. hit.”
Damn it! They needed a lead or the murders would continue. It seemed Paul wanted the entire board either dead or suffering with horrible grief. “Did either of them see their attacker?”
William sat silent, the only sound being that of his harsh breath coming over the line.
“Dad?” Kole prompted.
“This has to stop!” William roared. “The housekeeper didn’t make it. The substance stopped her heart. Dammit!” A thud reverberated through the phone, as though William had punched something.
Jenessa blinked back a spat of tears that threatened to fall. Unfortunately, S.A.T.O. wasn’t above killing innocents if they had to. Many people had a fatal reaction to the powerful knock-out drug, never waking up, which was why the government had stopped the research on it back when S.A.T.O. worked for them. Jenessa figured Terrance and Paul enjoyed that the mere threat of the drug could scare people into cooperating with almost anything, given its unpredictability.
Carlie and Shelley had both had experience with it first-hand. Luckily, everyone Jenessa cared about had always survived the drug. So far...
“We have to stop them,” William continued, sounding a bit more like his normal, unperturbed self. “Stanley said his wife was trying to say something about the person who attacked her, but she didn’t make much sense. He had a feeling she knew whoever it was.”
Jenessa’s hopes lifted for the first time regarding the case. “She knows the person? Is she coherent now? Who is it?”
“Unfortunately, we don’t know yet. We may never know. She’s in bad shape,” William said. “They put her in a medically-induced coma to buy time to decide what to do. She was practically ripped apart if I understand what Stanley said. She might not wake up again.”
Kole’s face was a pasty white, and he reached for Jenessa, pulling her rolling chair next to his as though he couldn’t stand not to be in contact with her. “Dad, we found some files on Victor’s computer. We believe Victor worked with S.A.T.O., but Jenessa thinks someone else is still in on it. Can you get us dinner invites to the other board member’s houses? We need access to their personal computers.”
“The other members?” William sighed heavily. “I’ll ask Kevin for his computer. I know he has nothing to hide, but it would be good to double check. As for the rest...” He heaved another loud breath. “We’re running out of members. We really should shut the board down. I feel like we’re stuck in the middle of an experiment gone horribly wrong, and I never agreed with the premise of the group in the first place. We shouldn’t be above the law, no matter what.”
Jenessa agreed with him. “You’ll probably lose Nick Kendall as an employee,” she warned. “All he wants is to stay in Sayle with Carlie and their friends.”
“It’s okay,” William replied. “Shelley and Gavin already quit being agents, only agreeing to help watch over Carlie in case S.A.T.O. comes after her. Nick’s good at his job, but we have a lot of good people on teams that are legal.”
“About the other computers?” Kole asked softly.
“I’m sure once his wife wakes up and is safe, Stanley will hold an open house for his housekeeper. She’d worked for them nearly twenty years and was like family. You could get to his personal computer then.”
Jenessa felt a bit sleazy, creeping around a memorial service, but they needed answers. Just because it was Stanley’s wife who got attacked, it didn’t mean the man wasn’t responsible. One thing she’d learned while working Cyber Crimes—if something happened to one half of a married couple, it was almost always the spouse responsible.
“That leaves just Charles Tessier and Caleb Harrington,” Kole said. “If anyone is involved, my money is still on Charles.”
“I’ll figure out how to get you access to their houses,” William promised. “I’ll call when I have a plan worked out. Be safe, you two.”
The phone disconnected and Kole stood up, yanking Jenessa from her seat and swallowing her up in a fierce embrace.
; “It’s okay,” she said, patting his back in an effort to calm him.
“It most certainly is not okay.” He held her so close she thought she might suffocate. “Even if S.A.T.O. doesn’t know you’re anything other than a social climber, they’re going after the board’s families. I’m on the board now.”
He had a point. She tipped up on her toes, kissing him until his grip relaxed a bit and he seemed less frantic. “I’m going to be okay, Kole. We’ll solve this and arrest them all.”
“I want you packing your gun anytime we’re apart,” he said. “I realize you can’t if we go to the White House or certain places, but anywhere you can have it, you carry it, okay?”
She nodded her agreement. “I’ll be alright. What about you? Are you going to be carrying?”
“Of course. I have more handguns upstairs in a safe, I had just decided to keep yours where we could get to it easily and not have us both with a gun. I thought it would be better if no one knew you had one, but I don’t care what they think anymore. This is serious.”
She kissed him again. “We’ll keep investigating while we wait for Mrs. Brighton to wake up. We’re going to be okay.”
She couldn’t let S.A.T.O. hurt Kole. Questions and doubts might swirl in her mind when she had time to fret about their relationship, but the thought of him being in danger put everything into focus. She was falling for him. There was no way Paul Billings could be allowed to ruin that.
Chapter 19
Kole couldn’t believe it had been a week and they had nothing to show for it. They’d been able to access all the remaining board members’ computers. There was nothing pointing to Stanley Brighton, Kevin Myers, Charles Tessier, or Caleb Harrington as being the person involved with S.A.T.O. It seemed like Carter was responsible for everything.
Jenessa shut her laptop, looking defeated. “At least Mrs. Brighton woke up.”
He closed his eyes, trying not to feel irritation for the poor woman. “Not that it does us a lot of good. She’s barely verbal and can’t come up with the name. If it wasn’t Carter who attacked her, it would be nice to know that.”
Love & Compromise (Agents in Love Book 3) Page 19