“That’s exactly what I think.”
I considered the logistics. In many places, Lakeshore Drive ran right next to the water, rocky drops interspersed with clumps of trees and the occasional grassy picnic area. I’d seen fishermen trying their luck, sitting on the banks late in the afternoon with cans of beer beside them. The houses on the other side of the road were set back among the trees, and traffic was light.
“I guess it could have happened. But how will we find out?”
I feared I already knew the answer.
“There’s only one way—someone’s gonna have to go down there and look.”
CHAPTER 25 - ALARIC
THE SUN WAS kissing the horizon when Alaric climbed out of the water with Knox, one of Blackwood’s new recruits, trailing behind him. Knox was a former Navy SEAL, and Alaric’s air consumption was embarrassingly poor in comparison.
Emmy and Nick were waiting on the shore, already changed into civvies.
“Anything?” Emmy asked.
Alaric shook his head. “Not unless you count a shopping cart and the remains of a bicycle.”
Looking for a black Honda Civic along three miles of dark shoreline was never going to be an easy task. A storm on Wednesday had stirred up silt, and there were times when Alaric could barely see his hand in front of his face. He was beginning to understand Beth’s reluctance to go near open water.
“Then let’s call it a day. We’ve lost the light now.”
Nick nodded. “I agree.”
Nick was also a former SEAL, as well as being a director of Blackwood and another of Emmy’s exes. This trip was turning into something of a reunion. The good news was that Nick made better company than Black, and the better news was that Black wasn’t in Kentucky anymore.
The slightly worse news? Black had taken off to search for Ridley, who’d been keeping a low profile since news of his possible involvement in the Afghanistan massacre hit the headlines at the weekend. Although Kyla was standing by her man. At her last rally, she’d made a touching speech explaining that Ridley had merely defended himself against terrorists trying to kill him. He was a hero. Members of the opposition just didn’t support American troops and were determined to smear an honourable man in any way possible, and wasn’t that the real tragedy? Her words went down well with her audience, and now sound bites of Kyla pledging allegiance to the military while standing in front of the Stars and Stripes with her palm on her chest were circulating on social media.
They were losing the battle. Devane was far better at PR than her opponents.
After that day, one might have expected to see Ridley standing proudly by her side, basking in glory, but no. He’d gone to ground. Why? As far as Alaric could ascertain, there were three possible reasons.
The first was that he’d gotten wind of what they were doing at the lake. He had to know Kyla played dirty, and maybe he was trying to distance himself from her? Or—another plausible scenario—he was on a spying mission. Several times over the last four days, the team had spotted people watching them from the road or occasionally creeping closer through nearby trees, curious about what they were doing.
They weren’t publicising their purpose, of course. In fact, they’d done quite the opposite. Blackwood had supplied a panel van to use as a base, complete with logos for the non-existent Freshwater Eco-Survey. Whoever painted it had done a nice job. Inside, it was set up with comms equipment and an area to change, plus seating for the team to rest between dives. No bathroom, though. Emmy hated peeing in her wetsuit, so she was making regular trips to the trees and moaning like hell about it.
But despite the subterfuge, they’d had to come clean with the local sheriff. They’d been worried he wouldn’t cooperate, but on the contrary, he seemed only too happy to wash his hands of the case and hand it over to someone who gave a shit while he focused on the important things in life, such as the department’s annual summer barbecue. Smoked mutton, anyone? Alaric trusted the man when he said he wouldn’t mention their intentions to Devane, but he didn’t have quite the same faith in the deputies. According to Harriet, some of them were relics from the days when Daddy Devane’s crony ran the department. Probably bought and paid for.
Hence the members of the dive team were constantly on their guard, and Alaric hadn’t complained when Emmy insisted Beth stay at Lone Oak Farm with Harriet and Barkley.
And the third possible reason why Ridley had made himself scarce? That was to do with Syria. Alaric didn’t yet know the full story because a nurse had confiscated Judd’s phone, but the upshot was, the witness had arrived in the US with Logan yesterday while Nada and Judd were back in the UK. Their roles had been reversed, and now she was sitting at his bedside in the hospital while the doctors sewed his arm back together. Apparently, Logan had offered Nada a job, but Judd said Sirius was keeping her and he’d marry her for real if necessary. Damn.
And the best part? Following a preliminary interview with the witness, the NCIS was very keen indeed to talk with Ridley and his men. The three still on active duty had been rounded up already, and it was possible that word had gotten out to Ridley that he was a person of interest. Even though he’d left the Navy, he was still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice because he received retirement pay from the government.
Emmy took the weight of Alaric’s air tank while he wriggled out of his BCD. The lake water smelled vaguely fishy, and duckweed clung to his regulator.
“Fuck, it’s cold down there.”
“There’s coffee waiting in the van. I might see if I can get us drysuits if
