Cam Derringer Box Set

by Mac Fortner

  Our drinks came, and I told Tanya I’d see her in a few days.

  We took a few swallows of our drinks. I got a brain freeze.

  “Oh,” I said. “I forgot about that.”

  After a minute, I was okay again.

  “Drink it slow Cam,” Diane said.

  “I thought I was.”

  “Did you get your chocolate doughnuts from Kailey?” she said.

  “Yes, I did. What a pleasant surprise that was.”

  “She seemed like a really nice person,” she said.

  I laughed. “You don’t know the half of it,” I said.

  “Tell me.”

  I did. The whole thing.

  Diane thought a minute.

  “Well, good for her,” she finally said. “She deserved his money, and he deserved to die.”

  “Right and right as far as I’m concerned,” I said. “But the rest of us didn’t deserve to get shot, and you were put in grave danger.”

  “He was nothing but a gentleman with me,” she said.

  “I’m glad.”

  “Are you going to tell Robin the truth about Kailey?”

  “No, that stays between you and me,” I said.

  “I won’t tell.”

  We finished our drinks.

  “Can you run me past my boat before we go to your house?” I said, “I’d like to see how far along it is.”

  “Sure, it’s almost finished,” she said.

  We drove to my boat dock. I can’t believe I ever left this place, but I didn’t have much choice. My houseboat was blown to smithereens and sunk right at my dock. Going to New York gave me a chance to get my law license back and to be with Robin. Now I’ve lost both again.

  From the parking lot, I could see the boat still had a lot of work to be done. I opened the gate at the top of the dock. It squeaked as it always did. That was our security alarm.

  A head popped out of the first boat.

  “CAM,” Stacy said.

  “Hey, Stacy.”

  “Are you coming home?”

  “When the boats finished,” I said.

  “You can stay here with me. Barbie’s gone for a month.”

  “Thanks, but Diane already called soups on me,” I said.

  Stacy and Barbie are two gorgeous twenty-something girls who live in a houseboat on my dock. We’ve been through a lot together. I put them in danger when some terrorist were after me. Thanks in part to Robin, that is over with.

  There was no one working on my boat.

  “Where are the workers?” I said to Diane.

  “Don’t know,” she said. “I’ll call them.”

  She took out her cell phone and pressed the speed dial.

  “Jimmy, this is Diane,” she said into the phone. “I thought you guys were about to wrap up Cam’s boat. There’s no one here, and it looks like there’s plenty to be done.”

  She listened for a moment.

  “By who?” she said.

  She listened again.

  “Do you have their number?”

  She wrote down a number.

  “Thanks, I’ll get back to you,” she said and hung up.

  She looked around the dock and then at me.

  “Jimmy said he received a stop work order from his company. They told him the boat didn’t need to be finished.”

  “What,” I said. “That’s crazy. Can you call the company?”

  “They’re closed until Monday,” she said.

  “So I have to stew over this for two days,” I said.

  “Guess so. We’ll get it straightened out,” she said.

  This wasn’t a good start to my coming home. We drove to Diane’s house, and I settled into the second bedroom.

  “Thanks,” I said. “I’ll try to find a condo to rent until the boat is finished.”

  “No you won’t, “she said. “You’ll stay right here. You can start working on getting your name back out there for the P.I. work. You have plenty to do so you won’t be in my way.”

  “Thanks again. We’ll take it one day at a time,” I said.

  My cell phone rang. It was Robin.

  “Miss me already?” I answered.

  “Yes I do,” she said. “I just got to my apartment. It’s lovely.”

  “Great,” I said. “I’m at Diane’s.”

  “Is your boat ready?”

  “Not quite,” I said.

  “Well, I received a phone call as soon as I landed,” she said. “They found Emanuel Barona dead in the park this afternoon. His body was under some bushes and covered with rocks. It looks like he’s been there three or four days. They think he’s the one who shot you. His gun matches. He also had a card in his pocket. Any guesses as to what it said?”

  “Bloodshot would be my guess,” I said.

  “Give the man a cigar,” she said. “On the back, it read Robin-arm-twenty-five thousand. We’re pretty sure he’s the one who hired Bloodshot. It looks as if William was an accident. The game evidently wasn’t over yet. I was next.”

  “Wow,” I said. “That’s shocking. I wonder who the other shooter was?”

  “Maybe Eric, we’ll probably never know that, but it takes the heat off Kailey for it,” she said. “Now we need to find her to recover the money.”

  “What if she is pregnant?” I said.

  “I don’t think so. She diverted the money to offshore.”

  “True,” I said. “So she’s still wanted?”

  “Yeah, there is the problem of her stealing three hundred million dollars.”

  “She could have another reason for wanting to get away,” I said. “What if she’s pregnant, but doesn’t want the kid growing up around all the violence and controversy that surrounds the Arlington family?”

  “Then she needs to call us and straighten it out,” she said.

  “That would certainly help,” I said. “What’s your next move?”

  “We’ll put out a warrant for her.”

  “No. I mean there. When will you report to work?” I said.

  “Oh that, tomorrow I check in and then I have a week to get settled and find a condo.”

  “That’s not long,” I said.

  “They’re a lot of bad guys out there that need to be caught,” she said.

  “A woman’s work is never done,” I said.

  “I’ll talk to you in a few days,” she said. “but I guess it’ll be a long time before we’re together again.”

  “Yes, I guess it will. We’ll work it out if it was meant to be.”

  “Love you,” she said.

  “I love you too,” I said, and hung up.

  It didn’t feel right loving someone you know you can’t see for a long time.

  “Everything okay?” Diane said.

  “A big break in the Bloodshot case,” I said. “They think Emanuel Barona hired Bloodshot.”

  I told her the rest.

  “You think Kailey put that card in his pocket?” she said.

  “Yep,” I said. “But, I don’t know if she killed him because he shot me, or if she killed him first, and then shot me to make it look as if he did. She knew he was dead before they even found the body.”

  “Do you think she would have shot you?”

  “The doctor said it was perfectly placed so it wouldn’t do any damage,” I said. “I would like to think she wouldn’t, but….”

  “I hope her escapades are over now. She can’t go on living like that,” Diane said.

  “I think they are,” I said. “I can’t prove it, but I think she’ll just kick back now and enjoy life. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t see her again someday and not even recognize her.”

  Epilogue

  We spent the weekend catching up and partying. We went out bar hopping to all the places I’ve been dreaming about. Jack joined us Sunday afternoon.

  “It sounds like you had an exciting spring Cam,” Jack said.

  “It sounds like you did too,” I said, looking at him and Diane.

 
“We behaved ourselves, Cam,” he said. “Even though I would marry her in a heartbeat, I would never touch her without your consent.”

  “Sure,” I said.

  “Have you talked to Chad since you’ve been back?” Jack said, changing the subject.

  “Not yet, I’m trying to give him some time to miss me.”

  As if on cue, my cell rang.

  “It’s Chad,” I said looking at the caller ID.

  “Hey Chad,” I said, answering the phone.

  “Hey, yourself. How’s life in the real world?”

  “I’ll let you know if I ever find it.”

  “I’ve got some news that might cheer you up,” he said.

  “Good, I could use it,” I said.

  “I received a call from the FBI. They said due to the outstanding job you’ve done helping them, they have decided to reinstate your law license permanently.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes sir. Congratulations.”

  “That is good news. It gives me more options for a way to make a living,” I said.

  “There is one more thing, and it’s a done deal, so don’t argue,” he said.

  “Sounds serious,” I said.

  “It is,” he said. “I’ve deposited one million dollars into your account. You’ve helped this family more than you know. We owe it and more to you.”

  “I can’t take that,” I said.

  “Cam, I’ve made that much while we were having this conversation and Alexis insists. You can’t fight that.”

  “Thank you then,” I said. “I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble.”

  “You’re welcome. If you ever need more, call me.”

  My heart was beating so fast I thought I was going to pass out. There were so many things I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the words. I wonder if they would be so generous if they knew about Kailey and me?

  “Have you heard from Kailey yet?” I said.

  “Yes, this morning,” he said. “She called from somewhere in Europe. She said she had to get away for a while. It just came over her, and she acted on impulse. She invested the money with another company so no one could trace her whereabouts. She also said that when the baby was born, she would return to visit.”

  Now my head was spinning. I never know what to believe when it comes to Kailey. Was she listening to the conversation I had with Robin?

  “Well, I know that’s a hard pill to swallow for Alexis,” I said. “The baby being her sibling, but maybe it’s for the best for Kailey right now to step away from all the past.”

  “I agree,” he said. “Tell Diane hello and give her our love. I’ll talk to you in a few days.”

  “Thanks again for all the great news.”

  “Oh, one more thing,” Chad said. “Robert’s deal went through.”

  “I hope it works out for him.”

  “I think it will,” Chad said.

  “Talk to you later.”

  I hung up and looked at Diane and Jack.

  “You’re not going to believe what all just happened.”

  ~***~

  Monday morning I was at the gym working out when Diane came in.

  “I couldn’t wait for you to finish,” she said. “I got a call from Lower Keys Marina. They said your boat’s ready.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought, so I called Stacy. She said it sure looked ready to her.”

  “They must have put a big crew on it all weekend,” I said.

  “You wanna go look?” she said.

  “Sure, I guess it’s worth a look.”

  We drove to the docks. What we saw when we arrived was not a finished boat. As a matter of fact, my boat wasn’t even there. In its place, sitting in my slip and part of the next, was a new eifhty-foot yacht.

  We walked cautiously toward the boat as if it would jump up and attack us.

  “It’s a beauty,” Stacy said as we passed her boat.

  “Where did it come from?” I said.

  “A crew came this morning,” she said, “and took your old boat away and parked this one there. I asked them if you moved and they said, “No, this boat was ordered to replace yours.”

  “To replace mine,” I said.

  “That’s what they said,” Stacy said. “If you don’t want it I’ll take it.”

  “Let me check it out first,” I said.

  Diane and I walked to the boat. It was a beauty. Two stories plus a flybridge. It was at least twice the size of my old boat.

  “This thing would cost a few million dollars,” Diane said.

  “Five million anyway,” I said.

  “Do you think Chad sent this to you?” Diane said.

  “He must have, but he didn’t say anything about it.”

  We stepped on board. The shell was a beautiful white, and the deck wood was a gorgeous teak. There was a sliding door to the cabin. I slid it open. The interior was plush. It had beautiful walnut built-ins. We took the grand tour.

  The first floor had a state of the art kitchen a huge dining room and a large living room with a sixty-five inch TV. In the rear were the master bedroom and full bath. Both were as exquisite as any custom home I had ever been in.

  Another full bath and laundry room finished the first floor.

  The second floor held three more bedrooms and two bathrooms. The flybridge was state of the art also with all the navigation devices.

  “This is unbelievable,” I said.

  “I think I’ll sell my house and live here with you,” Diane said.

  We went back to the first floor and discovered another side door off the living room. We slid it open and revealed a large hot tub. In the tub was naked Kailey.

  “Hi ya, Cam,” she said. “This must be Diane.”

  Kailey stood to shake Diane’s hand.

  “Hello Kailey,” she said, “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “Kailey, is this boat from you?” I said, puzzled.

  “Yeah, I told you I had a present for you.”

  “I don’t think I can accept this,” I said confused. “I can’t afford the taxes.”

  “Everything is taken care of, including the slip fees for the next five years. That should give you time to make a little money,” she said.

  “Kailey, would you mind sitting back down,” I said.

  “Oh, sorry,” she said and sat.

  Diane said, “I’ll think I’ll run along and let the two of you catch up.”

  “Bye,” Kailey said. “Will you join us for supper tonight? We have steaks in the fridge.”

  We, did she say, we?

  “Please do,” I said. “Help us break-in the boat.”

  It was more a desperate plea than an invitation.

  “Sure,” she said giggling, “I’ll bring Jack. He’ll love to see this,”

  “Toodles,” Kailey said as Diane was leaving.

  “Toodles,” Diane said.

  When she left Kailey said, “Join me?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t have a suit,” I said lamely.

  “Really?” she said smiling.

  What the hell, I’ve had a hard six months. I removed my clothes and joined her.

  I slid closer to her and held her.

  “Can I stay with you for a while?” Kailey said.

  “I guess for a while, but you might be in danger of getting caught.”

  “I don’t care. It’ll be worth it,” she said.

  “Kailey, did you shoot me?”

  “Why would I shoot the man I love?”

  I thought about that for a second. Why indeed?

  She kissed me. This time I didn’t break it off.

  “Someone will be here Wednesday to go over the boat with you,” she said between soft breaths.

  “I’ll need a crew,” I said.

  “Eye-Eye Captain,” she whispered.

  “You?”

  “I’ll learn,” she said.

  “Yes, I bet you will.”

/>   She leaned in and kissed me again.

  “Have you seen the master bedroom yet,” she cooed.

  “Yes, I have.”

  “Wanna show me?”

  Toodles

  FREE NOVELLA- THE PREQUEL TO THE CAM DERRINGER SERIES

  JUST CLISK THIS LINK TO GET YOUR FREE BOOK AND ENJOY

  About Mac Fortner

  Mac grew up on the Ohio River in Evansville, Indiana. He lived in the Philippines and Vietnam for two and a half years while serving his country as a helicopter crew chief.

  Writing songs in his spare time, he got the idea for his first book– RUM CITY BAR. By adding suspense and humor to his songs–along with an intriguing plot–he has managed to write books you can sing along with.

  Don’t miss these books – Get Them Here

  IN THE SUNNY RAY SERIES

  RUM CITY BAR–BOOK ONE

  BATTLE FOR RUMORA–BOOK TWO

  CAM DERRINGER SERIES

  KNEE DEEP–BOOK ONE

  BLOODSHOT–BOOK TWO

  KEY WEST: TWO BIRDS ONE STONE–BOOK THREE

  MURDER FEST KEY WEST–BOOK FOUR

  FREE NOVELLA- THE PREQUEL TO THE CAM DERRINGER SERIES

  JUST CLISK THIS LINK TO GET YOUR FREE BOOK AND ENJOY

  Key West: Two Birds One stone

  Book-3 in the

  CAM DERRINGER SERIES

  KEY WEST:

  TWO BIRDS ONE STONE

  BY

  MAC FORTNER

  A CAM DERRINGER SERIES

  .

  Key West: Two Birds One Stone: Copyright 2018 by Mac Fortner

  Cover Design by Mac Fortner

  Website: www.macofortner.com

  Song lyrics were written by and copyrights belong to Mac Fortner

  ISBN-13:978-1986822541

  ISBN-10:1986822540

  Published by: Sunshine Publishing

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