“Excuse me, what?” He plugged his free ear with this index finger. “Did you say her body was discovered?”
“Yes, sir.”
Drex’s heart began to pound. None of the previous victims had ever been found. “When was this? Where?”
“Give me a sec here, please.”
It took more than a sec. Drex thought his head would explode before the deputy said, “Okay. Here’s the skinny. A construction crew in Collier County was dredging a creek so they could replace old bridge abutments with new ones. Backhoe dug up a box.”
“Box?”
“Like a shipping crate. Wood. Dimensions were six by three by four feet. Lid was nailed shut. The remains were inside.”
“When was this?”
“Uh…Only three months ago. FBI was given a heads-up. Everything was sent to an Agent Rud…rud…”
“Rudkowski.”
“That’s it.”
That son of a bitch. Drex removed his ball cap, put his elbow on the table, and rested his forehead in his palm. The Champagne was churning hotly in his stomach. “T
he remains were positively identified as Marian Harris?”
“Using dental records.”
“Cause of death?”
“Suffocation.” Then, “Oh Jesus.”
“What?”
The boat was slowing down. They would be anchoring soon. Through the glass walls enclosing the lounge area, Drex could see Elaine and Talia laughing together as they set the dining table for lunch.
Drex said, “Gray, you still there? What?”
He heard the deputy swallow. “Man, this is grim.”
“Tell me.”
“There was blood inside the crate. On the underside of the lid. Streaks of it, like claw marks. Appears the vic was buried alive.”
Chapter 5
Gif shared Drex’s horror. “Buried alive?”
As soon as Drex had returned from the yacht cruise, he’d showered off the salt spray as well as the taint of Jasper Ford. He’d parked himself in front of the borrowed fan and placed a three-way call to Gif and Mike. They’d been waiting to hear about his afternoon excursion, but the news about Marian Harris was unexpected. It had rocked them, just as it had Drex.
“A minute after hearing that, I had to sit down across the table from him and eat chilled watercress soup and shrimp salad with his homemade rémoulade.”
“Mild or spicy?”
“Fuck, Mike,” Drex said. “That’s crass, even for you.”
“You’re right. Sorry. I’m deflecting my guilt. How did I miss that her body had been discovered?”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Gif said. “It really wouldn’t have done us any good to know before today.”