Page 33 of My One and Only (Blackhawk Security #10)

A fter they dropped Fiona off at school the next morning, Jo drove Cam to the office. As soon as they walked in, Jo wrapped her arms around him. Held him tightly and said, “It’s gonna be all right. You’ve got this, Cam. Your employees know who you are. It’s going to be painful for a while, especially when you have to tell everyone what Don did. But you can do this. This is your company. You started it, and it’s got your fingerprints all over it.” Jo took a deep breath. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do today?”

“Yeah,” Cam said, shoving his fingers through his hair. “The first thing I have to do is talk to Don’s assistant. See if I can figure out if he knew anything about Don’s scheme.”

“What does your gut tell you?” Jo asked.

Cam took a deep breath. “Honestly? I don’t think Will was involved. I hired him a while ago to handle paperwork and minor things I didn’t have time for. Don saw how hard he worked and wanted to make Will his assistant. Will’s a good kid.” He sighed. “Not a kid anymore, but I hired him right out of college.”

“Then maybe you should just bring him in and talk to him.” She put her hand on Cam’s arm. “This must be overwhelming. Don’s gone, and you need to find someone to do his job, but you don’t know who you can trust. Honestly, his assistant is probably the right choice. Talk to him now, then get a warrant to look at his financials.”

Cam nodded slowly. “Yeah, someone’s got to supervise the foremen and the skilled laborers. And Will Delgado is the obvious choice.”

He picked up his phone and dialed an extension. After a moment, he said, “Will, this is Cam. Can you come to my office? I need to talk to you.”

After a moment, Cam said, “Thanks, Will. See you soon.”

He hung up the phone and said, “He’s in the middle of a negotiation with a supplier. Said he’d be here as soon as he was done.”

“Okay, good,” Jo said, watching Cam out of the corner of her eye. He didn’t seem flustered or upset. Or angry about all the extra work he had because Don was gone. As she studied him, he took a deep breath. “I’m gonna call the police,” he said.

But before he could dial, there was a knock at his door. “C’mon in,” Cam called.

A young man with dark hair and eyes walked into the room and stopped at Cam’s desk. “You needed to talk to me, Cam?” he asked.

“Yeah, Will, take a seat.” He nodded at Jo. “This is Jo Hatch. She’s doing some work for me.”

Will nodded at Jo, and she nodded back. Then he turned his attention back to Cam. “Sorry I had to make you wait. But Don’s not here, and the supplier needed some answers.”

“Not a problem, Will,” Cam said. “I’m glad you picked up the slack.” He took a deep breath. Blew it out. “Have you heard about what happened yesterday?”

Will tilted his head. “No. Did you buy more land? Are you planning another community?”

Cam shook his head. Snorted. “If only it was that simple.” He cleared his throat and said, “Long story short, Don Kincaid no longer works here. He’s no longer a partner in PK Construction. Right now, he’s in the hospital. When he’s released, he’ll be held at the county jail until he can be tried.”

Will had reared back. “ What? What the hell happened, Cam?”

Cam sighed. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the problems we’ve had with sub-par studs, pipes and other equipment.”

Will nodded. “Yeah, of course I did. It was all anyone could talk about for a while.”

Cam’s jaw twitched as if he’d clenched his teeth. “Don was the person behind that scheme. He bought the sup-par supplies, but charged the company the price of the good stuff and he pocketed the difference. He wanted to eliminate me so he could run his scheme without getting caught, but Jo stood between me and Don. The work she’s doing for me? She’s my bodyguard. Don tried to get rid of Jo so he could take me out. Jo stopped him, and he’s in Delnor Hospital right now with two gunshot wounds.”

“What the hell?” Will repeated, slack-jawed.

“Yeah. I’ll have to tell everyone in the company, but right now, I need someone to step in and do Don’s job. Are you interested in that, and do you know all you need to know to do the job?”

Will frowned. “I’m definitely interested, but I didn’t want to get the job like this.”

“Goes without saying, Will. Let me ask again -- do you think you know enough to step in and take over?”

Will swallowed. Stared at his hands. Finally looked up at Cam. “Honestly, Cam? I’ve been doing Don’s job for a while. He was always busy with something else, and he asked me to handle all the routine stuff. Which I’ve been doing.”

Cam nodded slowly. “So you think you’re in a good position to take over?”

Will took a deep breath. “Yeah, I think I am.”

“Good,” Cam said. “I’d like you to do that. Maybe you can spend the day organizing Don’s papers and files. Tomorrow we’ll get together and you can show me what needs to be done. What you’re going to focus on.”

Will nodded. “Absolutely I can do that, Cam.”

Cam stared at his hands for a while, then looked at the younger man. “One final thing, Will. Because Don was stealing from the company, I’ve been advised I need to examine your finances. To make sure there’s no unaccounted-for money in your accounts. Will you allow me to do that?”

“Of course I will,” Will said immediately. “You want me to sign something?”

“Yeah, that would probably be best. I’ll get our lawyer to draft a document, then I’ll have you read and sign it.” He leaned over his desk toward the young man. “You need to know that I don’t suspect you of being involved in Don’s schemes. But for the sake of the company and my piece of mind, I have to check.”

“I get it, Cam.” He shrugged. “You won’t find anything in my accounts besides money from my salary and bonuses and my wife’s salary and bonuses. We have some savings and some investments, but the amounts are what you’d expect for two people not long out of college.”

“Thanks, Will. I’ll give you a small bump in your salary now -- I’ll talk to our accounting department and see how much damage Don did and what we can afford right now. But when the company recovers from Don’s thefts, you’ll get a raise that is more in line with your responsibilities. Does that work for you?”

“Definitely, Cam.” His mouth tightened. “I trust you, and I think most of the other employees do, too. I imagine someone you trusted, like Don, could do a lot of damage to the company.”

“Yeah,” Cam said, his voice flat. “I was too trusting.”

“Thanks, Cam. Do you want me to start going through Don’s paperwork right away?”

“I do,” Cam said. “And I’d like you to put aside anything that seems odd or doesn’t make sense, so I can take a look at it.”

Will nodded. “I’ll do that. Thanks for this opportunity, Cam. I really appreciate it.”

“I’m glad I have someone who can step into it right away. Keep me posted on what you find, okay? And if you need help, or have questions? Don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Will do.” He turned to Jo. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Hatch.”

Jo smiled at him. “You, too, Will.”

After Will left the office, Jo turned to Cam. “I think you made a good choice with Will.”

“Yeah, I do, too. He’s always been conscientious and willing to work hard. I’ll talk to our lawyers and have them draft an agreement for Will to sign. Then I’ll ask my personal accountant to look over his financials.” He drew in a breath. “I’m confident about my decision to promote Will. That was the right choice.”

Jo studied him for a long moment. “For what it’s worth, I think it was, too. I just hope you don’t feel… bad or disloyal for replacing Don so quickly,” she said.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “The company has to move forward, and we can’t do that without someone in Don’s former position.”

“Good,” she said. “Because I got a good vibe from Will.” She smiled at Cam, and he smiled back. Then he took a deep breath.

“Now I have to figure out what to do next.”

Thirty minutes later, while Cam was studying his building plans for the spring, his phone rang. Picking it up, he said, “Cam Pierce.”

“Mr. Pierce, this is Detective Miller, Ogden PD. I have some information for you.”

“About Don Kincaid?”

“No. My understanding is that he’ll be at Delnor for several more days. We have an officer at his door, and there’ll be an officer there until he’s released into our custody. This is about the bomb we found on your truck.”

Cam’s fingers tightened on the phone. “What have you found?”

“Can you come down to the station? I’d rather not get into this over the phone.”

“We’ll be right there.”

“You don’t need an attorney, Mr. Pierce.”

“Not bringing one. I’m bringing my bodyguard. Until we know everyone involved in this scheme is locked up, I’m not taking any chances. And neither is she.”

After a long pause, Miller said, “That’s smart, Mr. Pierce. See you in a bit.”

Cam ended the call and turned to Jo. “We need to go to the police station. Detective Miller has some information about the bomb.”

“Okay.” Jo turned off her computer, slid it into its case and then into her leather satchel, then stood up and grabbed her coat. “Let’s go.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were both seated in front of Detective Miller’s desk. His gaze flipped from Cam to Jo and back to Cam. “I think I told you that we found fingerprints on the bomb, but they weren’t in the IAFIS fingerprint database. We checked Kincaid’s fingerprints, but it wasn’t him. I sent the prints to the military and asked them to run them through their own database because I suspected the bomb was made by a veteran. Lots of people learned how to defuse bombs in Afghanistan.” His face darkened. “Learned how to make them, as well.

“The military got back to me this morning. They belong to a guy named William Simms.”

“Billy Simms?” Cam said. “He works for me. Installs plumbing and studs in houses we’re building.”

“Yeah, we checked into him. I sent two officers to his house to pick him up, but he wasn’t there.”

“Did you check his workplace?” Jo asked.

Miller nodded at her. “We did, and that’s where he was. His truck was packed and he apparently had stopped at the house he was working on to pick up his tools.” Miller shook his head. “Clearly getting ready to rabbit. When he saw my officers, he pulled a gun, but they were able to subdue him and confiscate his weapon. They searched his truck and found three more guns. He’s sitting in our lock-up right now, refusing to talk.”

Miller smiled. “Usually doesn’t take long before they see the light and want to tell us their side of the story. But he’s going to be joining Mr. Kincaid in the state prison. His fingerprints were all over that bomb.” He scoffed. “Probably assumed they’d be destroyed when the bomb blew.”

Cam stood and reached to shake Miller’s hand. “Thanks so much, Detective. I knew there had to be someone else involved. I don’t think Don has the knowledge to put a bomb together.”

“Not sure if Simms is the only other person involved,” Miller said. “So don’t assume you’re safe. We’re still working on this case, and Owens and I are going to question Kincaid today.” His mouth thinned. “We’re also going to get Phil Gwynn in an interrogation room again. With Kincaid out of the picture, we’re hoping that Gwynn’ll be more willing to talk.” He shrugged. “Maybe he won’t, but it’s worth a try.”

“Thanks, Detective,” Cam said. “Let me know if he gives you any new information.”

“Absolutely, Mr. Pierce. I’ll give you a call after we talk to him.”

“Do you have Billy Simms’ address?” Jo asked. She’d pulled a notebook and pen out of her bag.

“Yeah, I do,” Miller said. He recited the address, and Jo wrote it down.”

“Thanks, Detective,” Cam said.

As soon as they got into the car, Jo pulled up her mapping app. Typed in Simms’ address. Smiled when it appeared on the screen.

“Billy Simms lives on the next block from the people whose truck was stolen. I think we can assume he was the driver who hit your truck.”

“When we’re back at the office, I’ll call Miller and let him know.” Cam’s fingers tightened into fists. “Another charge that’ll keep him in prison for a while longer.”

After they’d closed the doors of his office, Jo paced the room. Pulled out her phone and stared at it, then slid it back into her pocket.

“Something wrong, Jo?” Cam asked.

She drew a deep breath. “I know I said I didn’t want to leave Mel in the lurch, but I really, really want to stay in Ogden. I’m thinking about calling Mel. Telling her I don’t want to quit, but that you’ve offered me the job as head of security. See what she says.”

Cam studied her for a moment. Finally said, “Can’t hurt, right?”

“No, I suppose it can’t. As long as I tell her I’m just trying to think through my options.”

She pulled her phone out again and stared at the screen. Took a deep breath. Another. Her fingers whitened on the phone, and she paced over to the window. Back to Cam’s desk. Back to the window.

Finally, she stabbed at her phone. Swallowed and put it to her ear.

“Hey, Jo,” Mel said. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Jo said. “The guy who was involved in the shoddy materials scheme is locked up, and it looks as if there were only two other players, who are both in jail. As soon as I’m sure there’s no one else lurking in the background, I’ll let you know and start my ten day’s leave.”

“Great,” Mel said. She hesitated, then asked, “Then what’s this call about?”

Jo sucked in a breath. “The thing is, Mel, I really want to stay in Ogden. The guy I’m protecting? I’ve known him since high school, and we’re, um, involved. He’s offered me the job of head of security for his company, and I’m very tempted to take it. But I told him I wouldn’t leave you in the lurch. So I was wondering if you have a timeline for getting new agents signed up and trained. So I can stay here with Cam and his daughter Fiona.”

Dead silence on the line. Finally Mel said, “I’ll give you a call back once I check on the people we’ve hired. See how they’re progressing. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine, Mel. I meant what I said about not leaving you in the lurch. You took a chance on me, and I’m not going to abandon you. I’ll be here for my ten days, so you have plenty of time to assess the people you’ve just hired.”

“Thanks, Jo. I’ll get back to you.”

Before Jo could answer, Mel had hung up the phone.

Jo glanced at the now-dark screen and shoved the phone into her pocket. Swallowed and sat down at her desk. “What do you want me to focus on right now?” she asked Cam.

“I think the threat is officially over,” Cam said. “Simms is apparently both the bomb-maker and the guy who rammed into my truck. Gwynn is the guy who broke into the house. Don’s responsible for everything. So I think you’re officially on your ten day leave time.”

“Not until Detective Miller tells you they have everyone involved in this scheme.”

Cam smiled. “Should have known you’d be a hard-ass about this. The good news is, the police got me the warrant for Don’s financials and got a bunch of stuff from his bank. And his brokerage firm. You wanna help me wade through all that?”

“Yeah, happy to do that,” Jo said. “It’ll take my mind of what Mel might be doing.”

Late that afternoon, as they were getting ready to head home, Jo’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen, and her gaze flew to Cam’s. “Mel.”

He lifted his chin at her. “Answer it.”

Jo cleared her throat and took the call. “Hi, Mel.”

“Hey, Jo. I have what I think’ll be good news for you.”

“Okay,” Jo said cautiously. “Hit me.”

She listened for a while, then jumped to her feet. “Are you kidding me? Of course I’m in. That’s perfect.”

She listened again for a few minutes, then said, “Thank you, Mel. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. As soon as I’m sure I’ve tied up all the loose ends here and taken my ten days, I’ll be ready to go. Thank you.”

She turned off her phone and stared at Cam. “That was Mel.”

“Yeah, I heard,” he said. “What’d she say?”

Jo jumped up from her chair and reached for Cam. Hugged him tightly, then kissed him hard. Then she leaned back and cupped Cam’s face in her hands.

“One of our two agents in Chicago is moving. Bree Gordon’s husband, Jameson Ford, accepted a faculty job at Stanford. They’re moving to Palo Alto, so Mel needs a second agent in the city. She and Dev have been brainstorming who to offer it to, but after she found out I wanted to stay here, she said I was the logical candidate.” She grinned. “Said from the tone and wording of my reports, she suspected you and I had something going on.”

Cam gripped her hands. “Really? You’re staying in Chicago?” he asked.

“Yep.” Jo blew out a breath. “Not sure of the details, but I can probably live here in Ogden. I’ll have to talk to Cody, the other Chicago agent. He lives in Evanston, where his wife has a law practice, but that’s a lot closer to the city.”

Cam wrapped his arms around Jo. “Feels like Christmas,” he murmured into her neck. “Like a gift I never expected.”

“I never expected this, either,” Jo said, hugging him more tightly. “Since I won’t be leaving in ten days, we’ll have to have that conversation with Fiona sooner rather than later.”

“We’ll talk to her tonight. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled that you’ll be here permanently.”

Jo looked up at him, her eyes shiny. “Not as thrilled as I am,” she managed to say over the lump in her throat. She held him tightly, burying her face in his neck. “It’s like all my dreams came true. I have you, and I don’t have to leave you behind.” She stared up at him, and tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’ll be working in Chicago. Forty-five minutes away.” Her voice watery, she said, “I’ll have to be away some nights, but maybe the other Chicago agent and I could work something out. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Cam began throwing the papers on his desk into his briefcase. “Let’s go home. I can work from there. We need to tell Fiona our good news. Need to let her know that you’re not leaving.” He smiled. “She’ll be as happy as I am.”

Jo drew a shuddering breath. “I love you, Cam Pierce. And I love Fiona. It took me a long time, and a lot of detours, but I’m finally back in Ogden. Where I belong.”

“And back with me,” Cam said.

“Yeah. That’s the most important thing. Finally the stars aligned and I’m back with you.” She reached up and kissed him. “My one and only, always and forever love.”