Chapter 46
Todd decided to be more cooperative. We followed him back to Coconut Key, then back to his house.
He lived in a one-story bungalow on Sandcastle Lane. It had mint green siding, white trim, and a nice veranda. An American flag flew from a column, and the landscaping was well-maintained.
We parked at the curb and hopped out of the sheriff's patrol car. We followed Todd through the gate at the white picket fence up to the front porch.
Todd reached into his pocket, pulled out his keys, and jingled them as he fumbled to get them in the slot. He paused. "I'm not letting you guys in my house. Not after the shit you pulled on my boat."
"What have you got in the house you don't want us to see?" the sheriff asked.
"Nothing. I'll be right back.”
Todd opened the door a sliver and slipped inside. He tried to close the door on us, but the sheriff wasn't having any of it. He put his foot in the doorway and kept it open.
"Fine,” Todd huffed. “Stay here. I'll be back.”
He disappeared down the foyer, and we all exchanged an uncertain glance.
"Go around the back and make sure he doesn't try to run," the sheriff said to Jack.
Jack darted from the porch, jogged across the lawn, and hustled up the driveway.
Todd returned a moment later with the briefcase and handed it to the sheriff.
The sheriff handed it to me. "Is that it?”
I nodded. "What happened to the Faraday cage?”
"The what?”
"It was wrapped in fabric.”
"Oh. Do you want that too?”
"It might come in handy.”
Todd darted back into the house, then returned a moment later with the fabric.
I wrapped it around the cage to block the signal of the GPS.
I didn't know if anybody was monitoring it or not.
There's no telling how long it had been outside the Faraday cage.
I asked him, and he said, “Since I brought it back to the house.”
“Do you live alone?”
“Yeah.”
"Have you opened the case?"
"I couldn’t figure out how," Todd said. He paused. "What's inside?”
"That's classified," I said, messing with him.
"Seriously?"
I nodded.
Todd's eyes flicked between the three of us. "So, we're all cool now, right?"
The sheriff exhaled. "Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Brooks."
Todd looked much relieved.
We left the porch and walked back to the squad car. We hopped inside, and the sheriff fired up the engine. He pulled away from the curb, and we drove back toward the station. I sat in the front seat, with Jack in the back.
We made a few twists and turns. With his eyes on the rear view, the sheriff said, "I think we've got company."
He took another quick left, and I looked back through the rear window.
The sheriff stepped on the gas as we barreled through a residential neighborhood.
The silver sedan rounded the corner behind us.
Daniels took a right at the stop sign, which he completely ignored. Perks of the job.
The silver sedan followed.
"Yep," he said, his eyes still glancing to the rear view. "We definitely have friends."
Tires screeched as he made another left. He flicked on the siren and the flashers. He mashed the gas, and the engine roared as we barreled down the street. We reached the end of the block and held up for traffic. Then he took a right on Paradise Park. The four-lane avenue was divided by a median.
Daniels stepped on it again.
In the distance, the silver sedan turned onto Paradise Park, following. We'd opened up a large gap.
The sheriff took another right. He grabbed the handset, keyed the mic, and gave a description of the silver sedan. He told them to send backup.
It was about that time a black SUV barreled from a side street and plowed into the right front quarter of the patrol car. The impact spun us around. Tires squealed, headlights shattered. Quarter panels crumpled.
The engine stalled out, and four goons emerged from the SUV with semiautomatic weapons. Dressed in black tactical gear and wearing black balaclavas, these guys weren’t playing around. With weapons shouldered, they opened fire.
Muzzle flash flickered, and bullets lit up the squad car.
Blistering copper rounds cratered the back windshield of the car, pelting and pinging off body panels.
We all ducked for cover and drew our weapons.