Desperate Measures (15 page)

“Whaaat? Who are they and what the hell do you mean they were sent to protect me, by whom?”

“Pete’s real name is Chris Dobbs. He works for Barry. In fact he’s the best of the best agents and it’s unfortunate we, the FBI, couldn’t meet the package BS Investigations offered him. Chris is ex-military, trained by Special Forces, and rightfully earned numerous awards of honor from our government. I never met him personally but when the FBI Northeast office tried to lure him into the bureau, I read his report. I was really impressed with his skills, and disappointed when he chose to team up with Barry.

“Kathryn’s actual name is Pam Walters. She’s a newbie, and I don’t know all that much about her, except she’s an ex-detective, and supposedly a pretty good agent.”

Shocked, Caitlin stared at her husband. “I know you probably expect me to be pissed that my father, Barry, and even you tried to pull one over on me, but I’m not. I just wish you would’ve told me. All of you must think I’m so naïve!”

“We don’t think you’re naïve or foolish. Hopefully, now you realize that until we find out what’s going on, everyone is suspect and you have to keep your guard up.” Scott reaffirmed his concern.

“From what you’ve described of Chris, I’d be a fool to refute his protection, especially for the children. So I guess boating’s on?” Caitlin seethed inside but hoped her grin and smart ass expression concealed her true feelings.

“Sure and even better, we’ll all go to the bonfire and party at Mel’s tonight,” Scott promised.

Caitlin heard a knock, looked through the peephole, and opened the door to their visitors. “Hello, Chris and Pam. Do come in, we’re just about ready to go.”

“So you know?” Chris asked with a mask of nonchalance on his face.

“Yes, Chris, Scott told me this morning. Don’t worry. I’m not my usual hell bent self, ready to rip my father’s head off or Barry’s for not keeping me in the loop. It’s probably best for all of our safety that you’re here now.”

Chris took her elbow and led her onto the balcony. Once they were alone and had privacy, he said, “Caitlin, I apologize for putting on that facade last night. I suspected from the beginning Scott would know who I was right off the bat. I don’t know how Scott made it through last night without giving any indication he knew who I really am and continued to play the charade.”

“Isn’t this nice and consoling? On top of everything else that’s happened to me this week, I have a husband who should be nominated for the best actor award this year.”

“Caitlin.” Chris touched her arm in a non-intimate but comforting manner. “It’s not like that at all. Scott didn’t know I’d be headed down here. He’s an excellent agent, knows how to ingratiate himself into any situation, and gather all the information he needs before taking action.”

“I know that, Chris, but I have no control over anything. You and Pam show up to further emphasize my helplessness and lied in the process.”

“Barry told me your father ordered him to send down a superior agent to discreetly safeguard you. They didn’t want you to know about it. It didn’t make sense to me but I followed my orders and kept quiet. Neither one of them knew I interviewed with the FBI. Since I hadn’t met Scott personally, I thought the ruse might work. Barry’s your godfather and thinks of you as his own daughter, so he jumped into action to send me here. Are you okay now?” Chris asked.

“I’ll get over the deception and move on.” Satisfied with the last zinger of a remark, Caitlin turned to go inside.

* * * *

Tomas stood back, watching the two on the balcony, hoping Caitlin wouldn’t explode on Chris. The conversation concluded and they walked back into the living room. From their expressions, everything seemed fine.

Scott stepped toward Caitlin taking hold of her elbow. “All straightened out?”

“Yes,” Caitlin answered. “Just promise me you won’t keep anything from me again.”

Scott nodded in agreement.

Tomas gritted his teeth and walked over to Chris, prepared to get over his prejudices in this case. PIs were a pain in the ass to local and federal law enforcement agencies. Begrudgingly, Tomas admitted that Barry Solerno wasn’t one of the typical glory and fame hunters, or a media whore. Solerno and his staff were team players and did work well with the FBI when their cases overlapped. They strove to solve the case, regardless of who received credit.

Now that Chris’s true identity had been exposed, Tomas introduced himself to Chris. “Glad to finally meet you. I’m sure you’re up to date on the case and most likely ahead of us once again, right, Chris?”

Chris ignored the jab and snide remark. “Not a solid lead has turned up so I wouldn’t say we’re ahead of the FBI. To answer your question, yes I’m aware of what’s been happening to Caitlin.”

Tomas, as lead investigator needed help and more resources, so he couldn’t afford to tick off Chris. He did the right thing and shared all of the information he had. “I received a phone call this morning that might be a significant break in the case. Lukas Bucklin’s jet is scheduled to arrive at JFK tonight and return tomorrow morning to Barbados.”

With that comment, Tomas expected to receive a shocked look from Chris. Some type of reaction other than a stoic stance. Not one muscle in Chris’s face tensed. Ah, finally something!

Chris gulped then spoke, “Don’t waste your time going down that road. It’s Barry that Lukas is flying to Barbados tomorrow.”

After everyone started speaking and yelling at once, Chris raised his voice to quiet the room before they got even more riled up.” Don’t jump to conclusions. Bucklin is one of our biggest accounts and Lukas and Barry have some business to discuss. Lukas has wined and dined Barry before, so this is nothing out of the ordinary. I called the boss early this morning to tell him that the jig was up and Scott recognized Pam and me. It was then that he told me he’d be close by if needed since Lukas had extended an invitation to discuss business and play some golf.”

Scott interjected. “What kind of business?”

“I don’t have a clue and you know better than to ask me to break client confidentiality. All I know is Barry was pretty pissed a few days ago about an employee background check.”

Scott shot Tomas a startled look.

Scott raised the question first. “This wouldn’t be that new Ph.D. research scientist would it, Gerard Hellerman?”

Chris slipped up before but stood his ground. “I don’t know and even if I did I couldn’t tell you, you both know that. I’ve shared too much knowledge as it is. So are we boating or not? Pam and I are your companions whether you like it or not. We might as well make the best of it.”

Carol nibbled on a light breakfast of half a grapefruit and dry piece of toast. The night before she splurged on comfort food, a greasy cheese steak sandwich, and now attempted to start the day with a reduction of calories. Dark circles shadowed under her eyes from the restless night of sleep tossing and turning, worrying about her failing marriage, and her niece.

She’d spoken to Jack for a short time last night. What he said inspired a suspicion that her twin siblings could be behind what happened. Gary and Ginny had always been jealous and vindictive of their older brother. Some of the mean spirited and downright hostile comments they made about Jack caused Carol to shiver. She could never bring herself to repeat such ugliness. At the shrilling of the phone, she put down her toast and crossed the room, wondering who would call so early.

“Hello?” Carol said.

“Hi, Mom, it’s me, Lindsey.”

“Hi, honey, I’m glad to hear your voice. I was planning to call you later this morning.”

“Are you okay? You sound like something’s wrong.” The concern in Lindsey’s voice was evident.

“I didn’t sleep very well last night and I need to talk to you about something bad that’s happening to Caitlin. Have you been contacted by the FBI yet?”

“What? No I haven’t. FBI? Mom, what’s going on? I talked to her before they left for St. Kitts. What happened?”

“I don’t have all of the details but Caitlin has been receiving threats and mysterious messages warning her to back off of any DNA investigation.”

“But her company isn’t doing any DNA research,” Lindsey stated.

“It’s not about CSM Technologies.”

“Do you mean Uncle Jack’s…?”

“Yes,” Carol confirmed and cut short the question.

“Is Caitlin still trying to dig up information on that? I thought she dropped it a long time ago, it didn’t matter to her and wasn’t worth the hassle.”

“She did drop it and has moved on. For some reason, out of the blue, someone knows and is trying to scare her.”

“Have you talked to her or Uncle Jack?” Lindsey questioned.

“I haven’t spoken to Caitlin but I talked to Jack last night. He outlined what had happened. He’s worried sick about Caitlin and is beating himself up about it.”

“Oh my God! What a nightmare!”

“I know, and that’s not all. This is selfish for me to admit but this investigation is only going to make my already disastrous marriage even worse.”

“Mom!” Lindsey shouted into the phone. “What are you talking about? Or better yet what has that bastard Larry, my so-called father, done? Why are you worried about what the hell he thinks at a time like this? I know damn well he’s cheating on you. Why you put up with him I just don’t understand. I’m fully-grown and have a family of my own, so you don’t need to stay with him for my sake. For crying out loud he didn’t even come see his grandson when he was born. Ryan is two and has only seen his grandfather at Christmas.”

“I don’t care what he thinks but when the FBI questioned me I had no choice but to divulge the problems we’re having and they’re tracking down Larry. I really don’t want to deal with the fallout when they locate him and his mistress.”

“Oh, Mom, I’m sorry. Maybe it’s for the best and you’ll finally divorce him and get on with your life. You’re still young and deserve to be happy.”

Carol brushed tears from her cheeks and tried to hide her emotions from her daughter. “Thanks for the pep talk, sweetheart. I’m glad we spoke and I’m sure you’ll be getting calls from an investigator. At least you know what’s going on and you won’t be caught off guard.”

“Take care, Mom, love you.”

“I love you too. I’ll see you and Ryan this weekend.”

* * * *

Barry found it harder and harder to concentrate in his office. He couldn’t keep himself from staring at the photo of his deceased wife, displayed next to his computer. Barry and Sheila Solerno were alone; Barry in the flesh, Sheila in the form of the ink and colors used to generate the picture, capturing her spirit. Barry often traced the outline of his wife’s face, speaking to her as if she were there with him. He knew wherever Sheila was she heard him, giving him the strength to go on. When he looked at this photo, emotion took over, and tears burned his eyes, blurring the image before him. He swore he saw a blink of understanding in Sheila’s time captured eyes, her lips curling in a smile of encouragement. Barry stared, the face before him willed him to share his pain.

Barry would never share his pain or anguish. He couldn’t because he held himself responsible for her untimely death and nothing could assuage his guilt. It should’ve been him who left this earth on that horrific night, not pregnant Sheila. She was too young to die and the child they longed for didn’t even get a chance to take his or her first breath. Barry did his best to move on and lead a normal life but he’d never forget Sheila, his one and only true love. He’d never marry again. The time had passed to have children of his own but he treasured and took his role seriously as Caitlin’s godfather.

Barry shook his head to clear it, focused his attention on the present, and accepted the hand fate had dealt him. He had too much work ahead of him. He couldn’t change the past but he damn sure could do everything in his power to protect Caitlin, even if it meant pissing off his partner. At that thought, he jumped to attention. Jack didn’t know about the trip to Barbados. He dialed the number and the phone picked up instantly in Florida.

“Barry, anything yet?” Jack inquired.

“No, Jack, but I’ll be leaving tomorrow for a few days and wanted you to hear it from me first.”

“Where the hell are you going and what about Caitlin? What if you’re needed in St. Kitts?” Jack rolled off question after question.

“If you let me finish I’ll tell you. I’m going to Barbados, which as you know, is much closer to St. Kitts than New York. Lukas Bucklin is flying me down on his jet tomorrow morning just for the hell of it. This is a golden opportunity I couldn’t resist, considering how he ties in to Caitlin.”

“He doesn’t tie into Caitlin!” Jack shouted.

“Jesus Christ, Jack, I meant he ties into the threats against her. What the hell’s your problem? You know he’s being investigated by the FBI. You better calm down and prepare yourself for the truth if it turns out that he’s your real father. Aren’t you the least bit curious?”

“No,” Jack replied. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Suit yourself. Bucklin’s one of our biggest accounts and if I have to use our contract to get closer to him and keep Caitlin safe, then that’s exactly what I’ll do.” Barry, pissed at Jack’s avoidance of reality regarding his parentage, couldn’t help but end the conversation with a bristling remark. “You know, you could come with me and face the guy one on one. He’s paying billable hours and expenses.”

Barry, fully prepared for another outburst, was taken off guard when he heard silence from the other end of the line then a subdued reply. “I can’t.”

Barry blew out a breath before asking his final question. “Jack, have you told me everything about this situation regarding the notes to your daughter? I love her as much as you do.”

“I’ve told you everything you need to know.”

Barry hung up the phone, new thoughts popping into his mind. What the hell did Jack mean by that last statement? He knew Jack kept something hidden.

* * * *

Steering the boat into the open sea, Chris remarked to Scott, “The island’s gorgeous. I can see why you and your family keep returning and decided to build a house here. I’ve been to a lot of the Caribbean Islands but never St. Kitts. This is a well-kept secret.”