The killer? A fierce shudder ripped down my spine. “That’s sobering.”
“There’s another possibility. The mob wants their stolen money back. What we don’t know is who killed Estelle and beat up Chili. The killer came here to discover what you know. The mob would’ve been here looking for the money.”
My gaze fixed on a decorative snail across the room, frozen in time. I knew how he felt. “So, I should be happy the killer came instead of the mob? What if the killer is part of the mob?”
Pete groaned. “I’d be happy if we left on a cruise right now.”
“Absence won’t fix anything. And there’s a good chance my house would look like Estelle’s when we returned.”
“Good point.”
“This sucks.”
“We’ll get through this together.”
“And my locks are no good?”
“You have deadbolts on all exterior doors which we didn’t engage when we went out. Those slow down most burglars, skilled or not. You need a big dog.”
“I’ve got a watch cat. Major warned us something was wrong.”
“That he did.”
“Okay. We’ll keep the deadbolts engaged for added protection. Who are we protecting ourselves from? Garnet Pierce? Justin Adler? Or someone else?”
“We don’t know.”
“I need to search Garnet’s house to learn more about her. In the old days, the marina master lived in the cottage near the head of the access road. We could slip over there when she goes to work in the morning and she’d never know.”
“Just curious. What would you look for?”
“A million dollars for starters. Any sign she spent lots of money on her personal possessions. A large stash of guns or drugs.”
“What would you do if you found those things?”
“Call the cops.”
Pete gazed out the window, and so did I. Shadows were lengthening. I should start dinner soon. Just because my day had blown all to hell and back was no reason not to have a decent meal. Cooking dinner would help me feel grounded, and then I’d take that much-needed shower.
“Here’s a random thought,” Pete began slowly. “There’s someone who’s been in this from the start. Someone who knows your every move.”
I poked his good arm. “Are you talking about me? Because there’s no way I did any of this.”
“Not you. Someone who keeps showing up, someone who bugs you for regular progress reports.”
My blood chilled as I followed his logic. “Lance? You think a deputy did these terrible things? He swore an oath to protect and serve.”
“He had access to information all along.” Pete’s voice roughened. “What do we really know about this guy, River? Who are his people?”
This suggestion seemed fantastical and impossible. Lance was a cop. A sworn good guy. Pete and Lance didn’t get along because Lance was also attracted to me. Not because he was a crook. How could I talk Pete off this particular ledge? “He said he came here from Texas.”
“I remember you mentioned that. Hold on a minute. Let’s see what’s online about him.” Pete drew his phone from a pocket and punched in rapid keystrokes. “Hmm.”
“What did you find?”
“It’s what I didn’t find. No social media footprint, and no one with his exact name shows up in the search engine. Over near Abilene, there’s a small town of Hamlin, Texas, but it’s spelled differently.”
“Maybe it’s a rule that cops can’t be on social media. Try Deputy Gil Franklin.”
Pete’s thumbs tapped quickly on his phone. “He comes right up. So does Chili, your catering service, me, your friend Vivian Declan.”
“What about Jude Ernest?”
A few clicks later, Pete nodded. “He’s searchable. Got multiple people with that name, by the way.”
“But nothing for Lance Hamlyn. That’s strange.”
“There may be an explanation, but in the meantime be careful around the deputy. His past is not an open book. It may be closed on purpose, or it may mean something else.”
“He’s a decent guy,” I said.
“People under pressure do crazy things. I saw that out in California. And Chili said to trust no one.”
“Supposing I believe you, and I don’t, how can I even look Lance in the eye now? He’s a cop. He’ll know I’m suspicious of everyone, including him.”
“You’d better pull it off,” Pete said. “Your life depends upon it.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
In a refreshing break from mobs and killers, Pete accompanied me to Shell Island Elementary School to help with tutoring the next day. His friendly manner made him a natural with the fourth graders. He didn’t get testy with the kid who couldn’t stay seated. Instead, he leaned in and began whispering a story to the other kids. The antsy child sat down to listen.
I liked patience and ingenuity in a man. Those traits, and others, of course, were why I’d fallen in love with Pete. He was a big teddy bear of a man until he was a grizzly protecting his own. I didn’t doubt that he’d fought with heart and soul for his California company, but whatever he’d done to stake his claim, they’d done more. Thank goodness he’d walked away from a life of confrontation and fear.
He caught my eye across the classroom, and I beamed at him. One of my kids tugged my sleeve, then all the little girls at my table giggled. My face heated, but I was happy. This was who I was and I was right where I was supposed to be.
Afterward, as the kids filed out and waved goodbye, I checked my phone messages. Three from Melanie Walker, the bride who wanted me to cater her wedding, one from Jude Ernest who wanted us to meet, and a hang-up. I set an electronic reminder to call Melanie, dismissed the hang-up, and decided it was time for Pete to meet Jude. I hit “call back” on the phone but Jude’s call flipped to voicemail, and it was full of messages.
“How’s your ankle today?” I asked as we strolled out of the building.
“Fine.”
He limped and leaned on the cane, but he wouldn’t admit any weakness. That was so different from my brother who, if he was allowed, would take the whole day off school for a splinter.
Ah well, guys had their own codes. My code was to help family and friends, and the missed call from Jude burned brightly in my thoughts. “One of my messages was from Kale’s attorney, Jude Ernest. He didn’t answer my return call. You feel up to a trip into the wilds of the island?”
Pete gazed around us, checking out the slotted cars. “Sure. We’ll shoot for Garnet’s place after visiting the attorney?”
His watchfulness heightened my fearfulness. Did he see a peaceful parking lot or an array of barriers for threats to hide? I hoped we both could relax our guard soon. “Yep. I feel Jude is a higher priority. Lucky for you I know a shortcut, so there’s little hiking involved.”
“Sounds good, though I could hike if needed.”
We helped ourselves to water bottles from the cooler inside the van before we buckled up. I glanced at my behind-the-seat food cache on Pete’s side, once again bulging with protein bars. “How about a quick snack?”
“Sure.”
We each had a bar as we rolled through the congested part of the island. Finally, we were the only car on a lonely road. I turned down a fish camp road. The paving ran out about halfway down the road, so we bounced along on the dirt until I edged left into the tall grass.
“Are we cutting our own trail?” Pete asked.
“You’ll see.” I crept along in the grass, studying the grain for the access point in the woods. Nearly missed it, but I hung a sharp left between two pines. Pete clung to the armrest as we bounced and jostled down the grassy tract.
We drove a little farther, turned a bend, and a felled tree blocked the rough passageway. I slammed on the brakes. “This wasn’t here before.”
“No offens
e intended, hon, but is this the right way?”
“Yes. Jude showed me this exit last week. He must’ve wanted a barrier up on this side of his property as well as the front. That tree is too large for us to move or go around. Sorry, we have to hike the rest of the way.”
“I can do it.”
I shifted into park and cut the engine. “Of course you can, except I wish you didn’t have to. I want your ankle to heal.”
“I’ll be fine.
The hiking was only about a quarter of a mile. Even so, I was glad we’d consumed water and energy bars before tromping through knee-high grass. At least this time Pete and I could check each other for ticks.
Pete’s face was pale when we entered the clearing where the ramshackle cabin sat. I wanted to mother him, but he wouldn’t relish that kind of attention out in public.
“Jude?” I called when no one answered my knock on the back door. “You here? It’s River Holloway and Pete Merrick.”
“I hear you,” Jude said, hobbling out of the woods using a rifle as a cane. A scrap of fabric held up his left arm in a makeshift sling. “This your boyfriend?”
“Yes.” I made the introductions.
The lawyer limped closer. “Looks like we attended the same school of hard knocks.”
“Same mentality of guy came after both of us, looks like,” Pete said. “I busted my arm warding off a knife attack. The bum ankle came from the other guy whacking the heck out of it with a bat. Gotta few broken ribs. How about you?”
“Nearly the same laundry list.” Jude shrugged. “Sucks.”
“Does.”
I made a show of pretend wiping my hands clean. “Okay, now that we’ve finished the male bonding ritual, what happened to you, Jude? Did you press charges?”
“No charges, doll. Didn’t know the masked guys that jumped me. Just hightailed it back here afterward.”
“Was it the mob or someone else?”
“Kale rising from the dead and being in federal custody surprised the hell out of folks. My attackers encouraged me to tell Kale to keep his mouth shut.”
“Good grief. Where’d they ambush you?”
“Did a pincer move on the highway a few miles up the main road. No other cars in sight, no security cameras to catch them.”
“What about here? You got security cameras for protection?”
“You better believe it, and motion sensors too. That’s how I knew to hide in the woods as you approached. If you’d’a brought a cop back here instead of your boyfriend, you wouldn’t have seen me.”
I whispered in his ear. “I have something private to share with you, but I don’t want it recorded.”
He returned the courtesy. “Keep your voice down and step to the tree line.”
We moved in a group of three, and I leaned close to Jude. “Pete and I found Chili yesterday. He’s alive. He told us that you’re his point of contact now.”
Jude’s eyes gleamed. “Good boy. He knows which plants to eat, how to catch fish and game. He’ll be all right.”
“Chili won’t come in until this is over. Nothing I said to him caused him to change his mind, except he was thrilled to hear his brother was alive.”
Jude nodded. “Better for him to wait it out.”
“He’s living like someone two hundred years ago. I don’t know how he’s surviving.”
“He’s surviving because he has to. He wants his life back, and this is the only way to get it.”
“Wouldn’t he be safer in federal custody like Kale?”
“Unlike his brother, Chili isn’t wanted for anything illegal.”
“Is Kale talking to the feds?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“How can this end unless all of the bad guys are caught?”
“These things happen on their own timetable, River.”
“That sounds like the Uncle Jay I used to know.” I scowled. “How’d you go from the laidback outdoorsy guy I knew to an ambulance chasing lawyer?”
“Different wilderness, different set of rules.” He shrugged. “The suits, they didn’t like my kind of people. All they wanted was to rake in the big bucks from corporate clients. I wanted to help ordinary people. Going after the accident crowd was expedient and profitable. Best of all, I didn’t screw my clients.”
I tried to see things from Jude’s perspective. Chili was alive but hiding out, on purpose. Jude took a beating from someone who wanted Kale to keep silent. Bottom line, the bad guys must feel vulnerable.
“You need help out here?” I asked.
“I need you to be careful. These people are fighting for their lives and livelihoods. They take no prisoners. They killed Estelle because she wouldn’t give up her boys.”
“Or because she didn’t give them the money. She couldn’t because someone stole it from her.” I recounted what Chili told me about the missing million dollars. “Look, it’s good to see you, but you could’ve warned me to be careful over the phone. And someone tossed my place yesterday while we were with Chili.”
“They are getting desperate, and either the cops or the crooks could be tapping your phone. I didn’t want to risk saying the wrong thing on the phone. Besides, now I know Chili is safe and megabucks are missing. You didn’t tell the cops about finding Chili?”
“No. I couldn’t.”
“Good girl. We’ll have you thinking like a first-order conspiracy theorist in no time.”
Estelle gave her life to protect her sons. I hadn’t thought of it that way. “Why would they come after me? I don’t know any details. I should be safe.”
“No one is safe until this is over.”
Chapter Forty
Sobered by my visit with Jude, I drove to Garnet’s place. Her truck wasn’t parked by the cottage on the property, which was a good sign. I turned to Pete. “See any cameras?”
“No.”
“Okay. I’ll knock on the door. If she answers, I’ll ask her to recommend a fish supplier.”
“Good cover. If she’s not there and the door’s locked, how do you plan on getting in?”
“I’m hoping she hides a key nearby like the rest of us do.” I prayed my voice sounded calm. I didn’t want Pete to know how nervous I was. “I’ll be right back.”
The house was built on a slab, so there were no stairs to climb. I tried the screen door. It was unlocked. Knocked on the wooden door. “Hello! Garnet, it’s River Holloway.”
No answer. I tried the knob. Locked. I turned around and shook my head. There was no porch full of furniture to search for a hidden key. Just sand and crabgrass in her yard. I circled the house, trying windows and the back door. All locked and the blinds were drawn.
“It’s a triple no-go,” I said as I climbed in the van. “Nobody home, no key, and no line of sight inside.”
“A woman of secrets,” Pete said. “We could go to the marina to see her.”
My skin itched from walking in the tall grass at Jude’s place. “Not yet. I need a shower, a change of clothes, and a better strategy.”
Pete was in the shower when the doorbell rang. My stomach knotted as I realized who my unexpected company was. Deputy Lance Hamlyn.
I stepped out on the porch to greet him, pulling the door closed behind me. A gentle breeze rustled palmetto fronds and my freshly showered hair. “Lance,” I said. “What’s going on?”
He stood with his hands in his uniform pockets. “Thought we’d compare notes on the case.”
“Frankly, I’m frustrated by the lack of progress,” I said, for the first time acutely conscious of the gun he always wore strapped on his hip. “We don’t know who killed Estelle. The only good news is that Kale is alive.”
“He’s in a lot of trouble.”
“I can only imagine. But maybe he can redeem himself by helping the feds.”
“Not
a good plan. Everyone he’s ever known will be in jeopardy if that happened.”
“Since he knows everyone in the county, that’d be a tall order.”
“He only asked to speak to you, River. You and that sleezy lawyer.”
“Our conversations weren’t private.”
“I didn’t mention this before but you need to know that the Bolz family is not who you think they are. We’re now certain they’re linked to organized crime. Estelle stole from the Ferarrelli cartel.”
I drew in a quick breath. “I don’t believe you.”
“Believe what you like, but we have a money trail straight through the Bolz family that’s undeniable.”
My fingers curled into fists. His accusations made me see red. Chili said to trust no one. I clung to that thought. “No way.”
“River, these people don’t deserve your loyalty. They’re criminals.”
“This is news to me, and it sounds like a horror story. I’ve known the Bolzes for over twenty years.”
“I wish you knew where they hid the stolen money,” Lance said. “If the mob had their money, they’d go away.”
“This is a lot to take in all at once,” I said. “First you tell me my friends are in organized crime, then you say they stole from the mob. I don’t believe you, and I don’t know where any money is.”
The door opened and shut behind me. Pete joined us on the porch, standing shoulder to shoulder with me. Water beads dripped from his hair, his shorts and shirt were twisted as if he hadn’t dried off before donning them. His bare feet looked pale next to the bruising on his swollen ankle. He’d done too much today, and here he was again, rallying to my side.
Neither man made the effort to shake hands. Electricity crackled in the air. If Lance assumed Pete was weak because of his injuries, he’d be mistaken.
“She knows nothing about the Bolz’s troubles, Hamlyn,” Pete said. “Don’t drag her into their mess. River wasn’t involved in their illegal sideline.”
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