Maritime Caper (Coastal Fury Book 12), Matt Lincoln [good books to read for beginners TXT] 📗

The two older security guards exchanged a look while the younger guy took a step away from me as if he was afraid I was going to investigate him if he got too close. Paulina nearly gaped at me, looking between Tessa and me with her mouth hanging open as she continued to clutch her purse in front of her chest.

“Like the FBI?” the older guy asked, scratching at the salt-and-pepper stubble on his chin.

“Huh?” I asked, not sure what he meant by this.

“You said you were with some kind of agency… a government thing,” he clarified, still scratching his chin. “You mean like the FBI?”

“Yes, kind of like that,” I said. “Well, exactly like that, just for water and islands and things like that. We work with the FBI a lot.”

A lot was pushing it, I thought, but we had worked with them a lot lately, so I figured that it was still technically true.

“And she is…?” the bald guy asked, pointing at Tessa.

“I’m a photojournalist,” she said quickly. “I help them out sometimes with their assignments.”

Also technically true, sort of, but we were starting to push it here, so I just rested my hand on her shoulder to tell her that that was enough on that subject.

“So… so you’re here on an investigation?” Paulina asked, seeming to have found her voice again, though it came out even hoarser than usual as she stared at me with wide, almost excited eyes. “You’re investigating the museum?”

“The museum is a part of my investigation, yes,” I confirmed, thinking that I detected more than a hint of excitement in the old woman about finding herself in the middle of so much hot gossip. “And I really need to talk with Ms. Willis.”

“I don’t see Martha having anything to do with any of this,” the bald guy said, giving me a skeptical look. “She’s just a sweet old lady who likes reading old books and stuff.”

“I understand,” I said, nodding to the man in appreciation for his loyalty to his boss. “And I think you’re right. I think that she’s gotten herself caught up in something she doesn’t understand or that someone is threatening her. That’s why it’s so important that I talk with her.”

“You mean she could get in some kind of trouble with your agency or whatever?” the bald guy asked, scratching the back of his head.

“It’s possible, yes,” I said with a nod. “But I’m most concerned that she could be in trouble with someone much worse.”

“Oh dear,” Paulina gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth. “You don’t think that Martha could be mixed up in anything bad, do you? She’s such a nice woman. She would never do such a thing.”

I detected that Paulina’s concern for her friend was genuine, but also that she was excited at the prospect of being the first in town to know about whatever this was and to be able to tell everyone else about it. I made a mental note to make sure she knew she had to keep her mouth shut about this later.

“I hope not,” I reiterated. “But again, that’s why I’m here. I just need to talk to her, is all. So if you could just let me back inside so we can clear this all up…”

“Oh, no, sir, the boss told us to get you out,” the bald guy said, shaking his head vigorously, and I couldn’t help but sigh in frustration.

“Uh, do you think that maybe he’s a bigger boss than she is?” the young kid piped in for the first time, jerking his thumb in my direction but taking care not to look at me himself. He was still keeping himself a safe distance away from me.

“Smart kid,” I remarked, shooting him a half-grin, but this only seemed to alarm him more, and he slid even further away from me.

Tessa snickered and covered her mouth to try to pass the reaction off as a cough. It didn’t work, but everyone ignored her anyway.

“Look, I don’t know,” the bald guy said, shaking his head and looking at the older guy next to him.

The older guy just shrugged as if to say, ‘Why are you asking me?’

Finally, the bald guy heaved a sigh and shrugged himself.

“I guess I can let you back in,” he said. “Seems legit and all. But if I get fired for this…”

“My agency can vouch for you in the event that your employer attempts to take action against you for cooperating with me,” I said quickly, hoping that this was true even though I wasn’t technically on duty. I would have to be really nice to Diane for the next couple of weeks.

The bald guy hesitated but then nodded, and I reached inside my jacket and passed around a copy of my card to each of the security guards.

“Here’s my contact information,” I said. “You can call the top number to get ahold of my office in Miami. That’ll confirm who I am. The bottom number will reach my voicemail directly.”

“Uh, thanks,” the bald guy said, pocketing the card, and the old guy did the same.

The younger guy, who had taken my card so gingerly that he might as well have been afraid it was poison, didn’t seem to know what to do with his, so he just kind of stood there with it, unmoving.

“Hey, so can I ask you guys a couple of questions before we head back inside?” I asked, suddenly thinking of something.

“I guess so,” the older guy said, giving me a wary look that said that he didn’t think he could refuse.

I didn’t blame the security guards for being skeptical of me. They were just doing their jobs, after all, and they probably weren’t used to anyone like me coming around. I could be anybody, for all they knew, and they no doubt trusted their boss, who was just a sweet little old lady who liked books, as they’d said. That said, I needed their cooperation if I was