Incriminating Evidence (2 page)

“How long have you been at the FBI?” she asked suddenly.

He hated answering that question because he always felt there would be immediate judgment on his skill set, but he wasn’t going to pretend to be something or someone he wasn’t. “I’m fresh out of Quantico.”

“Like how fresh? A year or two?”

He shook his head. Might as well tell the whole truth. “As in I’ve been here at the Miami field office a month.”

She surprised him by smiling. “Then you probably understand how I feel.”

“I can relate. But I also have a job to do, and my goals may not be compatible with yours.”

She put her hand over her mouth, stifling a yawn. “Am I done here? It’s been a long day.”

He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was exhausted. “Sure. But let me get your escort set up.”

She held her hand up. “I’ve changed my mind. That’s not really necessary.”

He stood up. “Actually, it is. We can’t take any risks right now.” This strong-willed, beautiful woman didn’t seem to realize how serious the situation was. And even though they had just met, he already felt a responsibility to protect her. Maybe it was because he understood what it was like to be starting out in his career and have something to prove.

“I see that arguing with you won’t make any difference.” She stood up, as well, and he could now see the very high heels she’d mentioned in her story.

“You were smart to use those as a weapon.”

“A girl’s gotta be resourceful.”

He reached out and touched her arm, and she flinched. “I’m sorry.” He quickly let go and wondered if she was sore from the attack. “But I just want to make sure you really get who and what you’re dealing with here. This isn’t any time to be flippant about your personal security.”

“I’ve worked on this case for months. I know about the dangers involved.”

“Do you know that once Mick Hernandez wants you dead, you’re dead? No questions asked?”

She cocked her head to the side. “They have a lot of illegal businesses, but it isn’t like they’re ordering hits to take people out every day. You’re being a bit melodramatic.”

“I’m not, Ms. Hughes.”

“Let’s cut with the formalities. You can call me Jessica.”

“All right, Jessica. And you can call me Zach. But I don’t want you to discount what happened to you tonight. I know you want to prove yourself and you have a job to do, but you need to be alive to do all of those things.”

“I hear you.”

“Let’s get out of here.” He ushered her out of the room, but he couldn’t help but feel as if the threat against this young lawyer was far from over.

* * *

The next morning Jessica felt exhausted. The physical attack, plus a night of barely any sleep, was taking its toll. Every time she’d closed her eyes she’d had awful nightmares about the masked man. And in those horrific dreams, he’d gone further and really hurt her.

She’d been hurt before. The scars she wore now were largely more emotional than physical, but they were ever present. She couldn’t deny that the pain of her childhood had driven her to a career in seeking justice. To stand up for those victims who couldn’t fight for themselves. In a small way trying to do her part. But she was afraid she might not be able to do that anymore if she got removed from the Hernandez case.

As she walked toward Chief Assistant State Attorney Ian Lopez’s office, she dreaded the discussion. But she had to put on a brave face, wash away her doubts and convince him that she was the woman for the job.

His door was open, and she walked right in. Ian was usually quite informal in the office. She realized she wasn’t alone. She stopped short just inside the door when she saw Zach Taylor.

The handsome dark-haired FBI agent looked the same as he had last night, wearing a similar black suit and red tie. Beside Zach was a man in a navy suit with streaks of gray at his temples. She assumed he was the senior agent that Zach had mentioned.

Ian was at his desk. “Jessica, come on in.” He motioned for her to step farther into the room. He was impeccably dressed as always in a navy suit and checkered tie. Ian was a tall, slim man with short black hair and dark eyes. She believed he was seriously vying to be the next state attorney. She hoped that his ambition would work to her advantage. If he took over and personally tried the case and lost, it would tarnish his record.

“Jessica, I understand that you met Agent Taylor last night. And this is Agent Brodie Wilson.”

She shook hands with both men, and then they all took seats in the chairs across from Ian’s desk.

“So I hear we have a situation,” Ian continued. As always he was perfectly diplomatic. She’d call it a lot more than a situation, but it was better for her to downplay everything right now.

“Yes, sir. But I really don’t believe there’s any cause for alarm.”

Ian frowned. “Judging by the bruises on your neck, I don’t think I’d say that.”

Ugh.
She’d tried to use as much makeup as possible to cover them up, but nothing had really worked. “I’m doing okay.”

“Well, the FBI has briefed me this morning on what happened to you and the threats that were made. I want to know how you feel about continuing to push forward with this case.”

She leaned toward him in her seat. “Sir, I definitely want to keep working on it. I don’t want to back down because of this incident.”

Ian nodded. “While I appreciate your enthusiasm, Jessica, the FBI has some strong opinions on this.”

Uh-oh.
Here’s where they were going to drop the hammer. She literally held her breath waiting for one of them to speak.

“We don’t take threats like this from the Hernandez family lightly,” Agent Wilson explained.

“I can be more careful.” At this point she was going to say whatever she needed to convince them.

“That’s not going to be enough,” Ian replied.

She didn’t like where this was going. Were they going to pull her off the case? “So what do you want me to do?” She looked at the three men and waited for one to answer her.

Ian spoke up. “If you want, you are absolutely free to step away from this case. No one would judge you here in the department. You got thrown front and center of this litigation because of Michael’s illness. I—”

“Sir, with all due respect,” she interrupted.

He lifted up his hand. “Let me finish. I can tell that option isn’t something that would interest you, so I’ve worked with the FBI on a compromise.”

“And that is?” she asked expectantly.

“I’m willing to let you keep working the case as the lead counsel if you agree to work with the FBI and let them provide you with the necessary security.”

“What exactly does that mean?” Her mind started to race with different scenarios of how that would play out.

“You’d be working directly with me,” Zach said.

“Yes,” Ian confirmed. “The FBI is actually working a couple of additional angles on the Hernandez family, including a special investigation into Simon’s sister, Ana. We know that it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever get the father because he has multiple layers of protection around him and leaves zero paper trail. But the kids are a different story. Not to mention Luke, the estranged brother who actually works for Miami PD.”

Yes, she did know that there was one family member who had turned out to be one of the good guys.

“So I’m saying all of this,” Ian went on, “to let you know that you’ll work with the FBI closely, and maybe we can get another prosecution out of this. And you’ll also be protected by Agent Taylor. It’s a win-win.”

She didn’t really like the idea of someone being her supposed protector, but her main goal was continuing with the prosecution. She’d have to deal with whatever strings they attached to that. “But I can stay on the case?”

“Yes,” Ian said. “But if at any point you want out, just say the word. I can’t promise you ultimate protection and neither can the FBI. This is still a dangerous assignment. When you go to law school, this isn’t exactly the type of thing you sign up for.”

But that’s where Ian was wrong. This was exactly what she had signed up for. Taking down those criminals that preyed on innocent people. No matter how dangerous they were. “I’m in, Ian. I won’t cut and run.”

Her boss smiled. “If you need me, I’m here. And I’ll expect regular updates, especially since we’re only days away from the start of the trial.”

“Of course.” As distracting as working with the FBI would be, maybe she could turn this into an opportunity. How difficult could dealing with one rookie agent be?

“Great,” Ian said. “I think you should take Agent Taylor to your office and debrief him on the case and see how he can help. I’m sure then he’ll have some security-related things to go over with you.”

“Of course. And thank you again, Ian, for having faith in my ability to handle this case and everything that goes with it.”

He nodded and stood up from his chair. “You’ve been a superstar since you interned here during law school. I expect nothing less than the best from you, Jessica. Keep up the good work.”

His words of praise warmed her heart. It was nice to have someone build her up instead of tear her down.

“It was nice to meet you, Jessica,” Agent Wilson said. “If you need me at any point, just let me know. But you’re in good hands with Agent Taylor.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“I’ll walk Agent Wilson out, so you can meet with Agent Taylor,” Ian said.

“This way,” she said to Zach. They walked down the long hallway to her much smaller office.

She closed the door so they could speak freely and took a seat behind her desk. He sat across from her. She had one extra chair, her desk and a bookshelf. That was it. Most of the attorneys at her level had the small offices.

She took a moment and looked at Zach more closely. Yes, there was no denying that the tall agent with the big chocolate-colored eyes and sweet smile was attractive. But it would take a lot more than a handsome face to make her trust him. Would he be friend or foe? It was time to find out. “So,” she said.

“Where do we begin?” he asked.

“Before we get into the details of the case and your investigation, why don’t we jump right into what you have in mind for my security.”

He smiled. “You’re worried about that, aren’t you?”

“I like having my space.” That was an understatement, but she didn’t want to be too difficult. They were just starting this process together.

He leaned forward in his chair. “I can appreciate that, but I can tell you right now that’s just not going to be possible.”

“Exactly what are you suggesting?”

“I’m going to be your shadow.”

Jessica didn’t like the sound of that. “You can’t be with me 24/7.”

“As close to it as possible. We should discuss a safe house.”

“Absolutely not. I’m staying in my apartment with my cat. Just me and him. Are we clear?”

He laughed. “Do you want to stay on this case or not?”

“Of course I do.” In her mind there had to be a middle ground somewhere.

“Then, I hate to tell you, but you’re stuck with me. Brodie ran this all the way up the chain to the special agent in charge of our office, Ford Cox. He’s the ultimate boss in Miami, and he was very clear that we had to take an aggressive approach with your personal security.”

She blew out a breath. “I don’t think this is going to work.”

Zach’s phone rang, and he looked down. “Sorry, I have to get this.”

She sat patiently while he took the phone call. Judging by the frown on his face and the serious tone in his voice, it appeared to be bad news. He ended the call and looked up at her.

“We have a problem,” he said.

“What?”

“Do you know a Denise Landers?”

“Yes, she’s my star witness.”

“Not anymore, Jessica. She’s dead.”

TWO

Z
ach glanced over at Jessica, who was standing on the sandy beach with her gray high heels in her hand. The crime scene was currently being secured, and he wanted to get a good look at things for himself.

Jessica had refused to wait in the car, and given the circumstances he felt better having her right there close to his side. After all, that was the agreement he’d made with his boss. Zach had to commit not to let the blonde powerhouse rookie prosecutor out of his sight. Most importantly to protect her from the Hernandez family, but also because Brodie wanted to make sure Zach was tuned in to any information that she had that could help the FBI investigations.

As her wavy mane blew away from her face, he took a minute to really study her. He’d have to be oblivious not to notice how pretty she was. Not to mention that she was also bright, witty, and driven. She was the kind of woman he’d be looking for—if he were looking. But he had a job to do, and romance was the last item on his list of priorities.

Just then she turned her face toward him.

“Sorry, I know you aren’t exactly dressed for a walk on the beach,” he said.

She wore a gray skirt suit, but, given the blistering Miami heat, she’d taken off the jacket and removed her heels to be able to navigate the sand.

“Don’t you worry about me, Zach. You’re going to come to find out very soon that I’m highly adaptable.”

Was there a backstory that had given Jessica such a tough exterior? He could tell from his own life experience that she was probably hiding some hurt underneath. He watched as she took a few steps closer to the water.

Detective Will Lang was on the scene and headed his way.

“What do you have?” Zach asked him.

The tall blond detective frowned. “The body washed up onto the shore and was called in by someone on the beach. But it doesn’t appear that it was dumped too far out.”

“Which means they wanted us to find the victim’s body quickly,” Zach said. It helped to verbalize his thoughts as he tried to piece together this puzzle.

“Exactly, and I don’t like it one bit,” Will said. “FBI is taking lead, but we’re providing support in any way we can.” Will’s eyes shifted over to Jessica. “What’s up with her?”

“It’s a long story, but for now she’s under FBI protection because of the threat against her.”

Will chuckled. “Well, maybe you need to go back to Quantico to get a lesson on protective detail.”

“Why do you say that?” Zach asked.

“Because your girl’s on the move.”

Zach turned around and saw Jessica taking long strides down to where the body was lying near the edge of the water. They’d covered it out of respect. He took off in a jog to catch up to her.

“Jessica,” he yelled. “Wait up.”

She turned around and looked at him and then kept walking. It only took him a moment to catch up to her. “What do you think you’re doing? We agreed that you’d stay back until the team got done with their initial work.”

She shifted her weight. “No, Zach. You told me that was what I was going to do. I never said that I’d just follow along with your bidding.” She smiled at him and kept walking.

Seriously?
She should know his directions were intended to protect her in any situation, but she wasn’t going to take to his command easily. This woman was going to be a challenge. He grabbed on to her arm before she got too far and pulled her back, noticing once again that she flinched when he touched her.

“You can’t go any further. We can’t risk any more contamination to the crime scene.”

“This is a public beach. The damage has already been done with all the hundreds of onlookers about before the police even made it to the scene.”

“Regardless, what is it you hope to gain by getting closer?”

“I just want to get a better feel for what happened here.”

He ushered her away from the body and back up the beach. “What happened here is that the Hernandez family killed Denise Landers and purposely put her body where they knew it would wash up onshore sooner rather than later.”

“They had to know that Denise was the star witness for the prosecution. As the accountant for the family, she was a treasure trove of information. They take her out, and it’s a much different case I’ll be making. A much harder one.” Jessica paused and looked up at him. “I think they also did this to send a message.”

“You aren’t really fazed by much, are you?” He appreciated her tenacity, but he thought she was still a bit too cavalier about her security and their investigation.

“I’d rather get to the bottom of this and then get back to work.” She pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. “The Hernandez family needs to answer for this senseless murder. The taking of a completely innocent life. Denise was doing the right thing, and it got her killed.”

He watched Jessica bite her bottom lip. While she was trying to keep up a strong face, he could tell this murder impacted her. And he wanted to reassure her that law enforcement was on it.

“That’s why the police are here now,” he said. “They will help build a case.”

“But nothing will bring her back. She’s gone and that’s a reality I know I have to deal with but I really don’t want to face right now.”

* * *

Later that evening in her office, Jessica took a deep breath as she looked into Zach’s eyes filled with a bit of wariness. But she wanted to see things for herself and make her own assessments. That’s why she’d tried to get a closer look at the crime scene. But with the body covered up, she hadn’t been able to garner much information.

“I understand we both have a job to do here,” she said.

“I agree, and that’s why I think it’s important for us to work together and not against each other. I get that you don’t want me to be your shadow, but given you want to stay on this case and I have no alternative, we need to call a truce.”

She couldn’t help but smile. He did have a disarming quality about him. “Let’s talk about what happened to Denise.”

“This has the Hernandez family’s mark all over it.”

“I agree. Why don’t we discuss the family? We haven’t had a chance to really pick each other’s brains yet about what we know.”

“That’s a great idea.”

She nodded. “You start.”

“All right. The head of the family is Mick Hernandez. Ultimate crime boss who calls all the shots but rarely gets his hands dirty. He’s married to Fern Hernandez. She largely stays out of the spotlight, but my hunch is that she plays critical roles behind the scenes.”

“Right, and then there’s Simon. The son that I’m prosecuting. Although without Denise serving as my witness who can testify about the forgeries and money laundering given her role as their accountant, it’s going to be super tough to present the level of proof we need for a conviction.”

“I’ll see if there’s anything we can add that could be helpful given these latest developments.”

“They’re not going to stop until they squash this prosecution,” she said more to herself than to him.

“We’re not going to let that happen.”

“And what about the other two siblings?” she asked. “I also have my eye on the sister, Ana. But I’m trying to focus on this case first before I attempt to build another one and charge a second member of the family. Depending on how this trial goes, though, Ana would definitely be next on my list.”

“Funny you say that, because Ana is our prime focus right now.”

“Then maybe we can help each other.” This might actually work out after all. Especially if her prosecution of Simon got railroaded, then maybe with the FBI’s help she’d be able to start working up evidence against Ana.

“Ana is dirty—there’s no doubt about it. She’s known on the streets as the most ruthless sibling, but she’s working with someone in the organization to make sure she stays as clean as possible. But she can’t hide forever.”

Jessica’s pulse quickened just thinking about constructing arguments against Ana. “She has a few businesses in town that she uses as fronts, right?”

“Yes, two actually. A dry-cleaning service and a restaurant.”

“You know who we haven’t talked about yet?” she asked.

“The only person in the family who supposedly isn’t a criminal?” Zach raised an eyebrow.

“You’re skeptical that the golden boy is really golden?”

“Luke Hernandez may be a cop, but I don’t trust him.”

She shook her head. “Everything I’ve researched has him coming up completely clean. The only member with zero ties to any family business or any crimes at all. Got out young and never looked back.”

“Why would Mick Hernandez let his youngest son become a cop? I’m sorry, Jessica—I’m not buying it. There’s an ulterior motive going on even if it hasn’t presented itself yet. I wouldn’t trust him.”

“He works homicide,” Jessica said. “Supposedly he’s quite good and highly respected in the unit.”

Zach laughed. “When you grow up in a family of criminals it would make you a good cop. You know all the ins and outs.”

“Wait a minute. You can’t judge Luke purely based on his upbringing.” After the words were out of her mouth, she realized that she sounded a bit too defensive.

He leaned forward in his seat. She could tell that he was sizing her up.

“I’m sorry if I’m skeptical about Luke. I just find it really hard to believe that his father wouldn’t have killed him by now if he was really an upstanding cop.”

“Luke is still his son. And more importantly, he’s Fern’s baby. From everything I’ve researched, I think Fran has kept Luke off the table.”

“You think even though he’s gone over to the other side and sold out his family, that his mother will still protect him?”

“That’s where you have it wrong, Zach. What has Luke ever done to sell out his family? Nothing.”

“Well, he better be walled off from working this homicide. Because the Hernandez clan is definitely behind the death of Denise Landers.”

“Cut the guy a break. Shouldn’t we applaud him for stepping out of the life of crime and all the comforts that come with it?”

Zach shrugged. “I guess if I truly believed he was clean, that would be one thing.”

This wasn’t going to get them anywhere. “It doesn’t matter. I can tell you right now, I’m not going after Luke Hernandez. I think he’s a solid cop trying to do the best he can. I’d rather keep our focus on the case I’m supposed to be trying against Simon.”

“Agreed. What are you going to do now without Denise to ensure a conviction?”

“That’s the million-dollar question. We do have a videotape of Denise’s deposition testimony. But that’s never as effective as a live witness. Plus the defense will try to exclude the testimony.”

“On what basis?”

“That he lacked the opportunity for a proper cross-examination.”

“How so?”

Jessica remembered that day well. “The defense attorney cooked up a story about a personal family emergency and had to leave before he could finish his questions. He cut the deposition short, and we never rescheduled because Denise committed to being available for trial. That was a big mistake in hindsight.”

“And who is the defense attorney?”

“Mateo Tyson.”

Zach groaned loudly. “That guy is the worst.”

“But he’s a very effective lawyer who has successfully defended the Hernandez family and other criminals for years.” She rubbed her eyes as exhaustion started to set in again.

“It’s getting late. Why don’t we get you home? Once we’re there, we can talk about the threat assessment and the security part of this operation.”

“I live in a one-bedroom apartment. I don’t think that’s exactly conducive to having a bodyguard.” She didn’t like the idea of someone invading her personal space, but there was a tiny part of her that was happy that she wouldn’t be alone tonight. And that Zach would be the one protecting her. Seeing Denise’s lifeless body on that beach today shook her up even though she was desperately trying not to show it.

“I can sleep in the living room. This isn’t about me having luxury accommodations. It’s about keeping you alive. When they sent someone to scare you, that was one thing. But now that they’ve killed a person connected to your case, we have to step it up. We’ll stay at your place tonight and then regroup and talk to Agent Wilson about a safe house and any other security precautions he wants to put into place.”

“I have faith that I’ll be all right.” And she believed that in the deepest fiber of her being.

Zach narrowed his eyes at her. “Faith as in the general concept, or faith as in faith in God?”

“Faith in God.”

He nodded. “I totally understand. My faith has gotten me through some tough times in life, too.”

It was nice to hear that Zach shared the same beliefs. And she also knew he was right. Now wasn’t the time be alone. Not when the threat loomed large. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Great. I’ll drive you and have another agent take your car back to your place. From here on out, you’re not going anywhere solo.”

Jessica was quickly realizing that she was going to have to pick her battles with Zach. And this definitely wasn’t something to argue about.

When she got into his government-issued SUV, she allowed herself to take a few deep breaths and try to decompress. The past twenty-four hours had been crazy.

“Are you from Florida?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Does your family still live here?”

The dreaded question that everyone always seemed curious about. Most people assumed it was totally innocent. But it was far from a benign question for her. Jessica figured that since they’d be working together she probably needed to be up front. “I actually don’t have a family.”

“What do you mean?”

“I grew up in the state of Florida foster care system. I was never adopted. So I don’t have any family.”

Silence filled the air for a moment. “I’m sorry—I didn’t know,” he said.

“No need to apologize. I’ve been on my own basically forever, so I’m quite used to it.”

“I feel bad for asking you.”

“Please don’t. I’d like to hear about your family,” she said.

“It’s not exactly an uplifting story, either, although it seems like nothing compared to what you went through. My dad split when I was a baby. I don’t even remember him. It was just me and my mom growing up. She had a tough time, and our relationship is rocky to say the least. We don’t talk very much. It’s a difficult situation.”