Cobb (Lighthouse Security Investigations #9) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,21
know I was born and raised in Albuquerque. Even there, we had a house that had grass and trees. And I loved going to the east coast for college.” Her smile returned and she closed her eyes for a second. “I still remember the first, deep snow in Boston. The brisk breeze, the lush flower gardens in the spring, and the deep green trees in the summer. I was lucky enough during high school and then in college to be able to travel to several places with school groups. Canada. England. Switzerland.”
Her voice was melodious, soft, full of emotion, and he hoped she continued to speak freely. “I think I understand what you’re saying. I was born and raised in Albuquerque as well, but as a young boy, my father was assigned to several embassies. I was able to travel to Spain, Greece, Italy, just to mention a few. It definitely broadens your horizons.”
A slight smile curved her lips. “Exactly. While I love the southwest, I’ve never considered it to be the only place I can live. When I graduated, I wanted to be close to my family and there was a position to work with the elderly in Las Cruces. It was a job opportunity. I love it, and I’m happy here. But I’m not ready to say this is my forever home, so I don’t want to buy a house.” She tilted her head to the side and asked, “But what about you? Do you own a house?”
Nodding slowly, he smiled. “Yes, I do. My employer is based in Maine. And I admit that while very different from New Mexico, I discovered that the weather, lush forests, the ocean crashing against the rocks… it’s exactly where I want to be.”
“That’s nice that you found that.”
Her voice was wistful and yet sincere. So far, Josie was as much an enigma as ever.
Her smile slid from her face. “So, where do we go from here? What do you need to know?”
“Talk to me. I know what I’ve read in the reports. I know what your father told me. I’ve seen the initial bookkeeping. I know about the threats you received. But what’s missing is you. You’re the one thing that’s central to all of this, and I need to hear from you what you found, what you discovered, what you said to Caesar, what’s happened since.”
She nodded, nibbling on her lips again. “So, just talk?”
“Yep. I’ll ask questions as needed but just start from the beginning. You might even discover something that you hadn’t thought of before.”
Leaning forward, she placed her beer bottle on the floor next to her feet before resettling back against the cushions. Her hands rested in her lap but her fingers were linked together tightly. Sucking in a deep breath as though to cleanse her mind, she began. “The doctor who began the clinic years ago finally retired and moved away. While it’s part of the Las Cruces medical commission for the elderly, we get most of our funding from grants and private sources. Since my father became a state senator, I’ve been thrust into the world of private donations more than I’m comfortable with. But money talks, and we need money to help our clients.”
“That’s why you were at the gala that night. You were one of the charities obtaining donations.”
Nodding slowly, she scrunched her nose. “Yes. I hate those events.”
“Is that why you were standing off by yourself?” Her gaze shot to his, vulnerability exposed in her pale eyes. Knowing more about her, it was no longer strange that such a beautiful woman desired to stay out of the spotlight.
“When I was growing up, my father was an attorney in Albuquerque. He and Mom belonged to one of the country clubs, but I rarely went. I was the shy, awkward child who grew into a shy, awkward teen. I didn’t need a lot of friends, but the few I had were very good and loyal. But I’ve never been comfortable at a see-and-be-seen event. Bert loves going. He’s my cousin and stayed with us a lot when he was younger. He’s the crowd-pleaser. Easy to converse with, joke with. Easy to make friends. My parents always respected my choices, but I knew it would help the clinic if I showed up in person that night at your father’s event, although Bert would have been a much better choice.”
But then I wouldn’t have met you. He was thankful the words had not slipped out. He’d