Operation Turtle Ransom: A suspenseful, wild-ride-of-an-adventure on a tropical beach in Mexico (Poppy McVie Mysteries Book 4)

by Kimberli A. Bindschatel

  After I was done, nearly an hour of talking, she thanked me, gave me the usual warning of possible future questions, and let me go.

  I got up to leave.

  “Oh, by the way. A naval officer sent a car to Puerto Vallarta to pick up your friend Chris and bring him back for questioning as well,” she said.

  I nodded. I hated for Chris to have to endure it, but there was no way around it.

  “I assume his story will match yours and your friend Noah’s?”

  “Of course,” I said, though I hesitated. I’d also failed to mention how we’d commandeered the police cruiser. Would Noah have divulged that?

  My head started to ache. Maybe I shouldn’t have gobbled up that entire chocolate bar.

  As I exited the police station, I spotted Noah working the crowd, recruiting men for the turtle patrol. Adrián was there, right beside him. He’d kept his word. And right beside him was the young boy who’d delivered the ransom note on the bicycle.

  When Noah saw me, he broke away and nearly knocked me over with a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he whispered in my ear. “They told me about Doug and I couldn’t bear the thought of you too.”

  “I’m okay.” I couldn’t look him in the eye. “I’m so sorry. Doug was, he—”

  “I know,” he said, his voice kind. “I know you tried.”

  I opened my mouth but couldn’t say it.

  “What is it? You can tell me.”

  I let my eyes meet his. “He was in on it. From the beginning. The plan all along was for them to kidnap me. For your money.”

  “What?” He stepped back, away from me.

  “I said he was in on it. He colluded with them to get me kidnapped.”

  His face went flush with confusion. “I heard you. I just can’t believe it.”

  “He figured you’d pay the ransom for me because—” because he thinks you love me. “Because you’re rich.”

  “No. Yeah, but—that doesn’t—” His eyes traveled down to his feet, then back to mine. “I don’t understand.”

  “Me neither,” I said. “Other than money does crazy things to people.”

  I watched as his mind turned over the facts, as the dots connected. “I guess that explains a few things.” Then realization settled in. “I thought he was my friend.”

  “He was. I just think he got caught up in—I don’t know.”

  He crossed his arms, chewed on his lip. “I guess we’ll never know.”

  “I’m sorry. I tried and—”

  “Hey,” he said, taking me into his arms again. “This isn’t your fault. Sounds like Doug made some bad choices. I know you did everything to save him.” He pulled away, his expression dour. “He put you in serious danger. For that, I’ll never forgive him.”

  “The funny thing about it all is—” I glanced at the group of men surrounding Adrián “—after it’s all said and done, his actions might have saved the turtles.”

  “Yeah,” Noah said, a grin starting to emerge. “I think I can find some funding to get this off the ground. We have an opportunity now, while there’s no buyer for the eggs. If we can get the locals to see that eco-tourism brings way more money, we’re golden.”

  “I know you’ll do it,” I said.

  His eyebrows raised. His eyes got that bedroom look. “You wanna stay and help me?”

  “You know I can’t,” I said. I might not have a job with Fish & Wildlife anymore, but I couldn’t stay here with Noah. Not with all my feelings for Dalton.

  He nodded with quiet acceptance. “It was worth a try.”

  “Will you do something for me?”

  “Anything.”

  “Take care of Lucky. She deserves a good home.”

  He smiled. “I’ll do one better. When I went back by the camp, there was a boy there. He’d come on a bicycle to play with Lucky. I asked if he’d like to take her home. You should have seen his face.”

  “He had delivered the ransom notes. He’s the one who’d untied her.”

  “You’ll never believe it. He’s Adrián’s son.”

  I smiled. “Thank you.”

  An official car pulled up to the jailhouse. Chris got out.

  “I gotta go,” I told Noah, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and ran for Chris.

  His face said it all. He’d already been told that Doug was dead. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his chest. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  “What happened?” he said through his sobs. “You went to get him. What happened?”

  “I know. But he—” I pulled back enough to look into his eyes and saw the heartbreak, the devastation. He’d lost his true love. How could I tell him? What good would it do for him to know? “He died saving me,” I said.

  Tears flowed down his cheeks and he let out a little whimper. I pulled him tightly to me again. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” And I cried with him.

  Someone standing behind us cleared his throat. We both turned. “Um, excuse me,” said a man in the real uniform of the Policía Federal, the dark blue combat fatigues. “We have some questions for you.” He was looking at Chris.

  Chris’s shoulders slumped.

  “I’ll be right here when you’re done,” I said, trying to sound encouraging as he followed the man inside.

  I found a bench and sat down. Man, was I tired. I propped my elbows on my knees and held my head in my hands. Holy crap, what a vacation. This was supposed to be a vacation!

  Before I could get my thoughts together, Dalton appeared, standing in front of me.

  “You okay?” he asked and sat down on the bench next to me.

  “Yeah, I guess,” I said with a shrug. “Chris is inside. For questioning.”

  “What’d you tell him?”

  “That Doug died saving me.” I shook my head, fought back tears. “Oh Dalton, I couldn’t tell him.”

  He took my hand in his, nodded in understanding.

  “But he’s not stupid. He’ll suspect something’s up by their questions. He’ll want to know.”

  Dalton nodded again.

  I sighed. “And I’ll have to tell him.”

  He squeezed my hand, then pulled something from his pocket, and slipped it onto my wrist.

  “My bracelet! How?” was I all I could say.

  “The Coasties let me borrow some SCUBA gear. It was easy. I had the GPS coordinates and an underwater metal detector.”

  I smiled wide. My bracelet. He knew how much it meant to me. And he’d gone to all that trouble to get it back for me. “I…I—”

  “Well, well, well. Poppy McVie, speechless. Now that’s a first.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  “Can we go back to work now?” he asked, a teasing tone in his voice.

  I pulled away, sat back. “I wish. But you and I both know this was the last straw.”

  “I know no such thing. I just got off the phone with our new boss. I explained the situation, and she says we can report for our first assignment on Tuesday, instead of tomorrow. So, pack your hat and mittens.”

  “You what? Are my ears working? What in the world did you tell her?”

  “Well, now, that’s going to take a full debriefing on the way to bring you up to speed.”

  I shook my head. “Dalton, you didn’t have to—”

  He held up a hand. “You may be unorthodox, but you’re my partner.”

  I turned away. I couldn’t look him in the eye. “Yeah, about that.” I still didn’t know what to do, what to say. “I don’t think that we, I mean, partners aren’t supposed to, well, I mean, I might be assuming, but—”

  “You’re babbling again.”

  My eyes snapped up to meet his. “What? I am not. I just—did you say hat and mittens?”

  “Yep.” He gave me a wink. “I need you to come so you can keep me warm.”

  The way he was looking at me, with that slight grin, that look of—adoration? I forgot to breathe. “But that’s what I’m saying. What I mean is…�
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  He touched my cheek, held my gaze. “What you mean is…?”

  My throat went dry. “What I mean to say is, we can’t be partners and be…together.”

  His eyebrows went up. “Oh that.” His gaze moved to my lips. He leaned closer.

  My heart pounded rapid-fire, so loudly I was afraid he could hear it. “I mean, if we were to get caught, together I mean, well, that wouldn’t—”

  He whispered in my ear, “I guess we just can’t get caught then.”

  Thank YOU for reading. If you feel as strongly as I do about the issues presented in this book and you want to help, PLEASE start by taking a moment to tell a friend about the story. Help me spread the word. The first step to change is awareness. For the animals!

  If you’d like to learn more and stay in touch, please sign up for my newsletter or follow my blog at www.KimberliBindschatel.com where I share stories, photos and videos of my own recent adventures (like my own turtle sighting) as well as other fun stuff.

  The adventure continues...

  Can't get enough of Poppy McVie? Courageous, smart, adventurous, caring and tough as nails, Poppy is on to her next page-turning mission fighting wildlife crimes in her own, no-holds-barred style while sparks continue to fly with sexy Dalton.

  Be the first to get a sneak peek of Poppy's next thrilling adventure.

  Coming soon….Check here to be notified upon release.

  Author's Note

  According to SEETurtles.org, all seven species of sea turtles are at risk of poaching or illegal trade for their meat, eggs, or shell. Often illegal activities occur in remote areas and poachers are unable to be found and prosecuted or local officials are not motivated to enforce the laws. Educating local communities on the economic benefit of a live versus a dead sea turtle is essential to eliminating illegal trade.

  In 2013, a young conservationist, Jairo Mora Sandoval, was killed protecting turtles in Costa Rica. He and four female volunteers were abducted by a group of masked men. The women eventually escaped, but Mora's bound and beaten body was found on the beach the next morning. Poaching is dangerous business. You can learn more in the Sea Shepherd film, Why Just One?

  Also in 2013, Mexico was listed as the country with the most reported kidnappings for ransom, according to Control Risks, an independent global risk and consultancy group. In fact, Mexico had more than even Afghanistan, Colombia or Iraq. Since my initial idea to set a story in Mexico and during the writing of it, the risk has continued to rise. On August 22, 2017, the U.S. State Department issued this travel warning: U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery in various Mexican states.

  Thank YOU for reading. If you feel as strongly as I do about the issues presented in this book and you want to help, PLEASE tell a friend about the story. Help me spread the word. You, too, can make a difference! For the animals!

  If you’d like to learn more and stay informed, please follow my blog at www.KimberliBindschatel.com.

  If you’d like to be the FIRST to know about my new releases, please sign up for my newsletter Plus, I share travel stories and videos, my wildlife photos, and MORE! Join the adventure.

  Other Novels by Kimberli A. Bindschatel

  The Poppy McVie Series

  Operation Tropical Affair

  Operation Orca Rescue

  Operation Grizzly Camp

  Operation Turtle Ransom

  The Fallen Shadows Trilogy

  The Path to the Sun (Book one)

  Thanks

  This novel has been a while in the making. Along the way, I had help from some wonderful people.

  Thanks to Paul Vittorelli for helping me clearly describe the martial art techniques Poppy uses. To Nikki Mansuy for the real-life turtle patrol stories, including getting bitch-slapped while trying to get a hook out. To Bobbie Wiedel Dumas for the help with the romance. Not my forte. I appreciate the advice. To my good friend Amy Elvey for fixing my Spanish.

  To Rachel for staying with me through them all and helping make Poppy the spitfire she is. To Tricia for keeping me real with the romance.

  I am so thankful for my early readers—April, Michael, Linda, Laura, Barbara, Andrea, and Jan. Their feedback was not only helpful, but encouraging. And Alexa, you knocked it out of the park.

  A special thank you to my loving and supportive husband. This author life takes a toll.

  As always, thanks to my parents for raising me with a deep love of animals.

  Thank YOU for reading. If you feel as strongly as I do about the issues presented in this book and you want to help, PLEASE tell a friend about the story. Help me spread the word. You, too, can make a difference! For the animals!

  If you’d like to be the FIRST to know about my new releases, please sign up for my newsletter or follow my blog at www.KimberliBindschatel.com. Plus, I share travel stories and videos, my wildlife photos, and MORE! Join the adventure.

  Dedication

  For Alexa—

  Thanks for your unbridled enthusiasm and love of Poppy.

  Our chats brought joy to me during the crafting of this story.

  It wouldn’t be the same without your insight.

  No one will protect what they don't care about,

  and no one will care about what they have never experienced.

  ~Sir David Attenborough

  About the Author

  Born and raised in Michigan, I spent summers at the lake, swimming, catching frogs, and chasing fireflies, winters building things out of cardboard and construction paper, writing stories, and dreaming of faraway places. Since I didn’t make honors English in high school, I thought I couldn’t write. So I started hanging out in the art room. The day I borrowed a camera, my love affair with photography began. Long before the birth of the pixel, I was exposing real silver halides to light and marveling at the magic of an image appearing on paper under a red light.

  After college, I freelanced in commercial photography studios. During the long days of rigging strobes, stories skipped through my mind. As happens in life though, I was possessed by another dream—to be a wildlife photographer. I trekked through the woods to find loons, grizzly bears, whales, and moose. Then, for six years, I put my heart and soul into publishing a nature magazine, Whisper in the Woods. But it was not meant to be my magnum opus. This time, my attention was drawn skyward. I’d always been fascinated by the aurora borealis, shimmering in the night sky, but now my focus went beyond, to the cosmos, to wonder about our place in the universe.

  In the spring of 2010, I sat down at the computer, started typing words, and breathed life into a curious boy named Kiran in The Path to the Sun. Together, in our quest for truth, Kiran and I have explored the mind and spirit. Our journey has taken us to places of new perspective. Alas, the answers always seem just beyond our grasp, as elusive as a firefly on a warm autumn night.

  Most recently, my focus has shifted to more pressing issues—imperiled wildlife. With the Poppy McVie series, I hope to bring some light into the shadowy underworld of black market wildlife trade, where millions of wild animals are captured or slaughtered annually to fund organized crime. IT. MUST. STOP.

  If you’d like to learn more and stay in touch, please sign up for my newsletter or follow my blog at www.KimberliBindschatel.com

  Copyright

  Published by Turning Leaf Productions, LLC.

  Traverse City, Michigan

  www.KimberliBindschatel.com

  Copyright ©2017 Kimberli A. Bindschatel

  All rights reserved.

  Print ISBN-13: 9780996189088

  Print ISBN-10: 0996189084

  E-BOOK ASIN: B0758H5GKQ

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Thank you for purchasing this book and supportin
g an indie author.