She looked up. “Oh, hi. I didn’t hear you two over the giggles.” Dani changed her focus to Gina. “I hope you don’t mind. I caught an earlier flight so I took over for Tracy. Of course, that included smooching this little one’s cheeks.”
“I don’t mind at all,” Gina replied sincerely. “I’m glad to see her having fun.”
“I promised Ethan we’d do a video conference as soon as you got back.” Dani lifted Sophia to her feet and handed her to Gina then opened her computer.
Gina’s good mood evaporated. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“He just wants to update us.” Kat was already logging on to her computer.
Derrick pulled out a chair for Gina, and she sat while Sophia grasped Gina’s thumbs and balanced on her toes. As Dani’s computer whirred through the conferencing program, Gina’s stomach knotted. She’d come to expect the worst since her attack, and she didn’t like the feeling at all.
Father, please help me to remain positive and strong.
Derrick dragged a chair next to her. Sophia reached for him. Gina didn’t even bother to fight it this time and let her climb into Derrick’s arms. He tossed her in the air and had her giggling again.
Ethan’s face appeared on the screen. “I thought you all were working there, not playing house.”
“You know what they say,” Kat responded. “All work and no play—”
“I wish you’d come home to play,” Mitch’s voice sounded over the computer speaker.
“Mitch?” Kat’s voice lifted in excitement. “If you’re there, show that handsome face on the screen.”
“Yes, Mitch,” Derrick joked as he peeked around Sophia. “Show us that so-called handsome face.”
Scowling, Mitch appeared on the screen. “You’ll pay for that comment when you get home, pretty boy.”
“Pretty boy?” Gina asked and got a similar scowl from Derrick.
“Mitch thinks Derrick is too pretty.” Dani’s eyes lit with humor.
Gina pretended to seriously study him. “They’re right. You do look a lot like Dani, and she’s very pretty.”
“Not you, too.” Derrick groaned and Gina laughed. “Thanks a lot, Mitch.”
“That’s what brothers-in-law are for.” Mitch smiled, transforming the mock-sour expression he’d worn earlier.
“Hi,” Kat said dreamily and touched Mitch’s face on the screen.
“Hey,” Mitch answered in a similar tone. The jealousy that bit into Gina when watching Luke and Dani reared its ugly head again.
“Do you two need us to leave the room for a minute?” Dani asked fondly.
Kat turned to her sister. “I guarantee if Luke’s face was on the screen you wouldn’t be such a smart aleck.”
Dani winked. “Maybe you could invite him to join our next call, and I’ll let you know.”
A rapid-fire exchange occurred with each sibling one-upping the other with quick-witted statements. Gina forgot all of her troubles for a moment and smiled along with them. Even Sophia joined in, laughing when the others cracked up.
How wonderful being a part of a family like this would be. It was something Gina had longed for all her life. Something she wanted for Sophia. Something Gina was determined to give her. But how was that possible without making herself vulnerable again? Without trusting someone?
Cole stuck his face in front of the camera, and his smile disappeared. “Anyone mind if we get some work done so the rest of us can get home to our significant others?”
“Good thinking,” Ethan said. “I’ll start. I’ve reviewed Jon’s and Quentin’s credit card statements and discovered they’ve been in a host of ports in the past six months. I’ll email the list to Dani to match to the data you recover from Jon’s hard drive. Maybe we’ll get lucky and figure out where he received the log.”
“I’ve been a bit distracted by this little one since I got here.” Dani turned and tickled Sophia. “But I promise to work on the drive as soon as we hang up.”
“So what you’re telling us,” Ethan said, “is that we’ll get no work out of you once you have a child of your own.”
She grinned. “Sounds about right.”
Ethan shook his head. “That’s it for me. Who’s up next?”
Kat raised her hand. “I struck out on finding any injury reports that match our guy. Either Gina’s attacker wasn’t hit or he didn’t seek medical care. Also, I’ve put a rush on the blood sample we sent to the lab, and hopefully we’ll get the results back soon.”
“I’ll be glad to run the DNA through our databases to search for a match,” Mitch offered. “Did you get the reports I faxed for Jon’s crash?”
Kat nodded. “They’re pretty straightforward and list no indication of foul play. I’ve scheduled a meeting with the detective in charge of the case, and I’ll take a look at the car if it’s still impounded. Maybe I’ll see something they missed.”
“What about the car that followed us from the airport, Mitch?” Derrick asked while Sophia played with her feet. “You get any info on their crash?”
“The men fled before the police arrived, and the car’s a rental. We tracked it to the agency, but it was rented with bogus credentials. The detectives are still trying to locate the men, but so far it’s a dead end.”
“Speaking of rental cars.” Dani looked at Derrick. “Yours was equipped with a tracker, but I wasn’t able to determine if the agency’s records were hacked.”
“You, unable to figure something out?” Cole asked.
She wrinkled her nose. “I could go into detail on the reason, as I know how all of you love my details.”
A collective groan came from the siblings.
“Suffice it to say it’s another dead end.”
“Par for the course,” Derrick said, and Gina didn’t like to hear how dejected he sounded.
“I appreciate the work all of you have done,” she interjected, hoping to bring back Derrick’s optimism. “Even if you’ve hit dead ends.”
“Not all of us have struck out.” Cole leaned forward. “I’ve learned a few things about Quentin. He’s very well trained in a variety of weaponry. As Gina said, he’s the team’s best marksman. He also holds sharpshooting awards. He definitely needs to remain on the top of our suspect list.”
“I agree.” Derrick set Sophia on his lap, and she started bouncing. “Gina and I just questioned him. He admitted to being on the raid where Perry was killed. He claims his location since the attack is classified, and he won’t say anything about the money for his boat.”
“Plus his wife told me he’d gone out on the night of my attack, returning home just after the gunshot was fired, but he won’t tell us where he was,” Gina said.
“And he was MIA during the Portland shooting,” Derrick added.
Ethan frowned. “So far I haven’t found him on any commercial-flight manifests.”
“I’m still working on verifying his deployment,” Cole said. “That’s gonna take some time, and I’m not sure I have the right contacts to get that information, but I’ll keep after it.”
“Gina, are you any more convinced that he might be guilty?” Ethan asked.
“I don’t want to believe it, but he’s behaving so oddly that I have to suspect him.”
“Then he remains our best lead,” Ethan said. “Does anyone have anything else? If not, I called this meeting so Mitch could share information with all of us at the same time.”
“Go ahead, honey,” Kat purred.
“Yes, honey,” Cole mocked. “Please do.”
Rolling his eyes, Mitch came on the screen. “I’m afraid I have bad news to report.”
Gina’s heart sank. “It’s about Lilly, isn’t it?
“I’m sorry, Gina,” he said. “We recovered her body downriver.”
Pained by the confirmation, Gina couldn’t get out a word.
Dani took Gina’s hand. “We’re all sorry for your loss.”
Gina nodded, but she still couldn’t speak. She groped for her purse and dug a tissue out while she composed herself. “Was I right? Did he shoot her?”
Mitch nodded gravely. “Her autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow. We’ll recover the slug at that time and compare it with the ballistic test for the one we removed from Derrick’s houseboat.”
Gina sighed. Lilly had actually died. Was murdered.
Unreal.
Breath-stealing panic climbed up Gina’s throat. These brave men and women may use terms such as autopsy and ballistics tests every day, but Gina didn’t. Now they were words that hit close to home. Too close. And after hearing about so many dead ends in the investigation, she worried the killer would strike again before they discovered his identity. This time, she feared he’d strike even closer.
ELEVEN
Derrick stood in the family room doorway and watched Gina. His anger flared at the senseless loss of life—and at the way it had upset Gina so much she’d fled the conference call. He’d started to follow her, but his number one job was to find the murderer. Working toward that meant sitting through the rest of the call.
Still, even as he’d settled Sophia in her crib for a nap, his mind centered on Gina’s loss. He got how she felt. He’d mourned friends, too. Everyone in the family had, in various ways. Plus all of them shared the loss of their adoptive parents when they were murdered.
He curled his hands into fists. He’d wanted to rail at the injustice then, and he wanted to do so now. But his anger didn’t help. Never helped.
Nothing had. Not even time, really. He still missed his birth parents after twenty-one years despite comfort from Dani—and from his adoptive family.
He hated that Gina had to go through this again. Especially so soon after losing her sister-in-law and her brother. He couldn’t just stand here. He had to help even if it meant crossing the line of professionalism.
Forcing his hands to relax, he approached the sofa. She looked up, the agony on her face searing his heart. He wanted to draw her into his arms. To hold and comfort her. With their past, he should back away, but how could he not show her he understood? That he’d do just about anything to take this pain from her?
He sat on the sofa next to her. “I’m so sorry about Lilly.”
Gina dabbed a tissue under her eyes. “It’s what I expected, but actually hearing it confirmed is another story.”
He took her hand. “Is there anything I can do?”
She shook her head, and as her crying ramped up again, she moved to the fireplace, her back to him.
Enough. No matter your past or fear of getting involved again, she needs you.
He went to her and turned her by the shoulders. She looked him square in the face, her tearstained eyes meeting his. Slowly, so she could move away if she chose, he slid his hands down her arms and around her waist. She didn’t back away but readily moved nearer. He drew her close, and she rested her head on his chest.
As her crying intensified, he stroked her hair and whispered comforting words he hoped would help. As much as he wanted to offer comfort right now, he selfishly thought about the last time he’d held her while she’d truly relied on him. College, so long ago. A time before her ultimatum that she would leave if he didn’t commit.
What would his life be like today if he’d worked through his commitment issues? Would he have someone like Gina and a child like Sophia in his life? He wanted to change now more than ever, but he’d tried for years to no avail. He couldn’t do this on his own.
Father, give me clarity on this issue. Show me what to do so I don’t spend the rest of my life alone.
* * *
The alarm on Derrick’s phone split the quiet, opening Gina’s eyes. She pushed away from the sculptured wall of his chest and instantly felt alone and vulnerable again. Had she come to depend on him in such a short time? Did this mean she couldn’t cope alone anymore? Didn’t want to cope?
Please don’t let that be true.
Derrick trailed a hand down her arm. “I’m sorry to leave you right now, but I need to take off if I’m to meet the detective on time.”
“I thought Kat was going.”
“She was. Before I discovered the information on Ontiveros.” His eyes narrowed. “I need to hear firsthand what the detective has to say.”
“I’d like to go, too,” she said. “Jon never gave me classified details, but he talked about work. I might catch something the detective says that you miss.”
Derrick shook his head. “The police aren’t taking your complaints seriously, and if you’re with me, they won’t take me seriously either.”
“But they already know you’re working with me.”
“Hopefully without you physically present, they’ll focus on the details of the case.”
She sighed, and her shoulders slumped slightly. “I don’t agree with you, but if that’s what you think is best, I’ll accept your decision and stay here.”
“Thank you.” He twined his fingers with hers.
“Promise you’ll call me if you need clarification on anything the detective says.”
“I promise.” He squeezed her hand and, after a sweet smile, he departed.
Gina turned to find Kat watching her.
“It’s time we had a chat.” Kat tipped her head at the kitchen. “Let’s have a cup of coffee while we talk.”
Having no idea what Kat wanted to say, Gina followed her to the kitchen. Gina sat while Kat retrieved two steaming mugs of coffee.
She took a seat across the table then stirred sugar into her cup. “I won’t stand by and watch while you hurt Derrick again.”
“What?” Gina fell back on her chair. “Where’s that coming from?”
Kat set down her spoon and looked up. “The two of you have changed in the past few days. Especially Derrick. He was wary of you at first. Now he’s put that behind him.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“Good?” Kat shrugged. “Maybe or maybe not.”
“I don’t follow.”
“You know him. He’s the first to stand up and defend anyone who’s been wronged. But I suspect he’s confusing that protectiveness with affection for you, and I’m afraid you’re leading him on only to bail on him again.”
Gina tried not to take offense at Kat’s blunt statement. In fact, she respected her for speaking her mind, but that didn’t mean she was right. “I have no intention of leading him on. I simply want his help in resolving this matter so Sophia and I can live in peace.”
“Great,” Kat said. “Then we won’t have any problems.”
“You may not believe this, but I want to see Derrick happy.” Gina grabbed her mug to keep her hands busy. “I don’t intend to hurt him. He’s a great guy and I loved him once, but I couldn’t stay in a relationship that wasn’t going anywhere.”
“Which is even more reason to keep things professional now.”
“Because he hasn’t changed, you mean. He’s still not ready to settle down.” Gina sipped on her coffee as she waited for Kat to acknowledge his ongoing issue. She stared ahead and Gina took it as an unspoken confirmation.
Kat suddenly stood and stared down at Gina, a warning burning in her eyes. “Don’t hurt him or you’ll be dealing with me.”
“Message received,” Gina said.
Kat walked away and Gina let out a slow breath. She was glad Derrick’s siblings were looking out for him—but who was on her side? Who’d defend her if Derrick’s inability to commit hurt her again?
The answer was simple—no one. She’d just have to look out for herself. Which meant finding a way to ignore the feelings Derrick was bringing
to the surface. Something she should readily want to do after her history with men.
So why was she hoping that Derrick was like her father and it wasn’t too late for him to change?
Stop it, Gina. Thoughts like that only lead to self-destruction.
* * *
Thirty minutes into Derrick’s conversation with Detective Gleason, Derrick wanted to wring the man’s neck. He’d run Derrick in circles, not giving a straight answer to any question and refusing to share the case file for Perry Axton’s murder. But Derrick wouldn’t give up. Gina needed him to keep after Gleason, and that’s what he’d do until the detective gave him answers or tossed him out.
He slid forward on his chair. “I’d hoped we’d be able to collaborate on this. You know, as one officer to another.”
“Former officer,” Gleason clarified and crossed his arms over a burly chest. “You’re not one of us now, are you?”
“Trust me,” Derrick said sincerely, “I’ve been in your shoes, and I’d have refused to show my files to a guy like me, too. But it wouldn’t violate any rules if you shared a little background information on the main suspect in the Axton case.”
“Renato Ontiveros?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t want to go anywhere near that guy.” Gleason watched Derrick carefully. “You don’t have a police force backing you up, and Ontiveros is one of the most ruthless men we’ve come across in a long time.”
Derrick wanted to take Gleason’s advice and leave Ontiveros alone, but that wasn’t an option. “Has he ever been incarcerated?”
“Nah, he’s lucked out. You know the type. Guilty as sin, but forensics always fail to prove it. Plus any potential witness against him is usually too afraid to talk.”
Derrick thought about a killer like this coming after Gina, and a ball of dread formed in his gut. “I’ve worked a few cases like that. He lawyers up the minute you haul him in, right?”
Gleason snorted. “Ha, like we ever get to bring him in. He’s so well hidden and protected we’ve never gotten to him. Only reason we got a crack at him for Axton’s murder was thanks to the Coast Guard. They were doing a routine flyover and ended up raiding his boat.”
Dark Tide Page 12