Submerged

“Don’t thank me yet. I might eat you out of house and home. I’m starving!”

Chapter Thirty-One

Hinton, AB – Saturday, June 15, 2013 – 1:42 PM

Rebecca’s laughter followed Marcus down the hall.

He entered an empty elevator and shook his head in bewilderment. “What the hell did I agree to?”

Uh, you’re going to sleep in the same house as a beautiful woman, whom you are strongly attracted to, and try to pretend you’re there only to protect her.

Marcus banged the heel of his hand against his forehead. “You idiot. And now you’re going to rummage around in her underwear?” What the hell?

The elevator stopped on the second floor, but no one got on. When the doors closed, his thoughts drifted back to Rebecca. She deserved someone better than Wesley Kingston in her life. And that someone wasn’t Marcus.

“She’s still officially married,” he reminded himself. And drop-dead gorgeous.

His offer to stay with her was strictly professional courtesy. She had no one else. It was a business arrangement. That’s all it was. Even if he didn’t accept a penny from her, which he wouldn’t. Like doing an old friend a favor.

Except she’s not really an old friend. More like a new one.

The elevator took him down to the main level, and he made a beeline for the emergency wing. The ER was bustling with action, but he veered toward the outside exit, weaving through the crowd of broken legs, coughs and a very pregnant woman with a brood of six kids around her.

In the parking lot, he found his car, climbed inside and glanced at the address Rebecca had written down. Edmonton… right. Damn it!

It would take about three hours to get there, maybe twenty minutes to grab the clothes and another three hours to get back to the hospital. Being away from her for so long didn’t sit well with him.

He picked up his cell phone and called John. “I’m heading to Rebecca’s house to pick up some clothes for her and the kids. You got a car watching the place?”

“Yeah. I’ll let them know.”

“Thanks, John. Any news on the truck or driver?”

“Actually, there is. We finally caught a break. There’s a computer store across from the Esso station. They have cameras in the windows, and one of them is on 24/7, filming the street. We’re going through the tape now.”

“I hope you catch this guy.”

“Me too. Listen, Marcus, what are your plans for the next few days? I heard you got suspended.”

“I’m going to stay at Rebecca’s for a bit. Until you nab this guy.”

“Really?” Zur’s voice was more than a little stunned.

“She didn’t want to ask her sister. Doesn’t want to put her in any danger. And the ex is out of the question, since you still think he’s connected.” Marcus paused. “You do still think that, don’t you?”

“Nothing else makes much sense. It couldn’t be a random hit and run. He was waiting for her, followed her, made sure she’d end up in the McLeod River.”

“Anything pan out at the casinos?”

“Nothing so far. We’re still asking questions. All we need is the right answer.”

“Okay, I’ll be back in about six and a half hours. You’ll check in on Rebecca and the kids for me?”

“Definitely. We still have a few questions for her. And the ex.”

“Have you searched his place yet?”

“Can’t get a warrant. Not enough evidence.”

“Shit. Can’t you even look at his phone records or e-mails?”

“Nope. Not until we get the warrant.”

Marcus gritted his teeth. “By then he could dump everything. Especially if anyone threatened him in a voice mail or e-mail.”

“I know. But we have to do this by the book. We’ve got a request in for a warrant. Should have it by tomorrow, maybe the next day.”

Marcus massaged his temples. “Tomorrow could be too late. If Wesley Kingston has anything to connect him to the attempt on his wife’s life, it’ll be gone by the time you get there.”

Zur let out a huff. “People think it’s easy to erase files and information from a computer. It’s not. Our tech guys can pull data that was deleted years ago. There’s almost always a trace. I promise you, if Kingston’s got anything incriminating, we’ll find it.” He let out a snicker. “Now let’s talk about you and Mrs. Kingston living together.”

“It’s not like that, John.”

“Isn’t it?” Another chuckle. “I think it’s exactly like that. But do yourself a favor. Wait until the ink’s dry on her divorce papers before you make your move.”

“I don’t have a move.”

“Then you’d better get one. She’s into you.”

Marcus blinked. “You think so?”

More laugher sounded, then Zur said, “Bye, Marcus.”

Marcus started the car and pulled away from the hospital. Securing the Bluetooth over his left ear, he called Leo.

“You headed home?” Leo asked.

“No, I’m going to stay in Edmonton for a few days.”

“So you can keep an eye on that Kingston woman?”