Page 47 of Secrets Beneath the Waves
The gunman wandered off, saying over his shoulder, “Long as I get paid.” He looked at the crest of the hill where the road to the base peaked. A second later, a pair of SUVs appeared, speeding down the hill to the base.
Ramon’s head swam with pain and frustration. “What’s going on?”
CHAPTER
TWENTY
“That guy was aboutto kill me. He left his friends unconscious in that alley down there.” Ramon couldn’t wave and didn’t have the energy to figure out how to do it. He leaned against the hood of a state police tactical vehicle. “Are you seriously telling me he’s some kind of confidential informant?”
The detective nodded. “He’s been working his way into the group for months. Waiting for the moment the boss showed up here, and we could catch him in the same place they’re…displaying these girls.” He shuddered.
“You went down there?” Ramon wanted to be sick. In fact, he got a little lightheaded. He needed to ask this guy about Miguel and whether Zeyla’s body had been recovered. “I need a phone.”
“Not so fast.” The detective shook his head.
Ramon carefully blew air out of his mouth, trying to ease the nauseous feeling. “I need to see a doctor.”
“The chopper is on its way.”
“Good,” Ramon said. “I can ask them if they found my friend.”
“The woman that was with you?” He looked around. “I figured she was here somewhere.”
Ramon explained what had happened with the fake, or dirty, Special Agent Alvarez, Miguel, and Zeyla. How Miguel had only been impersonating an FBI agent and going with him had cost Zeyla her life. “Do you have Swanson in custody?”
“The state guys are going nuts at what is downstairs, gawking at the ‘displays.’ But they’ll get forensics in and real medical examiners that work for us, and we’ll get the victims taken care of so their families can lay them to rest.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Fine.” He shook his head. “They’re still looking for him.”
Ramon pushed off the truck and nearly fell over.
“Easy.” The detective pushed against his shoulder. “Maybe stay where you are.”
“Or you’re gonna arrest me? That confidential informant of yours has known about this place for how long? And you’re only here now?”
“Like he said, we needed to tie Swanson to the location.”
“If you can find him.” Ramon didn’t want to know how many secret entrances and exits this place had. Swanson probably left as soon as the mercenaries walked away with Ramon, and the police might never catch up to him. “You suspected he was part of it, and yet you let him work on evidence connected to the case? He’s the one who cut up those girls!”
“Take a breath, yeah?” The detective shook his head. “You’re the one who took the evidence to him.”
Ramon said, “I’m the one who found the latest victim. She’s safe because of me and my partner.”
“Is this because you wanna get paid? That takes paperwork we haven’t done, and there’s no reward as far as I’m aware.”
“I don’t want money.” He’d been minutes from being killed—or so he’d thought at the time. Now, it felt as if he had a new lease on life. A fresh start. “I just want to walk away.”
“Might be hard with your leg all swollen like that.”
Someone cleared their throat. A tall man, probably mid-sixties, wearing the green uniform of an army general. All those colored bars on his chest. Patch on his left shoulder. Stars on his lapels. The name badge on the left side hadSchnellwritten on it. His dark hair was threaded with gray, and he was at least six-two.
“Major General Schnell.” The detective held out his hand, then shifted like he changed his mind. As if he didn’t know what to do to show respect to this man. “I didn’t realize you were here.”
“This is my base, Detective.”
He cleared his throat. “Of course, sir.”
