Then Came Love (11 page)

Amanda didn’t look at Jackson although every sensory receptor in her body was aware of him, feeling him watching her. She was afraid that if she looked in his direction her eyes would give her away. Surely anyone could see how she felt about him.

She climbed up into the Hummer.

“Do you have anyone you need to say goodbye to?”

She gave him a sharp look, surprised at the comment. “Not really. I said goodbye to everyone before lunch.”

He glanced over at her as if he didn’t believe her. “If you say so.”

He was spoiling for a fight; she could tell the signs. But she kept silent and he did the same, driving in his usual aggressive manner.

After about an hour she took out her cell phone. There it was: Jackson’s number. She smiled and went to close the phone, then noticed that the battery was down. She plugged it into the jack and sat back to stare out the window.

* * *

Jackson was prepared to hate Vince from the moment he saw him. This was the man who treated Amanda like dirt. He caught a glimpse of him as he stepped out of his vehicle. He was tall, lithe and had good taste in clothes, but those qualities didn’t make him a man. But when he came around the corner of the building and Jackson saw his face it was all he could do not to telegraph his surprise. It was the man in the picture he carried in his shirt pocket. He lowered his eyes, afraid that his expression would give him away. This was the kingpin they’d been seeking for over a month. And he was right here, right now! Jackson waited until he’d gone into the restaurant and took the picture from his pocket. It was un-necessary; he’d memorized every detail of the man’s face a long time ago.

And then it hit him. The man who ran one of the biggest drug operations in the province was Amanda’s husband. Did she know? His thoughts churned in his head. The man came out and looked directly at him; Jackson steeled himself not to look away, not to betray the emotions that had his stomach in knots. And then Amanda came out and refused to look in his direction.

As soon as the couple walked around the corner he stood up, went through the restaurant to the kitchen and down the hall leading to the back door. The Hummer was just turning around and it was all he could do to hold himself back. As the vehicle passed he stepped out, and with his iPhone held casually in one hand he took a couple of pictures of the license plate.

* * *

Jackson pulled himself together as the vehicle turned onto Loon Lake Drive. His feelings for Amanda had to be put aside now; he had work to do.

“It was him.” He was already on the phone, speaking to Traynor. “I’d swear it on a stack of bibles.”

“I believe you.” He could almost hear his boss thinking. “And he waltzed right in?”

“He called Amanda this morning and told her he was coming to get her.”

“Amanda. That’s the one you were canoeing with the other night, right?”

Jackson hesitated.

“I might have been asleep when you called, but I do remember what you said. You’re not involved with her, are you?”

Jackson hesitated again and his boss exploded. “Dammit Jackson, you know the rules.”

“Yes, but–”

“I won’t ask you how far this has gone, but you know what’ll happen if it turns out she was involved.”

Jackson’s stomach fell. “Yes, sir, but if you want my opinion–”

“Not right now, no. You need to step back and focus on your job. I’ll meet you at the coffee shop at seven thirty. Fuller and Dirksen will be with me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Just a moment.” Jackson could hear his boss speaking to someone, and then he came back. “Well, look at this.”

“Sir?”

“That photograph you sent me? The Hummer is registered to Vince Reimer.”

Jackson wasn’t sure where this was going but he didn’t have long to wait. He heard papers being shuffled. “We did some searches on property owners on Sandy Lake as you suggested. Guess who owns the biggest piece of property on Sandy Lake?”

Jackson felt like he’d been stabbed in the chest but he managed to respond. “Vince Reimer?”

“Bingo.” Traynor was beginning to enjoy himself. “These guys never cease to amaze me; building a big house like that. He’s made it a lot easier for us to keep track of him.”

Jackson tried to agree but he couldn’t find his voice. His boss didn’t seem to notice.

“Okay, see you later.” Traynor disconnected.

Jackson had to get out of there; he couldn’t breathe. He had the canoe in the water and was part way out into the lake before he realized what he’d done. He took several deep calming breaths of air, slowed down and headed for the narrows between the two lakes.

One question had been answered. He’d been curious about why Amanda had come up here...hell, he’d even asked her, and had accepted her explanation. But now the pieces were falling into place; she’d been on her way to her cottage. No, he told himself, not
her
cottage,
their
cottage. He shook his head. It didn’t make sense that she had accepted Kathy’s offer to work in the kitchen when she had a luxurious cottage waiting for her a few minutes away. What was her game?

He was through the narrows and into Sandy Lake before he realized it. It was much smaller than Loon Lake. The south shoreline boasted some of the costliest homes in the area, whereas the north shoreline bordered on Crown land and had been left natural. He drew even with Vince’s cottage and looked across the lake. The far shoreline was rugged, but with a little exploring, he could probably find the access point they used. The cottage appeared to be deserted but he kept paddling rather than make it obvious that he was checking out the place. What had Amanda been thinking when he commented on it? More importantly, why hadn’t she taken that opportunity to tell him about her connection to the place? Much as he hated to admit it, she’d been secretive at a time when he’d thought they were connecting. He carried on for a few more minutes and then turned back. He had a few things to do around the boathouse and he wanted to clean up before the meeting in town.

* * *

Traynor looked up. “Here he is.”

The other two agents gave him a nod. They were probably grateful that they could narrow down their search. They’d been hiking in rugged terrain, walking the length of the many streams in the area, looking for the water source that powered the generators for the grow-op.

Jackson slid into the booth beside Fuller and ordered coffee and a hamburger. While he ate, Traynor finished filling the two agents in.

Dirksen toyed with the handle on his coffee mug. “Why do you think she was there at the lodge instead of her own place?”

Jackson shrugged. “I’ve been asking myself the same thing. Their cottage can’t be more than five minutes away from the resort. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Fuller nudged him. “Maybe it was those baby blues of yours. Maybe she saw something she liked and decided to hang around.”

“They’re not blue, they’re–” Jackson realized too late that Fuller was ribbing him. “Yeah, right.” He didn’t want to let on, but he’d had the same thought himself and had dismissed it as being fanciful. Driving to town to attend this meeting he’d come to the conclusion that he had to put Amanda out of his mind for the rest of this operation. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it was necessary.

“All right you guys. Now here’s what we’ve learned so far.” Traynor pulled a few sheets of paper out of his jacket pocket but didn’t refer to them. “Our boy Reimer is a real piece of work. He owns eleven clubs in the Lower Mainland. He runs drugs and prostitution out of six of the locations.” He shot a quick glance at Jackson. “He’s been married for less than two years but evidently that doesn’t mean much to him. He has one mistress that we know of living in a condo that he pays for.”

Jackson was clenching his jaw so hard he thought his teeth might break.

“Looks like our patience has paid off. We could have busted him any time, but we were waiting to get a line on his supplier and here it turns out he was his own supplier. We’re going to continue scouting for the grow-op, but now we’ll have the advantage now of knowing when he’s on his way. We already have someone watching his place in Vancouver.” He looked at each one of the agents in turn. “Now here’s how we’re going to do this.”

“So.”

Amanda woke with a start. Where was she? They’d passed Hope and were driving on the freeway. Ahead of them, the setting sun splashed the sky with colour.

“What were you doing there? The fellow from the garage said they picked up the Range Rover at that resort.”

“I was working in the kitchen.” She sat up a bit straighter. “It was fun, Vince.” Could she get away with a partial truth?

“I went there after the car slid off the road. I found a puppy and realized it must have come from the resort.” She smiled at the memory. “Turns out I was right.”

“That doesn’t make sense. How does that lead to working in their kitchen?”

“When I got there, they’d just had a kitchen fire. You should have seen the state of that kitchen. You never would have allowed it in one of your places.” The flattery seemed to please him. “Anyway, their cook got badly burned in the fire and I must have said something that made them realize I knew my way around a commercial kitchen. They offered me a job in exchange for a cottage.” She decided to expand on her revised version of events. “I realized on the way up there that I was going to be just as lonely at the cottage as I am at home. Especially with you gone, so I told them I’d stay for a week while they found someone else.”

His knuckles were white on the steering wheel but he didn’t press further. She decided to engage him in some light conversation.

“So how was the convention?”

He looked confused for a moment. “Oh, that. It was all right. A bunch of salesmen all trying to outdo each other.”

“Why did you come home early? Nothing’s wrong, is it?” She didn’t know why she’d asked. He never confided in her about his business affairs.

He shot her a quick look. “A problem came up with one of the club managers. It was something I had to handle personally.”

Amanda nodded, happy to leave it there. “I’m glad to be going home, actually. I’ve been worried about Gran.”

When he didn’t respond she sat back and relaxed. What was Jackson doing right now? A warm glow suffused her body at the thought of him. She stole a sideways glance at Vince, wondering how she could have married someone like him when there were men like Jackson in the world.  Strong, steady men who knew who they were and didn’t need to impose their will on others.

She let her mind drift back in time. Vince had been like that in the beginning. A bit silent perhaps, but he’d listened to her dreams and had been sympathetic to her plight with Gran. Had she done something to make him change, or had his true nature asserted itself?

If the answer is so obvious, why do I believe him every time he tells me I’m useless
? Her mouth curved into a smile as she thought of how she’d taken over the kitchen at the resort. A small kitchen perhaps, but she’d turned it around and discovered a hidden gem in Carlos. She wasn’t useless at all; she’d proven that. Now she just had to convince herself of that fact.

“What are you smiling about?” His tone was harsh and demanding.

She looked back at him, suddenly unafraid. “Oh, I was just thinking about the little puppy. They called him Rocky.”

“Do you want a dog?” He seized on the idea. “A dog. That’s what you need. Something to get your mind off this baby nonsense.”

“Baby nonsense?” She gave a strangled laugh. “Of course, that’s what it was...baby nonsense.”

He shot her a quick look but she could tell his thoughts were already somewhere else. She looked ahead as they sped down the freeway, wishing she could see into her future.