Always Watching (17 page)

MONDAY MIDMORNING

Olivia stood on the shoreline. It was hot and she was sweating, but the discomfort was worth putting up with to have the best vantage point of the surrounding properties from her spot near the dock. The water lapped at the edge of the manmade beach. She held the binoculars to her eyes and swept the area behind the boat. She caught sight of several of her people keeping watch.

Two other volunteer officers stayed in a smaller craft right next to Wade's but could be on Wade's boat within seconds if they were needed.

Her phone rang and she pressed the button on the Bluetooth device in her ear. “Hello?”

“It's Quinn.”

“How's it going?”

“I'm up at the hospital with Maddy.”

Hope sprouted. How she'd wanted to go visit, but she simply couldn't take the time away from Wade. “How is she? Is she awake?”

“Not yet, but the doctors say she's not as far under as she has been. She could wake at any time, so that's good.”

“Any activity around her room? Like someone trying to get to her?”

“No.”

“Huh. Interesting.”

“We'll keep watching. Either the person doesn't think she'll wake up or she's not worried about it.”

“If it's the latter, it means Maddy definitely didn't see who attacked her.”

“Yeah.”

“What else do you have?” she asked.

“Justine's family immediately agreed to the exhumation. I went by their house myself and talked to them. Told them what you suspected. Justine's mother broke down and sobbed, saying she knew it wasn't a suicide.”

“Wow.”

“I'll submit the paperwork and mark it top priority for Francisco. We should get approval either tonight or first thing in the morning.”

“Great. That's great. Thanks, Quinn. Keep me updated.”

“Sure.” Olivia disconnected the call and kept watch on Wade's craft. She ignored the sweat rolling down the middle of her back.
God
, we haven't talked in a while and I know
it's my fault, but just . . . keep them safe. Please
.

The events of the weekend threw a pall over the day for Wade. He wanted to keep checking in with security, make sure they were alert and watching, but he knew Olivia was doing that and everything else she could to keep them safe. Every once in a while he'd catch a glimpse of her pacing the shoreline. Still,
he couldn't help watching the surrounding area a little more intently. But Amy needed the relaxation as much as he did, and he was determined to enjoy the time with her. On the other hand, he couldn't stop thinking about Olivia.

She'd told him some pretty personal stuff, and as a result, some of her barriers had come down. And while he could see that scared her to death, he was glad she'd been able to bring herself to do it. He looked forward to more conversations with her, more learning what made her tick, more exploring the attraction he knew was mutual. If they could both knock the remaining barriers down. Did he really want to open himself up to the possibility of getting his heart broken again?

Maybe.

He glanced around. Olivia had called in the big guns and security was tight. Katie and Haley were with him and Amy. Olivia stayed on the shoreline attached to a radio, her eyes on the area. She'd called in several of her off-duty friends who relished the idea of picking up a few extra bucks for some protection duty. Two other bodyguards, Lizzie and Charlie, had shown up, and Wade found himself liking them as well. He felt like he and Amy were in good hands. They'd kept them alive this long anyway. Joanna sat next to him and sipped a soda. “Thanks for letting me come along.”

“Sure. Always happy to have you.”

“Too bad Martha had that headache. She thinks she's coming down with a sinus infection. I told her the sun would do her good, but she didn't seem to think so.” Joanna shrugged and stood. “I'm going to get in the water with Amy.” She grabbed a float and tossed it overboard, then jumped in with elegant grace. Wade heard Amy giggle and the two start up a conversation.

Haley appeared from the cabin below in shorts and a T-shirt. She was an attractive woman, but Wade couldn't help wishing it
was Olivia on the boat with him. Haley settled in the chair next to him. “Katie's at the back of the boat watching behind us.”

“The stern.”

“What?”

“That's what the back of the boat is called.”

“Oh.” Haley laughed. “I've never been around boats much but should have known that, I guess.”

He smiled. “I'm just being picky.” Amy's wet head appeared before she turned around and jumped off the ladder back into the water. He kept his eyes on Amy but voiced his question to Haley. “I notice the accent. It's very pretty. Irish?”

“What. Callaghan didn't give it away?”

He smiled. “Yes, but a surname for a woman doesn't necessarily mean she was born with that name.”

“Very true, but I was. I grew up in Ireland.”

“How did you wind up over here?”

She shrugged. “My mum married an American when I was seventeen. He brought us here.”

“You like it here?”

“Yes, I do. I miss Ireland, of course, but I've been an American for the past fourteen years, so it's home too.”

He nodded. “Do you mind if I ask you a question about Olivia?”

“You can ask.”

He heard the unspoken,
but I
might not answer.
“Why doesn't Olivia like water?”

Haley took a sip of her water and then placed it in the chair's holder. “That's probably a question you should ask her.”

“I haven't had a chance, but she said she and water just didn't get along.” He flicked a glance at her and saw her grimace.

“No, they don't.”

“And you're not going to tell me why?”

“It's not my place. If she wants you to know, she'll tell you.”

He lifted a brow. “Of course. I didn't mean to pry. I didn't realize it was a confidence.”

Haley sighed. “It's not so much that it's confidential, it's . . . Olivia is a very close-to-the-vest kind of person. Sometimes I don't know what's okay to talk about and what isn't.”

“So you don't say anything.”

“Exactly.”

He smiled at her. “She's blessed to have a friend like you.” Haley relaxed a fraction and took another sip of her water. Amy turned a flip off her float. “Way to go, kiddo.” Joanna clapped and wiped the water from her face. She shoved her sunglasses back on her head. Amy pushed her hair out of her eyes and grinned at him. He gave her a thumbs-up, then glanced at Haley. “You read up on me, my family, and my past before you took this job, didn't you?”

“Of course.”

“So you know about Justine.”

“Yes.” He heard the soft sympathy in her voice.

He turned his gaze to see Olivia pacing along the shoreline, her steps never faltering, her watchful gaze moving from one area to the next. They were out in the middle of the cove, surrounded by shoreline and green sloping grass with patches of trees and shade strategically placed on the various properties. “Olivia seems to think Justine's death was murder. What do you think?”

Haley hesitated as though weighing her words. He waited her out. “Olivia is one of the smartest people I know,” she finally said. “If she has a reason to suspect murder, then I would listen to her.”

He nodded and watched Amy and Joanna climb back onto the boat. Wade held out a towel and Joanna wrapped his daughter
in it, then took one for herself. “I was afraid that might be the case,” he said softly.

“I'm thirsty, Dad,” Amy said.

“There are drinks in the fridge. I just put some in there yesterday.”

“Cool.” Amy headed down to the galley.

Joanna wrung her hair out, then settled a towel around her shoulders. “I'm just going to make a couple of phone calls. I have messages I need to leave for tomorrow morning.”

She followed Amy below and Wade closed his eyes for a brief moment, relishing the August sun on his face. He so rarely took the time to relax that he often felt guilty about keeping the boat. But when he was out on the water, he was very glad he had it.

“Hey, Dad, where'd you get these chocolates? Can I have one?”

Wade looked up to see Amy standing in front of him, holding a box of candy.

Exactly like the one his stalker had gifted him with several weeks ago. He let his feet thump to the floor and stood holding out a hand. “Give me those.”

She lifted the lid. “Can I have one first?” She took one out and moved it toward her lips.

“No!” He grabbed for it.

Then Joanna was there, knocking the piece from her hand. Amy startled and dropped the box. Chocolate rolled across the deck of the boat. Amy burst into tears as she whirled to go back down into the living quarters.

“Amy, stop! I'm sorry!”

Joanna went after her. “Amy, stop.”

Amy froze, then whirled and wrapped her arms around Joanna's waist. Katie took the box from him and a glove from the bag she'd brought on board.

Wade went to his daughter and gently pulled her from Joanna. He turned her to face him and grasped her by her upper arms. “I'm sorry I yelled.”

Amy sniffed and glared at him. “I just wanted a piece of chocolate.”

“I'm not sure where the chocolate came from, but I didn't put them there.” She shot him a confused, hurt look and he sighed. “I'll explain later.”

Using gloved hands, Katie had replaced all of the spilled chocolates into the box. “I'll keep this with me and just check below real fast,” she said.

She disappeared down the steps and Amy swiped the tears from her face and shook her head. “I get it. You think it's that woman who's stalking you, don't you? You think she left them?”

“Maybe.”

“Oh.” She shifted from one foot to the other. “Or Aunt Martha put them there.”

“Maybe. But maybe not. I don't want you to eat them until I find out for sure where they came from. They weren't there when I loaded the fridge with drinks yesterday.”

“You think something's . . . wrong with them?”

“I hope not.”

“They're just like the other ones she sent. They're your favorite.”

“I know.” He ran a hand down her wet hair and drew her out of Joanna's arms and into his own.

She buried her face in his chest. “I ate the others and nothing bad happened,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, but that was before she started causing all this trouble.”

“Right.”

He looked at Joanna. “Thank you.”

“Sure,” she said softly. “I didn't recognize the box, but I
could see how distressed you were at the thought of her eating one. I just reacted.”

“I appreciate that. We may have both overreacted, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.”

“Of course.”

Katie came back and gave him a nod. “Everything is fine down here. No more surprises that I could find.”

Wade nodded and gave Amy a gentle push toward the stairs. “Go get dried off and we'll head back in so Katie can get those chocolates to the lab.”

Katie lifted a brow at him. “You read my mind.”

“Sad, isn't it?”

Katie's voice came through the earpiece loud and clear. “Someone planted a box of chocolates in the refrigerator.”

Olivia flinched. “Planted them? Wade didn't put them there yesterday when he was getting the boat ready?”

“He said they're the same kind he received from the stalker the first time she sent something. And no, he said he didn't put them there.”

“All right,” Olivia said. “Bring them in. We'll check with Martha and make sure she didn't put them there. If not, then we'll get them to the lab and have them analyzed.”

“When do you think she planted them?”

“If it was the stalker, I'd say it was last night when I caught her looking in the window and chased her down here by the boathouse. I'm guessing she stopped here first and slipped that box in the fridge, then decided to see if she could take a peek in the window.”