Read Online Follow the Evidence (A Mac Everett Mystery Book 2) by Nick Vellis - Free Book Online Page A

If you could direct me…”
    Before I could finish, Yeoman
Winter appeared in the door. “Winter, take Mr. Everett to the Operations
Conference Room and have Senior Chief Fox report there ASAP.” Turning back to
me, he said, “Chief Fox will be here shortly and Petty Officer Martin Webber is
standing ready for you. I arranged for you to use a conference room on the
second floor. We can set up something the end of next week for you to talk to
the flight crew.”
    “I appreciate your help commander,”
I said.
    “Tell Ben Tracy to keep in touch,”
Swift said. “Good luck Mr. Everett.”
     
    Yeoman Winter guided me to the
second floor conference room without a word or glimmer of a smile. It was a
challenge to keep up with her brisk pace, but it gave me a great view of her
backside in her tight slacks. We went up a flight of stairs, down a long wide
hall and she stopped in front of a plain wooden door. “Senior Chief Fox will be
here shortly, sir,” she said. “Come back to my office if you need anything
further. I’ll be happy to help you.” She didn’t seem all that happy or helpful
to me. I hadn’t been able to get a friendly word out of her. Maybe she was numb
from all the swabys hitting on her.
    I opened the door to a conference
room awash in afternoon sunlight. Light maple paneling opposite a wall of
windows lit the place like a flare on a dark night. I wouldn’t use the room for
an interrogation, but it was fine for what I needed. There was a large wooden
table surrounded by chairs in the center of the room. I pulled one out and
waited.
    Interrogation is my specialty. The
Army taught me a lot, but I’d learned to read people as a kid. When I look in
to a person’s eyes, I can sense the truth. It’s in their eyes and the way they
hold their bodies. I’m also good at reading lips. Most people move their lips
when they’re thinking and don’t even know it. That, with body language, micro
facial movements and the sense I can get from a person’s eyes, tell me
everything I need to know. After about ten minutes, there was a sharp knock at
the door.
    “Come in,” I said.
    Senior Chief John Fox walked in as
if he owned the place.
    “I’m Mac Everett,” I said as the
chief came through the door. His face telegraphed his concern.
    “Senior Chief Fox,” he replied. He
shook my hand. His grip was firm. “I’m not sure what this is about. You a
lawyer?”
    “Hell no,” I said. “I’m a private
investigator looking at the Wind Dancer business. I bet you were ordered
to talk to me?”
    “Yep and I’ll answer any question
you have except I don’t know nothing,” he snapped.
    “I’m sorry it happened that way
Chief.”
    “Senior Chief,” he corrected.
    “Senior Chief. I made some calls,
ended up with Commander Swift and, well I guess he made some assumptions. If
you don’t have anything to say I guess, we’re through.” Fox jumped to his feet.
“I didn’t realize there was anything to hide,” I said.
    Fox, a barrel chested man with a
thick neck and arms like pistons, made the uniform look good. He bowed up at my
comment raising his shoulders and chest while screwing his face into a black
scowl.
    “There ain’t nothing to hide,” he
shot back.
    “Well, sit down and quit being a
horse’s ass,” I growled. “I’m working for a missing girl’s parents. They want
to understand what happened to her.” Fox deflated a little and regained his
seat.
    “I wish to hell I knew what
happened to those people,” Fox complained. “What do you want to know?”
    For over an hour, Fox gave me a
play by play of their rescue operation and the discovery of the Wind Dancer .
He described the elation of rescuing two people, but the sinking feeling the crew
shared that something bad, bad, and manmade, had happened aboard the sloop Wind
Dancer . “Marty Webber got onboard and, well the kid didn’t know what to
think.”
    “What about this other boat Webber
had in his report?” I asked.
    “Marty is