He leaned forward and frowned. “Whip her?”
“Just putting it out there.”
“Why on earth would I whip her?”
“Why on earth would you tie a woman down?” Skylar asked.
Tom narrowed his eyes. “What I choose to do in the confines of privacy is my right.”
“Not if that right breaks the law, and causes us to have to drag a dead woman out of the ocean,” Harvey replied.
His eyes darted nervously between them. “Are you suggesting I killed someone? Cause I can tell you that woman I saw on the boat was very much alive when I left.”
“No, she’s not but someone else is.”
Skylar brought out a phone and brought up an image of Nancy Prescott and showed it to Tom, along with a snapshot of Teresa. “You recognize any of these women?”
He squinted and leaned forward to get a better look, then nodded. “Yeah, I never met with them but I saw them on board the boat a few times.”
“Who were they with?”
“Um.”
“Come on, Tom. Who did you see them with?” Harvey persisted. Skylar could tell he was trying to push his buttons and get him to think.
He shrugged. “I can’t remember, there are lots of guys at the VIP membership level.”
“Well then let me refresh your memory. How about this guy?” Harvey pulled out a phone and showed him a snapshot of Callum Jackson. “Did you ever see him onboard?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“Look again! Did you see this man?” He pushed it closer towards his face.
“I just said. I never saw him,” Tom spat and looked at Skylar hoping she might be able to reel him in. The muscles in Harvey’s jaw clenched. He kept the phone in front of Tom’s face for a few more seconds then pulled it away and turned it off.
“This is useless,” Harvey said turning in his seat and exhaling hard. Skylar looked at him for a second and was going to say something but decided not to. She turned back to Tom.
“Listen, did you ever talk to any of the other members about what they did?”
“No, it’s private. The only time you see them is at the events or when you play poker on the boat. Women return with men and what goes on back there is their business. No one sticks their nose into what I do, and that suits me fine.”
“Then did you ever hear anything?”
“I just told you.”
“No, I don’t mean from the men, I mean from the women or just in general. Did you ever hear anyone scream?”
“No. Those rooms must be soundproof, as even when you walk down the hallway to your room, you can’t hear anything. It’s not like a hotel with thin walls.” He paused. “Look, I’ve told you what I know. I haven’t broken any laws. Can I go?”
Without Taylor divulging how she got those whip marks on her back, and no evidence, they didn’t have any reason to keep him. Harvey knew that, that’s why he was looking out of the window shaking his head. Skylar hopped out and went around and let Tom out. She closed the door and uncuffed him.
“Word of advice, don’t go spending any more of your hard-earned money on Elite Matchmaking. I have a gut feeling they are going to go out of business real soon.” He rubbed his wrists and nodded. “And Mr. Reynolds, you might want to rethink the whole hiring escorts in Franklin County. We might not be as lenient next time.”
“I’m not coming back.”
She nodded. “That’s probably for the best. Oh, and Mr. Reynolds, don’t be straying too far from Florida. We may be in contact with you again.”
She watched him wander off into the inn. No doubt he would be checking out after the humiliation of what he’d just gone through. Once she was back in the vehicle she sat looking at Harvey. “We are going to need a way onto that boat.”
“Best of luck with that. We already tried that.”
“I know but I think I have an idea.”
“It better not involve Ben Walker.”
“It doesn’t.”
* * *
“Are you out of your mind?” Davenport bellowed. He got up from his desk and went over to the window and shut the blinds to block out the curious onlookers in the office. After they got back from Apalachicola, Davenport had pulled them into the office to get an update on what was being done as according to him, the powers that be were coming down heavy due to the recent media attention over Nancy’s death. The public was demanding answers.
“Captain, he’s a good friend of mine and more than capable of doing this. He’s done it before.”
“He doesn’t work for the department.”
“Exactly, they don’t know him. They know us. He can get in there and find out what’s going on. All I’m asking for is some cash upfront to cover the cost of the VIP membership and…”
“Enough, Reid. This is not the U.S. Marshals. Perhaps you were able to do these kinds of things but we can’t. We’re not doing it.”
“Is money a problem?”
He snorted. “It’s called not having a warrant.”
“Okay.” She threw a hand up. “Forget Scot getting involved. Then let’s get a search warrant.”
“No.”
“Sir, you know that we have probable cause to believe that a criminal activity is occurring on that boat. All I’m asking for is a search warrant to determine what is happening. I have reason to believe based on the testimony of Taylor Hall and Tom Reynolds that money is being exchanged for sexual favors. In Florida, it’s a crime to buy, sell, offer, solicit, or agree to engage in sexual favors in exchange for money. It applies to both prostitutes and johns.”
“I know the law, Reid.”
“Then you know we have a right to search that place. They can dress this thing up however they like but if they are selling VIP memberships entitling members to have sex with women, then we can bring a close to whoever is behind these murders.”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
“Of course we do.”
“Then what? How do you suppose to catch them? It could be any one of those men on that boat. Heck, it could be someone who doesn’t even attend these events. Callum Jackson was right,” he said looking at Harvey. “Both of the women were not working at the time, and both weren’t found on Elite Matchmaking’s property. It could be completely coincidental.”
“Come on, captain, you don’t believe that.”
“I don’t need to, Reid. That’s what lawyers and courts are for.”
“But she was staying in LaSalle’s apartment. They were both working for the same modeling agency and Taylor has marks on her back that are identical to the two women. She had no problem walking that night when I saw her get on that boat. So she got those marks sometime last night.”
Davenport ran a hand over his head looking exasperated.
“What about her fiancé?” Davenport asked.
“He was out working late last night,” Skylar said.
“And you’ve confirmed that?”
Skylar frowned. “No, but I will. Look, right now we have a lot of spinning plates. Reznik is keeping an eye on Tyron, I’ve already spoken with Taylor. In my mind this is the next logical step to take.”
“So you just want to go in there and raid the place?”
“That about sums it up.”
“Reid, if we come up empty, the department is going to come under scrutiny.”
“It already is, captain.”
“But right now it’s manageable.”
“I’m telling you, I have a gut feeling about this.”
He nodded and looked at Harvey who hadn’t said much of anything.
“And what about you, Baker? What do you make of this?”
He sighed and shrugged. “Right now it’s all we have to go on.” He tapped his chair and looked down at the floor. “I’m not for sending Scot in there but if we plan this right, at least we can put a dent in Callum Jackson’s operation. Money out of his pocket is always a good day.”
Davenport came around and leaned bac
k against his desk. “No, Scot is not going in. However, I’ll make the arrangements to get a search warrant from the judge. You take Hanson and Reznik with you. I want this done fast, smooth and without any damage to the boat or the owners,” he said eying Skylar.
Chapter 15
There was a good reason why Skylar wanted Scot involved, and it had little to do with his abilities and everything to do with what Harvey had said about a leak inside the department. If there was someone on the inside who was on Callum Jackson’s payroll and they got wind of the execution of a search warrant that night, it might give them time to tip off LaSalle and then they would come up empty-handed. From there on out, their chances of nailing them would decrease even further. However, if they gave a different time of when the search would happen they could potentially kill two birds with one stone. First, they could establish if there truly was someone tipping Callum off and second, it would allow Scot time to gather some incriminating evidence.
Harvey’s brow furrowed. “Are you kidding me?”
“No.”
“That borders on entrapment.”
They were driving down to the marina when Skylar brought it up.
“Actually, that would require law enforcement urging an individual to commit a crime when he or she wouldn’t. Scot wouldn’t be urging. He would be recording.”
“Oh, and that makes all the difference,” Harvey blurted out.
“You want proof, don’t you?”
“You heard what Davenport said?”
“Harv, do you want to catch Callum Jackson?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then, you are going to have to duck, step over or go around some of that red tape. A man like that is able to stay out of the reach of the law because he’s paying people in high places to watch his ass. You need to think outside the box and pen him in before he has a chance to escape. You said it yourself. The reason he got away last time was because someone in the department tipped him off before his place was raided. Now we have to assume the same thing could happen tonight. Maybe it won’t but we at least have to take it into consideration.”
He shook his head. “No, there has to be another way.”
“There isn’t.”
“Ignoring a direct order. That could cost us our badges.”
“I wouldn’t say it was an order.”
“Skylar.”
“I’m just saying. Look, he doesn’t even have to know.”
Harvey laughed. “Okay so let’s say you send in Scot and he manages to record the act of exchanging money for sex. Then what? That evidence is not going to be allowed in court. They’ll want to know who was on the video.”
“U.S. Marshals work with law enforcement all the time. Leave it to me.”
He shook his head. “I don’t like it, Skylar.”
“You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Either you want Callum or you don’t.”
He closed his eyes and she could tell he was weighing up the pros and cons. It wasn’t like it was anything new. For the longest time sting operations had been fraught with ethical concerns over whether they were deemed entrapment. It was a gray area that at times infringed on a citizen’s constitutional rights but sometimes there were situations that called for the line to be blurred. In some countries in the world sting operations were considered illegal but in the good old USA they were common and highly effective at circumventing the need for a suspect to confess. It all came down to having enough evidence to prosecute.
Harvey remained silent for the remainder of the trip.
When she arrived at the marina, she was optimistic about the evening. In fact almost excited to be back in the saddle working alongside Scot. She understood the dilemma facing the department and the need to do things by the book but sometimes the only way to beat the smartest of criminals was to turn the tables on them.
She hopped up onto the boat, and made her way down into the salon with Harvey following in her shadow. “Scot! Hey, you’re going to love this.”
As she pushed open the door and entered her jaw dropped. “No, c’mon!” Scot was lying on his side, a puddle of puke was on the carpet and several cans of beer and an empty bottle of wine were on the counter. She hurried in and put a hand over his face. She turned him and slapped his face a few times.
“Scot. Wake up!”
He groaned but didn’t open his eyes. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Harvey.
“Are all Marshals like this?” he asked.
“Only the screwed-up ones,” she replied. “Do me a favor, run down the dock to Vagabond and get a bucket of coffee.”
“A bucket?”
“Tell Donnie it’s for Skylar. He’ll understand.”
Harvey scowled. “Why do I get the sense he’s had to do it more than once with you?”
“Harvey!”
“Okay, I’m going. Geesh.”
Skylar slung an arm around Scot and hauled him to his feet. She practically had to drag him into the shower. She turned the faucet and set it to freezing cold then guided him under the stream of water without removing his clothes. The second the cold hit him, his head shot back, and he gasped like he’d been injected with adrenaline shot to the heart.
“Welcome back,” Skylar said stepping away as he braced himself against the shower enclosure.
He shivered. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I need you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for this evening.”
He turned off the water, tore his top off and stumbled out and she reached down for an old towel and tossed it at him. “Get dried off and I’ll explain. I’ve got some coffee on the way.”
He wiped droplets of water off his face as she turned to head back up on deck. She hadn’t made it a few steps when he replied, “She’s dead, Skylar.”
Skylar twisted around. “What?”
“Audrey.”
“But you said that she didn’t know if it was terminal or not.”
“Her mother said she didn’t want to tell me the truth.” He leaned against the wall, his hulking figure didn’t seem as intimidating when he had tears in his eyes.
“When did she phone you?”
“A couple of months ago.”
“And it took you this long to take it seriously?”
“I…” He cast his head down and she knew not to push him any further. Skylar walked over and leaned into him. She could have counted on one hand the number of times she’d seen Scot emotional. It just wasn’t him. He’d grown up around a father who saw crying as a weakness. It was old school but like his father he’d followed suit, guarded his heart and kept himself from breaking down in front of anyone. He cried into the crook of her neck and hugged her tightly. She knew the alcohol had broken down whatever inhibitions he had.
“Alright, alright, let it out.”
She guided him over to one of the benches and sat him down, if only so she could towel dry herself off. Her neck was covered in his tears. She tore off a portion of paper towel and wiped her neck.
“I failed her, Skylar. Her and Kala.”
She leaned back against the counter and exhaled hard.
“Some relationships don’t work out. You know that.”
“I should have quit the Marshals,” he said.
“Quit? You don’t know the meaning.”
“And look at what it’s cost me.”
“You didn’t give her cancer, Scot. Stop beating yourself up over it.”
“Stress. That can bring it on.”
“And so can any number of the toxins in our food and environment.”
“Yeah but…”
“No buts, there’s only enough room on this boat for one pity party and I’ve claimed that.”
That got a smile out of him, it quickly faded. “I can’t keep doing this.”
“What do you mean?” Skylar asked.
“You were right. I need to step up and be the father Kala hasn’t had. But I can’t do that unless I quit the Marshals.”
She nodded and heard the sound of boots, then voices. “Get out of the way, you silly man. I’ve done this before.” It was Donnie Wu. He was arguing with Harvey which wasn’t a surprise. When he came down the steps into the salon, he looked at Skylar and then Scot, then shook his head. “And I thought you were bad enough,” Donnie said passing by her with an extra-large cup of coffee. She caught the aroma, and that alone snapped her eyes open.
Harvey emerged giving his usual scowl.
“You never told me what a pain in the ass he is.”
“It’s better to experience. Words tend to fail,” she replied.
“You’re telling me,” he muttered. “By the way, why’s he call that the bucket? It’s nothing more than an extra-large coffee.”
“It’s what inside,” Skylar said, not taking her eyes off Scot as Donnie told him to get it down him. “It’s like drinking a bucket of coffee. Hence the name. The bucket.” Donnie had come up with his own special brew that he’d used to overcome the worst hangovers and sleep deprivation. One cup of that and Scot would be bouncing off the ceiling. He’d said he had a good mind to trademark it as the strongest coffee on the planet. Skylar told him that might work if it was just coffee. There were other things thrown into the mix, but she wasn’t going to tell Scot that. If he knew he would have probably pushed it away.
“You won’t find that on the menu.”
“No you won’t,” Donnie replied stepping back and studying Scot’s eyes as he chugged back the lukewarm concoction. It didn’t taste that great, so it was advised to knock it back as fast as possible. Just watching him chug it down brought back grim memories. Three weeks ago, she’d got a call from a company that was supposed to handle the catering for her wedding day. She’d completely forgotten in the aftermath of his death and her miscarriage to contact them and cancel. Of course this stirred up an array of emotions that she found easier to deal with at the bottom of a bottle. To cut a long story short, she’d wound up drinking heavily that night and passing out on the dock. Donnie had discovered her when he went to lock up that night. That was the first time she tasted the bucket. He’d carried her back to her boat, brewed up the treat and practically force-fed it to her. To say it worked would have been an understatement. It had all the jolt from coffee without the jitters after.
Death Match Page 12