Lexie nodded. “I wish I could be of more help.”
“What are you talking about? You’ve been great.”
“I feel like I need to do more.”
“Don’t worry. It’s all coming together. I hope the SAC isn’t blowing smoke and he really does have the pull to get the evidence expedited at the lab.”
Zach parked in front of the small restaurant. Ahead of the lunch rush, they had their choice of tables. Zach chose a table for two next to the window.
“Have you talked to Captain Meade?” he asked.
“I called him last night to tell him about Logan.”
“How did he take the news?”
“He was upset of course. He’s ready to kill … ” Lexie looked around the room to make sure no one could overhear her. “He’s ready to kill Otis Ray,” she whispered.
Zach leaned in closer to Lexie.
“He’s not going to do anything stupid, is he?”
“I hope not.”
A brawny black man with a friendly, round face took their lunch order. He refilled their iced tea glasses while they waited for their food. Because of the size of the establishment, Lexie and Zach refrained from further work talk. The gentleman placed the steaming entrees in front of Lexie and Zach.
“Thank you,” Lexie said.
The waiter smiled and returned to the kitchen.
The duo finished lunch, and Zach drove Lexie to the marina. As soon as they pulled into the parking lot, Lexie’s chest tightened.
“You all right?”
Lexie took a cleansing deep breath through her nose and blew it out her mouth.
“I will be.”
“We need to find another vehicle for you to drive. Since you’re no longer working in an undercover capacity, you shouldn’t be driving an undercover vehicle.”
Lexie nodded.
Zach handed Lexie the keys to the Volkswagen.
“I’ll follow you home.”
The VW Bug started right up. Tears streamed down Lexie’s cheeks as she pulled away from the marina.
I’m going to make this right, Logan. I promise.
32
Still plagued by nightmares and hoping to cut them short, Lexie was up at daybreak. She walked barefoot in the sand, searching for shells. Lexie loved hunting for that elusive perfect shell on the pristine South Carolina beaches. The ocean calmed her, offering her a little bit of solitude.
Even at this early hour, the humidity clung to Lexie’s skin. She inhaled deeply, allowing the fresh, salty sea air to fill her lungs. A flock of pelicans flew low in formation, their long graceful bodies nearly grazing the ocean.
She missed Logan. Consumed with guilt and torn between obeying orders and doing what was right, she needed direction. She knew who could help. Lexie punched in the numbers on her cell.
“Good morning, Captain. I knew you’d be up.”
“I thought you’d done run off and left me, girl,” Captain Meade said.
“Never. You’re stuck with me.”
“What’re you up to?”
“I’m walking the beach. Trying to find some answers.”
“How’s that working for you?”
“So far, no answers. That’s why I’m calling you.”
“You had breakfast yet?”
“Nope.”
“Meet me at the Litchfield Restaurant. You know the place?”
“I do.”
“Meet me there in thirty minutes. I’ll buy you breakfast.”
***
Thirty minutes later, Lexie walked into the restaurant. The smell of fresh brewed coffee and bacon emanated from the kitchen. She spotted Captain Meade sitting at a corner table with two mugs and a carafe of coffee waiting. He stood and carefully hugged Lexie.
“How’re the ribs?”
“Sore, but healing.”
“What about the rest of your injuries?”
“I’m feeling a little better each day. I get my stitches out in a couple of days.”
“At least you got rid of that giant mummy bandage. You were a little scary with that thing on your noggin.”
Lexie laughed.
“What’s going on with the case? Or are you not allowed to talk about it?”
“Seeing how you have a vested interest in the outcome, I think I can share what little I know. No arrests yet, but Don is hoping to have arrest warrants by the end of today for Otis Ray and the pilot. I know I’ll feel much better when those two are behind bars.”
“What about the other guy that was at the cabin?”
“We’re still trying to fully identify him. The hope is that either Otis Ray or the pilot will flip and give up his identity.”
“How did the search go?”
“The search went well. Wait. How did you know about the search?”
“No one can keep a secret in this town. When you have that many police officers involved and that many marine vessels, it was the talk of the marina. You know, you could’ve used my boat for the search.”
“We thought about it, but it wasn’t large enough. We needed a boat that could transport ten people and a hefty load of equipment.”
A cute, petite waitress approached the table, order pad in hand.
“Good morning. Y’all know what you want to order?”
“Ladies first,” Meade said.
Lexie quickly glanced over the menu.
“I’ll have two eggs, over easy, with bacon and grits.”
“Toast or a biscuit, honey?”
“Oh, a biscuit, of course.”
“Good choice,” the waitress said. “And for you?”
“I’ll have the steak and eggs with grits.”
“Any juice?”
Meade shook his head and looked at Lexie.
“Coffee is fine with me,” Lexie said. “Oh, and some ice water, please.”
“I’ll have it right out.”
“I hate to ask,” Meade said, “but do you know what’s going on with Logan’s case? I haven’t seen anything else in the news.”
“Last I heard, the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office had their CSI team combing through the house that he shared with his brother. I don’t know if they found anything. I’ve been told by my management to stay away from the investigation.”
“And are you?
“What?”
“Going to stay away from the investigation?”
Lexie poured coffee from the carafe. Steam billowed from her cup.
“I don’t know. If I disobey orders, I risk getting fired. If I stand by and do nothing, then the person or persons who killed Logan might get away with murder. What do you think I should do?”
“You’re the only one who can answer that question. You have to go with your gut on this one, kid.”
“My gut seems to be confused.”
“You’ll figure it out. You’re a smart girl.”
Lexie poured cream into her coffee. She stirred and stared at the caramel colored beverage.
“What else is on your mind?” Meade asked.
“You’re going to think I’m crazy.”
“I already think you’re crazy, so tell me.”
“Have you ever had that feeling that you were, I don’t know, home?”
“I’m going to need a little more information, Lexie.”
“I know it’s crazy, but I feel like I belong here.”
Captain Meade’s eyes shot open wide.
“You want to live here?”
“I don’t know. I really love it here. The Bureau sent me to New Orleans, and I like it there, but it has never felt like home. I have a weird feeling that I somehow belong here. Maybe it’s the time that we’ve shared on the boat and learning the area’s history, but I feel like I’m somehow a part of this area now.”
“Could you get the FBI to transfer you here?”
“Probably not. Plus, I’m not on the SAC’s list of favorite people right now.”
“What options do you have?”
“I could
resign.”
“Quit your job? Are you sure you want to do that?”
“No. I’m not sure of anything right now.”
“I think you need to take some time with this decision, hon. You’ve lived through a violent attack, suffering traumatic mental and physical injuries. I’m not saying quitting is wrong, but I think you need to wait until you’re fully healed, both physically and mentally, to make such a drastic decision.”
“You’re probably right.”
“If, after you heal and are in the right frame of mind, you still want to leave the FBI, then I think you should. You’re the only person who knows what’s best for you.”
The waitress delivered two steaming hot plates of food to the table.
“Anything else y’all need?”
“Just time,” Captain Meade said, smiling.
33
Lexie scrambled to get to her phone. She could barely hear the voice on the other end.
“Great news, Lexie,” Zach yelled in the phone.
Lexie could hardly hear him from the plane noise in the background.
“Where are you?”
“At the airport. We just arrested Clay Connors. We’re taking him to the U.S. Marshals Service. He’ll have an initial appearance later today.”
“Are you going to question him?”
“He lawyered up already. No big deal though. When his lawyer sees the charges against him, I think he’ll persuade his client to cut a deal.”
“How did you find him?”
“Don’s friend at the airport came through for us. He contacted Connors and told him that he needed to come to the office to sign some paperwork. Connors didn’t even question it. He rolled in and we scooped him up in the hanger. I wanted you to know immediately.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it. What about Otis Ray?”
“We’re still looking for him.”
“I might know someone who can help.”
After hanging up with Zach, Lexie called Captain Meade.
“Good morning, sunshine.”
Lexie loved hearing the musical cadence of Captain Meade’s voice.
“Good morning, Captain. I have some good news.”
“I can always use good news.”
“The seaplane pilot was arrested earlier this morning. Don and Zach are on their way to the courthouse in Florence for his initial appearance.”
“Did he talk?”
“Not yet. But Zach thinks he will after he reviews the charges with his lawyer.”
“What about Otis Ray?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you have any idea where Otis Ray may be hiding? Does he have any family who might hide him?”
“Otis Ray and I are not exactly buddies.”
“Didn’t you tell me that you two barbecued a pig together?”
“Yeah, a couple of times, but that doesn’t mean we’re close.”
“Did he mention any place that he might go?”
“Maybe. He once told me about an old fishing cabin that he uses.”
“A fishing cabin would be the perfect hide-out for someone like Otis Ray. Where’s the cabin?”
“I’ve never been there, but he said his family owned it. The cabin is somewhere on Lake Moultrie. I think he said it was near the town of Cross.”
“That’s great, Captain. Anything else you can remember?”
“Girl, at my age, I’m lucky to remember that much.”
“Thanks for your help.”
“Any time.”
Lexie immediately called Zach. She knew he was busy, so she left a voice message when he didn’t pick up.
“I have a possible location for one of our subjects. Call me back when you can talk.”
***
A few hours later, Zach returned Lexie’s call.
“We turned over Connors to the U.S. Marshals Service for processing. He’s a mouthy bastard.”
“Did he say anything important?”
“No, he bitched about the cuffs being too tight. And how we’ll be serving fries at McDonalds when he sues and gets us fired.”
“We’ve all heard that before,” Lexie said.
“Yep. We’re grabbing a bite and waiting for the two o’clock initial appearance. What’s new with you?”
Lexie relayed the information given to her by Captain Meade.
“Great work, Lexie. I’ll give the lead to our Investigative Analyst in Columbia and see if he can get us a location on the cabin. The IA assigned to our squad is really good. If anyone can find this cabin, he can. I’ll call you after the initial appearance.”
***
While preparing dinner, Lexie’s phone rang.
“Hey, Zach. How did the initial appearance go?”
“Everything went according to plan. Connors hired a big-league defense attorney. The good news is the attorney has a reputation for pleading out his clients. Chances are he’ll be looking for a deal.”
“Hopefully you’ll get to interview him soon.”
“The sooner the better. I passed along the information to our IA regarding the cabin. He said he would drop everything and make our case his priority.”
“Fantastic. You’re full of good news today.”
“Oh, I’m not finished. Are you sitting down?”
“I am.”
“Evidently SAC Galloway really does have a good contact at the lab. The latent print division has already processed the evidence that we submitted and the examiner has matched several of the prints to suspects in the system. Fingerprint evidence lifted from the beer cans were matched to the known prints of not only Otis Ray Prichard but also Jackson Wayne Stone.”
“That’s fantastic! Anything linking Connors yet?”
“Not yet, but the lab is far from finished with the evidence. Connors should be in the system because of his pilot status, but just in case, we sent the lab a set of Connors’ prints for comparison. We’re still waiting for the DNA comparison on the cigarettes butts we collected.”
“I have no doubt the DNA will link to Otis Ray. He’s a smoker.”
“Now that we have an identity for Jack, we can start looking for him. We have two agents arriving from Columbia in the morning. They’re going to give us a hand with the source investigation. We only have a few days before Tony gets back from his vacation.”
“Let me help. Don needs to be able to work with the AUSA on Discovery. You need more manpower and I’m here twiddling my thumbs.”
“Are you sure you feel up to it?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t. I promise to take it easy.”
“If the SAC finds out, we’re screwed, so make sure you’re not the documenting agent on any of the reports.”
“Deal. I’ll come to the office in the morning.”
“Otis Ray knows your VW, so I’ll come pick you up. I don’t live far from you, so it’s no trouble. We’ll get you a Bureau car to drive and I’ll make arrangements to pick up the VW.”
“Works for me.”
“I’ll pick you up about seven.”
34
Lexie grew a little stronger with each passing day. She glanced at herself in the mirror on the way out of her condo. Unfortunately, she didn’t look much better.
I’m still sporting the zombie look, she thought.
“Good morning,” Zach said as Lexie buckled her seat belt.
“Is it?”
“I gather you’re not a morning person.”
“Nope. It takes at least two cups of coffee to get me going. I’ve only had one.”
“I can remedy that. I know a great coffee shop. It’s a little out of the way, but we have time. The agents from Columbia won’t get to the office until about ten.”
Zach parked the car in front of The Roasted Bean.
“You’re gonna love this place. They roast their own beans on the premises.”
The fragrance of fresh coffee and toasted bagels filled the air. Since the attack, Lexie hadn’t had much of an appetite,
but her mouth watered as she inhaled the intoxicating smell of fresh breakfast. The owner of the business greeted Zach by name.
“TJ, this is Lexie. She works with me.”
The slender, rosy-cheeked woman wore a black apron with the store emblem on the front. Her ringleted brunette hair was tied back with a stylish head band. She came from behind the counter and rushed over to hug Lexie.
“Any friend of Zach’s is a friend of mine,” she said as she squeezed Lexie.
Lexie wanted to scream from the pain emanating from her ribs, but she didn’t want to offend the sweet woman.
“Nice to meet you, TJ.”
“So, you’re a Fed, too?” she whispered.
“I am.”
“Did you move to Myrtle Beach?”
“No. I live in New Orleans. I’m only here temporarily to help out with a case. Then I have to go home.”
“Too bad. The guys in the Myrtle Beach office could use a good woman to keep them in line.”
Lexie laughed. “I agree.”
“So, what can I make you this morning?”
“I’ll have a cappuccino,” Lexie said.
“You want cinnamon on top?”
“Sure.”
“You want your usual?”
“I do,” Zach said.
“Any food?”
“Could I get a cinnamon bagel, toasted, with a little bit of butter?” Lexie asked.
“Of course, you can. Anything for you, Zach?”
“Just coffee.”
“Coming right up. Have a seat and I’ll bring it right out to you.”
Lexie and Zach sat at a small table next to the window. They had the shop to themselves.
“What’s your usual?” Lexie asked.
“A large cup of the house blend. I know, I’m boring.”
TJ delivered the coffee and bagel to the table, then went back to finish making Lexie’s cappuccino.
“Do you know the agents coming from Columbia?”
“No. I’m sure they’re good agents if the SAC hand-picked them.”
TJ carefully brought Lexie’s cappuccino to the table.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Enjoy.”
A line had formed at the counter, so TJ couldn’t stay and chat.
Beyond the Cabin Page 20