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“I can’t believe that a couple of files are enough to make you doubt him,” she said, thrusting Cole’s phone back at him. “You, of all people. My dad’s done nothing but support your career for years, and he’s been a damn good friend to you, too.” She wanted to stomp away from him, but she resisted the urge and stood there trying to curb her anger. All she could think about was the history between the two men.
They’d been close for years. Her father was actually the one who had introduced the two of them, starting their romance. The whole time they’d been together, he’d been completely supportive of their relationship. And when it had ended, he’d managed to be there for both of them without ever taking sides. Other dads might have broken ties with a guy who got his daughter pregnant and walked away, but Edwin hadn’t cut Cole out of his life. He’d continued to trust and respect him. Edwin Reeves hadn’t been angry, just disappointed in the younger man for choosing not to commit to Kelsey and Eddy. Kelsey had thought that her father even felt sorry for Cole because he’d miss out on being a dad and a family man.
And to have Cole question her father stung. How dare he judge?
“I’m not saying your father’s done anything wrong,” Cole said, “but can’t you see that the evidence looks bad? The investigators are building a case against him. Dobson tipped me off to that when he didn’t have to.”
She looked out at the ocean. Naval ships and ocean freighters rode the waves, waiting to come into port. The steady beat of the waves against the sand usually calmed her, but her heart still pounded.
“This walk is over. I want to go home.” She turned back toward the parking lot wishing she could leave him on the sand, but she couldn’t. She needed his help to find her father and protect her son. They didn’t have much time before the end of the month, and she didn’t know where or how to start looking. Cole would.
As she reached the truck, Cole clicked the doors unlocked. She transferred Eddy to his car seat and opted to sit next to him in the back. She belted herself in, ignoring the glance that Cole gave her. He got in and drove but didn’t attempt conversation, which was just as well. She had nothing to say to him just now. She needed time to think and to calm herself down.
Before they reached her house, Eddy began to fuss. Checking her watch, she realized she should have expected it since it was time for a bottle. She played peek-a-boo and managed to distract him until they were nearly home. When they turned onto her street, he broke into a full-on wail.
“The news vans are gone,” Cole said as he pulled into her garage. That was good news, but Eddy was her first priority. She unbuckled him quickly and was headed for the door into the house when Cole touched her arm to stop her.
“I need to make sure it’s safe before you go in,” Cole said. “Stay here.”
“We’re not stealthy.” She had to speak loudly over Eddy’s cries. Anyone in the house would know they were coming in.
“Give me two minutes.” Cole went inside the house, leaving her alone.
She bounced Eddy in her arms, pacifying him briefly, and counted in her head while she waited. Eddy’s cries only got louder and more strident, so when she got to one hundred twenty seconds, she let herself into the kitchen and warmed a bottle while balancing Eddy against her side. She knew Cole wouldn’t be pleased, but he had to realize that when there was a crying baby in the equation, compromises needed to be made. She hadn’t rushed in, she’d given him the two minutes he’d asked for. That would have to be enough.
“The house is clear,” Cole said, coming into the kitchen. “You should have waited in the garage.”
“Ourson was hungry.” She put the bottle in the baby’s mouth and shot Cole a challenging look, but she didn’t want to get into it with him. She needed some time to herself, a little distance from Cole to get her head around what she’d learned. “I’m going upstairs.”
She could have gone to the nursery, but she chose her bedroom instead. She’d decorated it to be a peaceful haven in various shades of blue with light oak furnishings. She had a navy chaise lounge near the front window with plush pillows on it. She sank into that with Eddy in her arms. In a few minutes, she’d disturb his meal to change his diaper, but not yet.
As she watched her child eat, she took in several calming breaths, reminding herself that anger wasn’t going to help her father. She needed to get past it and work with Cole. And she would. For now, she had to analyze what she’d learned. For instance, why had her father accessed that information on his laptop? Edwin Reeves was far too intelligent and too well versed in Navy protocol to leave so obvious a trail while poking into files he knew he wasn’t supposed to access. He had to be aware that as soon as he went AWOL, an investigation would begin, and the first place anyone would look was on his computer.
So he’d either left the evidence intentionally, wanting it to be found, or he was being framed. Could that be it? Was the Navy using him as a scapegoat for someone else’s mistake? That seemed farfetched, but not impossible. The more she considered the idea, the more it took root in her head.
“I’ve got to figure this out because your grandfather has to come home, doesn’t he?” she said to Eddy. He opened his bright blue eyes at the sound of her voice and blinked up at her. “Pops is being set up. That’s the only logical explanation. But who and why?” Eddy made a gurgling sound. “Time for a burp, mister.” She shifted him to her shoulder, her mind still working, as she patted his back. “I think my first task is to convince your daddy that Pops has been framed.”
SEVEN
Kelsey kept Eddy in her room, playing with him and giving him tummy time until his eyes grew sleepy, leaving her no choice but to come out of hiding. She carried Eddy across the hall and put him in his crib for an afternoon nap. She listened for Cole, but the house was quiet. She took her laptop and went downstairs without seeing him. Maybe he was grabbing some shuteye, too, since she didn’t think he’d slept much in the night.
She made herself a sandwich as she again reviewed everything she knew and didn’t know about her father’s disappearance. So little of it made sense to her, and none of the pieces seemed to fit together. She picked up her phone and looked at the images that Cole had texted her, but she needed to see them more clearly. After emailing the supposed evidence against her father to herself, she opened the pictures on her laptop and re-read every word, but nothing popped out at her as a possible clue.
By the time she was done with that, she heard Eddy stirring through the baby monitor. She put her plate in the sink and went upstairs to get him, and found Cole standing in the hall outside the nursery door. Her anger had cooled, but she was still charged up to prove a point. Her father was no traitor.
“I didn’t know if I should get him or not,” Cole said when he saw her.
“Your choice.” She kept her tone even. She wouldn’t force Cole to interact with his son.
“I don’t want to scare him. New person and all.”
“Right.” Message received. She went into the nursery and lifted Eddy from his crib. When she turned around to put him on the changing table, Cole was gone. “Whatever,” she muttered.
Eddy was in a giggly mood, and she tickled him and took a moment to enjoy her baby before carrying him to the kitchen. She could balance him in her arms and study the reports again. It wouldn’t be easy, but she’d written code with Eddy on her lap before. Learning to adapt to the complications of being a single mom had been one of her first lessons in motherhood.
Cole was in the kitchen when she reached it. His attention was focused on her laptop screen. “What are you hoping to find?” he asked, glancing up at her.
“I’m not sure yet, but I wanted to take a closer look,” she said. When he moved out of her way, she took a seat in front of her laptop. Cole sat in a chair across from her but kept silent. She’d reread two of the reports when Eddy began to squirm on her lap while shoving his fists in his mouth. “He’s hungry again. He didn’t finish his bottle earlier.”
