Jeremy parked in a dirt lot to the east of the uncovered slips. “I’m not expecting our man to be real cooperative. The park ranger told me he was a first-class jerk.”

“He won’t be a problem,” Nathan said.

“If you say so.”

They walked across a connecting bridge onto the dock. “I might need you to play along with us. I want him to think you’re on his side, so do a little acting if we need it.”

Jeremy smiled. “Good cop, bad cop?”

“Something like that.”

At 0715 hours, most people weren’t up and around yet. They passed some buildings on the dock’s main structure that offered all kinds of recreational needs, from tackle to suntan lotion to groceries. Most of the slips hosted houseboats. A few fishermen were prepping their crafts for a day on the water. Twenty yards farther down the dock, one fellow already had his line in the water. Sitting on a metal folding chair and dressed in tan overalls, he glanced at the three of them before looking back at his bobber.

Someone was cooking bacon nearby.

The creaking planks under Nathan’s feet mixed with a newborn’s muffled cry. He didn’t know why, but the sound made him think of Holly. He kept his voice low. “This is a nice marina, not what I expected at all.”

“It’s a major hub for recreational activity.”

“I can see that.”

“I was afraid of this,” Jeremy said. “He’s not here.”

They stopped at an empty slip.

“You sure this is the one?”

“Positive. He was moored here yesterday. The bastard flew the coop. He knew we were coming. Wait… what are you smiling about?”

“Mr. Houseboat doesn’t know we have a helicopter.”

***

The man in tan overalls waited until the three men left the dock before pulling his cell phone.“It’s Arturo.”

“Report.”

“Three men came looking for the houseboat.”

“Describe them.”

“Two white, one Hispanic. One of the white guys was pretty big. Tall, I mean, and hard looking. The Hispanic guy was pretty tall too. I was too far away to see much detail, but the other white guy was FBI. I saw the lettering on his shirt. The two tall guys looked like government agents too.”

“Interesting.”

“I overheard them mention a helicopter. I think they’re going to look for the houseboat with it.”

“Get the tail numbers. Make sure you’re not seen following them. Park at a safe distance and use your field glasses.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And call me back immediately.”

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

During the drive up to the airstrip, Nathan asked Jeremy to call the park ranger and ask if the houseboat had any distinguishing features. It did. It seemed Mr. Houseboat fancied himself as something of a pirate. His party barge hosted a large Jolly Roger on the stern of the sundeck. His sundeck canopy was light blue. Shouldn’t be too hard to spot.