Chapter 42
Sure enough, the snips were in the drawer.
Jack pulled a pair of nitrile gloves from his pocket and snapped them on. He picked up the shears and examined them.
They were a different brand from the murder weapon, but a similar design.
“That’s clearly not the murder weapon,” Tiffany said. “You have the murder weapon in the property department. What’s the big deal?”
Jack put them back in the drawer. “I have a suspicious nature. You’ll have to forgive me.”
“I’ll forgive you after you fix the cracks in my drywall.
” She shifted onto one hip. “What’s it going to take for you guys to move on to another suspect?
You know I’ve got no financial incentive.
I’ve passed your poly. You’ve got a person of interest who’s way more plausible than me. What more do you need?”
“I understand your frustration,” I said. “We just have to leave no stone unturned.”
“I guess everyone is guilty until proven innocent in your eyes.”
“Tell you what? I’ll take you permanently off my suspect list,” JD said.
She gave him a doubtful look. “Promise?”
Jack raised his hand. “Scout’s honor.”
Her sultry eyes narrowed at him. “You’re no Boy Scout.”
Jack grinned.
“Matters not. If you want to think I’m guilty, go ahead. Just don’t get so preoccupied with me you let the real killer slip away.”
Tiffany strutted out of the bathroom, somewhat annoyed.
JD and I shared a look.
My phone buzzed with a call from Flynn. I answered, “What’s up?”
“Houston, we have a problem.”
"What kind of problem?"
"Well, in an effort to open the inner resources of his brain, Mickey decided to do a heroic dose of mushrooms."
I sighed.
"I couldn't let him go on the journey alone in good conscience, you understand.”
"What kind of trouble has he gotten himself into?”
"I told him to come over to the boat so I could babysit him and keep an eye on things.”
"So he's aboard the Avventura with you?”
"Not at the moment.”
"Where are you?”
"We're at the lighthouse.”
"Stay put. We’ll come get you."
"Actually, it's a little more complicated than that."
I stifled a groan. "How complicated?"
"Well, we're actually on top of the lighthouse. Mickey thought we might get a little closer to God's perspective from up here.”
"Don't tell me he's going to jump."
"No. I don't think so. We haven't learned to fly yet."
"News flash. You're not going to learn to fly.”
"Ye of little faith, my friend. You remember those berries we ate on La Perdida.”
"Please tell me you're not that high."
The berries had taken us on quite the spiritual journey.
"No,” Flynn said. “Those berries were out of this world. We are still in this conscious plane of existence. But Mickey's not going to come down until we have the answer. He's convinced Augustus knows where the money is hidden.”
"Who's Augustus?”
"You should meet him. He's really cool. He’s got some wild stories.”
"Just sit tight. Don't do anything stupid. Don't let Mickey do anything stupid. We'll be right there.”
"You got it, brother."
I ended the call with Flynn and filled JD in on the situation.
We hustled out of the bathroom and found Tiffany.
"Sorry, but duty calls," Jack said.
"Oh, I see how it is. Take off before the work is finished. Typical contractor.”
"I promise, I'll make it up to you," Jack said.
"You better.” After a pause, she said, "I hope everything is okay.”
"Just a slight glitch in the matrix," I said.
We said our goodbyes, hustled downstairs, and pushed out the front door.
Storm clouds gathered on the horizon.
JD and I jogged down the walkway and climbed into the Porsche. He fired up the flat six, and we headed across the island to the old lighthouse. It wasn't the tallest structure on the island, but a fall from the top of it would put a damper on your day.
By the time we got there, a crowd of people had gathered, staring up at the two idiots on the top of the tower.
News crews at the base soaked up footage.
Paris Delaney and her crew were on the scene.
Helicopters circled overhead, and Paris's team navigated a drone up to the top of the lighthouse to get up close and personal footage of the psychonauts.
We hustled onto the property, took the metal staircase that spiraled up to the top, then stepped out onto the gallery walkway that rimmed the lantern house. We took the ladder up to the top of the lantern house and climbed onto the sloped metal roof.
Flynn sat atop the roof, looking out over the ocean, smoking a joint. His eyes were narrow slits that peered into other dimensions.
The smell of herb wafted.
Mickey stood at the top of the spire, cradling a massive iguana in his arms. He stared deep into the creature’s eyes.
"Flynn!" I scolded.
"Oh, sorry." He flicked the joint away. The cherry glowed as it tumbled through the air and fell to the ground below. It was a long way down.
Flynn pointed to the iguana. "Meet Augustus, the Lizard King."
With cautious steps, we climbed up to the top of the spire. The sloped roof was not for the faint of heart.
"Hey, Mickey,” I said. “How about you guys come down now?"
"I'm not coming down until I have all the answers. Not until Augustus has spoken.”
"I'm not sure Augustus has the answers you're searching for.”
Mickey looked at me like I was crazy. "Augustus has all the answers to the known universe.”
A gust of wind swirled around the lighthouse, knocking Mickey off balance. He tilted forward to steady himself, but holding the large iguana carried him farther than he anticipated.
The last thing I needed was Mickey and the lizard flattened on the ground below.