Excerpt from chapter two:
The three men from the runabout slipped furtively down an alley behind the company headquarters of Heinschel Chemical Industries, Inc. At the end of the alley, beyond the range of the nearest street light, a Gray Ford Explorer sat in the shadows, its engine idling quietly. The trio approached the vehicle and stopped next to the passenger side. The windows were heavily tinted, obscuring any occupants from view. The rear passenger side window slid down a few inches. A cool breeze wafted out from the air-conditioned interior.
“Did you get inside?” inquired a voice from within the SUV.
The tallest of the three men, a middle-aged man known as “Pete,” leaned forward.
“Uh, no, sir,” he replied, “we didn't.”
“Why not?” the voice now carried a slight hint of anger.
“There was somebody there,” Pete explained. “Some broad named Sharon Lee. She's a marine biologist from some university up north. Massachusetts. She was diving off one of Russell Kerns' boats.”
“Did she see you?”
“I don't think so. We stayed pretty far away. Watched her through binoculars.”
“Good.” There was another period of silence, followed by “How did you find out who she is?
Pete gestured to one of his companions, a short, heavy-set man a few years his junior.
“Show 'im Carl.”
Carl reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. He held it up to the partially open window. A hand appeared to take the wallet from him.
“Where did you get this?” the voice demanded.
Pete cleared his throat. “We snuck up while she was on the bottom and took it. We thought you would want to know who she is.”
The unseen man's rage was readily apparent as he exclaimed “You idiots! Why didn't you just leave a note while you were at it?”
“Huh?”
“Didn't it even occur to you that she would miss it? She doesn't have to be a genius to know somebody took it! Now she'll be watching for you!”
“Uh, sorry, sir,” Pete said. “I didn't think of that.”
The wallet popped out of the opening and fell to the ground.
“You get this back where you found it, fast!”
The third man, a scruffy-looking fellow with a slender build, spoke up.
“But how do we do that? The marina has restricted access. Boat owners and guests only after dark.”
“You'd better find away, Jack!” the voice commanded. “We can't afford to screw this up now!”
“Y--yessir!”
He bent over to pick up the wallet.
Pete looked nervously toward the darkened glass.
“But what are we gonna do if she goes back out there?” he wanted to know. “We can't do anything with her hangin' around.”
“You say she's a marine biologist,” the man in the car said. “Then she's only interested in the fish. Just keep an eye on her for a few days. Let's see what she does and wait for her to leave.”
“An' if she don't leave?”
“Diver's have accidents. It happens all the time. It's what they get for diving alone.”
The window slid closed and the Ford SUV rolled away, down the alley and into the street. The three men were left standing alone in the darkness.
