Charlie handed him a bottle of water. “Give me a few minutes and I will try to make sense out of all of this.”
Carmelita helped Thomas steady his jittery grasp and bring the drink to his lips.
“I’ve known Thomas and Carmelita for most of my life, but as for Troy, let’s say your past was a bit notorious, so I needed to ease my suspicious mind. I did a little checking on you before I called this meeting,” Charlie continued. “I now feel confident that I can trust all of you with the information I’m about to impart.
“Sinclair O’Malley is not a Sergeant nor is she in the military. She is a FBI agent and is here on a mission.” He paused to gage everyone’s expressions and proceeded. “Thomas, I know that Sinclair told you some of what’s going on down here, so excuse me if I get repetitious. It’s important that we are all on the same level before we proceed with what Agent O’Malley expects of us.”
Thomas nodded.
“Troy, as you are well aware, there have been a series of bodies that have washed up around the Keys and gulf coast—bodies of young girls. What you might not know is that each of the bodies found has exhibited signs of bondage. Each has ligature marks—marks on their wrists and ankles where they have been bound. They also show signs of torture—varying degrees of man-made burn marks as well as broken bones and sexual sadism.”
“What does all this have to do with Sin’s whereabouts?” Thomas interjected.
“Sin was sent down here to investigate their deaths and the deaths of some other agents.”
“Why would anyone do this to innocent children?” Carmelita said.
“Are you with the bureau?” Troy asked. “And how do you know more than the state police?”
Charlie addressed Carmelita. “There are sick people in this world, and to make it worse, we believe they did this for money.”
“Who are your suspects?” Troy asked.
Looking at Troy, he said, “To answer your first question, I was part of the bureau. In fact, I was one of the people who recruited Sinclair for the job. We took her straight out of Quantico before she even finished basic training. As far as how I know what I know, let’s just say I have my sources—reliable sources.”
He poured himself a cup of coffee. “We’re getting off track here. We need to discuss Sinclair’s whereabouts and why she gathered us all together.”
“About time,” Thomas emphasized.
“She is in Central America gathering intel at the moment. I received a text from her early this morning stating that she will be returning by plane. She said that if she doesn’t contact me by tomorrow morning, we are to watch the first reef. If any boats anchor on it, we need to move in.”
“The first reef?” Thomas said. “I’ve been fishing these waters since I was old enough to cast a line with my dad, and everyone knows to stay away from the first reef.”
“Well, things have changed,” Charlie said. “Trust me, boats have been anchoring on the reef.”
“Carmelita, Sin thinks the orphanage or someone associated with the orphanage might be involved.” He thought for a moment. “I know your friend, Rosa, works there; does she ever take the girls on field trips?”
“Yes, sometimes,” she answered. “I have gone with them as a chaperone at times.”
“Tell her you have been given a generous sum of money to take all the girls to the Miami Seaquarium tomorrow. I will arrange the transportation.”
“If she asks questions,” Carmelita said, “what do I say?”
“Just tell her it was an anonymous gift. Once they are on the bus, I will take care of the rest. I want the girls away from the orphanage for a few days.”
“Si,” Carmelita said. “I will do my best.”
Charlie turned his attention towards Troy. “You are the linchpin to this mission. You are the only one who can get close enough to Bubba and the boys to find out what they know. I’m not sure how, but I need you to get back in with the gang and report what you’ve found.”
Everyone stared at the ground not knowing what to think.
“Look,” Charlie said, “I know this is all a bit James Bondish to all of you, and I’m sorry that it’s clear as mud, but this is the best I can do. Sinclair trusts each of you, or I wouldn’t have asked you here. She has never once let me down, so I trust her judgment.”
They all shook hands and were about to leave when Charlie squeezed Troy’s forearm. “I need you to hang back for a few minutes.”
“What do you need,” Troy asked once everyone else left.
“Come on,” Charlie said, “let’s take a little ride.”
He and Troy stood in the library of the Johnson place.
Troy was taken aback, first by the fact that Charlie owned the place, and second at the sophistication of Charlie’s setup and the intelligence that he had been able to discover.
Troy scratched his head, staring at the pictures on the monitors. “So let me get this straight, Sin believes Heap is involved in this slave ring and might be filming the girls’ deaths?”
Charlie nodded. “You seem doubtful. Tell me why?”
“Look,” Troy answered, “I haven’t been back that long myself, but I have a hard time picturing Heap raping little girls, not to mention Bubba and the boys.” He pointed to the photos of the dead girls. “They might be immature assholes, but they’re not pedophiles.”
“You’d be surprised what people are capable of,” Charlie said, “now let’s get down to business.”
33
Charlie paced his hangar. The plane Sin should have been on landed, and there was no account of her. The airline had no record of her ever purchasing a ticket.
He unfolded the note she had given him and dialed the number.
“Who the hell is this?” The voice was curt and had a distinctive Australian accent.
“A friend of Sinclair O’Malley,” Charlie said.
“I
