Hot Water (23 page)

She adjusted the crutches under her arms. Wyatt had insisted on those, too. She didn’t want them, but they’d make a good weapon if she needed backup. Funny how he seemed so laid back about the parameters of their relationship, and yet when he put his foot down about her health and wellbeing, there was no budging him. He cared for her, that much was obvious.

This was the third spot they’d checked for Lester this morning. The previous two locations had been a bust, which was why it felt so great to be right about this place.

Lester was still holed up in the county. But where?

Her phone rang. Chief Tyler. After assuring her boss she was fine and giving him an update on their status, she asked about her scrap metal task force. “Did Harlow follow up on the email photo of Lester I sent?”

“Harlow turned in his badge and gun this morning. Said he didn’t like police work as much as he thought he would.”

She’d known Harlow was a quitter, but she’d thought he had a bit more staying power. What had pushed him over the edge? A domestic violence case? A doped up whack job? A heavily armed speeder?

It didn’t matter. He was gone now. Not her problem. “I should come in. You’re short staffed.”

“We’re fine. If something comes up, we can pull in outside help. Easy to do with the place crawling with state and federal LEOs. Don’t you worry about us. The city can handle its calls.”

She mentally ran through their staff list. “What about Calucci? Did he follow Harlow out the door?”

“He’s sticking for now. I gave him the task force file, and he’s contacting the scrap yard dealers. We’ll have answers for you soon.”

“Did you get any other useful leads on Ray Spivey and Frankie Miles?”

“No one’s seen them since James Brown died.”

“I’ve been thinking about them. They are the exact kind of under-the-radar men that Lester would favor for accomplices. I still want to search for them on the offshore islands.”

“We don’t have the manpower to spare for that.”

“Wyatt and I will do it, and I’ll use my dad’s boat, like we talked about before.”

“I wish you’d take a few days off.”

“Lester’s gone to ground. I’m our best shot at finding him. I will find him.”

“You be careful.”

“Count on it.”

She ended the call to find Wyatt waiting at her elbow. “Ready?”

“How’s your ankle? Can I carry you to the car?”

“Do it and you’re dead. I can manage.”

He leaned in close, his breath feathering her neck as he whispered, “You don’t have to prove how tough you are to me.”

A decadent image flashed in her head. An image of what came next in his lovemaking. She couldn’t suppress the shiver of anticipation, but she had to maintain her professional decorum in public. That was hard to do with Wyatt because her feelings for him grew stronger with each breath.

But if people knew you could be manipulated, you became vulnerable.

She couldn’t afford to show weakness on the job.

She had to stay sharp.

She had to insist on boundaries, starting now.

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. Really, I am. However, I’d like to stay at my dad’s house tonight instead of the hotel. I’m planning to take his boat out tomorrow and scout for Spivey and Miles.”

He shook his head. Disapproval snapped in the air like electricity. “I don’t like it. What if Lester’s out there?”

“We’ll see him coming. There’s nowhere to hide on the open water. We’ll spot him from a mile away. A quick call to the hill, and we’ll have a chopper on him.” Which was why Lester wouldn’t approach them on open water. He would be much more insidious.

“A lot could go wrong with your plan.”

“Have your guys check out Dad’s boat. It’s safe. They can do a test run over to the marina and back.”

He studied her face, his sharp eyes surely seeing her steadfast resolve. “Good idea, Dinterman. I’m liking the idea of a boat ride with you very much. But you have to compromise too. We stay in the hotel tonight. The security is tighter there.”

She didn’t hesitate. “Deal.”

Staying at the hotel would allow her a better night’s sleep, and it would force Lester to make his move tomorrow. She was looking forward to getting her hands on her father’s weapons cache. Lester would come for her, and when he did, she’d be ready for him.

Armed to the teeth.

Chapter 46

Laurie Ann shot an apologetic smile at the bodyguard. “Sorry to inconvenience everyone by having to go to the bathroom again. It’s a girl thing.”

Tank held the door to her father’s creekside house open. “No problem, ma’am. I’ve cleared the house.”

She moved her crutches forward and swung into the house. When he moved to follow her inside, she shot him a crooked smile. “Would you mind waiting outside? The walls are thin, and I’d prefer my privacy.”

These were desperate times. She’d lost all but one of her weapons in her house fire; now she’d borrow some of her father’s. But she had to do it on the sly or these guys wouldn’t like it.

Tank seemed to debate for a long moment. Then he shrugged. “I have to leave this door open so that I can listen for trouble.”

“If you have to.” Her dad’s stash was in the bedroom, just past the bathroom, and conveniently out of sight from the front door. Once she hobbled to the bathroom, she propped the crutches in the hall, shut the bathroom door loudly, and tiptoed to her dad’s bedroom.

Rifling through the bedside table, she found what she was looking for. She strapped the knife sheath to her leg, adjusted the Glock in her waistband, and loaded her pants pockets with ammo.

Another idea occurred to her. These bodyguards were all about protection. She could ask them to carry her dad’s shotgun along as a preventive measure, and they wouldn’t blanch. Back at the door, she asked Tank about carrying the shotgun to the boat for her. “I’m not expecting trouble. Think of the gun as a preventative, like a flu shot.”

“One of us will accompany you in the boat.”

That didn’t suit her purposes. Lester needed to think she was vulnerable. “No need for that. We’ll be safe. You guys already vetted the boat. Lester can’t approach on the water without us seeing him. He doesn’t do frontal attacks. He sneaks around in the dark and sets fires. We’ll be safe in broad daylight.”

“My boss won’t like that.”

“Look, I appreciate what you’re doing. I do. But I’m on my home turf. I know the waters. I know the boat. I know the bad guy. Plus I’m a cop. Lester will not get the drop on me. And I’d very much like to spend the day on the water with Wyatt. We need some downtime after all the excitement. You don’t want to disappoint your client, do you?”

He scowled. “No, ma’am.”

Laurie Ann navigated the planked dock, the angled ramp, and the tie-up lines without falling overboard, not an easy task with crutches. The added weight of her bulletproof vest and ammo made her movements slow and measured. With any luck, Sloan Harding would order his guys to stand down and her trap would fall into place.

She glanced across the creek full of water over at the neighbor’s treeline.
You in there, Lester? I’m a target. A slow-moving, injured target. Come and get me.

Once she settled in the captain’s chair, there was a flurry of calls between Tank and his boss. Another heated call followed between Wyatt and Harding.

Wyatt clicked his phone to speakerphone and handed it to her. “Harding wants to talk to you.”

“You assured me that this was safe, Dinterman.” Gone was the congenial lover who was sappy over her friend Roxie. In his place was an angry man. “Now I hear you’re taking a shotgun on this boat ride. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t ground this expedition immediately.”

“The gun is another precaution. I already agreed to wear a bulletproof vest as a precaution. A vest so heavy it could drown me if I fell overboard,” she said. “You guys are miffed because I thought of the firepower. Taking the shotgun along is a great idea, admit it.”

“It would be better if you take Tank instead.”

Laurie Ann noticed that Tank had paled. She guessed the big guy didn’t know how to swim. “Tank’s welcome to come along, but his presence is unnecessary. We have two cell phones and a ship-to-shore radio your men tested this morning. Further, I’ve given you a detailed itinerary of where we plan to go and when we’ll be back.”

“The sheriff won’t let us have the emergency boat unless it’s an emergency, and your charter captain friends are booked with trips today. We were unable to procure a second boat to follow you. Any chance you’ll put this off until tomorrow?”

“I’m not living under a turtle shell for the rest of my days, afraid of when Lester is going to come after me. We’re going to search the barrier islands for the missing men, men whose lives are in danger until we apprehend Lester. We plan to spend the day on the water and enjoy a picnic lunch. But we’ll be on alert for Lester and James Brown’s missing associates. No way can Lester get a drop on us in open water. If we spot a suspicious boat or see Lester, you’ll be the first person we call.”

If she found Lester, she intended to corner him like a sorry rat. She could outshoot him any day of the week, but he’d skulk in the shadows and ambush her. She’d bet money on it.

“I am going on the record stating this is a very bad idea,” Harding said.

“You’ve taken adequate security precautions. You checked out the boat, you secured our landing zone. I know these waters. We will be safe in the boat. We’re at risk when we return to the dock this afternoon. Knowing your people are guarding the landing is a load off my mind.”

“I’m expecting hourly status reports, Dinterman.”

She didn’t crow at his resigned tone, but she sure thought about it. “Understood.”

Moments later, the boat cleared the no-wake zone by the dock, and they were planing over the slick inland water. Sea breeze whipped in her face. Sunshine warmed her shoulders. Beside her Wyatt scanned the horizon, looking for trouble.

Game on.

Chapter 47

Laurie Ann cast a critical eye at the ballast pile islands first. She idled the motor to talk. “These islands were created when sailing ships came to load Georgia oak nearly two centuries ago. Their ballast, these rocks, stabilized the ships on the way here. The captains dumped their ballast in the marsh and carried the timber away. We ended up with rocks that hailed from around the world. Through time, scrub vegetation grew hold on the ballast island.”

“You think Spivey and Miles are here?” Wyatt asked

“Not likely. There’s no freshwater, but I had to check. If their bodies had been dumped here, we’d see scavenger birds.”

“In that case, I’m glad they’re elsewhere.”

She aimed the boat across the choppy sound to the barrier islands. Each bounce of the boat brought twinges of pain from her ankle. Standing was clearly a bad idea, but she couldn’t get the visibility she wanted sitting down.

“Let me take the helm,” Wyatt said, leaning close to be heard over the roar of the motor.

“What do you know about these waterways? Do you know where the channels and bars are located?” she asked.

“I know enough. Besides, you can always direct me to avoid us running aground. You need to get that ankle elevated.”

Making a fuss and insisting she was okay might win her points for toughness, but the truth was, her ankle wasn’t a hundred percent. Resting it would save her strength for later in the day. She eased up on the throttle and swapped seats with him.

“Line up with that tall pine on the point,” she said. “Follow the channel markers around the point, and we’ll circle around to Blackbeard Creek. It cuts between the islands and will dump us out at a nice inlet for lunch.”

He nodded and powered up the boat. With the ease he displayed, she was sure he’d spent many hours in boats. Her admiration ratcheted up a notch. Boating skills were essential on the coast. If their relationship continued past this case, he would easily fit into her world.

But how would she fit in his world?

As sunshine bathed her face and sea breeze lifted her hair, she realized she’d thought entirely of him adapting to her life. Her friend Roxie had been lucky in that regard with Harding. Her fiancé had moved his base of operations to Mossy Bog.

Would that be possible for Wyatt?

She could what-if about her and Wyatt until the wood storks roosted, but that wouldn’t mean diddly unless they had a future. Only fifty percent of that decision was in her realm.

They circled the northernmost tip of Sapelo Island and entered the creek between Sapelo and Blackbeard. It was high tide, so she didn’t have to warn Wyatt about the submerged bars. He seemed to have a good feel for them though, easily navigating the turns of the twisting creek. The creekside border of marsh grass gradually gave way to sand dunes and live oaks.

She scanned one side of the creek then the other for trouble.

No sign of Lester.

They slowed for two anchored fishing boats. Vacationers. Not much point in asking outsiders about two missing locals. They waved and powered on, winding past sculpted sand dune cliffs.

Wyatt idled the boat to take in the vista. “This is amazing.”

“It’s one of our best kept secrets. Atlanta people come down here and see the poverty of the people and think there’s nothing here. But they’re mistaken. We’re rich in scenery and natural resources. We also like the fact that these islands can’t be commercialized. Blackbeard is owned by the feds and Sapelo is owned by the state and individuals.”

“Are both islands inhabited?”

“Sapelo still boasts descendants of slaves from the cotton plantation days, but there are others who live over here. Individuals. Researchers for the state. The state maintains ferry service to Sapelo, so its nearly one hundred inhabitants can get back and forth to the mainland easily. Blackbeard is a wildlife preserve.”

“Sweet.”

She pointed to the next bend, using the opportunity of being stopped to update him. “Around the next bend, the creek will widen. Beach the boat on the left side on the creek.”

He nodded and eased around the bend.

She smiled to herself at how quickly he picked up on things. He had potential, that was for sure.