Page 14 of Final Approach (Lake City Heroes #4)

“Sure. Bring a flashlight if you have one. The power’s off.”

“Got one in the trunk, but let me make a call and see if I can get it turned back on.” He connected with someone and two minutes later hung up. “It should be on shortly. Lead the way.”

THE POWER WAS RESTORED almost immediately, thanks to his contact with the power company, but even with the help of Thomas Edison, his very thorough search of the rest of the house turned up nothing. Andrew led the way out into the single garage. Thunder rolled in the distance.

“That doesn’t sound great,” Kristine said behind him.

“Just the promise of a soggy night.” And he really wanted to be home in his cozy little rental before the sky opened up. He hated storms. But business first.

To his left was a door that led to the backyard, a refrigerator against the wall next to it, and shelves and cabinets. “It’s neat. Everything in its place.”

“Maybe that will help you make short work of the search,” she said.

Together, they scanned the area, with him moving items, opening containers, checking every nook and crevice they uncovered. The ceiling again, the floor, the walls. No secret compartment or hiding place. Nothing in the freezer.

Next, the attic.

Still nothing. Not even mice or any other kind of vermin. At least there was that to be thankful for.

Now he was sweating. A glance at his phone told him his time was running short.

He was going to have to leave to meet Hank.

He studied Kristine. A woman who’d captured and continued to hold his interest. He turned his attention back to the task at hand.

Allowing her to distract him might cause him to miss something.

On the garage wall opposite the entrance to the house, there was a mounted organizer for yard work tools that held items like a rake, brooms, a spade, and a digging hoe. He nudged Kristine, who’d just closed a toolbox. “The shovel is missing.”

She raised a brow. “Okay.”

“Well, look at this place. It’s in perfect order. Where’s the shovel?”

“Maybe it broke? Someone borrowed it?”

“Yeah, of course. Maybe.” He looked around. The outside lights were on. “I’m going to take a look around outside.”

“You think he buried it.”

“Yeah.”

She followed him outside and he shivered in the cool night air while he scanned the backyard. He could see pretty well, thanks to the exterior lights.

“What are we looking for?” she asked.

“That. See it?”

“I do.”

They walked together to the edge of the fence. The shovel was leaning into the corner of the fence and there was a hole in the ground next to it.

Kristine planted her hands on her hips. “Stating the obvious here—someone dug it up.”

“Why do I think that someone is Jacob?”

“Or the guy who hired Marcus?” she asked. “Trying to get his money back now that Marcus is dead? But I don’t know how he’d know it was here unless Marcus told him.”

“Well, the only way to find out for sure is to locate them.”

“Any ideas on how to do that?”

“A few.” He glanced at his phone. “But I’ve got a meeting.”

“What kind of meeting?”

“I’m not exactly sure. Guess I’ll find out when I get there. My buddy who’s undercover with the Serpentine Network reached out and wants to meet.”

“Meet? In person? Is that safe?”

“Not by a long shot. He’s been in the South Carolina branch of the organization, so it’s a bit of a drive for him.” He paused. “You want to come? You have to wait in the car and not let anyone see you, but it might be good for me to have backup.”

“Sure, but what about Nathan?”

“He left earlier to go meet Jesslyn. I don’t want to bother him. They need their time together.”

She smiled. “You’re a good friend.”

“Nah, just collecting points for when it’s my turn.” He studied her, wondering when he’d work up the nerve to ask her out. Thunder boomed, a loud crack that made his ears ring. “Wow, sounds like the storm is going to be a doozy.”

“I love storms.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

She laughed. “I do. As long as I don’t have to be out in them.”

“Amen to that.” Another chuckle escaped her and he cleared his throat. “So, you want to drop your car at the station? It’s on the way.”

“Sounds good. I’ll meet you there.”

Fifteen minutes later, her car was stashed at the station and she was buckled into his front seat. The rain was still holding off, but the thunder and lightning were still putting on quite the show. He shuddered and grimaced. Storms were not his favorite. It had been storming the night—

No. Don’t go there .

“Tell me about your friend,” she said once they were climbing the mountain toward Lake City Lake.

He didn’t necessarily want to go there either—conversation-wise—but having her come along was his bright idea, so he probably owed her a response, not the vague brush-off he was considering.

“Hank and I were partners for a little over a year. He and I were what you might call the golden boys of UC.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and found her watching him.

Intently. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I was under for about three years, then got out about eighteen months ago. Hank stayed in.”

“He’s been undercover for over four years?”

Her shock echoed. He understood it. People had done it for longer, but it was still a long time. “Yeah. But that’s his thing. He’s divorced, no kids, and on a desperate mission to bring down gangs.”

“Wow. So what happened in his past to spark that passion?”

He almost smiled. Of course she would link that to an incident in Hank’s past. “Hank’s younger brother, Glenn, got involved in a gang as a teen. He ended up a scapegoat and went to prison for a crime he didn’t commit.”

“But he took the rap.”

“Yep. Hank’s parents are pretty wealthy, so they were able to provide Glenn with a good lawyer.

Then they got a private investigator involved, and in the end, eight months into the sentence, Glenn was finally cleared.

His dad was there to pick him up the day he was released and the two of them were killed before Glenn even got in the car.

Drive-by shooting by members of the Serpentine Network.

Prison cameras caught the whole thing except it didn’t reveal any faces. They had ski masks on.”

She sucked in an audible breath. “Oh my. How awful. Were they ever caught?”

“No. The car was stolen, and in all the time he’s been under, he can’t find who ordered the hit—or who carried it out.

It’s possible those people are dead at this point.

Gang members don’t exactly have a long lifespan.

But he stays to make a difference. To try and stop as much killing as possible.

And if he finds who killed his dad and brother, then that would be icing on the cake. ”

“Wow. That’s seriously tragic. And not to have any clues after all this time is terrible.”

“Hank was gutted. Dropped out of law school and went to the police academy. That’s where we met.

Our paths crossed again at the FBI Academy.

And one step at a time led us to going undercover together.

The goal was for one of us to make it inside the Serpentine Network, but we both managed to get in. ”

“But you got out.”

“I did.” His turn came up before he had to try and figure out how to end the conversation, and he swung the SUV through a section of the trees, then followed a gravel path to a small parking area near the boat dock that was just ahead, waves lapping hard against the shore.

He backed in, tires crunching, then stopped and cut the lights while leaving the engine running.

No need for them to freeze while waiting.

The moon shone bright in the sky. He handed her a pair of binoculars.

“I don’t know how well you can see in the dark, but keep an eye out, will you? ”

“Sure.”

He frowned. “Hank said he’d be in an older model black Buick Rendezvous.” There weren’t any other cars in sight. Not many people came to this part of the lake. One of the reasons he’d chosen it.

“Maybe he got held up.”

“Yeah. We’ll give him a few minutes.” He glanced at his phone. “No text to cancel.”

They fell silent and she made no move to talk. Instead, she had a distant look in her eyes, like she was thinking.

“You okay?”

She blinked and looked at him. “Yes. I’m fine.”

“What’s wrong?”

A laugh slipped from her. “Just...” She shrugged. “I was thinking about something Tabitha said at the hospital. We talked a little about how life can really throw you a curveball, but you just have to find the strength to keep going.” She bit her lip.

“What’s your curveball?”

“I’ve been suspended for the moment. The family of the woman who was stabbed on the plane is making accusations that the air marshal was negligent.”

He gaped, then shut his mouth. “When did you find that out?”

“A bit ago.”

“And you didn’t think to share?”

“I guess I just needed to process it. But everyone will be called in to give their account, so I might as well let you know it’s coming.

My boss doesn’t think it will take long to clear it all up, but the fact that it’s even happening is .

.. depressing. We work so hard trying to keep people safe and they just .

.. don’t get it. Or appreciate it. Some days it gets to me. ”

He reached for her hand and held it, her palm warm but callused in a few spots. “I’m sorry, Kristine. You did everything by the book and you did it right. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“I’m not terribly worried. Concerned and frustrated with the whole thing, but...” She shrugged.

“Thanks for telling me.”

“Sure.”

He paused while seconds ticked past. “My cousin wants to move in with my parents.” He almost bit his tongue in half. Why had he blurted that out? “Sorry, I didn’t mean to change the subject and make it about me.”

“Please, change the subject. I don’t mind a bit. From your tone, I’m guessing your cousin moving in is not a good thing?”