The Alex Troutt Thrillers: Books 4-6 (Redemption Thriller Series Box Set Book 2)

by John W. Mefford

  “Hey, it’s Captain Rex!” Luke yelled, screaming by us. My eyes followed his path, and I saw Captain Rex wearing a mining hat with a soft light beaming from the middle, meandering around in the sand with his little metal detector. Damn, did this guy even have a life, or was he that obsessed with finding a lost treasure that likely didn’t exist?

  Our procession halted. Dad and Carly were still about twenty feet behind us, casually chatting with Erin, although my dad had his arms crossed, his eyes on Luke…or was it Captain Rex?

  “That guy looks like Uncle Jesse from Dukes of Hazzard. Who is he?” Archie asked me, barely moving his lips.

  I snorted, trying to hide my laughter. “Archie, you actually made me laugh with you, not at you.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you very little.” He cinched up his shorts.

  My phone started buzzing. I was receiving a call. “Crap,” I said.

  “You need to use a restroom?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Crap in a good way. It’s Gretchen, probably calling with information.”

  Archie nodded his head once and we both shuffled forward to get out of earshot of the others. I held the phone up to both our ears.

  “Gretchen, hey. Alex here, along with Archie.”

  “Are you guys outside? I hear the roar of the waves. I’m jealous,” she said.

  “And I’m Brad.” It was the man who…what was he to me?

  “Hey, Brad.”

  “Hi, Alex. Gretchen patched me in. Nick is in the middle of some type of yoga class, so he won’t be on the call.”

  “Well, Gretchen was right. We’re on the beach, but we have other family members nearby. I can’t take a lot of time, nor can I really get into anything right now. Do you have something important to share on either case?”

  Brad went first. “We found a possible connection between Carly and—”

  Gretchen butted in. “You’re not going to believe it.”

  “You going to make us play the guessing game? Spit it out, will ya?” Archie said with a raised voice. Dad and Carly both glanced my way, then they turned back to my daughter, who was drawing something in the sand with her big toe. Actually, Dad’s gaze remained on Luke, or Captain Rex, or both, his face rigid.

  “Hombre de Polvo, Powder Man,” Brad said.

  I extended the phone from my face as Archie and I locked eyes, both of us tempted to glance over at Carly once again.

  Ensuring that I turned my back to the family, I padded a few more steps and brought the phone closer to my mouth. “Ricardo Bolivar. The man we tracked in Brownsville yesterday. How?”

  I could feel my pulse ticking faster and faster.

  “It took quite a bit of work, and some convincing of folks to release information we couldn’t get otherwise, at least not quickly. But about four years ago, Carly and Bolivar attended the same addiction support group in Cameron County.”

  I put a hand to my temple and tried to process what I’d just heard.

  “So Bolivar is a recovering addict?” Archie said, his lips nearly touching mine as he spoke into the phone. Could it get any grosser?

  “Maybe, I suppose,” Gretchen said.

  “That’s not the point,” Brad interjected. “In fact, both of them were, ostensibly, in the court-ordered program because of drug convictions. So, while they could have used the support group to truly kick the habit, it also could have been an opportunity to collude with others of the same ilk.”

  I tried to maintain some semblance of control, considering our immediate audience. “Interesting development.”

  “Interesting, my ass,” Archie said a little too loudly, his voice a half-octave higher than norm. His bulging eyes stared at me. “We might have a frickin’ connection between the man linked to Kyle Spencer’s kidnapping and your future stepmother—the same woman who we think might have been the target of a drug cartel, I might add.”

  I had to force myself to exhale. I was almost shaking. I coolly turned and eyed Carly. She had taken off her sandals and was mimicking Erin by drawing something in the sand with her foot. She seemed carefree, silly even—at the moment. Earlier, she’d been an emotional, manipulative wreck. It was rather obvious she had Dad wrapped around her finger.

  “Cool, is that the lighthouse blinking over on Port Isabel?” Luke was talking to Captain Rex. My mind was a blur.

  “Alex, you there?” Brad asked as I craned my neck to see around a condo building to the Port Isabel side of the bay.

  “We’re here,” I said with a light voice. I glanced at Archie. “I appreciate the information. Let us know if you learn anything further on this topic. Good to hear from you. Take care.”

  We ended our call, and I turned back to the bay to see a light flash on, then off, at the lighthouse. “Dad, I thought the lighthouse was inoperable, more of a tourist attraction than a functional lighthouse that served a purpose. No?”

  He was staring in the same direction, his arms still crossed. “Well, at different times, they’ll get in there and test the lights, or I think maybe even turn them on for the tourists. It is summer vacation season, after all.” The giggling girls caught his attention, and he looked down at their foot artwork.

  I felt Archie’s hot breath on my neck as he hissed, “Alex, what are we supposed to do with this information? Carly and Bolivar? This is potentially very dangerous for anyone around her.”

  I couldn’t have this confrontation—not so soon after hearing the data, and not on the beach in front of the family. I knew we were safe…for now. “I’ll call you later. We can discuss our next steps.” I scooted over to Luke and Captain Rex.

  Archie sidled up to me again and continued flapping his jaw. “Alex, I really think we should act now,” he hissed. “Remember the shooting the other day? Your family could have gotten hurt…or worse.”

  A burst of heat pulsated in my head. I flipped my head around, ready to cut Archie off at the ankles, even though I knew deep down that he had a point. He was simply following investigative protocol…as a PI and somewhat as a friend, as much as I hated to admit it.

  “Whoa,” he said with two hands in front of his chest. I think he could see the fire in my eyes.

  “Sorry. Like I said, later. In a little while, after I get the kids in bed.”

  “You should have seen it, Captain. People screaming, bullets exploding through glass and cars. Even had one bullet bounce off the door of the lighthouse near where me and my sister were hiding out.”

  I quickly approached Luke and the captain, putting my arm around my son’s shoulders. “You never told me this. Did you tell anyone else?”

  He raised half of his top lip. “Nah. Me and Erin didn’t want you guys to worry. Wanted to show that we were brave.”

  “Oh my, you are a brave little man,” Rex said, his eyes combing the beach as if he were hunting for food.

  “Eh, my mom is the brave one. She ran right into the middle of it, just to make sure Carly and Grampy were okay.”

  While I was happy to make my son proud, I knew my actions weren’t exactly responsible ones. The kids only had one parent now, and I couldn’t allow that to be zero.

  “Are you wearing perfume? Smells kind of nice.” I turned to see Archie sniffing my neck.

  “Will you please give me some space?” I whispered. My eyes went immediately to Dad, just beyond Archie. He was staring down Rex, no doubt in my mind.

  A second later. “Hey, everyone, hate to break up the beach party, but we old folks need to get our shut-eye,” Dad said. “I’ve got a fishing excursion in the morning. I think it’s a bunch of young guys, so I know they’ll be really loud and obnoxious.”

  The kids gave out big hugs. I walked over and buried my head in my dad’s chest for a quick moment, then I turned to Carly, who was slipping on her sandals. I wanted to cuff her and have her taken away, out of my family’s life. But that was just a dream. I avoided the fake hug by looking at the sand artwork with my flashlight. It was the picture of a dolphin leap
ing out of water, and then written under that I spotted Carly’s work. Carly + Donny = luv 4 ever.

  Who was the child?

  “That dolphin is really creative, Erin.”

  She gave me an “aw shucks” smile, then turned the focus back to Carly. “I think what she wrote is cute. Two lovesick kids,” she said with a giggle.

  It made me want to gag. “Yeah,” was all I could say.

  Dad reached out and shook Archie’s hand. “You worked with Alex back on that case a few months ago?”

  “Sure did.”

  “Well, thanks for helping her out. Nice to know someone has her back.”

  Archie gave me the look, as if he wanted to say something right then and there about Carly’s connection. I had to remind myself that it was only a possible connection. Just because she and Bolivar attended meetings together didn’t mean they became confidants and crime buddies.

  I could see Rex shuffling closer with his metal detector. “Dad, not sure you’ve met our new vacation friend, Captain Rex,” I said, extending a hand.

  Rex lifted his eyes for a quick moment, then continued doing his thing. I turned back to Dad; his jovial mood had disappeared. Luke also seemed to take notice of his grandfather’s serious scowl.

  “Grampy, you okay? Maybe we can go out on your boat sometime?”

  Dad refused to respond to my introduction of Captain Rex and, instead, leaned down to eye level with Luke. “I’ll tell you what, day after tomorrow, if no jobs come up for me, I’ll take you out on the Sweet Life.”

  “That’s the name of your boat? That’s a cool name.”

  Luke’s appreciation for his grandfather was endearing, and it quickly diverted attention away from Dad’s apparent issues with Captain Rex. I wondered what this gentle old man had done to Dad. Undoubtedly, Dad had roped Rex into some group of people that had done him wrong. There was always a long list through Dad’s eyes. He didn’t just stereotype people; he convicted them of high treason before he’d ever met them. Damn, it brought me back to when I was younger. I’d seen this a million times and, frankly, not only found it embarrassing, but also infuriating that a man at his age couldn’t grow up and accept people for who they were, not by how they looked. For Dad to be laying judgment on people was absurd. I released a breath, wondering if he had any clue about Carly’s connection—possible connection—to the man they called Hombre de Polvo.

  Dad and Carly walked away, and I turned around to see Captain Rex heading off toward one of the long beach planks in the opposite direction. Didn’t even say goodbye. Hopefully, he wasn’t too offended by Dad’s rudeness.

  “Okay, guys, I think it’s time we head to the car. You want that snack, right, Luke?”

  “Yeah, just one sec,” he said, spotting a sand crab. He darted away, but at least he was running north, in the same general direction as our car.

  “Hey, Alex.” Archie stumbled over a tuft of sand and bumped my shoulder as I walked up the beach. “After seeing Carly and your dad interact, I just can’t help but think there’s something there. We don’t have a smoking gun, but I feel heat. And when I feel heat—”

  I put my hand up. “I feel it too.”

  “What are you guys talking about?” Erin had snuck up between us, and I quickly regretted getting into it at all with Archie. Why couldn’t we have waited until later?

  “It’s nothing, Erin. Just adult stuff.”

  “I may be fifteen, but I’m not stupid. I heard you mention Carly and Grampy by name. And you guys are whispering, like they’re involved in some type of conspiracy to take down the president. This is kind of creeping me out.”

  “Sweetie, it’s not what you think. You know the line of work I’m in. And then with the shooting and Archie’s involvement, we’re just swapping mental notes. Just know that you and your brother are safe. That’s my first responsibility, and then I do have a responsibility for the safety of the American people.”

  She gave me her typical teenage smirk. “Okay. Whatever.” She jogged ahead, catching up to Luke.

  Archie started opening his mouth, but I held up a finger. “Again, let me get them home. That should allow me some time to think through our options. And yes, nothing is off the table at the moment.”

  “Good. I’ll be waiting for your call, as long as Cynthia doesn’t ring me up for a booty call first.” He smiled.

  “TMI, Archie.”

  I flipped back around and could only see the faint outline of the kids way up ahead, chasing another sand crab or two. Damn, kids have endless energy. Luke scampered into the deeper sand. I would have said something, but we were headed in that direction on our way to the car. A playful smattering of laughs and yelling brought my eyes over to the shallow tide where a young couple kicked water onto each other.

  “Young love,” I said to Archie. “Not a care in the world. They think every day will be just like today. No worries, always getting along, always on the same page, sharing every dream and idea with each other. They just don’t understand how jaded the world can make you and how it can erode a relationship.”

  “Like between you and Mark?” he said with hesitation in his voice.

  I shifted my eyes for a brief second over to Archie, then back to the young couple. I inhaled another ocean breeze. “Yeah, Archie. I think we were caught in the tornado and couldn’t escape, refused to look in the mirror in the middle of the journey.” I turned back to the kids. “I’m not sure how, but I wish there was some way I could help teach the kids that valuable lesson before they fall in love and think that person will complete them.”

  “I think you’re already doing a good job. No, a great job,” Archie said, drawing my gaze. “You’re only human, Alex, and no one leads the perfect life. But the kids admire your strength, what you’ve been able to do for them in the last few months and for the world we live in. And when they mess up—and they will mess up, even as adults—you’ll be there to lend them a hand or give them some sage advice. Because that’s how you roll.”

  I had to remember to take another breath. Archie had stunned me. I put my hand on his arm. “Thank you, Archie. Means a lot.”

  “Well, I’m off like a prom dress,” he said, scooting backward in the sand. “Gotta make a stop at the store on the way back to my fleabag motel.”

  “You’re staying in one of those motels?”

  “Nah, just kidding. I got the Spencers to pick up the bill for me to stay at the Palladium. Fifteen-hundred-square-foot condo and an ocean view people would kill for. Like I said, call me later. Lots to discuss.”

  I waved at him, just as I heard another yell at the ocean. I turned my head, expecting to see the same young couple frolicking in the water. But they were actually hugging each other. Then I realized the sound didn’t come from the ocean side. I jerked my sights around while aiming the flashlight.

  Another scream, and then the crackle of…

  Gunshots.

  Before my heart could leap out of my chest, I darted out of my stance toward the kids. “Luke, Erin, get down!” I saw them turning their heads. “Get down,” I said as I motored through the sand and water.

  They either didn’t hear me or didn’t take me seriously.

  I ran up to Luke, who said, “Mom, I think the island is putting on a fireworks show. Can we go see?”

  “Down to the ground. Now.” I flipped my head around just as another crackle echoed between buildings. Then another scream. It was Carly.

  “Shit,” I said.

  “I got the kids, Alex. Go,” Archie said as he pulled to a stop in between Erin and Luke, pulling them both to the sand.

  “What’s going on, Mom, Archie?” I heard Erin say.

  I hauled ass but only made it four or five steps, then I stopped on a dime and turned back to Archie. “Do you have your piece on you?”

  “Left it in the car.”

  He mumbled something else, but I didn’t wait to hear it. I’d already turned back around and started to chug my arms as I struggled to plow thro
ugh the deeper sand. I held the flashlight like a baton in a relay race. As I rounded a large sand dune, the cone of light flickered against the dense vegetation on the mound of sand. A few more steps and I reached the wooden plank bridge. I slipped on my first step, but used my opposite hand to push off of a plank and regain my stride. I was making much quicker progress, and I looked thirty degrees to my right. I thought that might be the top of Carly’s head. It disappeared every other step.

  A few more strides and I tried to think what I’d do when I got there—if the shooters were still there, or if they were holding Carly or my dad hostage. Could they be the same guys from a few days earlier? Two of them had been shot, so it was hard to imagine.

  Without much time, I leaped off the wooden planks and raced across a patch of grass behind a set of condos. I heard tires screeching off pavement. Just on the other side of a row of hedges, I could now see Carly with two hands over her face. A car behind her had been shot up. Another black SUV.

  Where was Dad?

  With my head on a swivel and my hand gripping the flashlight as if it would turn into a light saber, I hurdled the hedges. Overestimating my leaping ability, my foot clipped a branch. I tumbled to the concrete parking lot. My hands took most of the impact, skidding on loose gravel, but my forehead bounced off the unforgiving surface, followed by my knees.

  “Call the cops, get the paramedics here. Quick!” a man yelled out as I raised my head and saw a handful of men running toward Carly and the car.

  I still couldn’t see Dad. Pushing up from the concrete, I sprinted toward Carly, noticing at least five or six bullet holes in the front quarter panel of the vehicle. The tire was also flat to the ground.

  “Where is he, Carly?” I said, grabbing her shoulder. Before she could respond, I saw his feet, so I kept moving around the SUV. Two more quick strides and I was down on the ground staring at my father. A pool of blood gathered at the side of his head, his lips open, but no other movement.

  I looked up at a sobbing Carly. “Is he dead?”

  All she could do was nod, cry, and jump up and down.