Page 78 of Hidden Depths

“Will you come back and tell me if you find anything?”

“Sorry, I haven’t got time for that.” Tom hurried out the back and made half an effort to appear to be checking the area, then disappeared around the corner and started running again.

He could still hear the siren, but it sounded farther away than before. The one thing Tom had going for him was that the sheriff’s department wouldn’t have a lot of men to deploy.

He continued on until the air only carried the sound of nearby traffic. Then, he walked toward a business complex and slipped between two buildings where he could stop to make a couple of phone calls. This was no time to worry about his personal feelings on the matter.

“Agent Bennett, please don’t be calling me about business,” Armstrong said when he answered.

“I wish I wasn’t. But we have a situation.”

“I thought I told you to visit the sheriff if you had any concerns.”

“I did.”

The line was silent for a moment. “You’re telling me you had enough evidence that carried enough concern that you found it necessary to speak to the sheriff?”

“It’s what you told me to do.”

“Because I didn’t expect you to carry on looking into this. But I guess I only ordered you to stop looking, and you apparently couldn’t care less about my orders.”

“I did exactly what you asked.”

“And what happened?”

“The first thing that happened was he practically laughed us out of his office.”

“No surprises there.”

“Then he sent a man to murder me and Sara.”

“Did you deserve it?”

“You think I’m kidding.”

“There’s no way you can be serious.”

“Well, I am. Shortly after we explained our concerns to the sheriff and no one else, a man known as Dutch, who’s connected to Sam Lansky broke into your condo.”

“What?” Armstrong exploded. “Where’s the man now?”

“Dead.”

“Tom!”

“It was self-defense. I didn’t go anywhere to cause any trouble. It came to me. This is real.”

Armstrong let out the blast of a sigh. “Are you safe right now? You’re not in any imminent danger?”

“No.”

“Good, then I have time to berate you. What exactly did you think would happen if you went after some mafia hit-man while he was on vacation? Did you think he would have thanked you for the intrusion?”

“I told you, sir, I didn’t go after him. I went to the sheriff. There is something going on down here, and Sheriff Dodd is involved.”

“That is a serious accusation.”

“I know.”

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