Deadly Cover-Up, page 11
“Now that I know you’re okay, I’m doing a lot better.” He covered her hand with his own and squeezed it gently. “And I’m extremely glad I’ve gone diving for lobster several times over the last few years. All of that time underwater really helped me stay calm and think through what I needed to do to get us out of that car.”
She smiled. “Not to mention all of that ocean swimming you’ve done.” She dropped her hand and grimaced as she moved her arm. “My shoulder hurts a bit from the seat belt, but that’s not surprising since we just fell off of the bridge. I can’t believe we survived.”
Ben tenderly moved his hand to her shoulder and moved her shirt a bit so he could see the abraded red skin where the seat belt had held her in the car during the fall. She would have a good bruise there at some point. He watched her carefully, but her arm didn’t seem dislocated or otherwise injured. The soreness she was experiencing was a small price to pay for surviving the fall into the water. The seat belts and the air bags had probably saved both of their lives. “You’ll probably ache for a few days, but I think you’ll be fine. You’re moving it pretty well, and it doesn’t seem to be broken.” He glanced up above them, but from this angle, he couldn’t see the top of the bridge or the railing. It seemed like they had fallen about forty feet into the water. He hoped their attacker had been arrested on the bridge, but he doubted anyone had stopped him after the car had gone over the side. The police really hadn’t had time to get to the scene, and any of the onlookers who actually saw what happened would undoubtedly be scared of approaching him. The man had probably gotten away scot-free as the crowd of bystanders had grown and rushed to see what was happening with their car once it landed in the river. In the grand scheme of things, though, it didn’t matter whether the man had been arrested or not. What mattered was that Jordan and he had survived. They could hunt the killer down and arrest him later, once Ben knew for sure that Jordan was safe. And now, Ben also had an advantage. He had gotten a good look at the offender’s features, and he knew exactly what the man looked like. He had also heard his voice. His first order of business, after making sure Jordan was out of harm’s way, would be to start searching for the man who had sent them into the river and left them for dead.
He turned his attention back to Jordan. Why had he hesitated to renew their relationship? The enormity of what had just happened wasn’t lost on him. She had been minutes from brain damage. If he hadn’t gotten her out of the car when he had, she would have drowned for sure. He reached across the short distance that separated them and cupped her chin with his hand, making their eyes meet once again. “I’m really thankful that you’re okay.” The air felt thick and charged with electricity, and he couldn’t seem to stop touching her. It was if by having that contact, he was convincing himself that she was still alive and hadn’t been lost to the river. He wanted to lean closer, to feel her lips against his own, even though he absolutely knew this wasn’t the right time or place to share a kiss. Her eyes were filled with questions, yet he thought he saw a yearning there that matched his own. Or at least he hoped he did. He pulled her closer and just held her, savoring the feel of her in his arms. She was alive. Holding her felt so right. Finally, he sighed and pulled back. Following his better judgment, he released her and turned his attention to their surroundings. First things first. He needed to get them both out of the water and verify that she hadn’t sustained any serious injuries. Then he could think about the rush of feelings that was pouring over him and figure out what to do about it.
“Can you swim over there?” he asked, pointing to the closest shoreline. There were a couple of apartment complexes along the river, and one of them had a large dock with several boats moored along the planking.
“I’ll do my best,” she said, pushing some hair away from her eyes. “It’s pretty far, but I’ll try.”
“You can do it,” he said with an encouraging smile. He wasn’t sure she actually could since she was still recovering from her near-drowning experience and had a hurt shoulder, but he didn’t see any other options. He also knew that Jordan was tough and independent. When she said she would try, he knew she would give 100 percent, just like she did with every project or duty she ever took on. Jordan had always been strong-willed, and there were times in the past that they had locked horns for one reason or another and he’d ended up feeling totally useless. She was so self-determined, so capable. Yet, now he could see that personality trait with new appreciation. He valued her strength and fortitude. He also was starting to understand that just because she was so capable, it didn’t mean she didn’t need him, too. She excelled in many areas where he didn’t, and the opposite was true, as well. Together, they made a formidable team. He shook his head, wondering why it had taken him so long to realize how precious she really was. It was as if a lightbulb had suddenly been turned on in his head.
He smiled, hoping to reassure her. “If you start having trouble, I’ll help you.” A new surge of protectiveness swept over him as he helped her back in the water and away from the rocks before the momentum could push her back and fling her against the stones. She started swimming the best she could, and he followed not far behind. He didn’t want to get in her way, but he also wanted to stay close enough to help if she started struggling. His chest still felt unbearably tight. He didn’t want to lose her. No, he couldn’t lose her. Watching her come so close to death just now had made him see something with undeniable clarity. Gone were the lingering doubts and apprehension. Ben still loved her, and he wanted her in his life. He didn’t know what the future held, but he did know he didn’t want to experience any of it without Jordan by his side. Now he just had to convince her that staying together was the right thing to do.
* * *
Jordan swam slowly, unable to muster any more energy. She was exhausted. She knew they needed to get out of the water, but every stroke seemed to tire her further. Her arm was also hurting more than she wanted to admit, both from her healing gunshot wound and the damage she sustained from the crash and subsequent fall. Ben was right behind her, and she was humbled by the attention and care he had shown her. Not only had he saved her life—he had protected her and encouraged her when fear had enveloped her from head to toe. She said a silent prayer, thanking God for saving them from their fall from the bridge and subsequent drowning.
Suddenly she heard an engine in the distance, and she turned to see a twenty-foot center console boat heading in their direction. She breathed a sigh of relief. She doubted any of her enemies would have had time to reach them yet, so the boat had to be someone who had already been nearby and was coming to investigate the ruckus on the bridge. Hopefully, they were also coming to help. She saw Ben motioning to the driver, who waved in acknowledgment. He was a crusty older man in his sixties or more, with deeply tanned skin and heavy wrinkles from his years of working in the Florida sunshine. He was wearing tan shorts, a tank top and a baseball cap with a marlin on the front. Several fishing poles were lined against the back of the boat, and she imagined he had been out trying to catch a few yellowmouth trout or croakers in the river only minutes before. She heard the motor slow, and the boat pulled up about twenty feet away from them. The driver stayed at the controls, but once the boat got closer, she also noticed another man moving near the fishing equipment. He was younger, maybe half the other man’s age, but shared many of the same features. If Jordan had to guess, she would say they were related—probably father and son.
“Looks like you two could use some help,” the younger man called loudly, making sure his voice carried over the sound of the boat and the waves slapping against the hull.
“Yes, we sure could,” Ben answered.
The son nodded and threw out two life preservers. Ben yelled his thanks and grabbed them both, then turned and swam one over to Jordan, covering the distance between them with a few short strokes. Jordan grabbed onto the white cord that surrounded the floating device and pulled it close, then put her arm through the middle. She breathed out a sigh of relief and said a quick prayer of thanks. She had been willing to try to swim to shore, but reality had shown her that she probably wouldn’t have made it, at least not without a lot of help from Ben. This boat had arrived right in the nick of time.
The father turned off the engine and the son followed the life preservers by throwing them a floating rope. Ben caught it easily with one hand. Then he swam behind Jordan and put one arm around her, making sure to support her so her head wouldn’t go underwater.
“Okay, we’re ready,” he called. As Ben swam from behind, the son pulled on the rope, guiding them to safety. Between their efforts, they slowly maneuvered Jordan and Ben toward the back of the boat. There was a boarding ladder attached to the stern, and Jordan was also thankful to see a small swim platform. As soon as she was close enough, she released the life preserver and grabbed the ladder, then carefully pulled herself up to the platform. It was slow going since her shoulder ached, but she could feel Ben behind her, ready to catch her if she had any problems. The son also reached forward to help, and soon she was sitting in the back of the boat on the seat cushion, water pouring from her and her clothing all over the floor of the vessel. The father immediately appeared beside her and handed her a clean folded towel.
“You doin’ okay, missy?” His voice was gruff but caring.
Jordan took the towel and gave the man a smile. “Yes, sir. Thank you so much for pulling us out of the water.” She unfolded the towel and wrapped it around her torso. “I don’t think I was up for the swim to the dock over there. It’s quite a distance.”
“Glad we could help. We were nearby and saw your car go over the bridge. I’d say you’re both in the blessed-to-be-alive category.”
Jordan nodded. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”
She saw Ben hand up the two life preservers to the son, who threw them on the deck. Then Ben pulled himself up and into the boat. The father greeted him with a handshake and a clean blue towel as the son pulled the rope into the boat. At some point, Ben had ditched his suit jacket and tie, but it was still strange to see him coming out of the water in dress pants and a button-down shirt. Jordan felt a laugh bubble up inside of her. She couldn’t help herself. “If I’d known we were going swimming today, I would have brought a bathing suit,” she quipped.
All three of them laughed along with her. Today had turned out nothing like she’d expected, but they were alive. That was the important part. She had learned over the last few months to take hold of the joy she found whenever she discovered it. For this moment in time, they were together and safe. That was all that mattered.
THIRTEEN
Jordan wiggled her shoulder, adjusting her stance until the throbbing subsided. She was still a bit sore, even though it had been two entire days since her graceless fall into the St. Johns River. The doctor she had seen had told her that it would take a few days for the pain to subside, but she was impatient with the healing process. There was simply too much to do, and her hurt shoulder held her back.
She glanced over at Bailey, who was still typing furiously on her keyboard. Her polished blue nails flew against the keys, and once again, Jordan found herself admiring the woman’s computer abilities. It wasn’t just that she was freakishly good at typing at breakneck speeds. She knew how to find out practically anything by researching sources and accessing files that the creators had thought were all but invisible. She also knew how to navigate the dark net and how to find tidbits of information that just might help them close this case, if they could just point her in the right direction. She hoped that Bailey’s current research would pan out into something useful.
Jordan was still sick about losing the notebook and the Mintax samples that they had gotten from Chad Peretti. On top of everything, she was also worried about Chad’s safety, especially since he had refused Ben’s offer of a protection detail. Hopefully Southeastern would leave him alone since he no longer had the notebook, but he was a loose end, so in her mind, he was still in danger until Southeastern was exposed.
She ran her fingers through her hair. Now they were truly back at square one. She couldn’t help the frustration that swept over her as she watched Bailey work. At this point, Bailey and her computer skills were their only hope. Every other lead they had followed had crashed and burned. Even the hard drive they had found was still inaccessible. The encryption program was still giving Bailey fits, despite her impressive skills. Jordan had no doubt Bailey would eventually crack it, but it was a slow process, and in the meantime, they had precious little to follow up on to stop Southeastern’s actions. To top it all off, Ben’s boss was getting restless. Jordan knew the deputies had a stack of cases that needed their attention. They couldn’t continue to focus their time on the Southeastern case if they didn’t make significant progress, and soon. The sheriff wanted results, or he would shift his resources to cases where they could move forward. It was that simple.
Jordan glanced over at Ben, who was sitting back reading a file a few feet away at the end of the table in the Sheriff’s Office conference room. She liked the way his brow furrowed when he was concentrating, and a whisper of attraction swept over her. He was dressed in his normal outfit of gray slacks, a dress shirt and tie, and his navy jacket was slung carefully on the back of the empty seat next to his. She liked the way he dressed for work, but he could be wearing anything, and he would still look amazing. He was truly the most handsome man she had ever seen.
She quickly tamped down those feelings and tried to focus on the more practical aspects of her ex-fiancé. He had some small cuts from the flying glass that were healing nicely, but beyond that, Ben had survived their ordeal unscathed. God had truly protected them from the brutal death their attacker had envisioned. For that, she was incredibly thankful.
She thought over Ben’s behavior since their dive into the St. Johns River. He had been very attentive since the boat had pulled them out of the water and saved them the long swim to the shoreline. He had been careful to help her into the boat and had been by her side the entire time when they had gone to the hospital for checkups to make sure they had no hidden injuries from their exploit in the water. The doctor had kept Jordan under observation for a few hours since she’d needed rescue breathing to survive, but he had eventually pronounced her healthy and prescribed rest and reduced stress to help her recover. Then she and Ben had reported everything to the team, and they had discussed the case in detail, going over everything that had happened.
After the river, much of the awkwardness Jordan had been feeling around Ben had suddenly dissipated. It was as if he was finally at ease with her company, despite their troubled past. He seemed more relaxed and looked her in the eye more when they spoke. Even when they were away from the hotel, he was sticking close by, as if protecting her had become his number one priority. She had always known he was keeping an eye on her, but now his efforts were much more obvious. Jordan still didn’t know if he had moved on to a new relationship or not, and even so, she had done her best not to assume that there was anything between them. She knew he cared about her as a friend, but she wasn’t sure if he had any romantic feelings for her left. Either way, she was glad that he was becoming more comfortable in her presence, because when he was at ease, she was more at ease, yet she still didn’t know if they had any future together or not. She had been praying about it and seeking God’s guidance, but so far, she hadn’t gotten any clear answers. For now, her solution was to keep her eye on the ball here and solve the Southeastern scandal. Then she would have time to analyze their relationship and decide how to proceed, if that was even a possibility.
“Eureka!” Bailey exclaimed as she pushed back from her keyboard and interrupted Jordan’s woolgathering.
Jordan sat up taller, and she and Ben both gave her their full attention. Frank had also been walking by in the hallway, and at hearing Bailey’s announcement, he had come in and crossed to her computer.
Bailey pointed. “One of my searches just came back with some very interesting information. It looks like Sam Delvers has invested heavily into Southeastern, and most of his own money is tied up in the company. If Southeastern loses everything, Delvers will, too. He has basically nothing left in his personal accounts and will be financially ruined if the company goes under. Even his house, or actually, his mansion, is mortgaged to the hilt and will go on the chopping block if Southeastern fails.” She hit another key and the screen changed. “Two of Southeastern’s main investors are in the same boat.” She turned to Jordan. “Do you know Cindy Drake or Phil Johnson?”
Jordan shook her head. “I don’t know Cindy Drake. I think Phil Johnson is a friend of the CEO’s. I’ve seen him with Delvers on several occasions. Johnson was even at the labs a lot during the Mintax trials. I don’t know much about him, though.”
Bailey nodded. “Well, both of them will be financially ruined if Southeastern goes under. They’ll have to start flipping hamburgers to make a living because they’re gonna lose it all.” She nodded sagely. “The pharmaceutical lab itself is also on the verge of bankruptcy. Their balance sheets tell a horrible story of mismanagement. The Mintax losses have basically crippled them. I bet their accounting department is going nuts right now, trying to figure out how to fix it. What I’m seeing is a lot of desperate people trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat to keep the company afloat.”
Jordan’s eyes rounded as Bailey continued.
“There’s something else,” Bailey noted as she brought up yet another screen and pointed toward the information she had uncovered. “Delvers, Drake and Johnson aren’t the only investors that have put all of their eggs into the Southeastern basket. Southeastern has hundreds of investors, but I’ve found at least nine others who have also put almost everything they have into the company—and they are all attorneys that work at the same law firm right here in Jacksonville. Have you heard of the Baker and Davis Law Group?”
