Cobb (Lighthouse Security Investigations #9) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,9

we’re both looking over the figures at the same time. After all, we don’t want the clinic to get closed down for not having accurate records.”

“Yes, yes, Josie. Yes, I’m sure that’s the right thing to do. I’ll go back through everything, don’t worry about anything.” A tight smile crossed his face as he walked out of her office.

She slumped back in her chair, uncertainty filling her. Looking down at the reports, she pondered her options. Make some calls myself. Hire another bookkeeper to work alongside Caesar. Go ahead and send these to our accountant.

Deciding that before she spent the money to hire another bookkeeper or contact their accountant, she turned to her laptop. I’ll do a little digging on some of these donation sources then make a few phone calls myself. If I have to track down every one of these donors and find out who they are and why our records don’t match up to tax IDs, I will!

By the end of the day, her frustration had grown, but then so had her suspicions. Stepping out of her office to grab a water bottle from the kitchen, she walked down the hall, spying Caesar hovering at her doorway. He turned, his smile drooping. “Um, I was just ready to leave but thought I’d see how you were doing.”

Her curt response had him shifting from foot to foot before he nodded his goodbyes. Her gaze followed him out the clinic, a hound dog expression plastered on his face. Entering her office again, she carefully looked at the papers on her desk, now suspicious of him being near, but they were all as she had left them.

Ready for the day to be over, she gathered the records, shoved them into her bag, and waved goodbye to her staff.

The next week, Caesar didn’t come by the clinic on his regularly scheduled days. When she attempted to contact him, his phone had been disconnected. Finding his address, she drove by to check on him, but he didn’t answer her knock at his apartment. None of his neighbors had seen him nor had they seen his car.

And for Josie, it was only the beginning as the threats began. The first was innocuous… a note on her car, secured under the wiper blade. She dismissed it as having been left for the wrong person. The second one instructed her to stay quiet, and a trickle of fear ran through her. The third one was more sinister, and her heart pounded as she dialed her father. “Dad, I have a problem. Someone is threatening me… and I think I know why!”

The early morning run along the trails and through the woods near his house had invigorated Cobb. Now, showered and caffeinated, he parked outside the lighthouse that housed Lighthouse Security Investigations. LSI’s compound was located deep in the rocky caves beneath the decommissioned lighthouse that Mace had purchased years ago.

Climbing out of his SUV, he watched as Horace Tiddle drove by in a utility vehicle, the back filled with fence posts and wire. Horace, a former SEAL from years ago, and his wife, Marge, a former CIA Operator that Mace once worked with, had taken positions with Mace when he opened LSI. They ran the buildings and grounds as well as looked after all the Keepers. “Looks like you’re going to be busy today.”

Horace pulled off his ball cap and wiped his brow before resettling it on his head, aiming his friendly smile toward Cobb. “Marge has been wanting to start a garden with Sylvie between their property and here, and the deer keep getting in. I thought I’d put a fence around and see if I can keep ‘em out.”

“I’m surprised you don’t shoot ‘em, and then Marge can fix her venison stew.”

“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it, but Mace would have my hide. David really likes the deer, and I think Sylvie does, too, as long as they stay out of the garden.”

Mace had met Sylvie and David on a mission, falling for the beautiful single mom and her son. Now married and having adopted David, he’d do anything for either of them.

As Horace drove off, he called over his shoulder, “Marge is already out at the garden this morning, so you’ll have to get your coffee downstairs.”

Cobb walked through the empty kitchen and made his way down the hall toward the base of the lighthouse. Flipping the hidden panel by the wall, he tapped in a security code and then stood