Page 33 of Stone Coast (Tyson Wild Thriller)

T he van pulled around to the dock, and the cargo door slid open again.

"Thanks guys, it's been fun," I said in a sarcastic voice as I slipped out of the van.

"Call that number if you want to do some good in the world," Mr. X said.

The door rumbled shut, and the van pulled away, the exhaust buzzing.

I made a note of the plate number, but I assumed they had swapped the plates. Nobody would be stupid enough to do that kind of thing without taking some precautions.

It was almost 4 o'clock in the morning by this time. Needless to say, I kept my head on a swivel as I walked back to the boat. I boarded the Intrepid , unlocked the hatch to the cabin, and descended the companionway.

The first thing I did was grab another pistol from my stateroom. But one of my guns was missing .

Panic washed through me.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood tall. Had someone been in here?

I grabbed the last pistol I had, press-checked it, and searched the boat.

Nothing else appeared to be missing, but how would I really know?

After I cleared the area, I moved topside. I didn’t trust the boat. Even though we had swept it for listening devices, it didn't mean somebody hadn’t put more there while I was gone. Maybe at the same time, they took my pistol.

I stepped to the dock and strolled away from the Intrepid , keeping an eye on my surroundings. I bit my lip as I contemplated dialing the phone at this hour. But I did anyway.

It rang a few times, and Tyson answered in a sleepy voice. "You okay?”

"You said anytime, day or night, right?”

He laughed. "I guess I did.”

"You’re never going to believe what just happened to me.”

I told him the story.

“I’ll ask again, are you okay?”

"Yeah, I'm fine. A little rattled.” I paused. “Have you ever heard of Shadow Syndicate?”

"No. But I can look into it. Did you get any names?”

"No.” I paused. "They had Carter. I could have… ”

"Why didn't you?” There was no judgment in his voice, just genuine curiosity.

"I don't know. I almost feel like it was a mistake.”

He laughed again. "I think you did the right thing.”

"Do you think these guys are legit?”

"A legit vigilante group?”

It was kind of an oxymoron.

"They obviously have resources. They seemed well-trained.”

"There are going to be a lot of people that want your expertise. Not all of them with good intentions.”

"If they wanted to hurt me, they could have.”

"My flight leaves soon. I can cancel. Do you want me to come to Pineapple Bay?”

"No," I lied. “I'm fine. This is just another normal occurrence in my strange new life.” I sighed. “There’s something else.”

He waited for me to continue.

“I think someone stole one of my guns.”

“You think, or you know?”

“I’m pretty sure it was in the drawer with the others.”

“Well, your memory has been a little… questionable lately,” he said, treading lightly.

“My short term is fine. I don’t have any gaps after the incident. Just before.”

“You need to report that. ”

“I’ll do it in the morning.”

“It is the morning. Were there any signs of forced entry?”

“No.”

“None?”

“None.”

“Could the gun have been stolen before, and you’re just now noticing it?”

I hesitated. “I guess anything is possible.”

“Could you have misplaced it?”

“I looked everywhere.” I paused. “Scarborough has two of my guns. My Bosch-Hauer XK9 is missing.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to get out of town for a minute? You could come to Europe with me.”

It sounded enticing. "No. I’m fine. I should let you go back to sleep. I'm sorry I bothered you.”

"I’m up now.”

“Sorry.”

“I really think you should come to Coconut Key. At least stay here for a while.”

"And miss all of this excitement?”

He chuckled. "Just throwing it out there.”

"I appreciate the invitation. Who knows? I may take you up on it at some point.”

"It's an open door. ”

"Thank you.” I asked him to look into Raymond when he had a chance.

“Look, I’m going to be out of touch for the rest of the day. But I’ll get in contact when I get settled,” Tyson said before he ended the call.

I made my way back to the Intrepid , climbed aboard, and locked myself inside. If any intruders did try to board the boat, I wouldn’t hesitate to put holes in them.

I called the PBPD and got the automated system.

“Thank you for calling the Pineapple Bay Police Department. Please listen carefully as our menu options have changed. If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 9-1-1. If you are calling to report a crime not currently in progress, you may file a report online or in person during normal business hours. If you are calling about parking tickets, moving violations, or other administrative issues, please call back during regular business hours or visit our website. For non-emergencies, please leave a message with your name, phone number, and a brief description of your issue, and someone will return your call as soon as possible.”

I didn’t leave a message. I figured I’d call Scarborough at a reasonable hour, though I didn’t want to talk to him.

The sun would be cresting the horizon soon. I tried to get some sleep, but I was pretty amped up. I kept the pistol nearby as I slept.

The boat gently rocked with the waves, and a light breeze drifted through the open windows.

I managed to get a few hours of sleep, then pulled myself out of bed and fixed breakfast in the galley.

I chowed down on blueberry waffles smothered in maple syrup and butter.

They’d leave me hungry again in an hour, but I had a craving for them.

After all, I’d been through, I felt like indulging myself. I deserved it.

After I ate, I dialed Detective Dickhead.

"Savannah Stone, I was just thinking about you. It seems there’s been an interesting turn in your case. Where are you right now?”

“On my boat. Why?”

“I’ll be there shortly.”