Page 48 of Deep Waters
Any hint of humor faded from Zach’s expression, his dark gaze holding mine. “And I don’t love that someone seems to be targeting you. I want you and the kids safe.”
“Zach, they’re not targeting me; they’re clearly after something in the house. Maybe if we search, find whatever it is, we can turn it over to the sheriff and be done with the whole damn thing.”
“Why would we give it to law enforcement?”
I patted his chin. “Fenwick, you’re so loyal. I think you’ve been covering for Gran too long. I can only assume that Jordan was up to some shady shit before he died. I don’t want to think ill of him, but he was pretty flush for a guy running a whale-watching operation. I’m guessing he had a side gig.”
Zach arched a brow. “Like what? Smuggling?”
“Honestly? Yes. He had the perfect cover. A fast boat and a reason to be on the water all over the area.”
Zach frowned. “If that’s the case, I doubt he was operating alone. Brandon Chen was his partner, right?”
I stilled. I’d mentioned the cameras when I ran into Brandon. Idiot. Not that I wanted to suspect my cousin’s business partner, but he was the most logical choice. And the one I’d told about the extra security. I dropped my forehead to Zach’s shoulder, groaning.
“I may have told Brandon about the new cameras.”
Zach rubbed my back in slow circles. “It might not be him.”
“NowI’mthe one being naïve. It’s probably Brandon. But what does he want?”
“I don’t know, Captain. But let’s take advantage of this time before the kids come home and conduct our own search.”
Chapter 22 – Zach
We started with the upper floors. Searching there would be hardest to hide from the kids. I texted Gran, and she offered to keep them at the farm through dinner, then come with her overnight bag near bedtime.
I shook my head, staring unseeingly at the back of Jia and Jordan’s closet. Who had two thumbs and invited the oldest cockblocker on the island to be their live-in chaperone?This guy.
Still, it seemed necessary. Gran could hold down the fort while Rae and I worked during the week. With Gran in residence, I could move into Rae’s room almost guilt-free.Almost. The problem? For an old bat, she had better hearing than most vampires. And the same thirst for blood.
There was no way in hell I was exposing Rae to her unfiltered commentary if she overheard… anything. Which meant I’d officially arranged a one-way ticket to blue ball hell, courtesy of my own grandmother. The only thing worse would be sharing a room with my Gran. I shuddered. Hard pass.
When Jia and Jordan’s closet yielded no clues or answers, I moved on to the kids’ rooms. It seemed unlikely that Jordan would hide anything sensitive there. He’d been a bit shifty, but not a bad parent.
House search complete, I joined Rae in the garage. Then wished I hadn’t.
“Holy hell.”
My jaw hung open as I took in the chaotic disaster zone. I wasn’t sure I could find Rae in here, let alone anything a burglar may have been searching for. The Dawkins garage was a mishmash of half-completed projects and supplies. The boater in me died a little inside at the misuse of space. I wouldn’t have pegged Jordan as a pack rat.
“It’s a bit of a mess,” Rae said, emerging from one aisle of teetering sports equipment and boxes.
“It’s a hoarder’s paradise.”
She wrinkled her nose, her expression impossibly cute. “That too.” She gestured to her left. “I’ve finished looking through the first two aisles.”
We picked our way along the next set of shelving. I spotted a broken skateboard, five different space heaters, and a headless Santa Claus among the other treasures.
“This was always Jordan’s domain. Other than the office, I think this is our best bet.”
“I can understand why Jia didn’t spend a lot of time out here.”
The next aisle yielded a box full of old light bulbs and an array of tools for tiling projects, but nothing else. The final wall had a long counter, likely intended as a workspace, if it weren’t heaped with assorted tools and odds and ends. We picked our way forward. The last corner was full of stacked boxes. Most looked ancient. Probably full of high school trophies. One was even marked SWIM TEAM.
I tilted my head. “Was Jordan even on the swim team?”
Rae paused, squinting into the distance. “No. He played football. Jia might swim.”
