Page 109 of Stone Coast

"That son-of-a-bitch knows everything," Tyson grumbled as we walked back to the car.

"Maybe he found out about his wife's affair,” I said. “Had her killed. Maybe he caught on to the fact that Grayson was gonna blow the whistle. He could have had access to his wife's cell phone data.”

"There were three other doctors involved in that study. They all have to be experiencing similar incidents.”

"So, all of their data is getting modified in the portal?”

"Looks that way.”

"That's a lot of people to keep quiet,” I said.

"I'm sure there were nice financial incentives for the participants. It's possible the other doctors don't know the extent of the manipulation. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but…”

"How do we handle this?"

"We don't. The FDA has oversight, and the DOJ handles the fraud. PBPD has dibs on the murder, but it happened within Coconut County, which gives me jurisdiction as well.”

"Nothing happens without hard evidence. We need to get in touch with those other doctors and see if they're willing to talk.”

"I suspect Dirk is just a pawn in this whole thing," Tyson said. “This goes all the way to the top."

"Then we take it to the top.”

“I have no doubt they’ve insulated themselves with layers of middlemen and bad actors. They’ll chalk it up to a computer glitch or blame some low-level employee at the oversight company.” Tyson shook his head. “Nobody’s ever going to jail over this.”

“All the more reason why we have to take care of it.”

Maybe Xzavier had the right idea. His concept of justice was like a virus, and it was beginning to infect my mind.

56

Idon’t know if it was the circumstances or if it was just that good.

I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and by the time we grabbed dinner at the Coral Steakhouse, I was famished. My judgment had been colored, but it was the best steak I had ever eaten. Tender and juicy with a perfect sear. It put my taste buds into happy mode. With a side of sautéed mushrooms and garlic mashed potatoes, it hit the spot.

I washed it down with a nice glass of red wine, and for just a moment, I felt like a normal person. Not someone under attack. Not someone on the wrong side of the law. It was the first time I felt like I could breathe. The moment wouldn’t last long, but it was nice to enjoy.

Tyson wasn’t bad company, either.

We were a little underdressed for the fancy restaurant, but a flash of the badge got us seated faster than most. Tyson had a smile that could charm just about anyone, especially theimpressionable young hostess who looked up at him with doe eyes. Women melted in his presence. It was easy to see why.

After a glass of wine, I was feeling the heat.

Tyson kept his eye on the door the entire time. I'm not going to say he didn't relax and enjoy himself, but he never let his guard down. Maybe that gave me a chance to let go a little. He had a calming effect. He always had a solution. Contingency plans. He was always in control, even when the world was spiraling out of control.

After dinner, we grabbed a few things from the store, then headed back to the marina. The horde of media had dissipated, moving onto bigger and better things. Thank God.

Tyson and I hauled groceries down the dock and boarded theIntrepid. After everything was stowed, we swept the boat for listening devices and surveillance cameras.

It was clear from what we could tell.

We decided the best course of action was to anchor out for the night. Tyson cast off the lines and navigated us out of the marina. We sailed out to Blackfin Key and anchored in the shallows. There wasn't another soul as far as the eye could see. The full moon glowed the water, and a few light clouds drifted on the breeze. It was a nice evening, and we enjoyed another glass of wine in the cockpit. The boat gently rocked back and forth, and the motion lulled me into an even more relaxed state.

I let my guard down, and maybe that wasn't such a good thing.

We had both turned off our cell phones and were reasonably confident there were no tracking devices on the boat. Nothing that we had found. No one had followed us out to the island. I felt fairly certain that we were as safe here as anywhere.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?” I asked.