Garret had already proved that during Labor Day weekend while Ryan was in town, Walker’s yacht never left Sugar Bay. The tracklog had indicated as much. But from where she stood now there was no doubt about one thing. She realized that if Ryan had died on the Misty Dawn, the boat had to have left its slip in order for the body to wash ashore at this point.
But what did that mean exactly?
She chewed her lip as she pondered a theory. Maybe once Ryan realized the situation on the yacht was becoming too dangerous and more than he could handle, he tried to get away by jumping into the water, hoping to escape the situation. What if he’d tried to swim his way to shore and…someone prevented him from doing that?
But the coroner had determined Ryan hadn’t drowned. That meant he’d been dead before hitting the water. It didn’t explain why the Misty Dawn had gone such a short distance from the marina to the mouth of Rumrunner Cove to get rid of the body here. Why not take it farther out to sea and dump it there? Time had been the deciding factor. The killer had needed to get rid of the body fast and couldn’t do it at the busy marina. Throwing it overboard here was less likely to be seen by the fishermen who frequented the area. Even in daylight it’d be difficult to spot the boat because of the narrow gap in the tree line. And if Ryan had been killed during darkness, no one would’ve noticed.
He’d last been seen at the hamburger joint at four-thirty with Walker. She took out her phone and looked up the exact time sunset had occurred on that day. It was possible the killer had waited until nightfall to get rid of Ryan’s body right outside the mouth of the cove.
With an idea brewing, she removed her sandals and eyeing the available coastal scrub—beach elder and golden creeper—she determined those were too brittle for what she had in mind. She weighed her options and snatched up a branch of bay cedar. She found it heavier, sturdier, perfect.
Before dipping a toe into the blue-green water, she used the long piece of stick to check for snakes. Stabbing the water with one end, she gingerly waded into the shallow channel, hoping like hell there were only fish and turtles to contend with.
Her feet hit the sandy bottom and with each step she questioned her judgment. But since the hem of her sundress was already damp it was too late to turn back. Instead of heading toward the mouth of the cove, she stuck closer to the grassy flats and wetlands. She had to fight off the wood storks that used the habitat to catch lunch.
While watching the stubborn birds use their beaks to break the surface of the water, she spotted a school of young redfish feeding off the crustaceans and seaweed. Her eyes tracked to a large batch of the stuff and looked closer. Something much lighter in color caught her eye. It was the contrasting bone white embedded in the brown stems and tangled in the vines that made her study it longer. With her stick she poked at the object lodged in the kelp. Closer inspection revealed eye sockets, teeth, and what appeared to be ugly, floating skin.
No amount of training at the police academy could ever prepare her for finding a head that had been exposed to the elements for four weeks. Fish, birds, and other wildlife had taken turns destroying the flesh. Still standing in calf-deep water, she took a deep breath and punched in Dack’s cell phone number. When he answered on the third ring, she swallowed hard to get her mouth to work.
“Dack, this is Anniston. I need you to get to Indigo Key. Now! I think I just stumbled across Ryan Connelly’s head near Rumrunner Cove, or at least what’s left of it. There’s not much flesh on the skull so it looks like it’s down to mostly bone. And if I’m not mistaken there’s a visible bullet wound in the center of the forehead.”
“I’m on my way. Give me thirty minutes. Don’t touch anything!”
“Hey, I’m not stupid,” she shouted. But Anniston didn’t have to be told twice to get out of the general area. She backtracked through the water, bunching up her skirt so she could hightail it onto land faster. She scooted out of there so fast she almost fell.
As she stood twenty yards from the skull, her first instinct was to call Garret. But since she’d already delivered devastating news to his family earlier, she held off. A few minutes later, however, she realized Tessa would have to be told about the discovery. She chewed her bottom lip and thumbed through her contacts for Raine’s number. She’d ask Raine to go over to the Indigo house and break the news.
When no one answered at The Blue Taco, she tried calling Raine’s cell phone.
As soon as Raine picked up, Anniston began her pitch. “Hey, I know you’re probably swamped right about this time of day, but I need your help.”
“I closed the restaurant. Put a sign on the door that read: ‘In honor of Livvy and Ally Indigo we’re closed for business.’”
“So you’re at home? Good for you.” Anniston went into the entire horrific find. “I’m standing here waiting for Hawkins to show up and I can’t leave.”
“And you want me to tell Tessa? What if she wants to go running over there?”
“That’s a bad idea. It’s up to you and Jackson to convince her not to do that.”
“Okay. Sure. Do you need anything before I take off?”
“I could use a gallon of coffee and a new stomach. I’ll never be able to erase what I saw from my brain.”
“How did you make this discovery when the police searched that area? Twice.”
“I don’t know. That’s a good question, and one I intend to point out to Hawkins. Look, I have to go. There are a couple of fishermen heading this way. They’re getting ready to wade into the water and cast their lines. I can’t let them do that.”
After shooing away the anglers, a few minutes later she looked up to see Raine shoving through the curious throng beginning to congregate, carrying a to-go coffee mug.
Despite the circumstances, Anniston grinned widely. “I could hug you.” To prove it, Anniston moved toward her and draped an arm around Raine’s shoulders.
“No problem. I brewed it myself. Thought you could use this or a life-size poster of Channing Tatum. The java seemed more practical. Don’t worry. I’m heading to see Tessa after this. Just not sure how to dump this kind of news on her.”
“Yeah, I know, and so soon after Ryan’s funeral.” Anniston glanced around at the growing number of onlookers and shot a dirty look toward the fishermen, realizing they must’ve sent out text messages to everyone they knew. “The crowd seems to want a macabre show and I have to stay put. You and I both know word is bound to get out and when it does…”
“Don’t worry, do your thing, I’ll do mine. I decided to close the doors today at the restaurant because my mom and grandma thought it was the right thing to do. They both loved Livvy as much as I did.” Tears formed in Raine’s eyes and she knuckled a few away. “Please tell me you’ll be able to find out who did this.”
“You know I’m doing everything I can.”
“But what are the chances?”
Anniston blew out a breath. “About fifty-fifty.”
“Even with going through your suspect list? Even with the interview idea? I thought that was a great idea, by the way, especially after they made a point to say all those things about Livvy wanting to leave town.”
“I have some ideas on that. We’ll need to pull together to get those face-to-face sessions to pay off.”
Raine’s shoulders slumped. “I’ve lived in this town my whole life. It never occurred to me anything like this could ever happen here. I’m afraid there’s a dark underside to the Key I didn’t know existed. You let me know when you’re ready for me to have that face to face with Carson. I can’t believe he’d need money so badly he’d be a part of something like this. But I need to find out. Because since this happened, I don’t look at my neighbors the same way I did before a whole family got wiped out. I guess I shouldn’t assume Walker and Blake are…dead.”
“I’m sorry.” Anniston squeezed Raine’s shoulders tighter. “Let me know after you’ve seen the Indigos. Try to make Tessa stay put.”
“I’ll do my best, but I�
�m feeling really down, Anniston. After you called, my mom and I decided to take some food over to show our support. Are you stopping by later…after this…chaos?”
She thought of Garret and his promise to take her to dinner. “I’m supposed to have plans with Garret tonight. All the more reason I need to take care of this and head back to the hotel to get my work done.”
“You and Garret have that look in your eyes.”
“What look is that? Stumped? Baffled? Frustrated?”
Raine bumped her shoulder. “More like sexual frustration leading to the buildup.”
“You mean the same way you and Mitch look at each other?”
“That’s over.”
“You keep telling yourself that, Raine. Maybe one day you’ll even believe it. That anger you have for him has undercurrents about as…” She held her arms out wide for measurement. “Deep as the waters in the Gulf. Garret’s right, you know. You two need to settle this once and for all or avoid each other entirely.”
“But I want to help find Livvy’s killer.”
“That’s why I don’t think avoidance will work for you two. So you should really do yourself a favor. Figure out how to put the past behind you, and don’t look back.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down. “Who knows? Getting along with Mitch might have its benefits.”
Hawkins pulled up in a state-issued Crown Victoria, still wearing his fancy captoe Oxfords. Anniston shook her head at the sight. Didn’t the man realize it might help if he lost the charcoal gray three-piece suit in the island heat? As she watched him cross gingerly over the little bayou, obviously afraid to get mud on his clothes, she wondered why she’d ever taken that step of sleeping with a family friend. Didn’t matter that they were from the same neighborhood. Didn’t matter that they’d known each other since…forever. Dack had a personable enough nature, she supposed. It just seemed as though these days he’d morphed into a stuffed shirt. On the other hand, his brother Chuck had a sense of humor.
“Took you long enough to get here,” she grumbled when he got within earshot. “How could your team have missed something like this?”
Dack ignored the attitude and insult and stuck to the obvious. “Medical examiner is on his way, but it could be a while. Show me what you found.”
She led him back to the edge of the tide pool. But when she waded in, she noticed he remained on the little spit of sand. She put her hands on her hips. “If you’d opt for casual clothes once in a while rather than the formal attire you seem so fond of wearing, you wouldn’t be afraid of ruining your Sunday best.”
“You said I should hurry, so I hurried,” Dack snapped. “Just point it out to me. I’ll get the gist from here.”
Anniston sent him an annoyed eye roll. “The gist? Well, it’s gonna be a little hard to see detail from where you’re standing. You actually might have to get wet. You didn’t answer my question. How could your team have missed the head?”
“It could’ve come in recently with the tides.”
“Nope. It looks to me like it’s been hung up in the kelp for quite a while.” To prove her point, she took a picture with her camera phone, walked back ten feet, and held it up so he could see for himself.
Dack made a face. “It doesn’t take long in this Florida heat for human remains to decompose that badly. How did you come across this?”
“I went looking. Besides, anyone could have stumbled on it. They just had to veer off twenty yards straight through the glade. As you can see, the seaweed snagged it, held it there for the fish and wildlife to destroy. It’s about a foot down, but see how it dips in the current?” She tapped the photo she’d taken. “Isn’t that a bullet wound in the middle of the forehead?”
“Yeah. Three murders now in a town this small.”
“And two pending with Walker and Blake still unaccounted for,” she reminded him. “This guy’s got a hell of an aim.”
“Not to mention he doesn’t mind killing little kids. Do you realize this is the first case we’ve worked on together?”
She scowled in his direction. “We’re working separately and you know it. Although feel free to share the contents of Ryan’s laptop you found in his Civic, or better still, Walker’s computer. I’m working under a handicap here. You aren’t.”
“You know I can’t do that. Captain Briggs would have my head if I went against protocol and shared anything else with you. I won’t risk my job, Anniston. So I’d appreciate it if you stopped trying to call in favors every now and again. You’ve about used them all up.”
“Good thing Chuck doesn’t feel the same way.”
“Hey, that arrangement is between you and Chuck. But if he gets caught, it’s his ass on the line.”
“Chuck does that for Sebastian and me out of a sense of friendship. Your brother did mention I should pass along an invite. Your mother requires your presence back in Miami for Sunday dinner.”
His lips curved up. “I know. She sent me seven text messages about it. Are you going back to Miami any time soon?”
“Nope. Not until I crack this case open.”
“Any ideas what we’re dealing with here, Anniston?”
“Let’s be clear. You don’t share with me. I don’t share with you. I guess that explains why you ignored my text about trying to obtain the surveillance video at the bank for Nathan Hollister’s last day of work?”
“It was a good suggestion. But it’ll take time to get a warrant. Are you that certain his taking off is part of the whole picture?”
“I don’t know anything that’s one hundred percent. The security video from the bank should give some insight into Nathan’s hour-by-hour schedule, though. Like what he did exactly from nine to five the day he lied to his wife about going to a bank convention. Did Nathan withdraw money? Did someone come into his office and threaten him? What was happening in his head to make him split?”
Dack ran a hand through his blondish brown hair. “Okay, I’ll get started on the warrant. And Anniston?”
“What?”
“I don’t mind giving you a heads up if I think the situation warrants it. I always did think you’d make a first-rate cop. I’m glad you don’t hold our little fling against me.”
As the sun bore down on them, she patted his face, getting redder by the minute. “How could I hold it against you? I made up my own mind. ‘A little fling’ sums it up nicely. Back then, we were just a ripple on a pond. Just so you know, Sebastian is thinking about coming here at the end of the week.”
“Really? You’re actually calling in reinforcements? That doesn’t sound like you. I’m a little green with envy that you have a Marcelli to rely on.”
“Hey, I’m not afraid to admit I need all the help I can get.” She held back telling him her plans to interview a bunch of seemingly upstanding citizens. After all, Dack didn’t need to know everything. “Let me ask you something. There’s a lot happening here in town. Your investigation is cemented here. Why aren’t you camped out at the hotel like me?”
Dack gave her a sheepish look. “Sinclair was forced to clear out an office for me down the hall from him. But if you’re talking about off-duty hours, I met someone. She has her own place up in Key Largo. I spend my nights there.”
“Ah. That sounds serious. What’s her name?”
“Shonna. Shonna Miller. I think it’s heading toward serious.”
“Enough to sell your condo in Key West and move to Largo?”
Dack smiled. “I already put it on the market a month ago. We’re even talking about having kids. I’m taking her to meet my mother on Sunday.”
“Good for you. Tell Kate I said to be nice to her.”
“Yeah, well, my mother wanted it to work out with us. Remember?”
This time it was Anniston’s turn to grin. “Our mamas don’t always get what they want.”
Knowing it’d be tough to get the good citizens to talk, Anniston hunkered down in her hotel room to tackle the pile of work that would make it happen. Leaving nothing about the
interviews to chance, she decided to phone her dad and pick his brain.
Back in Miami her father picked up the phone in a good mood. “There’s my baby girl. How’s it going?”
“I’m good, Daddy. How are you doing?”
“I’m wonderful. Your mother spoils me more every day. Although she has been out foraging in that thing she calls an herb garden, tries to stick a bunch of green crap in front of me every chance she gets. A rabbit wouldn’t eat that stuff.”
Anniston snickered at what she’d heard for the past two years. “The doctor said you needed to change your diet. Green stuff is good for you.”
“Not this awful tasting stuff. She’s trying to feed me clover, dandelions, and something called burdock. On second thought, you mother may be trying to kill me.”
“Daddy, stop complaining. She’s hoping to get you to live longer. Did you get my last email about the one on one meetings the Indigos want to do with the people we suspect?”
“I did. It’s a good idea. But I suggest consistency in the questions. You need to ask each man the same things to judge their reactions and get a read. You’re taking part in all of the interviews, correct?”
She hesitated. “The family really wants to participate and do the meetings themselves, mainly because they know all these guys personally.”
“I don’t recommend it. It’s risky. Either conduct the interviews yourself or don’t let them go it alone, if for no other reason than to keep emotion out of it. And avoid using an accusatory tone. Making suspects comfortable, making it a friendly encounter will get you more results than a confrontational in-your-face every time. I once interviewed a pedophile who’d killed four little boys. You think I didn’t want to reach across the table and plant my fist in his face? I did. But a good detective leaves his emotions outside the interview room.”
Words to live by. Now all she had to do was persuade the Indigos to let her run with it alone.
“What if they’re stubborn?” Anniston prompted. “Because in the event I can’t convince them to back off, I’ll need to prepare them better so they don’t go in looking like bumbling Keystone Kops.”
The Indigo Brothers Trilogy Boxed Set Page 42