Key West Gone into the Night by Elizabeth Hilleren (universal ebook reader .TXT) 📕

“You spoke of sharing.  What do you know about Carl’s death?”

“That’s fair.  An early morning kayaker found Carl’s body in the canal between Stock Island and Key West. We believe he was killed by an overdose of a drug we believe to be morphine. He was abducted by a man and a woman late at night. A bystander, who told us this and tried to help him, is still in the hospital. That’s really all we know now.”

“So, the children really are orphans now.”

Jenny nodded. “I’ll see you out.”

Jenny returned and asked, “I do okay?

“Very well done.  You had her eating out of your hand.”

“How much do you think she really knows?”

“I’m not sure,” Sharkey said.  “I’d like to talk to her again now that you have established a line of communication.”

Jenny nodded.  “I thought I better let her go before she figured me out.”

“You were very convincing. You have a talent, Jenny.”

“Well, when you work the streets of a place like Key West as a young homeless person and then work the streets of New York as an undercover police officer, you have to be able to read people quickly and accurately. People like Stephanie become pretty easy.  She’s a phony.”

“I think that’s a good read.”

“I often put myself in their position and I know how I used to react to people. I think she’s scared out of her mind by what’s happening around her and over which she has no control and that makes her overly defensive. Or, she’s just a bitch and has always been one.”

He chuckled. “That is most likely an even better read.”

Sharkey stood and walked over to his desk. “I need to find out about Carl’s recent financial transactions. I’d like to know what kind of money he was willing to pay for information.  I’ve seen his bank accounts and he’s stable but not in a position to pay what kidnappers expect from their activities and the risk they take. He withdrew ten thousand dollars from his savings account. It pretty much wiped it out,” Sharkey said. “That was the day he put the ad out. Whatever he gave them may not have been enough and cost him his life.”

“They might not have even considered ransom,” said Jenny. “The whole point of meeting him might have been to remove a problem, picking up some pocket money in the process.  If that’s the case, Alex Sloan should sleep with one eye open until we catch these guys.  This case is so sad. Those children are in grave danger and now they don’t have any parents.”

“My fear,” said Sharkey, “is that this is really a case of trafficking of children and we may never find them. We might already be too late.”

“We can’t let that happen.  There must be something we can do. The one thing on our side is that they are here in Key West. That puts them in our backyard.”

“I’m thinking of bringing in the press,” said Sharkey. “Not on the children but on the murders of Susan and Carl. I’m in contact with Javier’s company and the police in Chile. They are going to let me know if there is any action on his credit cards, or if he contacts the company. They said the last time they heard from him was before the murder and kidnapping.”

“Can you trust them to be honest?”

Sharkey laughed. “That’s a good question. I’m hoping so. I don’t yet have a reason to be suspicious about that.  However, if he returns to Chile the police will notify us.”

“Good. What else can I help with?”

“What about a possible safety deposit box at the hotel?”

“Good idea. Let’s go check.”

Sharkey and Jenny drove back to the hotel with the warrant that included any personal papers or documents that he had.

The desk clerk got the manager to open the box where they found an envelope with five thousand dollars in cash.

“He only gave them half of what he drew out. That might have cost him his life,” Sharkey said.

Jenny took a deep breath. “There’s always a risk when you bargain with the devil.  He might have already been dead once he agreed to meet.”

“Spoken like someone who has spent time on the mean streets of New York.”  Sharkey took the money and placed it in an evidence bag.  “Okay, let’s take this to evidence.  Also let’s check if Carl had a Will.”

*    *    *

Harris snuck onto the back porch and called Amy, who was in the living room.

“Honey, I’m back from fishing. I’m coming in the back porch door.”

She smiled, hung up and raced to the back door and into his arms.

“Thank the Lord you’re safe.”

He held her tight. “I love you so much,” he whispered in her ear.

“Come and I’ll get you some dinner.”

“I’m gonna shower and I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“Wonderful.” She touched the side of his face. “Relax, you’re home.”

Harris climbed into the hot shower and tried to get his mind to relax. So much was at stake, and he was feeling helpless.

I’ve got to figure out how to get those kids back safely. Javier may be the key to that, but we have to get a break as to where Vasquez is and where the kids are being held.

Harris dressed and went into the kitchen just in time to see Amy pull two broiled steaks out of the oven.

“I made a potato salad to go with your steak.”

“You couldn’t have made a better choice.” They sat down on the enclosed porch where a slight breeze could be felt.

“How was your fishing trip?” Amy said, smiling at Burt.

“Caught a big one but he got away.”

“That happens.”

“I got a call from Stephanie while you were gone.”

“Oh yeah?”