it out a few months ago and reported his find in a major gemology journal that these guys decided they need to patch the leaks in their operation.”
Heath nodded and kept his eyes on the helm. He knew there had actually been several reports filed on the gems over the years, but they’d never been able to follow up on them because the gemologists involved had mysteriously died shortly after their discoveries, and whatever notes or evidence they’d left behind had disappeared, leaving the FBI without anything to go on. But of course he couldn’t tell Tracie that without letting her know how he’d comeby the information. So he simply nodded and hoped she’d keep talking.
“Marilyn Adams had several diamonds that had originated from the smugglers, and the way I understand it, they were afraid her diamonds could be traced back to them. They cooked up a plot to bring her and her family out to Devil’s Island and make their deaths looks like a collision between the remote wilderness and poor survival skills. By doing so, they also hoped to get their hands on some valuable property she owned—they needed a new source of income since their diamond gig was up.
“Are you confused yet?” Tracie pointed him around the next island.
“I think I’m following.” He steered them in the direction she’d indicated. “Their plan was pretty foolproof, as I understand it. They came very close to getting away with it.”
“Too close,” Tracie nodded. “If Scott Frasier and Abby Caldwell hadn’t managed to escape the island.” Her voice caught with emotion.
Heath looked at her with sympathy. He knew she had been tied up with the others in the smuggler’s hideout. She’d ultimately been the one to get help while the others fended off their captors. “And if you hadn’t arrived to help them,” he added.
“I was only doing my job,” she insisted, her features regaining their usual stoic demeanor. “And anyway, if Trevor hadn’t been involved with the smugglers, keeping the Coast Guard off their trail, I never would have become so tightly involved with the case. So you see, God can bring good things out of bad.” Her words faded, as though she felt self-conscious about the faith-filled statement even before she’d finished making it.
But the integrity of Tracie’s faith had only impressedHeath, and he quickly moved to keep the conversation going. “Once the smugglers didn’t need Trevor to keep us out of their hair any more, they got rid of him?”
“Pretty much. Tim thought Trevor had made some of the smugglers angry, and that may have been part of what got him killed. We suspect the head of their operation, a guy they called Captain Sal, was the one who pulled the trigger, but he won’t admit to anything yet.”
“Captain Sal,” Heath repeated. “He’s the prisoner we’re transporting back to Canada tomorrow.”
“Right. A lot of his crimes are under Canadian jurisdiction.” She pointed to the next island in their path. “Wide to the right around this one.”
Heath steered as he’d been told. “So if Sal is in custody, who’s calling the shots now?”
“That’s what we don’t know. We thought Sal and the ten guys we captured with him were the whole group. It’s hard to imagine even that many people being involved without us knowing something was going on for that long, so I can’t imagine there were too many more beyond them. And though I’ve heard stories of criminals running their empires from behind prison walls, I don’t know how Sal would have gotten his message out right under our noses.”
“But if Tim was right,” Heath began, taking his eyes off the helm just long enough to look deep into Tracie’s clear, blue eyes.
She nodded solemnly. “If this thing goes deeper than what we can see…” She bit her lower lip and looked concerned.
“There could be other guys out there,” Heath finished for her. He launched the question he’d wanted to ask for some time. “When we
Heath nodded and kept his eyes on the helm. He knew there had actually been several reports filed on the gems over the years, but they’d never been able to follow up on them because the gemologists involved had mysteriously died shortly after their discoveries, and whatever notes or evidence they’d left behind had disappeared, leaving the FBI without anything to go on. But of course he couldn’t tell Tracie that without letting her know how he’d comeby the information. So he simply nodded and hoped she’d keep talking.
“Marilyn Adams had several diamonds that had originated from the smugglers, and the way I understand it, they were afraid her diamonds could be traced back to them. They cooked up a plot to bring her and her family out to Devil’s Island and make their deaths looks like a collision between the remote wilderness and poor survival skills. By doing so, they also hoped to get their hands on some valuable property she owned—they needed a new source of income since their diamond gig was up.
“Are you confused yet?” Tracie pointed him around the next island.
“I think I’m following.” He steered them in the direction she’d indicated. “Their plan was pretty foolproof, as I understand it. They came very close to getting away with it.”
“Too close,” Tracie nodded. “If Scott Frasier and Abby Caldwell hadn’t managed to escape the island.” Her voice caught with emotion.
Heath looked at her with sympathy. He knew she had been tied up with the others in the smuggler’s hideout. She’d ultimately been the one to get help while the others fended off their captors. “And if you hadn’t arrived to help them,” he added.
“I was only doing my job,” she insisted, her features regaining their usual stoic demeanor. “And anyway, if Trevor hadn’t been involved with the smugglers, keeping the Coast Guard off their trail, I never would have become so tightly involved with the case. So you see, God can bring good things out of bad.” Her words faded, as though she felt self-conscious about the faith-filled statement even before she’d finished making it.
But the integrity of Tracie’s faith had only impressedHeath, and he quickly moved to keep the conversation going. “Once the smugglers didn’t need Trevor to keep us out of their hair any more, they got rid of him?”
“Pretty much. Tim thought Trevor had made some of the smugglers angry, and that may have been part of what got him killed. We suspect the head of their operation, a guy they called Captain Sal, was the one who pulled the trigger, but he won’t admit to anything yet.”
“Captain Sal,” Heath repeated. “He’s the prisoner we’re transporting back to Canada tomorrow.”
“Right. A lot of his crimes are under Canadian jurisdiction.” She pointed to the next island in their path. “Wide to the right around this one.”
Heath steered as he’d been told. “So if Sal is in custody, who’s calling the shots now?”
“That’s what we don’t know. We thought Sal and the ten guys we captured with him were the whole group. It’s hard to imagine even that many people being involved without us knowing something was going on for that long, so I can’t imagine there were too many more beyond them. And though I’ve heard stories of criminals running their empires from behind prison walls, I don’t know how Sal would have gotten his message out right under our noses.”
“But if Tim was right,” Heath began, taking his eyes off the helm just long enough to look deep into Tracie’s clear, blue eyes.
She nodded solemnly. “If this thing goes deeper than what we can see…” She bit her lower lip and looked concerned.
“There could be other guys out there,” Heath finished for her. He launched the question he’d wanted to ask for some time. “When we
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