“Yeah.”
“Why would Daddy call you to tell you that?”
“He said Victor Gant is one of the devil’s own. He said Victor Gant would come after me for killing his boy.”
“I think Commander Coburn knows that,” Don said.
“Probably. Will’s a smart man.”
Don looked puzzled for a moment. “How did Daddy know about Victor Gant?”
“He said he knew him.”
“Daddy?”
Shel nodded.
“How would Daddy know a man like that?”
“That is the question, isn’t it?” Shel lay back on the pillow, but he knew he wasn’t going to get any more sleep that night.
v
28
›› Sheraton Hotel
›› Charlotte, North Carolina
›› 0639 Hours
Will rolled over in bed and grabbed his iPAQ phone from the nightstand. “Coburn.”
“Aren’t you up yet?”
It took Will a moment to recognize Police Chief Tarlton’s voice. The man sounded entirely too awake and happy for it to be the time that showed on the PDA’s viewscreen.
“No,” Will answered. He slitted his eyes against the weak sunlight hammering the eastern balcony windows. The drapes only blunted part of the brightness. “Is Shel-?”
“Everybody at the hospital is fine,” Tarlton said. “Besides your people, I okayed some of my guys for OT.”
“I appreciate that.”
“No problem. Since you’re going to help me stir up my favorite hornet’s nest and rile the FBI, it’s the least I could do.”
Despite the lack of sleep, the worry, and the fatigue he felt, Will couldn’t help but grin. “I’m going to do all that, am I?”
“Oh yeah. In fact, you’re going to love the next little thing that dropped onto our plates during the night.”
Will waited.
“That’s the part where you’re supposed to ask me what happened,” Tarlton said. “Kind of a prompt.”
“I’m patient,” Will said.
“Guess what was broken into last night?”
“I don’t have a clue.”
“The county medical examiner’s office.”
Thoughts circled through Will’s mind, and he didn’t like how any of them were shaping up.
“Want to guess who broke in?” Tarlton said. “I’m discovering that you’re lousy at prompts.”
“Victor Gant,” Will said.
“Yep.”
“But that doesn’t make sense.”
“We’re not exactly dealing with a logical person here,” Tarlton said. “You need to keep that in mind.”
“Was Gant caught on the premises?”
“No. That would have tidied up what we had planned for the day.”
“If you could have sold the judge on it.”
“I think I could have. But Gant breaking into the county medical examiner’s office gives us a free move. So to speak.”
“The medical examiner’s office is under county jurisdiction.”
“Yes.” The smile was evident in Tarlton’s voice. “Guess who’s going to be riding shotgun with us today?”
“The sheriff.”
“Yep. He’s an old fishing buddy. After I got the particulars of this, we agreed that a joint effort by the city and county was required. We also decided that the NCIS could stand the heat too.”
Will smiled. “Because you know that busting Gant today is going to irritate Urlacher.”
“Nolan-that’s the sheriff-and I figured you and yours could ride along. When it comes to matching up federal muscle, we thought maybe you could handle Urlacher and the FBI.”
“Because Bobby Lee Gant’s body is property of the NCIS as evidence.”
“Exactly. How soon can you be down to Alice’s Cafe?”
“I don’t know where that is.” Will stood and started grabbing clothing from his duffel bag.
Tarlton gave him directions.
“Why are we meeting there?” Will asked.
“Because we don’t want the bad guys to figure out what we’re going to do,” Tarlton said. “And so Nolan and I can have a piece of pie while we’re waiting on you. It’ll take you ten minutes to get here.”
›› 0643 Hours
Will knocked on the adjoining room door and said his name, then used a key card to disengage the lock. Slowly he pushed the door open.
Remy was sitting up in bed with his pistol gripped in both hands. His eyes were red-rimmed with sleep. Max sat on the bed beside him. The Labrador’s head was lifted, and his ears were pricked.
“Tarlton found a lever we can use to get over on Victor Gant,” Will announced. “We’re rolling in five minutes. You’ll need your riot gear. Meet me in the parking lot.”
Remy nodded and said, “I brought my gear with me. Never go anywhere without it.” He pushed out of bed like he’d had eight hours of sleep and walked over to a duffel on the desk.
SEALs, Will thought in disgust as he went back to his own room. He figured he’d be lucky to beat Remy to the car.
›› 0647 Hours
By the time Will was ready, Remy was leaning against the bumper of the gray Taurus with his arms folded and looking totally alert. Max lay in a black pool of fur at his feet.
Will opened the trunk, and Remy threw in his riot gear duffel. They moved to the front of the car and climbed in. Max took the backseat, then hung his head between them.
“Didn’t know you got Max last night.” Will started the car and let it idle for a moment.
“Swung by the hospital. Figured I’d get him out for a bit today. There’s a park not far from here.”
“I’m surprised Max left.”
“Shel told him to.”
“I’m surprised the nurses let him go. From what I’ve heard, they’re practically ready to adopt Max as the hospital mascot.” Will put the transmission in reverse and backed out.
Remy grinned as he adjusted his wraparound sunglasses. “This dog’s got stealth ninja moves those nurses have never seen. I’d swear he’s been SEAL-trained.”
“How’s Shel?”
“Groggy. Sore. Ready to get out of the hospital.”
Will knew that would be true. He accelerated, halted at the parking lot’s edge for a moment, then merged with traffic.
“Shel seemed a little distracted, though,” Remy said.
“Did he?”
“Yeah. His brother was there. Sleeping. Shel and I talked, but he didn’t say what was on his mind.”
“He came close to getting killed,” Will said. “That usually brings me up short.”
“Maybe, but this is Shel. It didn’t happen, so it doesn’t matter.”
“True.” Will shot through traffic.
“We’re in a hurry?” Remy asked.
“We are.” Will tapped the brake, then accelerated around a delivery truck and briefly took the inside lane again. “So you think Shel has something on his mind?”
“Yep. On the way out of the hospital, I called Estrella and let her know. If anybody can get that jarhead to talk about the warm and fuzzy of his life, it’s her.”
Will silently agreed. Shel and Estrella had been close ever since Shel had been assigned to the team. They shared a bond that partly came out of the language they shared, but he knew it was more than that too.
“Where are we headed so early?” Remy asked. “The PD is back the other way.”
As he drove, Will explained.
›› Alice’s Cafe
›› Kings Drive
›› Charlotte, North Carolina
›› 0656 Hours
“Well,” Remy said a few minutes later, “nobody’s going to miss them. It looks like a law enforcement convention.”
Will had to agree. Police cars and sheriff’s deputies’ vehicles filled the small parking area around Alice’s Cafe and spilled over into the surrounding neighborhood. There was a mix of sedans and off-road vehicles, and Will could see a mix of police uniforms and sheriff’s uniforms on the men standing by the cars.
“Do you think there are enough of them?” Remy asked with a grin.
“Victor Gant’s biker club is pretty deep in manpower too.” Will pulled in behind Tarlton’s car as the police chief flagged him down.
“Morning, Agent Coburn,” Tarlton greeted. “This is Sheriff Nolan Greene.” He indicated the tall, heavyset man in a sheriff’s uniform.