“What about them?”
“Do they know that you’ve been digging on Dr. Malhotra’s property?”
We’d been surprised they didn’t know about it the first time.
“I don’t think so.”
“Do they know about the gold? Were they aware you knew where the map or whatever’s in that box was? Is that why they were taking you away at gunpoint? Is that it?”
James washed down a gator bite with his draft. “I don’t think they had a clue what we were up to.”
“So why were O’Neill and the other guy so fired up to take you two away? They basically suggested they had some vigilante justice planned for you. That line about no cops being involved? I seriously think they were going to kill you. There had to be a reason.”
And I thought she was right.
“So, even though it may not have anything to do with missing treasure, why do you think they wanted you out of the way?”
“Or maybe still do. Do you think that shooting this morning was set up by Malhotra and O’Neill?”
“Maybe, but you’re missing the point.”
We often missed the point. We specialized in missing the point.
“Why are they afraid of you?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Because you saw the boat come in. You were right there when it docked. The dogs ratted you out, and then later somebody recognized your truck.”
“Because of the black stain.”
“Right. So they were able to track it to you. What makes them so afraid of you? Why do you scare them?”
“Okay, Em, the boat.” I sipped on my Yuengling. The restaurant was warm, with just some fans to cool it, but the beer was like ice and tasted perfect. “The boat is the key, right?”
“Probably, but why?”
James popped the last crabmeat ball into his mouth. Talking with his mouth full he said, “Something we saw.”
“What did you see?”
“The boat.” He was again missing the point.
“What else?”
“People getting off the boat.”
“What else?”
“They were carrying suitcases.”
Em nodded. “There’s something else there. I’ll be damned if I can see it, but it had to be right in front of your face.”
“Em, if this has nothing to do with the gold, why should we be so worried about it? I mean, other than the fact that they were marching us away at gunpoint?”
Em rolled her eyes, as she often does when talking to James.
“Because somebody tried to shoot us today, James. And I’d like to know why. Maybe saving our own lives is more important than finding the gold.”
James swallowed the remains of his rich brown beer. Damn, it was nice to be on an expense account.
“We can save our lives by going home, boys and girls. Back to Miami, Em. Back to Coral City and our rat nest of an apartment, Skip.”
The three of us looked at each other.
“And then again, maybe we can save our own lives and find this elusive gold,” said Em.
“Yeah,” I echoed her sentiments. “That would be nice.”
We paid the check with Mrs. T.’s debit card and left a generous tip. We’d just hit the lady up for another thou. After all, we were worth a whole lot more than when we woke up this morning.
In the parking lot, James drained two more quarts of oil into our leaky old engine.
On our way back, he asked me about the computer.
“Glad you reminded me. Drive by the sheriff’s office and I’ll duck in and pick it up. Big D told me they were done with it.”
“Big D?” Em asked. “He didn’t seem to be a very big guy.”
“Maria’s ex. I asked her the same question.”
“What did she tell you?”
“What do you think?”
Em dropped it.
“We might have another problem. They took Em’s gun.”
“Which isn’t Em’s gun,” James stated.
“I’m not sure whose gun it is. It seemed to belong to the guy we met on the golf cart. The one with the diamond earring.”
“We can always pray that it’s not registered,” Em said. “Because if it comes back that the pistol was stolen, I could be in some serious trouble. I’m pretty sure that the crime of stealing a weapon is a felony.”
“Em, for God’s sake, they were using the gun on us.”
“Your word against theirs, James.”
I could tell I was about to get a lecture.
“Think about it. Here’s a guy who works part time at Cap’n Crab as a line cook who moonlights as a PI, and on the other side, there’s a vascular surgeon with strong ties and strong business connections in his community.”
She turned to me. “Here’s a guy who dabbles as a private investigator and sells security systems to people who have nothing to secure, and over here there’s an orthopedic surgeon, probably president of his Rotary Club and the fair-haired boy in Islamorada.”
She waited, timing her delivery.
“Just who are they going to believe?”
She was right. I prayed that the gun wasn’t registered to anyone. If it was, Emily could be doing time.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
“You go into the embassy, in character, during a party. Hide in plain sight.”
I couldn’t place it.
“Come on, man. Tom Cruise, nineteen ninety-five or six.”
“Mission Impossible.”
“Yeah.”
“And it has relevance because?”
“Something happened in plain sight and we’re missing it, just like Em said.”
James had actually agreed with Em. That was a surprise.
“A boat came in. People got off the boat.”
Emily had gone to the room to freshen up. Guys don’t freshen up. Splash some water on my face and I’m good to go. James and I sat in two beach chairs, staring out at the flat water and the clear blue sky.
“What did those people have?”
“Suitcases. All of them had suitcases,” I said.
“Personal items or are they posing as tourists and actually smuggling something?”
“Whoa. That’s a thought.” I was impressed. James was really getting into this.
“What are they smuggling?”
“Okay, this is a stretch, amigo, but what if, what if this gold thing is out there. What if Weezle and Markim found the gold bars? Maybe in the ocean. Maybe they found a treasure map. What if these people are out there, diving and bringing back the gold bars in those suitcases?”
And just like that, I wasn’t so impressed.
“James, that’s really far-fetched.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
We sat there watching seagulls swirl around a small fishing boat that drifted offshore.
“Swordfish tournament going on this week.”
He nodded his head. “This is the Keys, son. There are always fishing tournaments going on.”
“This one runs from seven in the evening until three in the morning.”
“And you think the boat coming in at that hour-”
“Em thinks.”
“I think what?” She snuck up and put her hands on my shoulders. “I put the computer under the bed.”
“And the gun?”
She smiled. “The thirty-eight? Where I can get it if I have to.”
They’d released the pistol as well. With five shells left. There was a verbal warning to get it registered, so apparently no one had claimed ownership. And since there was no evidence that she’d shot anyone, they gave it back to her. I decided she was the perfect person to be the keeper of the pistol-KOTP.
“I was just telling James that you thought the timing of the fishing tournament and the boat coming to dock at three thirty might be tied together.”
“Just a thought,” she said. “And, by the way, I’m going to the drugstore. Got to get a new nail file after my last one went to the good of the cause. Want to come?”
What I really wanted to do was drive. Her Carrera was hot and I’d never been behind the wheel of a Porsche. The black beauty had three hundred forty-five horsepower. The powerful V-6 was meant for speed, but during our short trip to the store she kept it at forty-five. No, she did not let me drive.
“It’s brand-new, Skip. You know how I am with my cars.”