Krewe of Hunters Series, Volume 5

by Heather Graham

  Which was good, since they were fully booked for every swim and encounter, many of those reservations made after word had leaked of Cocoa’s discoveries.

  Apparently the public was slightly ghoulish.

  And since the news was out, they’d decided to bite the bullet and answer any questions honestly, giving what information they could, which wasn’t much. A finger and a foot had been found in the lagoon. The police and other agencies had conducted a thorough search for additional body parts but had found nothing else. More information would be forthcoming pending the investigation.

  It was easy for Lara to say that she didn’t know anything, because she really didn’t.

  Now she looked around and took time to really appreciate everything that had been put together to make the evening special. The interns had done a fabulous job of arranging colorful plants around the open square, decorating the tables—each one held a vase filled with shells and a candle—and creating an elegant ambiance by the sea. Rain might have ruined everything, but they’d lucked out. No rain that night. Just the perfect breeze, the moonlight and the occasional sound of a dolphin calling from the nearby lagoon. Lara had worked on the menu to make sure there were delicacies for everyone. Sonia Larson was a vegetarian, Mason Martinez lived a gluten-free lifestyle and Ely Taggerly was in his early seventies and on salt restrictions, while Grant Blackwood was a forty-year-old Texan who had made his millions in the oil industry and still liked a good steak.

  Rick and Adrianna Laramie were pescatarians, eating fish but nothing warm-blooded. As they said, fish ate fish, and so did their dolphins, so they had no problem eating fish, too. Everyone else—both guests and staff—ate just about anything.

  Lara was proud that she’d managed to create a gourmet menu that accommodated everyone there—and cheaply. She had enlisted an up-and-coming Key West chef who had just won a cable-series cooking challenge. He and his family would enjoy a special day with the trainers and Grady Miller, and the meal would be compliments of the chef, who, as an added bonus, was featured in all their PR material.

  She looked over to see what was going on in the dining area. A local jazz trio was providing free entertainment. Sonia Larson—petite, dark haired and gorgeous in a teensy-tiny black dress that probably only she could wear—was holding a wineglass in her delicate fingers as she laughed at something Ely Taggerly had said. Grant Blackwood, standing next to Sonia, let out a deep bellow of laughter. Dr. Amory was with them, being his suave and charming self. Grady Miller and the rest of the staff were circulating, making sure every guest felt special, valued. Rick and Adrianna were chatting with Kevin and Diana Valentine, locals who owned a chain of drug and convenience stores, and sponsored their special events for veterans and their families. The café staff were supposed to be guests, but she’d noticed that they were still picking up empty plates and cups when they found them. That made her smile. Everyone here loved the place.

  Everything appeared to be going exceptionally well. Both Ely Taggerly and Mason Martinez had shown themselves to be interested not only in the center’s general research but in what research into dolphin physiology and health could carry over into the field of human health, where both men made their living. EEG research had shown that half of the dolphin brain slept while the other half remained awake, seeing to it that they continued to surface as necessary to breathe.

  She decided to take a moment longer and enjoy the caress of the mist blower. Closing her eyes, she let the fine droplets and the gentle breeze wrap her in cool comfort.

  She loved her new world, despite the trauma of the day.

  There had been so many law enforcement personnel on site that she hadn’t even met them all, but everyone had been nice, except for Agent Cody. And it wasn’t that he’d been rude or anything. He’d just been so…intense. As if what had happened was a personal affront to him. Brusque. That might be a way to describe the man. Curt, or maybe tightly wound. Kind of a shame. Both he and his partner were certainly striking looking, the kind who made you look when they walked in. One had asked that she call him by his given name and not Special Agent McCullough. He’d grinned when he’d told her that his name was Diego and explained that his mom had been a Cuban immigrant at the tender age of two. She’d grown up in Miami and married the Anglo doctor she’d met when she broke her foot playing soccer her senior year of college. “That’s Miami for you,” he’d told her with another smile.

  She’d liked that. And she liked him.

  As to his partner…

  The man hadn’t had two words to say to her that weren’t directly concerned with the case. His features seemed to be composed of granite, totally immobile and incapable of expression. His eyes were almost black, they were so dark a brown, and while he ticked her off to no end, she couldn’t help but feel something like a warm charge suffuse her when he gave her his intense stare.

  “Stick up his butt,” she muttered softly to herself.

  Time to get back to work. The day was almost over. Cocoa’s discovery would be the talk of the town for several days, and then something else would capture the public’s imagination. And as far as she was concerned, that was a very good thing.

  She opened her eyes. And started.

  He was there. The agent. Not Diego, but stick-up-the-butt Agent Cody.

  She wondered how long he had been standing there right in front of her.

  And she wondered just how loudly she had spoken.

  She flat-out stared at him for several seconds, stunned to see him.

  “Agent Cody,” she said finally. “Well. How nice. You’re back. Just in time for the fund-raiser.”

  “I’m not here for the fund-raiser,” he told her.

  “That’s a pity. The food is excellent,” she said, and then shook her head. “Look, Agent Cody, this place readily turned itself inside out for you today, and we’re willing to do anything to help. But tonight’s event is very important for us.”

  “I’m not here to bother you or break up your party,” he assured her.

  She just stared back at him. He definitely had a blind side. It was tonight, and he was here.

  And he was definitely a bother.

  “I need you and your dolphin tomorrow,” he told her.

  “First, I’m working tomorrow. Second, I don’t have a dolphin. I don’t own any of the dolphins, and I’m not a trainer. I’m pretty new to the facility, as a matter of fact,” she told him.

  “I’ve already spoken with Mr. Miller, and he says that he’s willing for you, Rick and Cocoa to participate in what I propose, as long as we record the process for research purposes.”

  “In what you propose?” Lara echoed slowly. She turned to look toward the dining area. Grady Miller was still standing by Sonia and Ely, but he was looking at her and Agent Cody. And when he caught her looking at him, he nodded gravely.

  When had all this happened? How long had she been standing there in the mist?

  “I’m leaving,” Agent Cody assured her. “I really just interrupted you in your—your moment of whatever—to let you know about tomorrow and to thank you. You were a tremendous help today, and I’m hoping that we fare better tomorrow.”

  She hoped she wasn’t staring at him quite as blankly and stupidly as she had a feeling she was.

  “You’re welcome,” she told him. “As Grady told you, we’re more than willing to help. Whoever did…that needs to be brought to justice. I have absolutely no idea what you’re proposing. I’m sure I will tomorrow, though.” There. Hopefully she sounded semi-intelligent.

  “We’re going to search the bay,” he told her.

  “For?”

  “More of the victim.”

  She was no cop, but she knew enough to know that what he was proposing was like seeking the proverbial needle in a haystack. He was crazy.

  “In all of Biscayne Ba
y?” she asked.

  “We’re researching online tonight,” he told her. “We’re going to track the tides and the wind patterns, try to pinpoint where more body parts might have ended up, where someone might have dumped them so that the foot and finger ended up here.”

  Lara blinked. “Someone might have spent hours—maybe days—dumping body parts in all different places,” she said quietly.

  “That’s true. We’re going to assume that the plan was to have them end up spread out, but we also believe the killer was in a hurry to get rid of the evidence and wouldn’t have taken any more time than necessary.”

  “I’m really sorry, but I don’t know how much help I can be. I’ve tried explaining. I’m not—”

  “You’re not a trainer. I know. But Grady believes that like dogs and cats, dolphins pick who they like. Cocoa likes you. And Rick Laramie will be helping us, too. Do you dive?”

  “Dive? I—No.”

  “You do swim. I know because I’ve seen you in the water.”

  “How observant. Yes, I can swim. But I’m from Virginia, Agent Cody. We didn’t do a lot of diving in Richmond, not in my family, at least. If you need a diver—”

  “According to Grady Miller, I need you,” he told her. “Thank you so much, Miss Ainsworth. Enjoy your party. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Lara watched him go, still feeling stunned. She’d only been working here three weeks. Tonight’s party was taking place on the Monday of her fourth week. It was an annual event, and most of the planning had already been underway, but she’d worked hard on it after taking over, wanting it to be as special as possible.

  Her days here were usually all about happiness, watching both children and adults who were thrilled to enjoy the dolphins, laughing at their antics, anxious to break the communication barrier between animal and man.

  It was putting words together to fight for positive press coverage, for funding, sharing facts and figures with anyone who thought what they did here was cruel. It was writing press releases about dolphins like Cocoa, who wouldn’t have survived without people’s help.

  But tomorrow would be…

  A search for more body parts.

  Enjoy your party.

  Grady wouldn’t insist that she go. He knew about her past and how traumatic today had been for her. But he had given Agent Cody’s plan his blessing.

  Maybe she’d insisted a little too strongly that she was all right.

  But if she was needed…

  Well, hell. It would only be one day.

  Right now she needed to rejoin the party and mingle. She’d discovered that she liked their sponsors, especially Sonia Larson. And it was Sonia she bumped into first.

  “In Miami less than a month and it appears you’ve met some very intriguing people,” Sonia said, nodding toward the path Agent Cody had taken when he left. “Where did you meet him? Somewhere dark and dangerous, I bet. What does he do for a living? Let me guess. Soccer player! And he’s—Argentine. Oh, dear, I’m sorry—too many questions.” Sonia sighed softly. “Forgive me?”

  Though the woman’s name was Sonia Larson, Lara had caught the faintest hint of an accent and was pretty sure that she came from a Slavic country.

  Lara managed a smile. “He’s not actually a friend at all. I met him here earlier today. He’s with the FBI. And you’re not asking too many questions at all.”

  “No, I do ask too many questions. I’m…awkward.”

  Lara looked at Sonia. Despite her beauty and vivacity, it was true. She did seem a bit awkward, as if she was uncomfortable in a crowd. As if all that vivacity was an act because she wasn’t sure how else to behave. She was a self-made millionaire. Her clothing line consisted entirely of her own designs. She’d begun selling in some of the high-priced shops on the beach, and around Aventura and the Bal Harbor area before expanding to other cities, other states and then around the world. But Lara suspected she was happiest and most comfortable when she was on her own, designing the clothes that had brought her such success.

  “It’s okay. You’re fine,” Lara said reassuringly. Then she smiled. “My turn. Russia? Maybe the Ukraine?”

  “Close. Romania,” Sonia told her. “Larson was once Lungo. My father changed it when we came to this country. I’ve been here since I was eight. Not everyone hears the accent.”

  “I worked in DC for a long time,” Lara told her. “I got good at recognizing accents.”

  “Yours is very nice. Soft and so clear, and yet…”

  Lara laughed. “I’m from Virginia. Richmond. Very cosmopolitan now. But I guess we still have a bit of a Southern touch.”

  “I like the Southern touch. Like Florida. This is my home now. I love it—everyone is here! I meet with Russians in the morning, Venezuelans in the afternoon and Cubans or Germans, or maybe someone Jamaican or French, at night. I love the salsa—that’s Brazilian, yes? Everyone comes together here. And thanks to the night life, my shoes and short skirts are popular, eh?”

  “I love your clothing. I have some of your Biz-Wear line,” Lara told her.

  “Yes?” Sonia might be a fashion mogul, but she seemed like any normal person, pleased by the compliment. “I must bring you some things.”

  “Oh, that’s sweet, but really—”

  Sonia waved a hand in the air. “You will hurt me if you refuse them.”

  “Please don’t feel that way, it’s just that it’s not really appropriate for me to accept such an expensive gift,” Lara said.

  Sonia waved a hand dismissively. “Just think of it as a welcome-to-Miami gift. I’m in Rio next week for a fashion show, but I’ll send some things over.” She smiled, then said, “And now you can’t argue with me, because we have company.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Watch out for him. His hands like to wander.”

  Lara turned to see Grant Blackwood headed their way.

  He was a good-looking man in a rough-cut kind of way—one that he probably took great pains to achieve. He played the Texan, the cowboy, to the hilt, right down to addressing Lara as “little lady” several times. He had two homes in Florida, one on Star Island and one in Key West, a mansion in Houston and several small “cottages” around the country.

  His wife was currently at their “little place” in the Hamptons.

  “Ladies! How cruel of you to deprive the rest of us of your company,” he said, his drawl booming, rich and deep.

  “I’m so sorry, but this lady has just received a call from her chauffeur. I told him he must get me out of here and home to bed at a reasonable hour,” Sonia said, followed by a yawn. “I promise you, it’s not the company. It’s too many flights in too few days, and I’m off again soon.”

  Blackwood sighed elaborately. “We’ll miss you, Sonia. Until the next soiree, then.”

  “Always such a pleasure, Grant,” Sonia said.

  He turned to Lara. “What about you, little lady? How about a walk down to the docks to fill me in on anything new with our wonderful dolphins?”

  Lara wasn’t new to his kind of game; she’d worked in the media after all. She was good at handling herself. But before she had a chance to put him off, Sonia leaped to her rescue.

  “I think that Lara needs to be very careful about walking on the docks with any man,” Sonia said.

  “Why’s that?” Grant asked.

  “Didn’t you see her boyfriend?” Sonia smiled. “He’s a very handsome man—and a government man, at that.”

  “You’re dating a fed?” Grant said, turning to Lara.

  She had seldom felt put on such a spot, but since Sonia had only been trying to help her—and since she was clearly right about Gerry—she phrased her answer carefully. “Well, we haven’t known each other long,” she said. “But he is…quite a man.”

  “I wonder if he’s part Latin?” Sonia
said. “He looks as if he could be quite passionate.”

  “Oh, yes, he’s very passionate,” Lara agreed drily.

  “I imagine,” Grant Blackwood muttered, looking over her shoulder.

  As he did so, Lara knew—just knew—that she had stepped in it now. Why in God’s name he was back again, she didn’t know.

  But he was back. The stick-up-the-ass agent was back. And this time he’d undoubtedly heard her.

  “Miss Larson, Mr. Blackwood,” he said. He looked at them and nodded, and though he said nothing else, his nod clearly indicated that they should leave.

  They took the hint. Sonia waved goodbye and headed for the exit, and fell into conversation with Ely and Dr. Amory. They were lucky to have Nelson Amory, Lara knew. He’d received degrees in both veterinary science and marine biology. He was considered one of the top scientists working in the fields of marine mammal behavior and physiology.

  Lara didn’t even want to look at Agent Cody. She had to, of course. He was standing right in front of her, waiting for her attention.

  “What now?” she asked with a wince.

  “I wanted to let you know that we’ll be heading out early. I need you to be at the end of the dock by seven.”

  “Seven. After today and tonight. No problem,” she said drily.

  “Thank you. And good night.”

  “Good night,” she said.

  He took a step away, but then he paused and turned back. She could almost have sworn that he nearly cracked a smile. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

  “What?”

  “Feel free to use me. To protect yourself from Blackwood’s advances, I mean. His Lothario tendencies are well-known. Thinking of me as your boyfriend will probably keep him from bothering you. Even if I do have a stick up my ass.”

  He turned and was soon swallowed up by the shadowy path to the parking lot.