Frank poked his head out of the salon a moment later.
I flashed a disarming smile and waved.
Frank was in his late 70s now, with white hair, a bulbous nose, and narrow blue eyes with heavy bags underneath them. He was reasonably fit with a little bit of a belly. By his tan, I figured he spent most of his days in the sun, fishing.
He waved me aboard, and I climbed into the cockpit and followed him down into the salon.
The boat had a standard layout with a galley to starboard, a settee to port, and a forward salon. The boat had an in-line forward cabin and a day head, along with an aft berth under the cockpit.
"Thanks for taking the time to speak with me," I said.
"No problem. Don't get many visitors these days. Can I get you a beer?”
"No. Thank you. I’ve got a long ride back to Coconut Key.”
Frank ambled toward the mini fridge and pulled out a beer. He popped the top with a hiss and took a sip. He offered me a seat at the settee, and I obliged.
His face crinkled. “Now what's this I hear about Ray Corbin still being alive?”
I gave him the full story, even though I had given it to him earlier on the phone.
"You're sure about this?”
"The prints match," I said.
"How do you explain that?"
I shrugged.
He frowned and shook his head. "That was the last case I worked before I retired. I would have loved to nail that son-of-a-bitch. But I figured he got what he deserved in that car crash. Now you're telling me he had 15 good years after that?" He shook his head again in dismay. "That just doesn't sit well with me.”
"I understand." I paused, then asked, "Are you sure Ray was the guy?"
"Is the sky blue?”
"No DNA or fingerprints were ever recovered from any of the victims," I said.
"We've got eyewitness testimony from a survivor. What more do you need? Ray had a prior charge of sexual assault. He fit the profile.”
"That prior sexual assault charge was dismissed. The girl recanted."
Frank didn't like that. "Who knows why she recanted? Maybe Ray intimidated her. Maybe she didn't want to get dragged through a trial and go through the publicity of it all.” His face grew red. “It's not an easy thing for a victim to go through. Some people would just rather keep their mouths shut.” Frank went silent for a moment. "You know, you're not the first person that's talked to me about this.”
I lifted a curious eyebrow.
"A journalist came by a few months ago. Was saying the same thing you're saying. I dismissed it out of hand. He was trying to tell me that he thought Ray was still alive. Just sounded like nonsense at the time." Frank sighed. "I have to admit, there were a few things that bothered me about the way Ray died. At that point in time, there was no way to pull DNA from the corpse. It was too badly burned. They were able to get a dental impression, but Ray was missing a few teeth. It had been a couple of months between the time he assaulted Jenna Keating and the accident. It’s possible he lost a tooth in a bar fight or something like that. But the odontologist said it was a match. That was good enough for me.”
"It's my understanding the odontologist is deceased.”
"Yeah, Garrett passed away about five years ago. Good guy. I didn't know him really well. But he had worked on a few of my cases. If you're right, I guess he was wrong.” Frank frowned. “I still don't see how it's possible.”
"He could have had help.”
Frank gave me a curious look. "You mean like WITSEC?”
I nodded.
Frank's brow knitted. "You know, that's the exact theory that the journalist was pushing. Said Ray was being looked after. Why the hell would he be in protection?”
