In the Blink of An Eye by Jerry Baggett (ebook reader for surface pro TXT) 📕

there for years. You know now that I’ve worked with the cartel for years myself, and have nothing to lose. A contract was made through a man named Cezar Perez. Someone in the sheriff’s department is planning to shoot and kill Samantha the next time she’s on the island. He was paid fifty thousand dollars to do the job. The money came from Marino’s offshore account before he died.”

She struggled to speak. “One more thing. I’ve just killed a man named Ahillio Mendez and his bodyguard, a day ago. The bodies are in a Miami warehouse where they held and abused me. He’s known as Hilo, the second in command of the Mexican partnership. You’d better get this information directly to DEA, right away. Cezar may have others involved with him.” She coughed violently, then continued. “I’ve been shot in the chest. It may be fatal. I’m also out of the country. So, tell Samantha I’m sorry for everything.”

“The line’s dead,” Dick said.

“We heard it all,” Mike said. “You’d better make that call now.”

Chapter 49

“I’ve known Sheriff Dickson for many years,” Mark McGowin said. “He’s top notch, count on it.”

“Yeah, you got that right,” Mike said. “He saved our ass, working with FBI Agent Findley and bringing down the drug lord, Lance Howell, here, a few years ago.”

Mike looked at Dammit. “You and Robbin also had the sheriff’s help after her cousin lost his life at the hands of his girlfriend, Kaila, and those thugs off the yacht, Brigadoon, at Two Harbors.”

“Yes,” Dammit said. “The sheriff had his people take care of Tom’s yacht, Forever Hooked, in Avalon Harbor, after Tom was killed. No one could have been more helpful.”

“He’s taking this threat seriously,” Mark said. “He and his deputy both assured us Cezar Perez would be picked up and held until this accusation’s proven out. Cezar’s a new man with the department. The sheriff chose to come aboard personally and let us know Cezar was on leave of absence. He as much as said they don’t know where the hell Perez is at this moment. That says it all. Nothing has really changed.”

Dick said, “We’d better stay on board today, unless something changes. We should have lunch here instead of meeting at the Busy Bee. Sam would like very much to walk around and look over the lot where her house burned. We plan to rebuild. Maybe we can take a look at what’s left of the cottage on the way back from San Diego.”

Mike said, “Sure. It isn’t much out of the way. Let’s see if the threat’s over by then. Now, we need to think about a few things. The island’s a small place with limited hiding places. A marksman might be able to hit his target from any number of shooting positions, but how the devil would he get away without getting caught? Even a hired assassin will not risk his freedom recklessly for money. The attack will be well planned.”

Dammit said, “He may not know we’re on to him. He could attack from the water.”

Dick pointed at the slight chop on the water. “If we go by boat, he’s likely to miss, with his target moving as well as his shooting position, don’t you think?”

“He would have to rely on two or three automatic bursts, fired in succession, to hit a target on the water from any kind of distance,” Dammit said. “A trained marksman could do that. Look at the boats anchored here. The shot could be made from any one of them. We should rethink our plans for today.”

“I don’t see how that guy would expect us to be here at all today,” Dick said. “There’s no way a shooter could make a shot and get away from law enforcement, on the island, or out here on the water. The sheriff would have helicopters in the air before he could stow the weapon. There’s just no place to hide.”

“Everybody in the sheriff’s office knows Samantha’s here. Why not the assassin?” Mike said.

Samantha walked out on deck and settled in next to Dick. “With everything that’s going on in our lives, Dick, we may not have another chance to look through the ruins of the cottage. We may settle in near San Francisco, with your new job and all. Perhaps Mike would take us for a ride in the tender. We could look the lot over from the water. I have a sad feeling we won’t be returning to this beautiful island any time soon.”

Mike looked from Samantha to Dick and back again. “How can you possibly deny that heart felt request? Odds are in our favor. OK with you, Dick?”

He laughed. “How can you refuse a request like that? I have my trusty Glock. Let’s go for it.”

Mike said, “Find out if anyone else would like to go on this ride in the tender, while I lower her into the water.”

Dammit came out, “We have no takers on the ride. They’re all topside, working on their tan. The four of us should go ahead and escort Sam back to check things out from the tender. We can land from the beach. I believe the odds are in our favor. Anyway, a short ride in that lickety-split boat of yours would be lots o’ fun, Mike.”

Mike grinned. “Our last trip to Mexico with the family made me realize we needed more speed to get away from troublemakers. The twenty-five-foot RIB now has twin 150-horse Mercury four-stroke on her, with a reinforced bottom.” He eased the tender away from the transom of Blue Dolphin. “We’re going for a zip up the coast, toward the west end, then land on the beach, on the way back. Is that OK with you guys?”

Dick said, “Stay within fifty yards of the shoreline. We’ll grab a look at Sam’s home site, from the water. If