The next morning Jack asked Anita if she could research Jason alias Morgan’s business and the area around his house. Jack told her he had done some fishing on Broad Creek bordering Tilghman Island, a closed community. Strangers, except day tourists, wandering around are suspect. They would have to get in and out fast. He doubted the two Morgans Anita and Kathy killed were the end of the cell.
As soon as Anita left to go to the library, Kathy grabbed Jack’s arm and said, “Let’s go. You need your own wheels. I love to buy cars. Just follow my lead and don’t say anything. I know the dealer.”
Twenty minutes later Kathy whipped her vintage Mustang into a BMW dealer on Route Seven just west of Tysons Corner. The dealer knew Kathy was coming and came out to meet them. He asked if she had made up her mind about what she wanted. Kathy told him it depended on the price.
After more than an hour’s discussion, Kathy winked at Jack and said, “Okay, honey, write the man a check for your gunmetal grey X54.8 Beamer Wagon with 25 thousand miles.”
Jack smiled and did as he was told. She grinned at Jack and said, “If it hadn’t been for Shadow, I would have picked something else, but that dog deserves the best. Now let’s drop my Mustang at my house and go get Shadow settled in the first class compartment in the back and bring him home.”
They drove over to the animal hospital to pick up Shadow. Shadow’s doctor met with Jack and told him Shadow was an ideal patient. His immense strength and ability to deal with pain were critical in his treatment. The danger now was in Shadow pushing himself too much, too soon. It would be several weeks before Shadow made a complete recovery. With Kathy’s help, Jack got Shadow into the back of the BMW. Shadow acted so full of himself, Jack thought he wanted to jump in by himself. Once in, he lay down carefully on his left side. Shadow wouldn’t be negotiating stairs for a few more days.
Jack pulled up in front of the apartment and went around to the back of the wagon to get Shadow who was already standing, waiting for the door to swing up. Shadow walked to the edge of the opening and looked down. Jack put his arm under Shadow to keep most of the weight off his wounded shoulder and eased him to the ground. Shadow tugged to go over to the house. Over in front of the burned house, Shadow stared, growled deep in his throat, moved between Jack and Kathy and sat down, leaning against his master’s leg. After a few minutes Jack said, “Come on, Shadow. We’ve a lot of work to do and some adjustments to make.”
After helping Jack get Shadow settled in the garage, Kathy went upstairs to continue analyzing Yuri’s DVD and notebook. Jack watched her climb the stairs and then went to the library to help Anita. Using local library sources and the internet, Anita found the Island Marina. It seemed to be in a rather secluded area of a small sheltered cove off the Chesapeake. A clapboard ranch-style house facing east and a small shack near the dock were the only structures on the property. The marina advertised 20 slips and several small fishing boats for renting to tourists.
Their target area was located south on Route 33 across the Choptank, a right turn to the east on Coppertown Road, to a sandy unpaved road marked by a hand-painted sign “Island Marina Boats for Rent.” They had commercial satellite photography several weeks old showing a marina with several occupied slips, a dockside boat house, and a two- or three-bedroom clapboard ranch house sited against a wooded tree line. A few commercial fishing boats, looking like small barges with a canvas-topped box forward on the bow, were anchored near a wooden pier 30 feet offshore. No other buildings were in the immediate area.
As they were gathering up their papers and maps from the library table, Jack said, “How about we go have ourselves a decent lunch?”
“I’m ready if you are going to pay.”
“Greek. Okay?”
***
Facts and Fictions 