Gray Ghost (The Bill Dix Detective Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

feet deep.
    He seemed to be looking for fish when he pointed to a film on the surface, about forty feet to the left. Immediately, checking his boat engine to see if it was leaking, he said, “Nothing’s coming from here.” He became visibly excited and slowly used his pole to move the boat closer to the slick.
    When they were near, he jumped down from the guide tower and checked the depth finder.
    Petersen watched him with a great deal of interest. He realized he was out of his element and all alone with a fishing guide who had too much knowledge of the situation. He watched Wilfred’s hands intently. You never know…
    Steve decided to try to figure out what Wilfred knew. “Wilfred, why didn’t you just tell me you were looking for Sean and Preston’s boat?”
    He seemed to hesitate, then looked at Petersen. “Why, you want to help?”
    “ Absolutely.” Petersen looked at the depth finder to get a reading while Wilfred opened the compartment at the bow of the boat. As a recreational diver, Petersen recognized diving equipment carefully stashed inside. He saw fins, two air tanks, weight belts, and a rope. Wilfred grinned and donned the diving gear.
    What they saw on the fish finder indicated they were directly over something large. The film on the water suggested the object was leaking fuel and oil. Whatever it was, it sat on the ocean floor at roughly twenty-five feet below the surface.
    Petersen heard another boat engine and looked up to see Bubba and Dix slowing down to fish about a quarter mile away.
    Just north of the object on the fish finder screen, the ocean floor plummeted to several hundred feet and eventually several thousand. Petersen was pretty sure Wilfred wouldn’t have much time to examine whatever was below them based on the depth, strong currents, and minimal air in the small oxygen tanks. Plus, they had no idea if it was Gray Ghost .
    Petersen recalled the concern their friends felt for the dead men. Even though he’d never met them, he felt like he wanted to help bring closure to their families. This feeling had drawn him to law enforcement in the first place. He genuinely liked helping people.
    Wilfred began to feed Petersen more information. “I’m pretty sure Sean and Preston were running dope. Bubba and I think they were killed while transporting the stuff to Miami.”
    Petersen thought it funny how people always told him everything without much effort on his part. He’d been successful at his job because he was a good listener. He decided his initial assessment that Wilfred might be a threat was wrong. This is shaping up to be a real mystery.
    After he had finished talking, Wilfred entered the water.
    Petersen kept the boat steady with the anchor and monitored the rope they’d tied onto Wilfred for safety. It seemed as if Wilfred had been gone for hours, but in reality, he reappeared in less than twenty minutes.
    Dix and Bubba pulled the other boat up close to them just in time to see Wilfred surface. The big man’s eyes behind the mask were wide. He produced three objects wrapped in cellophane. They were off-white in color. Dix and Petersen gave each other a knowing nod.
    Before anyone could comment, Wilfred said, “The whole bow and transom of the boat is full of these. It’s definitely Gray Ghost .”
    The detectives looked at each other again and simultaneously said, “Oh shit.”
     
     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    Wilfred’s discovery forced Dix and Petersen to shift from fishing into police work mode.
    Dix spoke first. “Our problems are many. The biggest is our lack of jurisdiction. The local police are definitely going to want this case. However, they’re probably not prepared for anything this big. A substantial load of narcotics like this surely means cartels or Colombians are involved. If the United States has no solutions for dealing with them, it’s likely the Bahamians don’t either.”
    Bubba, Dix, and Petersen discussed the jurisdiction issue awhile, but couldn’t