As he looked around the room, images from his mind’s eye began appearing like a slideshow. He closed his eyes and let them flow, starting at the beginning. Glen Canyon Dam. Lake Powell. Bullfrog Bay. The marina. Stiegler’s houseboat. Chain-link fencing to weigh Kramer down through a live drowning. Kramer’s underwater terror.…

What was the connection? What did they all have in common? It’s got to be here.…  Come on, what’s the connection?

Water.

Water!

He opened his eyes and scanned the room. There, on the far wall, an enlarged photograph of a huge motor yacht. He pointed at it.
Harv focused where he pointed.

He looked at his friend and knew they both felt it. Electric and vivid.

Harv raced around the desk and began tearing through the file drawers. One of the drawers was locked. He grabbed the hammer and used the bloodied claw end to force it past its locking mechanism. It flew open and banged against the stops. Harv rifled through the files.

“Nothing about it in here.”

“Are you sure? Check the M’s for marina and the Y’s for yacht.” He looked on top of Dalton’s desk. “Harv, there’s a file on the desk.”

Harv grabbed it. “This is it. Lady of the Waves. She’s moored at… the Bahia Hotel’s marina.”

“Let’s go.”

***

Three minutes later and breathing heavily from their all-out sprint, Nathan and Harv piled into the Mercedes.

“How long ago did Montez leave?”

“I’d say no more than fifteen minutes. If Montez believes no one knows where he’s going—which is likely—he won’t risk getting pulled over for speeding. Something we need to think about ourselves. Let’s get this face paint off too.”

“We definitely don’t want to get pulled over. Use your best judgment. You know where the Bahia’s marina is?”

Harv started the engine. “It’s right across the street from Belmont Park.”

“Damn, I didn’t take a close look at the photo.”

“I did. I’ll know the yacht when I see it. There can’t be too many seventy-footers down there. The marina’s not that big. We’ll find it, no problem. ”

They drove in silence for a few moments. “Nate, you need to know something.”

He waited.

“The file on the desk. The owner of the yacht is Senator Alan Kallstrom. I saw the registration.”

“What? Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“So Dalton and Montez were in a home owned by the son of our old boss? What are the odds?”

“Senator Kallstrom’s also a member of CDT with your dad.”

Nathan shook his head, speechless.

“You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?”

“On second thought, let’s risk getting pulled over. Punch it, Harv.”

Chapter 37

Chapter  37

Harv broke every traffic law on the books getting down to Mission Bay. Fortunately, not a single cop saw any of it.