Gabe (In the Company of Snipers, #8)(55)
“Whatcha got?”
“Either the dogs tracked Alex or someone planted his scent on the river bank. God, Zack, I’ve run them twice. They keep coming up with the same answer. He was here, damn it.”
Zack’s voice lowered. “Mark’s fighting the same battle at the office. David’s convinced the FBI fabricated evidence to match the ME’s version of events. Our own security cameras caught footage of the shooter, some ex-Navy SEAL named Becker. Steven claims the rounds that supposedly killed Alex weren’t live ammo. Not sure about you, but I’m fast becoming a believer.”
“I don’t know what I believe anymore, but I’m fast becoming pissed off. Why would he hurt Kelsey like this?” Gabe’s anger spiked. Nothing made sense. “God, I’d rip his head off if he were here.”
“Settle down. We don’t know what’s going on yet. All we’ve got are puzzle pieces.”
“The lying bastard.”
“Gabe. Knock it off.”
“You can’t talk, can you? Are Shelby and Kelsey right there?”
“Copy that.”
Gabe drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Anger never settled anything, and this was Alex he was angry with, until now one of the few honorable men left in the world. He’d better have a damned good reason for the god-awful deceit, or Gabe would gladly hold him down if Kelsey wanted to kick the shit out of him.
“Woof!” Whisper and Smoke left the edge of the road and trotted up to their bellies into the water. They stopped, but stood staring at something ten or so yards offshore.
“Hey, listen. I’ve got to go. The dogs found something. I’ll check back soon.”
“Copy that.”
He holstered his phone and switched the camcorder on again. “You guys find a duck or something? Come on, boys. Stop horsing around. Let it go. We’ve got popcorn to pop and a lady waiting at home.”
And a rat-bastard boss to find.
When Whisper growled at the water, Gabe investigated closer. An encounter with a muskrat or raccoon would make for interesting viewing. Kelsey would get a kick out of watching her dogs scramble after a smart rodent, or maybe play in the water for a couple minutes. It sure beat the dark thoughts Gabe was harboring.
He pushed through the few bushes along this part of the shore, fully expecting a splash when the clever creature made its getaway, but something else caught his eye. The water looked darker in this portion of the river. Flatter, as if it swelled over something big and flat beneath the surface. A thin glint of silver shimmered up from the murky depths. Looked like a silver strip of chrome.
The dogs weren’t playing. They’d found something and that bigger, flatter something just might be a car.
“Sit. Stay.”
Whisper and Smoke dropped to their butts in the shallow water while Gabe walked into the river to investigate. Something definitely rested beneath the water. Big and flat, it might be a submerged rock, the silver of a fisherman’s lost pole.
He couldn’t wade out to it. Any deeper and the water would fill his boots. “I’m probably going to regret this, but since I’m already here, I might as well take a look see at what’s got the dogs’ attention.”
Gabe stripped off his jacket and fashioned a cushion for the camcorder. Once it was in place on the padding, he stepped behind it and removed his holster and weapons. Gabe glanced at the highway behind him, thankful the reeds and brush concealed his stupidity from the road. There wouldn’t be any videos of his half-naked ass bouncing all over YouTube if he could help it.
He only wished he could conceal this next part from Kelsey. She didn’t need to see him in his boxers, but one way or the other, she would have the confirmation she needed by the end of the day.
Pulling his shirt over his head, he tossed it over his weapons and kicked off his boots. Pants went next. Draping them over his already covered weapons, he double-checked his prosthetic and made sure it was secure. Losing this foot wasn’t an option.
His dad’s watch went next. Gabe peeled it off his wrist and set it on the stack of clothing. Zack would chew his butt for sure, especially since Gabe was filming his own stupidity. He did it anyway, stepped in front of the camera, boxers, prosthetic plastic foot and all.
“Let the Oscar nominations begin,” he muttered, the water rising with every step. Splashing the chilly river up high onto his chest and arms to prepare himself for what he planned to do next, he kept a narrative going. “Man, this river’s colder than it looks. This has to be the dumbest thing I’ve done in a long time, huh, Zack?”
Zack’s resounding, Hell, yeah! came to mind, but so be it. A dive in the chilly river was a small thing compared to what Kelsey had suffered.
With that final thought, he lifted both hands over his head and said, “Here goes nothing.”
He dove in.
The river greeted him with a shock of breathtaking cold. Six quick strokes took him to his underwater target. The murky water made it impossible to see much more than shafts of light, so he relied on his hands, feeling the smooth metal surface of a submerged vehicle. Just as he’d suspected.
His oxygen supply exhausted quickly. Gabe surfaced for a gulp of air and submerged again. With steady strokes, he positioned himself to arrive where he judged the side of the vehicle to be. Smoothing his hands along the drowned auto, he came to a door handle. At that point he knew which direction the vehicle faced. He moved along the side until he encountered a partially open door.