Page 77 of Wild Oblivion

"I'm positive,” he said without a trace of doubt. "This I know.”

I grimaced, shared a look with Jack, then addressed James. "This is going to sound outrageous, but hear me out."

39

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?" James said. "You want to dig a hole in my living room? Absolutely not."

"It's a matter of life and death," I said.

"I don't give two shits. You’re not taking a jackhammer to my tile."

"We'd obviously pay for any damages.”

James scoffed. "The time, the inconvenience, the noise. No. You guys can’t even tell me what you're trying to dig up. I mean, there's not a goddamn body under there, is there?”

I didn't respond, just shared an ominous glance with Jack.

He shrugged.

James shook his head. "No. I don't want to know. If there's a body under there, it's staying under there.” James started putting the pieces together. He pointed at Henrik. "You just asked this guy if that's where he buried it? Is this guy somekind of psycho killer? Did he bury somebody under my house?”

"Like I said, we can come back with a warrant, but I’d rather not have to go through the delay.” It was all BS. I had no grounds for a warrant.

"No. My wife and kids are asleep. We’re going skiing in the morning. I don't have time to deal with this nonsense. If you think you’ve got probable cause, then go get a warrant. In the meantime, I’m going back to sleep. You guys can go fuck yourselves."

"It's a matter of life and death,” I said.

“Not my life." James marched back inside and slammed the door.

"Well, he's a pleasant fellow," Jack said. "What the hell do we do now?"

I asked Henrik one more time if he was sure about the location.

"I am absolutely 100% positive."

"Where exactly is it in the living room?" I asked.

"By my calculations, it's right under the coffee table."

"I know where we can get a jackhammer," JD said.

I gave him a look.

We left the patio and stepped through the gate, making our way down the driveway. I called for a rideshare, and we waited at the curb for a few minutes until another SUV arrived to take us back to the marina.

On the ride back, Jack said, "He is leaving in the morning, you know.”

"You want to break into that guy’s house, tear up his floor while he's gone, and put it all back together by the time he gets back?"

"The thought had occurred to me. I’ve got some really good tile guys. They can bang that out in a minute.”

"No. Absolutely not."

"You got a better idea?"

I had to admit, I was working through the logistics of Jack's plan in my mind. It was outrageous, illegal, and totally crazy.

"We could try to pass off some fake crystal," I said.