Chapter 21

Cancun

The next morning began without any drama, a relief to everyone. Ben felt the need to hover over Kristin to make sure she was alright, worried she might have another fainting spell. By the time they went back to bed, he lay awake for a long time, listening in case she woke up with another nightmare. But, she never did, so he succumbed to sleep as well. By morning, everyone was feeling more energized, although Ben made a mental note to keep Kristin in his sights for the day, especially around Jake.

But, when Jake came to the hotel to get them, he immediately took Kristin by the arm and pulled her off to the side to speak with her privately about something, Ben went on the defensive. He didn't like the fact Jake was so clingy with her. And, what was worse, the doc didn't seem to mind. Once they were on the launch, he made a point to talk to her about it.

"What the hell was that about?" he whispered to her, being sure to speak quietly enough so no one else heard.

Kristin gave him a look. "And good morning to you too."

"Doc," Ben said warningly.

Kristin sighed. "He just wanted to see how I was, that's all."

"Well, once we get to island, I would prefer it if you stayed close to me or Tim…please." It wasn't a request.

But, Ben had stepped over the line, at least in Kristin's opinion. Really, in the past week, she'd lost the man whom she respected as a leader and the one she'd fallen in love with and as a result, found herself having to walk on eggshells around Lucas at times. And even though that seemed to be resolved for the time being, then, she'd had to deal with Jake. And, no, she wasn't even sure of his intentions, but she knew about his attraction and part of her was tempted to accept simply because she wasn't the type of woman to go pining over a man, especially if Nathan had told Jake he didn't want her anymore. And, if that was true, what about the letters? Not that she'd been able to read anymore since the first one, but did the last letter suggest that? And on top of all this, she'd witnessed a murder and nearly witnessed a second, had some disturbing nightmares, and the last straw was the fact that Ben was ordering her what to do. She couldn't take it anymore.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll do what I like, thank you."

"Doc, I-" Ben began.

But, Kristin raised a hand and turned to the others, this time speaking in a voice loud enough for all them to hear, "If none of you has any objections, I'm going over there to get a few moments of peace and attempt to clear my head. And I would appreciate it if none of you orders me around. In case you haven't forgotten, I don't take kindly to orders." With that, she turned and walked to the other side of the launch.

The others looked at Ben questioningly, who simply said, "Don't ask."

The rest of the ride to the island was uneventful, although the tension between Ben and Kristin couldn't be masked. And when the launch did land on the sandy beach of Nathan's island home and Jake suggested they split up into teams, Kristin purposely offered to be paired with Jake, a smile on her face as she looked directly at Ben. And, Jake accepted, looking rather pleased with himself.

Ben, however, wasn't going to add more fuel to the fire. He simply leaned in close to Kristin and whispered, "Just be careful, alright?"

She nodded in response, but said nothing more.

Ben sighed and put his arm around Lucas' shoulders. "Let's go, kid, you're with me." And, Ben tried to remember that they had a police escort now.

Lieutenant Bruno Sykes followed them up the walkway of the home. "I'll stand watch here then," he told them.

Ben wanted to tell him he thought it should be Jake he was watching, but kept his mouth shut for fear he'd have another lecture from the doc. He just hoped the lieutenant had fast instincts, just in case.

The five of them walked into the house; Tim took one wing of the house while Lucas and Ben took the other. Jake and Kristin headed upstairs.

Once they were alone, Jake turned to her. "So, what was that all about? On the launch? Trouble with your friends?"

Kristin rolled her eyes. "Oh, Ben's just being a little too over-protective of me." She shrugged her shoulders. "I know it's just because he cares, but I'm feeling like I can't breathe, you know what I mean?"

Jake put his hands on her shoulders and nodded. "Of course I do. You've been through a lot in the past several days. You're feeling alright now?"

"For the time being. I really just want everything to go back the way it was. In the meantime, I'm reassessing my priorities."

"Care to elaborate?" Jake pressed.

She smiled softly. "Not yet. Besides, don't we have work to do?"

"Of course. Um, you start checking that drawer, and I'll work on this one?" Jake asked.

"Sounds fine," Kristin agreed.

The group searched every room in the house, every nook and cranny, but came up with nothing. They even searched in the boathouse, but came up empty-handed.

Jake gathered everyone together in the living room. It was late; they were all tired and hungry. "I guess it's a loss," he muttered. "I guess we'll call it a day, unless the rest of you have any better ideas?"

Everyone shook their heads except Lucas. "What about Malcolm? He seemed to know more about the cap and his wife; he might have some ideas."

Jake nodded. "Sounds like a plan for tomorrow thought. It's rather late to be heading off to the Caicos."

So, with that, they piled back into the launch and were at the hotel not too long after that.

Once there, Jake grabbed Kristin's arm. "I…I know you're probably tired, but I was wondering if you'd want to grab a bite?"

Kristin hesitated for a moment. She glanced towards the others, who had just walked into the hotel entrance. She knew Ben would flip if she said yes, but it was just an innocent dinner. And, really, she knew Ben was wrong. Jake was harmless. He just had a little crush on her. No, she wasn't ready to accept. She had no physical attraction to Jake in any way, but she certainly wasn't going to stay away from him either. He knew her feelings, and she was confident he'd respect them.

"Just let me go tell the others," she replied. "Be back in a minute."

But, when Kristin did so, Ben said, "I don't think so."

"Ben, don't start with me," Kristin argued.

"But, the rules."

Kristin rolled her eyes. "I won't be alone. Bruno will be with me." She turned to him. "You'll make sure I'm alright, won't you?"

"Of course," Bruno agreed. He looked at Ben. "Nothing's going to happen to her."

Ben sighed. He really couldn't argue, and the doc certainly wasn't going to listen to him. "Fine," he conceded, "but, be sure to call if there are any…problems."

She smiled and replied, "Of course…and thank you. I appreciate it."

"Just take care of yourself," Ben warned.

He watched Kristin leave with Bruno, and turned back to Tim and Lucas, having a sudden thought. "So, what do you two say we go out?"

"I don't really care where we go, as long as they have food. I'm starving," Lucas replied.

But Tim knew what Ben meant. "You're not suggesting we follow them, are you?"

Ben feigned innocence. "Who me?" Then, he became serious. "Don't worry; we'll eat first, but aren't you two the slightest bit concerned for the doctor's safety?"

"Of course we are," Tim assured him. "But do we really need to follow her around like some teenager? I don't think she'll appreciate that."

"Well, we're not going to get caught," Ben insisted. "This is just a…precautionary tactic. I know that Lieutenant Sykes will be there, and the doc insists Jake is harmless. Still, something about him doesn't sit right with me. There's just…an odd vibe. If everything seems fine, we'll come back here, and she'll never have to know anything. But, if something does happen, we'll be there to protect her. What do you say?"

Tim and Lucas looked at one another. Ben did have a point, and they did want to make sure the doctor was alright. They both exchanged a slight nod.

"Fine," Tim conceded, "we'll go, but if we do get caught and the doc gets angry, I'm blaming it all on you. I really don't want to be on the receiving end of her wrath."

Ben smiled satisfactorily. "Fair enough. I'll take all the blame, but if we come up with a good enough plan, that's not going to happen. Let's go get something to eat and come up with something foolproof."

Meanwhile, Jake took Kristin to a restaurant in the downtown area that served traditional Mexican food.

"You're going to love this place," Jake gushed. "it's one of the few places where you can still get beef."

Kristin raised an eyebrow. "How in the world do they manage that?"

"Claim religious reasons," he replied casually. "Apparently, there are all kinds of loopholes when it comes to the law." Then, he quipped, "I should know; I'm a lawyer," and he gave Kristin a wink.

She chuckled softly in response as she looked over the menu. The only problem was, it was in Spanish, which she didn't speak. Although she was fluent in French and was able to guess at some of the words, she was having a terrible time deciphering it.

Jake seemed to notice her difficulty. "I'm sorry, I should have thought." He moved closer to her and began translating the various dishes for her. After he'd read the last one, he said, "So, what sounds good to you?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "What do you recommend?"

"Well, that depends. Do you have any reservations about eating beef?"

"I haven't had beef in years. I certainly have no objections," she answered.

Jake smiled. "Then, just leave the ordering to me."

A short time later, a waitress came to take their order.

"Dos enchiladas de carne con arroz y dos margaritas; un de fresa, y un de cal, por favor," Jake told her.

After the waitress had left the table, Kristin spoke, "Margaritas?"

Jake shrugged his shoulders. "I thought you needed it after the last few days. Unless you have an objection to drinking alcohol?"

"N-no, I just don't do it very often. We have regulations on the seaQuest."

Jake rolled his eyes. "It sounds like that place is more about rules than anything. And you actually miss this place?"

"Well, yes; I love my work and I love the people who work with me," Kristin defended. "It might not seem ideal to you, but it is for me."

"Sorry," Jake apologized. "I didn't mean anything by it. Certainly, you must love the people you work with or you wouldn't be here. And, I'm sure Nathan will come around after all is said and done."

Kristin simply nodded, not feeling particularly enthusiastic about speaking about Nathan at the moment.

"I hope it doesn't bother you to talk about him."

"I really would rather we spoke about something else," she said after a moment.

Jake reached across the table and took her hand. "Fine. How about we talk about us?"

"Jake, there…there is no us. We're just friends. I thought I made that clear."

Jake's smile faded as he let go of Kristin's hand. "Right, you did. Sorry; I just thought after what Nathan had said, you'd need some comforting."

"And I appreciate that. But, I'm not ready for any other relationship besides friendship. I guess I'm just waiting…hoping that everything will go back to the way it was when this is over."

Jake nodded. "Fair enough." He held out his hand to her. "Friends?"

She smiled and accepted his hand. "Friends," she agreed.

Despite the small flash of anger she'd seen in Jake's eyes at that moment, it quickly faded and they had a lovely conversation over the meal. In fact, she and Jake even danced a little. Really, in the midst of all the chaos, a little fun was what she needed.

But, as the evening got later, Jake suggested, "What do you say we get out of here?"

Kristin nodded. "OK."

Once in Jake's car, Jake told her, "I had a lot of fun tonight. Nathan should be kicking himself right now."

She blushed. "I had fun too. And thank you. You should tell him that."

"Don't put it past me." Then, he added, "But as much fun as this has been, I do have some work to get done."

"This late at night?"

Jake shrugged. "Well, I missed out on a couple of days because of Anna. And since I still haven't hired a replacement, I have double the work to do now. So, I guess it's back to the hotel for you."

Kristin thought for a moment. She wasn't particularly tired, and she felt bad for Jake's situation now. "You know, I could help you…that is, if you want?"

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to put you out."

"You wouldn't be," Kristin insisted. "Besides, that's what we're here for-to help you with the case. I think that also entails working late hours if necessary."

"But won't the others be worried about you?"

"I'll have Bruno give them a message," she told him.

A short time later, they arrived at Jake's office building. Kristin asked Bruno to send a message to the hotel.

"Sure thing," Bruno stated. "And I'll keep watch out here then."

She smiled and said, "Thank you."

Then, she and Jake went inside; he led her into his office and ushered her to his desk and handed her a stack of files. "If you could start entering this information into the computer, that would be wonderful. I need to go get some things from the supply room; I'll be back shortly. Are you going to be alright?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Great," Jake said with a smile. "By the way, you're a lifesaver. See you in a bit then."

With that, Jake left the room while Kristin began typing. But, after she finished typing the last bit of data into the computer, she suddenly realized Jake still hadn't returned. She looked at the clock. They'd been there just a little over an hour. She felt her heart suddenly start beating faster as she walked towards his office door and peered out into the dimly lit lobby. "Jake?" she called weakly, her voice stifled by fear.

There was no answer.

"Jake?" she called again, this time a little louder.

But, after several moments, there was still no answer. But, she began to scold herself after a moment. "Calm down, Kristin; there's nothing to be afraid of. He's in the supply room. He can't hear you. He'll be back soon; that's what he'd said." She turned around and began looking through the bookshelves. "I'll just find something to occupy myself until he gets back."

She remembered that the first time, she found nothing of interest in Jake's books, but she was hoping that this time, there might be some sort of scientific journal or something that would spark her interest. She scanned shelf after shelf and found no such luck, however.

But, finally, on the bottom shelf, she saw a book with a white cover. No title was on its spine, so she had to pull it out. It read, 'The Diary of Carol Bridger' on the front. Still, she thought nothing of it, guessing it was the fake diary. But, having nothing better to do, she thought maybe she could at least look at the handwriting and see if anything looked familiar.

But, when she opened it, she immediately saw that she was wrong, seeing the handwriting looked completely different. Kristin's heart sank; she'd seen the handwriting from the diary before-in Malcolm's old greeting cards. She immediately skipped to the final page and read the last entry.

April 13th, 2017

Jake asked me to dinner last night. We were supposed to discuss a case that he was working on, so against my better judgment, I agreed. But, instead, Jake made another pass at me. He said I'd been teasing him, stringing him along. I swear, I never did that. I told him from the moment we met that I was a happily married woman, but he doesn't seem to want to take 'no' for an answer. I'm really at a loss of what to do. I had told myself I could handle this myself, but I don't think I can after all. I've decided I need to tell Nathan. I just hope he'll be able to forgive me for not telling him in the first place.

Kristin's hands trembled so much by the time she'd finished reading, she nearly dropped the book. She suddenly felt very dizzy, like she was going to faint. She walked back to Jake's chair and sat down, willing herself to calm down. Her hands gripped the armrests of the chair, fearing if she didn't hold onto something, she was going to fall over. She took several deep breaths and tried to calm herself down. And she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Jake's voice behind her.

"Discovered my dirty little secret, have you?"

A/N: Sorry I didn't get this out yesterday. I had gotten it written, but some things just weren't working for me, so I edited some things. And, I think it came out better this time around. Thank you.