Page 47 of Off the Hook

The blood drained from my face. He was serious and I knew he’d make good on his threat to have my badge. Somehowthe panic kicked my brain into gear, and I conjured a blatant lie on the fly. “That’s why I didn’t want any record of it just yet. We have to be discreet.”

Oscar’s eyes narrowed. “Oh. That actually makes sense.” His whole demeanor changed– no longer in attack mode. He scanned the paper. “Who brought him in?”

“Frank Jenkins; he retired a few years back. Did you know him?”

“Nope, but I recall hearing the name when I first joined the department.”

“I can’t find any record of him anywhere in Monroe County.” I’d been googling at three in the morning. “I’ll get back on trying to find him after we’ve questioned Coulter.”

On our way out, Oscar stopped at Louis’s desk. “Hey Louis, were you here when Frank Jenkins retired?”

“Yeah.” he chuckled. “Crotchety old codger.”

“What ever happened to him?”

“I think he moved back to Orlando. What do you want with Frank?”

“Oh, nothing. His name came up in a cold case Faith was digging into. I didn’t remember him so I figured he was gone before I got here.”

“Yeah, probably the year before. I’ll ask the Sheriff if he knows where to find him if you want.”

“No, don’t do that. He’ll get bent out of shape for Faith taking time out of his niece’s murder investigation. Wouldn’t want to get Faith in trouble.” Oscar pretended to look concerned. Ihad to admit he was smart to play on Louis’s affection for me.

Louis looked at me, worried. “Definitely not. I won’t say a word.” He turned back to Oscar. “But I can try to track him down if you want.”

“If you can be discreet, that would be great,” Oscar patted his shoulder.

“Thanks, Louis. You’re the best,” I said with my best fake smile. Once we were out the front door, I said, “I guess I deserved that.”

“Damn right you did,” Oscar grumbled.

Bull-headed and short-sighted as he was, Oscar wasn’t stupid. He made sure it would all come down on me if Waylan wound up implicated in a coverup as a result.

CHAPTER 24

COULTER

Atrickle of sweat meandered its way down my temple and rolled under my chin as I stood on the fly bridge, guiding theEllie IIback into the marina. The diesel engine hummed far below me, and I laughed out loud as I saw Kai and Reef’s retrievers running back and forth on the dock as my brothers stood there, lines ready to tie us off. The four customers, roofers down from Tampa, were gathered at the stern, chattering about their catch from the day.

It had been a great day out off the Hump. The fish boxes were full of good-sized mahi. And they’d hooked a monster sailfish. It was so big it snapped the line and got away before they could land it. I heard them on the way back in, their laughter and excitement tangible, as they told the story of ‘the one that got away’ over and over again. As with all fishing stories, the fish got bigger and meaner with every telling.

I maneuvered the boat into its berth, throttling back and hitting reverse as we eased up to the dock, so she settled in place with barely a bump. “Alright, gentleman,” I called out,cutting the engine. “We hope your Rodman Reels experience met all your expectations.”

“Best day ever! My wife will never believe I hooked that monster today,” the taller one who’d nearly landed the sailfish said.

“Too bad we couldn’t get him to the boat for a pic. Next time,” I grinned.

“Hell yeah. That’s the motivation we need to be top salesmen again next year. Today was the highlight of our free week in the Keys, hands down,” his friend replied. “I plan on catching the sailfish next year.”

“We’ll see if we can't get one for each of you,” I chuckled, enjoying their competition.

Kai, Reef and I offloaded the coolers and gear. With hearty thanks and handshakes, each one of the smiling salesmen palmed me a crisp Benjamin on their way off the boat. They headed up the dock, already planning their next trip.

Now that there was no more money to be made, in typical brotherly fashion, the twins left the dirty work to me. As I finished tying off the spring lines, and started the cleanup, I noticed Faith and Detective Ramirez getting out of a Charger in the parking lot. My heart did a hopeful little flip seeing her there at first, but then the sight of her partner annoyed me. “What the fuck?” I threw the deck brush down and started toward them.

“What brings you two here today?” I asked, strolling up to them. “Are you looking to book a charter, or just stalking me?”

“Interesting choice of words,” Oscar said with a smirk.

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