Page 6 of Wild Fever
"I think this is more than just an opportunistic escort running off with his wallet and his watch,” I said. “That’s for sure.”
"This was an assassination, and the Chinese are going to see it that way. You might want to be thankful you're not in the middle of this one.”
"We're in the middle of it, any way you slice it.”
"I don’t want to jump to any conclusions. We'll talk more when I’ve got more information. Anything else at this point is just speculation.”
I thanked her again and ended the call.
We left the station and headed to Diver Down to grab a late lunch. It was dangerously close to Happy Hour. JD and I took a seat at the bar, and Teagan greeted us with a cheery smile.
After the chaos of Halloween, the tourists had thinned out, and the island returned to normal. Harlan sat at the end of the bar in his usual spot, nursing a longneck.
"What's happening at the Seven Seas?" Teagan asked. "Paris said a foreign diplomat was assassinated.”
"Paris is talking out of turn. We don't exactly know what happened yet.” I changed the subject. “How’s your day going?”
The teal-eyed beauty smiled. "Every day is paradise.”
She wasn't lying. Especially around here, if you could overlook the crime. In that tight little bikini top and cut-off jean shorts, she was a little slice of paradise herself. A vacation every time you saw her.
JD and I perused the menu. He went with the Diablo burger with habanero jack cheese and ghost pepper mayo. I ordered the mango chicken with chutney.
A news segment flashed on the screen behind the bar. “Tensions run high following the death of Chinese real estate magnate Yan Zheng. Details are scant at this time, but unofficial sources report that foul play may have been involved. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded full transparency and stated there would beserious diplomatic consequencesif full transparency and cooperation are not established. The FBI currently leads the investigation. Analysts suggest this incident could scuttle trade negotiations and bring intense scrutiny to U.S. businesses currently operating in China. We’ll have more on this story as it develops.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Teagan said.
“It’s posturing at the moment,” I said. “Yan was up to something, and I suspect they want to cover it up.”
“I sure would like access to his laptop,” JD said with a grin.
“The feds are going to crawl all through that thing before they give it back.”
“That’s exactly why the Chinese government wants it.”
We sat around and shot the breeze, then chowed down. We were just finishing up when Sheriff Daniels called.
I pulled my phone from my pocket, swiped the screen, and held the device to my ear. “What is it now?"
"I need you two numbskulls to get over to Sandpiper Point."
“So, you’re calling with good news,” I said in a sardonic tone that he didn’t much appreciate.
6
The medical examiner’s van was in the parking lot along with a few patrol cars. Sandpiper Point was an upscale marina full of superyachts and sailboats. Home to tech types, crypto millionaires, and trust fund babies. You could always count on tanned beauties sunning themselves on foredecks, sipping piña coladas. Today was no exception. Most of these people had more money than sense, and way too much time on their hands.
But today, Preston Stewart had run out of time.
Jack found a place to park, and we hopped out of the Porsche.
Uniformed deputies loitered on the dock near theTranquility—an elegant 42-foot Valence Marine sailboat. A few curious neighbors looked on.
We ambled down the dock, said hello to the guys, then boarded the boat. Erickson and Faulkner talked to a woman in her mid-50s with short, sandy-blonde hair.
Camera flashes spilled out from below as Dietrich chronicled the scene.
We climbed down the companionway into the main salon. It was a nice boat—a galley to port, a settee to starboard, a spacious main salon with sleek windows. There was an in-line forward berth and head, with another aft berth. The design was minimal and modern. Everything was nice and tidy, except for the blood splatter on the bulkhead.
