We wrapped up on the boat. The prisoners were taken back to the station and transferred into the sheriff’s custody. The Echelon was impounded.
I took Paige back to the station in the Raptor. Paris was there with her crew to capture footage and get sound bites. I declined to comment.
A deputy took Paige back to the Coral Cottage to gather her things. With Rory off the streets, she was safe. But she didn’t want to spend the night there.
After I filled out paperwork and logged the evidence, I took the Raptor back to Diver Down. Buddy was ready for a walk when I got back to theAvventura. I grabbed his leash and took him out, then hopped on my bike and headed up to the hospital to check on JD. He’d been admitted, and they were keeping him overnight.
“You get that son of a bitch?” he grumbled when I stepped into his room.
Two gorgeous blondes kept him company. He’d played the sympathy card, and they were going to nurse him back to health with some TLC.
I gave him an update, and a frown pulled his mouth when I told him about Tonya.
“I’m sorry to hear that. She seemed like a nice girl.”
“Don’t give up yet,” I said, trying to be optimistic.
Jack knew better. He shook his head.
“How are you?”
“Well, right now, they’ve got me dosed up, and I don’t feel a whole hell of a lot. No bones. No major arteries. Non-displaced fracture of the clavicle. 6-8 week recovery. Looks like you’re going to have to do the heavy lifting for a while.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“I’m too ornery to die,” he said with a grin.
“Well, it seems like you’re in good hands. Do you need anything?”
Jack smiled and looked at the ladies. “I think I’ve got everything I need.”
“We’ll take good care of him,” one of the blondes assured.
I chuckled. I had no doubt they would.
I said goodnight and left Jack in their capable hands.
The ride back to theAvventurawas calm. At this time of night, there wasn’t much traffic. It was a moment to decompress and clear my head.
I returned to the boat and settled in for the evening. Still amped up on adrenaline, I tossed and turned all night. The things Roryhad done to those girls still haunted me. A jail cell was too good for the guy.
Isabella called in the morning with interesting news.
52
"Ithink I know why Dr. Latham was murdered," Isabella said.
"I'm listening," I replied, sipping coffee, crunching on bacon in the breakfast nook.
"I did a deep dive on all of Laura's phone records. It looks like she called the FBI a few times. Judging by the duration of the call, she hung up each time after 10 to 15 seconds. She got cold feet."
"She was thinking about ratting out the cartel,” I surmised. “She wanted out, and she thought that was her only way.”
“The cartel must have been tracking her phone. The torture session was probably to see if she had spilled the beans and compromised the organization."
"I'm not sure if this is related to anything, but she did dental work for Senator Bergen. I think she put on a crown.“
Isabella’s fingers tapped the keys. There was a pause as she studied the screen. "There were several phone calls between Bergen and her office, likely to coordinate the appointment.”
