Against the Tide Read Online Free PDF Page B

back toward the restaurant. “Automatic Fingerprint Identification System.” When her eyebrows went up, he felt the pull of a smile. “My brother was a homicide detective. He loved to spout off stuff like that.”
    â€œDoes he live around here?”
    â€œUsed to live in Anchorage. Recently got married and moved to Seattle. But he’ll help us if we need him.”
    Olivia glanced away. Instead of being impressed, she looked as if that wasn’t the best news she could have been given. Made him wonder if the mystery of Olivia Chandler went deeper than he’d thought.
    â€œSo what do we do next?” she asked as he drove back to the Pelican.
    â€œI want to talk to Marty Grossman, Sam King, and Chip Reed, and I want to go aboard Scorpion , see if anything’s missing.”
    â€œWhen you talk to the men, I’d like to go with you. But I’ve got to go back to work for a while. I don’t want to leave Nell alone too long during the lunch hour.”
    â€œAll right. I’ll go down to the boat and check things out, then come back and get you.”
    â€œIf you need addresses for those guys, I can get them off my laptop.”
    He angled the Ford into a slot in front of the café. “Grossman works for Orca Charters. Their boat’s docked not far from Scorpion. I know where to find him. And I know where to find King, but not Reed.”
    â€œI’ll take care of it. I’ll see you when you get back.”
    He nodded.
    â€œAnd Rafe . . . thanks for letting me help on this. It’s really important to me.”
    â€œWhy? Because Cassie’s your friend? Or is it more than that?”
    She glanced away, giving him his answer. He’d noticed her reaction earlier and wondered if her motivation came from more than just wanting justice for a friend.
    â€œScotty didn’t deserve to die,” she said. “It isn’t right for his killer to get away with it.”
    â€œYou don’t have much faith in the police.”
    â€œIf they catch him, great. In the meantime, I’m going to do everything possible to make sure he’s found.”
    Unease rolled through him. Searching for a killer could be dangerous. Still, odds were the police would catch the killer fairly soon. If not and things got dicey, he’d keep Olivia out of it.
    â€œI’ll be back in a couple of hours,” he said. “Get me that address.”
    Olivia nodded, jumped down from the SUV, and closed the door.

    Rafe left the Expedition parked in front of the Pelican and crossed the street to the boat harbor. As he walked along the dock, headed for the slip where Sea Scorpion was moored, he thought of Scotty and a chill slid down his spine.
    Scott had been walking this same path last night. Why hadn’t he heard his attacker come up behind him? Why hadn’t he realized he was being followed? Or was the killer waiting up ahead, hiding somewhere in the shadows?
    The crime scene tape was gone when he reached the boat. Rafe climbed aboard, pausing on deck for a moment to take a look around. At first glance, nothing seemed out of place. Nothing had changed since he had returned the boat to the dock yesterday noon.
    He headed below. Unlike his other two boats, Sea Devil and Sea Dragon , which were set up strictly for fishing, Sea Scorpion had a galley with a sink, refrigerator, and stove; a dining area with enough seating for customers to get inside out of the weather; a larger head with a shower; and a cabin with a queen-size bed. Scorpion was equipped with state-of-the-art electronics and even a thirteen-inch color TV.
    The Mac was his personal boat, and though he used it mostly for charter fishing, he also used it for wildlife and glacier cruises. Toward the end of summer, he booked a couple of weeks for his own personal use and took off for parts unknown, used it off and on much of the year.
    He made a cursory examination of the pilothouse, let his gaze wander