The King Tides by James Swain

Author:James Swain [Swain, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503901698
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2018-07-31T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 24

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

In his experience, the best way to break bad news was over a meal. Eating food calmed people down when they were upset. He was sure there was a scientific explanation for it, not that he needed to hear it. Food soothed troubled souls.

He drove to the Pearls’ house with the smell of freshly baked bagels filling his car. He’d gotten to the Bagel Snack on Powerline a few minutes before opening and there still had been a line stretching down the sidewalk. According to the owner, the key to making a delicious bagel was the quality of the water. South Florida tap water was not fit for consumption, so the owner imported water from New York. It showed in every bite.

He parked in the Pearls’ driveway and took two bags off the seat before getting out. As he neared the front door, Carlo emerged from the hedge. He handed him a bag.

“Good morning. That’s for all of you,” he said.

Carlo glanced into the bag and grinned. “Thanks, Jon.”

“I should be the one thanking you. How have things been in my absence?”

“Karl and I were talking about that earlier. This street has way too much traffic for a residential neighborhood, especially at night. They’re after the girl, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Have you figured out why? She must have done something.”

It was an obvious conclusion that he’d been avoiding for days. Call it a state of denial born out of respect for the parents and their child. But that was no more.

“I’ll tell you someday over a cold beer,” he said. “In the meantime, I need to book you for a few more days until I get this worked out. Are you available?”

“Calendar’s wide open. Provided you keep bringing us food.”

“Deal.”

“Do you ever miss being a SEAL?” Carlo asked. “I was thinking the other night how those missions were probably the best time of my life.”

It was the best time of Lancaster’s life as well, until he’d spotted a little boy getting too close to his unit in Yemen. The hump beneath the kid’s shirt looked suspicious, and Lancaster’s quick thinking had saved his unit from getting blown up. He’d been a hero, but it hadn’t changed the fact that he’d shot a child, and he’d put in his papers the next week.

“I don’t miss it at all,” he said.

Pearl greeted him at the front door. The doctor looked upset, and justifiably so. If Nicki had been honest with her parents, a private investigator wouldn’t have been needed to figure out what was going on. Instead, the Pearls could have gone to the police, and gotten the Cassandra videos taken off the internet. Nicki’s lying had destroyed her parents’ faith in her and harmed their family. He handed his client the second bag.

“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Pearl said. “We haven’t told my daughter anything. Before you talk to her, I want to hear what you found.”

They stood in the foyer facing each other. They could hear Nicki and Melanie in the kitchen fixing breakfast.

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