Emboldened by our accord, I posited further, “We need to put that camera back. Who knows what else it may record.”
“Right.” Pete erased his image from the SD card. “I’ll check property records to see who owns the dock.”
I watched as he conducted the web search. A name cropped up on the tax assessor’s site. “Southern Shores Corporation? Never heard of it.”
Pete searched for the business online and then turned to me. “Lots of double talk and nothing about Southern Shores. It must be a shell corporation. Everything points to this place being a front. I wonder why Hamlyn didn’t come across that fact?”
My phone rang again. I glanced at the display. Melanie Walker, my bride-to-be. “I need to take this. Melanie’s called three times already today.”
“Go ahead.”
“The wedding’s off,” Melanie breathed fire in my ears. “That lowlife belly slider doesn’t deserve to spend the rest of his life with me. I am too good for the likes of a salesman.”
When she paused for a breath, I asked, “Is someone there with you? Should I call your Mom or a friend?”
“No, I don’t want anybody to know he’s cheating on me.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yeah. His date posted their picture on social media.”
Having been estranged from Pete last year, I knew the value of a phone call. “Have you talked to him? There could be a very good explanation.”
“Why would I talk to a cheater?”
Her words sounded slurred. “Melanie, do you want me to come over?”
“No. I’m a mess. I don’t want anyone to see me like this.”
She didn’t want family, friends, or me. I was out of options. “How can I help you?”
“I wanted to make sure you knew so you didn’t start ordering all the food.”
Oh. That made sense. “Thank you for that. Are you sure I can’t come over to sit with you?”
She swore, shrieked, and hung up on me.
“The wedding’s off,” I told Pete.
“Sounds like trouble all right. Are you taking her off the catering calendar?”
“Nope. I’m doing something better. I’m calling her mom in the clear light of day. She can get to the bottom of this. With Melanie’s history of failed marriages, there might be an underlying reason.”
“Be sure you add handholding to your resume.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Jude Ernest called me later that night. I’d gone over to my commercial kitchen to test new recipes for Sunday’s baby shower. I’d just about gotten my equilibrium back when the phone rang. I activated the speaker phone option.
“Kale’s been transferred to a federal prison, but it’s not too far away,” Jude began. “He’s asked to speak to you again, and the feds approved. You’ve been added to his visitor list.”
“I’ll head there first thing in the morning, if that’s okay.”
“Why wouldn’t it be okay?” the lawyer asked gruffly.
“Like if there was any urgency to the request. I hoped I didn’t need to make that drive in the dark.”
“No urgency. The boy done wrong and he knows it. He’ll be spending the next few years behind bars in Jesup.”
“But he’ll stay alive.”
“Let’s hope so.” Jude cleared his throat as he gave me the rundown on visiting procedures. “You need two forms of government ID. No food allowed, and no purse unless it’s see through and small. Also, you can’t visit with him for more than an hour. I’ll text you his Register Number. Visit the Correctional Institute website if you have more questions on what you can and can’t bring.”
“What about Pete?” I asked, glancing at my boyfriend who’d been helping me slice and dice.
“Kale didn’t ask to see him, so his name isn’t on the pre-approved visitor list. However, I’d feel better if he rode over and back with you.”
Made sense. “I would too.”
I ended the call and turned to Pete. “Looks like we have a road trip to Jesup tomorrow morning. Kale Bolz asked to see me again. You up for the drive?”
“Yes. We stay together until this is over. I don’t trust anyone.”
Kale looked good sitting across from me. His eyes were less haunted than before, and he seemed comfortable in his surroundings. Even so, I asked after his well-being. “You doing all right?” I began.
“Nice not to be constantly looking over my shoulder. Plenty of bad guys in here, but I figure if any knew the guys that want me dead, I’d be dead already. So, I’m grateful to be here. Maybe one day I’ll see my brother again, but if I don’t and I get dead, well, then I’ll see my mom soon. It’s win-win for me. No more living in limbo.”
“That’s the spirit.” He sounded like the Kale I used to know. “You asked me to visit?”
“Yeah.” He glanced around the room. “I wanted to confide in you before, but I couldn’t. I was too scared.”
“Because you’d been arrested?”
“Nah. Figured I had that coming.” He paused for a breath. “Because I got locked up in the Riceland County Sheriff’s jail.”
He gave me a knowing look. I chewed my lip wondering what I was missing. “Is this conversation being taped?”
“Count on it.”
“You’ll have to be more specific about your fear. I don’t understand.”
“One of the deputies is dirty.”
I couldn’t tell him Pete and I had reached the same conclusion. “Oh?”
“Yeah. That’s why I asked for a lawyer and got the feds involved so quickly. It will be hard for that cop to get me in here.”
But not impossible. Nothing was impossible. “Can you tell me his name?”
“Nope. That’s part of the deal I’m working on. The feds will give me a new identity far from here if I cooperate with them. I’m sure hoping that comes to pass.”
“Okay. What does this have to do with me?”
“I figure Chili will contact his little sis at some point or another. I want you to remember this message and tell him.”
“I’m listening.”
“Tell him these exact words. ‘Life’s done treed me, and I’m sorry I left you and Mama in a bind. Don’t let the vultures get you down, bro.’ Can you remember that?”
I repeated the message back to him verbatim and he nodded. “This is goodbye?” I asked.
“I hope so. I mean, I’m sorry I won’t see you again, but if all goes well, I get a do-over. Not too many of those in this life.”
“I’m pulling for you, Kale. I hope you take advantage of whatever the feds can do for you.”
“I may be dumb about book learning but I ain’t walking around stupid. I’ll manage. Don’t forget my message to Chili.”
I tapped the side of my head. “Got it. Take care.”
On the drive home, I relayed the conversation I’d had with Kale to Pete. He grinned as soon as I mentioned dirty cop. “I knew it,” he said. “There’s our confirmation Lance Hamlyn is the dirty cop.”
“True, except neither of us has proof. Lance looks guilty but other than his presence at the marina, we have no evidence of him doing anything wrong. There’s a chance it could be someone else on the force. Riceland County has thirty-something deputies when you count up all the shifts.”
“How many of them are outsiders?” Pete asked. “Not many, and I’ll bet that the Bolz family troubles started not long after Hamlyn hit town.”
I sighed as we sped down the dual highway, sun high overhead. “Those secret photos show him at the dock a lot, and he is always underfoot, seems like. I can’t help but repeat this. He seems like a nice guy.”
“That’s what neighbors of serial killers say. You’ve had a couple of social interactions with him. He’s shown you what he wants you to see. I have no trouble thinking of him as a dirty cop.
”
“I don’t see how he looks at himself in the mirror every morning.”
“People rationalize decisions they make. There’s a chance the bad guys have leverage on him, and he’s a pawn in their empire. Or, it could be he thinks of himself as an honest man, but I’m betting his choices led him down the wrong paths.”
I absorbed those words. It took those hidden camera photos to change my mind about Lance’s possible guilt, and we hadn’t seen him do anything illegal. Pete distrusted Lance from the get-go. Jealousy, I’d assumed at the time, but Pete’s bad guy instincts were truer than mine.
“If he’s dirty, it explains why he appears so often on that secret marina camera,” Pete continued. “It also explains why he’s made it his business to stick close to you. He wants to make sure nothing traces back to him.”
“I’ll bet the mob is holding his family hostage. Surely it has to be something powerful like that to corrupt a lawman.”
“Time will tell.”
The bride-to-be’s mother answered her phone on the first ring. “Melanie called last night and said the wedding’s off,” I began. “What do you want me to do?”
“Sit tight,” Geneva said. “I’m on it.”
The phone clicked in my ear. I turned to Pete. “That’s how it’s done. Geneva Walker wants Melanie to be someone else’s problem. She’ll get to the bottom of this quicker than a sheepshead can steal your bait.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Two federal agents knocked on my front door late Saturday afternoon. The male of the pair spoke up, badge on display. “Ms. Holloway, we’re with the FBI. I’m Special Agent Ken Hightower, and this is my partner, Special Agent Latisha Greene. May we come in?”
I hesitated, aware of Pete coming up behind me. “Is this about my visit to Kale?”
“Yes, but we’d prefer to talk with you in private,” Hightower said.
“Anything you want to say to me can be said in front of my boyfriend Pete Merrick.” Glancing up at Pete, I saw his gaze travel from the navy blue suits, to the nondescript sedan in the driveway, and the shiny badges. He nodded his okay, and it warmed my insides knowing I had backup. Even more so that I wasn’t outnumbered for this meeting.
“Let’s sit at the kitchen table,” I said, opening the door. They followed me in, and I served iced tea and macadamia nut cookies. “What can I do for you?”
Hightower fixed me with a steady gaze. “Kale Bolz promised us intel on a drug trafficking case, but only if we moved him to a federal facility. We did that, he spoke to you, and now he’s talking to us. We don’t have a relationship with Mr. Bolz, so it’s difficult to know if he’s feeding us correct information.”
To buy a moment of thought collecting, I bit into a cookie. “In all the years I’ve known him, Kale never told lies. He might omit information instead of saying something he didn’t mean. He isn’t a fan of conflict.”
“Trust me, we got that message loud and clear.”
“He’s tellin’ you the truth,” I said loyally. “It must’ve been horrible for him to hide out in Florida when he was on the lam. He’s always had a close relationship with his mother and brother. Being alone for that time took a toll on him.”
“He’s safe now and eating regular meals,” Hightower continued. “We have an understanding about the criminal enterprise he joined but we need outside confirmation. That’s why we’re here. Kale is your friend. There’s a reason he asked for you and not any of his other acquaintances.”
“He trusts me,” I said, feeling warm under the collar. “He’s known me most of his life. He and his brother call me their little sister.”
“In that case, where’s the money, Sis?” Hightower asked.
I squirmed in my seat, not liking this line of questioning. “You heard our taped conversation. He didn’t tell me anything about the missing money. I’m so out of the loop. I denied even the possibility of Chili, Kale, and Estelle being mixed up with bad people when a local cop suggested that was true. I didn’t know they were desperate for money. They never let on that they were in need. Even so, I don’t believe they stole a dime. I know nothing about missing money.”
Agent Greene bit into one of my cookies. She closed her eyes in bliss. “These are delicious,” she murmured.
“Thanks. I made them myself.”
Hightower glared at the cookie plate and his partner before he turned to me. “What can you tell me about the island police force?”
“First off, they’re sheriff deputies. None of the deputies assigned to the island only works on the island. They ride the whole county.”
“But a select few spend most of their time only on Shell Island.”
“That’s right.”
“How many of them have familiarity with boats and marinas?”
I shrugged. “The only cop I know personally is Deputy Lance Hamlyn, and I don’t know what he knows about boats. I’ve met Gil Franklin, but I don’t know him other than in his professional capacity.”
“Hamlyn spent a lot of time at Bayside Marina,” Hightower said.
“Is that a question?”
“It can be.”
“Again, I don’t keep track of him, but he visited the marina several times after Chili disappeared.”
“You know this how?”
I wasn’t going to admit to checking the secret video feed. “He told me.”
Special Agent Hightower searched my face, making me wonder if he had some kind of omission radar. “Kale Bolz alleges Deputy Hamlyn is not on the up and up. He says the cop is dirty.”
“Officers are sworn to uphold the law,” I countered.
Hightower watched me a little too long. “You didn’t leap to his defense as you did for Kale. We heard you knew Hamlyn well enough to go out to dinner with him.”
Heat seared my neck. Good thing Pete already knew about those occasions. “We ate dinner together once because we joined forces to search for Kale’s brother. Lance said people didn’t open up to him. He thought my personality made conversation flow, but I had help with those interviews. My friend Viv Declan can get anyone to talk. She introduced me to folks at several bars over the course of two nights.”
“Nights that you also spent in Hamlyn’s company.”
The weight of his gaze tugged at me. “That’s right.”
Another long silence followed. Pete stirred. “You’re fishing for information. River told you what she knows. She’s a busy lady, and she is prepping for a catering job tomorrow. Get to the point and go on your way.”
“We agree you’re easy to talk to,” Hightower said. “And you’re an excellent cookie baker according to my partner. We need you to meet with Deputy Hamlyn privately about the missing money.”
“I don’t like it,” Pete said, his voice sour. “This sounds dangerous.”
“It won’t be. Hamlyn has no reason to suspect River of anything. He has a pattern of meeting regularly with her to discuss the case. We feel confident he’ll ask River about her appointment with Kale this morning.”
“I can’t give him the message meant for Chili. That’s really the only thing I learned from Kale.”
“You learned more than that,” Hightower said. “Kale expects a sweet deal for cooperating with the investigation. He met with you to say goodbye.”
“That’s true.”
“Trust me, that’ll be enough to put Hamlyn on guard. He’ll push to see what Kale knows.”
“I don’t know any more than that.”
“What’s the point of getting River alone with this guy?” Pete groused. “It’s an unnecessary risk. Set your trap for him with someone else.”
“Can’t do that. She’s his only friend. He’ll confide in her.”
“That’s not reason enough. If you were in River’s shoes you wouldn’t do it either.”
Hightower glanced poin
tedly under the table at our feet. “My big toe wouldn’t fit in River’s tiny shoes, but that’s not the point. This guy’s against the wall. If he’s a middleman as we suspect, he’s got to recover that money. If he’s an enforcer, he’s got to kill Kale and Chili. The only way for him to gain access to either Bolz is through River. She’s the key to building our case against him.”
“No,” Pete said.
“Yes,” Greene said. She turned to me. “Once we clear this case, the Bolz brothers get their lives back. Otherwise, chances are you’ll never see them again.”
“Don’t play on her sympathies,” Pete said. “You’re asking a civilian to do your job.”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “This is my life, I decide what I will or will not do.”
“Thatta girl,” Greene crowed. “Don’t let the menfolk push you around.”
“River, this is dangerous,” Pete said. “Hamlyn’s a cop. He carries a gun. One wrong move and he’ll shoot you.”
“He won’t hurt me,” I said. “Or he would’ve done it already.”
“He’s a desperate man,” Pete said, taking my hand, “and so am I. We plan to have a future together. Chili and Kale are grown men. They knew what they were getting into. Their mess doesn’t involve you.”
I saw Pete’s point, honestly, I did. But I also saw the agents’ point. If I helped them, Kale and Chili had a way out. If I could help Kale and Chili have a future together, wasn’t it worth a try? I loved Pete with all my heart, but Chili and Kale were brothers to me.
“You may not like this decision, Pete Merrick, but I’ve never turned my back on family or friends in my life. Chili and Kale need my help now. I want to help them, but I’m not stupid. I need assurances and a plan.”
“Yes!” Greene said. “I love this woman and her cookies.”
“Let’s talk strategy. Where should you meet him?” Hightower dug into the cookies with a hearty grin.
I remembered the remote location where Lance met me last time. “I know just the place.”
Pete groaned.
Chapter Forty-Five
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