searchin'."
Wearing overalls and white shirt, the old man stood and motioned to the distant lake. "I been livin' here for over sixty years, Mr. Agent. I knows Dead Lake and the river up and down., I thinks ya best get in one of them whirlybirds and fly over the bar y'all is callin' an island. That sunk boat gonna be makin' a oil or gas slick sure as I'se standin' here.
It a big boat?"
Eli smiled; he had found a gem. He nodded. "Yes, sir, a cabin cruiser."
"If them boys who hurt that child had 'em a depth finder on their boat they'd haveta sink that cruiser just north of the bar in the west channel . . . cuts deeper there. Anywhere else it'd be too shallow. Reckon ya know them gator, gar, and turtles ain't gonna leave much for ya if ya wait too long in findin"em?"
Eli pushed the gruesome thoughts of what they would find out of his mind and patted the old man's shoulder. "Sir, have you ridden in a chopper before?"
The old man shook his head with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Don't reckon so, but if y'all needin' the best guide knowin' that river, y'all lookin' at him."
Chapter 7.
Lake Lanier, Georgia.
Ted Faircloud stepped through the front door of the huge house and handed the old black woman his baseball cap.
"Where is she, Halley?" he asked.
"She in the great room watchin' TV with her dog, Mr.
Teddy. She been waitin' a long time for ya. She been actin' real upset . . . didn't even have no dinner."
"Fix her something, Halley, and I'll see that she eats.
Bring it when it's ready, okay?"
"Sure, Mr. Teddy, I'll fix her up somethin'."
Seconds later Ted strode down the steps into the great room and was confronted by Baby, who held the tennis ball in his mouth. Ted gave the animal a quick pat and faced Bonita, who sat on the couch watching a big-screen television by the fireplace.
Trembling, Bonita broke her gaze from the screen. "It's on CNN, Teddy . . . they're saying Senator Goodnight and his family are missing. . . . It's Carlos, Teddy, he's killed them."
"What in the hell are you talkin' about?"
Bonita rose and pointed at the television screen. "That's what I'm talking about. Look at it!"
Ted shifted his gaze to the screen and shrugged. "Looks like an aerial view of the 'glades to me."
"It's a CNN reporter in a helicopter showing what he sees of the search for the senator. Haven't you heard about it?"
"I was lip in Dahlonega with my guys, takin' turns watchin' the bank. .. . Who you say is missin'?"
Bonita shook her head as if dealing with a third grader.
"Senator Goodnight, as in the same Senator Goodnight who was running the investigation of the Yona Group."
"Ooh shit." Ted's knees suddenly weakened.
"He knows, Teddy. Carlos must have found out about the investigation. Your mob friends didn't think this thing out, did they? They just wanted Carlos dead and didn't think about what else he could do. . . . Well, he's doing something, all right. My God, Teddy, Carlos will kill them all."
Ted held up his hand. "Now wait a minute, are you sayin' you think Mendez is behind this?"
Bonita glared at him. "You don't get it, do you? You're no better than your mob friends. All you cared about was taking out Carlos. You didn't know--nobody knew--what he was capable of. The investigation, Teddy! It's all about Senator Goodnight's investigation into the Yona Group.
Carlos must be in deeper than anyone thought. Don't you see? The senator isn't missing . . . Carlos had him killed, and he'll have everyone else killed who knows he's involved with the group."
Ted's eyes quickly came back into focus. "Come on, Mendez isn't dumb enough to order Goodnight killed.
Christ'a'mighty, we're talkin' about a United States senator. Mendez would try other ways to convince the senator to back off."
Bonita shook her head with a vacant stare. "I know him, Teddy. Oh God . . . oh God, I should have known this would happen."
Ted tried to put his arm around her shoulder but she backed away from him like a frightened child. "Don't touch
Wearing overalls and white shirt, the old man stood and motioned to the distant lake. "I been livin' here for over sixty years, Mr. Agent. I knows Dead Lake and the river up and down., I thinks ya best get in one of them whirlybirds and fly over the bar y'all is callin' an island. That sunk boat gonna be makin' a oil or gas slick sure as I'se standin' here.
It a big boat?"
Eli smiled; he had found a gem. He nodded. "Yes, sir, a cabin cruiser."
"If them boys who hurt that child had 'em a depth finder on their boat they'd haveta sink that cruiser just north of the bar in the west channel . . . cuts deeper there. Anywhere else it'd be too shallow. Reckon ya know them gator, gar, and turtles ain't gonna leave much for ya if ya wait too long in findin"em?"
Eli pushed the gruesome thoughts of what they would find out of his mind and patted the old man's shoulder. "Sir, have you ridden in a chopper before?"
The old man shook his head with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Don't reckon so, but if y'all needin' the best guide knowin' that river, y'all lookin' at him."
Chapter 7.
Lake Lanier, Georgia.
Ted Faircloud stepped through the front door of the huge house and handed the old black woman his baseball cap.
"Where is she, Halley?" he asked.
"She in the great room watchin' TV with her dog, Mr.
Teddy. She been waitin' a long time for ya. She been actin' real upset . . . didn't even have no dinner."
"Fix her something, Halley, and I'll see that she eats.
Bring it when it's ready, okay?"
"Sure, Mr. Teddy, I'll fix her up somethin'."
Seconds later Ted strode down the steps into the great room and was confronted by Baby, who held the tennis ball in his mouth. Ted gave the animal a quick pat and faced Bonita, who sat on the couch watching a big-screen television by the fireplace.
Trembling, Bonita broke her gaze from the screen. "It's on CNN, Teddy . . . they're saying Senator Goodnight and his family are missing. . . . It's Carlos, Teddy, he's killed them."
"What in the hell are you talkin' about?"
Bonita rose and pointed at the television screen. "That's what I'm talking about. Look at it!"
Ted shifted his gaze to the screen and shrugged. "Looks like an aerial view of the 'glades to me."
"It's a CNN reporter in a helicopter showing what he sees of the search for the senator. Haven't you heard about it?"
"I was lip in Dahlonega with my guys, takin' turns watchin' the bank. .. . Who you say is missin'?"
Bonita shook her head as if dealing with a third grader.
"Senator Goodnight, as in the same Senator Goodnight who was running the investigation of the Yona Group."
"Ooh shit." Ted's knees suddenly weakened.
"He knows, Teddy. Carlos must have found out about the investigation. Your mob friends didn't think this thing out, did they? They just wanted Carlos dead and didn't think about what else he could do. . . . Well, he's doing something, all right. My God, Teddy, Carlos will kill them all."
Ted held up his hand. "Now wait a minute, are you sayin' you think Mendez is behind this?"
Bonita glared at him. "You don't get it, do you? You're no better than your mob friends. All you cared about was taking out Carlos. You didn't know--nobody knew--what he was capable of. The investigation, Teddy! It's all about Senator Goodnight's investigation into the Yona Group.
Carlos must be in deeper than anyone thought. Don't you see? The senator isn't missing . . . Carlos had him killed, and he'll have everyone else killed who knows he's involved with the group."
Ted's eyes quickly came back into focus. "Come on, Mendez isn't dumb enough to order Goodnight killed.
Christ'a'mighty, we're talkin' about a United States senator. Mendez would try other ways to convince the senator to back off."
Bonita shook her head with a vacant stare. "I know him, Teddy. Oh God . . . oh God, I should have known this would happen."
Ted tried to put his arm around her shoulder but she backed away from him like a frightened child. "Don't touch
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