3 Mango Bay (22 page)

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

I went to bed early. Trying to catch up on sorely missed sleep. Bob didn't disturb me during the night, so my sleep was good. Just not enough of it.

My phone chimed me awake with an incoming call. The caller ID showed 'unknown', so I didn't bother to answer. The way I figured it, if the call was important, it would be from someone I knew.

A few minutes later, the phone chimed again. Same caller ID, 'unknown'. I let it ring until it went to voice mail. If they wanted to hide their identity, they could leave a message.

And they did.

It was Agent Harris. His message was short and to the point. “Call me.”

I didn't want to return his call, but how long can you ignore Homeland Security? They'd already proven they could pluck me off the street in the middle of the night. No telling what they'd do if I didn't return their call.

I press redial and Harris answered on the first ring.

“Walker. Nice of you to call me back.”

“
Yeah, right. You call to apologize for leaving me in the field without backup?”

“
Walker, we didn't have a choice. Missiles always trump drug cases.”

“
So why call me if you're not apologizing?”

“
There's some loose ends we need to deal with.”

“
Loose ends?”

“
Yes, loose ends. Things we need to take care of. In person.

“
So I was thinking it would be good if we could get together at ten this morning at Lemon Bay Park. Think you can meet me there?”

“
Sure, I can make it. But why aren't we meeting in your office?”

“
Too much going on there with this missile thing. Things you don't need to see. The park is a better place. Be there at ten.”

He ended the call.

Almost as soon as the call ended, my phone chimed with another incoming call. The caller ID showed it was from Anna.

“
Morning, Anna.”

“
Walker, I just got off the phone with Serenity Cove's owner. She's pretty upset about the manager disappearing. She's worried that there's no one there to keep the office open. No one to collect rents and check in new guests.

“
She wants me to find someone to take over until a replacement can be found. Is there any chance you want to play office manager for a few days?”

“
Anna, I can't do it. I've got something else I have to deal with. But I do know someone who might be able to handle the job. She lives here in the park and she owes me a favor.”

“
Really? You've only been there a few weeks and already you've got women in the park who owe you favors?”

“
Anna, you know how it is. These things just happen to me.”

“
Yeah, right. So is this woman trustworthy?”

“
You've met her. My next door neighbor. The one who took care of you the morning after I brought you home from Rusty's Raft.”

“
Polly? That's her name right?”

“
Yes, Polly. And if you want, I can ask if she wants to play park manager for a few days.”

“
Walker, Polly might be perfect for the job. Let me know what she says.”

“
Will do.  But what if she asks how much it pays?”

Anna laughed. “The park's bank accounts are empty so there won't be any pay. But how about free rent for the next month?”

“Sounds good. I'll talk to her.”

We ended the call.

The two calls had pretty much set my schedule for the first half of the day. I'd meet with Agent Harris at ten, and before that meeting, I'd try to talk to Polly about being the temporary park manager.

She usually walked Oscar around eight thirty each morning, and I figured that would be a good time to talk to her about the job.

It was already five after eight, so I needed to get going. I got up, took a quick shower, pulled on some clean clothes, and headed for the kitchen.

For breakfast, I poured myself a bowl of cereal and covered it with white grape juice – my usual fare. I stood and ate by the window, keeping an eye on Polly's Airstream.

Right at eight thirty, she and Oscar came out.

I put down my bowl and went outside to greet them. Polly grinned when she saw me.

“Walker, how are you this fine morning?”

“
Good. How about you?”

“
Wonderful. Now that Oscar is back, life is great.

“
You going to walk with us this morning?”

“
Sure, if you don't mind.”

With Oscar leading, Polly and I headed out for our morning walk around the park. As usual, we walked in the center of the road, while Oscar zoomed from one side to the other, sniffing the grass for messages left by other dogs.

Occasionally he'd stop and mark a spot, showing that he'd been there. Polly carried a small plastic bag, ready to retrieve any larger clues Oscar left.

As we walked past Buck's bus, I asked Polly about him. “How's Buck doing?”

She smiled. “He's doing well. In fact, he says our little adventure has inspired him to write a movie script. Involving dognappers and drug dealers.

“
Says he wants to tag along with you next time you go out so he can beef up the plot.”

“
Funny you should mention that. Something has come up, and I need to ask you a favor.”

“
Walker, any favor you need, you've got it.”

“
Good. But feel free to say 'no'.

“
Here's the deal. The manager of Serenity Cove is gone. He left without giving notice and there's no one to run the office. So they're looking for a temporary office manager.

“
And I thought maybe you might be interested in the job. It won't involve much work. Just answering the phone, checking the mail, and keeping everyone here in Serenity Cove happy.

“
You can keep Oscar with you in the office, and you can come and go as you like. So what do you think?”

Polly shook her head. “I never trusted that manager. I always thought he was up to no good. Are you sure he's gone?”

“Pretty sure. And they need a replacement starting right now. If you're interested, the job can be yours. You'll be the Queen of Serenity Cove.”

Polly laughed. “Queen of Serenity Cove. I like the sound of that.”

“So you think you might be interested?”

“
I'm not sure. Let me think about it.”

We were about half way through our walk and the park office building was just ahead. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys I'd found the night before.

“You want to go in, see what it's like?”

Polly shook her head. “I already know what the office looks like. I've been in there many times. What I really want to know is if you're absolutely sure the old manager won't be coming back.”

“He's not coming back. I can guarantee that.”

“
Well if you're sure, we can go in, take a look around.”

I unlocked the door and we went in. Me first, with Polly following and Oscar in tow.

The office looked the same as it had the night before. No sign that anyone other than me had been there recently.

Polly flipped on the overhead lights and looked around.

“So if I agree to be the manager, what am I supposed to do?”

“
The normal stuff. Answering phone calls, replying to emails. Running the reservation system and checking in guests.

“
You'd also be in charge of everything that went on here in the park. So if a guest had a problem or needed something, they'd come to you.”

Polly nodded. “I'd be in charge of everything?”

“Yes, for the most part, you'd be in charge. But there is something you need to know, and you can't tell anyone about this.

“
The manager took off with this month's rents. About twenty thousand dollars. And he didn't pay the park's utility bills. Electric or water. So you might get some calls about that.

“
If those calls do come in, just tell them the owner is making arrangements to pay the bills. Do not tell anyone that the manager ran off with the money.”

Polly frowned. “The manager took off with all the rent money? Does that mean there's no record of who paid and who didn't?”

“That's a good question. One that the new manager will have to find an answer for.”

Polly pointed at the office computer. “Whenever I paid my rent, he'd entered it into the computer. So maybe it's all there. If it is, it shouldn't be too hard to straighten things out.”

I nodded. “So what do you think? You interested in being the new manager?”

Polly smiled. “I wouldn't mind being Queen of Serenity Cove. But only if you're sure the old manager is not coming back.”

“Polly, he's not coming back. But just to be on the safe side, as the new manager you can have someone come in and change the locks today.

“
And if you want, I can get business cards printed up showing you as the manager. So what do you think?”

Polly bent over and gave Oscar a pat on the head, then stood back up to face me. She had a smile on her face.

“I'll do it.”

I handed Polly the office keys. “You are now officially the new Serenity Cove park manager. Any questions?”

“Yes, what's the job pay?”

“
Polly, as Queen of Serenity Cove, you'll get free rent, and if I can arrange it, a starting salary of two thousand dollars a month.”

She smiled.  “Free rent is good.  And the salary isn't too bad.

“Just one more question. Can me and Oscar go back to our trailer? I didn't know I'd be starting a new job today and would like to get changed into something nicer.”

I laughed. “Polly, as Queen of Serenity Cove, you can do anything you like. You're in charge.”

She smiled again.  “In charge. I do like the sound of that.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

When I got back to my motorhome, I called Anna.

“
Anna, good news. Polly agreed to take over as temporary park manager. She's going to start today and will be working to get everything caught up.”

“
Walker, the owner will be happy to hear that. But what about the missing money? I spoke to the owner last night and she said if the money doesn't show up soon, she'll have to sell. She's still thinking the quickest way is to sell to a developer.”

“
Anna, you already told me that. So has she given you a price yet?”

“
No, not yet. As soon as she does, I'll let you know.”

We ended the call.

I was supposed to meet Agent Harris at ten, which gave me just under an hour to get things ready. He hadn't said to come alone, and I figured having a witness might be a good idea, so I decided to pay Buck a visit.

Polly had told me that Buck enjoyed our little Homeland Security adventure, and wanted to tag along next time I went out. So maybe he'd want to go with me to meet with Harris. Buck could be my wing man – a witness should something unexpected happen.

I walked down to Buck's bus and pressed the doorbell. Instead of the normal 'ding dong', the doorbell played the first few bars of the theme song from Buck's long ago TV show. Funny how after all these years, I still recognized the tune.

A moment later, Buck met me at the door, wearing a silk western shirt, jeans, cowboy boots, and a smile on his face.

“Walker, good to see you. What have you got going on today?”

“
I've got a meeting with Agent Harris in about an hour. Thought you might like to go along. Not sure what the meeting's about, but it could be interesting.”

Buck smiled. “That sounds like fun. Let me grab my things and we can head out.”

“Buck, no gun. Leave it here.”

Buck shook his head. “Couldn't take it if I wanted to. Homeland Security took it from me the other night, and they still have it. Maybe Harris can get it back for me.”

I nodded. “Yeah, maybe.”

While Buck got ready for our meeting with Harris, I walked back to my motorhome, got the Jeep and brought it up to Buck's place.

He was waiting when I pulled into his driveway.  He got in the Jeep and said,  “Walker, hanging around with you is like being a character in one of my movies. You just never know what's going to happen next.  I like it.”

We arrived at Lemon Bay Park about ten minutes early. There were no other cars in the parking lot, and unless he was hiding, Agent Harris hadn't shown up yet.

I got out of the Jeep and walked over to the park bulletin board to check out the map displayed there. It showed several walking trails, a kayak launch, and something called 'Alligator Pond'.

I turned to Buck. “They've got an alligator pond. You want to go over there and take a look?”

Buck shook his head, “Not me. I've seen plenty of gators. You go ahead, I'll wait here.”

Buck stayed in the Jeep while I headed to Alligator Pond. The trail wound through a tropical forest bounded by tall ferns and shaded by oaks and large palms. Thirty feet in and it felt like civilization was a thousand miles away.

After a hundred yards, the trail rose slightly to a narrow wooden bridge overlooking a pea green water feature. A small placard on the bridge railing said 'Alligator Pond'.

Visitors were warned not to feed the alligators nor to swim in the water. You'd think a warning sign near an attraction called 'Alligator Pond' would be unnecessary. But having seen my share of tourists doing stupid things, the signs were definitely needed.

In the six months I'd lived in Florida, I'd seen several alligators, mostly around creek banks and in slow moving rivers. I was always amazed that these prehistoric creatures lived so close to so many humans, and yet there were so few alligator attacks each year.

I was thinking about this when I heard a horn honk back in the parking lot. Buck letting me know that Agent Harris had arrived. Not wanting to keep them waiting, I turned and headed back the way I had come.

When I reached the parking lot, I saw that a black four door Suburban with heavily tinted windows had pulled up beside my Jeep. Agent Harris had gotten out and was standing near the passenger side of the Jeep, talking with Buck. They were both smiling and acting like old friends swapping war stories.

I walked up to Harris. “I see you made it.”

He smiled. “Yeah, just go here. See any gators in the pond?”

I shook my head. “No. But I don't doubt there's at least one in there.”

Harris nodded. “There is. I've seen it.”

He pointed toward his Suburban. “Let's me and you have a talk.”

“Sure, but let's talk out here.”

Harris frowned. “I'd rather talk to you privately. Inside the car.”

I shook my head. “No, I'd like Buck to hear whatever you have to say. Just in case there is a misunderstanding later on.”

Harris looked around. There were no other cars in the lot. No reason not to talk out here.

“Here is fine.”

He looked up at the blue sky, then back at me.

“Walker, here's the thing. We lost you and the drugs. And the GPS tracker in the package doesn't seem to be working.

“
Since we have to account for the drugs, we need to find them or the person who has them.

“
And since you were the last person who had the drugs, we start our search with you.

I nodded. “That makes sense.”

“So Walker, the question is, do you still have the drugs?”

I shook my head. “Of course not. I did the exchange as planned. You know that.”

“No I don't know that at all. In fact, all we really know is we gave you the drugs and you were supposed to do the exchange in the funeral home parking lot. But it didn't go that way, did it?”

I shook my head. “No, it didn't go that way. If your guys had been there as planned, they would know that Darrell called and had me meet him on an island near Stump Pass.

“That's where the exchange took place.”

Harris nodded. “But where's the proof? How do we prove the deal went down the way you say it did?”

I was starting to get angry, but didn't want to show it. I took a breath, then said, “Look, if your guys were in place like you promised, they would have seen everything. They would know the exchange took place on the island.”

Harris smiled. “Okay, so let's say I believe you. What did the guy look like? The one you gave the drugs to?”

I shook my head. “I don't know. He was wearing a mask.”

“
A mask? What kind of mask?”

“
A full face fishing mask. The kind that fishing guides wear to protect them from the sun.

“
The mask covered his face, dark sunglasses hid his eyes. A long sleeve shirt covered his arms. Other than him being about two inches shorter than me, there's not much else I can tell you.”

Harris frowned. “So let me get this straight. You exchanged ten pounds of pot, worth about forty grand, with some guy wearing a mask?”

When he put it like this, it did sound kind of fishy.  But it was the truth. I didn't hesitate to tell him so.

“
Harris, I delivered the drugs to Darrell. And I got the dog back. Your guys screwed up, not me.”

Harris crossed his arms and stared at me. He pressed his lips together and slowly shook his head.

A minute passed, then he said, “Tell me everything. Start with when you got to the funeral home parking lot.”

I told him the whole story, leaving out no detail. From the time I reached the funeral home parking lot until I was rescued at Chadwick Park.

When I finished, he said, “I've got a couple of questions.

“
First, what did you do with the phone you found on the dock? The one that Darrell used to give you instructions?”

“
I left it in the boat. Darrell's got the boat now, and the phone.”

“
Okay, after you gave him the drugs, you say he took off south toward Stump Pass?”

I nodded. “That's right, he went south.”

Harris shook his head. “See, there's a problem with that. The Coast Guard was set up at the mouth of Stump Pass and checked every boat that came through.

“
Your guy never made it to the checkpoint.”

I thought about it for a moment. “Well, maybe he turned around, went behind the island and headed back north. That'd make more sense than him taking the small boat through the pass.”

Harris nodded. “Yeah, he could have done that. But the Coast Guard had another checkpoint at the Manasota Key Bridge. If he had come north, they would have stopped him there.

“
So whether he had gone north or south, he should have run into a Coast Guard checkpoint. But there's no record of someone in a small boat being stopped that morning.

“
That creates a problem for you. We can't verify that you gave the drugs to anyone. For all we know, you kept the drugs for yourself.”

I shook my head, the anger threatening to boil over. “I can't believe this. You set this whole thing up. It's your fault your guys weren't there to see it happen. And now you blame me?

“I didn't keep the drugs. I followed the plan and traded them for the dog. Then I sat out there on that sandbar for hours waiting for your guys to rescue me, and they never showed up.

“
And there
are
witnesses to the exchange. At least one trawler went by while I was on the beach with Darrell. Three girls on top waved, and I waved back.

“
If the Coast Guard stopped all the boats, they'll have a record of the trawler. Contact the boat's owner. Ask him what he saw.”

Harris smiled. “Walker, I believe you. But the problem is we don't have the guy or the drugs. And somebody has to take the fall for the missing product.”

Buck had stayed quiet until he heard this, but he'd had enough. “Walker isn't going to take the fall. He didn't take the drugs. He got the dog back. And he's got witnesses that saw the deal go down.

“
If you try to pin this on him, I'll go to the media. I'll tell them everything. How you put this plan in motion and then pulled your agents and left Walker hanging, out there without backup.

“
With me involved, this'll be a national story. All the networks will want a piece of it. It'll be a media feeding frenzy. 'Feds abandon civic-minded volunteer to fend off drug cartel on his own.' How does that sound?”

Harris studied Buck for a moment.

“There's no need to get the press involved. Maybe there's another way we can resolve this.

“
All you need to do is find Eddie.”