“They bit me,” Palamiri insisted. “Their DNA is on my shoes. Use your CSI kit. I demand you put those dogs down. They’re a menace to public safety.”
“What did you expect? Castor and Pollox are guard dogs, and you aimed a loaded gun at us,” Jeanie demanded. She patted her leg and the dogs trotted over to lick her hand. “Nothing wrong with these dogs. They know a threat when they see one.”
Rock motioned for the dogs to stay with Jeanie, though he’d rather be the one comforting her.
“I know these dogs and these people, but I don’t know you. We take armed robbery seriously here in Georgia, and you can count on us finding out about your North Carolina history.” Laurie Ann nodded to her deputy. “Cuff him, and read him his rights. He’s coming with us.”
While they escorted Palamiri to a squad car, Rock glanced over at Jeanie. “You all right?”
Color flagged her cheeks. “I’m madder than a bald-faced hornet at that man. He had no right to point a gun at me. I never did anything to him, and he waltzed into our town thinking he was Al Capone or something. I wish the dogs had bitten him. I wish you’d busted more than his nose. I don’t ever want to see his face again.”
He’d been terrified, and she’d been mad. When he saw the gun leveled at her chest, he’d thought he would lose it. She was so smart, so brave, to keep Palamiri talking while the dogs got into range. He opened his arms, and Jeanie came to him. Her warmth and acceptance eased all the cold places inside of him. “I’m so glad you weren’t hurt.”
Now that he was touching her again, he realized her posturing and bold words didn’t tell the whole story. Her whole body trembled. “Jeanie? You all right?”
“He was so angry.”
He stroked her back until she relaxed against him. Gradually the tremors subsided. “Palamiri’s been unhappy for a long time. He’s hated me since day one. Never understood it.”
Laurie Ann rejoined them. Her expression darkened at their embrace. “Everything okay in here?”
Jeanie faced her friend. “It is now. I hope you lock that miserable worm up and toss the key in the Mossy River. Better yet, wrap him in chains and drop him three miles offshore.”
Laurie Ann tapped a sheaf of papers against her thigh. “Didn’t know you were so ruthless, Jeanie.”
“He threatened us. He probably broke into The Muddy Rose and my home, too. I want to press charges or do whatever has to be done to keep him away from me and my family.”
“He’ll see the magistrate judge within 48 hours since he wasn’t arrested on a warrant. She’ll decide if he’s eligible for bail.”
“He could be back on the streets in two days?” Jeanie asked, the disbelief and horror in her voice clear.
“It’s a possibility. But chances are good he won’t be released on his own recognizance, and since he’s not from here, he’d be a flight risk. The judge may set his bail very high. If this goes to trial, he could be facing ten to twenty years for armed robbery.”
“He deserves that and more for what he’s done to Jeanie,” Rock said.
“I don’t understand what’s going on or why Jeanie’s a target,” Laurie Ann said, shifting her narrowed cop eyes to Rock, “but I’ve got my eye on you. Trouble hit town right after you got here. We’re a peaceful community, and Jeanie is one of my best friends.”
Rock needed to clear the air, or his chances of staying in this town were screwed. “Palamiri is a charter captain from the same marina I used in North Carolina. He got it in his head that Jeanie had something he wants. That’s why he came here.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Jeanie’s never been to North Carolina. Why would he come after her?”
“Avery Munro. Her ex worked at the marina. Some valuable coins and a small wooden chest went missing after my accident, items I found on a dive, and Palamiri connected the dots.”
“He’s not the only one. Is that why you’re here?”
Rock winced. “Partially. Munro’s stories of Mossy Bog made it sound like the kind of place I wanted to live. There’s nothing in North Carolina for me. I came here to make a fresh start.”
Laurie Ann cocked her head at Jeanie. “You okay with this?”
Jeanie rubbed at her arms and Rock missed the warmth of her snuggled up beside him. “Rock told me about his missing property. I don’t have them. If Avery took the items, he didn’t bring them to me.”
“Where are the coins and the chest?” Laurie Ann asked, hitting Rock again with her laser vision.
“I don’t know. I’d stop looking for them, except the agreement with my investor is salvaged items belong to him until I pay off my loan with interest. I need to find them, or I will lose my leverage to continue searching.”
“Got any ideas?”
“Visit North Carolina again, retrace my steps. I invited Jeanie along, but the more I think about it, she should stay here, with you.”
Laurie Ann nodded, her tight expression easing. “She’s welcome to stay with Wyatt and me, for as long as needed.”
“Not a chance,” Jeanie said. “I let my friends and family shield me after Avery walked out. I appreciate the concern, but I need to stand on my own two feet and solve my own problems. I’m sticking with Rock. He’s the best shot I have at figuring out what Avery did to make me a target and helping me undo it.”
“I advise against going out of state,” Laurie Ann said. “Palamiri had a gun. If he has a partner, that person will be armed. They won’t stop until they get what they want, whatever that is. This won’t be a case of a broken heart and a crapload of bankruptcy. Jeanie, the stakes are too high. Save your empowerment for another battle.”
“This isn’t fifth grade all over again,” Jeanie snapped. “I’m not the weakest link in the chain. Thanks to you, I know how to shoot a gun. Plus, I’ve got Rock and these dogs to sound the alarm.”
Rock’s preferences aligned with the cop’s, but he was proud of Jeanie for standing her ground. Nobody liked being thrust on the back burner when all the action was up front. Jeanie was no different than himself in that area.
Grim lines etched onto Laurie Ann’s face. “Tell her this is too dangerous.”
“She knows the risk,” Rock said. “I want to keep her safe, but this is her choice, not mine. Or yours.”
“Ouch.” Laurie Ann studied them and appeared to come to a decision. “Moving on, let’s talk statements. I need a written statement from both of you about what happened here.” She handed them each a form. “I’ll wait. And no talking.”
Jeanie and Rock sat at the counter writing, the dogs at their feet. Jeanie’s phone rang, and Laurie Ann silenced it, over and over again. Ten minutes later, Laurie Ann walked out the door. At the threshold, she twisted to pin Rock with a look. “I’m trusting you and your dogs to keep something very precious safe. Regardless of Jeanie’s bluster, I’m holding you responsible.”
He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “I’ll protect her with my life. Count on it.”
Laurie Ann nodded curtly and left.
Not even the dogs stirred once the cops drove away. The walls seemed to close in on Rock. He longed to escape to the water. “What else has to be done today?”
Jeanie’s gaze was fixed on her phone. “Everyone on the committee called to see if I was all right.”
He cleared his throat. “Jeanie? What’s on today’s schedule?”
Jeanie looked up and blinked as if he’d spoken Greek.
He rephrased his question. “What flowers have to be made up and delivered today?”
“Two deliveries. They’re ready to go. A school secretary and a restaurant order. Nothing else is on the hook.”
“Then let’s make those deliveries and close up for the day. I’d love to take you for a boat ride.”
Her eyebrows arched. “Your boat blew up.”
The need to be on the water simmered in his blood. “I made a friend at the marina, and she’s shown me the local waterways. Camilla will rent me a boat. Please, come with me.
I promise you, a boat ride makes everything better.”
She looked a little dubious, but willing. “Can the dogs come?”
“Absolutely.”
Chapter 42
Wind whipped through Jeanie’s short hair. Thanks to Rock’s insistence on this boat ride, she’d finally relaxed. She’d faced danger today and survived. Not something she wanted to do every day, but, hey, it turned out she wasn’t such a weenie after all.
That, too, was something to be happy about. Maybe this would wrap up soon and she could bring her kids home. She needed to hold them, to kiss their boo-boos and celebrate their joys. She needed to see their happy smiles.
The small speedboat skimmed smoothly over the mirror-slick tidal creek between the barrier islands, a relief after the bumpy ride through the slight chop in the sound. The cloudless sky reminded her of cobalt glass with its rich hue and clarity.
Rock looked like he’d been born to run a boat. He seemed completely at ease in the captain’s chair, and the corners of his lips seemed to be permanently tilted up. With his hand on the wheel, he radiated competency, confidence, and command. Being on the water was more than an occupation for him. It was a necessity.
The sea recharged him, the same way arranging flowers restored her.
He stopped at Cabretta Inlet, anchoring creekside with a vast expanse of deserted beach off to the left. He helped her out in the shallows, and the cool-to-the-touch water energized her bare feet. A few quick strides and she stood tall on the beach, soaking in the serenity.
Beside her on the sand, the dogs braced their legs and shook. Jeanie shrieked as water and sand sprayed her, then skittered away from them. They followed her, thinking this was a new game.
Rock took her hand, and they strolled along the water’s edge. After a while, they came back to the anchorage. He gestured to a mound of sand. “Wanna sit for a bit?”
“Sure.” The salt air and sunshine eased the emptiness of being apart from her kids. She’d forgotten how much she enjoyed the barrier islands. Had it really been five years since she’d been out here?
Five years since she’d left her wild ways behind her and embraced motherhood. Nathaniel and Sable had been worth it, though, and she missed them like crazy. God. She could have died today. Palamiri had stormed her shop waving a gun. One well-placed bullet and she would’ve never seen her kids again. She had to do better by them. She had to put an end to this madness.
They settled on the sand facing the ocean. Rock stretched his long legs before him. “I’ve been thinking about today. Trying to make sense of everything. What’s your take?”
“Palamiri’s in jail,” Jeanie began. “He doesn’t like you, and you don’t like him.” She hesitated. “But why would he follow you here if he stole the coins? That doesn’t make sense.”
“I wanted him to be the thief,” Rock said.
She patted his shoulder. “Me, too. He’s easy to dislike. But he’s looking for the coins too, trying to rip you off, same pattern as he’s followed before. We have to find the coins before he makes bail. When did you meet him?”
“After I bought my boat last year. He showed up at the dock where I was running near-shore fishing charters. His boat was an older version of mine, but he didn’t take care of it. Customers notice that kind of thing.”
“Surprise, surprise. No one stays in business long if they’re rude and arrogant or their place isn’t welcoming.”
“Tell you the truth, I was surprised when he berthed at Bayside Marina. I wondered how he came up with the money to pay his dock bill.”
“You said the bank repossessed his boat. He must have borrowed the money and defaulted on the loan. You didn’t know him as a kid? Maybe mow him down on the sports field?”
“Not to my knowledge. But the guy always had a chip on his shoulder.”
“Was he that way with other captains?”
“Not that I saw. His biggest problem with getting customers seemed to be lack of initiative.”
Jeanie thought back on the people she’d known. Holding a grudge took work, and not once could she remember anyone taking a dislike to someone sight unseen. “He must have been jealous of your success.”
“I didn’t do anything to rustle up clients he couldn’t have done.”
Waves broke on the beachhead. Gulls whirled overhead. Jeanie found no answers in the sea or sky. “If Palamiri didn’t steal the coins, we’re back to square one. He might have been the burglar that trashed my place and my shop. I hope Laurie Ann can get the truth out of him and they find his fingerprints in my house. But we have to take him off our list for coin thief.”
“Which brings us back to Avery, Shandy, Drake Tarpley, and my investor,” Rock said.
Jeanie sighed. “You said it wasn’t in Lyle’s best interest to steal the coins from you because you already agreed to give them to him. Avery’s no brain surgeon, but he might be mixed up in this somehow. And Shandy keeps turning up like a bad penny. She could’ve conned some guy to plant a bomb. She has a way with men.”
“Do you agree to rule out Lyle and Palamiri?” Rock asked.
“For now.” She dragged her fingers through the warm sand and waited for him to continue.
Rock stared out over the blue-green water. “That leaves Avery, Shandy, and Tarpley. I thought Tarp was my friend, but looks like I was wrong. His body wasn’t found after the explosion. Now I know why. Real good chance Tarpley is still using it.” Looking straight ahead, he lifted his chin. “Look.”
She followed his gaze to the pair of dolphins playing near the shore and smiled. “So, you agree he’s alive?”
“It’s the only reasonable explanation. From what you’ve told me, Avery and Shandy don’t have his handyman expertise or his military training. Tarpley was a whiz at mechanics and wiring, skills he could have used to sabotage my boat to line Palamiri’s pockets. Damn. I should have seen this coming. Now that I think back on those last weeks with him, he was downright unpredictable. I chalked it up to the steroids he was taking for his arthritis issues. I should have looked beneath the surface.”
Jeanie rejoiced silently that he’d adopted her idea. “You trusted Tarpley. It’s hard to doubt a trusted friend. Instead, we tend to cut the person slack. Believe me, he never expected you to see past your friendship.”
She could almost see the gears whirling in Rock’s head, the connections and events of his past replaying against the possibility his best friend had betrayed him. Not once, but over and over again.
Poor man. He’d trusted the wrong person and been completely taken in. She’d walked in those shoes. Avery was her cross to bear. Drake Tarpley was Rock’s.
A thundercloud of emotion crossed his face, leaving behind a tangible wariness. His shoulders sagged. “Great. All we have to do now is catch a dead man.”
Jeanie spotted the slump in his shoulders and refused to give in to defeat. “Good thing I happen to know a great fishing expert. He knows everything about fishing, including which bait to use.” Hope and excitement bubbled inside her at the prospect of solving this thing and getting her kids back. “Even better, I’m sitting next to the world’s top authority on Drake Tarpley.”
Rock stilled. “Come again?”
“After twenty-something years of friendship, you know his likes and dislikes. You have an inside track on what he does to relax, where he might hide out if he faked his death.”
He stared at her for a long, blank moment, then whooped, gave her a quick buss on the lips, and pulled her to her feet. “You’re brilliant. Let’s get back to the mainland. I’m going after him today.”
“Not so fast, partner. I’m coming with you. First, I have to arrange for Alicia to run The Muddy Rose. Give me time to set that up, and then we can go find Tarpley and call the police. Once we find Tarpley, we’ll find your missing items.”
“You psychic now?”
“Nope. My whole life I’ve been good at guessing. But when I’m wrong, like I was with Avery, I’m way off-base. Looking f
or Tarpley doesn’t feel wrong. It feels right.”
She did a happy dance on the sand. The dogs stretched and shook, sand flying everywhere. Jeanie laughed and stepped out of the line of fire. “This will be an adventure.”
“This will be dangerous. You have a family to consider,” Rock warned, his blue eyes serious and golden hair glinting in the sun. His scar changed from pale pink to a deeper shade of red. “You and the dogs should stay here with Laurie Ann.”
Jeanie placed a palm on his broad chest and looked him in the eye. “We already had this discussion. Mom and the kids are safe in St. Augustine. Besides, there’s a rule about superheroes. They need sidekicks. Consider me your sidekick until this case of the stolen treasure is solved.”
Chapter 43
While Jeanie talked to her shop helper on the phone and packed her clothes at his house, Rock washed the sandy dogs, provisioned the F-250, and made sure he packed sufficient weaponry. The Beretta was for Jeanie. The heavier Colt Defender for him. In the truck’s steel toolbox in the back, he loaded three rifles and a shotgun. Ammo for the handguns went in the glove box. He strapped a knife to each leg and stashed two more under the seat. Added a few flashlights.
And the dogs.
Couldn’t forget their gear.
The sun set before they left Mossy Bog. Darkness suited Rock, giving him concealment as he searched for his quarry. The miles rolled by quickly in Georgia, more slowly in South Carolina. By the time they reached the North Carolina border, Rock was raring to go.
Jeanie slept. He glanced over at her from time to time, so serene and trusting in her slumber. She brought light and laughter into his life, qualities he’d been quietly starving for.
“You haven’t told me the plan,” Jeanie said after a refueling stop, when they were back on a winding state road. “All I know is we’re checking Tarpley’s haunts. Tell me more.”
“Thought we’d start at the lake first. Tarpley’s cousin owns a cabin up here. Strikes me that would be a great place for a dead man to hide out.”
“We’re not driving up the coast to the Outer Banks, are we? We’re headed to the mountains?”
Rough Waters Page 16