Chapter 20
JD and I scoured every inch of the Avventura but didn't find a bomb or anything that looked remotely like one.
"That bastard is going to fly in a drone and blow us up as we sleep," Jack said.
“He said the device was already in position.”
Jack scoffed. “And you trust this guy?”
Everything could be a lie.
"At this point, I think we need to make a venue change," I said. "Let's get Henrik over to the Seven Seas. I think we should err on the side of caution."
"That's probably not a bad idea," Jack admitted, though neither of us was too thrilled about being targeted.
"Let’s evacuate the marina. If there is a bomb aboard this boat, it could take a few others with it."
"What about Diver Down? That's an obvious target."
I agreed. "Hell, there could be a bomb hidden anywhere on the premises. Depending on the size of the yield, it could level the whole area.”
It wasn't a pleasant thought.
"What's the point?” JD asked. "I mean, he finds you to be a challenge. Why would he get rid of his opponent so quickly?”
"Maybe I should remind him of that the next time he calls."
I left the boat and hustled down the dock to Diver Down. The restaurant was filled with a decent mid-morning crowd. I stepped behind the bar and whispered in Teagan's ear. "We need to clear the restaurant.”
She looked at me with a knitted brow, like I was crazy.
"I don't want to alarm you, but there's been a threat.”
"What kind of threat?" she blared, louder than I would have liked.
I shooshed her and in a low voice said, "A credible one.”
Her eyes rounded, and she swallowed hard, knowing exactly what I meant. In a grave but calm voice, she asked, "How much time do we have?”
I told her. "Let people finish up, don't take any new orders, and close up.”
She gave a subtle nod.
Harlan sat at the end of the bar, his keen eyes watching my interaction with Teagan. "Can I get another beer, sweetie?"
Teagan forced a smile. "I'm sorry, doll. We're shutting down for the rest of the day.”
The old Marine’s face wrinkled. "Why is that?"
"Because I have places to be, and we need to do some routine maintenance."
"Everything looks like it's working just fine to me."
"Well, we like everything to be in tip-top shape."
Harlan was no dummy. He knew something was up.
Jack went back to the boat, helped Henrik gather his belongings, then took him over to the Seven Seas and got him checked into one of the cabanas.
Harlan paid his tab, climbed off his barstool, and ambled toward me. In a whisper, he asked, "You want to tell me what the hell is going on?"
I smiled. "Like she said, routine maintenance."
"Bullshit.”
"We’ll be open again tomorrow.”
He stared at me for a moment, trying to read my mind. "Well, if you need my help, you know where to find me," he said before ambling toward the door.
Harlan may have been cantankerous at times, but he’d do anything for the people he cared about.
Slowly but surely, patrons finished their meals, paid their tabs, and left without much fanfare.
Sheriff Daniels arrived, along with the bomb squad, the FBI, and the ATF. Once the restaurant was empty, we turned the dogs loose and searched the place from top to bottom, including the loft above.
Nothing.
We searched the surrounding area, including the dumpster and the dock. A bomb could have been hidden in any of the dock boxes, most of which were padlocked. One by one, we got permission to search the boxes and cut the locks off the ones where we couldn’t get in touch with the owners.
Exigent circumstances.
The bomb techs went through everything, and the process was documented. Residents were evacuated in an abundance of caution. We also checked all the cars in the lot, looking underneath and inside the vehicles.
That took the better part of the day and turned up nothing.
I regrouped with the sheriff and the others on the dock. The place was a ghost town.
“Maybe this guy is pulling your chain,” Daniels said.
“I don’t think so.”
“If he’s watching, he’s getting good insight into our response protocol.”
A black SUV pulled into the parking lot. All eyes were on it as the driver found a place to park. It looked like a government vehicle.
Three men and a woman exited the SUV. They all wore navy suits and dark sunglasses.
The woman had sandy-blonde hair that hung in rings to her shoulders. She had olive skin and an athletic figure. Her eyes found me, and she marched in my direction.
She looked like trouble.
Out came the credentials. "Deputy Wild, I’m Intelligence Officer Novak. NSA. My colleagues, Fulton, Chen, and Mosley.”
I gave them all a brief lookover. "What can I do for you?”
She nodded for me to step aside. I left the crowd, and we took a short stroll. "It's my understanding you are taking care of Henrik Strauss. We’d like to speak to him."
"I'm sorry, but he's not here at the moment. As you can see, I'm a little busy.”
"I understand, but this is a matter of national security.”
"You know we’re dealing with an active bomb threat at the moment.”
She lifted a curious brow.
"I thought you guys knew everything."
"Where is Strauss?”
"Not here.”
Novak gave me an annoyed look.
"What's your interest?”
"That's top-secret.”
"How about you read me in?”
"What have you been able to get out of him?”
I lied, "The man is 98 years old. I'm not sure how much is in there.”
"Perhaps you fail to see the importance of this matter.”
"Perhaps you’ve failed to enlighten me as to why I should care?”
"Deputy Wild, you're a patriotic man. You want what's best for our country, don’t you?”
I didn’t appreciate her condescending tone. "I’ve bled for our country."
Novak hesitated for a long moment. "Is there somewhere we can speak in private?”
I nodded to the restaurant and escorted her inside. The door chimed as we stepped into the empty space. Chairs were upside down on tables.
We took a seat at the bar.
I thought I'd be a good host and asked if I could get her anything to drink.
"No, thank you.”
"You were about to tell me why you're interested in Strauss.”
"I think you already know the answer to that.”