Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(74)
“Nope. I’ve got this under control.”
Drake wanted to tell him to notify his face. The deputy was strung as tight as trout line. “Everyone else in place?”
“Everything is ready.” The deputy turned the truck onto a narrow road that led out to Mermaid Point.
Drake shut up and turned his face to the window. He hadn’t been out this way before, and the vegetation was thick enough to blot out the late-afternoon sun. The road was rocky and filled with potholes. This place felt very separated from the rest of Folly Shoals. He wished they’d set it up earlier. Seven o’clock felt like a long way away, though it was already six. They were going early to get things in place, and he wished he could fast-forward to when this was all over and Kate was safely beside him again. He didn’t like to think about her being out there alone and waiting for a nutcase.
The truck rolled to a slow crawl, then the deputy whipped the steering wheel and turned into a tiny opening in the trees, a spot Drake would have missed. The bushes scraped the side of the truck, and the opening widened to a small clearing that would be completely hidden from the road. Tall cedar and birch trees blocked out the sun, and the grass was matted down as if other vehicles had parked here. The deputy had probably checked this out earlier today, and the thought calmed Drake.
Drake tried to see the ocean through the trees. “Are we close?”
“Yeah, the Point is just around the curve up there. I don’t want my truck to be spotted. I’m going to put you where you can see the shoreline. There’s also steps cut into the side of the cliff so you can get down there fast if you have to. Come on.” Kissner opened his door and got out. He reached back inside and plucked an extra magazine for his gun from the floor under his seat.
“You think you’ll need that?”
Kissner shrugged. “I plan to be prepared for anything.” He put the magazine in his pocket.
Drake climbed out and shut his door quietly, then followed the deputy along a trail that was barely there. Bugs swarmed his face, and he swatted them away. He was perspiring by the time they fought their way through the vegetation to where it all opened up and he could see blue water.
The breeze on his face was sweet relief, and he spotted a boat in the distance. “Is that Luke’s Coast Guard cutter?”
“Yeah, it should be.” Kissner pointed to a spot near the edge of the cliff. “You should have a perfect view right there.”
Drake walked over to the side and peered over. The water was right below him instead of the rocky beach he expected. “Where’s the shore?”
“The tide is going out. You’ll see it shortly.”
Before Drake could answer, he felt a hard shove in his back. He tried to recover his footing, but he was too close to the edge, and he went sailing off the cliff. His arms pinwheeled and his chest squeezed. He was falling to the waves below. Kate!
*
The package looked innocuous enough, and he wondered what was in it. He’d been lucky to grab it off the porch as soon as the delivery guy left.
He drove along the island coastal road to a remote spot overlooking the water and parked in a pull-off. Once he tossed this box, it was toast. The waves would batter it against the rocks, and there would be nothing left.
He got out of his vehicle with the box in hand. It wasn’t that heavy, and his curiosity got the best of him. It would be destroyed out of the box more easily. He reached back inside his car and got a pocketknife out of the glove box, then slit the tape and opened the package. A bubble-wrapped object fell into his hand, and he unwrapped it. An external hard drive plopped onto the ground.
Not surprising. Hard drives all across the world held the proof of many a crime. He’d been hoping for something more dramatic. He plucked it out of the dirt and started to fling it over the side, then paused. Why not keep it for insurance? He didn’t trust his boss one iota, and he’d never know if this had been destroyed or not.
Grinning, he put the box and its packaging back inside his car, then strolled over to the edge of the cliff and looked out on the glistening water. It was going to be a beautiful night, but he wished he were back in Boston. Soon, though.
He grabbed his laptop from the backseat, then fished out a USB cord and attached the hard drive to it. In half an hour he had the answer. His boss had been taking money under the table to help skew the investigation to frame Wang. Wang was guilty as sin of a lot of crimes, but not the crime he was charged with. His eyes widened at the amount of money that had traded palms. Ten million dollars. No wonder the boss was willing to part with so much money to clear this up.
His smile faded as he considered again what he had to do. The plan he’d put into place was to send them all an invitation to a free puffin tour on a boat he’d hired. He’d planted a device at the fuel line, and it was easily detonated with the remote in his glove box. The boat owner was already instructed to call and tell them he’d drawn them to receive a free day out on the water. The plan should be foolproof. With Kate’s love of puffins, Newham wouldn’t deny her. The sister was sure to want to go along as well.
His troubles would be over, and he’d be on his way back to Boston a whole lot richer. He might have enough to retire down in the Caribbean in a hopping little tourist town with plenty of beautiful women. It might be enough to get rid of the bad taste in his mouth about having to kill the kids. A shudder worked its way up his spine, and acid churned in his belly again. He hated it, but there was no getting out of it.