Read Online Killer Waves by Brendan DuBois - Free Book Online

Shoreline .”
    "I don't know if I would call it interesting."
    "Oh, I would," she said, pulling out a sheaf of papers from the leather shoulder bag on her lap. "Like your service in the Department of Defense. The comments in your personnel file, showing a high intelligence quotient but poor team skills. Your posting to the Room Three-twelve Subgroup, also known as the Marginal Issues Section. And the dreadful event that resulted in the deaths of your colleagues, and your eventual retirement to this beach resort. Have I covered enough, or should I go on?"
    The words came out of my mouth almost mechanically.
    "I'm afraid I can't comment on what you've just mentioned. Whatever service I performed for the Department of Defense, I signed a non-disclosure form when I left prohibiting me from discussing it."
    She nodded, still smiling. "Like this one?"
    I was almost afraid to touch the paper, remembering where I was when I signed it. At a government hospital facility in the middle of the Nevada desert, following my first surgery and recovery, desperately ill and desperately frightened that I would not leave the hospital alive. I quickly gave the paper a glance, almost imagining that the sense of horror and despair that I had felt back then was still clinging to the paper, like some old odor.
    And there it was. My scribbled signature, from all those years ago. I could barely recognize it. I passed the paper back. My mouth had had been quickly getting dry with each syllable that she had pronounced about my past service. It had been a very long time since anyone had mentioned those phrases in my presence. I tried to clear my throat. "Like I said the other night, you have me at a disadvantage. I don't know who you are, even though I have a pretty good idea who you work for."
    She laughed. "Sorry to be so cloak-and-daggerish. The name is Laura Reeves." From her bag she pulled out a slim leather wallet, which she passed over. "I work for the Drug Enforcement Agency, as do the other members of my little task force here.”  I glanced at the identification and then passed it back to her.
    "Your picture looks good," I said. "Better than your average license photo. And what brings the field agents of the DEA trooping into my house on this fine April day?"
    Reeves put her identification away. "Simply put, we need your help, Mr. Cole."
    "Really? Well, parking isn't much of a problem this time of year, though you have to be careful around The Strip down at Tyler Beach. A lot of the restaurants are overpriced and over reviewed, but I could-"
    "Not that kind of help. Something else."
    I tried to smile back at her. Damn it, why was she looking so cheerful? 'Tm sorry, Miss Reeves. That's the only kind of help I'm prepared to offer."
    "But that's not the help we need. Mr. Cole, the man who was found in the parking lot of the state park was there for a meeting with someone we believe is responsible for a major heroin shipment coming into the New Hampshire seacoast over the next several days. The gentleman’s name was Romero. He was from Mexico. Without getting into too much detail, obviously the meet didn't occur as planned."
    "So if the man was murdered instead of committing suicide, why the cover story?" I already knew what the answer was going to be, but I wanted to hear what kind of spin she was going to put on it.
    "You can imagine, I'm sure," Reeves said. "A suicide means lack of news media attention. Without the news media attention, we can work better in the background, without being forced to answer a number of questions. Something as delicate as this, we don't need the attention."
    I folded my arms. "Then here's a question for you. Why me?"
    Her hands were gently playing with the flap to the carrying case. "Like I said, we prefer to work in the shadows. We can do a lot dealing with the local law enforcement agencies, but sometimes that’s more work than it’s worth, handling their egos and their problems.  We’re looking for your help