Read Online The Girl on the Yacht by Thomas Donahue, Karen Donahue - Free Book Online Page A

demeanor. Her entire presence suggested one thing—she was in the game.
    Marin stepped off the boat and walked toward her friend. “Is this your case?”
    “Are you here for the homicide?” Cameron’s surprise at her department’s consultant was apparent. Without waiting for a response, she signaled one of her plain-clothed investigators over.
    The younger officer approached. “Yeah, Cam?”
    “Purdy, I saw a camera on the gate. Do we have video?”
    “First thing I checked.” He shook his head. “The perp yanked out the recorder. It’s gone.”
    She gave a nod of frustration and indicated that she wanted to review his notes. He handed her his iPad. Cameron scanned the pages and handed it back. “Good notes—concise and well-chronicled—keep it up.” She paused. “Contact the manager or the owner of the marina and ask if they have an offsite backup of the video footage.”
    “Sarge checked.” He glanced down the dock at the long-haired man writing notes on his small pocket pad. “No backup. It was one of those cheap units they picked up on the Internet.” He headed off toward his next task.
    When Cameron turned back, Marin could sense her disappointment at the news. “Who’s that?”
    “My newest Investigator-in-training, Jason Purdy.” She laughed. “How would you like to be hung with that name? ‘Hi, I’m Purdy.’ ” She displayed a rather tense smile.
    The moment had lightened for an instant, and then the mood dissipated when Cameron’s face showed a renewed focus. “Why are you here?” she quizzed Marin.
    “My new boat.” Marin pointed to the Carver.
    Cameron nodded. “Did you know the victim?”
    “Yesterday was my first day on the dock––so no, not really. I just met her yesterday morning. Her husband’s in there with John.” Marin grimaced and gestured toward The Hunter .
    “I need to get briefed by the divers.” Cameron’s mind focused on the task at hand and she started for the end of the dock. “Stay with the husband. I’ll come back in a few minutes. You know the drill––I assume he knows she’s gone.”
    Marin nodded.
    “What else does he know?”
    “No details. Just that she drowned.”
    “Keep it that way until I get to him.”
    “Got it.” Marin’s hands were sweating as she climbed back on board and entered the salon. Bailey was under an end table—her head resting on the carpeted floor. The dog lay quiet and invisible—her beagle eyes conveying an understanding of the sorrow in the room.
    Laura’s husband, Dan, kept shaking his head, saying, “No. No. It can’t be.” He dropped his head into his enormous hands and wept. “No. No.”
    For what seemed like an eternity, the three of them sat on the sofa and mourned as friends. John got up to the knock on the glass door. He opened it.
    “I’m Investigator West. Are you Mister Douglas?”
    He shook his head slowly. “John Hunter.” He slid to the side for her to pass.
    Across the room, without getting to his feet, Dan lifted his hand a few inches off his lap.
    Cameron paced over to him. Without a pause, she directed the next statement with force. “Mister Douglas, we believe your wife was murdered.” She centered in on his reaction and response.
    “Murdered? No way.” Dan stared into the detective’s eyes and said it again, “No way. It had to be an accident––you got it wrong.”
    “Perhaps, but for now, we are treating it as a homicide.” Cameron studied his every movement.
    “I need to see her.”
    “We’ll walk down in a few minutes, and you can make a positive ID, if you’re up to it,” Cameron added.
    Dan nodded that he was. “It can’t be Laura. . . .” His words trailed off.
    “Your first impulse will be to hold her.” Cameron’s face turned stern, her voice exuding a demanding tone to the colossus of a man. “You can’t touch her.” Her gruff demeanor faded. “I know how tough it will be, but this is a homicide investigation, and we need to preserve