Page 4 of The Beachside Cafe 2
“What are you planning?” Tommy asked, putting out one hand to take the laptop back. Jaymee kept her hands on the sides.
“I think we’ll be keeping this, Tommy. Cameron and I are going to sort through whatever this is. We’ll find out what’s going on.”
Tommy nodded. “I understand why you’d want to do that. I would, too.”
His drink came and Tommy thanked the waitress. He looked down at it in surprise and then up at Jaymee. “I didn’t order a drink. Is this on the house?”
Jaymee nodded. “It’s the grand opening special. A tasty tropical drink made with fruit juices. Everyone gets one for free today. Just one. As long as they sit down and enjoy the atmosphere.”
“Well, that’s very nice of you.”
Jaymee wasn’t feeling very complimentary at that moment. Her heart was heavy when she looked at the folders and the pictures, not understanding any of it.
What was Doug into? What kind of drugs were being manufactured in the labs on those videos? Who was Doug blackmailing?
The questions just kept running through her mind. She dropped her head to her hand, pressing her thumb and index finger against her forehead. A headache was forming. “Oh, I just can’t believe this,” she whispered. “I can’t believe it. This is a nightmare.”
She looked up at Tommy. “I’m sorry. Please excuse me. Enjoy the drink. Order if you like.”
She slid out of the booth and went across the lobby to the terrace. She needed some fresh air. She felt a little faint.
Jaymee went to the railing at the end of the terrace. It was her favorite spot to be. There was always a gentle breeze blowing through the mountains that flanked the ocean as it stretched out in front of her. They were in the distance but somehow created a tunnel like effect that she absolutely loved.
THREE
Cameron was by her side moments later. She was grateful for his company.
“I didn’t want to leave you out here all alone,” he said. “Are you all right?”
She wanted him to put his arm around her but it wasn’t right just yet. She couldn’t seek too much comfort from this man when it was well known what had happened to Doug.
Cheyenne was enjoying the attention of many people who came out of the work world to surround her with support. Jaymee was glad for that. Cheyenne needed it. Even her bosses at the law firm where she worked were gracious to her about it. Jaymee didn’t think much of the huge firm that took up a good acre of space in the beautiful town of Grand Bay, California.
If there was one thing Jaymee knew about her daughter, it was that Cheyenne would be heartbroken when she found out what kind of man her father was. They had been so close for so long. Doug had backed off his daughter in the last year or so, which Cheyenne didn’t seem to mind, as she was getting older and living a life of her own.
But Cheyenne always knew she could count on her dad. Until the day he disappeared, she was confident he would always be there for her. It was a fact Jaymee regretted now. Now that her eyes were open and she could see just what kind of man Doug really was.
“You know,” Jaymee said, moving from the railing to an empty chair, one of many that lined the railing for people who just wanted to enjoy the sunshine, “that money had to have gone somewhere. The money he was taking from people.”
Cameron reached behind him and pulled a chair close to her so he could sit next to her. “You’re right. It did. And you never saw any spike in purchases or anything like that?”
Jaymee blanched. “There would be no reason for me to know anything about it at all. I didn’t handle our finances. I didn’t have anything to do with our books. Only the café. Nothing personal. That was all Doug and his accountants or whoever it was that did his bookkeeping.”
Cameron nodded. “All right. Let’s go over what we know now.”
Jaymee listened closely, her eyes on the table in front of her, noting everything he said in her mind.
“We know that Doug was blackmailing six people. We know their first names. We know it has something to do with that vial and the labs and the drug. I can contact Alex. Here.” Cameron pulled out the flash drive that had been in the computer Tommy brought. “That was Tommy’s personal laptop. But the flash drive, as he said, is yours. This has all the information you need on it.”
“Did he keep a copy?”
“I didn’t ask but I doubt it. The original is probably still on Doug’s computer. Tommy won’t have a use for it. Now that he’s given it to us, it’s not like he can continue Doug’s scheme right?”
“That’s true, you’re right.”
“He’s trustworthy. Don’t worry about him.”
Jaymee studied Cameron’s face. “You really think so?”
