Caribbean Rescue (Coastal Fury Book 16) - Matt Lincoln (reading tree .TXT) 📗

I turned and walked quickly out the door before I could change my mind, Holm right behind me. The sun was almost painfully bright to my eyes after spending so long inside the tiny, dark store.

“Finally done in there?” Olivia asked me as I stepped toward where she and the officer stood on the street just in front of the shop.

“Unfortunately,” I nodded. “As much as I’d like to stay, we need to get down to the station to speak to the shopkeeper. Uh, sorry to keep you waiting.”

I apologized to the officer, who just waved his hand dismissively.

“Hey, don’t sweat it,” he replied. “It’s all good.”

He went into the shop to begin closing it off as a crime scene then.

“Holm told me you want to take it back to Miami.” She smiled at me sympathetically. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Thanks.” I smiled back at her. Though I didn’t feel too confident about my current chances of leaving Turks & Caicos with that anchor, her encouragement was enough to make me feel just a spark of hope that I might actually be able to get my hands on it after all.

18

Ethan

The station at Grace Bay was smaller than the one back in Kew Town. In fact, if we hadn’t known that it was a police station, I would have assumed it was some kind of little boutique store.

The station was only about a five-minute walk from the antique store and was located inside a shopping plaza. The main entrance was painted a shade of bright blue, and it even had a little canopy over the front doors. The only thing that set it apart from the stores on either side of it was the little sign that read “Police Post” mounted just to the left of the entrance.

The very best part of the station, though, was the fact that we didn’t have to deal with having the aggressive Captain Turner breathing down our necks.

“This is the place?” Holm asked as we stood outside the entrance.

“This is the place,” Olivia confirmed with a nod. “Obviously, it’s a lot smaller than the Kew Town station, but since that’s a no-go, this is the next closest.”

“As long as we don’t have to deal with any more corrupt cops,” I grumbled as I stepped through the doors.

The interior wasn’t significantly different from the Kew Town station. Like that one, this station had a small desk just inside the entrance with a larger area filled with desks toward the back. The difference in atmosphere was palpable, though. Where the Kew Town station had felt cold and suffocating, the Grace Bay station felt bright and airy, in no small part due to the fresh air and sunlight that were streaming through the open windows.

“Good afternoon,” the officer sitting behind the front desk greeted us. “How can I help you?”

“I’m Agent Marston,” I introduced myself as I pulled my badge out of my pocket. “This is Agent Holm and Agent Hastings. We were just involved in an altercation at an antique store on Allegro Road.”

“Oh! Of course.” She smiled as she stood up. “The captain’s waiting for you now. I can take you back to his office.”

“Thanks,” I replied as she led us through the small building. It was bigger than it looked on the outside but still felt cramped. After walking through a short hallway, we passed a bullpen full of desks before finally arriving at a door marked “Captain Morris.” The officer knocked on the door.

“Come in!” a warm, rich voice called from inside.

“The federal agents are here,” she called. She swung the door open before stepping aside to let us into the office. It was the exact opposite of Turner’s, whose office had been bare and practical. Morris, on the other hand, had lined his walls with newspaper clippings, photos of what I assumed were family members, and even colorful drawings that children had clearly made.

His desk, too, was covered in picture frames and little knick-knacks that made the office seem lived in.

“Welcome to our town.” He grinned widely as we stepped into his small office. “I’m Captain Everett Morris. I wish we weren’t meeting under such unfortunate circumstances. I hope you will not think that all of us here on the Island are like Richard.”

“Richard?” I asked.

“The man who attacked you,” he clarified. “Old Richard Brown. I’ve always known he was up to no good in that little shop of his, but I never imagined anything like this would happen.”

“What do you mean?” Olivia asked. “Why did you think he was up to no good?”

“This is a small town,” Morris replied. “It’s no secret that Richard had suspicious types coming and going at all hours of the day and night. I assumed it was just drugs. Something to help him make ends meet since he obviously wasn’t making a living selling all that old junk.”

“So you didn’t know he was involved in human trafficking?” Olivia asked.

“Certainly not!” Morris replied vehemently. “Drugs are one thing. I’m not going to toss a seventy-year-old man in a cell for something so small, but if I’d known, he was tied up in all that… Listen, agents. I won’t pretend like this place is without its problems. I try my best to keep the town safe, but in a close-knit community like this, it is important to know how to choose your battles. Some drugs I might let slide, but prostitution? Abuse on women? That I will just not accept.”

He seemed genuine, and I was glad that he was taking this seriously.

“We appreciate your cooperation.” I nodded at him.

“Of course,” he replied. “Anything I can do to keep my town safe. Now, why don’t I escort you three over to where Richard is?”

He stood and led us out of the office and into a different part of the station.

“You mentioned something about the ‘old junk’ that he sells,” I remarked as he led us to the interrogation room. “You wouldn’t happen to know how