Chapter 4 Holt
HOLT
The conference room at the Sandpiper Shores Police Station felt smaller than usual with two federal agents sitting across from Holt and June at the worn wooden table.
Agent Sarah Murdoch from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sat with her hands folded precisely over a manila folder, while Agent Kyle Bradford from the Forest Service leaned back in his chair with the casual confidence of someone who had navigated inter-agency politics for decades.
Holt had called in favors to arrange this meeting on such short notice. Both agents had driven down from Gainesville that morning, and their presence meant the Henderson farm fire investigation could finally move forward properly.
"The jurisdiction question is fairly straightforward," Agent Murdoch began, opening her folder and spreading several aerial photographs across the table.
"The fire originated on private property but jumped to federal land here.
" She pointed to a section of the photographs.
"Approximately forty-seven acres of the Withlacoochee State Forest were affected. "
June leaned forward slightly, studying the images with the careful attention Holt had come to recognize. "What's the procedure for conducting a joint investigation across both jurisdictions?" June asked, lifting her eyes and glancing between the agents.
Agent Bradford answered. "We need a formal cooperation agreement that establishes lead authority, evidence sharing protocols, and access permissions. Director Dillinger would serve as the federal representative, coordinating between our agencies and local law enforcement."
Holt nodded. "That works for our purposes. We need to determine if this fire was deliberately set, and we need access to both the private property and the federal land to complete our investigation."
"There's another consideration," June said, her tone shifting to something more professional. "The federal land that burned is part of a wildlife preserve area, isn't it?"
Agent Murdoch's expression sharpened with interest. "Yes. It's designated critical habitat for several protected species, including the Florida bonneted bat and the red-cockaded woodpecker. We're very concerned about the environmental impact."
"Would you have someone available to assess wildlife damage and ensure our investigation doesn't interfere with any recovery efforts?" Holt asked.
"That's actually a problem," Agent Bradford admitted. "Our wildlife specialist is committed to a project in the Everglades for the next three weeks. We'd need to bring someone in from another region, which could delay things significantly."
June's eyes met Holt's across the table, and he could see she was thinking the same thing he was.
"I might have a solution," June said carefully. "Dr. Lacey Peltz is a veterinarian here in Sandpiper Shores who specializes in wildlife conservation. She's worked with state and federal agencies before on habitat assessments."
Agent Murdoch looked intrigued. "What's her background?"
"Fifteen years of experience with wildlife rehabilitation and habitat restoration," Holt replied.
"She's worked with Fish and Wildlife on several coastal conservation projects.
Dr. Peltz would be able to guide us through the affected areas while ensuring we don't disrupt any ongoing wildlife recovery. "
"That could work," Agent Bradford said, making notes. "We'd need to see her credentials and get her cleared for the investigation, but it would solve our staffing problem."
"I can have her credentials sent to you by this afternoon," June offered.
Agent Murdoch closed her folder. "Excellent. We can have the cooperation agreement drafted and ready for signatures by tomorrow morning. Director Dillinger, you'll coordinate the on-site investigation?"
"Yes," Holt confirmed. "We'll need access to begin today, if possible."
"Shouldn't be a problem," Agent Bradford said, standing. "I can give you temporary access right away, and you’ll have the full agreement by tomorrow morning.”
After exchanging contact information and finalizing the timeline, the federal agents left. Holt waited until their car had pulled out of the parking lot before turning to June.
"It might be a bit risky to volunteer Lacey for this," Holt said quietly. "She's still in the hospital recovering from her accident."
June's expression shifted, and Holt could see something like guilt flicker across her face. "Actually, I need to tell you something about that. I visited Lacey this morning, and I probably overstepped, but I asked her about the accident."
Holt's eyebrows rose. He hadn't expected June to conduct her own interview, but he wasn't entirely surprised either. Once she was locked onto a case, she couldn’t let it go, and her mind would naturally want to gather information.
"What did she tell you?" Holt watched June as she shifted in her seat but met his eyes unflinchingly.
June recounted her conversation with Lacey, describing the two separate impacts, the sound of an engine revving, and Lacey's clear recollection that she had already slowed for the curve before being hit.
"She was hit twice?" Holt asked, his voice sharp with concern.
"That's what she said. The first impact wasn't hard enough to send her off the road, but it made her jerk the wheel. She got the truck back under control before being hit a second time," June recounted what Lacey had told her.
Holt felt his jaw tighten. Two deliberate impacts almost completely ruled out the possibility that this had been an accident.
Accidentally hitting the truck once was an accident, but revving and hitting the truck again was something entirely different.
That was more like intent. Someone had intentionally run Lacey off the road and then sped off before anyone knew they were there, leaving Lacey at the bottom of the embankment.
"I was planning to visit her this afternoon to get her official statement," Holt said. "Would you mind coming with me? I think having you there will put her at ease."
"Of course," June agreed. "But why isn't Tom or Rad handling this? Isn't this their jurisdiction?"
Holt's expression darkened, and he glanced toward the conference room door before lowering his voice. "Because the evidence Rad collected from the accident scene yesterday has gone missing."
June stared at him. "Missing?"
"Gone. Rad locked everything in the evidence room yesterday evening. All the photographs, paint samples, measurements, and his preliminary report. This morning, when Tom went to review the file, the entire evidence bag was empty." Holt’s eyes narrowed.
"After it was properly logged and secured?" June's voice carried the disbelief of someone who understood how evidence protocols worked.
Holt nodded grimly.
"I don't think we should discuss this or anything regarding Lacey’s accident or the fires and incidents here," he said, lowering his voice further. "There are too many people coming and going. And these walls are not as soundproof as I’d like them to be."
June agreed with a slight nod. "When do you want to visit the accident site? We should document everything again before more time passes."
"I want Lacey’s statement first, and then we'll go to the impound lot to re-examine her truck. The physical evidence on the vehicle should still be intact." Holt knew that Tom and Rad were already at the accident scene and would get to Lacey’s car again.
But Holt wanted to gather his own evidence as he didn’t believe for a minute that Rad had been careless or misplaced the evidence. No matter what that horrible woman at the evidence lockup said.
Holt was about to suggest they head to the hospital when June's phone beeped. She glanced at the screen, and her expression brightened.
"It's a message from Lacey," June said, reading the message. "Lacey is being discharged and wants to know if I can give her a ride to the Sandpiper Inn." She smiled at him. “Lacey and Lucy are staying there while the Hoops House on Point Drive is being fixed. Something about a bad foundation.”
“That’s a big job,” Holt said. “We can fetch her together, and while we’re taking her back to the inn, I can ask her questions about her accident.”
"That's a good idea," June agreed. “If you don’t mind driving, we can take Carmen’s car again.”
“Of course,” Holt said. “As you know, I don’t have a car, so I’m glad we have Carmen’s to use.”
Twenty minutes later, they were in Carmen's car, with Holt behind the wheel, heading toward the medical clinic to pick up Lacey.
The afternoon sun was warm through the windows, and Holt found himself appreciating the quiet comfort of having June beside him in the passenger seat.
Their morning at the salvage yard and the federal meeting had felt like a natural partnership, the kind of easy collaboration he hadn't experienced in years.
They found Lacey waiting in a wheelchair near the clinic's discharge area, looking significantly better than she had the day before. Her arm was still in a sling, and bruising colored her cheek, but her eyes were clear and alert.
"Thank you for the rescue," Lacey said as Holt helped her into the back seat. "Lucy was going to drive me, but she got called to an emergency surgery."
"Not a problem," Holt assured her, settling back behind the wheel. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I got rolled down a hill in a truck," Lacey replied with a wry smile. "But much better than yesterday."
As they drove toward the inn, June filled Lacey in on the morning's federal meeting and the possibility of her serving as the wildlife consultant for the investigation.
"I don’t mind at all," Lacey said immediately. "If you have permission to get into the reserve, we should go now. We need to get out there as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that injured or displaced animals won't survive."