"Yeah. Bill said he'd heard of stuff like this happening, but he'd always thought it was like an urban legend. He thinks it's some kind of deep cover operation — his suggestion was to leave it alone."
"So why didn't you?" Luke asked.
"We did. The source didn't. He called us to begin with because Connie's name had surfaced in an investigation he was running and he thought she was in danger. He helped us out and then disappeared."
"Connie knows him, then?"
"Never met him, but she knew he existed."
"Jesus, Paul. What's the punch line here? Why are you telling me this?"
"He's gotten in touch with us again, and he suggested we talk with you about a case."
"Let me guess," Luke said. "It's a murder-suicide."
"How'd you get there so fast?" Paul asked.
"I was going to call you in the morning, just to let you know about it. There's a connection to you and Connie."
"You mean because of Dani and Liz?" Paul asked. "Or because of the memo?"
"How the hell ... What do you know about a memo?"
"He said there was a memo that mentioned us and Dani and Liz. It was on a laptop found at the scene. That's all I got from him."
"Damn!" Luke said. "You sure about this guy?"
"As sure as I can be, not knowing any more about him than what I've told you. Why?"
"The memo on the laptop," Luke said. "Nobody outside the investigation knows about it. We kept it back from the press. So he's got a source inside the department. Or he's connected to whoever did it."
"Maybe he's got a source. Based on our previous experience with him, I don't think he played a part in the crime," Paul said. "Did you use any outside help on the computer?"
"Yeah," Luke said. "The feds."
"There you go," Paul said. "He must have some way to get access to stuff the feds have, unless you think you've got a leak."
"I don't know," Luke said. "Neither option makes me happy."
"I understand," Paul said. "What was in the memo?"
"Related to you and Connie?" Luke asked, then continued. "Not much. It said Diamantista II and Vengeance were sister ships, and that you use the same charter broker as Dani and Liz. The rest dealt with the surveillance gear that was installed on Vengeance."
"Surveillance gear?" Paul asked.
"Yeah. Short version — Dani and Liz left Vengeance at a marina in Miami and spent a couple of weeks in New York. That was right after you guys were all here for Mario's birthday party. When they came back, Vengeance was missing. She turned up a day or two later down in St. Lucia, and somebody had installed bugs and video recording gear. Well concealed, too. A professional job. Then they had a charter that turned out to be setting up a congressman for blackmail. I'm sure they'll tell you all about it, or Phillip and Sandrine will, the next time you talk to them."
"Okay," Paul said. "But why use Vengeance?"
"That's the big question," Luke said. "That, and what really happened in the condo where we found the two bodies."
"A murder-suicide," Paul said.
"Meant to look that way, anyhow," Luke said. "Classic case of two bodies in a room locked from the inside."
"You don't buy that, I take it," Paul said.
"It's too easy. Plus, there's the 'Why Vengeance?' question."
"Not to mention the reference to Connie and me."
"Yeah, that, too."
"Is there a connection to the Pink Pussycat?" Paul asked.
"What? Why do you ask about the Pink Pussycat?" Luke's voice was rising in pitch.
"Our mystery helper offered to supply surveillance information on the Pussycat," Paul said.
Luke groaned. "So the feds are not only working on my turf without telling anybody. Now they're interfering in our investigation."
"I don't know, Luke. He didn't say why they were watching the club. Maybe they're after Pinkie Schultz for something. Does the Pussycat figure in your murder-suicide?"
"One of the bodies — the supposed suicide — was Manny LaRosa," Luke said.
"No great loss there," Paul said, "but what's LaRosa got to do with the Pink Pussycat?"
"There's no reason you would know this," Luke said, "but Schultz disappeared a few months ago and his enforcer took over the club. A guy named — "
"Dick Kilgore," Paul interrupted. "I remember Kilgore."
"Yeah. And then Kilgore disappeared after a few weeks and LaRosa took over. How far back can your source go on the surveillance of the club?"
"He didn't say. Just dropped the hint. I suspect he wants to see if you'll trade."
"Trade what?"
"I don't know yet. Who was the other body in that condo?"
"We aren't sure. He had a fake driver's license in the name of William M. Roberts. His lease on the condo was in that name, too. He was renting it from LaRosa, by the way. He's not in the system, anywhere. Not by that name or any other. No match on his prints."
"Anybody able to i.d. him from mugshots, maybe?"
"His face was destroyed, Paul. The photo on his fake license looked a lot like a sketch we had of a guy named Berto, who was a suspect in the theft of Vengeance."
"What a mess," Paul said. "It sounds like somebody wanted you to trust that driver's license."
"Yeah, tell me about it. It gets worse, too, but first, find out what your guy wants. I'll take his help, unless he wants something that I can't give him."
"What might that be?" Paul asked.
"Parts of the case are politically sensitive."
"The congressman?"
"No, not him. His brother-in-law already blew the lid off that. He's toast. It's complicated. I'll tell you later, but first, see what your guy has, okay?"
"Sure," Paul said. "Okay if I warn him about your political constraints?"
"Yeah, sure. He might as well know that going in. You got any idea what he's doing in our city?"
"No. I'm not even sure if he's there or just has access to people who are."
"Jesus, Russo. At least you're not boring. Tell Connie hello, and let me hear about this deal. I gotta go."
End of excerpt from An Easy Sail - A Connie Barrera Thriller. Read more about An Easy Sail at www.clrdougherty.com
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Under Full Sail - A Connie Barrera Thriller: The 7th Novel in the Series - Mystery and Adventure in Florida and the Caribbean (Connie Barrera Thrillers) Page 24