Chapter Thirteen Covert Operations
Chapter Thirteen
Covert Operations
The following afternoon, Madison walked to the Waterwitch Grocery and Gourmet Shop on her way to the boat house.
She was going to purchase cheese, bread, and fruit for her and Viggo’s mission.
While she was checking on the variety of cheeses, she glanced up through the window and saw someone outside the shop who looked a lot like Geoffrey Wilson.
She quickly made her way toward the back of the store.
If it was Geoffrey, she didn’t want to have an exchange with him, in spite of the fact she was curious as to why he was in Smuggler’s Cove.
She took a peek out the window again and saw that the man was already in his Range Rover and was driving off. It was odd. Why would he be here? Was he stalking her? Oh, get a grip, Madison, she thought to herself. She was getting paranoid. The incident with Crusty really left her unnerved.
She was glad she and Viggo were going to do some of their own sleuthing. She felt safe with him and thought he could handle any situation they might find themselves in.
Groceries purchased, she slowly made her way toward the marina. She wanted to make sure Hannah, Charlie, and Josh had enough time to lock up the boat house and then take off. She wanted them to be gone before she got there; she didn’t want to answer any questions. Not yet.
When she saw the Clams on Wheels truck drive off in the opposite direction, and Josh heading elsewhere, Madison approached the marina. Viggo was pulling up in his twenty-one-foot Carolina skiff.
“Ahoy, matey!” he called out to Madison. She swiftly climbed down the marina ladder as he pulled against the dock. She handed him the basket of snacks, and then he helped her aboard.
“Ready?” he asked with a huge grin.
“Ready,” Madison said, and settled into the bench seat beside him. “Nice wheels.”
Viggo said, “I don’t take it out as often as I’d like. Too much summer traffic, and I’m working most of the time. It’s nice in the fall, though.”
Until now, it hadn’t occurred to Madison to ask about its location. “Where do you keep it docked?”
“Across the street. My neighbor has a dock but no boat. I give him a hundred bucks a month, which is cheaper than keeping it somewhere else. It’s a win-win for both of us. I also let him use it.”
“That’s very generous of you.”
“Not really. He keeps it spotless. Better than I would.”
“I doubt that.” Madison had seen how well-kept Viggo’s place was.
Viggo turned the boat around, and they headed downriver to where Dennis’s car had been found. There was a makeshift launch where people could bring canoes or kayaks into the water. It wasn’t fitted enough for a boat, except for maybe a pontoon.
Viggo pulled up as close as he could get to the shoreline without running aground and cut the engine.
Madison shot some photos of the area. “Do you think we should try to get there by car? See where Dennis parked?”
“Good idea, Miss Marple.” Viggo waited until Madison was satisfied with her photo op, then slowly turned the boat back toward the marina. Viggo pointed out where they found the kayak Dennis was supposedly paddling.
Madison thought carefully. “So, if Dennis’s body got pulled under the boat house due to the current, then why was the kayak downriver? Shouldn’t it have floated in the same direction?”
“Excellent observation.” Viggo was impressed at Madison’s acute awareness of the positions of the body and the kayak. “Or, it could have floated back when the tide came in.”
“Possibly.” Madison scribbled in her spiral notebook. Run through the course of events that the police surmised happened.
Viggo recalled what he knew: “From what the coroner could glean, Dennis hit his head while trying to climb up the side ladder, fell into the water, and got tangled in the ropes. The gash on his head suggested it may have knocked him unconscious, causing him to drown.”
“What if someone hit him in the head?” Madison wondered.
Viggo thought she was going in that direction because of what happened to Crusty. “So you think there is a serial head-smasher?”
“Not necessarily, but don’t they call it a weapon of opportunity?” Madison scribbled more notes. “Let’s say it’s not the same person committing the head-bashing. Let’s look at these incidents as separate but loosely connected.”
“So, Crusty’s assault was not a copycat situation?”
“Correct. Just another situation where there was a weapon of opportunity.”
“So what was the weapon used on Farrell?”
“Why don’t we take a look ourselves. It could be at the original crime scene,” Madison noted.
“You really do have a criminal mind, Madison Wainwright.”
“I told you so.” She tapped her pen on his thigh.
Viggo steered the boat back toward the marina. When they pulled up to the dock, he glanced at the basket. “We didn’t have our snacks,” he said, pouting.
“Don’t be a crybaby. We can save them for later.” Madison patted the back of his hand. “Let’s get your car. I don’t want to answer any questions if Lincoln or Olivia are around.”
“Good thinking,” Viggo said as his phone beeped. It was a text from Burton:
It’s a go for Wednesday. Ask Madison to contact Arlo to meet at 3:00.
Viggo turned to Madison. “Ready for another caper?”
“After we finish this one? Sure!” Madison responded. She was beginning to enjoy their version of Emma Peel and John Steed from The Avengers, a popular television show in the 1960s. Madison was familiar with Emma Peel’s distinct style, winning over audiences with her catsuit.
Viggo noticed a curious smile on Madison’s face. “What?”
“Just thinking about other detectives from film and television.”
“You mean like Nick and Nora Charles from the Dashiell Hammett books?”
“No, but yes.” Madison grinned. Even though the situation was serious, she had to admit she was having a bit of fun with it.
As they made their way to Viggo’s neighbor’s dock, he explained what Burton had in mind.
Madison didn’t say much as she was going through the steps in her head.
Viggo tied off the boat, and the two of them walked along the path that led from the bulkhead to the street. Viggo’s house was right there.
Madison commented, “You’re right. This is quite convenient.”
Diogo was at the window and greeted them with a thumping tail and a few low woofs.
Viggo laughed. “Look who’s there. Do you mind if we stop in?”
“I’d love to say hello to my buddy,” Madison said, and giggled.
Diogo met them at the door, and Viggo leaned over to pet him.
“Hey, pal. We’re on a mission but will be back soon. Sit tight.”
Diogo obeyed and sat. Viggo felt compelled to give him a dog biscuit. “Here you go. A little snack.”
“Speaking of snacks, let’s leave this here.” Madison placed the basket of food on the counter. “The cheese should be alright. It’s in an insulated bag.”
“You think of everything. No wonder you’re editor in chief.”
Viggo patted the dog on his head one more time before turning to Madison. “Let’s go.”
Diogo took that as a command and galloped toward the door. Viggo had a slight pang of guilt. “Should we bring him along?”
“Why not?” Madison replied.
The three amigos got into Viggo’s SUV. It was going to take longer to drive to the spot, because they had to get to the other side of the river.
That meant driving over a bridge, then down a few backroads to the base of the woods.
It was off the beaten path and surely a spot only known by the locals.
When Viggo stopped the car, Madison hopped out and opened the door for Diogo. Viggo allowed him to be off-leash, but the dog stayed by his side.
Even though the area was rather secluded, tire tracks from ATVs and a few other types of vehicles were visible in the soil.
“Any tire tracks from that day would be long gone,” Viggo remarked.
Madison squatted to look at a few rocks in a pile. “So do you think this rock formation is natural, symbolic, or random?” She looked up at Viggo.
He squatted next to her and looked at the configuration. “It’s probably a cairn, a trail marker, or a work of art.”
“Stones are used in rituals, as well,” Madison said, and started snapping photos. “Take a look at this one.” She enlarged the photo on her phone. “Looks like paint.”
The two of them got closer to the ground.
“Indeed it does,” Viggo responded. “Try to get a close-up of it.”
Madison shot a few more photos and then walked around the rocks, creating a 3-D panorama.
“Here’s something else.” She pointed to a dark spot on the whitish rock.
Viggo leaned in. “Could be dried blood.” He stood. “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t disrupt this pile, but I think we need to take the two discolored rocks to the station. We can make a similar pile in case someone was using this as a trail marker.”
Viggo went back to his truck and pulled out a pair of work gloves, while Madison checked the area for similarly sized and shaped rocks.
Once she was satisfied that she could replicate the short tower, Viggo began to dissemble the original pile, placing the two suspicious-looking rocks in the back of his SUV.
“I’m going to check in with Rob.”
He phoned the chief and explained that he and Madison were on their way and had something they wanted to show him.
Diogo was the first to leap into the truck, followed by Madison and Viggo.
Madison pursed her lips. “He’s going to think we are out of our minds.”
“Right now, any lead is better than no lead,” Viggo said, as they backed out onto the dirt road. “Two cars could have easily fit here. Dennis’s car was found right there.” He pointed to the spot just on the other side of the newly formed rock pile.
For some reason, Madison recalled the earlier incident. “When I was at the Waterwitch, I thought I saw Geoffrey Wilson on the sidewalk. He got into a Range Rover.”
“Oh, Madison Wainwright, your imagination is running wild today,” Viggo teased.
“Yes, but …” She tried to figure out how to explain it. “He gives me the creeps.”