by Bill Myers
Turning up the volume, I listened as a local reporter told how authorities had received a tip that a vessel in the gulf was transporting a shipment of shoulder mounted surface to air missiles.
The Coast Guard, in conjunction with officials from Homeland Security, had searched for the vessel and eventually located it seven miles offshore.
When they approached the vessel, shots were exchanged, and one crewman on a Coast Guard boat was injured. The suspect vessel was eventually disabled and boarded by Coast Guard and Homeland Security agents.
Upon boarding the vessel, several crates of weapons were found.
No other details were available, but the reporter assured viewers that they were on top of the story.
Apparently, this was the reason Harris and his agents had been ordered to drop everything and assist the Coast Guard. Finding missiles was more important than helping me rescue a dog.
Knowing this, I felt a bit better about the situation.
The next story on the news concerned the building of a new baseball stadium in Tampa. I wasn't interested so I turned the volume down.
Almost immediately, my phone chimed with an incoming call. The caller ID showed it was from Anna. I answered.
“Anna, what's going on?”
“Walker, I was about to ask you the same thing. I've been trying to reach you for two days, and you haven't called me back.”
“Sorry about that. I've been away from my phone and just got back today.”
“You been on a trip?”
“Kind of. Been on a boat, no phone.”
“Sounds like fun. But we've got a problem.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
“What kind of problem?”
“The owner of Serenity Cove called me this morning. She said the park manager didn't deposit this month's rental checks in the bank. And he didn't pay the park's electric bill either.
“When the owner called the manager's office to talk to him about it, no one answered. She said she called ten times and still no answer.
“She called me to have you check it out. And I couldn't reach you. She's in a panic right now, wondering what's going on down here.
“So since you're living in Serenity Cove and supposed to be keeping an eye on things, tell me what's going on.”
Anna was upset. She had told the owner I would watch over things. I'd be their 'undercover' guy at the park.
And I'd missed something important.
“Anna, I haven't seen the manager in a few days. I don't know if he's sick or if he's taken off with the money. How much are we talking about?”
“A lot. About eighteen thousand dollars. It should have been deposited five days ago. But it wasn't.
“And there's another problem. Serenity Cove's bank account looks like it's been cleaned out. There was a ten thousand dollar balance. And now it's gone.”
“That's a lot of money.”
“Here's the worst part. Without the monthly deposit, the owner is going to have a hard time paying this month's mortgage payment and utility bills.
“She said she might be able to hold off on the loan payment for another thirty days, but if the electric bill isn't paid, they'll turn it off.
“That means no electricity for anyone staying in the park.”
“Anna, how long before they shut off the electricity?”
“Thirty days at most. Last month's bill wasn't paid either.”
“So how much is it?
“About six thousand. And another thousand for the water bill.
“The owner doesn't want to deal with problems like this. If the rent money isn't found, she'll be in trouble. Her personal home was used as collateral for the loan.
“She's in a panic. She's saying she may have to sell the place to land developers. If she does, they'll close the park, kick everybody out and put up condos.”
I'd only been living in Serenity Cove for three weeks, but I'd come to enjoy the lifestyle it offered and the people I'd met here. I'd hate to see it sold to developers and replaced with high rise condos.
“Anna, see if you can stall the owner for a few days. I'll look for the manager and the missing money.”
“Walker, you do that. If you find out anything, call me immediately.”
We ended the call.
I'd planned on an afternoon of rest after what had been a long day following a sleepless night. But it was not to be.
After learning about the disappearance of the rent money, I decided to check out the manager's office. Maybe he was sick or something and wasn't able to answer the phone or go to the bank.
I decided to find out.
It took me less than two minutes to walk from my motorhome to the Serenity Cove office. When I got there, the front door was locked, no lights were on.
Walking around the building, I checked all the windows. They were locked and shades had been pulled preventing anyone from seeing inside.
At the back of the building, a six foot wooden fence surrounded a small courtyard that led to the back door of the manager's apartment. The gate on the fence wasn't locked, so I pushed it open and went in.
Inside the courtyard, I found two plastic lawn chairs and an empty trash bin. Nothing else. The metal door leading into the apartment was locked as was the small window beside it.
So far, I'd seen no sign of life. No indication that anyone was in the office or the apartment. But I needed to make sure, so I knocked loudly on the apartment door.
There was no response. I knocked again, this time even louder.
After thirty seconds, no response.
Either no one was inside, or they were unable to answer the door.
I knocked one more time, just to be sure.
Again, there was no answer.
I pulled out my phone and called Anna. She answered on the second ring.
“Anna, I'm at the manager's apartment. No one seems to be here. All the doors and windows are locked.
“Think I should try to go in?”
“Walker, do you have a key?”
“No. I was thinking about maybe taking the door off the hinges.”
“And you're asking my permission?”
“Yes.”
“I'll call you right back.”
Anna hung up.
While waiting for her call, I went back to my motorhome and grabbed a hammer and the battery powered drill I kept in one of the outside compartments.
With these in hand, I headed back to the manager's apartment and waited for Anna to call.
I didn't have to wait long.
“Walker, I spoke to the owner. She says do what you need to get inside. She said if you find the manager, don't hurt him and don't get the police involved.”
“Got it. I'll call you back and let you know what I find.”
Using the drill, I removed the screws from the door hinges and lifted the door out of the frame. Then I stepped inside and announced myself. “Anyone home?”
No response.
Finding a light switch on the inside wall, I flipped it on.
I was in the kitchen. Nothing askew. No dead bodies. Just a kitchen. Small kitchen table. Stove, microwave, an older fridge.
Exactly what you would expect to see in a small apartment.
Venturing further in, I headed toward a short hallway that I suspected would lead to a bathroom and a bedroom.
Again, I announced myself. “Hello, anyone here?”
No answer.
Flipping on the light in the hallway, I saw that it indeed led to a small bedroom. Inside, an unmade bed, an empty closet, and a dresser with empty drawers.
No sign that anyone was still living here.
Checking the bathroom, I found the same thing. Nothing. No personal items on the counter or in the medicine cabinet over the sink.
Back in the kitchen, I pushed open the door that led into the business office of Serenity Cove.
The office was undisturbed. Pretty much the way it had looked when I had checked in earlier this
month. Nothing seemed to be missing. Nothing unusual.
Except there was no manager.
And no sign that anyone had been here in the last week or so.
I checked the manager's desk looking for any clues as to when he might have left or where he had gone.
In the desk drawers, I found the normal things you would expect. Notepads, pens and pencils, rental forms, and handouts for new guests.
But nothing of a personal nature from the manager.
It was like he had never existed. There was no sign of his presence anywhere.
On the corner of the manager's desk, a red blinking light on an ancient answering machine got my attention. Looking closer, I could see the number 'twenty three' below the red light. Twenty three new messages.
Most likely these were calls from park residents, potential guests, and the park owner. Someone would need to listen to these and make sure the manager hadn't left a message.
But not me, at least not right now.
I walked through the office area, seeking any clues as to the manager's reason for not being here. Nothing stood out. No signs of a struggle, no blood, not so much as a file cabinet or chair out of place.
I continued my search for ten minutes. The only unusual thing I found was a set of keys on the manager's desk. They were marked 'Serenity Cove'.
I picked them up and put them in my pocket.
Satisfied that I hadn't missed anything obvious, I turned off the office lights and headed back into the manager's apartment, where I did another search. Looking for anything that might help me find the manager or the missing money.
But the place was clean. No personal items of any kind. No food in the fridge. No dirty dishes in the sink.
I'd been inside the building for twenty minutes and hadn't found anything.
I called Anna.
“Did you find him?”
“No. There wasn't anyone inside. And no sign that the manager is living here. It looks like he's moved out.”
“That's not good.”
“I was thinking the same thing.
“I tried to find the company checkbook, but it looks like it's gone too. You'll probably want to have the owner close the account in the morning. Report the checks as being stolen.”
Anna sighed. “No telling how many checks he's written.
“When I call the owner and tell her about this, she's not going to be happy. She's probably going to want to sell the place.”
I nodded. “I don't blame her. Losing that much money has to hurt.”
Anna took a deep breath. “You know, Walker, Serenity Cove could be a good investment for you. Fix it up a little, and you could get a pretty good return.”
That caught me by surprise. I'd been looking for a place to buy, but hadn't even considered a commercial property like Serenity Cove.
Still, it might be worth investigating.
“Anna, I might be interested. But the price is probably more than I can afford. This place has got to be worth a lot of money.”
“Walker, if the power gets turned off, the residents will have to move out, the rental income stops, and the place will lose half it's value.
“The owner doesn't want that to happen, so she's thinking of setting a low price to get a quick sale. She knows she can't afford to draw this out.
“The price might be within your reach.”
“That'd be good. Find out what she wants for it, then let me know.”
“Will do.”
We ended the call.
After I'd first met Anna over on the Treasure Coast, and we had found our gold coins, we daydreamed about what we would do with the money we'd make from selling the treasure.
Anna said she was going to move to Englewood and sell real estate. I had joked that I might buy a RV park.
Anna's dream had already come true. She was selling real estate. And it looked like mine might come true as well. I might end up owning Serenity Cove.
Or not.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
I went to bed early. Trying to catch up on sorely missed sleep. Bob didn't disturb me during the night, so my sleep was good. Just not enough of it.
My phone chimed me awake with an incoming call. The caller ID showed 'unknown', so I didn't bother to answer. The way I figured it, if the call was important, it would be from someone I knew.
A few minutes later, the phone chimed again. Same caller ID, 'unknown'. I let it ring until it went to voice mail. If they wanted to hide their identity, they could leave a message.
And they did.
It was Agent Harris. His message was short and to the point. “Call me.”
I didn't want to return his call, but how long can you ignore Homeland Security? They'd already proven they could pluck me off the street in the middle of the night. No telling what they'd do if I didn't return their call.
I press redial and Harris answered on the first ring.
“Walker. Nice of you to call me back.”
“Yeah, right. You call to apologize for leaving me in the field without backup?”
“Walker, we didn't have a choice. Missiles always trump drug cases.”
“So why call me if you're not apologizing?”
“There's some loose ends we need to deal with.”
“Loose ends?”
“Yes, loose ends. Things we need to take care of. In person.
“So I was thinking it would be good if we could get together at ten this morning at Lemon Bay Park. Think you can meet me there?”
“Sure, I can make it. But why aren't we meeting in your office?”
“Too much going on there with this missile thing. Things you don't need to see. The park is a better place. Be there at ten.”
He ended the call.
Almost as soon as the call ended, my phone chimed with another incoming call. The caller ID showed it was from Anna.
“Morning, Anna.”
“Walker, I just got off the phone with Serenity Cove's owner. She's pretty upset about the manager disappearing. She's worried that there's no one there to keep the office open. No one to collect rents and check in new guests.
“She wants me to find someone to take over until a replacement can be found. Is there any chance you want to play office manager for a few days?”
“Anna, I can't do it. I've got something else I have to deal with. But I do know someone who might be able to handle the job. She lives here in the park and she owes me a favor.”
“Really? You've only been there a few weeks and already you've got women in the park who owe you favors?”
“Anna, you know how it is. These things just happen to me.”
“Yeah, right. So is this woman trustworthy?”
“You've met her. My next door neighbor. The one who took care of you the morning after I brought you home from Rusty's Raft.”
“Polly? That's her name right?”
“Yes, Polly. And if you want, I can ask if she wants to play park manager for a few days.”
“Walker, Polly might be perfect for the job. Let me know what she says.”
“Will do. But what if she asks how much it pays?”
Anna laughed. “The park's bank accounts are empty so there won't be any pay. But how about free rent for the next month?”
“Sounds good. I'll talk to her.”
We ended the call.
The two calls had pretty much set my schedule for the first half of the day. I'd meet with Agent Harris at ten, and before that meeting, I'd try to talk to Polly about being the temporary park manager.
She usually walked Oscar around eight thirty each morning, and I figured that would be a good time to talk to her about the job.
It was already five after eight, so I needed to get going. I got up, took a quick shower, pulled on some clean clothes, and headed for the kitchen.
For breakfast, I poured myself a bowl of cereal and covered it with white grape juice – my usual fare. I stood and ate by the window, keeping an eye on Polly's Airstream.
Right at eight thirty, she and Oscar came out.
I put down my bowl and went outside to greet them. Polly grinned when she saw me.
“Walker, how are you this fine morning?”
“Good. How about you?”
“Wonderful. Now that Oscar is back, life is great.
“You going to walk with us this morning?”
“Sure, if you don't mind.”
With Oscar leading, Polly and I headed out for our morning walk around the park. As usual, we walked in the center of the road, while Oscar zoomed from one side to the other, sniffing the grass for messages left by other dogs.
Occasionally he'd stop and mark a spot, showing that he'd been there. Polly carried a small plastic bag, ready to retrieve any larger clues Oscar left.
As we walked past Buck's bus, I asked Polly about him. “How's Buck doing?”
She smiled. “He's doing well. In fact, he says our little adventure has inspired him to write a movie script. Involving dognappers and drug dealers.
“Says he wants to tag along with you next time you go out so he can beef up the plot.”
“Funny you should mention that. Something has come up, and I need to ask you a favor.”
“Walker, any favor you need, you've got it.”
“Good. But feel free to say 'no'.
“Here's the deal. The manager of Serenity Cove is gone. He left without giving notice and there's no one to run the office. So they're looking for a temporary office manager.
“And I thought maybe you might be interested in the job. It won't involve much work. Just answering the phone, checking the mail, and keeping everyone here in Serenity Cove happy.
“You can keep Oscar with you in the office, and you can come and go as you like. So what do you think?”
Polly shook her head. “I never trusted that manager. I always thought he was up to no good. Are you sure he's gone?”
“Pretty sure. And they need a replacement starting right now. If you're interested, the job can be yours. You'll be the Queen of Serenity Cove.”
Polly laughed. “Queen of Serenity Cove. I like the sound of that.”
“So you think you might be interested?”
“I'm not sure. Let me think about it.”
We were about half way through our walk and the park office building was just ahead. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys I'd found the night before.