Page 68 of Island Protector

Miles rolled his eyes. “Dare I say when you weren’t looking?”

“I’m always looking,” Knox grumbled. He glanced at Jess. “If he slipped away, it was at his own risk.”

“I’m aware.” Jess folded her arms and stared hard at Miles. “You have a plan in mind. Likely one you’re going to pull off with or without us.”

“It has a better chance of success with y’all on board.” He cleared his throat. Things were about to get dicey. “I’ve been digging. For names, connections, motives. Tech is my super power remember?”

Caldwell pulled one of the stools from the counter and made himself comfortable. “I remember your security cameras didn’t give us a lot to go on.”

“Fair enough. I didn’t find much there either. But being sidelined to get over that beating left me plenty of time to sort this out. I did a deep dive into the custody challenge that put all this in motion. And I spoke with her attorney.”

“You’re serious?” Jess swore. “Overstep much? You think someone targeted her in that car accident?”

“Absolutely I do, and the car seat was the bastard’s first mistake.”

“Lieutenant Frasier had to write her a ticket,” Caldwell defended his officer.

“Yep. He sure did. And that stressed her out, adding another layer of pressure that was later compounded by those photos.”

“We all know the pictures were bogus,” Caldwell said. “Every person in Brookwell would have testified on her behalf if that had wound up in the judge’s hands.”

“Assuming they would’ve had the chance,” Miles said. “Still, it looks bad. Tilts things in favor of the grandparents.” He paused. This could be tricky. “Hear me out. I expect any day now, Molly’s going to get more than pictures. This jerk is going to blackmail her.”

Knox dragged a hand over his face. “What did you do?”

“Didn’t bother to hide my tracks.”

Knox shoved up out of his chair to pace. “You’ve exposed yourself. You idiot! This could easily blow up in your face. Then what? What good are you to Molly when you’re dead?”

Miles swallowed. “That’s why I invited all of you.”Crap. So far, none of them were on board and they were all as mad as Knox. “Hear me out,” he repeated. “When this bastard tries to blackmail Molly, I’ll make a scene about taking her away. We’ll pack up and leave from the marina. Then, when he’s forced to make a move, you can arrest him.”

“Miles,” Knox warned. “If you’re wrong about the connections… this will go south fast.”

Miles jerked his chin. It was possible. “I’m not. We’ve got no intel that contradicts my theory and nothing in my search either.”

“Back up.” Caldwell raised a hand. “Expose yourself to who? What fresh hell are you bringing to the island?”

“The Vedras crime family,” Jess explained. “Miles was undercover planting seeds that the government eventually used to break up a significant money laundering scam. Among other crimes. Miles is a hero.”

“With a target on his back,” Knox grumbled.

“Maybe,” Jess allowed. “But he’s right. So far there’s zero chatter that they’ve found his real name and current location.”

“Good Lord,” Caldwell snapped. “Y’all are gonna have the mafia traipsing around here next.”

Miles ignored that. It wasn’t today’s issue. “Chuck Clinton is who you’re after.” He used his tablet to bring up the photo and information he’d gathered. “He put all this in motion, starting in Tampa. He’s still in the area. He got his P.I. license in Florida and it’s currently suspended. From what I can tell, he went to the Graingers, stomped all over their griefand convinced them their only grandson needed them. To date, they’ve paid him over fifteen grand to find Bryce and arrange for custody.”

“They have to know that’s not how it works,” Caldwell said.

“According to his financials, this isn’t his first rodeo.” Miles showed a screen capture of the man’s bank records. “He must have one helluva speech. Besides, people do a lot of stupid things when they’re hurting.”

“And a lot of people don’t look too closely at the particulars when it means they’re getting what they want,” Jess said.

“According to Mr. Devaney, Molly’s lawyer,” he clarified for Caldwell, “someone is working with Clinton inside the court system, manipulating the court documents and dates.”

“That’s why Wilt keeps getting mixed information.” Jess pulled out her phone. “Man, I can’t wait to send this up the line. Gamble and Swann will have a field day tearing this apart.”

“Tell them to give me twenty-four hours. If they move before then, we might lose Clinton altogether. This guy needs to answer for what he’s done to Molly and who knows how many others. I don’t want to let him slip away.”

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