Hunted in the Keys
Page 20
After walking past a row of fountains and beautiful flowers, we entered the large, glass double doors and Ange surprised me when she told the stewardess that she had a reservation for two.
“I made it last week,” she said, smiling at me as we were ushered over to our table. She was wearing a sexy blue dress and, combined with her diamond earrings and high heeled shoes, she looked like she’d just walked out of a photoshoot for some high-end fashion magazine.
The stewardess led us to a table that was right beside a large window that overlooked the ocean and I helped Ange into her chair before seating myself. Before the stewardess could ask what we wanted to drink, Ange said, “We’ll have a tequila sunrise and a classic mojito, please.” She smiled at me and I thought that I sure as hell could get used to that.
I couldn’t help but grin as Ange sat with her back straight and her arms placed formally at her sides. During a late night talk we’d had a few years earlier she’d told me that her parents had put her into the best boarding schools when she was a young girl growing up in Sweden. She told me that they’d been grooming her to be a rich man’s wife and hang around at country clubs for the rest of her life. And even though she’d always been a bit of a tomboy and had done everything she could to resist it, she had a hard time hiding her back straight, formal dining habits she’d been forced to have as a young girl.
For appetizers we ordered the lobster bisque and the carpaccio of beef; both were incredible and the bisque was the best I’d ever tasted. For dinner, Ange decided on the seafood pasta which had jumbo shrimp, seared scallops and lobster combined with seasonings and fresh tagliatelle pasta. I chose the yellowtail snapper with sweet baby peppers and chive risotto.
When the waitress brought our food over, my mouth watered as all of the different aromas swirled into my nostrils. It was some of the best seafood I had ever had and as we talked, Ange told me about how the owner was a world-renowned chef who’d fallen in love with the Keys when he’d visited there years earlier.
As I enjoyed each bite and looked across at Ange, admiring her beauty, I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven.
“You know, I’m one lucky guy,” I said, admiring her.
She nodded. “Yea. With all those gang members hunting you down on that island, you’d think one of them would’ve been able to bring you down. Maybe the keys aren’t making you soft after all.”
“I’m in the best shape of my life,” I replied confidently.
“Is that so?” she said, eyeing me from head to toe. “Well, if that’s the case, maybe you could actually give me a run for my money in a fight now.”
“You and I both know you’d kick my ass,” I said, grinning at her. She laughed and nodded as I continued, “But I wasn’t referring to that. I meant that I’m lucky to be dining with such a beautiful and intelligent woman as you.” She blushed a little bit but tried her best to brush it off.
When we were about halfway through eating our main courses I saw a familiar face approach our table from the direction of the front door. It was Sheriff Wilkes, though he wasn’t dressed in his uniform. Instead, he was wearing blue jeans and a button-up, Hawaiian style shirt. I was surprised they’d let him in.
“Logan,” he said, stepping right up to the table.
“Hey Charles,” I said, smiling at him. “Little underdressed, aren’t we?” My smile died as I saw the serious look on his face.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” he said. Then glancing at Ange, he added, “Can I speak to you in private?”
I apologized to Ange who seemed more intrigued than anything else, then sighed, set my napkin on the table and walked alongside him towards the waiting area and through the front doors.
Once we were outside and out of earshot of everyone except a few nicely dressed tourists walking down the path towards the ferry, I turned to face him, “Look, I’ve already told you everything,” I said, irritated that he’d interrupted my meal with Ange. “I’ve given my full statements more times than I can count. I’ve played ball with you guys and for the last time, I don’t know where Salazar is.” It wasn’t completely a lie. I mean sure, I knew his general whereabouts, but I didn’t know his exact location. I hadn’t even looked at the coordinates of my GPS when we chucked him overboard.
“It’s not that,” he said, his face emotionless. “You have a message from a detective down in Curacao. He said he’s been trying to get a hold of you all day.”
“A detective in Curacao?” I said, confused as hell. “What’s the message?”
“To call him right away,” he said, handing me a slip of paper with a phone number penned onto it. “He couldn’t tell me anything, but he said its important, Logan.”
I stood for a moment, wondering why in the hell a detective from Curacao would have urgent business with me, then grabbed the slip of paper and held my hand out. “Mind if I borrow your phone? Mine fell into the ocean.”
“Explains why I couldn’t get ahold of you,” he said as he handed it to me and I punched in the numbers. After the second ring, I heard a guy’s voice through the small speaker.
“Hello?” the loud voice said in what sounded like a Spanish accent.
“This is Logan Dodge calling from Key West Florida,” I said. “Sheriff Charles Wilkes has just informed me that you’ve been trying to get ahold of me.”
I heard shuffling of papers on the other end of the phone. “Yes, Mr. Dodge, this is Detective Dan Millis of the Curacao police department.” There was a slight pause and I listened intently as he took a deep breath then let it all out. “Look, I’m sorry but I have some bad news for you.”
“Bad news?” I said, wondering what in the hell he could possibly be talking about.
“Yes, sir. It’s about your father.” My eyes grew wide and my heart stopped at the mention of my dad.
“What about him?” The words jumped angrily out of my mouth. My mind raced wildly, wondering what could have happened.
“Look, uh, it’s of a serious nature and I’d rather not discuss it over the phone.”
“What happened?” I said again, my voice loud and stern.
He sighed. “It's regarding your father’s gravesite.”
My dad’s gravesite? My blood boiled and I gritted my teeth, unable to control my anger.
“Go on,” I said.
“I don’t know how to tell you this, Mr. Dodge, but it’s been desecrated.” That sent me overboard, sending a surge of burning hot rage through my body. Who in the hell would desecrate my dad’s body? And why? He cleared his throat and continued, “I know this must be tough to hear. Is there any chance you could make it down here to the island sometime in the next couple of days?”
“I’ll be there in the morning,” I said in a pissed off tone then hung up the phone and handed it back to Charles who was staring at me intently.
“What was that about?” he asked, trying his best to read me.
I stared off into the distance, lost in thought and breathing heavily. I didn’t know who in the hell would ever do such a thing, but I did know one thing for certain; whoever was responsible was going to pay.
“I’m going to be out of town for a few days,” I said, still staring off into nothingness.
In a moment my life had been turned upside down. I glanced over at Ange, who was waiting patiently for me at our table, and knew that I had no choice but to cut our time in paradise short.
THE END
Logan Dodge Adventures
Gold in the Keys
(Florida Keys Adventure Series Book 1)
Hunted in the Keys
(Florida Keys Adventure Series Book 2)
Revenge in the Keys
(Florida Keys Adventure Series Book 3)
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About the Author
Matthew has a deep-rooted love for adventure and the ocean. He loves tra
veling, diving, rock climbing and writing adventure novels. Though he grew up in the Pacific Northwest, he currently lives in Virginia Beach with his wife Jenny.