Ghost River Jon Coon (free reads TXT) 📖

looking for Bodine’s computer. The guard said he had a good arm, and there’s a lot of bottom to cover. With the current at Mach three, finding it could take a good bit longer.”

“Rogers will land this afternoon,” Bob said. “I’ll start on him first thing in the morning. If he cracks . . .”

“Yeah, if,” Gabe answered.

1600

The Bridge

Following the success of their previous dives Gabe decided to include Carol in the recovery of the Pelican case. While other divers searched for the computer, he and Carol would dredge through the mud-filled boat to the chain locker, full forward in the bow, and recover the case.

When Gabe and Carol arrived at the bridge, a new security guard greeted them and the thirty-five-foot workboat was no longer basking in the sun.

“It was gone when I got here. Sorry, Officer, can’t help you,” the new guy reported.

Gabe walked down to the dive barge and up the wooden planks, which made a makeshift gangway. He asked for a supervisor and was pointed toward an unusually fit, clean-cut man in a white hard hat. On his well-muscled left arm was an Army Ranger tattoo. The beret-wearing skull over wings and guns grinned menacingly.

“Officer, if you don’t have a warrant I’m going to have to ask you to leave. This barge is private property.”

“What did you do with the boat, which was marked as a crime scene, and was, by the way, not on private property?” Gabe asked with his best trooper stare.”

“Can’t help you. Just don’t come back without a warrant.”

“And your name would be?” Gabe asked.

“Bodine, Wyatt Bodine. And yours?”

“State Trooper Gabe Jones. You’re Bo’s son?”

“Get a warrant. Then I’ll answer your questions. Until then you’re trespassing.”

“Sorry about your sister and dad, Bodine. This river must hold bad memories for you.”

“What do you mean?” Bodine asked, taken by surprise.

“Sorry, I thought you knew. Your sister died in that workboat. The lift span fell on her and her fiancé Wilson Corbitt, or maybe it was dropped intentionally. We don’t know that for certain yet.”

“How do you know that?” Bodine asked. His demeanor had rapidly changed.

“I recovered her body from the boat yesterday. The coroner will identify her from dental records, but she was still wearing Corbitt’s engagement ring. Your dad’s secretary remembered it.”

“Janna? I’ve been on active duty and just came back a couple months ago. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her. How is she?”

“Pretty broken up about your dad’s death and your sister’s. You might want to call her. So you’ve not been involved in the company recently? What brought you back?”

“My dad asked me to come back. I don’t know the details, but there were problems. But I do know this: no matter how serious things were, he never would have killed himself. And I intend to find out what really happened. I didn’t know what happened to my sister and neither did my dad. Can you tell me anything about either of them?”

Gabe thought about how much he could trust Wyatt and then decided by sharing information he might gain a valuable ally. “Wilson Corbitt suspected McFarland was in collusion on this and other bridge contracts. I think he was right. I don’t know if your dad was involved or if someone needed a scapegoat. Maybe that’s what got him killed. What do you think?”

“Conners,” Wyatt said his name as though it were profanity. “I think Conners killed my dad or had him killed. You could be right. Dad said Wilson came to him shortly before he and Nancy disappeared. Wilson said he had evidence that would prove Conners was buying work. Some scam he was running with the state guys. Have you found anything like that?”

“I heard about a briefcase, but nothing has turned up yet,” Gabe answered. “You really think Conners is behind this? The fraud and the murders?”

“Yeah, and he’s connected. His brother is the big bad congressman. Getting a conviction won’t be easy.”

“It never is,” Gabe said.

“Find me that briefcase, and I’ll save you the cost of a trial.”

“We don’t have it, but if we did you know I couldn’t do that. Don’t even ask. I trusted you with that information, now trust me, help me, and let’s do this the right way.”

“Gabe, you may be a good guy, but if we do this your way it will be tied up in court for years, and then Conners walks or at worst get his hand slapped. That’s not good enough. You’re going to help me, or life is going to get ugly.” Wyatt closed the distance between them.

“Thin ice, Bodine. Don’t push your luck.” In spite of Wyatt being a head taller and ten years younger, Gabe held his ground.

Wyatt stepped back. “Go get your warrant. Or better yet don’t come back at all. I’ll take it from here.”

“Don’t do anything crazy. We can end this the right way.” Gabe waited. Bodine was done talking. He pushed past Gabe and walked back down the gangway to his truck.

Gabe left the barge and went to the riverbank where the boat had been. Dark shadows were replacing the golden sunset. He got out his flashlight and began exploring. There were no tire tracks suggesting the boat had been trucked off the site. It’s back in the river, with Wilson’s body and the briefcase still on board. Time to go diving.

CHAPTER 34

1730

Police Temporary Dock

Clear and cold

That cop, Jones, was back,” Wyatt Bodine said into his phone as he drove away. “He found Corbitt and Nancy on the boat, and he’s looking for a briefcase Corbitt had. Sounds like there might be enough evidence in it to hang your dad and shut down the company. Did you know anything about that?”

The woman’s voice was firm and annoyed. “About the boat and your sister? No, nothing. I’m sure my dad had nothing to do with that. You know I would have told you.”

“Then who?”

“It had to be Peterson and Rogers. They had the most