The Marshal's Prize (Harlequin American Romance)

by Winters, Rebecca

  “The next day the bags are loaded on trucks. When they’re filled, the crew boss, Randy Pierson—he’s another Bauer—checks off the shipments and stores the information in the computer. Lucas prints out what has been stored in the computer and makes a hard copy, which he leaves in Jonas’s in-basket.

  “One of the employees working at the outlet or franchise on the receiving end of the delivery helps take the shipment off the truck and sends an email receipt back to Lucas. It shows the itemized list that includes the date, actual hour of delivery and amount of goods delivered.

  “But again, the people receiving the goods wouldn’t think to look at the tags. All they’re concerned about is the correct number of bags arriving. It might be a week or two before the bakers opening a new bag discovered the flour and realized a mistake had been made. Obviously that’s what happened in Don’s case. It’s all very random, so that—”

  “So that it looks innocent enough,” Mitch broke in. “What’s done with the flour?”

  “It’s disposed of.”

  “Why not returned?”

  “Because the flour we use must be freshly bagged. That’s company policy. It can’t be used outside the plant and we can’t take it back once it has left the plant.”

  “That means you’re not only losing money on all the stolen mix, you’re losing revenue from the wasted flour, the cost of the bags, money paid the warehouse workers loading the trucks and flour, money paid the drivers, etc.”

  “Precisely. If there’s anything Bruno hates more than laziness, it’s waste.”

  Mitch’s brows lifted. “Guess that’s why he’s been in charge all these years. No doubt his stroke caused the culprits to believe they were home free. By disposing of the emails, there’s no ‘paper’ trail.”

  She let out a troubled sigh. “Bruno talked to my father. They want to catch them in the act, whoever it is. That’s why Bruno decided to hire a P.I. firm—he wants definite proof before confronting them.”

  “Your great-uncle sounds like a shrewd man.”

  “He’s brilliant, but he’s torn up inside to think members of our own family are doing this. Still, he refuses to see the company suffer under his watch.”

  “How many are on the board?”

  “Twelve.”

  “Give me the names of the family members who would like to see the company grow.”

  “Besides Rosaline, my great-aunt Frieda and uncle Ray Owens have been outspoken about it for a long time. Frieda’s my grandfather’s next oldest sister. When I’m around them, she grumbles about Bruno being too steeped in archaic ideas to run the company any longer. She was upset when I was put in the human resources position instead of her grandson Anthony. But she has two other grandchildren who hold responsible positions—Randy’s the crew boss and Nadine runs the operation for the mix.”

  Mitch steepled his fingers. “Considering the foment going on, I’m impressed your great-uncle has managed to run such a successful enterprise. Tell me—who’s the keeper of the flame?”

  “You must be talking about the recipe. It’s locked in a safe-deposit box at the bank. No one has access to it but the CEO, currently Bruno. It can’t be opened without him, the head of the bank and the attorney for the company being present. The various workers only know one part of the recipe. No one knows the whole thing.

  “When Bruno retires or dies—” Mitch could see the thought upset her “—a new CEO would have to be chosen before he or she had the right to go to the bank and look at it in the presence of the other two witnesses.”

  Mitch nodded. “That’s the best way to safeguard a secret recipe for famous wine or chocolate these days. But as your great-uncle has found out, no measures are foolproof. Since no one in your family but him can get to the actual recipe, it appears certain members are determined to do it the old-fashioned way. I wouldn’t put it past them to hire a chemist to analyze the ingredients and try to duplicate your recipe, but that’s a very difficult thing to do.”

  She shivered. “It’s so cold-blooded.”

  “That’s the nature of crime. Clearly it’s happening at the warehouse. Do you hire trucks?”

  “No. We own a fleet of twenty-two located on the Woods Cross property.”

  “How many workers total are employed there?”

  “Including the drivers, one hundred and ten people. Fourteen are family members who oversee the various divisions within the facility.”

  “That was going to be my next question. There may be more than two family members involved in the thefts out there.”

  A pained expression crossed her face before she nodded.

  “It’s evident they’re the total opposite of your ancestor Saska.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “From what you’ve just told me, she was one of those exceptional pioneers I’ve heard about who helped forge the West into greatness.”

  The light blue eyes grew shimmery. “That’s exactly what she did.”

  For a brief moment he felt a tug on his emotions that surprised him. He finished the rest of his coffee while he gathered his thoughts.

  “Large families who work together are notorious for having inside problems. I’m sure yours is no different, with its mix of angels and less than angels who, because of ego, greed or dreams of power, want to take shortcuts to success.”

  A sadness crept over her face. “That describes some of our family members.”

  “And possibly some nonfamily employees who are being paid off because they want or need the extra cash and feel no particular loyalty to the company or your great-uncle. It happens every day. I’m sorry it’s happened to your family’s company.”

  “So am I.” Her voice caught. “No one has worked harder than Bruno to keep the company profitable and provide every benefit for the employees.”

  “Some people are never satisfied. They’ll always want more.”

  “That’s true,” she whispered. Mitch heard a haunted note in her voice, wondering if she was thinking about something that had nothing to do with her family’s business.

  “In order to find out what exactly is going on, it’ll be necessary for me to infiltrate. But first I’ll need a little hands-on experience in the shortest amount of time before you move me out to the plant. What kind of a job can you give me right now to familiarize myself with the product?”

  She was so quiet for a minute, he thought she’d been too deep in thought to hear him.

  “Ms. Norris?”

  Her eyes finally lifted to his. “The baker at our No. 2 shop will be in the hospital undergoing some tests for a few days. Phyllis, the manager, called me earlier today to ask me to find a replacement. I’ll tell her no one was available because they’re away on summer vacation. Therefore I was forced to hire a new applicant and will train you myself. We’ll start first thing tomorrow morning.”

  The idea of working with her appealed to Mitch like crazy. “What time?”

  “Six? Does that sound awful?”

  “No. I’m an early bird. But what about your job at headquarters?”

  “Bruno has asked my aunt Marcia, who oversees the insurance department, to cover my position at the office for the rest of the week. She had my job before she was moved to that department and can fill in without problem. He’s instructed me to assist you so you can resolve this problem ASAP.”

  He felt a sudden rush of excitement he couldn’t explain. All the time they’d been talking, he’d been wondering how he could get to know her better without seeming too obvious.

  “Where’s the shop located?”

  “At SweetSpuds on Foothill, not far from here.”

  This was getting better and better. “That’s our home away from home during working hours around here. My apartment’s near t
he entrance to Emigration Canyon, maybe two minutes away. The situation couldn’t suit me better.”

  “It suits me, too. My house is in the St. Mary’s area near the Foothill shopping center. Zack’s school is only two blocks from there. Which reminds me, I have to leave now or I’ll be late to pick him up.”

  “Let me walk you to your car.” He got up from his desk and followed her out the door, enjoying the trail of her subtle lemony fragrance. “Is he in a summer school camp?”

  “No. It’s year-round school. He’ll be off track in two weeks. That’s when I’ll take my vacation to be home with him.”

  “I see.” They went down the hall past Roman’s office. His door was closed. Everyone in the office looked busy, but he noticed them casting glances at her. You couldn’t help it. He wouldn’t be surprised if she stopped traffic when she stepped outside. Lisa Gordon, Roman’s married assistant, gave him a secret smile before they went out the front door. She was always trying to interest him and Travis in some terrific single woman she knew.

  In a minute he was helping Heidi into her Nissan. “I’m going to need more information from you, but there’s no time now. Will you be free to talk on the phone later?”

  “I can after I put Zack to bed.”

  “Will eight-thirty be all right?”

  “Yes. He’ll be asleep by then.”

  “If you’ll give me your cell phone number, I’ll program it in mine right now.”

  They exchanged phone numbers before she started her car and drove out of the parking area.

  Mitch walked back inside the building unable to relate to the man who six hours ago didn’t know which foot to put in front of the other. Now would be the time to email Lew and set up a time to discuss his clean bill of health, but he was in the middle of a case. After it was solved, he would call him to discuss future plans.

  Chapter Two

  Heidi got out of her car and waited by the passenger door for Zack. Her dark-blond first-grader came running over in his shorts and Shrek T-shirt, carrying his backpack. He used to have a head of curls, but when he told her how much he was teased at school, she took him to the barber and he now sported a buzz. In an instant her little boy had disappeared.

  While they were still on the school grounds, she couldn’t expect a hug and a kiss. The big guys didn’t do that. He wanted to be a big guy so badly, he climbed in the backseat and strapped himself in his car seat.

  “How was school?”

  “Good. Can we get a grape slushie?”

  “Sure. It’s hot out.” She pulled in at a convenience store. Once they were on their way again she said, “What was the favorite thing you did today?”

  “Recess.” He rarely gave her a different answer. From what she’d learned at the last parent-teacher conference, he was doing well in all his subjects, but needed work on making better letters. “When will Grandma and Grandpa be home?”

  “This weekend.” But she knew better than to give him an exact time. Heidi realized he was missing them. Though he didn’t see them every day, it was the idea that they’d gone far away. They’d always fussed over him. “I thought we’d see if Tim wants to come over for a while.”

  Her brother, Rich, and his family lived a few blocks away. Though Tim was a year older, Zack liked him a lot and they’d played well together, until recently.

  “Can we just go home instead?”

  “What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”

  “No. I just want to watch SpongeBob.”

  He’d been watching quite a bit of TV alone after school lately while Heidi got their dinner ready. “Tim likes that cartoon, too.”

  Through the rearview mirror she saw Zack shake his head. “All he wants to do is ride his bike.”

  Ah. Heidi got the picture. Rich had taught Tim how to ride, but Zack still had to rely on training wheels for his bike and he felt stupid around his cousin. She’d tried to help her son, but he cried and got frustrated. He probably didn’t want to look like a baby who needed his mother to help him. When Rich tried to offer a suggestion, he said he wanted to go home.

  A problem for another day. After she’d divorced Gary, she’d tried to make up for the lack of a father in the home, but it was hard. And of course Rich wasn’t Zack’s father. A boy wanted his own father.

  Zack didn’t remember Gary. At the time of the divorce, he’d only been four. Heidi had put some pictures of him on Zack’s dresser and the rest in an album she’d put away. Some day he’d want to see them. Gary, who’d worked for her family’s company, had been too eager to get ahead fast. She hadn’t realized how power hungry he was. Toward the end of their marriage, her father had fired him for getting into too many struggles with his immediate boss.

  Among the many things Gary had found wrong with Heidi during their four years together, he’d been furious that she didn’t fight to help him keep his job. After the divorce, he only came around one time. Though he’d said it was to see Zack, he’d really shown up to harass her and tell her she’d ruined his life. It didn’t surprise her that the first of the court-ordered child support payments didn’t arrive. None did.

  Heidi made enough money without them and never reported the failure because she wanted nothing more to do with the angry man he’d become. She’d felt nothing but relief when her attorney found out from his attorney that he’d signed away his parental rights and had left Utah. He’d gone back to Oregon where he’d been raised by his grandparents.

  Zack had accepted Heidi’s explanation that she and his daddy didn’t get along and he now lived somewhere else. But the day was fast coming when her son would want more in-depth answers. Just the other day he’d asked how come his uncle Rich and aunt Sharon weren’t divorced. Heidi had said that some couples were more compatible. She’d sat down with him to explain the meaning of compatibility. He’d listened, not saying anything before he went to sleep.

  While Zack watched cartoons in the family room, Heidi phoned her sister-in-law and made arrangements to drop Zack off at their house early in the morning so she could be at the shop by six. Sharon was the best, and said she would drive him and her children to school later.

  With that settled, she fixed dinner. Afterward she helped Zack with his homework, then he took a bath. Once he’d put on his Transformer pajamas and had said his prayers, she let him pick out a couple of his favorite books and they read together until he fell asleep.

  It was quarter to nine and her cell phone hadn’t rung yet. To her irritation she’d been anticipating talking to the P.I. since she’d left his office. Maybe he’d had something else come up and couldn’t call. Impatient with herself, she walked into the living room and sat down on the couch to phone Bruno. Her great-uncle usually went to bed early, so she thought she’d better make contact now.

  He liked what she had to tell him about Mitch and approved of the infiltration idea. Halfway through her conversation with him, she discovered someone was trying to reach her. She told Bruno she’d talk to him tomorrow and clicked off to take the other call.

  “Hello?”

  “Ms. Norris, it’s Mitch Garrett.” The male voice she remembered sounded deeper over the phone, curling her toes. “Sorry I’m calling a little late, but it couldn’t be helped. If this isn’t a convenient time—”

  “It’s fine. I just got Zack to sleep.”

  “Then I’m glad I didn’t interrupt. Since we need to talk, how would you feel if I dropped by your house? I can be there in a few minutes.”

  An unexpected feeling of excitement swept through her. “That’s fine. I’ll watch for you.”

  After they hung up, she hurried into the bathroom to brush her hair and put on lipstick. She hadn’t been out on a date since before she’d met Gary. Not that this was a date or anything like it. Still, Mitch Garrett was a very attractive
man. Something about him made her aware of herself as a woman. He probably had that effect on every female he met.

  When she saw lights in the driveway, she felt another quickening inside of her. What on earth? He’d come over to discuss this terrible thing happening in the company and here she was waiting for him with this fluttery feeling in her chest.

  She opened the door for him. “Come in.”

  “Thank you.” The minute he stepped into the living room of her house, he noticed the stand-up framed photo of Zack and paused to look at it.

  “Your son looks amazingly like you, but he’s darker blond and his eyes are a deeper blue.” Mitch managed to notice everything. “He even has your curly hair.”

  “He did until recently when I took him for a haircut. Zack told the barber to make him look like a Marine.”

  Mitch chuckled. “Every boy his age wants to look like a man. With a tough name like Zack, he’s got to fit the part. Did you cry when he was sheared?”

  Heidi laughed. For that kind of understanding she supposed he was married with a family, even if he didn’t wear a wedding band. “Yes, I shed a few tears while he wasn’t looking.”

  “Just remember he’s cooler this way.”

  “I’m sure that’s true.”

  Mitch walked around, studying the rest of the family pictures, nodding when she told him who he was looking at. “You have a beautiful home,” he murmured before turning to her. “And thanks for helping me put names and faces together. It’s good for an investigation like this.”

  “Of course.”

  His glance went to the painting over the piano. “I covet that oil of Mt. Timpanogos. The first time I drove south of Salt Lake, I saw it as I rounded a curve in the road. It’s spectacular with snow on it.”

  “I think so, too. It’s a painting my grandfather did years ago. He hiked that mountain many times when he was younger.”

  “I’ve meant to do it myself. One of these days I will.”