Covert Attraction

by Linda O. Johnston

  But she had been—and still was—so attracted to Daniel that his acknowledging the reality aloud about their nonrelationship hurt.

  “Maybe,” the judge said. “If so, I commend you, Daniel, on continuing to go further than the crux of your assignment. But even so, you shouldn’t have had to protect Beth. She’s not your confidential informant. Her contact with you didn’t put her into the danger she faces.”

  Beth hated to see Daniel wince, but the judge had struck a nerve.

  She had reminded him of the woman whose life he’d failed to save—and the reason he felt obligated to protect Beth...while not getting emotionally involved with her.

  Well, that was fine. She didn’t want or need more from him. And she could take care of herself.

  Beth tuned back in to what the judge, who hadn’t stopped talking, was saying. “Had Beth gone home or, better yet, stayed away altogether, she would have been much safer.” Her glare was leveled on Beth again.

  Beth rose, wanting to feel more equal while debating with Judge Treena. “I understand what you’re saying, and I’m not arguing with it—not exactly. But just staying away and hearing after the fact about what did or didn’t happen—I just couldn’t do that. I apologize for not following your rules. But...well, tell me. Tell us both. Did the FDA investigators find anything today to lead them to the evidence we’ve missed to bring Corcoris down?”

  “They’re still working on it,” the judge said. “We need to let them do their job.” She stepped forward and took Beth’s hands into hers. “I really understand your frustration, Beth. You know, from our working together before, how much I want things to come together fast, for my protégés to get the justice they deserve. But it doesn’t always work that way.”

  “You’re right, Judge,” Beth acknowledged, watching as Daniel drew closer to both of them behind the judge’s back. His expression now looked so sympathetic that she wanted to clasp his hands, too, the way the judge still held hers. “And if something happens to me, it’s all my own fault.” She hoped Daniel heard that, too. She wasn’t his responsibility. “But it’s so important to me to get results. To save my family. And...well, you know from before that I was concerned about my friend and mentor, Milt Ranich. Around here, it’s as though he never even existed. I really need to find out what happened to him, too.”

  “Let’s get the evidence to finally prosecute Preston Corcoris and whoever’s helping him commit the fraud he’s been committing that endangers consumers,” Daniel said, moving to a spot across the coffee table from Beth and Judge Treena. “Once we bring him down, we’ll be able to stop the threats against you and your family. And if he has conspirators working with him—which he apparently does within the company and beyond—we’ll find them and prosecute them, too.”

  That was what Beth had hoped all along. But so far...how had Corcoris been able to hide things so well? And how could she be certain that all his allies would be caught and brought down, too, to save her family? And her.

  And Milt—if he was still alive.

  The judge must have read her thoughts. “We don’t know if your friend Milt has been placed into some kind of protection, but we doubt it. He’s not one of mine, and he’d have had the evidence you lacked. Witness protection would have worked well for him if he’d been able to testify. They may have killed him, Beth,” she said gently. “You still need to be prepared for that.”

  “On some level I am,” Beth said, blinking back the tears that had flowed into her eyes. “I just need to know.”

  * * *

  From his position near the two women, Daniel listened to their conversation and watched Beth’s reactions.

  He had worked with Judge Treena closely over the past couple of years, planning strategies with her for going undercover, then implementing them, several times. They’d gotten along well together. Daniel respected the head of the organization where he worked.

  But he wasn’t pleased about the judge’s attitude right now. It was almost as if she wanted to scold him, rub his face in his past failures by mentioning his confidential informant, reminding him that Edie hadn’t had to die—especially on his watch. At least partly thanks to their romantic relationship and his focus on her and little else, he’d gotten careless, and she’d been murdered by the people he had been investigating. He’d succeeded in bringing them down, but Edie was gone.

  That wouldn’t happen to anyone else he was working with, confidential informant or not.

  He wasn’t about to let his emotions get in the way as he had before. Sex? Yes. But he wasn’t getting any closer to Beth than that.

  But the judge also seemed to be scolding Beth, paying her back for disobedience, encouraging her to hurt all the more.

  Even as she held Beth’s hands in sympathy.

  “I know we all hope that everything gets resolved this weekend,” he said, managing not to grit his teeth. “I’ll be around the labs since I’m finally trusted enough there to be working on one of the newer meds. Although I still have to run some of it by more experienced technicians, I’ve just been given the assignment of updating one of the quality-control tests Corcoris has been running on the weight-loss medication.”

  “Which should look good to the FDA,” Judge Treena observed. “Although if the company’s old system was really bad, that’ll count against them.” She released Beth’s hands and turned toward Daniel.

  “Their position is that it was good to begin with, but they’re being proactive in keeping it as effective as possible.” Daniel lifted his brows as he gave that tidbit to Judge Treena. “Meanwhile, I only saw a hint of how they were playing games. I’ve gotten no confirmation yet since apparently only certain execs can access the background data. But I still believe that the reports turned over to the FDA are based on fraudulent data.”

  “Don’t they use data from the handwritten log notes that are kept during the manufacturing process?”

  “Partly.” Daniel exchanged glances with Beth.

  They’d each hoped to get access to the actual logs when they’d visited the production center but had given up hope of that. What they really needed was to find proof of their suspicions—ones they had discussed briefly over dinner the other night.

  “Since those notes I’ve seen scanned into the computer look perfect,” he continued, “I suspect they’ve been doctored somehow but so far I haven’t gotten hold of sufficient passwords to check out whether all the scanned-in information is identical or not. I hinted about that to the inspectors when no one else was around yesterday. I should be able to find a way to talk to them a little more, since today is Saturday. But I haven’t had time alone on the computer to do any further checking of that myself with the passwords I borrowed.”

  “That’s one reason the decision was made to have them come back here fast, unannounced, on a Friday afternoon—but I understand there was some notice after all. I’ll look into that next week.”

  “Good.” Daniel sat down in one of the armchairs facing the two women, now seated on the sofa. “Are you heading for the Corcoris facility today?” he asked the judge. If so, he wasn’t sure how she would represent herself—as a federal judge? As some kind of support for the FDA inspection?

  She wouldn’t mention that she was even part of the CIU, let alone in charge of it. He was sure of that, even though hardly anyone had heard of the Identity Division of the U.S. Marshals Service, let alone its units, and even fewer knew what they were about. Which was a good thing, since the division’s mission required that it stay as covert as possible.

  “For now I plan to stay in the background. I’ll let the FDA guys know I’m here and can lend a hand if needed.”

  He wanted to be blunt and ask why she had come at all. To check out how well he was doing?

  To see if she could catch him and Beth in bed together?

  In a way, she had—in the
most innocent of ways. Just as well? Yes. But if she was going to make the hottest assumptions, too bad they hadn’t been real that night.

  “And you, Beth. I know it’s Saturday, but cleaning crews sometimes can do their best work on weekends. Will you be at the Corcoris HQ today?”

  “She already got a full workweek in,” Daniel said. He didn’t want her to be present today, since things could in fact come to a head and she would be safer somewhere else. In fact, before he headed to Corcoris, he intended to see her back to her apartment and make sure no one lay in wait for her.

  “But I wanted to see if I could do anything with the FDA around,” Beth said. “I’ve already arranged to be there. I begged for overtime for the extra wages.” Her smile looked pleased, but he felt anything but.

  “I don’t—” he began, but he was interrupted by Judge Treena.

  “Great. I’ll have not only the FDA there checking things out but also my own mini CIU team—you two. I’ll be eager to hear how things go.”

  * * *

  Beth saw the irritation on Daniel’s face. It wasn’t hard to spot. He looked royally peeved.

  Too bad. And if the judge hadn’t been here, she might have teasingly kissed him to wipe his scowl away. Or not. They’d already started backing away from one another.

  On the other hand, she liked the idea of trying to discombobulate him.

  But instead, she had to get her day started to appear as eager to work this weekend as she’d claimed. “Gotta go,” she said. “I need to head back to my place first for a change of clothes.” A quick shower, too.

  “I’ll come with you,” Daniel said. “To check things out.”

  “No need,” she said. “I’ll be careful.”

  But Judge Treena overrode her, too. “Won’t hurt to have a second pair of eyes.” And the way she nodded at Daniel, Beth figured the judge also thought an extra pair of arms—strong muscular ones like Daniel’s—wouldn’t hurt, either.

  “Okay,” she conceded. “But let’s hurry.”

  They got ready to leave Daniel’s quickly. He accompanied her to her car and told her to stay parked till he drove around the building.

  She took the opportunity to send a quick text to her family, one she probably should have sent last night, reassuring them that she was okay. She of course used the burner phone with its limited minutes and difficult-to-trace location.

  When they reached her place, she obediently listened to Daniel’s instructions. He checked things out, and all seemed safe. He even waited till she had showered and changed in the bathroom, the only place in her little unit where she could get some privacy, and then they left once more.

  Knowing Daniel was behind her—for now—she drove back to the Corcoris campus, wondering what today would bring.

  * * *

  Because it was Saturday, Daniel was able to pull his car into a space directly beside Beth’s. He got out and did what they’d previously decided on as their usual thing in case anyone was observing them—talking briefly, as if the nerdy lab guy had a crush on the shy cleaning-crew member.

  “You sure I can’t convince you to go home?” he asked softly, with those stupid glasses on and as geeky a smile as he could manage when he felt so mad.

  “Of course not.” She ducked her head in her pseudo shyness as if he had instead paid her a compliment.

  “Then keep your phone on. Stay in touch. And I’ll check on you as often as I can.”

  “Thanks, but no need.” She pushed the button to lock her car and walked off.

  He had to let her go to maintain their routine. Slowly, watching the sway of her slender form from behind as she headed out of the garage and toward the main building, he began to follow, his jaw clamped in frustration.

  What he’d wanted to do, instead of pretending to flirt with the woman whose beauty was hidden beneath her pretense at being no one, was to shake her. Insist once and for all that she get out of there and leave the investigation—and potential danger—to someone who knew how to deal with it.

  Now, he would not only have to do his job today and carefully assist the FDA in its inspection—and in finding anything useful hidden in the Corcoris labs and computer system—but he would also have to keep watch on Beth to make sure she didn’t put herself in any further danger.

  He might not have said a whole lot to her about her missing friend here, but that particularly worried him. He had apparently been even more of a threat to the company than Andrea—before—and he had disappeared. Another thing they’d continue to look into.

  This was going to be an interesting day.

  Daniel just hoped they both got out of it with their joint mission accomplished—and with both of them alive, healthy and safe.

  * * *

  As usual, Beth headed down to the basement after using her security card to get into the building. She hadn’t expected to see Mary Cantrera there, since the woman had been around giving her orders for the past ten days. Her comment about Beth talking to someone else in charge about coming in on Sunday had also indicated she wouldn’t be here. She should have the weekend off, shouldn’t she?

  But there she was, standing at the far end of a longer row of carts than Beth had seen here before. As expected, there were apparently fewer cleaners on duty today despite the need to primp labs and halls for the FDA inspectors.

  Beth edged toward Mary, head bent, a subservient smile on her face. “Hi,” she said. “You’re working some extra time, too.” She didn’t inquire whether Mary needed the money, as Beth herself had claimed to.

  Mary responded to her unasked question. “I’m here because I was asked to work this weekend to make sure things are done right.”

  Asked by whom, Beth wondered. Probably her boss. Beth knew Mary reported to the head of the Support Team, and he in turn reported to someone in Operations. She didn’t know names, nor did she need to.

  Her targets were several rungs above the top of that group.

  “I’ll do whatever I can to help. Where would you like me to clean today?”

  She expected Mary to designate someplace on one of the laboratory floors, where the building staff could appear to be busily engaged in doing their jobs to impress their visitors.

  Or maybe another stint cleaning the cafeteria or someplace like that.

  But she intended to head upstairs to the executive floor sometime today. There would be fewer people around, so she could do some of the snooping she’d planned to do from the moment she’d arrived. That was where she might find some evidence.

  And it was where she might find some answers...about Milt.

  Since she had given the impression of being diligent but not overly intelligent, she should be able to get away with feigning confusion if she was caught.

  She was shocked, therefore, when Mary said, “Our usual elite crew isn’t here today, but Mr. Rissinger came down here himself a short while ago. The executives will be having some meetings with the inspectors later in the conference room a floor below their offices. They’ll probably give the inspectors a tour of the executive floor, so they need someone there now to make sure everything is spotless. That’s where I’m sending you today.”

  Chapter 20

  Beth felt her eyes widen in surprise, and she quickly looked down at the floor.

  This could be the perfect chance to finally achieve what she had come here to do.

  It could also be a perfect fiasco.

  She looked up at her ostensible boss with a tentative smile on her face. “Oh, this is such a wonderful opportunity to prove myself. I can do it. I know I can.”

  “I hope so.” Mary sighed. “I just wish I had asked one of our usual staff who cleans on that floor to come in this weekend just in case.” She stared hard at Beth. “You’d better do a good job. And let me know if you have any q
uestions. Now, get up there right away.”

  But Beth said she needed to head to the ladies’ room first.

  “Hurry up,” Mary cautioned her. “You know the bosses. They always want everything done yesterday.”

  “Oh, yes, I’ll be quick.”

  Beth dashed down the hall. It wasn’t that she needed to use the facilities—except for the mirror.

  She had to look at herself, make sure she bore no resemblance to Andrea Martinez—who months ago had had an office on the executive floor.

  A tiny office tucked way back in the public relations area, to be sure. But she had interfaced with a lot of the executives. Beth had no idea who would be around today, but because some Corcoris administrators were to meet with the FDA inspectors, she anticipated that Rissinger, who had demanded the cleaning, and his direct boss, Preston Corcoris, could be present.

  If one of them knew who she was—and that was why that guy had been hired or whatever to follow her in that stolen vehicle—then both of them knew. But if so, why hadn’t they confronted her before this?

  More likely, it wasn’t them but someone else who was curious about why a cleaning-staff member was hobnobbing with a lab tech—and that could be anyone in the chain of command, most likely someone fairly far down who had felt like checking it out. Either way, she would remain cautious.

  Fortunately, there was no one else in the ladies’ room. Beth squared her shoulders and stared into the mirror.

  Who was she looking at?

  The eyes, at least, belonged not to Andrea Martinez but to Beth Jones. She’d liked their bright violet shade when Beth had lived in Seattle and done proofreading for those online newspapers and magazines for a company headquartered in the area. She could be a quasi-normal person, a bit introverted, sure, since weren’t all people who wanted to deal more with words than people introverted? She’d rarely had to appear in person at the office, so her appearance wasn’t particularly important.

  But here that eye color had probably made her stand out. Which was another good reason to assume a shy personality and watch the floor.