“I don’t know. I know that’s the chief’s car, and I think that one belongs to Walt Peabody. I don’t know about the other ones.”
“I think you’ll find that black Ford belongs to the SBI. Probably Brooks Walker since he’s our local agent.” Kevin parked on the street.
“What do they want?” I wondered out loud.
He grinned as he took my hand. “They want to talk to you. I’m sure they all want reassurances about spending the time and money to go out to the island.”
“Great!”
“There might be an FBI agent too. Bunk was supposed to be in their federal program. They might want to know what happened. They might even want to pull him in for not going along with the plan.”
I wasn’t looking forward to talking with a group of law enforcement people tonight. I wanted to ask Gramps about my father, but not with an audience. Bad timing.
“That looks like the arson investigator’s van.” Kevin nodded at the white van with the Dare County seal on it. “I think I’ll go in with you.”
“I’m not worried about Brad, if that’s what you’re thinking. What’s he going to do? Arrest me in front of all these people?”
“He can’t arrest you at all, Dae. He can only investigate and give his findings to the chief. That’s one reason why it was inappropriate for him to talk to you about the case the way he did. I’m sure his superiors had something to say about it after your grandfather and I pointed it out to them.”
“Gramps said he was only fishing.”
“Yeah. Without much bait either. Come on. Let’s see what’s happening.”
We went inside together. The house smelled like coffee and conflicting aftershaves. The men were sitting around the kitchen table—until they saw me. They all got to their feet at that point.
“Mayor,” they said in unison.
Brad nodded but didn’t speak. I supposed he wasn’t happy that this new turn of events had messed up his theory about me killing Max and Sam. Gramps brought out another chair for Kevin. The doorbell rang and I went to answer it. It was Cailey Fargo on the doorstep. She hugged me. “I’m so glad you’re safe, Dae. Everyone was worried about you.”
“Thanks. Come on in. The party is this way.”
“I knew Brad was all wrong when he told me he considered you a suspect,” she confided in a low voice. “I think he’s a little desperate to find someone to blame. It’s his first investigation, you know. I’m sure he’s worried about doing a good job. People get that way sometimes. He’s kind of wound real tight anyway, if you know what I mean.”
“I appreciate you telling me that. It means a lot.”
Gramps asked us both if we wanted coffee. I turned it down—Cailey took a cup. I sat between her and Kevin, with Brad brooding on the other side of the table. Once everyone was seated, filling our little kitchen, the discussion began.
“I want to say upfront that this whole thing is a waste of taxpayer money.” Brad fired the first salvo right across my bow. “I think we all know this is nothing but a ploy to take the heat off of someone right here in town who’s responsible for everything.”
Chapter 19
“We all have a stake in this,” Brad continued. “We need to find out the truth—not a convenient lie to cover up what really happened.”
He was glaring at me the whole time he spoke. He was accusing me without actually using my name. I didn’t care. He’d find out how wrong he was when we went out to the island.
Kevin had been wrong about the FBI. They were nowhere to be seen. Agent Brooks Walker with the SBI wanted to be part of the group going out to the island. In fact, he wanted the local police to stay out of it entirely. “This should be our case,” he said.
“The man’s been living out there for years and no one knew,” Walt reminded him. “You can’t come in here and take over our case.”
“He’s a suspect in our murder cases.” Chief Michaels piled on the logical reasons he should be allowed to continue with the case. “You can’t claim any jurisdiction here, Agent.”
“All right. It’s against my better judgment, but I guess you’re already involved,” Walker grumbled. “We’ll head out there first thing in the morning. Who has the coordinates for the island?”
They all looked at me. “Bunk’s men gave them to me when we got back to Duck. Whose boat are we going out on?”
“I don’t see any reason you should go out at all,” Walker told me. “You’re neither law enforcement nor an involved party. Give me the coordinates and we’ll take it from here.”
“I’m afraid not. I’m supposed to be bringing you out there. I don’t think Bunk will like it if you show up without me.”
There was some major griping, but I didn’t care. I was the one who found Bunk, and I was going back out there tomorrow. It probably wasn’t so much that I wanted to be part of the operation as I wanted to know whatever he could tell me about my father. If my grandfather had kept the knowledge that my dad was alive for all these years, I wasn’t sure I’d get any real answers from him. In case Bunk was dragged off to some federal prison, I wanted a chance to talk with him first.
When they finally accepted that they weren’t going without me, despite all their complaints and protests, Walker, Peabody and Chief Michaels handled it without further discussion.
“We’ll use a Coast Guard vessel,” Walker told everyone.
“We’ll be taking police boats,” Chief Michaels stated.
“We’ll be going out on the Eleanore,” Gramps said.
“That’s not a police boat, Horace,” Chief Michaels replied. “It has to be some law enforcement vessel. I’d go with the Coast Guard before taking a private boat out there.”
“You all go out on your boats, if you want.” Gramps stared steely-eyed at them. “Dae, and the location of the island, are going with me on the Eleanore. I don’t trust any of you to keep her safe.”
He gave Kevin a half smile. Kevin nodded in return. I assumed that meant he’d be going too. That was fine with me. I wasn’t looking forward to being the only civilian with the masses of law enforcement headed out there.
I kind of felt sorry for Bunk in all this. No doubt he’d brought all of it on himself. But I believed his story about what happened to Max. I believed he was Agnes’s father and wanted to help her, whatever else he’d done.
It was agreed that we’d all meet at the docks at six A.M. Gramps and Kevin could be there, Walker said, but couldn’t bring a weapon. Same thing for me.
“That’s it. I’ve had a big day.” I got to my feet. They might be there talking and planning all night. “I’ll see you all in the morning.”
Most of them stood and “Mayor-ed” me again—except for Brad, who nodded. Kevin smiled and stood up to kiss my cheek and say good night. Gramps walked me to the stairs.
“Good night, honey,” he said, hugging me. “Don’t worry about this. It’ll be okay.”
“Gramps, there’s something I have to ask you.”
“Yes?”
I noticed the sudden silence from the kitchen and knew I couldn’t say what was on my mind. It was better to wait until we could talk without a room full of people listening in. “It’ll keep. Good night.”
I was awake long before my alarm went off at five thirty the next morning. I tried to imagine what the day would bring. Would Bunk deny what he’d told me when he was faced with it? Would he be arrested? It seemed there was so much that could go wrong.
I’d been right about everyone downstairs. I’d heard the group break up at around two A.M. I remembered the planning sessions Gramps held with his deputies from when I was a kid. Many of them took place around that same table. They planned and replanned—trying to account for every possible scenario. I wondered if they were ever surprised by what happened. Would they be surprised today?