Deep Waters (The Security Specialists)

by Jessica R. Patch

Caley frowned, then gasped. “Mary Beth could have been drowned here. Sea water. It’s definitely secluded. Let’s fan out. We can cover more ground.”

  Shep blocked her path forward. “What about gators?”

  Caley twisted her lips. “It’s a possibility they’re out here, but typically they stay away from areas of high salinity.”

  “Typically. But not always.” He bent and secured his gun from his ankle holster. “Let’s search together.”

  Caley nodded and trudged into the swampy wetland. Shep’s hiking boots were waterproof but only up to his ankles.

  They combed the area, starting with the section closest to the water and fanning out from there. After an hour, Shep wasn’t so sure they’d find the GoPro. But the app said it was in this area, and it was accurate to within one hundred feet.

  Moving back toward the trail, Caley paused. “Hey.” She knelt in the long grass and dug below. “I stepped on something.” She hollered a victory cry and pumped her fist, GoPro in hand. “We got them now, Shep! We have the proof we need.”

  Crack!

  Caley ducked and shrieked as gunfire ensued.

  Shep dove toward her, covering her. “Run!”

  They bolted through the marsh, water splashing as they traipsed through the wetlands.

  Birds blasted through the trees as another shot was fired.

  “Take cover in those maples over there!” Shep steered her left and into a thicket of trees.

  Caley’s breath turned heavy. “We can cut through over there but it’s dense.”

  The shots had been fired from the east. “Is there another nature trail on the side the shots came from?”

  “Yeah,” Caley said, keeping low. Shep continued to shield her.

  Birds taking flight and the sound of the gunfire would lead the bird-watchers to call Fish and Wildlife. Hunting was illegal and that’s what they’d assume was happening.

  Other than Caley’s breathing and the small rustle of leaves, the park was silent.

  “Let’s push through this. Where will we come out?” he asked.

  “Main boardwalk.”

  Sitting ducks.

  Maybe they should call Tom. Bring in some reinforcement. He reached for his phone.

  “You won’t get a signal out here. Not in these deep marshes. Only near the parking lot.”

  Well, it was risk bullets or fight possible gators. “Lead the way. I’ve got your six.” Their feet slogged in the muddy waters, grass rising at times to Shep’s waist and Caley’s torso. But she didn’t complain.

  “Shep?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What if they’re waiting for us at the car?” Fear penetrated through the question. A very good question. One of them might have fired to scare them into running right to the parking lot. Right into a trap.

  “Be still. Get low. Here.” He shoved her under a thatch of plants. “Don’t move. If they’re on our tail, he’ll fire again when we emerge from the thicket. If not...you might be right.” He couldn’t be sure how many pursuers were in the area. But he would keep her safe. Reinforcements or not.

  Shep slogged through the marsh until he made it to the walking trail and took one step out. Listening, he waited. It was almost 1000 hours. The park would be filling up. Would shooters risk being seen holding them up for a GoPro? Had they seen the GoPro? He’d been paying close attention on the drive over. They hadn’t been followed. The whole point of going at daylight was to help secure their safety.

  Surely, they wouldn’t risk killing them in a public parking lot or they would have fired into the crowd that night at the club.

  Unless this was another set of goons after them. He had no choice.

  Another step out, a bullet whizzed by his head, splintering bark on the maple tree next to him. He ducked inside the secluded trees and sprinted back to Caley. “They’re on to us.”

  “I heard the shot,” she said. “You hurt?”

  “No. Let’s double back. They’ll expect us to keep moving forward. Emerge at the boardwalk.”

  Back through the foliage, they worked their way to the salt marsh, following the trail that led to the trees lining the parking lot. By the time they made it to the edge of the trees facing the lot, sweat dripped from Shep’s temples, his back saturated. Caley looked the same, her cheeks like apples.

  He checked his watch. It had been over an hour of pushing through the park to the entrance. The trees opened up to the parking lot. No one by their car. The lot had filled with vehicles and people. Moms with strollers. Couples. Groups of men and women.

  Public.

  “Let’s go.” He laced his hand in hers as they jogged to the parking lot, then they walked and stayed close to other people. If someone was out there with a rifle, they wouldn’t take the risk.

  They wanted that GoPro.

  Caley stuck to him like sweaty glue. “Shep, do you think they saw the GoPro? Do you think they know we have it now?”

  “The more I think about it, the more my answer is yes. They shot us right after you held it up.” These people had planned to take them out, leave them to rot in the swamp or be eaten by a gator. Why not leave Mary Beth out here to meet the same end? They needed the GoPro. They needed Mary Beth’s death to look like an accident so the police would stay out of it and they could quietly search.

  But now that Shep and Caley had the camera, it didn’t matter. Once they had the footage, or photos, they wouldn’t care if the police investigated a homicide. The evidence would be in their possession.

  Now more than ever Shep couldn’t let them get their hands on that GoPro.

  Shep hurried Caley inside the car and darted to the driver’s side, sliding in and locking the doors.

  “Shep?”

  “Yeah.”

  “If we weren’t followed, there’s only one other explanation.”

  Shep had been thinking that too.

  Only Ashley knew they were here.

  TEN

  Caley willed the GoPro to charge faster. Killers knew she had it now. Every pop and creak of the house had her on edge. The rain had started when they left the electronics store, where they’d bought a charger for the GoPro, and it hadn’t let up.

  It brought a reprieve from the heat, and on a normal day Caley would open the windows for the soothing sound and the breeze to cool the house naturally. Today wasn’t a normal day.

  Every few minutes Shep would patrol the house, check windows. Thankfully Miss Whittle was gone with Mrs. Bloom, Caley had one less worry.

  “You hungry?” Shep asked.

  “No. You?”

  Caley couldn’t eat if she wanted to. But she could sip some warm tea.

  “I’m good.”

  “I can make tea. Would you drink tea?” she asked.

  First smirk since they’d made it out of the park by the skin of their teeth. “Probably not.”

  She padded to the kitchen. Made a cup of chamomile for herself.

  “Charged,” Shep said as she entered the living room. Her stomach knotted. What if the murder had been accidentally filmed? Caley couldn’t handle that.

  When she met Shep’s gaze, he nodded. “I’ll look at it first. That okay?”

  How did he know what she was thinking? Were her facial expressions that obvious? Or did he know her better than she realized? He’d risked his life for her again. Sheltered her like a rock-solid shell. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “No problem. If there’s nothing too disturbing I’ll—”

  “No. I mean for saving me. For being willing to take a bullet for me. That means a lot, Shep.”

  He half nodded, still unable to take a compliment.

  “You say you aren’t good, but you are. You help people. You served our country. That’s good. Brave. Self-sacrificing.”

  “Caley,” he murmured. “Stop.”

  She froze. “Why?”

  He massaged his neck, looked away. “I don’t want to hear any of that.”

  “But it’s true,” she insi
sted.

  “Don’t make me out to be some hero. I’m just a man paying penance for my sins. Making it right as best I can.”

  A burning sensation started in her stomach and rose clear to her head. He couldn’t be telling the truth. That would make her... No. Just no. The idea of what she was to him blew her over the edge. “So I’m penance. Another mission to earn you points with God? You save me, you win. You don’t, then oh well? You can try again on another mission.”

  Fire licked through his eyes, darkening them. “That’s what you think?” The grit in his voice reminded her of a lion stalking prey, about to pounce. He stood, stepped toward her.

  “What am I supposed to think after that?” She folded her arms, raised her chin. “Tell me. Am I just a mission? Just Wilder’s baby sister?” Where was this going? What did she want to hear? That she meant something to him. That he cared about her. Even if he did, she couldn’t reciprocate those feelings, yet here she was, pushing for a truth she might not be able to stand hearing.

  And she was mad at herself because she already had feelings for Shep. Stronger than she’d ever had for anyone. A solider! This was all wrong.

  He invaded her space, tipped her chin and stared at her.

  A wave rippled through her middle. “Well?” she choked out.

  She couldn’t read his dark mood. Turmoil? Longing? He released her chin and shook his head. “I’m going to watch the footage and go through photos. I’ll let you know what I find.” He stormed to the kitchen without another word.

  He wouldn’t even fight with her.

  She wanted a fight. Something. So many emotions piling up. So many questions. About Shepherd. About her feelings for him. She collapsed on the couch and covered her face with a pillow but refrained from screaming into it.

  Ten minutes later, Shep entered the living room. “You need to see this.”

  Oh no.

  Sitting beside her, he held out the GoPro. “Here’s the footage she caught. And our theory wasn’t too off. But it wasn’t on either.”

  Caley clutched her stomach and leaned toward Shep to see better. He smelled clean, the scent of his cologne wreaking havoc with her heart. “I’m ready.”

  He pushed Play and Caley watched in horror.

  Billy Reynolds and Darcy Fines—Leo’s daughter—digging up turtle eggs and placing them in backpacks.

  “Who’s the girl? I don’t recognize her as an intern.”

  “Leo Fines’s daughter. Darcy.” Caley sat slack jawed. Mary Beth had caught them. Filmed them. Probably approached Billy about it. Did she tell him she had footage? “I can’t believe this.”

  “That’s not all.” Shep stopped the video and scrolled to the photos. Several photos of Billy and Darcy with the backpacks, going into the Nest. One of them with Rob, the bartender.

  Rob!

  “We knew he was in on it. He might be the middleman. And he’s the same build as the guy at the beach who tried to drown me.” Caley shook her head. “You think she confronted Billy and he went to Leo? Or Rob?”

  Shep ran his top teeth along his bottom lip. “Possibly.”

  Caley wanted to be sick. “Right under my nose? I’m so stupid!”

  “You’re not stupid, Caley. You’re invested in this job. In these people. You see way too much good in everyone,” he muttered.

  Was that what bothered him? The good she saw in him that he didn’t see? Couldn’t accept? Wouldn’t believe?

  She covered her face with her hands and leaned forward.

  What she wouldn’t give for a hug. A pat. But she’d demanded he not do it again. Not out of duty. And he wouldn’t have any reason to otherwise. Her throat tightened.

  “What do we do? Take this to Tom?”

  Shepherd glared at the GoPro. “It’s motive for murder. It might change their minds about it being an accident. But I’d like to talk to Ashley, see who she made calls to this morning—if she’ll be honest—and then haul Leo in myself. Right after he confesses. He owes you that, Caley. Truth right to your face. Then we can turn the rest over to Turtle Bay PD, and Tom. Let them make the arrests.”

  “I want those journals too. He’s going to give them to me. I’ll be able to detect discrepancies. Then we can turn that in as evidence too.”

  “I’ll make sure he does.”

  Shep had his ways. “This time of day he’d still be at the office.”

  “Then let’s go. We can’t keep waiting for the rain to let up.”

  * * *

  Caley’s nerves hummed but she needed to confront her mentor. They’d stopped by Ashley’s dorm room and questioned her about the park. She admitted she texted Billy Reynolds and made a comment about Caley and her “new boyfriend” together at all times of the day. Caley’s cheeks had heated at that innuendo. And she said she’d called Dr. Fines because she had dive duty and was running late.

  So both Billy and Leo had time to have either come out or called someone in. More likely, one of them tipped off the club owner because he had goons with guns.

  Leo Fines? Wanting her dead? It sunk like a lead weight in her gut. Once Leo confessed, Shepherd would turn over all the evidence to Tom and have him and Billy arrested. Goodbye Arnold Simms Center. Goodbye donors, grants and this life she’d made and loved so much.

  What if he didn’t confess? Nothing on video connected him to anything. But Shep had the photo of Leo going into the club with the duffel bag. Circumstantial evidence.

  She knocked on Leo’s office door and opened it.

  Leo looked like he hadn’t slept in a year. “Now what?” he asked, his voice tired. Defeated.

  “We have video footage from Mary Beth’s GoPro, Leo. See it for yourself.” Caley nodded to Shep, who played the GoPro.

  Leo sank in his office chair and ran a hand through his hair.

  “We also have proof you took a duffel bag into that club. How could you? How could you sell turtle eggs? You don’t want to protect your career by keeping this quiet. You want to protect your criminal activity!” Caley roared, losing all composure and not even caring.

  Leo’s eyes bugged. “What? You think I poached eggs and... How dare you?”

  “Then explain yourself, Leo,” Caley said. Shep remained quiet. For now.

  “You’ve got it all wrong.” Leo inhaled deeply. “Darcy’s been in trouble for a long time. She got tangled up with that horrible Kyle Marx. The club owner.”

  Caley gave Shep a knowing look. That guy was bad news all around.

  “Once she got caught up with him, she got messed up in drugs. Quit grad school. Moved into a condo overlooking the ocean. Who do you think pays for that?”

  Kyle Marx.

  “What was in that duffel bag?” Shep asked.

  Leo shot Shep a glance. “Money. I took a chunk of savings and tried to pay him to leave her alone. He took it and said he’d send her home to me. But he kept the money and nothing’s changed.” Despair and grief flooded his face. “I didn’t know about her involvement in the poaching or Billy’s. Not until now.” He sunk into his chair. “But I’m not completely surprised.”

  “Because of what you found in the data? In the journals you wouldn’t let me see?” Caley leaned on the desk. “Why are you keeping those journals from me, Leo?”

  “Yes. I saw some discrepancies. May tenth we rescued three turtles from longlines. I went out personally. Ashley and Billy were along. And Toby. On the fifteenth, I logged one turtle. Only Billy and Toby were with me that day. When I went back to the data, it showed two turtles rescued on the tenth and none on the fifteenth.”

  Caley clasped a hand over her mouth. “The books were doctored. To show fewer turtles. Did they think you’d forget?”

  “I typically don’t deal with the data, but the gala is coming up.”

  “So you pulled the journals for your speech. Who was responsible?” Caley asked.

  “I don’t know. I was waiting it out to see if it happened again. See if I could catch the culprit. Then Mary Beth died.”
<
br />   “Because she’d found the same thing,” Shep offered. He turned to Caley. “Billy would be the likeliest person she’d go to, don’t you think?”

  “Not necessarily. She and Ashley were close—and we were shot at after we saw her in the park.”

  “You were shot at?” Leo asked.

  “Yes!” Caley hissed.

  Shepherd cocked his head. “Ashley said she called you this morning and mentioned we were there.”

  “She did. She was running late.” Leo’s eyes grew wide. “I had nothing to do with your being shot at! I’m just trying to help my daughter.”

  Ashley could have called Leo and Billy like she said, but she could have also called Kyle Marx directly and left that out. They needed to confront Billy.

  Shep ignored Leo. “What about Toby? Remember that photo we found of them? She could have confided in him.”

  True. But all she could think of was the turtles. Where were those precious creatures now? Tears burned the back of her eyes and flames licked up her belly. “This is why you told me to stop meddling, isn’t it, Leo? You knew that if Nora and the donors got wind of this, none of us would work again.”

  “And I wanted time to figure out who was behind the turtle theft. And to deal with Darcy.”

  “Is that who you were talking to on Ladies’ Night in the office at the Nest? I heard you.” Caley shook her head, trying to wrap her brain around all of this.

  Leo gaped. “You heard me? How?”

  “Doesn’t matter. Is that what you were doing there? Talking to Darcy?” Caley asked. Shep continued to burn a hole through Leo with a glare.

  “Yes. Once I realized they’d taken my money and she wasn’t leaving. He wasn’t going to make her.” He rested his head on the back of his office chair and closed his eyes. “I knew she was there. I went to talk to her. Her drug use... It is all out of control.” Snapping his head to attention, he looked straight at Caley. “But there is no way Darcy had anything to do with murdering Mary Beth. If it even is a homicide. The police still say it was accidental drowning.”

  “They made it look like that, Leo!”

  “Well, Darcy didn’t do it! She’s messed up with a dangerous man, but she’s not a murderer, Caley. You know her.” Leo jumped up and paced the floor next to window. “I don’t know what to do.”