Cobb by Maryann Jordan
21
Cobb felt Floyd's intense stare but ignored the agent as he settled at the table, his encrypted, secure laptop open in front of him. Jerking his head to the side, he invited Floyd to sit, glad when the man was able to understand head motions considering Cobb wasn't in the mood for social niceties.
A few minutes later, the screen filled with the sight of the other Keepers, and from the looks of things, most had made it into the headquarters from their beds in the middle of the night. He knew there were no regrets, just as he knew he’d be there for any one of them if he'd been at home.
“How’s Josie?”
He appreciated their concern and the fact that none of them wasted their time telling him to hold on to his shit or asking him how he was doing. They would know he was holding on, even if it was by the barest edges of his fingernails.
“I've got her soaking in a hot tub filled with some kind of lavender shit that’s supposed to be relaxing and a glass of wine perched on the side.”
“Best thing you can do right now.” Mace’s voice was his usual growl, but Cobb recognized concern.
“What have you got?”
“Is Floyd with you?” Levi asked.
“I'm here,” Floyd said.
“Good to have you with us.” Again, not wasting time, Mace jumped in. “I know you haven't had a chance to study the photograph. We have and hope we can give you enough information that you can locate where it was taken. That investigation is on you. Same with finding Caesar’s killers. But we'll give you everything we can. Our responsibility is the security of Josie.”
“Understood.” Floyd leaned forward, his gaze pinned on the computer screen where an enlarged, enhanced version of the picture was displayed.
“The Bureau will have its analysis, but with the picture being so close on Caesar, there's little background to ascertain as to exactly where he is. But looking at what we can see of his body, there's bruising on his face, some appearing older than others. This would indicate he's been hit, probably throughout the time he's been missing. This could also indicate that they’re looking for something. Why else keep him alive and beaten? And the gunshot to his temple is execution-style. We can only see the entrance wound with its abraded skin, but since there is blood on the floor on the opposite side, we’ll assume it came from an exit wound.” Cobb wasn’t surprised to hear Tate’s voice. All Keepers were weapons experts, but Tate’s knowledge of weapons was exceptional.
Floyd leaned even closer, nodding. “Got it.”
“Looks like a hard-contact wound from the searing. Definitely execution. I’d say twelve-gauge, but your people will make that call,” Tate continued. “The orange-red tattooing indicates Caesar was alive when shot.”
Cobb shook his head, his gut clenching. “I’d feel better if this was someone in Josie’s orbit with just a gambling problem and needing a way to hide takings. This here… fuck… this is indicating organized crime, probably cartel involvement.”
“That’s our take as well,” Mace concurred. “Not going to waste time trying to figure out more ‘cause that’s Floyd’s concern.”
“Agree, but with this information, we can look at who might be in her orbit that could have those kinds of connections. What have you got on any of them?” The unfamiliar slither of emotions-over-mission running through him made Cobb hope his voice sounded stronger than it felt coming from his lungs.
“Okay, let's start with Bert. You know he's an attorney, but it took him an extra year to get there because he almost flunked out of college his first year. Honestly, probably not a big surprise considering his parents had not been deceased very long. From all accounts, he's tight with Josie's family, his bank accounts look normal, and he has an investment portfolio that, again, doesn't ring any warning bells. Now, he's still friends with a bunch of guys he was in a fraternity with at the University of New Mexico. No red flags on most of them except two that have finances that show deposits that look suspicious. Timothy Hobson and Roberto Mendez.”
“Those are the two that were with Bert at the casino on the rez. Looked down their nose at me until they found out I was the son of the governor. Then they couldn’t shake my hand enough. Fuckin’ pricks.”
“Both have money shifting around. Deposits that don't equal their paychecks, cash going into various accounts with various banks. Could just be gambling winnings but could be other kinds of payoffs. Both work for a textile shipping company that, believe it or not, has accounts in Mexico.”
“So, these guys may just be using Bert as a way to move in and out of political circles to hobnob with movers and shakers? Maybe even the way they found out about Josie’s clinic?” Floyd scribbled notes on a pad, occasionally tapping the end of his pen on the table.
Josh answered for the Keepers. “It’s certainly a possibility. And if they're engaged in illegal activities, laundering money at the least, and possible drug trafficking, then Bert could just be a pawn, or he’s involved as well. One of the things we’ve discovered is that they go across the border to a casino in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico—”
Floyd interrupted. “They don't have to pay any fucking taxes on their winnings.”
“Exactly. So, it's not only lucrative for gambling, it makes it lucrative to run your money through the casinos.”
Cobb asked, “How is the money laundering through the casinos tied into Josie's charity?”
“I’ve been looking at this,” Tate said. “My guess is that Caesar was working with this lawyer in El Paso, Carson Wright, who has ties to several of the casinos. It would be easy for him to take money from individuals or cartels and flush them through the books of the clinic since he was the only one looking at them. Caesar could move the money in any direction. A cartel running a casino could move money to someone in the states by shuffling it through a charity organization. In and out with no one the wiser other than the bookkeeper who was handling everything. It could also be used by somebody in the states who's dealing with the cartel as a way to get money to them through the charity and through the casino. The more shuffling of money, the less someone's going to try to follow the trail.”
“Anything on Carson Wright?” Floyd stopped bouncing his pen and made eye contact with Cobb.
“Right now, he’s in the wind, too. I got a bad feeling that he may be meeting the same fate as Caesar, or maybe he’s just hidden. The drive you found is full of codes that even Josh couldn’t crack. We’ve turned that over to the FBI as well.”
“Okay, what about anybody else? Mark Forbes? Charlene Porter? Hell, I don’t trust Senator Rector’s aides, Carmen Martinez or Tahoma Starr, at all. Anything on them?”
“Nothing that ties anyone into laundering or cartels, but we’re still looking.”
“I know we've already talked about Mark Forbes and Charlene Porter. We've been able to pull up a little bit more on Charlene’s boyfriend that she claims spends money on her. Looks like she's hooked up with a man about fifteen years older than her who runs an investment company that's got a presence in El Paso as well as Albuquerque. Anton Sanchez. Don’t know if she’s aware, but he’s married. There’s nothing on her phone that would indicate he’s promising to leave his wife.”
“Tahoma Starr was born on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation. Parents are dead, no siblings. It doesn't look like he's been back, or at least he has no ties there. Took a scholarship straight outta high school and went to college and then law school. Can't find anything strange about his accounts or money, but at this point, that could just mean that he hides things well.”
“You haven't gotten to Carmen,” Cobb noted.
Chuckling, Josh said, “Honestly? She looks like a maneater. Sharp. Smart. Plays the field and doesn't date any one person. Makes no bones about having her eye on politics and her dates are movers and shakers.”
Floyd looked over at Cobb. “I can't see someone like her risking it all on gambling or money laundering.”
“You never know what makes someone take risks. Sometimes it's nothing more than a bad decision then they get trapped in having to continue to do things they wouldn’t normally do just to keep it quiet,” Mace responded.
Cobb snorted. “Tell me about it. It's the way of politics. And I've got no doubt that the cartels and politicians can have inroads with each other.” He sighed and squeezed the back of his neck, willing the tension to ebb. “So, where does this leave us right now? Other than I'm not going to leave Josie's side.”
Floyd leaned back in his seat. “I've already sent the photograph of Caesar to my superiors. Right now, he goes from someone missing to a murder victim. The Bureau will kick this into high gear.”
Cobb growled, “The big question comes to what is it that someone thinks Josie can do? Caesar gave her the mini drive, so is that what they are after? Is that why they tortured him? If Josh can’t figure out the code right away, what makes them think that she can?”
Mace’s calm voice cut through Cobb’s frustration. “Could just be because she had a copy of the records. Maybe they were beating him up to find out if he gave that information to anyone else. Or if he knows if she did.”
“And she did. They know I’m around. They know I’m looking.”
“But the message said to keep her bookkeeper out of it. They don’t know you’re investigating. Just that you’re dating,” Tate reminded.
“I can’t just fuckin’ sit here and wait for something else to happen.”
“We’re working it on this end, but you’re right… things are heating up. I’m sending Tate and Bray to you. Drew will fly them in and be there as backup. With you staying with Josie while she works, they can help with keeping an eye on what you can’t.”
Silently, but surely, the air released from his lungs and some of the tension released from his neck. Hearing that three more Keepers were coming meant he could stay with Josie twenty-four seven and still have eyes on her house and her clinic. And as far as he was concerned, she wasn’t driving separately from him anymore regardless of what a client thought. A flash of concern ran through his mind that she might not like the restrictions, but that was immediately followed by the reminder of her expression when she’d stared at the vision of Caesar’s body on her phone screen.
The Keepers, Floyd, and Cobb continued to plan for the next ten minutes before disconnecting with promises to see Drew, Tate, and Bray the next day. After walking Floyd to the door, the two men shook hands. “I figure working with a crew like mine might be out of your element, but I appreciate everything you’re doing.”
Floyd nodded, his handshake firm. “That’s quite a team Mace has assembled. I knew some good people who went into security after they left the military, but I’ve never experienced anything like the level you work with. I realize you can go your own way, but keep in mind that I’m bound by rules, and I’ll follow them.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to do anything other than follow your rules. We both have our own jobs to do while trying to keep Josie safe. I know you’re going to focus on Caesar’s murder and hope that anything you discover you let me know if it’ll help me eliminate the threat to Josie.”
Still nodding, Floyd agreed. “And I’ll ask for the same consideration. Whatever you find, send that information my way.”
He watched Floyd head to his vehicle before shutting and locking the door and setting the alarm. Glancing at the clock on the stove in the kitchen, he realized that the meeting had taken much longer than he’d anticipated. Flipping off the lights, he hustled down the hall and into the main bedroom. The bathroom door was still cracked open but he could hear water draining from the tub.
Stepping inside, his gaze landed on the empty wine glass and Josie standing at the double-sink vanity. Her hair was haphazardly piled on top of her head, multiple tendrils streaming down, their ends wet. Her skin was rosy from the warmth of the bath, and she’d pulled on her sleep shorts and camisole with a floral, silky robe draped over her shoulders. Her hands were gripping the counter and her gaze was staring into the mirror at herself before drifting to his reflection.
“Josie, baby.” His voice was soft, the desire to comfort strong. He stepped behind her, one arm banding around her waist, his hand resting on her stomach, and the other arm wrapped around her upper chest. He tucked her back close to his front, and with his added height rested his chin on the top of her head as they both continued to stare at each other’s reflection in the mirror. “I was hoping the bath would make you feel better.”
She rolled her lips in for a few seconds. “It did. I was so cold, and it chased the chills away. I drank the wine, closed my eyes, and lost track of time.”
“Good. That’s exactly what I wanted to happen.” When she remained quiet, he gave her a little squeeze, drawing her gaze back to his. “And now?”
“I keep thinking about Caesar. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that the man that sat in my office a few weeks ago… a man that I used to see twice a week for the last couple of years… a man that occasionally ate in the workroom with us… is now dead. And not just dead like he was in a car accident or had a heart attack. Or even killed in some random act of violence. But he was murdered.”
She swallowed deeply, and he felt her chest heave with the movement but remained quiet, giving her a chance to voice her struggle.
“And not just murdered for a reason that had nothing to do with me. But murdered because he was involved in or found out that someone was moving money through the clinic’s finances.”
She dragged in a breath that wasn’t ragged, but he still felt her chest shudder with the effort. She turned with his arms still encircling her and wrapped hers around him as well. Tilting her head back, she looked up and her blue eyes penetrated straight through him.
“I don’t know what to do with that, Jorge. I don’t know how to reconcile that in my mind. It’s all so horrible, and I don’t know how to begin processing all of this.”
“For starters, babe, just know that you’re not going to process it by yourself. I’m here, and I’m not leaving. You’ve got nothing to fear because I’m going to stay with you every second. And the Keepers are on this as well as the FBI. In fact, tomorrow, you’re going to get to meet some of my crew. Three Keepers are coming in.”
Her brow crinkled as though his words were difficult for her to comprehend. “Coming here?”
“Drew, Tate, and Bray are coming. That way we’ll have more backup. One of them will be able to keep an eye on your place here while I am with you constantly. The other two are going to be able to help keep an eye on the clinic and we’re stepping up the investigation into who’s behind the threats.”
He was afraid she was going to have more questions, and right now, he didn’t have a lot of answers. But in true Josie form, she simply nodded, giving her trust over to him.
“Okay.”
He couldn’t help the smile that curved his lips. “Okay? Just that easy?”
She lifted her shoulders in a little shrug and nodded. “This is what you know best. This is what you do. I’d be a fool to argue against that.”
He kissed the top of her head and muttered, “Easy. Absolutely perfect and easy.” Her exhaustion was evident, and he asked, “Have you finished in here?”
She nodded, her head moving against his chest. “Yeah, I was all done when you came in.”
“Then I’ll tuck you in before taking a quick shower. Ten minutes, and I’ll join you.”
She acquiesced, and he did exactly what he said he would do. Ten minutes later, he crawled into bed with her, wrapped her back into his embrace, and finally relaxed as her breathing eased and he knew she had found sleep. He hoped her dreams were peaceful but was prepared to slay her nightmares if needed.
