“Forget about the Pearsons. We'll handle it from here. Do not trespass again. Do not harass them. Don't fly drones on their property. If I gotta do this again, I'm gonna take you down. I don't want to do that. I think you mean well.”
Zoe’s glare persisted a moment, then she gathered her things. We escorted her off the property. She climbed into her SUV and drove off.
Jack said, "I think that one's a little crazy. Maybe a lot.”
We hopped into the Wild Fury van and headed back to theAvventura.
I took Buddy out for a quick walk, then settled in for the evening. The guys wanted to bring some girls back to the boat for a little after-party, and who was I to tell them no? I told Crash to keep it to a minimum. Necessary personnel only.
A small party ensued on the sky deck.
I called it an early night and left them to their fun.
Brenda called early the next morning. “I’m still waiting on DNA, but you’re going to like this.”
21
“The print on that water bottle you brought in yesterday matches the prints pulled off Liam’s racket,” Brenda said. “Now I can’t say with any certainty that he beat the man to death, but he’s got a lot of explaining to do.”
With a smile on my face, I thanked her for the information. I ended the call and crawled out of bed. It was a nice way to start the morning.
I took a hot shower, got dressed, then made my way down to the galley to start breakfast. I banged on the hatch to JD’s stateroom and told him to get his ass up. We had a perp to put in jail.
I flipped on the morning news and caught up with local events. Coffee brewed, and Jack stumbled into the galley a few minutes later.
The guys in the band had crashed out in the below-deck staterooms. There were, no doubt, a few stowaways on board.
We scarfed down ham and cheese omelettes on the sky deck, then gathered our things. I drove to the station. We filled out an application for a warrant, and an hour later, we had a tac team assembled in front of John Wescott’s Stingray Bay mansion.
Suited up in tactical gear, we took all the precautions. I didn't expect much trouble from a guy like Wescott, but when your back’s against the wall, you do crazy things.
Erickson and Faulkner took the front door with us while Mendoza and Robinson took the back door in case he tried to escape.
I rang the video doorbell and banged on the door. "Coconut County! We have a warrant.”
At this point, we would normally break down the door, but we extended a little courtesy.
Gwen’s voice crackled through the speaker a moment later. "Can I help you?"
"We have a warrant for your husband's arrest. Open the door now, or we’ll break it down."
By this time, a crowd of curious neighbors had gathered outside, looking on with a mix of concern and excitement.
Erickson and Faulkner were losing patience. They were about to break the door down when Gwen pulled it open and stepped aside.
"Where is he?"
"In the kitchen.”
Erickson and Faulkner flooded in, and we followed. With weapons shouldered, we cleared the foyer, the parlor, and theoffice. We pushed into the living room and advanced across the hardwoods to the kitchen, where John sat at the table with a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him, his hands in the air.
"Don't move!" Faulkner shouted. "Get on the ground, now!”
"You just told me not to move," John replied in a nervous breath.
"On the ground!"
John complied and ate the expensive marble tile. Erickson pounced and ratcheted the cuffs around his wrists and secured them.
