Sparkle by Jan Moran

Author:Jan Moran [Moran, Jan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sunny Palms Press

12

STEPPING INTO THE cabin cruiser moored at Rushcutters Bay in a bustling yacht club, Jake couldn’t help but enjoy the view around him. However, the best view of all was that of Elena, who had gone aboard before him. She wore a pair of slim white jeans, deck shoes, and a French blue-and-white striped sweater.

Last night at the opera, Elena’s grandmother had sweetly asked him to join them on a harbor cruise today. She was in the galley preparing fresh fruits and vegetables she’d brought on board for hors d’oeuvres, while her husband Aaron steered from the slip. Elena had immediately gone below to help Lana.

Once they were outside of the marina and into the harbor, Aaron picked up speed. Jake stood at the bow of the cabin cruiser as it coursed through the harbor waters, while the city of Sydney rose around him. Tilting his chin into the wind, he felt the cool ocean spray mist his face.

He’d quickly accepted Lana’s invitation for today, even though he knew Elena would be upset. This was purely business, he told himself. Glancing behind him, he saw Elena on the bridge, taking over from her grandfather while he chatted on the phone. Still, he couldn’t help the physical longing he felt for her. But that’s all it was, he told himself. She wanted nothing to do with him, right?

As soon as Penelope had filed the claim, his buddy at her insurance company told him to start the investigation. The leads the police and FBI were following had grown cold, but they held out hope. However, the insurance company had a limited time in which to respond to the claim.

He’d planned to gather as much information as he could here while he waited for an arrest warrant to be issued in the States—if he could prove the potential of fraud. The District Attorney needed a lot more to go on than what he had. Just having a suspicion of fraud was not enough. He needed something more.

Having been an instrumental part of teams that had brought jewel thieves and insurance fraud perpetrators to justice, he’d performed this task before. However, he’d never met anyone quite like Elena, and he found it disconcerting.

What he couldn’t figure was why would a young woman like her, who had so much going for her, risk it all for a quick hit that could ruin her brilliant future? She’d studied hard to get where she was, didn’t live extravagantly, and didn’t seem to have any bad habits he could see—those always left trails.

He’d received a clean report on her from another investigator just this morning. No evidence of gambling, drugs, extortion, or anything else people got involved in.

Furthermore, now that he had met her grandparents, who were fine people, doubt was creeping into his mind. While he had nabbed his share of white-collar criminals, in his experience the Elena that was emerging no longer fit the profile.

Or was that what he wanted to believe?

All he wanted was for her to tell him the truth about the gemstones, but she’d refused.

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