Predator in the Keys by Matthew Rief

Author:Matthew Rief [Rief, Matthew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-23T04:00:00+00:00

SIXTEEN

Angelina sat in the Baia’s galley, staring intently at the laptop screen in front of her. She’d spoken with Scott Cooper just an hour earlier and he’d sent over a file containing the mug shots and basic rap sheets of three men. Buck, Dale, and Jeb Harlan. All three were supposed to be dead.

She looked over their files, then turned her attention back to the charts and maps.

So many incidents near this one river, she thought as she pointed to the mouth of the Watson River. One river among thousands of tributaries littering the Glades.

She leaned back into the cushioned half-moon seat. Grabbing a chilled can of coconut water, she took a few sips, then set it beside her. As she drew her hand back, it grazed her backpack and she remembered that the coke was still inside. Rising to her feet, she stepped into the main cabin and locked it up in the safe. They’d decided to continue keeping the drug’s existence among themselves and not tell the authorities. Logan had thought it best, seeing as how they didn’t know how deep the trafficking operation went. Maybe the killers had someone on the inside of the law, covering them and taking a cut.

When she sat back down in the galley, she thought about the powdery drug.

Like Logan, she thought that the Harlan brothers must have been selling it, that they’d most likely turned to drugs out of desperation.

But how did they distribute it? And how had they remained hidden all these years?

They’d spent half an hour flying their drone over the river, filming and scanning everything in view. They hadn’t seen so much as a rustic tin roof. Not even the faintest sign of a long-term dwelling.

She kept at it, going over maps and the footage they’d shot of the Watson River.

Suddenly, Atticus stormed into the galley from the main cabin and rushed to the topside door. He wagged his tail and glanced back at Ange.

“You hear something, boy?” she said, walking over and patting the top of his head.

She listened intently for a few seconds and heard footsteps heading down the dock. Opening the door and stepping up into the cockpit, she saw Jack flip-flopping toward the Baia.

“Any news?” she asked.

His head popped up in surprise, then he relaxed a little.

“Don’t scare me like that, sheesh,” he said. When he reached the port gunwale, he added, “Dial down the ninja assassin movements, will ya?”

She laughed and helped him aboard, though he didn’t really need it. The bullet had only grazed him, and Jack looked as strong and wiry as ever.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to make you wet your pants.”

“Hey, they were already wet.”

She smiled.

“Well? You guys learn anything over at the station?”

Jack had been with Mitch and Pete over at the ranger station for the past couple of hours.

“Fire didn’t spread, but that island’s a wasteland now,” he said. “Not much left of Eli Hutt. They hauled the airboat back. It was pretty messed up. The killer’s airboat is done for, though.

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