case any got too curious. Coach Garcia’s car emerged from the water like a forgotten shipwreck, spilling water out of the broken rear windscreen.
Jake had phoned the police immediately, and they’d taken less than ten minutes to arrive at the scene. An hour and a half after the call, an unmarked sedan carrying detectives from the homicide squad in Miami had pulled up too.
Jake tore his gaze from the covered stretcher that held Garcia’s body. Or what was left of it. He was missing both legs and an arm. Jake was glad it was dark. One of the cops who’dhelped drag the corpse out of the water had hurled his guts up behind his squad car.
‘So tell me again,’ said Detective Merski. ‘You guys just happened to drive to this spot?’
They were standing beside the detective’s car, going over what had happened. Or their ‘version’, as Merski insisted on calling it.
‘Someone at the camp told me about it,’ Veronika explained. ‘Said it was pretty up here. Rita, or Ruth, or something like that. Oh, God, I can’t believe it . . .’
‘Calm down, young lady,’ said Merski. ‘I need to get the facts straight. You and your boyfriend here were making out, you see the body –’
‘Hey, we weren’t
making out
,’ Jake interrupted. ‘We just came for a drive, that’s all.’
Merski fixed him with tired eyes. One of the uniformed officers came up alongside him.
‘Sir, looks like the deceased’s car came off the main road. There’s broken foliage and skid marks consistent with that.’
Merski sighed. ‘Thanks, Harris.’ He waved a hand at Jake and Veronika. ‘I’ve got
a lot
more questions for these two lovebirds, but I’m gonna let them go for now, unless you have anything else to ask them.’
Harris stared at them. ‘Cut them loose. I’ve spoken toBruce Krantz. Their story checks out so far. They are attending Krantz’s camp. He said we can question them there later if need be.’
Merski left them and went to speak with the paramedics, who were loading Garcia into the back of an ambulance to ship to the morgue. Veronika was pale in the starlight.
‘You OK?’ Jake asked her.
She snorted. ‘No, Are
you
?’
Jake didn’t want to say it wasn’t the first dead body he’d seen. ‘Bit of a shock,’ he said.
They walked past where Detective Harris was picking weeds off the dented wreck of Garcia’s car. He tugged open the door on the passenger side and more swamp water poured out, splashing over his shoes. ‘Damn it!’ he said, before peering in. Then, ‘He’s been at the booze,’ he continued.
He reached inside, and pulled out an almost empty bottle of Jack Daniel’s. When he noticed Jake and Veronika watching, he gave them a dark stare. Jake saw there were several empty bottles of Olympic Edge in the passenger seat too.
‘You two, get outta here!’ Harris snapped. ‘This is a crime scene, not a spectator sport.’
Jake and Veronika got into her car. She paused with the key in the ignition. ‘I don’t think this was an accident.’
‘Me neither,’ Jake replied. ‘Two dead bodies in three days, both linked to Olympic Advantage.’
‘You think Otto and Garcia’s deaths are connected?’ Veronika asked.
Jake nodded. His experiences over the last few months had taught him to question everything. They stared through the windscreen at the eerie scene. Police and alligators swarming the swamp. It didn’t appear that Merski and his crew believed in deadly coincidence either. ‘We can’t just sit around and wait for something else to happen. What if someone else gets hurt, or worse?’
Veronika started the engine. ‘We probably should leave it to the police.’
‘I wouldn’t trust Merski to tie his own shoelaces,’ Jake quipped.
Veronika smiled, then caught herself. ‘You’re right. Maybe it’s time to do a little investigation of our own.’
‘What have Otto and Garcia got in common?’ Jake asked, his detective skills already in overdrive.
‘Nothing other
Jake had phoned the police immediately, and they’d taken less than ten minutes to arrive at the scene. An hour and a half after the call, an unmarked sedan carrying detectives from the homicide squad in Miami had pulled up too.
Jake tore his gaze from the covered stretcher that held Garcia’s body. Or what was left of it. He was missing both legs and an arm. Jake was glad it was dark. One of the cops who’dhelped drag the corpse out of the water had hurled his guts up behind his squad car.
‘So tell me again,’ said Detective Merski. ‘You guys just happened to drive to this spot?’
They were standing beside the detective’s car, going over what had happened. Or their ‘version’, as Merski insisted on calling it.
‘Someone at the camp told me about it,’ Veronika explained. ‘Said it was pretty up here. Rita, or Ruth, or something like that. Oh, God, I can’t believe it . . .’
‘Calm down, young lady,’ said Merski. ‘I need to get the facts straight. You and your boyfriend here were making out, you see the body –’
‘Hey, we weren’t
making out
,’ Jake interrupted. ‘We just came for a drive, that’s all.’
Merski fixed him with tired eyes. One of the uniformed officers came up alongside him.
‘Sir, looks like the deceased’s car came off the main road. There’s broken foliage and skid marks consistent with that.’
Merski sighed. ‘Thanks, Harris.’ He waved a hand at Jake and Veronika. ‘I’ve got
a lot
more questions for these two lovebirds, but I’m gonna let them go for now, unless you have anything else to ask them.’
Harris stared at them. ‘Cut them loose. I’ve spoken toBruce Krantz. Their story checks out so far. They are attending Krantz’s camp. He said we can question them there later if need be.’
Merski left them and went to speak with the paramedics, who were loading Garcia into the back of an ambulance to ship to the morgue. Veronika was pale in the starlight.
‘You OK?’ Jake asked her.
She snorted. ‘No, Are
you
?’
Jake didn’t want to say it wasn’t the first dead body he’d seen. ‘Bit of a shock,’ he said.
They walked past where Detective Harris was picking weeds off the dented wreck of Garcia’s car. He tugged open the door on the passenger side and more swamp water poured out, splashing over his shoes. ‘Damn it!’ he said, before peering in. Then, ‘He’s been at the booze,’ he continued.
He reached inside, and pulled out an almost empty bottle of Jack Daniel’s. When he noticed Jake and Veronika watching, he gave them a dark stare. Jake saw there were several empty bottles of Olympic Edge in the passenger seat too.
‘You two, get outta here!’ Harris snapped. ‘This is a crime scene, not a spectator sport.’
Jake and Veronika got into her car. She paused with the key in the ignition. ‘I don’t think this was an accident.’
‘Me neither,’ Jake replied. ‘Two dead bodies in three days, both linked to Olympic Advantage.’
‘You think Otto and Garcia’s deaths are connected?’ Veronika asked.
Jake nodded. His experiences over the last few months had taught him to question everything. They stared through the windscreen at the eerie scene. Police and alligators swarming the swamp. It didn’t appear that Merski and his crew believed in deadly coincidence either. ‘We can’t just sit around and wait for something else to happen. What if someone else gets hurt, or worse?’
Veronika started the engine. ‘We probably should leave it to the police.’
‘I wouldn’t trust Merski to tie his own shoelaces,’ Jake quipped.
Veronika smiled, then caught herself. ‘You’re right. Maybe it’s time to do a little investigation of our own.’
‘What have Otto and Garcia got in common?’ Jake asked, his detective skills already in overdrive.
‘Nothing other
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