“That’s right. It’s extra work, but it keeps the crime rate down.”
“I’m sure it does. Thank you.”
Spencer looked rattled, and his tires squealed as he backed out of the driveway and left. Lancaster sensed another presence, and he turned around. Nicki stood in the open doorway, eavesdropping. He shot her a disapproving look, and she disappeared.
“Why did you ask him those questions?” Beth asked.
“The Charger was bothering me, but I couldn’t figure out why. Now I know.”
“I must have missed something. What did Spencer say?”
“That Saint Augustine has a large police force that regularly patrols the city.”
“So?”
“The Charger got to the church early to get that spot, and was parked there for over an hour,” he said. “Several police cruisers would surely have driven by it. The cops would have seen the same suspicious things that I did. Yet none stopped to talk with those jokers.”
“The police deliberately avoided them? Why would they do that?”
“Because someone told them to.”
“Sykes?”
“Could be. You told Spencer that we didn’t get the Charger’s license. Are you going to run the Charger down without the police’s help?”
“Yes. I was going to ask the FBI’s Jacksonville office to help me arrest the Russians. Care to join us?”
Lancaster enjoyed nothing more than a bust, and said yes. But first, he needed to have a talk with Nicki, and find out how much she’d heard of their conversation. This was a bad situation, and he didn’t want her drawn into it any further.
Enough people had already been hurt.
Chapter 9
The special agent in charge of the FBI’s Jacksonville office had been in Daniels’s class at Quantico. His name was Erce Phillips, and they had spent many hours in each other’s company, running the winding wooded trails within the base. She didn’t think they’d talked more than ten minutes during the time they’d spent together, yet Daniels felt like she knew him, and hadn’t been surprised to see him at the church that morning.
Daniels called the Jacksonville office, and Phillips took her call.
“I need your help,” she said. “Two armed men broke into my father’s house while my sister and family were there. I have the license plate of the vehicle they were driving, and need you to run a check for me.”
“That’s horrible,” Phillips said. “Is your sister’s family okay?”
“They hid in a panic room while the men ransacked my father’s study.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Your family has been through enough.”
“Thanks, Erce. It’s been a long day.”
She gave him the information and heard his fingers dance on a keyboard.
“My computer’s running slow today,” Phillips said. “Is this the same Charger that was parked outside the church this morning?”
“You noticed them too?”
“I thought they looked out of place. I wonder why they waited so long.”
“What do you mean?”
“The funeral was at ten. It’s now three thirty. Guys who burglarize houses scour the obituaries in newspapers, then park outside the church the day of the funeral. When everyone’s inside, they drive to the deceased person’s house, and break in. The guys that broke into your father’s house waited, and risked running into a member of your family. Doesn’t make sense.”
“No, it doesn’t. I don’t think they were burglars. Nothing was stolen.”
“Weird. Oh crap. My computer’s frozen up. Let me call you back.”
“You got it.”
She ended the call. She was standing in the corner of the living room, and could hear Jon engaged in a lively discussion with Nicki in the kitchen. Nicki aspired to be a law enforcement officer one day, yet instead of emulating her aunt, had chosen Jon to be her role model. Daniels didn’t have an issue with that. Jon was a strict disciplinarian, and she enjoyed standing back and watching him rein her niece in.
She entered the kitchen to find Nicki and Jon standing toe-to-toe like a pair of boxers squaring off in the ring. Nicki’s face was red, and she appeared to be on the losing end. Melanie and Nolan stood a safe distance away, saying nothing.
“But I can help your investigation if you let me stay,” her niece pleaded.
“That’s out of the question, Nicki,” Jon said.
“But I’m a good detective. You said so yourself.”
“You’re an excellent detective. That isn’t the issue here.”
“Then what — you just want me out of your hair?”
“We could actually use your help. The issue is, those men saw your faces when they broke into the house. They’re dangerous, and you’re not safe until they’re arrested. I want you to drive back to Fort Lauderdale with your parents, and let us deal with this.”
“I think that’s an excellent idea.” Melanie said. “It isn’t safe here.”
“I’ll go pack the suitcases,” Nolan said.
“But what about the dead hand you found in Grandpa’s study?” Nicki said, unwilling to quit.
Her father stopped dead in his tracks and stared at his daughter.
“What in God’s name are you talking about, Nicki?” Nolan asked.
“Jon found a mummy’s hand in Grandpa’s study,” she explained. “Officer Spencer brought it downstairs wrapped in a towel, and put it in the trunk of his cruiser. He acted really upset, and when Aunt Beth questioned him, he admitted there were other cases in Saint Augustine where hands had appeared on people’s property.”
Nolan stared at his sister-in-law. “Is this for real?”
“I’m afraid so,” Daniels said. “We don’t know what it means, or how the cases are connected. The police are trying to keep the whole thing quiet. They’re afraid if the story leaks out, it will have a negative impact on tourism.”
“Sounds like a coverup to me,” Nicki said.
Out of the mouths of teenagers came the most startling things. The kitchen fell silent, her accusation hanging like a dark cloud.
“What do you think the police are covering up?” Jon asked.
“Everything,” Nicki said.
“Be more specific.”
“I think the other people who got dead hands were connected to Grandpa. The Russians were trying to intimidate them. How about if I go online, and find the link? You told my CSI class that smart criminals never commit random acts, there’s always a motive. Dig deep enough, and you’ll find it.”
Daniels had heard enough. The last thing she wanted was Nicki doing background checks on the other names that Spencer had given them, tainting the investigation by sticking her nose where it didn’t belong.
“You’ll do no such thing,” Daniels said. “You and your parents are going to pack your things, and hit the road. Understood?”
“But—”
“No buts. This is for your own safety. Jon and I will figure out what’s going on.”
“But I can help.”
“You’re in harm’s way. Jon and I can’t protect your family while trying to figure this out. Please, do as I say.”
Melanie put her hand on Nicki’s shoulder. “It’s for the best, honey.”
“This is so totally unfair,” the teenager said.
Daniels had a bad feeling about her niece. As she stood in the driveway watching Nolan back out, she had a clear view of Nicki in the back seat. Her niece was furiously typing away on her iPad, and she could only imagine the trouble Nicki was going to get herself into. Nolan beeped twice before driving away.
“She’s just like you,” Lancaster said.
“Are you saying that I caused this behavior?” Daniels said.