Maritime Caper (Coastal Fury Book 12) Matt Lincoln (latest ebook reader .TXT) đ
- Author: Matt Lincoln
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I really thought that the universe was taunting me for even having that thought in the first place as my phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my pocket to see that Holm was calling me.
He didnât usually get up this early in the morning, so I knew that it must be important.
âWhat? What is it?â I asked hurriedly, without even taking a second to say âhello.â
âWell, hello to you, too, partner,â Holm said in a tone of mock hurt, though I could hear real tiredness in his tone.
âYouâre never up this early,â I said flatly. âSo whatâs going on? Something with the Holland case?â
âOkay, Iâm going to preface this by asking you to please not freak out,â Holm said, and that only served to freak me out more, of course.
âHolm, what the hell happened?â I asked, stopping in my tracks in the middle of the sidewalk as fog billowed around my ankles.
âOkay, okay, so last nightâŠâ he started to explain, but I cut him off, my tone angry.
âLast night?â I repeated, aghast. âIf something happened last night, why didnât you call me then? I made you promise to update me whenever something happens!â
âOkay, well, sue me if, between all the police reports and talking to the FBI and dealing with three different forensics teams all night, I didnât stop and have a chance to call you,â my partner responded defensively. âI didnât even have time to eat dinner, let alone get any sleep!â
âNow you really have to tell me whatâs going on,â I said darkly, abandoning all of my annoyance at Holm because I was just worried now. âWhat are you talking about? What happened?â
âWell, Iâm trying to tell you, if youâll just stop interrupting,â Holm chuckled.
âYes, yes, Iâm done,â I said hastily. âWhat is it?â
âWell, last night, a guy broke into the office,â Holm said, and I could almost see him wince all the way in Miami.
âThe MBLIS office?!â I cried, and a nearby squirrel who had been chomping away on a walnut fixed its beady little eyes on me in alarm, abandoned its prize, and scampered away.
âWhat other office would I be talking about?â Holm asked. âBut yeah, the MBLIS office. Well, he didnât quite break in, really, but almost.â
âExplain,â I said shortly.
âRight,â Holm continued. âSo Diane and I were in the office late, just going over the Holland caseâŠâ
âWas there anything new after I texted you?â I asked, interrupting him again despite my promise. âNothing since the FBI confirmed it was them at the Atlanta airport?â
âNo, nothing before this happened,â Holm said, sounding a little exasperated at my latest interruption, though he didnât say anything about it. âBut anyway, so we were just sitting there, and then someone knocked on the door. Diane opened it, and there was a package just sitting there. No address or return address or anything. It was just sitting at the door, and no one was in the hallway.â
âOh, God, Holm, you didnât open it, did you?â I asked, thinking that whatever was inside couldâve been laced with poison or contain some kind of explosive.
âI did,â Holm said quickly. âI know I probably shouldnât have, but Diane wasnât opening it, and it was really light and only sounded like a piece of paper was inside, so I just went with it. And clearly, Iâm still alive, so it was fine.â
âIs Diane still alive?â I asked, flummoxed by this rash decision on my partnerâs part, though I wasnât exactly surprised. I supposed that Holmâs rashness balanced out my own caution, and that was why we made a good team, but still. There were limits.
âYes, of course, donât you think I wouldâve led with that?â Holm asked.
âWell, you didnât lead with this,â I pointed out.
âFair enough,â he sighed. âSo I opened the box, and there was just a note in it that said âwatch out.ââ
âWatch out?â I repeated, more than a little skeptically. âHolm, are you messing with me?â It just sounded too much like something out of a bad cop show.
âNo, Iâm not, I swear,â he said quickly. âI would tell you if I was.â
âAlright, then,â I sighed, deciding to take this at face value for now and confirm it with Diane later. âSo thatâs it? There was just a note that said watch out? It wasnât signed or anything?â
âNo, it wasnât signed, and it didnât match Chester's or Ashley Hollandsâ handwriting, either,â Holm said. âThough weâre having a couple of handwriting experts look at it to make sure. I guess one of them couldâve tried to change it up just for the note. I wouldnât put it past them.â
âNeither would I,â I said darkly, thinking that I wouldnât put much past the Hollands, based on what little we did know about the couple. âSo that was it? The note? Youâve got three forensics teams and the FBI looking at a note? For all that you know, it couldâve just been a few kids playing a prank on you.â
âIt does sound like something like that, doesnât it?â Holm asked with a small chuckle that didnât have much humor in it. âLike something they saw on TV. But yeah, what happened next confirmed that wasnât it.â
âThereâs more?â I asked, thinking that my eyes just might bug out of my head. âYouâve got to be kidding me, Holm. You need to lead with the most important parts from now on.â
âWell, Iâm just trying to tell the story in order,â he said in an almost patronizing tone, and he laughed. âBut yeah, thereâs more.â
âStop joking around and tell me what happened,â I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose and shutting my eyes tightly.
A nearby early morning dog walker stopped to give me a puzzled look but continued on past me.
âRight, so there was a guy hiding in the stairwell,â Holm said quickly, clearly wanting to get it
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