Julianna Morris - Undercover In Glimmer Creek

* * *

GABE LIFTED WEIGHTS at the fitness center for over an hour before returning to the small studio he’d rented in town. It was actually a cottage, in a cluster that had once been an old 1920s motor court. Despite their age, Glimmer Cottages were well maintained, and they were only a block from Poppy Gold.

In his room, Gabe pulled out his computer and opened his internet browser, linking through his smartphone. Finding the information he wanted didn’t take long, and he cursed as he stared at the screen. Tessa was the granddaughter of Patrick Connor, who owned Connor Enterprises, a huge import-export company, just like the one the McKinley family had started two generations back.

Since the two businesses were in the same field, it could certainly help Connor Enterprises to undercut TIP. One of the major agreements that had fallen through for TIP was a deal to import specialty food items from Southeast Asia. In turn, it had caused the failure of a chain of contracts under negotiation, costing TIP a small fortune. According to the Connor Enterprises website, it also imported comestibles from Southeast Asia.

Gabe quickly connected with his brother on Skype.

“Hey, bro,” Rob answered. He was obviously still at his office at TIP. “Having fun plunging toilets?”

“Very amusing. My duties are limited to grounds maintenance, but I’m volunteering to be on call for anything else.”

Rob’s eyebrows shot upward. “Grounds maintenance? You’re kidding, right? You can’t tell a petunia from an oak tree.”

Gabe winced. “Don’t remind me. Earlier I was going to pull a weed when Tessa Connor objected—turns out it was something called foxglove that her mother had planted.”

“Isn’t that stuff poisonous?”

Poisonous? Gabe tucked the information away. It was interesting but not particularly relevant.

“I’ll have to look it up. What do you know about an import company called Connor Enterprises?”

His brother’s face sobered. “It’s only one of TIP’s biggest business rivals, that’s all. Oh, damn... Connor. Surely there isn’t a connection.”

“Sorry to disappoint you. Tessa is the owner’s granddaughter and worked there until a year or so ago. As far as I can tell, she and her father are Patrick Connor’s only heirs, aside from his wife.”

“I’m surprised Liam isn’t working in the family company. Maybe he’s a rebel like you.”

Gabe ignored the rebel comment. He wasn’t a rebel, but it would have gagged him to work for TIP. The only thing he’d regretted about enlisting so young was not being around to look after his younger brother.

“How did Liam end up in Glimmer Creek?” Rob wondered.

“I’ll try to find out. Tell me why TIP started coming to Poppy Gold in the first place.”

“All I know is that someone in the personnel department recommended it. I’ll look into the details, but I can’t believe Tessa or her father are involved. They just aren’t the type.”

Gabe kept his face expressionless. His brother would be much better off if he developed a more realistic outlook on human nature. “It’s a fairly big coincidence, so we have to consider the possibility. Can you determine whether Connor Enterprises has profited directly from the information leaks? For example, did they get any of the contracts you lost?”

“I suppose. Are you still confident no one there will connect you with TIP?”

“It’s unlikely, provided we act like strangers when you get here. I needed to keep a low profile when I was a SEAL, and the TIP webmaster has never posted my picture or personal history on the company website—”

“Because you refused to allow it,” Rob interjected.

“And all TIP business documents identify me as David G. McKinley Jr.,” Gabe continued. “In addition, you and I don’t look alike.”

“True, I’m much better-looking.”

“Only in your dreams.”

Rob chuckled. He was fair and blue-eyed and possessed a boyishness that charmed women and disarmed opponents. Gabe, on the other hand, was dark-haired, taller, leaner and combat-scarred, and no one had ever accused him of being charming. Yet despite their differences, they’d always gotten along.

“I would have thought you’d crack the case wide open in four or five hours,” Rob told him. “Six at the most. I’m a taxpayer, I expect more from all that training you got in the navy. What does it cost to train a SEAL these days, twenty million bucks?”

Gabe snorted. “Not quite.”

“Tessa has a lot at stake here, too, since Poppy Gold’s reputation could be affected. I know we discussed it already, but it might be easier to simply ask for her help.”

“That isn’t a good idea. She and her father are logical suspects with their close ties to Connor Enterprises.”

“I suppose.”

They talked a while longer before logging off.

Skyping had made staying in contact easier over the past few years, though Gabe hadn’t always been able to connect in remote locations or when he was in a communications blackout.

Frowning, he reviewed both the town’s website and the one for Poppy Gold Inns to be sure he hadn’t missed anything in his original research. There was no information about Poppy Gold’s owners on either site, though there were several pages on the history of Glimmer Creek, maintained by the local historical society. The conference center also had a Facebook page with a huge number of “likes” and glowing customer comments. Basically, visitors loved everything from the fresh-baked cinnamon rolls to the distinctive weather vanes on the rooftops.

Gabe absently rubbed his left shoulder where he’d taken a bullet a few months before. It still ached at times, which was partly why he’d retired at thirty-eight instead of staying in the service as a desk jockey. If he couldn’t see himself behind a desk at TIP, it would be almost as distasteful in the navy. The navy docs had cleared him for active duty, but he’d known that his arm wasn’t quite as strong as it used to be. The difference would matter only in a life-or-death situation...but that was the problem. The risk of letting down a member of his SEAL team was too great.

With a frown, he did a long series of push-ups, hoping to clear his mind of everything else.

* * *

TESSA WOKE UP in the middle of the night, a recurring nightmare making her heart race.

“Mrrrooow,” cried Mr. Fezziwig, and she reached out a hand to stroke his fur. A low purr rumbled in his chest, gradually growing louder until it resonated like a motorboat.

She let out a breath and tried to shake off the dream. In it, she fell into a dark, nameless depth, and as always, she’d awakened before she could catch herself.

Mr. Fezziwig rolled until his back was snuggled against her chest, and she tucked her chin on top of his head, appreciating his comforting presence. She wished she could keep him in her apartment permanently, but he was a social cat and delighted in the parade of humans through his life.

“Hey,” she whispered to Mr. Fezziwig, “why don’t you like Gabe McKinley?”

He just purred.

Tessa closed her eyes. Though the occasional whispers of sound through the house usually didn’t disturb her, tonight each one seemed magnified. But the most annoying part of not being able to go back to sleep was that she couldn’t stop thinking about Poppy Gold Inns’ newest employee.

There was something about Gabe that nagged at her. He seemed familiar in a way. She just couldn’t figure out why. If she’d met him casually, it wouldn’t matter, but anything that affected Poppy Gold was important.

She might have to look him up on the internet. He didn’t seem the type for social media, but who knew what she might find?

Stop it, she ordered.