Page 8 of Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind
Drew winced and took a drag. “Dumb shit got wasted and went for a swim. What the hell do you care? One more lowlife off the streets, right?”
“See, that’s the thing,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “The streets around Golden Beach are a lot cleaner than they used to be, and I want to know why.”
“For Christ’s sake, you five-oh types are never happy. Isn’t there some saying about not looking a gift horse in the mouth?”
“Sure. And here’s another: it if seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
“You got that stitched on a pillow or something?”
“Drew. Quit stalling. What are you not telling me?”
Drew’s bravado flickered. He glanced around nervously as he took another drag off his cigarette. Flicking ashes to the ground, Drew quietly said, “You need to leave this one alone, Winslet.”
Her instincts flared. Drew had some of the biggest weasel balls around. His uncharacteristic anxiety was confirmation that something was going on. Something big was lurking just beneath the surface and she was more determined than ever to find out what it was.
With only a few feet between her and Drew, she stepped forward, holding up her cell phone screen so he could see the picture she had pulled up. “Recognize this? That’s you transporting what appears to be an illegal substance into that little shack you like to hole up in. This photo right here is enough probable cause for me to get a search warrant. So, unless you want your inventory to disappear and a lot of disappointed customers knocking on your door, I suggest you start talking.”
Momentary fear passed over his features, then he relaxed and smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile, either. A shiver ran up the length of her spine, though she’d be damned if she would show any weakness in front of her informant.
“Don’t say you weren’t warned, Winslet.”
“Consider me warned. Now enough with the ominous crap and just tell me already.”
The man shrugged then took another drag off his cigarette. “They call himthe Shark.”
Ryan laughed, certain he was trying to yank her chain. “The Shark?Seriously? Who’s his rival, theAtomic Squid? Come on, Drew. That sounds like something out of a bad B movie.”
“You want this info or not? Because I’m about five seconds from walking.”
She waved her hand impatiently. “Keep going.”
Drew exhaled. “Fine. It’s your funeral.” After tapping the ashes off his cigarette again, he went on. “Like I said, word on the street is, they call him the Shark. Everyone who’s mentioned him says he’s a dangerous bastard, but he’s not your average player. This guy’s super slick.”
“How is he different?” Ryan asked, pictures of Jose with those crabs crawling all over him coming to mind.
Drew shrugged and looked around again. When he continued, his voice was lower, quieter. “Take my word for it. He just is. And he’s putting a lot of locals out of business, if you catch my drift.”
Ryan frowned. Usually, that kind of power shift only occurred with violence and extreme prejudice. Yet, from what she had been able to glean, there had been none of that. Everything had been done quietly and under the radar—crab netting incident notwithstanding—which was probably why no one was complaining. What kind of leverage did a man have to pull off something like that?
“So, what’s happening to these displaced entrepreneurs? Last I heard, that sort of attrition doesn’t qualify them for the unemployment line. Are they setting up somewhere else?”
Drew tensed, and the hand holding his cigarette started to tremble. “Look, Winslet, I don’t like you, but I’m telling you to leave this alone. Grab some donuts and look the other way like everyone else.”
Ryan frowned at his insinuation. “Everyone else?What exactly are you implying, Drew?”
“I’m saying,” he said clearly and with exaggerated patience, “that you need to wake up, Detective. No one gives a shit about people like me. Another small-time dealer, pimp, or hooker goes missing, that’s one less dreg the fine, upstanding citizens have to worry about.”
“But—”
“Let it go. We’re done here. Do what you gotta do, Winslet, but I’m outta here.” With that, Drew tossed his cigarette, stuffed his hands into his pockets, and then disappeared into the mist.
Ryan frowned into the darkness as she walked toward her car. She had more questions now than when she’d started. There were now two things she did know for certain, though. One, something big and fishy was definitely going on in Golden Beach, and two, she was going to find out what it was.
