Page 43 of In the Arms of a Hero

Thanking the detective, Sam and Aaron looked at each other. “Okay,” Aaron began. “Bill comes to the area to visit a client and gets himself shot and dumped into the water. Robbery? Is he into something his wife doesn’t know about? Maybe someone didn’t like the way the stock market was going?”

“Ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time?” Sam continued.

“What about the fact that his body wasn’t just taken out into the bay but was weighed down? That took some thought.”

“If he didn’t use his personal phone to set up appointments, what about his work phone? I’ll call them to see if they used a landline.”

“I’ll call Andy and see if the VMP can give us tide and current information for the past three days.”

A few hours later, he and Sam sat with Colt as they updated him on what they’d learned.

“The currents in the bay on our side of the Chesapeake run northeast. I have a tide chart from the Coast Guard, but Andy and Ryan gave me their best guesstimates.” Ryan was the local Virginia Marine Police chief and worked hand in hand with the North Heron Sheriff’s Department.

“Since the body washed up within two days, probably less according to Cora, then they surmised he couldn’t have been taken out too far from the shore.”

“So not as far out as where the cargo freighters docked in the bay?” Colt asked.

“No. They’re north of where the body was found and would be too far away from the shoreline to make it with a weighed-down body.”

“Do we know what was used to anchor the body?”

“Not yet. Cora sent the rope fibers she found to the state forensic unit for analysis. Who the fuck knows when we’ll get something back on that,” Sam said.

“Could be fucking months,” Colt muttered.

“Sheriff? Detectives?”

The three men looked up as one of the support staff stuck her head in the room. “I know you were waiting on this.” She walked in and handed Aaron several pieces of paper. “It’s the deceased man’s list of clients in Virginia and Maryland.”

“Thank you, Sonya,” he said, taking the papers and eagerly scanning the list to check the addresses. His finger moved down the information, stopping on a familiar name. Looking at Sam with wide eyes, he said, “You won’t fucking believe who one of his clients is? Harry Malroney.”

Sam’s gaze jumped from Aaron to Colt. “As soon as we question him, he’ll threaten to call the governor.”

“I don’t give a shit,” Colt said. Pinning them both with hard stares, he said, “Go by the book, detectives, but rattle his cage.”

With a grin, Aaron and Sam took to their feet, heading to the parking lot. It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at the gate of Harry’s million-dollar beach house. They had been there a couple of months ago when Harry reported thefts from several of his massive rental beach houses. In the course of their investigation, they’d seen two of his rentals and then anotherone the day they were called about the body washing up on shore.

Ringing the bell at the gate, they announced themselves, and it automatically opened. Aaron chuckled, gaining Sam’s attention. “Just thinking, I can’t imagine living with a security gate.”

“Hell, at my house, I’d settled for a better fenced-in backyard since the kids want to get a dog.”

“With your luck, the dog would dig up another skeleton,” Aaron said.

Sam groaned. “Jesus, you’re probably right.”

The Malroney’s house was just as magnificent, with the sunset in the background as the last time they had been there. Ringing the doorbell, they were prepared for Harry, but a petite woman with a sweet face answered the door instead. “Yes?”

“Detectives Shackley and Bergstrom from the North Heron’s Sheriff’s Department, ma’am,” Sam said.

She stepped back and waved her hand. “Please, come in, detectives. I’m Ruthanne Malroney. Harry is just coming in from the back?—”

“Who’s here, Ruthanne?”

“Detectives from the North Heron’s Sheriff’s Department?—”

“What do they want?” Harry barked as he walked into the two-story entry foyer. As usual, he was dressed in casual clothes that belied the man’s financial state.

Aaron shot his gaze to Ruthanne, but much to his surprise, she smiled indulgently at her husband as she walked to him. Sidling up next to him, she patted his stomach and said, “If you’d be a little less blustery and a little more accommodating, I’m sure these gentlemen will tell you why they’re here.”

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