“Okay, let’s say that’s true. What of it?”
“Wouldn’t it make sense that Singleton was murdered by the Pellegrinos for that very reason? Because he noticed something funny and tipped off the FBI? And because they don’t want it to happen again?”
“Maybe, but how does popping Singleton solve their problem? Harry told me he was already working with Singleton’s successor, a guy named Willard Smith. He called Smith and asked if there were any other sales pending by the GSA that might be like the Blood Orchid sale, and Smith said no, nothing.”
“So, what if Smith is the Pellegrinos’ inside guy at the GSA? What if he was all along? He knows the GSA has another deal brewing, and he tips off the Pellegrinos that Singleton is about to queer it by going to the FBI.”
Grant nodded. “That makes sense. And when Harry calls Smith about any other pending sales, Smith tells him there’s nothing, just waves him off.”
“You’re starting to look interested in my theory, Grant.”
“I have to admit that it makes a kind of sense, but it still doesn’t mean that Shine tried to kill you.”
They had reached Grant’s house and pulled into the driveway.
“Turn around,” Holly said.
“And go where?”
“Back to Blood Orchid.”
“Are you nuts? You think somebody there is trying to kill you, and you want to go back?”
“I have an opportunity to be on the inside at Blood Orchid, and I think I can do more good there than on the outside. I’ve got you on the outside.”
Grant turned around. “Well, if you go back, then maybe Shine won’t think you suspect him.”
“Let’s hope not, but in the meantime, you’ve got to call your friend at Bureau headquarters and run a check on Ed that doesn’t get filtered through Harry Crisp. And you’ve got to do more than just an ordinary background check.”
“What else do you want?”
“Everything possible-credit history, education, every piece of information that might connect him to any other person or organization.”
“That’s going to take manpower, and they’d want Harry’s approval for that.”
“You’ve already been through Harry; can’t you get it done without his knowing?”
Grant sighed. “I’ll have to call in every marker.”
“Isn’t it worth it?”
“I hope so.”
They reached the Blood Orchid gate and were passed through. As they drove in, Holly looked back at the gate and saw the guard making a phone call. They drove to the airfield, picked up Holly’s car, and returned to the guest house.
When they arrived at the house, Holly and Daisy jumped out. “Come on in for a minute,” she said. “I just thought of something.”
He took her arm and stopped her. “Has it occurred to you that the house might be bugged?”
“No,” she said.
“Behave as if it is.”
In the house, she went to the wet bar and opened the shutters that concealed it. The two glasses she and Ed had used for their drinks on her first day there sat on the marble counter, still unwashed. She sniffed the glasses. “That one was the scotch.” She got a Ziploc plastic bag from the kitchen, dropped the glass into it, and handed it to Grant. He held it up to the light, looked at it, and nodded.
Outside, she said, “Don’t you want to look for bugs?”
“Why bother?” he replied. “If we found one, we wouldn’t want to disable it; that would tip them off. Just don’t say anything in the house or on the phone that you wouldn’t want the bad guys to hear.”
“Okay. Run the prints against every available database.”
“Will do,” he said. He put an arm around her. “I don’t like leaving you here.”
“I’ve got my cellphone,” she said, patting her pocket. “I can use it outside the house to call you if I need you. If you call me, it may take a few rings for me to get outside, so don’t hang up.”
Grant gave Daisy a pat. “You take care of her, girl.”
56
Holly got a little sleep, and was awakened by the doorbell. She opened the door to find Ed Shine standing there.
“Hi,” Ed said. “I tried to call you for dinner last night and didn’t get an answer. You been off the reservation?”
“Come in, Ed,” Holly said, kissing him on the cheek. “I have a lot to tell you. I’ve got some coffee on; would you like some?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Ed said, settling on the living room sofa.
Holly poured the coffee and brought milk and sugar.
“The gate guard said somebody brought you back here.”
“Yes, that was Grant Early, my neighbor. I’ve been seeing him.”
“Is it okay for him to know where you are? I’ve been worried.”
“It’s okay.”
“So, what’s up?”
Holly told him about her experience of the day before, and she watched his reaction closely. He appeared to be shocked.
“That’s the most awful thing I’ve ever heard,” Ed said. “You think it was this Rodriguez fellow?”
“Him or a friend of his.”
“But how could he know that you were here? Have you told anybody?”
“No, no one, until yesterday. I spent the night at Ham’s place. Grant picked me up and brought me back here. I still think this is the safest place I could be.”
Ed picked up the phone and dialed a number. “Hurd? This is Ed. I’m over at guest house number two. Can you come over here right now? I need to talk to you. Good.” He hung up. “I want to get Hurd on this right away.”
“That’s a good idea,” Holly said. “I haven’t told any of my people, but Hurd is like family.”
“What happened to the airplane?” Ed asked.
“They’ll remove the wings, load it onto a truck, and take it back to the Orchid Beach airport, where it will be repaired.”
“God, you were lucky to get down in one piece.” He scratched Daisy behind the ears, and she reacted with pleasure.
“I know we were lucky. Ginny’s a fine pilot, and she got us down safely; it could have turned out differently.”
There was a knock on the door and Hurd Wallace entered. “Morning,” he said.
“Hurd, sit down,” Ed said. “Holly’s got something to tell you.”
Hurd listened calmly as Holly related the events of the day before. “I was on the practice tee, hitting some balls,” he said, “and I heard something that sounded like a string of firecrackers going off.”
“It wasn’t firecrackers,” Holly said.
Hurd stood up. “I want to go and take a look at the area around the airfield right now,” he said. “I’ll report back to you as soon as I can, Ed.”
Ed nodded, and Hurd left the house.
“What do you think all this means, Holly?”
“Well, Trini Rodriguez has got to be behind it,” she replied. “And he knows that I’m the one who put the law on him.”
“But how could he find you here?”
“I don’t know. Have there been any people on the property the last couple of days that you don’t know?”
“Just the construction crews,” Ed replied. He looked at his watch. “I have to be going in a minute; someone’s picking me up; I’m showing a house this morning.”
“Ed, when I was waiting for Ginny to land, a business jet came in and dropped off some packages that were taken away by one of your vans. What would that have been?”
“Let’s see,” Ed said, scratching his head. “Plumbing supplies, I expect; special-order stuff. We needed them in a hurry, and a friend sent them down from Atlanta in his airplane.”
“And who were the pilot and copilot?”
“They work for my friend; they’re his regular crew. Why? Do you think they had something to do with this?”
“I don’t know. One of them made a cellphone call just before it happened, and he had been looking at me.”
“Oh, Holly, I don’t think he would have been involved. He was probably reporting to his base about having arrived here.”