Read Online Mortal Dilemma by H. Terrell Griffin - Free Book Online Page B

silencer. Nobody in the area complained about hearing a gunshot.”
    â€œWhat about witnesses?” J.D. asked. “Did the police canvass the neighborhood where he was picked up by the cab?”
    â€œWe had a cruise ship in port,” Galis said. “Those things dump a couple thousand people on us every other day or so. They arrive from Miami or Lauderdale or Canaveral early in the morning and leave at dusk. If any of them saw anything, I doubt they’d speak up. They wouldn’t want to miss their sailing.
    â€œThen there’s Fantasy Fest. This is the biggest gathering we have all year. People come from all over to get drunk and hang out in outrageous stages of undress. I had to call in some favors to get you two a room at the Pier House.”
    â€œCould it have been a routine mugging?” I asked.
    â€œWe don’t think so,” Galis said. “He had several hundred dollars in his wallet and a passport in the name of Mark Bailey. Plus some credit cards in that name. None of that was taken.”
    â€œThe silencer would indicate something more than a random shooting,” J.D. said. “Most muggers who carry guns don’t have silencers. Sounds professional.”
    â€œI agree,” Galis said.
    â€œHe’s going to have one hell of a hangover,” I said.
    Galis chuckled. “That he is, my friend. Have you two had dinner?”
    â€œNo,” I said, “but I need to be here when he wakes up. If he decides to leave, nobody will be able to stop him. If he knows I’m here, he’ll be okay.”
    â€œI can order a pizza,” Paul said.
    When Paul had gone, I said, “Too bad we’re stuck here. This is the night of the Fantasy Fest parade. We could get naked and walk down Duval Street.”
    â€œHush your mouth. I’d never do that. Again.”
    â€œAgain?”
    She flashed a familiar smile, the one that is so enigmatic that I normally just shut up. Not this time. “You walked totally naked down Duval Street?”
    â€œI wasn’t totally naked.”
    â€œGlad to hear it. Makes me feel better about your judgment.”
    Again the smile. “I wore a Halloween mask and flip-flops.”
    â€œThat’s all?”
    â€œYou don’t want to know.”
    â€œBut I do.”
    â€œSorry. I didn’t mean to stir up your prurient interests.”
    â€œWell, you did.”
    â€œYou have prurient interests?”
    â€œYeah. They mostly deal with you.”
    â€œOnly ‘mostly’?”
    â€œI meant to say ‘only.’”
    She smiled again. “I knew that.”
    â€œAre you going to tell me about your sashay down Duval?”
    â€œI didn’t sashay, thank you. I just walked. Normally.”
    â€œTell me about it.”
    â€œMaybe later.” Again, the smile. “We can let our fantasies run wild.”
    â€œFantasies?”
    â€œYes. You don’t really think I’d walk naked down Duval Street, do you?”
    â€œYou wouldn’t?”
    â€œOnly in your fantasies.”
    â€œMy fantasies?”
    â€œOur fantasies. I’ll tell you all about it later.” And she blasted me again with that smile that was so full of mystery and promise that I almost forgot about the pizza.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
    F RIDAY , O CTOBER 31
    T HE SAILOR WAS on Longboat Key, sitting at the far end of Tiny’s bar listening to the local gossip. He didn’t know the people there, but they all seemed to know each other. “Russ flew Matt and J.D. down to Key West for some reason,” the one they called Logan said.
    â€œWhy Key West?” the bartender named Susie asked.
    â€œMaybe just to get J.D. away for a few days,” said the man named Steve. “She’s wound pretty tight after somebody tried to kill her yesterday. She got a call from Matt, told the chief she was going to Key West for a few days, and left.”
    â€œThe chief was all right with that?”