Gray Ghost (The Bill Dix Detective Series Book 1) (11 page)

Dix thought,
good call, Roger.

“
Then your prints will be on the items, correct?

“
Yes.”

One of the other guys stepped forward and pointed at the three men. “Do you want me to print all of them?”

The senior officer said, “That won’t be necessary.” He pointed at Roger. “I booked him when he was a kid after he had a little too much to drink one night. His prints are already on file.”

For the next hour or so, Roger, Dix, and Petersen skillfully directed the officers to the information they’d already learned. The local guys required little prompting and quickly connected Thomas to the deaths of Sean and Preston.

The officers told everyone at Roger’s house not to leave the island, and the lead officer gave Petersen and Dix his business card. “You guys think of anything we missed, don’t hesitate to call me.”

Dix and Petersen looked sincere and said in unison, “You bet.” The local officers left as they wheeled Thomas’s body to the van. Everyone except Dix went inside Roger’s home.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Dix dialed the number for Sergeant Michael Pierce, but as it rang, he heard the distinctive tone telling him he had an incoming call. He figured since he’d kept his sergeant in the dark this long, a few more minutes wouldn’t make much difference.

He answered the incoming call from Snead. “Boy, you clear to copy some information?”

“
Absolutely. What have you got?”

“
Info on the boat. It was made in Florida and registered to Jackie Spears
after
she was found dead. It’s been registered in Jamaica, the Bahamas, and even Columbia. Aliases for different dead people were used for each registration in each country. Now, how do you like them facts?”

Dix grunted. “This Caller guy’s good. He’s left no traces to anyone alive. Where were the tags sent?”

“
I checked. People can go to the DMV to pick up the decals and stickers.”

Dix thought for a moment. “Don’t those places have cameras?”

“
Yep, at least the one here does. I’m not sure how my sources got the intel, but they said a white male adult picked up the decals and registration information for the speedboat you’re after. They said he looked at the cameras several times and grinned.”

“
I wonder what that means.”

“
Well, here’s where it gets real interesting. My guys tried to find the man through all available databases. Even used some facial recognition software. They got nothing. According to these guys, the smiling man doesn’t exist.”

“
Jesus. I wonder if he’s the Caller.” Dix felt himself get a little excited.

“
I wondered myself. The guy on the surveillance tapes was about thirty. How would he have the resources to pull this stuff off?”

“
Maybe he works for the Caller.”
Man, this is getting complicated.

“
Some vacation.”

Snead chuckled. “You and that pile of horse manure you keep stompin’ your big boots in.”

“
Go ahead. Rub it in.” Dix was laughing too.

“
You might want to know I’ve got certified copies of the registration for the boat. Since it’s currently registered out of Florida, I think you could make a case it belongs to the Miami-Dade Police Department.”

“
But it’s in the Bahamas right now.” Dix thought Snead had a point, but how could Miami-Dade claim it?

“
Seems to me, whoever retrieves the boat could file a claim on it.”

Dix considered Snead’s point and decided it was way beyond time to report the situation to Sergeant Pierce.

Snead cleared his throat. “Since you’re not saying anything, I’m guessing you’re thinking about what I just said. I figured you’d want this case for yourself.”

“
I do, but I really want to catch the Caller. And I think this one belongs to the Bahamians.”

“
Don’t know if guys that good get caught. You’ve been around long enough to know we usually only catch the ones who’re dumber than dirt.”

“
I know, but if we let the Bahamians get the boat and store it, the guy just might come looking for it.” Dix sounded hopeful.

“
Or he might just send more mercenaries.”

“
Good point,” Dix said. “But I think he’ll come himself.

It’s too big a haul not to.”

Snead ran scenarios that could help Dix. “He may show up to check on his sniper. He’ll want him pushin’ up daisies. What about calling the feds for extra help?”

“
Yes. I figure between the AWOL sniper and the sunken load, our guy won’t trust anyone else. We’re hoping the Bahamian cops will make contact with the Coast Guard, at least.”

“
Before you’re up to your neck in muck, call up Sergeant Pierce and drop the bomb on him.”

Dix cringed. “That was my plan. Thanks for everything.”

“
Not a problem. Keep me in the loop.” The line went dead.

Dix walked back to Roger’s house and shared the information he’d received from Snead with the others. Before he got caught up in small talk, he decided he’d waited long enough to talk to Sergeant Pierce.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Dix called Pierce’s number again. This time he was determined to talk to him before he encountered more distractions. However, the call rolled to voicemail, so Dix left a message.

Five minutes later, his phone rang.

Even before Dix could answer, he heard his boss’s voice. “Pierce here. What’s up?”

“
Sergeant Pierce. Thanks for calling back. You know how Petersen seems to be a shit magnet?”

Pierce laughed. “Don’t tell me you guys are in jail. That would make my day, maybe the whole year. Hell, probably my entire career.”

Dix cleared his throat and tried to decide how to approach the subject. “I wish it was that easy. You know I wouldn’t call you for that.”

“
Then what the hell is it? We’re actually working here while you and Petersen lie in the sun. I don’t want to hear how great your trip is.”

“
This won’t take long, and it can’t wait.” Dix was prepared for his boss to erupt.

“
Damn it. It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“
I’ll give you the condensed version. We have a vessel last registered in Miami, Florida, that we think was headed to Miami before it was sunk. Both people on board were murdered. The boat is loaded with cocaine with a street value in excess of one hundred million dollars. A hired mercenary sniper, named M. A. Thomas, gave us information about the guy running the entire operation, a male adult known locally only as the Caller…”

“
Hold on!” Pierce slammed the horn is his car, “Hey, get the hell out of the way.”

Dix laughed out loud.

“
Okay, continue with this crazy story,” said Pierce.

“
The sniper also confessed to the murders. He escaped and opened fire on the home where he’d been detained. The homeowner killed him before he could be turned over to the local police. They were called, and we told them most of what we knew. They have the coordinates for the speedboat and plan to bring it up and store it, but the facility they use isn’t secure. With your permission, Petersen and I would like to be involved at this end. Maybe Miami-Dade can get this guy.”

Pierce shook his head. “Are you kidding me? You guys are on vacation in the Bahamas and you want the department’s help with a drug case you just happened to stumble into?”

“
Sarge, this case just might cinch your promotion to lieutenant, and the whole unit might get a commendation. Maybe the whole department. Think of the great publicity. We might need the help of the Coast Guard and whoever else you think would be useful.”

Pierce covered the microphone on his phone, and Dix heard garbled conversation before the sergeant spoke again. “Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll call the captain. You handle things on your end. I’ll notify the Coast Guard and U.S. Navy, and open a line of communication with the Bahamians. We do this right, and we got a shot of coming out as heroes. That is, as long as you two don’t mess it up.”

“
Okay, Sarge. Obviously, if I learn anything new, I’ll let you know.”

Pierce grunted. “One more thing. You guys catch any fish? What do they call them, bones or something?”

Dix chuckled. “Yeah, one. They’re called bonefish. Some of the locals call them gray ghosts.”

“
You get this deal done, and I just might approve your vacation request for next year.”

Dix laughed as Pierce hung up.

It had gone better than he’d thought.
Now to get on with solving the case.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Snead fired up his computer, poured a tall cup of black coffee, and sent some requests to friends in other agencies. Then he waited. Soon the replies started. He waded through the suggestions and did his own follow-ups. Roughly three hours into it, he caught a break. According to his research, the speedboat was custom built in 2000, not 2007, and the buyer used an electronic fund transfer to purchase it.

The wire transfer was a mistake. One of Snead’s contact’s skills was the ability to decipher worms, codes, and language intended to send interested parties in the wrong direction. Information embedded in the data was left behind. The transaction traced back to a Dell computer purchased by the Coast Guard. His heart nearly stopped.

“
Check again.”

His contact replied, “There’s no mistake.”

“
Thanks. See if you can get the exact date and time of the transaction.”

“
Will do.”

Snead hung up. He was starting to think someone in the Coast Guard could be involved in the mess Dix and Petersen were in.

If he was lucky, he might be able to narrow down the number of people who could have made the transaction.

And he hoped he’d find the Caller.

He refreshed his coffee, popped a Hot Pockets in the microwave and began to make more calls. Many people owed him favors, and he intended to collect every last one of them.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

As the Bahamians worked with the Royal Netherlands Navy to raise the
Gray Ghost
, local fishermen watched from their boats. They were ordered to stay a long distance away from the effort.

As the boat was slowly lifted to the surface, assisted by massive airbags, a Coast Guard UAV flew overhead documenting the scene. One of the Bahamian divers looked up, caught a glimpse of the object, and pointed it out. The crew stopped what they were doing and watched the expensive toy fly away, make a large circle back, and fly overhead again at a high rate of speed.

Thousands of bubbles broke the surface as the speedboat came up. The vessel was about three feet from the surface when an air bag along the stern exploded. Two quick-thinking divers grabbed huge orange buoys and leaped into the water. They attempted to get a rope around the stern to keep the boat afloat. It worked. The boat stayed in position long enough to work another airbag under the stern. About that time, the lead officer ordered the locals to leave in order to create a straight path for the recovered boat to the main dock.

Once the boat was secured on the flat barge, the cocaine was placed in the locked compartments of the other police boats. When all was ready, the convoy set a course to the main boat ramp. Local boats stayed well behind the convoy as a Coast Guard and Royal Navy cruiser escorted the speedboat. A tugboat ran alongside to assist.

Roughly four hours later, two Royal Bahamian vessels loaded with cocaine and the speedboat arrived at the main dock. The Yukon Denali, which had originally towed the boat, and the custom trailer hitched to it already sat waiting. Twelve armed officers guarded the scene and oversaw the process.

Another two hours passed before the damaged boat was finally onto the custom trailer. Then, escorted by what seemed like every police service vehicle on the island, the boat was towed to the storage yard, which doubled as the police warehouse.

Dix and Petersen waited as the boat and trailer were secured in the warehouse. They observed as local officers began to file out of their vehicles and take up defensive positions around the warehouse.

One of the officers, Prescott, according to his badge, said, “Won’t they laugh when they find out the dope ain’t in the boat?”

“
What the hell are you talking about? Where the hell’s the dope?” Dix yelled.

The officer explained that they’d moved the cocaine into their secured police boats to ensure they wouldn’t lose the drugs. These boats were still at the main dock.