Page 23 of Laura's Truth
Allie’s brow furrowed for a moment, then cleared. She leaned back as her lips curved into a relaxed smile. “Oh yes. That’s, umm, Jefferson Kinley.”
“Do you recall anything about him or his purpose at the company?”
Her soft gaze turned wary. “Is he part of what happened to me?”
Ross shook his head, praying he wasn’t being naïve. The case that had brought Allie back into his life almost a year ago had been closed, all the loose ends tied off between the local law enforcement and the FBI. Neither of them wanted to think of bringing that kind of risk into Haleswood again. “I don’t think so,” Ross said, “but he might be part of something else.”
“I don’t remember much of why he was there. Just that Mr. Kinley was always friendly with all of us, bordering on flirtatious with the women.”
“Uh-huh.”
She swatted him with the hand towel she was holding. “There was no intent. Some guys are like that. Charismatic. He never asked any of us out.”
The idea of Garner relying on charm grated Ross’s nerves. Soon he’d see the man trying to charm his way around a prison cell block. “You were in public relations.”
“I remember.” She arched an eyebrow. “Your point?”
“Did he avoid pictures? Did he meet with your boss or someone else?”
“I didn’t have that much to do with him. The only time I bumped into him was near the research and development labs, never near my offices.”
“Great.” A spook and a pharmaceutical research corporation didn’t sound like a happy combination. He minimized Garner’s pictures.
“Ross, you’re scaring me.”
“I don’t mean to. It’s not anything that can bother us here.” He’d make sure of that. Reaching out, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Do you remember the last time you saw him?”
Her gaze drifted away as she thought it through. “I left in November.” She twisted the towel in her hands one way, then the other. “January, maybe? Yeah, that feels right. I was prepping the sponsorship banners for a community run/walk event. He gave me a hand in the elevator.”
The security records were long gone by now, Ross knew. But the alias might help Eva find another piece to the puzzle. “Anything else?”
Shrugging, she rubbed a hand across his shoulders. “Not really. There was no reason to remember him. Other than the flirting.” She winked at him. “I thought he was just another suit.”
If he was so benign, why did Nicole remember him giving off a dangerous vibe? Of course, Nicole had more reason to be attuned to that sort of thing.
“Come on and eat dinner.” Allie stepped back, taking his hand and tugging him enough to pull him out of the chair, out of his thoughts. “Talk to me.”
“It’s nothing.”
She stopped short in the doorway. “You promised not to lie to me. No more secrets.”
“That I did.” With a heart full of regret, he nudged her out the door and closer to the kitchen. “I’ll give you the short version over dinner.”
Her gaze narrowed as she weighed his reply. Ross bent his head and stole a quick kiss. “The short version will have all the pertinent details. I promise.”
“All right.”
With plates full of pasta, sauce, and salad, they settled across from each other at the kitchen table. Ross told her what he could without compromising security, but when he looked up, it wasn’t pity in Allie’s eyes, it was temper. Hot and ready to flash.
“Kinley—or Garner, rather—is CIA?”
“He was at one time. I can’t be sure if he was working for them when he visited your company.” Ross poked at his salad, his appetite gone. “It’s not like the CIA is very transparent about their personnel.”
“And now he’s in Charleston.”
“As of a few days ago. Even a few hours ago,” he amended, thinking of Laura’s brief phone call. “We’re still digging for details on the how and why.”
“You’re worried he’s here for you?”