Page 50 of Coming Up Aces

Carl stood and walked around his desk, leaning his hip on the edge. “Do you honestly think that’s a good idea?”

“No, but it’s the only one I have.”

“I have a buddy that works in your office. I’ll give him a call and see if he’s noticed anything odd.”

“I appreciate it. Take care, Carl.”

“You be safe out there, Rayna. Let me know if you find your partner.”

Rayna turned and gave him a two-fingered salute as she walked away. When she got in her car, she checked the burner for any messages.

Lucy:I finally pieced together what happened with cameras from different businesses. Grissom entered the hotel, then immediately left out a side door. He got into a vehiclebelonging to a Chris Perkins. They traveled east. I alerted Lachlan to help track them because they got on the interstate.

Rayna:I’m leaving Ray Brook now. Can I call?

Lucy:Yes

Rayna connected the phone to the Bluetooth and dialed the female.

“Hey, Rayna. What did you find out?”

Rayna recounted her conversation with Carl. “I don’t get why Seth would lie to me.”

“Maybe he’s protecting you. Until you know otherwise, keep trusting him. I’m going to try to retrace his steps. Vanessa said he left home yesterday morning, so I’ll search the cameras around town and see what I come up with.”

“Thanks, Lucy.”

Rayna disconnected, then headed home. Her thoughts spiraled, swirled, danced, and twisted between Asher, Seth, and her boss. Why would Seth tell her Spencer had been turned loose when he was the one who was involved in the transfer? No, the transfer was bogus. Paperwork to cover his ass while he moved Spencer. But move him where? And why lie to Rayna unless he were involved in something he shouldn’t be?

Needing to hear Asher’s voice, she called her mate. After asking how he felt, she repeated her conversation with Carl.

“I still think until you know otherwise, you trust your partner. You have good instincts, Rayna.”

“Thank you, Asher. I’m going home to change clothes, but I’ll see you soon.”

“I can’t wait.”

By the time Rayna got to her house, she knew what to do. She parked in the garage and as soon as she opened the car door, her Cheetah growled.

What’s wrong now?

I think you should look around. Something feels off.

Since her Cheetah had better instincts than Rayna did in her skin, she searched her house room by room, but nothing was out of place. The doors were intact, as were the locks. None of the windows were broken. Seth and Vanessa were the only ones with keys and the code. Still, she did a cursory glance for tracking devices. Not finding any, she blew out a breath and dropped down on the sofa. What the fuck? Why would Seth break in without leaving a note?Because he didn’t think she would notice if the alarm wasn’t tripped.

Rayna went through her house once more, this time, searching more thoroughly for anything hidden. She looked in all the air vents. She checked the bottom of her furniture, removing cushions. She stripped her bed after pulling the frame away from the wall. Rayna checked behind every piece of artwork. She then went to the garage and looked around. After a cursory glance, she turned to go back inside when she noticed her shovel. It was hanging on the rack but in the wrong spot. Taking the tool with her, Rayna moved through the house and out the back door, searching her yard for signs of turned soil. She didn’t see any, but what she did notice was a large flower pot in the wrong spot.

Rayna moved the pot to the side, and there she found disturbed earth. She carefully dug, not sure what she would find. Buried about six inches down was a gallon-sized freezer bag. She dug it out using only the shovel, not wanting to get her fingerprints on the plastic. Inside was a thumb drive, a stack of photos, and some folded papers. Rayna ran inside and grabbed a paper towel, which she used to lift the plastic bag, taking it to her kitchen. She then replaced the dirt and put the flower pot back where she’d found it so if Seth were to come back, he wouldn’t immediately know something was amiss.

Rayna went to the garage and retrieved a pair of latex gloves from the kit in her trunk. She also grabbed the burner phone from the console. She opened the camera app and took a photo of the sealed bag. Rayna wanted to know what was on the thumb drive, but she wasn’t going to risk turning on her computer to do so. She reached for the folded papers, but one of the photos caught her attention. Using a gloved fingertip, Rayna spread them out.

“Holy shit.” She studied them all before taking a photo of each one. She then unfolded the documents, read them over, and took a picture of them as well. After restacking the photos into a pile, she shoved them, the documents, and the thumb drive back inside the plastic bag. She then retrieved another Ziploc bag from her pantry and inserted the evidence bag inside it to keep it safe.

Rayna rushed through the house and began packing while calling Lucy on her burner.

“Hey, Rayna.”

“Lucy, I don’t know what the fuck’s going on, but someone, and I’m pretty sure it was Seth, buried something in my backyard. There are documents, photos, and a thumb drive. I’m not about to put the drive in my computer, but oh my goddess…”

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