by Mac Fortner
“So, pay him more.”
“No, I could tell he wouldn’t be a good witness he stays too strung out. It was a bad idea using him in the first place.”
“So, what are you going to do now?” Toby said.
Tracy took a big swallow of her drink and sucked on an ice cube. She thought for a minute and spit the cube back in the glass.
“Do you know what she looks like?” she said.
Toby squirmed in his chair.
“Yeah, I took a look at her.”
“Would you recognize her with her clothes on?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I think you should go door to door and question the neighbors about the murder. Maybe you’ll see her.”
“I’m not going to kill anyone.”
“Just find her and tell me where she is.”
“It ain’t right,” Toby said standing.
“Do you want to go to prison for stealing those jewels?”
Toby thought about telling her that he knew who she was, but he was afraid she would kill him next. He finished his drink and set the glass down on the table.
“I’ll let you know if I find anything,” he said and walked out the door.
~***~
At six-thirty p.m. the Chief and Officer McNab parked their unmarked car down the street and entered Bret’s house closing the door. The plan was to see if any customers would show up. If so then Bret was a dealer.
“I hope this doesn’t take long,” Leland said. “This place is a pig sty.”
McNab grabbed a broomstick that was leaning against the wall.
“Wonder what they used this thing for?” he said.
He used it to flip the pizza box off the sofa and then to push it away from the area. He picked up an old newspaper which hadn’t been opened yet and spread the pages across the sofa, then sat down.
“Well,” Leland said, “aren’t you the homemaker.”
“Have a seat,” McNab said patting the paper beside him.
“Not yet. I’m going to keep a lookout for anyone coming up the walk.”
Two hours had passed. No one had shown any interest in the house. McNab had turned the TV on and was watching Andy Griffith. He would occasionally laugh when Barney would screw up.
“Turn the TV down,” Leland said urgently.
McNab did.
“Come here and check this out.”
McNab walked to the window and peered over Leland's shoulder.
Sheriff Reynolds parked his car in front of Bret’s house. He was knocking on the door of the house across the street. The door was answered by an elderly man. They spoke for a second, and then the man closed the door. Reynolds walked to the next house and repeated the process. This time a younger man answered the door. After they spoke for a minute, the man pointed to the house next to Bret’s house. The sheriff nodded his head and went to that house.
“What’s he looking for?” McNab said.
“I’m not sure, but with his patrol car sitting out there no one is going to come in here wanting to buy drugs.”
When they lost sight of Toby, they moved away from the front window and toward the side window in the bedroom for a better view.
He was knocking on the door but got no answer.
They heard the deadbolt turn in the back door. Leland put his finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. They moved to the doorway of the bedroom and hid. The back door opened and then closed. They heard the lock engage again.
McNab drew his gun and waited. Someone was walking down the hall toward the room they were in. They squeezed to the wall the best they could. A young girl hurried into the room and to the window without seeing them. She ducked down and peeked over the sill. She was watching Toby and hiding from him at the same time.
“May we help you, ma’am?” Leland said.
She jumped and turned around. She had a gaunt face with a few scars on her cheek. Her long blond hair looked like a rat’s nest. She was dressed in a t-shirt, and it appeared, nothing else. It was evident she was high and terrified.
“My name is Mike Leland, and this is Al McNab,” he told her. “We’re not going to harm you,” and flashed his badge.
Her eyes were big with fright. She turned and looked out the window again and then back at the officers.
“Do you know Sheriff Reynolds?” Mike said.
She nodded her head.
“Did you see him here this morning?”
She nodded again.
“What was he doing?”
“Talking,” she said in a whisper.
“To you?”
She shook her head, “To Bret.”
“Did he harm Bret?”
“No.”
“Did he harm you?”
Her eyes grew large again, and she said nothing.
“Did you see anyone else here today?” McNab asked.
She just stared at him and then looked back out the window.
The two officers stepped out of the room to talk.
“She knows something, but she’s not talking,” Leland said.
“Should we bring Toby in here?”
“No. Not right now. I’d rather try to talk to ’er first.”
They stepped back into the room.
“What’s your name?” Leland asked.
“Carey,” she said meekly.
“Carey, do you live next door?”
She nodded.
“Was Bret your boyfriend?”
She nodded again.
Leland could see Toby leaving the house next door and walking down the sidewalk to his car.
“Is anyone home at your house?” McNab said.
She shook her head.
“Do you know that Bret died this morning?” Leland said.
She started to cry and shake violently. She held her arms out. Leland hugged her and let her cry.
Toby went back to his car. He didn’t find the girl, but he knows where she lives. He’ll pass the info on to Tracy and let her deal with it. It was starting to get dark, and he had things to do.
“He’s leaving,” McNab said watching out the window. “What do you think he wanted?”
“He wanted Carey. That was kind of obvious, but why?”
“Carey, did the sheriff threaten’ you?” Leland asked.
“No,” she said, sliding down the wall to the floor. “He just said I better talk some sense into my boyfriend.”
“About what?”
“Keeping his story straight.”
“Story?”
“Yeah, the drug bust.”
“This doesn’t make any sense,” McNab said.
Carey started rocking in an imaginary rocking chair.
“Bret wanted more money,” she said.
“Money for what?”
“I don’t know.”
“From Toby?”
“No, the woman.”
“Did someone else come in here after the sheriff left?”
Carey bowed her head to the floor and started crying again.
Chapter 41
We had drinks on the patio and watched the sunset. It was beautiful, but it didn’t feel right not holding Robin. I realized I still had feelings for her too. I was quite confused.
As if Kailey could sense my feelings, she took Robin’s hand and pulled her to us.
“Group hug,” Kailey chirped. “It’s a lovely night.”
We hugged. Kailey was not a dumb girl. Even though it felt good to hold Robin, the gesture made me love Kailey that much more.
Kailey said, “I’ll be right back,” and left me standing there with my arm around Robin.
“She’s a good one, Cam,” Robin said. “I would have never thought it.”
“Yes, she is.”
“You know it can’t work for us,” Robin said. “You were in love with Jenny. I’m not Jenny anymore, I’m Robin FBI. I have a busy life and can’t live here. You’re a happy man and can’t live anywhere else. I’m glad we had what we had. I’m okay with things
the way they are for now.”
“I guess I am too. We don’t really have a choice.”
I held Robin a little tighter and then released her. We looked at each other sadly for a few seconds, and then we both smiled.
Kailey appeared with a tray of margaritas.
“Party time,” she said.
Jack and Diane, who had been giving us some space, each took a drink from the tray, as did I. Kailey took the last two and handed one to Robin. Their eyes met and held.
They hugged.
There must be pollen in the air because my eyes were starting to water.
After an evening of laughter and music, Jack and Diane announced that they were leaving. They thanked us for the steak dinner and the party that followed.
I walked them to their car to talk to Jack.
“Would you do me a favor,” I asked.
“Maybe, will I be in danger again?”
“Probably not.”
“Okay then. What do ya need?”
“I’d like for you to run a check on Harold Chesterfield. Anything you can find. His financial situation for one. Maybe a little about his background and his associates.”
“I’ll see what I can find. Maybe Tracy will show up.”
“I was hoping for that.”
I returned to the boat to find Robin and Kailey naked in the hot tub.
“Come on in,” they said in unison and giggled.
“Let me get my trunks on,” I suggested.
“No way,” Kailey said. “Don’t be lame.”
“It’s nothing we haven’t seen,” Robin said.
I had a very enjoyable evening, and night, and morning.
Sometime between the hot tub and the sex, I had an unseen visitor who reattached a few million dollars’ worth of diamonds to my anchor line.
I woke around six a.m., with two gorgeous women in my bed.
I dressed in my running clothes and jogged to the bakery. I needed the nutrition before church.
Chapter 42
When I returned, the girls were showered and getting dressed.
I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes,” I said.
“Must be nice,” Robin said.
I showered and dressed in khaki slacks and a light blue cotton shirt.
Chad was waiting for us on the patio.
We went to church and then had breakfast at Gary’s Hog N’ Chick. Not a bad fare for five bucks each.
When we returned to the boat, I told them I had something I needed to take care of, and I would be back around one-thirty.
Kailey was disappointed again that our Sunday routine would be disrupted.
“I’ll make it up to ya,” I said and kissed her.
“I’ll make it up to you too,” she cooed and smiled. “Tootles.”
At noon Sheriff Toby Reynolds and three deputies arrived at Cam’s boat with a search warrant.
“What’s this about,” Chad asked. “We’ve already had a search.”
“Sorry to have to do this Mister Kendall, but we received a tip this morning from a witness who claims to have seen Cam and another man drag the submarine up on the beach. We figure the other man was Jason Fields since we found his fingerprint on it. We got this order from Judge Dixon this morning, and we have to serve it.”
Chad took the search warrant and looked it over. It was legitimate. He had no choice but to let them search the boat.
Kailey stepped onto the patio.
“What’s up Toby?” Kailey said.
“Search warrant,” he said.
“Bullshit,” Kailey said. “You just came to plant more evidence.”
Toby stared at her a moment, turning red. He waved his hand and said, “Search it all. Don’t miss anything.”
His men began to meticulously destroy the interior of the ship.
Kailey was asked to wait outside while the search took place. Chad, on the other hand, insisted he keep a visual on the search.
Toby leaned against the railing and watched as his men covered every inch of the boat.
“Sheriff,” one of his men said. “What do you think this goes to?”
He was holding a key he found in a trophy on the bookshelf.
“Bag it,” Toby said.
Kailey moved to Toby’s side. “What’s really going on here sheriff?” she said.
“Just like I told you. It’s a legal search.”
“For what?”
“The jewels from the cruise ship.”
“So, what does that key have to do with the jewels?”
“Could be anything; we’ll see.”
“I see,” she said. “And you’re such a good detective that you’ll match it to something right away.”
Toby regarded her. “Keep out of our way,” he huffed.
“Whatever you’re doing Toby, you’re not going to get away with it,” she said and joined Chad who was coming out the door.
Toby turned and looked down at the water. He could see the buoy tied to the anchor line.
“What’s that?” he said to no one in particular. Pointing to the water.
Kailey and Chad came to the railing and looked down at the water.
“Smooth Sheriff,” Kailey said. “You’ve done it again.”
Toby ordered one of his men to get a hook and pull the buoy up.
They all stood by the rail waiting to see what lay in store for them now. The buoy was brought onboard attached to a bag.
Toby opened the bag and poured the contents onto the table.
Scattered there were diamond rings and necklaces. Ruby and emerald bracelets.
“Where’s Cam?” Toby said.
“No idea,” Kailey said. “We haven’t seen him all day.”
Robin returned from a meeting with Chief Leland. She joined them at the table.
“Son of a bitch,” she said. “Why wasn’t I told of this search?”
“You weren’t there when we got it,” Toby said.
“This is my case,” she said. “As of now, you are off of it.”
“We’ll see,” he said. “I mean, you know, conflict of interest and all. The FBI fucking the perp,” holding his hands up in a ‘what were you thinking’ gesture.
Robin pulled her gun and stuck it between Toby’s eyes. He turned red and backed up a step.
“Get the fuck out of my crime scene,” she said.
He backed to the railing and pushed the gate open behind him.
“You’re right about one thing agent,” he said, “This is a crime scene.”
Toby and the three deputies left the dock. Robin watched them until they were out of sight.
She let out a big sigh, “I could have killed him,” she said.
Kailey put her arm around Robin. “Sit down,” she said. “We need a plan.”
The three of them threw theories at each other as to what Sheriff Reynolds part in all this could be. None of their opinions really made any sense.
“I had a meeting with Chef Leland this morning,” Robin said. “He found a witness to Bret Condor's murder.”
“Murder?” Kailey said.
“Yeah, there was a girl in his house at the time of his death. She saw Toby there but said he didn’t do anything but talk to Bret. Then someone else entered a few minutes later. She’s not talking about that.”
“She has to talk. That could be the key to the whole mess,” Chad said.
“We’re working on it,” Robin said.
“Anyone know where Cam is?” Chad asked.
They didn’t.
“I’ll call Cam, now,” Kailey said. “He needs to be warned.”
Chapter 43
I felt my cell phone buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw it was a call from Kailey.
“Cam, where are you?” a tone of urgency in her voice.
“DoubleTree lot,” I said. “Is everything okay?”
“No, not really. Toby just found a few million dollars’ worth of jewels on your boat, and a key to, who knows what.”
; “Is he looking for me?”
“More than likely. It was a set-up. Robin wasn’t here for the beginning of the search. When she arrived, she announced she was taking over the case and chased Toby off the boat with her gun.”
“Sounds like I missed an exciting morning.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I need a little time to think. I’m going to call Jack. Was Chad there?”
“Yeah, the warrant was legal.”
“I’ll call you back. Meantime see if you can keep Robin from shooting anyone.”
“Be careful and stay hidden for a while.”
I called Jack.
“Come here,” he said. “I have something to show you. We’ll work this out.”
I left the main road and took side streets to Jack’s house. On the way, I passed one patrol car. He didn’t see me.
I entered Jack’s through the back door.
“Well, another fine mess,” he said.
“I can’t help it. Trouble seems to follow me.”
“Coffee?”
“Don’t mind if I do.”
Jack poured us coffee and laid a folder on the table.
“Check this out,” he said.
I opened the folder. Staring at me on the first page was a picture of Harold Chesterfield, in handcuffs. The headline read:
(Thomas Bishop, the curator of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, Westminster, in Central London, was arrested today after the Museum was robbed of three valuable paintings. Two paintings from Giotto and one from Cézanne were on display in the Tate Gallery when they disappeared.)
Below the article was another picture of a woman walking out of the museum with a tube, which could be holding the paintings, under her arm. The caption read:
(This unidentified woman is believed to be working with Mister Bishop.)
“Thomas Bishop?” I said. “Our Harold is Thomas Bishop, an international art thief?”
“It would seem that way, except he was released. They had no proof. The paintings were never recovered,” Jack said.
I took a closer look at the woman. Her face was hidden by a scarf, but the body could easily belong to Tracy.
“Tracy?” I said.