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“Got good news for you,” Raymond said, skipping over a greeting. “There’s been an arrest. Looks like Reeves is in the clear.”
“Let me put you on speaker so Kelsey can hear.” Cole placed his phone in the center of the table. “Who was arrested?” Kelsey’s eyes widened.
“Lieutenant Gomez,” Raymond said. “You probably remember him. He’s a trainer.”
“Arms specialist?” Cole recalled the man who was part of the SEAL training program at Coronado. He didn’t know him well, but he could pull up an image of Gomez in his head.
“That’s right. He was injured a few months back and was placed on light duty. He’s been attached to Dobson’s staff during his recovery.”
“Giving him better access to intel,” Cole commented. “How’d they catch him?”
“Apparently, huge sums of money were deposited in Gomez’s account from offshore, untraceable sources.”
“That’s a dead giveaway, I guess,” Cole said, turning it over in his mind. As happy as he was to have some resolution to the case, something about it nagged at him.
“Who thought to look into this guy’s accounts in the first place?” Kelsey asked, seeing the snag before he got to it. His eyes met hers, and he smiled. She had an amazing brain. Some guys were put off by smart women. Not him. Her sharp intelligence was one of the things that attracted him to her.
“Couldn’t tell you,” Raymond answered. “Only thing I know is that Dobson initiated the review of Gomez’s finances. Everyone in Dobson’s office was under scrutiny, from what I heard.”
“And Gomez popped?” Cole said.
“Yep. So it’s over,” Raymond concluded.
Yes and no. Parts of the ordeal were over. Others remained wide open. “Were the civilian police alerted about Gomez?”
“Not that I know of. Why would they be? It’s a military problem,” Raymond said.
“Not entirely. What about the threats against Kelsey and Eddy?” Cole had filled in his SEAL buddies about the kidnapped woman in San Diego and the danger he felt Kelsey was in.
“I haven’t heard if Gomez copped to that or not. I’ll keep my ear to the ground and let you know.”
“Thanks, man.” Cole hung up. Across the table, Kelsey blew out a breath. Her relief was evident on her face, and he was glad to see it. She’d been living under a cloud of fear. He’d tried to mitigate that for her, to make her feel that she and Eddy were protected, but the fear had been there, inescapable, and it had worn her down.
“I feel like I just took a shot of tequila,” she said. “A little dizzy but happy, too.”
Shots of Jose Cuervo came with a hangover. This situation had residual effects, too. Cole was guardedly pleased, but he wasn’t going to express any more enthusiasm than that. An arrest was a step in the right direction, but it wasn’t the end game.
“Can Dad come home now?” Kelsey asked, her excitement obvious. “It’s safe, right?”
The question was more hopeful than logical. If Gomez was the mastermind, the seller of classified secrets, he had partners. Neither Cole nor the police knew who had kidnapped that woman, but it hadn’t just been one man. The assumption, he supposed, was that it was thugs hired by Gomez, but Cole wanted proof of that—and proof that the men were in custody as well—before he relaxed his vigilance.
“It’ssafer,” he said. “But I’m not going to declare this over until Edwin walks through your door. Until then, I’m not leaving.”
THIRTEEN
Cole waited, watching Kelsey to gauge her reaction. If she felt safe, felt the threat was over, shecouldboot him out of her house. Not that he’d go. If he had to camp out in her driveway, he would, since he wasn’t convinced the danger had passed.
Rational Kelsey would recognize that this wouldn’t truly be over until Edwin returned and shared his side of the story, but she was emotional at the moment, upset about the whole situation and wanting to put it behind her.
Despite their kisses and closeness, she could decide she’d had enough of his presence in her life and Eddy’s. He steeled himself, anticipating a battle. He wasn’t budging, no matter what she said. He still had nearly twenty days of his leave left, and he didn’t plan on moving back to the barracks without proof that all was well. Because her and Eddy’s safety came first.
“I see your point,” she said slowly, and some of her excitement dimmed. “Can we at least go somewhere, if we’re careful? I’m sick of feeling cooped up.”
Cole considered her request. It would have to be a place he was familiar with and where he could easily watch for danger. The beach was nice, but it was too open and accessible. “How about a trip to the aquatic center?” Cole enjoyed swimming laps there when he wanted to train outside the confines of the SEAL facility.
“Eddy’s a little young for that,” she said, not entirely rejecting the idea. “Dad plans to take him to the baby and toddler programs as soon as he’s old enough, but I don’t know about now.” She looked down at the child on her lap.
Cole saw a way around the concern she raised. “They have a splashpad for families.” He’d seen parents and kids playing there when he’d used the Olympic sized pool.
