Cobb by Maryann Jordan
16
“Please, sit, Josie. You fixed dinner while I was on the phone, the least I can do is clean up.”
It seemed to be important to him, so she simply nodded, watching as Jorge rinsed the dishes, placed them into the dishwasher, and threw the refuse into the garbage. He opened a bottle of wine and poured two glasses. As he sat back down at the table and handed one to her, she smiled. “Is this going to be a wine kind of conversation?”
A chuckle rumbled from deep inside his chest. “It might be. I thought about coffee, but we both want to be able to sleep tonight. I figured wine was the way to go.”
Her lips curved, and she lifted the glass, taking a sip before murmuring in appreciation. “This is really good. I should have known with your many talents, picking a good wine would be one of them.”
Pulling out his phone, he began scrolling through the information Josh had sent to him. His gaze lifted to hers, and she read indecision in his eyes.
“Keeping me in the dark does no good. I can’t protect myself if I don’t know what possible threats are out there,” she said.
“I know you’re right, but I don’t know how happy you’re going to be with where some of the investigation is going.”
Huffing, she leaned back in her chair. “I’m smart enough to know that you’re having to investigate everybody who has anything to do with the clinic. I know that includes my coworkers, and even though I like them and trust them, I know you have to look at them through a different perspective.”
“I like your candor, babe.” Pulling out his tablet, he tapped through several screens and then scooted his chair so that he was next to her. “First off, I did talk to my fellow Keepers at LSI. Then I called Tate for a more private conversation between friends.”
She pondered the information, her gaze never wavering. “You always manage to offer so much information with just a few sentences. I’m so curious as to why your coworkers are called Keepers, but that can be a conversation for another time. I do want to know what they’re working on, and while I’m curious about your private conversation with your friend, I understand it’s just that… private.”
“I’ll tell you all about LSI some time, but you’re right, let’s start with the information that you need to know. Let me just say that I’m having everyone in your orbit investigated. What I mean by that is everyone at the clinic because they know what Caesar did for you and that he’s missing. I’m letting my boss fill in your father as necessary, but when I first met him, there were two of his aides that were present. Your father trusts them, but I’d rather they not know. It’s his call, but as far as I’m concerned, they’re persons of interest.”
“Dad’s aides?”
“Josie, you have to know that just because someone is in politics or an attorney doesn’t mean they are above reproach.”
She snorted. “Believe me, I know. I’m really glad that my father was just an attorney when I was young. It was hard enough to be the teenage daughter of a man running for office. He loves the life. He loves being in the public eye, but it’s just not my thing. I’ve certainly met enough to know that politicians are no different than anyone else… some wonderful and some not so good. A few, absolutely rotten.”
“For full disclosure, I’ll tell you that the two in the room were Carmen Martinez and Tahoma Starr.”
“Carmen? Tahoma? I don’t know them well enough to imagine either of them being involved.”
“Mr. Starr seemed very suspicious of me with your father. I don’t know if he was just curious why I was there. Maybe he looks at everyone that way.”
“I’ve only met him a couple of times, and he’s hard to get a read on because he seems rather closed off. I know he was originally from the Jicarilla Apache Reservation and left to go to college and law school. The times I’ve been around him, my dad seems to have a lot of respect for him, but Tahoma rarely smiles, always seemed suspicious of everyone around him. I just figured that was his personality. ”
Cobb nodded, jotting down a few notes as she spoke. Looking up, he continued. “Ms. Martinez struck me as a woman who knew what she wanted and didn’t mind going after it. She approached me with a speculative look in her eye—”
“I’m not surprised.” Josie rolled her eyes. “I might not know her well, but I’ve certainly seen her at a few functions. She’s a smart woman, navigates a room to find the most attractive or wealthy men in the room. I have no doubt she would’ve taken one look at you and licked her chops!” As soon as the words left her mouth, she winced at the snarky tone. Jealousy was snaking through her, an emotion she wasn’t comfortable feeling. It’s not like I have any claim on Cobb.
“Are you okay?”
She jerked her gaze up to his, and her cheeks felt the heat of blush. “Yes, I’m fine. I just had a… well, a not very charitable thought.”
“About Carmen?”
Wrinkling her nose, she nodded. “It’s embarrassing to admit, but I have no trouble seeing her wanting you. She sees men as a challenge and from what I can tell isn’t used to being told no. Honestly, this just comes from the few times I’ve been at social events with her, so it’s not fair for me to make that judgment.” Shrugging, she added, “Dad says she’s brilliant, and I have no reason to doubt her professionalism. Although I can see her wanting to climb to the top, so I don’t think she’d do anything to jeopardize that.”
“This is good, Josie. I was afraid you were going to be upset about having people around your father investigated.”
She nodded slowly. He was right, it did feel strange to have people that she worked with, were friends with, or had known for several years be investigated. It almost felt like a breach of trust, and for a social worker that was difficult to stomach. She closed her eyes and her mind filled with the sight of her car’s slashed tires and the message on her phone. Sucking in a quick breath, she let it out slowly, finding his gaze on her. Lifting her shoulders in a slight shrug, she said, “If anyone was aware of Caesar and what was going on with him, then I agree, they should be looked at.”
His finger scrolled slowly over his tablet, and she leaned closer so that she could read along with him. Carmen Martinez’s family, education, phone records, bank statement, and speeding tickets. Tahoma Starr’s childhood home where his single mother raised him and his four siblings in a ramshackle house. Charlene Porter’s multiple maxed-out credit card statements and bank overdraft notices. Mark Forbes’ end-of-month bank statements where his expenses have almost exceeded his income, but deposits were made from unknown sources. Mario Rodriguez’s small house that included his wife, their children, his brother, and his elderly, infirm mother. Laurie Mitchell’s credit card statement that gave evidence of how expensive her wedding planning was turning out to be.
She grimaced once again, her gaze shifting to her clenched hands. She should have known she couldn’t hide her reaction from Jorge.
“Josie, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, but it just seems wrong for me to know this information about these people. I know you have to because you’re investigating, but it doesn’t seem right for me to be looking at this private information.”
“If you prefer, I’ll go through this myself. The only thing I’ll ask is that you keep an open mind when you think about people you and your father have dealt with. Sometimes, you may have noticed things that didn’t strike you at the time but now make you suspicious. If so, you need to tell me.”
She rubbed her forehead with her hand. “You’re right. Let me keep going through this, and I’ll just treat it like anything in my profession. With my clients, I separate professional and personal, and I can do that now. I’m used to keeping confidentiality, so I should be able to handle this.”
They continued to go through the records, and Cobb made notes. Scrolling to the next screen, she gasped. “Bert? You can’t be serious!”
“Josie, no one is outside of the investigation.”
She fell back against her chair, irritation warring with exhaustion. “Then you might as well investigate my parents also!”
“Your father is the one that hired us, and your parents want you safe.”
Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Bert may be my cousin, but he’s as close as a brother to me. We’re family. He would never do anything to hurt me. This is ridiculous!”
“He gambles.”
“So what?” she bit out, throwing her hands up. “Lots of people do. That’s how the casinos are successful… people gamble.”
“Josie, listen to yourself. You know as well as I do that gambling can just be for fun or can be an addiction. You also know that casinos are used to hide and launder money. We’re trying to tie up loose ends between Caesar possibly running dirty money through your clinic, and there’s a very good chance that some of it came from or went through one of these casinos.”
“Fine, but Bert? He would have nothing to do with this.”
“What if he didn’t know?”
Her brows narrowed as she stared at him, irritated at his calm acceptance of the situation. “What do you mean?”
“Maybe it’s not him. Maybe it’s somebody near him. Somebody could be using him.”
“And maybe it’s got nothing to do with him at all!” Her lips were pinched together so tightly her face hurt. She finally pushed the papers back and shook her head slowly. “I can’t do this. I thought I could. But I’m too close to these people to even think about doubting them. I can’t help you, Jorge. It will cloud my relationships.”
He remained quiet for a moment, then slowly nodded. She pushed her chair back and stood. “I know you have to do this. I think I’ll go take a shower and get ready for bed.”
His dark eyes roamed over her face, and then he nodded slowly. She turned and walked down the hall, the weight of the world feeling heavy on her shoulders.
Several minutes later, she let the hot water pound out the tension in her back. Her mind was in turmoil, and she wished she could wash away the negative thoughts as easily as the suds ran down the drain. She regretted walking away from Jorge but was desperate for a few minutes alone. Her mother said that she’d always been that way, needing privacy to ponder a situation, consider her options, and eventually make a decision.
And he is giving that to me.That thought alone eased the tension in her shoulders. He didn’t try to argue. He didn’t try to prove that he was right. He simply had her review the facts and then gave her the chance to work through everything in her own time.
As her muscles relaxed, she closed her eyes, dropping her head back so the water could rinse through her hair. Behind her eyelids, she could so clearly see Jorge’s face, already so familiar to her even though she hadn’t known him long.
He was so calm, not a man given to rash thoughts or actions. He was introspective, confident in himself while not in-your-face with his abilities. His body was strong and handsome, but it was his quiet, inner strength that drew her to him.
The water began to cool and she turned the knobs, then stepped out onto the plush bath mat. Toweling off, she then pulled on knit pajama bottoms and a camisole top. She brushed her teeth and moisturized her body, then ran a comb through her long hair.
Leaving the bathroom, she was surprised to see Cobb sitting on the side of her bed, his body leaning forward and his arms resting on his knees. The sight of him caused her heart to skip a beat as her feet stumbled. So handsome. So capable. So serious. She was beginning to learn how to read his expressions but right now had no idea what was on his mind. As usual, he didn’t make her wait long.
“Josie, this is my job. Your safety is a priority.”
Her heart squeezed, but she tried to ignore the pain, wishing his words didn’t hurt quite so much. Swallowing deeply, she tried to smile. “I know. I know this is your job.”
He blinked, his chin jerking back slightly as though surprised. She didn’t want him to feel bad, so she rushed, “It’s okay. I get it. I’m a… uh… this… well, this is a mission.” Even as the words left her mouth, the little fissure in her heart widened.
