High Jinks in High Places - Softcover

Barrett, Ruth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1458219356 ISBN 13: 9781458219350

Verlag: AbbottPress, 2015

Inhaltsangabe

When PI Jordan Anderson agrees to investigate strange events happening at the Kingman Corporation's Arlington, Virginia, warehouse, she has no idea she is getting involved in a case of espionage and murder that stretches all the way to Afghanistan.

Through a strange twist of fate, she finds herself reunited with George Kilburn, a man whom she had only recently met socially and wants to know better. She gets her wish when she finds out that he is also investigating the Kingman Corporation-on behalf of a Senate oversight committee. As the two of them join forces, they find themselves tracking down a shipment of highly classified equipment that has been diverted to Afghanistan and looking into the mysterious death of a disbursement officer. With each piece of evidence that is uncovered, another question arises. And as their involvement in the case deepens, so do the feelings that Jordan and George have for each other.

In this mystery novel, a PI and an investigator for a prominent senator look into a case of missing cargo and find themselves dealing with murder, espionage, terrorism, and true love.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Ruth Barrett was born in New York and raised in Georgia. As an adult, her work with the federal government brought her to Virginia where she has lived for more than thirty years.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

High Jinks in High Places

By Ruth Barrett

Abbott Press

Copyright © 2015 Ruth Barrett
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4582-1935-0

CHAPTER 1

Jordan anderson sat at her desk finishing the final report of a case she had just completed. Looking around, she thought about what she had accomplished in her thirty-two years and where she stood in the career path she had mapped out for herself when she decided to major in criminal law at harvard university.

She had graduated with a 3.8 grade average and had received offers from a number of law firms, but being a corporate lawyer wasn't what she wanted. Her brother, James, was a JaG lawyer with the navy, and her uncle had been a detective with the Baltimore police department until he was killed in the line of duty. She could easily put herself in their places when they told her how they had conducted interviews and followed leads to arrive at the truth.

It was the thrill of discovering and obtaining evidence and putting the pieces together to make right something that had been wrong that compelled her. She found fulfillment in being a private investigator who chose whether to accept or refuse a case based on the merits and not by political pressure, money, or power. Unlike some of the other private investigators out there, Jordan wouldn't take a case if she felt the person was just looking for revenge or to 'settle a score'. She knew that she had to be able to look back at the face in her mirror each morning. She couldn't do that if she compromised her principles in the process.

She was brought back to reality by the ringing of her phone. "This is Jordan Anderson."

"Hello. My name is Sasha Goldman. A friend gave me your name and number and suggested that I contact you."

Jordan sensed that Sasha was nervous by the soft, almost timid tone of her voice. "how can I help?"

"I work for a large corporation that has a number of federal government contracts. I'm concerned that something's going on that may be illegal. Can you keep this confidential?"

"All my client work is confidential," responded Jordan. "Why don't we meet and you can tell me what's going on."

"That sounds good, but I need to ask you how much you charge. Do you have a flat rate, or do you charge by the hour, or what?" asked Sasha.

"When we meet, I'll give you a sheet that lists my fees, credentials, office address, and phone and fax numbers. I can set up payment plans if that's necessary. Let's see what's involved here. We can discuss the fee later if I take your case."

"I usually visit my parents on Sunday afternoon in upper Marlboro, Maryland," said Sasha. "Could you meet me for lunch at the Steak and Ale Restaurant on Highway 16?"

"Yes, that sounds good. How about twelve thirty?"

Two days later, Jordan entered the restaurant and noticed a slender, young woman sitting on a bench. She had shoulder-length, brown hair and was wearing a floral-print dress and a pink sweater. The way she was watching people entering the restaurant, Jordan knew this must be Sasha. As she approached and made eye contact, Jordan smiled and said, "You must be Sasha."

"Yes I am." Sasha replied as she stood and extended her hand. "You must be Jordan. I appreciate your meeting me like this."

Jordan briefly grasped her hand. "Let's get a booth so we can talk."

They were seated in a booth near the back of the restaurant. after they placed their orders, the waitress brought them each a glass of iced tea.

"Who recommended me?" Jordan asked.

"My fiancé, Boyd Hutchison. He said you had helped him with a problem he'd had three years ago, and he felt sure you were the person I should talk to about my situation."

"Yes, I remember Boyd. Tell me what's happening where you work."

"The Kingman Corporation develops computer programs that perform multiple functions for naval ships that travel all over the world. They have millions of dollars in government contracts. I'm the executive secretary for Mr. Shaun O'Riley, director of operations."

"Go on."

"When I asked if this would be kept confidential, it's because of my position. I have access to information not available to other staff. I have two daughters, ages three and four and a half, from a previous marriage to support. My husband was killed two years ago while serving a tour of duty in Iraq. He and Boyd were close friends in college and planned to join the navy together, but Boyd wasn't able to pass the physical."

Their conversation was momentarily interrupted when the waitress brought their food. As they ate, Jordan asked, "What do you think is going on at work?"

"Recently, a shipment of cargo being shipped from our warehouse in Arlington to our warehouse in Seattle, mysteriously turned up in Afghanistan. I don't know what the specific cargo was, but it must have been something extremely important because this place has been going crazy ever since it was discovered. There have been private meetings and phone calls every day. Everybody appears very worried.

"A couple of weeks ago, a man came into our office demanding to see Mr. O'Riley. He didn't have an appointment. When I told him that Mr. O'Riley was at a meeting out of the office, he became very angry and agitated. I didn't know what he might do."

"Did he threaten you?" asked Jordan.

"No, but I was sure he didn't believe me. I finally got him to let me set up an appointment for the next morning at nine o'clock. he gave his name as Boris Urich. When I asked the nature of the meeting, he said only that Mr. O'Riley would know what the meeting was about."

Just then, the waitress stopped by their table to refill their iced tea glasses. Jordan looked around and noticed that a number of families were coming in. Looking at her watch, she concluded that the local church services had ended and families were gathering for lunch.

"Had you ever dealt with Mr. urich before?" asked Jordan.

"No, never. Mr. O'Riley called the office later that afternoon, and I told him what had happened. He was very angry that Mr. urich had just shown up and behaved like that, but he was glad I'd set up the meeting for the next morning."

"What happened next?"

"The next morning, when Mr. Urich arrived, Mr. O'Riley closed his door, saying that he was not to be disturbed. I heard a lot of shouting, but I couldn't understand what was being said. After the meeting, Mr. O'Riley had me cancel all of his appointments for the rest of the day and said not to disturb him unless it was an emergency."

"What then?"

"He came out of his office twice and was looking through the file cabinet for something. I offered to help, but he just brushed me off, saying that he could find it faster than he could explain what he was looking for. He finally left the office, and I began to straighten up the office and mark his appointment calendar as I always do before I leave for the day. It was then that I noticed them."

"Noticed what?" asked Jordan, noticing the strange look that had come over Sasha.

"I noticed two file folders sitting on his desk. The top one concerned a high-level contract that was up for review and refunding. The second file was one I'd never seen before."

"Was it also a contract file?"

"No. It appeared to be some sort of a ledger of expenses, but there was nothing explaining how or when the expenses had been incurred. I saw a column of random numbers that may have been some type of code furnishing that information, but that's just a guess on my part.

I was about to mark his appointment calendar when my phone rang. And I went to answer it. While I was on the phone, Mr....

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: AbbottPress
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2015
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1458219356
• ISBN 13: 9781458219350
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 214
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: preigu; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; 49078; Deutschland