Chapter 23
We took Kara back to the marina at Diver Down. I'd figure out how to handle the paperwork about this mess later. An anonymous tip led us to Lori's apartment. From there, the rest is history. It sounded plausible. Figuring out how to massage a report was the least of my concerns at the moment.
We pulled into the parking lot, and Jack parked the Porsche.
We all climbed out and strolled the dock toward the Avventura.
That's when I noticed something concerning.
A couple of guys in suits and dark sunglasses sat on the aft deck, along with Piper.
It took a little longer to get back to the boat than expected.
We had kept the impatient hacker waiting, and by the expression on her face, she didn't look too pleased about it.
The guys in suits were feds. We crossed the passerelle, and they flashed their credentials. I recognized the two from Zheng's cabana at the Seven Seas—Special Agents Stratton and Ward. They reintroduced themselves.
Buddy barked up a storm in the salon, his nose against the glass.
I forced a smile. "Afternoon, gentlemen. What can I do for you?"
They surveyed Kara.
"Who's your friend?" Stratton asked me.
"Is that any of your business?”
"You want to tell me what you boys are doing?"
I shrugged. "I think we’re about to go have lunch. Would you care to join us?”
"Who is she?" Stratton asked, pointing at Piper.
"A friend.”
"Your friend’s got an attitude. I don't think she likes law enforcement."
"I don't blame her.”
Stratton glared at me.
"Is there something I can do for you?”
"What were you doing at the Seven Seas earlier today?”
"You following us around?”
Stratton and Ward exchanged a glance but said nothing.
"Somebody just tried to kill us. Black sedan. No plates. Could have been government issued. Who knows? It wasn't you two, was it?”
I didn't think it was, but I figured I'd harass them a little bit.
"If you're still investigating this case, I suggest you step aside,” Stratton said. “It's a federal investigation, as you well know.”
JD and I played innocent. We exchanged dumb glances.
I said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I have no interest in your case.”
"If you know something, and you’re not sharing it with us, you could be charged with obstruction."
I just stared him down. "I'm sure I don't know any more than you do.”
"I'm going to ask you again. Who's your friend?"
"She's a confidential informant. That information is protected. Sorry, my hands are tied.”
Kara smiled.
"Lying to a federal agent is a crime."
I laughed. "I'm not lying. How about you tell me why the CIA is involved?”
"I don't know if you’ve been hiding under a rock, but this is a matter of national security. We take that kind of thing seriously. So do a lot of other agencies.”
"I take it you haven't drummed up any leads. I mean, you’ve been too busy following us around all day.”
Stratton glared at me.
"If you don't mind, gentlemen, we're really hungry. We’d like to get something to eat.”
"You two think you're cute, don’t you? I swear to God, if I find that you’re sticking your noses where they don't belong, I will have you both arrested for obstruction and whatever else I can think of."
"Maybe you should focus on the task at hand.”
He didn't like that. After another angry look, Stratton and Ward marched across the passerelle to the dock.
Jack smiled and waved as they looked back.
Stratton looked like he wanted to flip him off, but he restrained himself.
When they were out of earshot, Piper said, "What the actual fuck, man? You call me down here just to get harassed by feds? No," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't sign up for that. I’ve got enough trouble as it is. I don't need those dickholes crawling up my ass.”
I smiled. "Piper, this is Kara. Kara, Piper.”
They forced a smile at each other.
Piper continued her rant. "You're late. I’ve been waiting at least 45 minutes."
"I'm sorry. I didn't expect to run into two assassins," I snarked.
"What are you getting me into?”
We stepped inside the salon, and I knelt down and petted Buddy. I introduced him to Piper, and the little Jack Russell soaked up the attention from the two beauties. He was an attention hog.
After a few moments, Piper said, "Well, I'm here. What have you got for me?”
I told Kara to fork over the data. "I know you've got it on you.”
She hesitated a moment, then pulled a USB drive from a pocket and brandished it. As I reached for it, she pulled back. "I don't know if you've forgotten, but I’m supposed to make a drop in an hour.”
"So we’ll go to the drop and see who shows up. But they're not getting the data.” I looked at Piper. "Do you have everything you need?"
She pulled a sleek black laptop from her backpack. "Where can I set up?”
"Anywhere you like. Make yourself at home."
"This is a nice boat, by the way.”
"Thank you," I said.
“Are you sure you guys are legit?”
I sneered at her.
"I'm going to wander around and find a place where I can catch a vibe.”
"Just don't leave the boat.”
"What, am I a prisoner now?" she asked as she brushed past me. She set out to explore the boat, and Buddy followed her. I think he made a new friend.
I warned her, "Remember, you can’t be connected to the Internet. You can't copy the file, you can't—“
"I know, I know. I'm not stupid. This isn’t my first rodeo.”
I told Jack to stay here and look after Piper while Kara and I went to the drop site. He tossed me the keys to the Porsche, and we left the boat and headed down the dock to the parking lot. We hopped into the sports car. Kara was glad to have a real seat.