My eyebrows flickered up. “You discovered Mark Hamill’s real name?”
“You thought he looked like Luke Skywalker too? Anyway, I’ve been busy doing the armchair detective thing. It beats doing my job in upper management.”
“Okay . . .” I rubbed my arms, feeling chilled and impatient.
“I discovered that—”
Before he could finish, someone pounded on the door. Jackson! I reached over and threw it open. Sure enough, Jackson stood there with . . . Military Woman.
My heart pounded in my ears, and I backed away from the door.
Jackson hurried inside, gave a fleeting glance toward Shawn, and grasped my uninjured arm. “Are you okay?”
I froze before whispering, “Jackson, she was there.” I dramatically angled my eyes toward Military Woman.
His face didn’t even register surprise. “She’s on our side, Joey.”
“What do you mean, our side?”
“Joey,” Shawn said. “We should really talk.”
I glanced at Military Woman, my throat thick and tight with fear. She stood near the door, an icy look on her face, as if she just dared me to defy her.
“Joey . . .” Shawn continued.
I glanced around the room at everyone there, trying to figure out whom I could trust.
“Joey, they’re both involved,” Shawn said. “They’re dirty. I’ve got proof.”
“Dirty cops?” My mind raced.
“That’s right,” Shawn said. “That’s what I was so desperate to tell you.”
I glanced over at Jackson and Military Woman. Jackson shook his head, moving like there was a wired explosive in the room.
“Don’t listen to him, Joey,” he said.
“Who is she?” I pointed to the woman.
Military Woman stepped forward. “I’m Charlotte Neville, an undercover agent with the DEA. Don’t listen to him, Joey.”
“But I saw you. Down at the docks tonight.”
“I was undercover,” Charlotte said. “Please, we need to get you out of here.”
“Joey, they’re not telling you the truth,” Shawn said. “They’re both getting a cut in order to look away.”
My spine straightened. “To look away from what?”
“Everything that the Barracudas have been doing in this area and how they’ve exploited this coastline for their own gain,” Shawn said.
“That’s why they said Barracudas?” I shook my head. “What are they? A gang?”
Shawn squinted. “You’ve never heard of the Barracudas?”
I shrugged. “Should I have?”
“They’re a notorious international crime ring known for trafficking weapons and drugs,” Jackson said. His gaze darted to Shawn, while his hand hovered over his gun.
“And they’re using Shipwreck Bay Seafood as a front?” I muttered.
“You’re better at this detective thing than I gave you credit for,” Charlotte said. “But you’re not safe right now.”
“Because the Barracudas are on their way?” I asked. “You’re right. We should get out of here. Shawn, you should come with—”
Something clicked behind me. A gun.
They were already here, I realized.
Jackson and Charlotte drew their weapons and pointed them at me.
No, at Shawn.
Who was obviously holding a gun behind my head.
My skin felt like it was trying to peel itself away from my body.
“Put them down or I’ll kill her,” Shawn said, almost sounding amused. “You two were never supposed to be here.”
“Don’t hurt her,” Jackson said.
“Shawn . . . you were in on this?” I muttered.
“Come on, Joey. You had to see it,” Shawn said. “We’re practically BFFs.”
I sucked in a breath. That was what I’d said to the man who attacked me in my house. Shawn had been that man. And . . . I’d never told him where I lived.
I should have put this together sooner.
The mood in the room became electrified.
Shawn pressed the gun into my temple, all signs of his disability now gone. He’d been faking it this whole time? What a loser.
“This is the last time I’m going to say it,” he growled. “Put your guns down. Now.”
Jackson and Charlotte both did as they were told.
I sucked in a deep breath. This was why my superfans had told me to watch Episode 210. It wasn’t the bank robbery. No, in that episode, the bad guy had actually been at the crime scene acting like an observer. In truth, he was hunting for information.
“You were never staying at Seaside, were you?” I asked, feeling like a fool.
He shook his head. “No, I wasn’t.”
“You were just there to watch and see what the police discovered because you were the one who really killed Max Anderson. I walked right into it by asking you questions. Everything you’ve said to me has only served as a distraction.” How could I have been so dumb?
“Anyone could have fallen for it, Joey,” Jackson said, still looking edgy.
I shook my head. “No, you wouldn’t have.”
“We’ve been trying to nail these guys for months,” Charlotte said. “That’s why I worked at Shipwreck Bay. So I could get an inside track.”
“We didn’t, however, know that Shawn was a part of this,” Jackson continued.
“Why not just plan an entire operation around tonight?” I asked. “You could have caught everyone in the act at the docks this evening, and this whole thing would be done.”
“It’s not that easy,” she said. “We’re trying to figure out who their leader is. We want to cut off the head of the snake. That’s why I was undercover.”
“Why risk everything to come here?” I asked.
“They found your phone,” Charlotte said. “They’re going to come and kill you. That’s why we need to get you out of here.”
“No one is going anywhere.” Shawn pressed the gun deeper into my head. “I’ve been tasked with taking care of this . . . taking care of her. It wasn’t supposed to be this complicated.”
This was all my fault.
“I looked through all the Polar Plunge pictures. I didn’t see you,” I continued, desperate to keep him talking.
“Half of the people aren’t recognizable. I wore a wig, a tutu, and sunglasses.”
“And what are fish scales?” I said.
“It’s what some people call high-quality heroine,” Jackson said.
“Now, enough of this chitchat. Let’s take a walk outside,” Shawn ordered. “One wrong move, and she dies. Understand?”
Jackson nodded slowly. “We’ll do what you say. Just don’t hurt her.”
“Good. Then walk.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
He smiled, a soulless kind of smile that made my insides shrivel. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Water splashed at my ankles. At my calves. Up to my hips.
Every time a wave crashed, the water climbed higher and higher. My body lost more and more feeling. I couldn’t breathe. The cold was so biting. Consuming. Pervasive.
At Shawn’s order, Jackson tied a rope around my midsection. He’d already tied up Charlotte to another pier piling—the one behind me. Occasionally, Charlotte would voice an idle threat. I knew all about those. I was the queen.
Jackson leaned closer as he tightened the ropes. “I’ll get you out of here, Joey,” he whispered above the roar of the water.
I didn’t see how that was possible. My body would only last fifteen or twenty minutes in this water. Then it would begin to shut down.
I’d acted in an entire episode about this, so I should know. Hollywood would never make things up.
Another wave crested right near the piling, and a mist of ocean water hit my face. My entire body tensed, and my lungs tightened even more.
“Make it snug!” Shawn ordered, standing close enough to act if anyone tried
anything. Plus, there was his gun. Aimed at us. His finger on the trigger. “Make any moves, and I’ll just shoot her.”
Rain started to fall, so there was no one on the beach, not even any of the crazy fishermen who practically lived on these shores. No one in their right mind would be out tonight.
My legs were already numb. The tide was coming in fast, yet this would be a slow, painful way to die. My vessels would constrict. Blood flow to my heart would be compromised.
This was going to be a Shonda Rhimes way to end the season. With drama. Lots and lots of drama.
I was going to become part of the Graveyard of the Atlantic.
What would Rutherford think when I wasn’t available anymore to do the press junket with Jessica for Family Secrets? He’d probably be okay because at least this would draw publicity to me and, therefore, the movie. Meanwhile, Eric would go on camera and talk about how he’d tried to get me help.
And why was I thinking about these things now? I should be devising an escape plan. Or praying for mercy. Anything but thinking about Rutherford and Family Secrets.
Think, Joey. Think. How do you get out of this?
I couldn’t use my baloney move since I couldn’t feel my legs—and I was tied up.
However, I could arch my back. That would mean when Jackson stepped away, there could be some give within the ropes. If I could slide them off, then maybe I would stand a fighting chance.
The rain continued to come down on my face in rivulets as I tried to make myself bigger than I was. I glanced around me. The moon was covered by the clouds, and the only light came from a few random houses on the other side of the dunes.
Jackson tightened the rope with an apologetic frown and stepped back.
Another wave crested on me, and saltwater filled my mouth. Something tangled around my legs—seaweed or other marine life. I was going to stick with seaweed.
I glanced at Shawn. A sheen covered his face. Probably left by the rain, because he didn’t seem nervous. No, he almost seemed like a professional. I mean, who else carried rope with them just in case they needed to tie people up to a pier? And why not just shoot us? Why end it this way?
I had a feeling the Barracudas liked to make a statement. And killing someone this way definitely had style.
What would he do now? Would he tie Jackson up? If so, was that my opportunity to strike? I supposed it didn’t matter since my back-arching move didn’t work. I wasn’t going anywhere.
“I’m going to make you watch,” Shawn said, a sinister tone to his voice. “I think that will be worse for you than letting you die too. Don’t you think?”
“I don’t know why you’re involving Joey in this. She has nothing to do with the investigation.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. She’s becoming the face of the Nags Head PD. Or haven’t you heard? Any case done in relation to Joey will become national news. We can’t have that happening. We have too much at stake.”
“What did you do to my dad?” I asked, my voice barely audible over the roar of the ocean.
Shawn shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t handle those sides of the operation.”
Fire ignited in me. I would fight this.
Just then I glanced behind Jackson. It was rainy and hard to see, but was that a figure moving out there?
Was that . . . Zane? I’d recognize his crazy curls anywhere.
What was he doing back from the wedding already? And what was he thinking? Out here there was nowhere to hide. Everything was exposed and open.
He dove to the ground, army-crawling on the sand, and blending in perfectly with the darkness.
I thought he did, at least.
I looked away, determined not to give away his whereabouts.
Just like that, he darted toward the water and dove in.
Zane and his dolphin-like ways. How could he stand it? The water was so cold that it hurt. Really hurt.
“It doesn’t have to end this way,” Jackson said. He remained near me, hands raised, probably to put Shawn at ease.
Shawn still pointed his gun at him.
I looked over and saw . . . a fin in the water?
No, it was Zane’s suit. That ugly suit he wore as part of his endorsement deal.
I had to use this to my advantage.
“Shark!” I screeched. “There’s a shark in the water!”
Shawn’s gaze darted toward the waves.
As soon as he looked away, Jackson swooped in like a seagull on a bread crumb, a description that in retrospect didn’t seem very flattering to Jackson.
The two fell into the water. It was all blurry. And I was so cold. And my teeth wouldn’t stop chattering.
But the best I could tell, the two of them wrestled right there where the waves receded and broke.
Finally, Jackson was on top of Shawn. He jerked his arm back and punched him in the face.
Shawn went still.
Jackson pulled out his handcuffs and jerked Shawn’s arms behind him.
As he did, Zane emerged from the water. He slopped toward me and began struggling with the rope holding me in place.
“I’ll get you out of here,” he said.
My teeth chattered so badly that I could hardly say thank you.
Just then more officers arrived, pounding across the sand toward us. They could help Charlotte get free, I hoped. And help Jackson apprehend Shawn. And . . .
Nothing else mattered right now.
This was all over, I realized.
It was truly all over.
“So there was an international crime ring operating out of Wanchese?” I pulled the blanket more closely around me, still shivering at my core. I sat on my couch, sipping on some coffee as I tried to warm up.
Jackson tried to take me to the hospital, but I refused. No more hospitals. Not if I could help it.
Charlotte seemed to have bounced back quickly. She’d changed clothes—though I had no idea where they came from—drank some coffee, and was now in full GI Jane mode as she recounted what happened to her colleagues. She and Raven had way more in common than Raven and I did.
Meanwhile, Zane gave his statement to another officer in my kitchen. He also seemed fine after simply changing and getting a warm drink. In fact, he almost seemed invigorated.
Maybe I was just a wimp.
Jackson shifted on the couch beside me. He had hardly left my side, and I could see the concern in his crinkled eyes.
“That’s correct,” he said. “It’s more complicated than that. The people who were apprehended tonight are just one arm of the Barracudas. But they were bringing guns in at night, packing them in the seafood containers, and then the trucks were hijacked.”
“Why didn’t you watch the trucks then?”
“We did, but the shipments were irregular, and Shipwreck sends out multiple shipments per day. It was a big task.”
“Anastasia must have discovered what was going on,” I surmised. “Maybe she came back to the dock one night and overheard the men speaking in Russian. Most people couldn’t understand it, but she could. That fact ended up getting her killed.”
“That’s correct. We still don’t know why her necklace was found in Max’s place. Probably only Max can tell us that. His camera had been wiped clean and offered no clues.”
“There were drag marks on the shoreline where my mom’s picture was taken,” I blurted. “I know it might be nothing, but it could be something, right?”
“We’ve been working with the Coast Guard. We believe there are some illegal operations taking place right here in these waters. Those guns you saw? We believe there’s a tradeoff going on before they arrive at the warehouse. That could very well be what those marks were. Or it could have simply been a fisherman who stopped there.”
My throat tightened. “But my mom . . . and my dad. I’m still having trouble piecing this together.”
“Anastasia came to your father for help because there were very few people here she could trust. When he realized wh
at was going on, he came to me.”
Blood drained from my face. “He did?”
Jackson nodded. “You have to understand, Joey, at that point, none of this was my call. The DEA stepped in.”
“I stepped in,” Charlotte said, coming into the room. “You could have ruined our whole operation.”
I didn’t like her tone. “Well, what were you waiting for? It was all happening right there on the docks, and I’m sure that wasn’t the first time.”
She scowled. “I’m trying to get the name of the person who’s in charge of the entire operation,” she said. “We wanted to shut down the entire operation instead of just taking down the henchmen.”
Well, that made sense, I supposed. I pulled my blanket more tightly around me. “Oh. So I did ruin it?”
She crossed her arms. “We’ll have to reevaluate now.”
My gaze shot to Jackson’s. “What about my father? I’m still not sure how he fits with this. Yes, Anastasia talked to him. Yes, he talked to you. But now he’s gone . . .” My voice cracked.
Jackson and Charlotte exchanged a glance, and another round of worry shot through me.
“Apparently, you and your father are a lot alike. He suspected something was going on down on the waterfront, and he started to stay late to figure out what,” Charlotte said. “He unofficially became one of our informants. I mean, let’s face it—he had an inside track with the fishermen there that we won’t ever be able to achieve.”
“My dad?” That didn’t even sound right.
She nodded. “He had clear boundaries he was supposed to keep. He was instructed to watch but not get involved. Everything was fine for the first week.”
“And then . . .” I held my breath, not sure I wanted to know.
“Something happened to spook him,” Jackson said, softening his voice. “He came to me for advice, and I told him he should back off and that law enforcement would take over.”
“What happened?” I held my breath.
Jackson shifted closer to me. “He wouldn’t tell me the details. He just said he saw someone from his past. He wondered if this person could be involved, but he was having trouble believing it. I had no idea whom it might be. He refused to tell me.”
Reign of Error (The Worst Detective Ever Book 2) Page 19