He nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“I’m Deputy Chief Holly Barker from the Orchid Beach Police Department,” she said. “I’d like to take a look around inside. I’m new and just getting to know the territory.”
“Sorry, miss,” he said, avoiding using her rank. “Residents only.”
“I don’t think you understand,” she said. “I’m a police officer, and this development is in my jurisdiction.”
“Sorry, no one is allowed inside without a resident’s sticker or an employee’s badge.”
“Who is your chief?” she asked.
“Captain Noble,” he said.
“Get him on the phone.”
The man looked at her for a moment. He was large, muscular and very fit looking. His uniform fit him like a glove, and he looked capable of handling anything that might come along. He picked up a phone and, turning his back on Holly, spoke into it, then hung up. “Captain Noble will come down and speak to you,” he said. “Pull right over there and park your car.” He indicated a parking spot a few yards away.
Holly parked her car and got out, stretching her legs. Daisy sat up and looked around, then lay down and curled up again. Nothing happened. She waited five minutes, then walked over to the guardhouse. “So where is he?”
“On his way, miss.”
As she was about to turn away, she glanced down and through the open door, saw an Armalite assault rifle in a rack under the countertop where the guard sat. She was about to mention it when the exit gate opened. A white Range Rover pulled out, made a U-turn and stopped at the guardhouse. On each front door of the vehicle was painted a symbol, a palmetto plant.
“You’re Deputy Chief Barker?” the driver asked.
“That’s right,” Holly replied.
“I’m Barney Noble,” the man said, smiling and sticking his hand out the window. “I run the security operation at Palmetto Gardens.”
Holly shook the hand, which was hard and cool. “Good to meet you. I was just driving around, getting to know the area, and I thought I’d take a look at Palmetto Gardens. Little did I know,” she said, indicating the guard.
Barney Noble grinned. “I run a pretty tight ship,” he said. “Hop in, and I’ll show you around.”
“Just a minute,” she said. Holly walked over to her car and said to Daisy. “Stay, Daisy. Guard the car.” She made sure the car was well ventilated, then she walked back to the Range Rover and got in. The gate ahead of them opened, the steel claws retracted into the pavement and the car moved forward.
“Welcome to Orchid,” Noble said. “I’d heard you’d arrived in town.”
“Yes, just last weekend.”
“How’s Chet Marley doing?”
“Not well,” she said. “He’s still in a coma.”
“I heard he came out of it,” Noble said.
That was interesting to Holly. How did he know that? “For a few minutes, then he went under again.”
“Sorry to hear it. Chet’s a good man. We played a little poker once in a while.”
They had passed the barrier hedge now, and the landscape opened up in a wonderful way. They were driving along the shore of a large lake on one side of the road and a golf course on the other.
“This is beautiful,” Holly said.
“Just between you and me, it’s the most beautiful real estate development in Florida, and I’ve seen most of them in my line of work.”
“Why have I never heard of it?” she asked.
“The folks who live here like to lead a quiet life. They’re among the richer people in this country—CEOs of large corporations, heads of conglomerates, billionaires of every stripe. It’s a private club, really; we don’t advertise for customers. It’s all word of mouth among friends. You’d recognize a lot of the names of the members, but I’m not allowed to mention them.”