“That’s where things get even weirder.” She leaned forward, her eyes alight. “She greeted me with the same exuberance as when she was talking on the phone. A little loud. A little over-the-top. I wondered if she was on something, and then when I walked in… guess who was there? Maria!”
He knew that because he’d seen it on their surveillance but remained quiet, letting Jeannie continue.
“Thankfully, Maria got a call and had to leave, but it was obvious she wasn’t happy about me being there. I thought we might get into a bitch-slapping contest, so it was a good thing she left. I could’ve taken her, but then, that woman has talons for fingernails. She might have gotten in a few swipes before I took her down.”
Uncertain as to how he could be so pissed and amused at the same time, he watched her eyes light as she talked.
“Maggie got us some tea, and we sat at the table, but she took the chair right next to me instead of across from me. She pulled up her phone and made a big deal about showing me pictures from Mexico. But instead of holding her phone in her hand, she laid it flat on the table as she scrolled through pictures. Her head was leaning over her phone, and she began to whisper.”
Surprised at the turn of her tale, Carson cocked his head to the side. “Whisper?”
“Yes. For the next several minutes, we had the strangest conversation. Ordinary talk about the photographs in Mexico was said in a normal tone of voice. That was interspersed with short sentences that were for my ears only when she whispered.”
With his forearms resting on his knees, he leaned forward, as well. Their knees were close together, and he tried to ignore the increased pounding of his heart at their proximity. “She was afraid someone was listening? That her place was bugged?”
Emphatically nodding, Jeannie said, “Exactly! She simply said that she thought she was being watched, and when I asked by whom, she thought it might be Penny, her housekeeper. I asked her if she was in danger, but she didn’t think so. She even mentioned that being somewhat related to the owner’s wife should keep her safe.” She reached out and placed her hand on his leg. “Carson, what do you think is going on? She was fine, ready to go back to her place, and then one day later doesn’t feel well and stays in the guesthouse where she can be watched? None of this makes sense.”
Pondering her questions, he reached up and squeezed the back of his neck in an effort to battle the desire to wrap his hand around her fingers. Forcing his mind to analyze the new information, he shook his head slowly. “I don’t know what’s going on with Maggie. Maybe nothing? Maybe everything has a simple explanation.”
Jeannie’s brow lifted, her doubt evident. “Just her imagination and just coincidence? You can’t seriously believe that, can you?”
“In my line of work, it doesn’t pay to make assumptions. Careful analysis of the ever-changing information is what’s important.”
She threw her hands up to the side in a show of exasperation, and he immediately felt the loss of her fingers on his leg. Before she had a chance to argue, he said, “I’m not saying it’s her imagination or coincidence. What I’m saying is that I’m not going to make an assumption right now until I have more facts.”
“Okay, then, let’s analyze,” she readily agreed while huffing.
His lips quirked upward at her eagerness, and his visceral reaction to her was surprising. She unfurled her legs and plopped her feet onto the coffee table, leaned back in her chair, and looked toward the ceiling. She began ticking off points with her fingers. “One. When Maggie and I were in Mexico, she wondered about how the family made all its money. I can’t remember if she said that in the guesthouse we were staying at or not. If so, then her statement could have been overheard by someone. Two. Cheryl might be Vincent’s wife but she’s not in the business. His children are, and while they were always polite to Maggie in my presence, I didn’t get the feeling that Juan or Maria had a warm relationship with either Cheryl or Maggie. They always seem to be very much about the family business. Maybe they see her as a threat. Three. Maggie didn’t want to stay at the Garza estate when we came back from Mexico. She wanted to be in her own home. And when I left her there, she was fine, so I thought she’d go to her own home soon. Four. Less than twenty-four hours later, she’s ill and still at the guesthouse where she has no close friends. And with all of Cheryl’s duties as Mrs. Garza, she’s not around much for Maggie. Five. The Maggie I met in Mexico was a delightful woman, not given to exaggerated statements. If she tells me she’s concerned, that’s enough for me. Six… holy moly, what was queen bitch Maria doing there if not to spy? Seven… well, I can’t really think of a seven—”
A deep laugh rumbled up from Carson’s chest, surprising him. And from the wide-eyed look Jeannie gave him, it must have surprised her, as well.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“No, ma’am, I’m not. I’m just admiring the way you’re analyzing the situation.” Something flashed through her eyes, and he held his breath, wondering what she was going to say.
Suddenly, her mouth curved, and a bark of laughter rang out, followed by a snort. She clamped her hand over her mouth and nose, face turning red as she continued to laugh.
Taken aback, he didn’t even attempt to hold onto the chuckles threatening to erupt.
After a moment, she sobered, shaking her head. “How can I be so worried about Maggie and sit here laughing with you?”
“Because sometimes, laughter clears away the cobwebs of a tough situation, relieving tension and making it easier to focus.”
“You sound like an investigator guru.”
Jerking his chin back, he leaned closer. “What the fuck is an investigator guru?”
She shrugged, a blush still sweeping over her cheeks. “I have no idea,” she admitted. “I just made it up.”
They sat silent for a moment, her eyes downward, her gaze focusing on her fingers fiddling with the hem of her shirt. With his mind back on the mission, he pondered the points she’d made, but without more information, he couldn’t give her a definitive answer as to what was going on with Maggie. And not about to discuss the Garza mission with her, there was little he could say. “Look, Jeannie, the best I can do is promise you again that I’ll check to see what’s going on with her.”
“You said that yesterday.”
“Yes, and you didn’t give me a chance to do so. I know you’re worried, but if they’ve got eyes on her, I can find out.”
“It would help if I knew what was going on with the Garzas,” she insisted.
He shook his head as his expression hardened. “Not gonna happen. You’re not part of the mission, not part of the investigation.”
She leaned forward again, her hand snatching out to land on his knee once again. “But I could be!”
His body jerked. “What the hell do you mean?”
“Whatever you’re investigating. I can get in on the inside. I can be there with her. You’d have eyes and ears right on the inside!”
No longer fighting the urge to wrap his fingers around hers, he covered her hand with his own. Leaning closer, he spoke, each word punctuated. “Not going to happen.” She opened her mouth again, but he jumped in. “You might have military training, but you were never involved in special ops. You don’t have the background for that. I can’t stop you from visiting Maggie as a friend or nurse. But you aren’t part of what I’m working on. You don’t need to be a part of what I’m working on. And the last thing you need to do is drag Maggie along with you.”