Page 34 of Saltwater Sweets
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Sam sipped her cinnamon latte as she pulled into the Beachcomber Motel lot. She usually didn’t drink coffee at night like this, but she had a feeling she might be up late tonight.
Her mother had been upset with the information she’d revealed about Chuck. She knew Deena needed time to think about it, but she figured her mom would eventually confront Chuck. But her mother was such a pushover. If Chuck begged her not to dump him, Sam thought she might need some moral support to keep her resolve.
A little part of Sam worried that she might be overreacting. She knew from her clients’ court cases that what she had was circumstantial. The article about Chuck and Mary Newcomb really didn’t prove Chuck had done anything wrong. They had never asked him for an explanation, and he might have a reasonable one.
If only she could get some solid proof.
She recognized Ellie’s car as she pulled into the parking lot. Should she hire Ellie to dig up that proof? She needed someone who could do it quickly,someone whom her mother would trust.
Instead of going to her room, she went over to the motel.
The lobby was empty. No one was out on the porch. No one was in the kitchen. She heard voices coming from a closed door on the side of the lobby.
She went over to the door. What was this room, anyway? Should she knock or just go in?
She’s felt funny just going in, so she knocked. “Hello. It’s Sam. Is anyone in there?”
The voices stopped. She heard shuffling and whispering, and then the door opened a crack, and Gina peered out. “Hi, Sam. I was just getting some stuff here in the storage room.”
Sam could see Ellie standing behind Gina. “Oh, okay. I just came over to talk to Ellie.” Sam peeked in farther to wave at Ellie, surprised to see that she wasn’t the only one in there.
Jules was in there and a strange man Sam had never met. He looked a little scruffy, and the four of them were awfully crowded in that small room.
Suddenly unsure of what she’d stumbled onto, Sam looked from Gina to the others. “What’s going on in here? Did I interrupt something?”
CHAPTER27
Cole had been sitting in his room at the Beachcomber when movement out in the parking lot caught his eye.
Sam was back, but she wasn't going into her room. Instead, she was heading right for the lobby of the motel. Was she going to meet Ellie there?
Maybe they were working out another scheme for Deena to keep her claws in his father. Well, if Sam could sneak around, then so could he. And it just so happened he was very good at sneaking around.
He quietly slipped out of his door and pretended like he was walking toward the beach then veered off when he reached the corner of the main motel building. He skirted tight against the wall, stopping just shy of a window. He stopped and cocked his ear to listen but didn't hear anything. He peeked in. The lobby was empty.
Maybe they were in the kitchen.
He skulked along the side toward the kitchen window, ducking down and peering up over the sill. No one was there, either.
He checked the porch. Empty.
He went around the other side, peeking into a window that was a few feet down from the kitchen window. It looked like it went to a hallway. There was a door halfway down, and…wait a minute! Who was that guy?
He looked all scruffy and unshaven and a little bit familiar.
Cole pulled his phone out and scrolled to the picture that Gary had sent of the fugitive. It was him!
The fugitive was in the BeachcomberMotel. The fugitive was an embezzler. Was he working with Sam and Deena?
Now it all made sense. That’s why the fugitive was here in this tiny seaside town. They were working on some kind of scam, likely to do with his father. Was Sam involved in some kind of embezzling or money-laundering ring? Is that what she and Deena were going to use his father for? To take his money or maybe use him as some sort of a fall guy?
His phone pinged as he was shoving it back in his pocket, but he didn't have time to answer it. He had to act quickly if he wanted to catch the fugitive and save his father from whatever Sam and Deena were up to.
He rushed back to his hotel room and grabbed his gun and his badge. Contrary to what he’d told Gary earlier, he actually had brought his badge. After years of carrying it everywhere, it had felt too strange to leave it home, so he’d put it in his luggage. After all, he was still part of the FBI. He wasn’t fired or on leave, just an extended vacation. Looked like that had been a smart decision.
He rushed back over to the motel, certain he was doing the right thing. There was no way he was going to let anyone take advantage of his father and possibly put him in a position where he ran afoul of the law. Now, he could kill two birds with one stone. He could save his father and capture that fugitive that the FBI was looking for.
