“Weathered,” she replied quickly.“They’re in the sun constantly hauling up fish.You look like a city slicker.”
She wasn’t wrong.He did live in the city.He was sure-footed on a boat, but he was an Army man.He was more comfortable in a plane or a Humvee, not a boat.
“I can just sit in the back and listen.”Get some heavy clothes to cover his body and no one would be the wiser.
“If you don’t fit the part, they aren’t going to talk around you.”
“I can conceal myself.”
Mac shook her head.“They’ll spot you a mile away and probably kick you out of the bar.And don’t even think about looking around their boats,” she quickly added as if she were reading his mind.“That’s a sure way to get your throat cut.”
He had thought about looking at their boats, but he wanted to avoid that grisly end.He forgot fishermen could be protective of their livelihood.“How else can we get close to the boats up there to see if one could be the trawler?”He was open to suggestions.
Mac looked away thoughtfully when Barry heard Miles’s voice coming from his laptop.He could only hear Miles’s voice.It must be from the plant in the vent.Miles must be in the room closest to it.He turned up the volume to listen.
“What’s the problem?That’s not what we agreed on.No.Where are you; I’m on my way.”There was a beat of silence.“Alright, I’ll be there in twenty.It takes a bit to drive up to the north shore at this time of night.”Barry closed his laptop and headed toward the door.
“Where are you going?”Mac asked, looking shocked that he would just get up and leave without a word.
“I’m headed out, you’re more than welcome to stay if you like.”
“What are you doing?”she pressed.
“I’m planning on following Miles.”This might be his chance to get close to him and get access to his phone or find out who he was meeting with.
Mac looked baffled by his response.“How do you even know where he’s going?”
“He said himself.The north shore.”
Mac raised a quizzical eyebrow.“Do you have any idea how big that area is?”
“No.”But he had a map.He could figure it out.
Mac shook her head as she stood up to follow him toward the door.“We’ll go together.”
“We?”Had he heard her correctly?
Mac planted her hands on her hips and jutted her chin out, looking defiant.“Yes, we.Partners, remember?I know the area; you don’t.Maybe while we’re there, we can look at the boats or something.Deal?”
Barry didn’t necessarily want Mac following him since he didn’t know what he was walking into, but he worried if he left her behind, she would just try to follow, making his job that much harder.“Alright, partner, let’s go.”
Mac hesitated a moment.“Do I need to bring anything?”
“I have everything we need.You just need yourself.”
“Okay.”Mac smiled, looking eager to go on her first investigation.He wondered if he’d looked the same once upon a time.It had been so long since he’d started in this business, he could no longer remember.
Chapter 19
Mac followed Barry to his car and hopped in the passenger seat as he set the phone on the car stand and followed the red dot on the map.
“What exactly is on the north side?”
“A bit of everything.Like I said, it’s a big port for the fishermen.A lot of shops.Down on this end, you can find everything local, but the imports come in on that side.”
“Why is that?”
“Waters are calmer, and that side of the island has a long flat stretch of land.It’s easier to get larger boats in and out of it.”
