Lexie rubbed the back of her tight neck. “I’m fine. I’ll be right back.”
As Lexie walked toward the restroom, she made eye contact with Savannah, gave a tiny nod and hoped she would follow. Lexie walked into the ladies’ room, checked for other occupants, and waited. A minute later, Savannah appeared.
“I can explain,” Lexie started.
“What the hell are you doing here and why didn’t you call me? And who is that guy you’re with?”
“Listen to me closely, Savannah, you cannot say one word about me to anyone.”
“Oh, my God, you’re here working. Are you undercover? What if someone sees you and recognizes you?”
“Who’s going to see me?”
“Uh, hello, I just did.”
“Well, besides you?”
“My mom, my dad, my brother.”
“I’m so sorry, Savannah. I should have told you. It’s a weird situation.”
“Who’s the guy out there? Is he an agent, too?”
“No. He’s someone that I’ve met since I’ve been here.”
“Are you on a date?”
“No! I mean, yes. I guess I am.”
Savannah’s eyes widened.
“Does he know what you do for a living?”
“Of course not. He thinks I’m a nature photographer.”
“Back in your undercover mode, huh?”
“Yeah. Are you free tomorrow morning? Let’s meet someplace where we can talk.”
“I’m free.”
“Meet me at the south end of Pawleys Island Beach tomorrow morning at nine.”
“I’ll be there, but you’re bringing the coffee.”
Lexie smiled. “Gotta go, Savannah. Please don’t say anything to anyone.”
“You know I won’t. I understand the consequences better than anyone.”
“I know you do.”
Logan smiled as Lexie sat down.
“You all right?” he asked.
“Great. I can’t wait to check out this burger you have on the way.”
Lexie took a drink of her wine and breathed a sigh of relief.
21
Lexie debated telling Don about her chance encounter with Savannah and decided to keep that information to herself. She picked up two cups of sticky bun coffee from the Pawleys Island Bakery and drove over to meet Savannah. She spotted a familiar Prius parked near the walkway.
Pawleys Island Beach was as beautiful as Lexie remembered. The last time she was on this beach was a year earlier to tie up some lose ends with Savannah.
Lexie and Savannah’s paths had crossed three years before when Lexie befriended Savannah and used her to infiltrate a radical group of animal rights extremists in Southern California. Savannah had fallen in love with a dangerous activist her freshman year at the University of Southern California and got caught up in some of his illegal activities. Savannah had survived the experience, but not unscathed.
Other than a few people fishing, the beach was mostly deserted. Savannah sat on the point where the ocean met the salt marsh, gazing at the stunning sight.
“May I sit down?”
Savannah looked up and smiled. “Those are the exact words that you said to me on this very spot a year ago.”
Lexie sat down beside Savannah.
“I brought you a coffee.”
“Oh honey, it’s gonna take more than a cup of coffee.” Savannah snatched the coffee. “But it’s a start.”
Both women laughed. Savannah took a sip from the cup.
“Start explaining.”
“I wanted to call you. In fact, I planned to call you, but things were out of control almost from the start.”
“Wait a minute,” Savannah said. “Are you here because of the ELF actions? I read about the attacks in the paper.”
“I can’t discuss specifics, but yes, the Bureau is looking into the attacks. Have you heard anything?”
“Me? You know that I stay far away from any kind of extremist activists. I learned my lesson.”
“So you haven’t heard a thing?”
“Nope. Nothing. I’m staying with my parents for the summer, then back to Charleston for school in the fall. I’m done with all that nonsense.”
Lexie took a sip of her coffee and stared at the horizon.
Savannah continued. “It doesn’t make any sense to me. The attacks.”
“Why do you say that?”
“The newspaper said the attacks were done by the Earth Liberation Front. I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never heard of any extremist groups operating in these parts.”
“I know. That’s why I’m having such a difficult time with this case. None of it makes any sense.”
“Are you being safe?”
Lexie laughed.
“Don’t answer. I realized how that sounded after the words came out of my mouth.”
“I’m careful.”
“I meant do you have a good team? Are they watching over you?”
“I have a team.”
“That didn’t sound too reassuring.”
“Let’s just say that this team is not as cohesive as the team I had in California. This is a much smaller FBI office, and I don’t have the resources that I had out west.”
“Is there anything that I can do? I’d be happy to help.”
“No. But keep your ears open and let me know if you hear anything unusual. I’ll give you my new cell number.”
“Now let’s talk about the important issue. Who was that gorgeous guy you were with last night?”
Lexie grinned.
“His name is Logan and I’m afraid I’ve made a huge mistake. He’s a sweet, wonderful guy and I can’t tell him the truth about who I am.”
“Not now, but maybe when the case is over,” Savannah offered.
“I’ve had to lie to him about everything. He won’t understand.”
“How do you know? Maybe you should give him a chance. Look at what happened between us.”
“You and I were a different situation.”
“I know,” Savannah said. “You befriended me, became my best friend, then betrayed me. He’s a lot better off.”
Savannah laughed.
“I’m just kidding. Have you lost your sense of humor?”
“My sense of humor died as soon as I took this assignment.”
“That bad?”
“No. But I’m all over the place. I’m not getting any support from the agents in the office. I feel like I’m getting nowhere with the case.”
“You’ll get there. You’re a smart woman and a good agent. If anyone can make something happen, it’ll be you.”
“Thank you for saying that. I feel like I’m walking on a tightrope without a net. I need to make a dent in this case soon. Before someone else gets hurt or worse, killed.”
“You will.”
The two friends sat together and enjoyed the splendor of the ocean. Pelicans flew in perfect formation overhead. A translucent crab skimmed along the sand then dropped into the safety of his hole. All of it was so beautiful.
Lexie inhaled deeply.
“I love the smell of the salty air. I never want to leave this spot.”
“You should move here.”
“What?”
“Why not? You love it here.”
“Because I live in New Orleans.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t move. Can’t the FBI transfer you here?”
“It doesn’t work that way. I would have to put my name on the list and wait for a vacancy. I’m sure the Myrtle Beach RA has a long list of agents trying to get here, all of whom would be more senior than me.”
“It’s worth a try,” Savannah said.
“Maybe so. I don’t really want to stay in New Orleans my whole career. Part of the fun of being an agent is moving around.”
“So you’ll think about it?”
“I will.”
“Cool.”
22
The next day after lunch, Lexie
packed her cooler and drove to Georgetown. She closely watched her rearview mirror. Confident that she was not followed, she drove to the marina and loaded up the boat.
“Good afternoon,” someone yelled from the dock.
Lexie looked up and saw Logan, dressed in his work attire: a polo style shirt, shorts, and deck shoes. She couldn’t help but notice the embroidered marina logo stretched tight across his muscular chest.
“Hey there. How are you?” she answered back.
“I’m good. You going out for a boat ride?”
“Yep. Hoping to capture some nice sunset photos.”
“I wish I didn’t have to work. I could show you a few hidden gems.”
“How about on your next day off?”
“I’m off tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow works for me,” Lexie said.
“Shall we meet here in the morning, around ten?”
“It’s a date.”
“Great. See you tomorrow. Be careful out there.”
“Will do.”
Lexie puttered off, keeping the boat speed low until she cleared the no wake zone.
Another date. What the hell are you doing?
***
Lexie found another shady spot where she could watch Cat Island but not be conspicuous. She pulled her camera out from the waterproof bag and sat it beside her.
I probably should get a fishing license and a pole to make this look more believable.
An hour into her surveillance, she heard a boat engine. Captain Meade rounded the bend with two male passengers aboard.
You’ve got to be kidding me, Lexie thought.
Meade pulled his boat up beside Lexie.
“Hey there, Captain. How are you today?”
“What brings you out this way?” he asked.
“Trying to get some shots of eagles. I heard this was a good place.”
“There aren’t any eagle nests in these parts. I showed you the spots where the eagles nest last week.”
The two passengers were looking at Lexie. The men were opposites in appearance. One was paunchy with wind-swept, bushy hair while the other was thin and balding.
“Hi, y’all. Catch anything today?”
The slender man smiled and answered. “Only a couple redfish so far, but the captain promised to take us to his secret spot.”
Captain Meade bristled and gave Lexie a scornful look.
“You need to get on out of here, girl. Go to the spot I showed you last week if you want to photograph eagles.”
“Will do, Captain.”
Lexie clenched her jaw and crossed her arms.
“Now. There’s nothing to photograph in this area.”
Lexie let out an audible sigh. “Okay. Okay.”
Meade’s passengers looked confused, but neither of them said anything.
Lexie cranked up her boat and slowly puttered back toward the main river.
Captain Meade followed Lexie out of the area, then waved as he departed the area with his clients.
Of all people to show up, Lexie thought.
She waited a good thirty minutes before backtracking to her surveillance spot. Within fifteen minutes of returning to the area, she heard the distinct drone of an airplane engine.
Holy shit!
Lexie grabbed her camera, removed the lens cap, and watched the air. Seconds later a shiny seaplane appeared directly overhead, barely clearing the tree line. The bottom part of the plane was painted bright yellow and the top portion was white. The two pontoons were white with yellow stripes. The tail number was clearly visible as Lexie quickly pressed the shutter release.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Lexie said triumphantly.
Lexie felt vindicated as she waited to see if the plane would circle around again. She heard a splashing noise and the whine of an engine.
The plane must have landed.
Without any regard for her safety, Lexie cranked up the boat engine and took off in search of the plane’s landing spot. She circled the large island, but saw no signs of the plane.
Where the hell did it go?
Lexie cut her engine and sat silently. She heard the engine of the seaplane for another minute, then silence. Lexie knew what she needed to do. She had to hide her boat and proceed on foot.
Lexie found an area where a section of land jutted out, allowing her to secret the boat among the rotting vegetation. She tied the boat to a sturdy, black-trunked tree and looked around for visual land markers.
Remember where you park, Lexie.
With only her camera strapped across her chest, Lexie took off in search of the seaplane.
Frilly green ferns dotted the muddy banks. The rotting vegetation and slimy algae caused Lexie to slip as she made her way up the embankment.
The brush was thick, but thanks to the long summer days, Lexie still had some daylight. She slowly picked her way across the island, stopping periodically to listen.
Lexie jumped and sharply inhaled when something lightly brushed her shoulder. Take a breath, Lexie. It’s only Spanish moss. She shook off the scare and trudged forward.
Caught in a thick dense tangle of thorny vines, Lexie slowly and carefully picked her way free. Briars scraped her arms and bare legs. The cuts burned as sweat invaded the wounds.
Maybe I should turn back. I don’t even have a flashlight. I should come back when I’m better prepared.
Lexie started to turn back when she noticed a small opening in the thick trees. She approached the opening and was shocked at what she found. In the center of the island was a huge body of water. Off in the distance, she could see a small rickety wooden cabin with a drooping roof. The brightly colored seaplane was parked next to a badly leaning outhouse near the cabin.
Lexie wanted to take some photographs while she still had a little sunlight. The surrounding trees blocked out most of the sun, so she moved toward the opening to get a better view. Through her telephoto lens, she could see a white male carrying two large duffle bags from the plane to the cabin. Wearing khaki colored shorts, a t-shirt, and a baseball cap, the man looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties.
Lexie figured if she circled the pond but stayed just inside the tree line, she could easily get a closer look at the cabin. She estimated that she had less than an hour of daylight left, so she planned to stay another fifteen minutes before retracing her steps back to her boat.
Lexie found a small deer trail and followed it while keeping the pond in sight through the trees. About a hundred yards from the cabin, Lexie heard the sound of tree branches snapping. Her legs shook as she hunkered down in the brush and tried to remain calm.
It’s probably just an animal. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
Another rustle of leaves made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, but she remained rooted in her spot. Something was wrong. Who or whatever was in the woods with her was getting closer. Something was terribly wrong. The sounds bouncing off the trees made it impossible to tell which direction the noise was coming from.
This is bad, Lexie thought. She rose from her hiding spot and everything went dark.
23
The excruciating pain in her head prevented Lexie from opening her eyes. She felt herself hanging upside down and being jostled from side to side. Between the pain, disorientation, and nausea, she managed to figure out that she was slung over someone’s shoulder. The bile felt like lava as it left her throat.
“What the fuck?” a high-pitched male voice yelled. “You’re gonna pay for puking on me, bitch.”
More darkness.
Lexie heard male voices, but she still couldn’t force her eyes open. Her arms were tied behind her back and she felt someone pulling her legs close together. A rope cut into her ankles.
“Why’d ya bring her back here?”
“What was I supposed to do with her?”
“You could’ve killed her and left her for the gators.”
A small slit of vision appeared and Lexie realized that she was lying on her side on a f
ilthy wood plank floor. She felt something running down the right side of her face and smelled the coppery odor of blood. She could make out three pairs of feet standing in the middle of some kind of cabin. In addition to blood, the air smelled of vomit, sweat, and stale beer.
The pain in Lexie’s head was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It pulsed with every beat of her heart and she also felt a horrible burning sensation over her right ear.
Someone must have hit me in the head, she thought. Where the hell am I?
She managed to open her eyes a little wider and slowly the one-room squatter’s cabin came into focus. Next to a wood-burning stove, uneven plywood shelving held a few mismatched plates, coffee mugs, and a couple pots and pans.
“Look who’s awake,” a weirdly familiar voice said.
A pair of well-worn work boots approached Lexie. The man wearing the boots bent down so he could get a closer look.
Lexie trembled as she took a series of raspy breaths.
“Hi, sweetheart. Have you missed me?” Otis Ray asked. “What’s the matter? The cat got your tongue?”
Otis Ray grabbed Lexie’s face with his stubby right hand, his filthy fingernails digging into her skin. He wrenched Lexie’s neck, forcing her to look into his malevolent eyes. His demonic smile revealed uneven, yellowed teeth. His left arm hung in a dirty, stained sling.
“What are you doing out here? Taking pictures of birdies? I don’t think so.”
Otis Ray squeezed Lexie’s face harder. A tear rolled down her cheek.
“You couldn’t leave well enough alone, you stupid bitch. Now look at the fix you’re in.”
The other two men walked over to where Lexie was lying.
Lexie recognized one as the seaplane pilot.
This must be Clay Connors, Lexie thought.
With his flawless skin and perfectly polished teeth, Clay was the opposite of Otis Ray in every aspect.
“Do you know who she is?” Clay asked.
Otis Ray stood and kicked Lexie in the ribs, making a sickening thud and sending pain waves pulsing through her body.
Lexie groaned, pulled her knees to her chest, and took a series of shuddering breaths.
“The bitch goes by Lexie and she claims to be a wildlife photographer,” Otis Ray said. “But I think she’s some kind of cop.”
Beyond the Cabin Page 12