What Lies Beneath: A Florida Action Adventure Novel (Scott Jarvis Private Investigator Book 10)

by Scott Cook

We began to crawl rapidly toward the hallway that led past the kitchen and into the back of the house where the two bedrooms and the single bath were located.

  “Is this an elaborate ruse to get me into your boudoir?” I asked, my nose nearly in her butt-crack.

  “Yeah!” Sharon said, leaping to her feet and running down the hall.

  I followed suit just as another magazine’s worth of bullets shattered the other front window. Sharon yanked open the drawer on one of her nightstands and pulled out two pistols. She handed me one and an extra magazine.

  “Sig Sauer P226,” she said. “Standard OPD issue. Full mag already home and you’ve got an extra.”

  “Least the excitement got you to stop whining like a little bitch,” I commented as I racked the slide and clicked the safety off.

  Sharon grinned, “You’re a real asshole, you know that Lisa?”

  “You love me.”

  Sharon came close and hugged me and pecked me on the cheek,“I do. Thank you. Okay, we’ve got at least one douche with a suppressed illegal auto out there. Probably an AR-15. My guess is he’s got a friend headed out back right now. You okay dealing with him while I scope the front?”

  “A pistol against a rifle?” I asked.

  She scoffed, “Hey, I’m a fuckin’ police lieutenant, babe. I’m bullet proof. Juan should be home in like ten or fifteen minutes. I’ve already activated an emergency beacon on my phone so OPD should be on the way, too.”

  “So maybe we should just stay under cover until then?”

  “Fuck that, these fuckers are at my home and I want their balls! Circuit breaker is in the hall. I’m gonna kill all power, so be prepared for the dark. Ready?”

  We held up the barrels of our weapons and clinked them together. Sharon got low and crab walked out into the hall and I followed. Another series of rounds splattered on the opposing living room wall and plaster exploded and hit the hardwood floors like rain.

  Sharon leapt up, opened a metal panel and clicked a large breaker and the entire house was plunged into darkness. It took me a few seconds to blink and adjust, but there was just enough illumination from the streetlight outside so that I could move around.

  I went into the kitchen and then into the small laundry room off it. A door led out onto a small deck and the backyard. I crouched low and put my ear to the door and listened.

  “Hey, fuck sticks!” Sharon shouted from somewhere behind me. “I’d advise you to give it up right now!”

  “Jesus…” I muttered. “Crazy bitch…”

  Having no choice, I turned the dead bolt that was now over my head, slowly turned the knob and then yanked the door inward, moving enough to get out of the arc of its swing and lying on my belly with the Sig out in front of me.

  Based on the bleat of surprise, the man in black stepping up onto the deck was as surprised by the suddenness of the opening door as I was to see him. Even if he’d been cooler and had fired immediately, he’d have missed. His weapon was raised so that he’d hit a standing person. Not for long, though. My three shots caught him center mass and he stumbled backward, toppling off the step and pitching into the yard, his arms flailing. The only sound he made was a sickening gurgle.

  “One down!” I shouted.

  I ran outside, casting about left and right. I didn’t see anyone, so I jogged to the corner of the house and peeked around. Not seeing anything, I moved to the front corner and peeked again. A dark SUV of some kind was parked on the street, blocking my GLC in. A man leaned around the back of my SUV with a long gun in his hands. He was aiming but not shooting, probably trying to figure out what the other shots had been.

  I took aim, “Drop it!”

  I ducked around the corner. I knew he wouldn’t drop it. But I didn’t hear rounds hitting the house or passing by. I did hear the sound of a clunk as his bolt locked open.

  “Ha!” I said and leaned around the corner and fired once.

  The bullet missed and lodged into his vehicle. The man shouted something unintelligible and tried to go around to the driver’s side. I was already moving.

  “I said stop, fucker!” I shouted again as I ran toward him, my weapon leading.

  “Actually, you said drop it,” Sharon exclaimed as she burst from the front door and met me in the yard. The man panicked, I guess, because he started running down the street!

  We barreled through the front gate, rounded the SUV and I tried to aim while running. A hand shot out and batted my arms down.

  “No! You will probably miss and might hit a neighbor’s house! Pour on the gas!”

  The man we were chasing wasn’t a large man. He was a bit less than medium height and although he wore black, the universal color of all villains… at least those who didn’t want to stand out at night… I could see that he was a bit portly.

  He was only fifty feet ahead and even from that distance, the sound of his labored breathing and gasping was growing louder. Unfortunately for him, both Sharon and I were runners. For good or bad, I was also the faster. I handed my gun off to Sharon and reached down to hit another gear.

  It only took a few seconds to close the gap. I could also see that this guy was probably sixty or seventy pounds heavier than me. Only one thing to do…

  When I could almost reach out and grab his jacket, I leapt forward, diving low and hitting him behind the knees, wrapping my arms around his right knee and rolling sideways, disrupting his stride. With a cry of alarm the man suddenly left his feet and pitched forward, slamming onto the asphalt chest first. He’d managed to get his hands out in front of him and partially broke his fall, otherwise he’d probably have lost a few teeth.

  I rolled onto my right side as he rolled himself onto his left and tried to push himself up.

  “You fuckin’ bitch!” He gasped. “I’m gonna fuck— “

  I was on my feet now and a carefully placed kick into his midsection sent him onto his back and he began to make odd ungh… ungh… sounds as he tried to overcome the forceful contraction of his diaphragm and catch his breath.

  “You just lie there and relax, shit for brains,” Sharon said, aiming both pistols at his face. “You’re gonna live. You catch your breath and then you and me are gonna have a nice little chat.”

  “G… fu… elf…” he wheezed.

  “I’m not sure, but I think we’ve been insulted,” Sharon said casually.

  “I’m sure,” I replied with a grin. “Hey, buddy… not sure if you know this, but this lady here, who you were sent to kill… is a cop. That’s some good work. They’re gonna love you at Rayford.”

  “That’s in Rayford, Lisa,” Sharon pointed out.

  “You don’t have to be a bitch about it,” I replied.

  “No… I get to be a bitch about it.”

  16

  As I drove home Friday morning, Lisa got on the phone with me and explained what happened at Sharon’s the night before. The number of simultaneous goings-on over the past twenty-four hours was beginning to make me think that something was afoot.

  “Can’t I leave you alone for one GD night?” I teased. “I turn my back for a minute and what happens? You get into a fire fight with a couple of dudes with assault rifles. I don’t wanna hear any more shit about me, kid.”

  Lisa laughed, “Uh-huh… what’d you do last night?”

  “Uhm… nothin’…”

  “Sure…”

  I chuckled, “I got into a firefight with five guys. But I’m older, so…”

  “Well, pops, all I know is that this case is rapidly becoming mildly dangerous.”

  I scoffed, “Chyeah… did you guys learn anything from the man you captured?”

  “Sharon, Juan and Wayne interrogated him before the prowlies hauled him down to the fishbowl.”

  “Listen to you, hard-boiled girl.”

  She chuckled, “The guy I shot was killed pretty much outright, but the rifleman gave us a little information. He wasn’t very talkative at first, but Wayne… persuaded him.”

  “Why was
Wayne there?”

  “He and Keisha were downtown at a club when Sharon’s alert went out. I guess it’s some new deal? Everyone in OPD has this app that goes off when an officer is in trouble or something.”

  “Hmm,” I mused. “Didn’t have that when I was there. Interesting… so Wayne rushed over? What’d he do?”

  Lisa laughed, “What would you have done?”

  “Beat the prick until he pissed blood,” I said, a bit of anger rising at the thought of my lover and my friend being attacked.

  “There you go. Anyway, the guy said he works for Big Daddy Walker… mean anything to you?”

  I groaned, “Yeah it does. You probably already know this from our cop friends, but Derrick Big Daddy Walker is a fairly notorious character in Orlando. He’s what you might call a drug kingpin. Runs a gang of dope peddlers and thugs in town. Low-key, though. Not a gang like you’d see in L.A. or whatever, but an organization. Operates pretty much everywhere but has a noticeable presence in Pine Hills. Lives in a fancy joint out in Wyndemere, though. Guy’s got a big income for somebody that doesn’t even have a job.”

  “From what the guys say, he’s slippery. Nobody’s been able to make an indictable connection to his activities.”

  “Yeah,” I grumbled. “Dammit… while we don’t have a lot of information, there are some things that need doing… but I’ve got to head out to Patrick after lunch.”

  “Lucky for you, you’ve got a savvy partner to help,” Lisa commented. “Give it to me and I’ll handle it.”

  I snickered, “Are you coming on to me?”

  “You bet.”

  “Good. I’m almost to I-4 now. I’ll see you in an hour or so.”

  Lisa’s legs squeezed my waist as her body went rigid. Her scream of climactic ecstasy was muffled by my lower lip, which she held between her teeth. Her hands clamped down on my shoulder muscles and her nails dug into my flesh as she shivered and quaked and finally relaxed.

  “Oh my God…” She huffed.

  I slowed the pace and we moved gently together, letting her nerve endings rebound from their over-stimulation. Then I rolled her onto her stomach and we coupled again, her moans of pleasure mounting as she pushed up against me. Once again, her body began to tense and her cries of pleasure grew louder and more urgent until we both seemed to explode at the same time, waves of pleasure breaking over us.

  We lay bound together for a moment before I rolled us both onto our sides and held her close. Our breathing slowed and our hearts relaxed as the sweat evaporated from our bodies.

  “I missed you,” She said softly.

  “I was only gone one night,” I mused, still a little breathlessly.

  “It was a long night, baby.”

  I chuckled, “Ain’t it the truth.”

  “Least now you’ve got something to think about when you’re in your rack for the next couple of nights,” Lisa said with a giggle.

  “Drive me nuts, you mean… good grief.”

  She turned and pushed me onto my back so she could lay her head in the pocket of my shoulder and throw an arm and a leg over me. She sighed happily, “It’ll be a long weekend…”

  “You’ll be busy,” I said. “I’ve got a few ideas. Technically, though, I think Mr. Palermo’s part of the case is finished.”

  “Really?”

  I nodded, “I doubt there will be any more grave robbings. I think you should tell him that the case, such as it is, is solved or at least resolved. Advise him that he should put on a larger security force at the property, at least for a while. No less than two guards at all times who patrol. And get those cameras fixed. Otherwise, I think we can close the book on that one.”

  “What about Virginia?”

  I sighed, “Not even a case, officially. And since we retrieved what was planted on her property, it should be okay for the time being. You should go see her and fill her in, though. Maybe have her post a guard or two. Even suggest that she have an archeological survey done immediately.”

  “Our problem is Big Daddy what’s his face, right?” Lisa asked.

  “Partly… our problem is what’s behind all this stuff. It’s got something to do with Sharon’s dad and Rick Eagle Feather and the Calusa people. Somehow, something about that is at the core of this situation. Although I can’t fathom how or why now. They planted an artifact. They kidnapped Rick. They dug up his family’s graves and Sharon’s dad’s. There is something well below the surface that I’m convinced is bigger than we imagine.”

  “What about that artifact?” Lisa asked.

  “Hmm… I think that you should go down to Fort Myers. The Florida Museum of Natural History has a place down there, I think it’s the Randell Center or something… anyway, right next door is Estero, where Mound Key is located.”

  “That’s a big Calusa mound research site, right?”

  “Exactly,” I said. “Not sure who to talk to or what… but maybe you can bring our pilfered artifact down there and see what one of their researchers make of it. Maybe even do some poking around at Rick’s office in Everglades City, too.”

  “Didn’t you already do that this morning?” She asked.

  I snorted softly, “Yeah, close to two in the morning and I was already stupid with fatigue. I’m sure it was far from my best effort. We need to find him, Lisa. Might be a good idea to contact the Collier County Sheriff’s office, too. Maybe… maybe Sharon might go with you. For protection and to help deal with the cops. You can speak with CJ Wright, the deputy in charge at the gas station scene. If Rick’s truck is still there, go through it with a fine-toothed comb. If not, then it’s at the Sheriff’s impound or something. There has to be a clue as to why they took Rick.”

  “Anything else?” She asked archly.

  I moved my head to look at her and saw her smiling. I gave her a playful swat on her firm backside, “You keep that up, young miss, and you’re headed for a right bum swatting’ upon my word and honor.”

  “Promise?”

  “Psssh!”

  “Okay, I’ll see what other kinds of trouble I can get into,” Lisa stated. “And what’re you gonna be doing all this time? Flying airplanes and drinking with your Navy and Marine Corps buddies? Including Jackie.”

  “Ooh… Jackie… yeah…” I muttered and chuckled. “I’ll be training to defend your way of life, lady.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Are you mocking me?”

  “Yup.”

  “That’s hurtful,” I whined.

  Lisa sighed and held me tightly, “I’ll miss you, you know.”

  I kissed her hair, “I know, I’ll miss you too. But it’s only two nights.

  She heaved a dramatic sigh, “That’s hardly enough time for me to cheat on you.”

  “Nah,” I dismissed. “I doubt it’d take you more than ten or fifteen minutes to find a willing partner to join you in your sinful co-minglement.”

  “Well, sure… but it’s not about quantity… it’s about what he can buy me, silly.”

  I laughed, “I’m pretty sure I’m going to hell for how I’ve corrupted you into this sarcastic caricature of a once chaste and demure young lady.”

  She laughed irreverently and fell silent for a while, “I love you, Scott.”

  “I know.”

  “And I know you love me, too.”

  “That’s right.”

  “But do you ever… that is… do you ever wish you were… like… a free agent again? Free to pursue other options?” She asked quietly.

  I took a moment to think about my answer and why she’d asked, “Is this about Sharon?”

  She chuckled, “You don’t miss much. Do you know she’s in love with you?”

  I scoffed, “As a friend.”

  “Come on, Scott, don’t be an ass. She’s in love with you and you love her, too.”

  “Yes, as a friend,” I reiterated. “Sharon does have a special place in my heart, it’s true. And I think maybe I do in hers. Think of it as… as a representation of what might�
�ve been. But I know she’s really into Juan and I’m absolutely certain how into you I am. Does this have something to do with last night? And her dad? Are you worried about me?”

  She pushed up onto one elbow, her long brown hair spilling over her left shoulder and onto my chest, “No… I know you. No matter what else, my trust in you is unbreakable because you wouldn’t do anything to break it. I don’t think Sharon would, either. It’s just… it’s just that she’s going through a lot right now and it’s brought up a lot of old and very deep feelings.”

  “Meaning hers for me, too,” I speculated. “Like those are being dredged up with the rest?”

  Lisa nodded, “Something like that. I think she needs you right now. Maybe needs all of us. Yet she’s vulnerable and I just hope all this mixed-up emotional shit doesn’t end up hurting her in the long run.”

  I sighed, “I hear you… and honestly… I think that some work would help her. That’s why you should have her join you in this investigation. It might do her some good to confront this issue and do something proactive.”

  “Or it might hurt her worse.”

  I shrugged, “I don’t know. I’m no psychologist. But Sharon is strong and she’s like us. She’d rather be doing something than just sitting around and stewing in her own juices. Of course, she may be too busy working on her own case. Did anybody mention why Big Daddy sent these dudes?”

  Lisa chuffed, “The guy only said Big Daddy hired him and the other one to hit the house. He says, and I sooooo believe him… that they weren’t there to kill her. Just to put a scare into her.”

  I chuffed as well, “Oh really? And why might that be?”

  “No answer to that one,” Lisa said irritably. “The guy lawyered up as I believe they say on TV. He’ll probably clam up, turn state’s evidence and cop a plea.”

  “Oh, look at you every cop and lawyer show… ever,” I jibed.

  “What time do you have to go?”

  I looked over at the nightstand and the small digital clock and sighed, “Kind of like now. I need to hit the shower, grab my sea bag and get underway… hey, you have a message on your phone…”

  She grumbled something unintelligible and reached for her smart phone, “Hmm… it’s a voicemail forwarded from the office line.”