Rebecca walked alongside the security guard with the name tag S. Howard in the hallway, right next to the lobby. She could still see Kurt, so she wasn’t really worried. The guard had approached her while Kurt was talking and asked if she needed anything before he went off duty. “Yes, actually. I’m wondering if there’s surveillance footage of the accounting department.” If she could confirm her suspicions that Levi had slipped her the flash drive, she could also see what Levi had been doing moments before that. Maybe it would give her clues as to where to start looking. And Kurt would be impressed at her efficiency.
“My boss mans the security camera feeds.” Mr. Howard pointed ahead. “I think we archive our camera footage, but I haven’t been trained on all of that. Come to think of it, I’m not sure if we have cameras in Accounting. Follow me and you can ask the head of security for yourself. It’s just ahead.”
If it was just ahead it had to be in one of the side rooms off the hallway, so if Kurt ever looked up, she could wave him down and they could go in together. Perfectly safe. They were in a brightly lit office building, and the security guard served as protection. Besides, Kurt had referred to her as his accountant to the detective. The police and the Marshals needed her help. It was a heady feeling, especially given her early childhood dreams, and she felt determined not to let them down. It might prove something to both her grandpa and dad if she played a part in bringing her attacker to justice.
Except they passed four doors. And any minute now, she wouldn’t have a visual on Kurt. “Maybe I should go back first and let the marshal know.”
He stopped at one of the potted plants and swiveled, one hand on a flashlight attached to his belt. Actually, besides his phone, it was the only tool on his belt. “That’s up to you, but I heard the jingling of his keys. He’s probably just around the corner. Hey, did you go to Figpickels?”
“What?”
“The toy store, Figpickels. You’re bound to find a fun souvenir there for your niece. Otherwise, Souvenir and Sundry has this cute moose straw—Oh here we are.”
She’d forgotten they had discussed souvenirs earlier in the week. They turned a corner into a darkened hallway. Her footsteps faltered. She hadn’t meant to go this far. The jingling of keys he’d mentioned cued her to another person approaching before she could see the silhouetted form walk closer.
“Sir, I’m checking out for the night,” the guard said. “This lady is with the US marshal up front and has a question for you.” He nodded at Rebecca and pressed on a swinging door. “Nice to meet you. Have a good night.” He looked up briefly. “Weird. Usually this hallway is lit. Want me to report it before I leave?”
“No. I’ll do it. Have a good night.”
She heard the hint of an accent. Rebecca stayed where she was since there was light still coming from the other hallway around the corner. The guard stepped into the light, and his eyes looked stone cold.
Her throat tightened. She knew those eyes. Her heart pounded against her ribs. It was the guy—the attacker—standing right in front of her at arm’s length.
“You have a question?”
Her breath grew shallow. If he was trying to play like he didn’t know her, then maybe she could play along and pretend she didn’t recognize him, either. It seemed like the best option in the hope she could get out of there alive.
“Yes, yes, I was going to ask something.” She took a step backward, closer to the lighted hallway. Her question was just out of grasp, but she had a hard time remembering as her mind played an insistent loop of: Run. Run now. Why aren’t you running?
He stepped closer. The patience in his eyes dimmed. She took a deep breath and could run but there wasn’t anything between him and her. “I was just wondering if there’s security footage of the accounting department.”
He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. “Yes. I believe so. Follow me, I’m glad to show you.” He waved her toward the dark part of the hall. What kind of security guard wouldn’t ask her who she was? And why weren’t the lights on in this hall? He didn’t even challenge her right to watch the security footage. That confirmed her suspicion.
The other guard had said his boss manned the feeds, which meant he’d probably seen them coming. So there could be only one reason for the darkness. He wanted to get her farther away from other people.
Instead she took a step backward and bumped into one of the corner planters with the silk plants. “That’s great. Let me just get my—”
He pulled a gun from behind his back. “Okay, no more games.” His accent was unmistakable now. Her dad had always told her that if someone pointed a gun at her she was to remain calm—easier said than done—and look the person in the eyes to make sure they remembered you were human. Apparently that reminder was supposed to make some shooters uncomfortable.
She forced her gaze to look straight into the man’s eyes. He didn’t flinch or blink. Instead he smiled and stepped closer. Great. It didn’t work on him. “I’m not playing games,” she said. Her voice shook despite her bravado. “I’m not a big fan of guns pointed at me, so if you’ll excuse me…”
“No.” His entire body blocked her path, the back of her legs pressed up against the planter, and he pointed the gun at her chest. With his free hand he touched her hair. “I admire strong women. I didn’t want to kill you, preciosa.”
She flinched at his touch, but if he admired that she was a strong woman, she had to keep from falling apart. She didn’t know Spanish well, but it seemed like he’d called her precious. “So don’t.”
His hand moved down to her left arm. Her stomach flipped with nausea. If she screamed now, would he shoot her before Kurt could get there to help? His grip tightened and his eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t drop it. You kept looking. Now it’s out of my hands. Come with me.”
“See, that’s where I think you’re wrong. You’re holding the gun, so it seems like it is in your hands and I’ll be glad to drop it. Won’t pick it up ever again.”
He squeezed her hand so hard she cried out. She leaned away from him. Her other fingertips brushed up against the leaves.
“You scream and your friend dies, too.”
He let up on his grip just enough, her fingers scooped up a handful of white rocks. “Okay,” she said softly. Then she flung the rocks into his face.
He cursed and the hand with the gun moved up to his face, but he didn’t let go of her arm. She grabbed another rock and pressed it into the place she thought she’d scratched him with the letter opener. He bellowed and finally released her, but she was still pinned between him, the wall and the planter.
She pulled her knee up, but only grazed his legs. Her hands fisted and torpedoed his torso, but it was like hitting a hard piece of furniture. The man only took half a step back, but it was enough to squeeze around the planter. She sprinted around the hallway corner.
Crack!
A scream tore from her throat as plaster from the wall where she’d been only half a second ago exploded. Her shaking fingers couldn’t decide whether to cover her ears or head, so she ran with her hands in the air.
A silhouette appeared at the end of the hallway. She flinched and threw herself against the wall. She was surrounded.
“Get down!”
She recognized the voice. Kurt. She looked over her shoulder to find the security guard raising his weapon. Rebecca slid down to the ground. Kurt readied his stance, pointed his weapon and yelled, “Stop!”
The guard swiveled. The sound of his retreating footsteps and a door slamming echoed through the empty corridors. Kurt sprinted toward her, gun in hand. “Is that the guy?”
“Yes.” Her voice shook. “It’s him.”
“Then I’m taking the shot next time,” he shouted as he ran past her and another door slammed.
Rebecca dropped her head into her hands. What had just happened? She was talking to a friendly security guard who she was sure wasn’t a threat. She’d felt safe with him. It never occurred to her that the threat could be waiting around the corner. She’d fully expected it be from someone more invested in the company, like Mr. Putnam, who had contracted a hit.
“Miss Linn?”
Rebecca looked up to see Delaney approaching fast, her hand on her holster. “Are you okay?”
“Y-yes. I’m fine.”
“Where’s the marshal?”
“He took off after the head of security. He’s the one that attacked me that night.”
Delaney removed a cell phone from her belt and spoke tersely. She hung up and took a knee. “The police had just arrived. They’re securing the building. An ambulance is on the way for Mr. Putnam. I’m going to want them to check you out just in case.”
“Mr. Putnam? What happened to him?”
“I’m sure Deputy Marshal Brock is the best person to ask. Putnam’s secretary seems to think it was his fault.” Delaney offered a hand. “Can you walk? I’d like to get you back in the lobby. I don’t like that darkened hallway. Looks like they really shut down this place at quitting time.”
“I think he turned off those lights on purpose. The other guard, the good one, he seemed to think it was weird it was off.” Rebecca put a hand on the wall to give herself a push as she took Delaney’s assistance with the other hand.
“We’ll still need to question him, the other guard. He might’ve led you there as an accomplice.”
Rebecca hated to think that. She really did like his advice on the moose straw because he was right that Mandy would love it. In fact, by the looks of her home screen, Mandy had been trying to text her for the past several days. It was unlike Rebecca not to be sending funny selfies and playing online games with her while out of town.
They reached the lobby at the same time as the paramedics. The one on the right gave her a glance and shook his head in mock disgust. “If I’m here for you again…”
“Not me. I’m fine.” The paramedic continued on to Mr. Putnam, who was seated with his head between his knees.
Delaney gave her a side glance. “I thought we agreed to getting you checked out.”
“I don’t remember agreeing. He didn’t hurt me.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Were you always this stubborn or is the marshal a bad influence?” She shook her head. “Forget I said that.”
The frustration was evident in the young woman’s question. She’d never imagined that Delaney and Kurt had any personal relationship, but the annoyance made Rebecca wonder. “I’m afraid I come by a strong-headed streak naturally.”
“Well, are you going to do something about this?” The secretary’s shrill voice was directed at Delaney.
Detective Hall gave Rebecca a weary glance before addressing the secretary. “Can you tell me what you saw?”
“The marshal spoke to Mr. Putnam and—” The secretary waved behind her. “Well, see for yourself. He went down like a ton of bricks. I’m sure he hit him.”
“You saw the marshal use force?”
“No, but—”
“I fainted, Paula,” Mr. Putnam groaned, his head between his legs. “I’m not proud of it, but he didn’t hit me.” He looked up as the paramedic grabbed his wrist to take his vitals. His eyes darted Rebecca’s way. “Please tell your grandpa I didn’t know anything about this. He’s never going to talk to me again.”
“What’s that mean?” Delaney muttered.
Rebecca had no idea, but she knew Putnam played golf with her grandpa most weekends during the spring and summer. She stepped closer as the paramedic tried to get the man to look into the penlight. “What didn’t you know?”
“About the danger. I never would’ve agreed to hire you if I’d known. You have to tell him. Please.”
Putnam never would’ve agreed to hire her? That didn’t make sense. She’d volunteered for the assignment when she’d heard it was in Coeur d’Alene. Or, at least, that’s what her supervisor made her believe. “Did you specifically request me when you contacted my auditing firm?”
Genuine surprise creased his forehead. “Your grandpa wanted to invest here, in Vista Resort Properties. He said he would only do it if you audited it, though. I thought you knew.”
Her stomach heated. Why would Grandpa do that and not tell her? It was good practice for an investor to have a third-party audit first, and doubly important for a federal judge. Their investments became public record to prevent presiding certain cases that could result in conflicts of interest. Even if it wasn’t required, Grandpa was all about accountability and integrity. Though, it didn’t seem very honest that he’d never told Rebecca he’d requested her.
“That’s an interesting tidbit the judge failed to mention.” Delaney looked over her shoulder. “What happened, Kurt?”
Rebecca followed her gaze. Kurt had holstered his weapon and was striding toward them. He ignored Delaney, though, and made a beeline for Rebecca. “Are you okay? Why did you run off like that?” His eyes searched hers as if he didn’t believe she was really okay.
“I didn’t run off. I tried to get your attention, but the security guard was talking to me. I never intended to go out of your sight.” It struck her now as impulsive. If one guard was leaving, another one was probably coming on duty. Maybe the head of security took over at that point, and if she’d just waited, then she could’ve figured out his identity with the light of all the lobby windows and pointed him out discreetly to Kurt. Of course, if she’d done that, then it was possible Mr. Putnam and the secretary would’ve been caught in gun crossfire. Someone could’ve been killed. She straightened her shoulders, more confident that she’d done nothing wrong. “I got away, and you made sure he didn’t catch me. He works here, so we can find out his identity and hunt him down now.”
Delaney cleared her throat. “Kurt? Could I have a word?”
Rebecca had a feeling they were both in trouble.
* * *
Kurt walked over to the side of the room, barely out of earshot from the paramedics, the police and Rebecca. His heart still pounded in his throat from the intense run after the security guard. There was no way the supposed guard didn’t have military training. He’d scaled a landscape wall in the back of the building and run into the trees. Two minutes later, Kurt had heard the sound of a motor and abandoned his pursuit.
Delaney’s mouth and eyes held hints of strain. She placed her hands on her hips as if ready to abandon her usual calm.
“Now, before you say anything, I know I should’ve never let Rebecca out of my sight in the first place. It was a rookie mistake.” He cringed at his words. “I didn’t mean—”
Her eyes narrowed. “I may be a rookie within the Marshals, Kurt, but I was a police officer before I joined. You knew that, right?”
He didn’t really recall what her previous training had been before she’d been assigned to the district. “I never questioned your qualifications,” he said instead.
“Well, maybe you could’ve used my input when dealing with the police. Because it seems clear to me that delivering the warrant should’ve been left with the Sheriff’s Office.”
“They wouldn’t have made it in time. They were right behind me and were informed of what I was doing.”
She exhaled, the disapproval evident on her face, but she didn’t comment. “Did you know Judge Linn was responsible for bringing Rebecca here, for this job, in the first place?” She raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t think so.”
It was news to him. “He should’ve mentioned—”
“That’s right. He probably didn’t because deep down the judge knew the police should’ve been handling the threat instead of us from day one.”
“And this is where experience comes in, Delaney. We take judges’ requests seriously, despite motivation.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”
He flinched. “I don’t see—”
“It’s relevant because you’ve been treating her more like a partner than a protectee.”
Kurt pulled his shoulders back. “And with time, you’ll find that all cases are not handled equally in the Marshals. You’re used to policy and procedure being laid out for you, no matter the circumstances. We’re given more space to handle things the way we deem most effective given the situation.”
She inhaled. “That may be, but I requested this town as my first assignment because of you.”
He took a step back, surprised. He had no idea.
She held up a finger. “You have the best fugitive capture rate in the ninth circuit, and I wanted to learn from you. I was told you liked to work alone, but I didn’t think you’d shut me out of your process. Clearly protection isn’t your forte, and that’s okay, but stop acting like you have to do this on your own. I know the judge requested you but that doesn’t mean I can’t partner with you. I know police work. Keep me more in the loop and let me bridge the divide.”
It took a tremendous amount of self-control to keep wisecracking and defensive comments contained. Bottom line, she was right. He’d been a poor leader.
In high school, he’d liked to think of himself as a great leader. He’d brought his baseball team to state championships all four years. They’d won the title three of those years. Looking back, all he could remember was the glory of the home runs and the strikeouts he’d thrown. No wonder his team had felt he’d let them down when he’d broken his ankle. He’d never treated them like a team. There was no leadership when he did it all on his own. In the military and even in the Marshals, he either followed orders or did everything on his own. What made him think he could ever lead a team? He wasn’t cut out to get a promotion.
“You’re right. I haven’t kept you in the loop like I should. Your input would be valued.”
Her eyes widened. “Thank you. I’ve got some accommodations lined up for tonight. Now what?”
“Two priorities come to mind. If Rebecca is up to it, since we’re already here, let’s see if she can find the numbers she needs. The key to all this must be in there. Second, we need to get the identification of the security guard that shot at her. It’s possible we’re only dealing with one guy, and he’s probably the one who murdered the accountant.”
She exhaled. “Do you have any guesses at motivation?”
“None. I’m hoping Rebecca can find that missing piece.”
“Okay. I can work with the Sheriff’s Office to identify him.”
“That’d be great. How do you feel about interviewing the owner, Mr. Cabell, as well? He’s been mysteriously absent thus far.”
She beamed. “I can absolutely do that. I’ll get the police on a search for our suspect.” She spun off and walked toward Detective Hall and the other officers.
He exhaled. He wanted to be a leader.
Rebecca was watching him. His heart surged again. Delaney was wrong about one thing. He wasn’t treating Rebecca like a partner. But he wanted to, the kind of partner that he could pull into his arms after a hard day’s work. He frowned and blinked the thought away.
He crossed the distance and nodded at Detective Hall before addressing the man sitting on the floor. “Mr. Putnam, did you hire the head of security?”
“No, no, no.” Putnam shook his head and looked as if he was about to get woozy again. The paramedic grabbed his wrist. “Mr. Cabell hired him.”
“Is it policy for your security guards to carry weapons?”
“Absolutely not. Well, except for Giomar. He has a gun, but that’s because whenever Mr. Cabell travels, he goes as his personal guard.” Putnam’s balance wavered. “Was…was that the gunshot I heard?”
“I think we better take a little trip to the hospital,” the paramedic said. “Your heart rate is erratic.”
If Putnam left for the hospital, Kurt would have to wait hours before getting the answers he needed. “Mr. Cabell needs a personal guard?” Kurt pressed.
The paramedic waved over the second guy to join him.
“I always thought he was paranoid, but he’s an extremely rich man.” Mr. Putnam shook his head. “It didn’t seem outlandish.”
The secretary, who was still quite peeved with him, rushed in front of Kurt and grabbed Mr. Putnam’s briefcase. “I’ll go with you to the hospital.”
Rebecca gestured in the direction he’d been talking with Delaney. “I guess you heard about my grandpa’s part in this.”
“I’m not convinced the judge has any part, other than not wanting to sway you toward giving this place a green light with your audit.”
She seemed to stand taller. “You think? That would make so much sense. He wanted to make sure I stayed impartial.” She exhaled and put a hand on his arm. “Thank you.”
“He should’ve told me, though. I imagine he wanted to make sure I didn’t have any inkling to pass it on to the local P.D.”
“That would be Grandpa. He’d want only the best.” Her eyes glistened as she smiled at him. “I’m glad he got the best. Thank you for saving my life…again. If I’m being honest with myself, I’m starting to rethink my live-in-the-moment lifestyle.”
“I’m not going to say I disagree with you, but it’s not all bad. It probably means you can compartmentalize, which is what I’m hoping. I need you to forget that someone is after you for a few moments and focus on the numbers.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “It’s time to get to work. Let’s go find a murderer.”