Page 28 of Hidden Ascent

“From the looks of him, you dug him out of the sand.”

“I kind of did. He hasn’t had a chance to get changed yet.”

“Wait, you’re serious? Is he a homeless person? Why would he be in the sand? And how do you know he hasn’t set all this up to get to me?”

“That’s the whole reason I did what I did.Ididn’t even know where I was going until I got there, so how could he have known? And why would he come dumped on the beach by the waves?”

Isla took a step back. “Wait a minute. You’re saying he came out of the ocean?”

“Yeah. Why do you think he looks like this?”

“So he’s insane. You’ve brought an insane person to help me get justice for my team?”

“He’s not insane.”

“You don’t know him.”

“I know enough. We talked a bit at the beach and then on the drive back.”

“I can’t believe this,” she mumbled.

“I told you what I was doing. You’re just mad because he’s not an old lady with a dog.”

“No, I’m mad because you think this guy can actually help me.”

“He can.”

“Random crusty guy from the beach can help me solve a conspiracy?”

“Isla, even you can tell by looking at him that he knows how to handle himself.”

“I think she figured that out from their encounter,” Jemi said.

“I don’t need a bodyguard. I need someone who has some intelligence to offer.”

“He does,” Peter said.

“What’s his experience?”

“No idea.”

“Peter, I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.”

“You need to trust me.”

“You said you prayed, and God told you to visit the ocean.”

“Yeah, and I met Jay.”

“How can you be sure God sent him?”

Jay moaned. “Don’t I have a say in this?”

Peter helped sit him up. “I should get you something for that cut.” He stood up and put his hands on his hips and gave Isla a chastising look. “Now you have matching injuries.”

Jay pulled his hand from his head and looked at the blood that was there, then looked at Isla. “Is yours from the DHS guy?”

“You know about that?”

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