“I’ll bet. I guess our jobs are somewhat similar in that we have to dig into people’s sordid pasts.” Sam slid her fork into the pie and took a bite. The crust was soft and flaky, and the filling was just the right mixture of sweet from the strawberries and sugar and sour from the rhubarb. “Yummm. It’s delicious.”
“Thank you.” Gina seemed pleased, if a bit shy at the compliment.
“Anyway, we probably use a lot of the same tools.” Sam tried to sound casual, as if she was just being conversational.
“Probably. Do you use the government finder database?” Ellie asked.
“Sometimes.” Sam actually had no idea what that was. “And that other one… the one that has easier access.” Sam made a face as if trying to recall the name. She had no idea if there even was an easier one, but she hoped so. The government finder sounded too official.
“Goodchecks or Safechecks?” Ellie said. “They’re both easier if you have the Social Security number, which I imagine you would have for your client’s spouses.”
“Yes, that’s it. Safechecks.” Sam focused on her pie, unable to look Ellie in the eye because she felt so guilty about lying. “We don’t use them too often, but sometimes, you have to.”
“I’m surprised you can find out so much just by googling people.” Ellie shook her head. “You wouldn’t believe the personal information people put on the internet. Especially social media.”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” Sam laughed.
She noticed Gina’s gaze had drifted toward something behind her, and she turned. Her heart leapt. Cole was skulking along the walkway.
How long had he been there, and had he been lurking there at the corner of the house, spying on them?
CHAPTER8
Cole studied the women on the porch. He knew Samantha, of course, and Gina the motel owner, but who was the third woman? It didn’t escape his notice that Sam stopped talking abruptly as soon as she saw him. Had she been talking about something they didn’t want him to overhear?
The conversation hadn’t sounded too serious though, he thought, as he recalled Sam’s melodic laughter drifting around the side of the motel before he’d come around the corner. No. Not melodic, he reminded himself. It was more like an evil cackle.
She wasn’t laughing now. In fact, she wasn’t even smiling. She was scowling at him with her dark, suspicious eyes.
It made him uncomfortable, and he tried not to fidget.
Actually, if he’d known the three women were on the porch, he would’ve found a different path to the beach, but he hadn’t seen them until it was too late.
And now they were all staring at him, so he had to do something. He plastered a charming smile on his face and approached the edge of the porch.
“Hello there, I was just making my way down to the beach.” Cole tilted his head in the direction of the ocean.
“It’s a beautiful day for beach walking,” Gina said. “Would you like some pie and lemonade before you head out?”
Cole’s gaze darted to the table, which held a plate full of pie slices and a pitcher of lemonade. Had the three women simply been having an innocent snack?
The last thing he wanted to do was join them.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll just go ahead with my walk. You ladies have a nice afternoon.” Cole couldn’t get out of there quickly enough. He walked over toward the steps to the beach, now feeling uncomfortable as he could feel their gazes burning into his back.
As soon as his feet hit the sand, Cole felt a sense of relaxation. He couldn’t see the beach from the motel, and the long swath of white sand that stretched as far as the eye could see was even prettier than he’d imagined.
Once he was out of earshot of the motel, he pulled out his phone and dialed his coworker. Well, technically, Gary wasn’t a coworker right now since Cole wasn’t actually on active duty. He was on an “extended vacation,” or at least, that’s how his bosses back at the FBI put it.
It wasn’t as if he’d screwed up. There was no way he could’ve saved that second kidnapped child. But the fact that he hadn’t been able to save her weighed heavily on him and messed with his mind. Cole had become overly cautious, and he’d lost his enthusiasm for the job. That would come back in time, at least, that’s what the psychologist said.
“Hey, buddy, how’s it going?” Gary’s voice was jovial, but Cole heard an undercurrent of concern.
“Right now, I’m on a gorgeous beach, looking at the ocean, so I’d say it’s going pretty good.” Cole didn’t want anyone to know how lost he was. He felt like he was at a crossroads, trying to decide whether he should quit for good or dive back in full force. He knew one thing, there was no way he could go back to his undercover job unless he was all in. People’s lives depended on his full concentration on the job.
“How are things back at the ranch?” Cole asked.
“Same old, same old. Things never change.” Cole heard the shuffle of papers, and then Gary said, “What’s the name of that place where you are visiting your dad? Is it Shell Cove?”
