The Homecoming Read Free

passengers, also employees. Top dog was a man named Zachary Dak. Title was Director of Logistics.”
    “Where were they going from here?”
    “Filed a flight plan for LAX to refuel and then on to Honolulu and then Macao.”
    Nick worked through that.
    “Macao? What were they doing in Niceville? Something to do with Quantum Park?”
    “Says on their entry visa that they were looking at real estate for a possible branch office.”
    “Who’d they meet with? A local agent? Somebody out of Cap City?”
    Mavis gave him a tilted look. “What are you thinking?”
    “Don’t know. I’d just like to know who they met with. And why. Five Chinese nationals, a private Lear, and now they’re garden mulch. We should be ready for a whack of questions from the State Department. Where were they staying? The Marriott?”
    “Yes. Checked in Friday, flight crew and the three civilians. Separate rooms all around. Rented a Lincoln Town Car from Airport Limos. It’s still parked in the lot at the Marriott.”
    “I don’t know. Something’s … not right.”
    Mavis had known Nick long enough to take his instincts seriously.
    “The manager on duty is Mark Hopewell. I’ve already called him and he’s pulling together whatever he has. Also, there’s a retired deputy sheriff at the Marriott, Edgar Luckinbaugh. Works as the senior bellman.Edgar pays attention. I could go have a talk with him, see what he knows about these guys.”
    “Or I could,” said Nick. “I know Luckinbaugh. He strings part-time for Coker, one of his CIs.”
    Nick was quiet for a moment.
    “Mavis, somebody should give Boonie Hackendorff a heads-up about this. The Cap City FBI will sure as hell get queried by State. I don’t want Boonie to get caught flat-footed.”
    “I’ll see he gets the report. Right now he’s got his hands full.”
    Nick heard something in her tone.
    “Yeah? Why? What’s up with Boonie?”
    Mavis had been sitting on this for a while.
    She gave Nick an anticipatory grin.
    “Well, it looks like, maybe an hour ago, on Highway three six six, just past the Arrow Creek on-ramp, State Patrol clocked Byron Deitz at one-forty, pulled him over, a hostile stop, guns out, the whole deal. He was in that fat yellow Hummer. They found a pill bottle full of ecstasy in the cup holder beside the driver’s seat, plain sight, so they cuffed Deitz and did a routine search of the Hummer. Guess what they found in the tailgate?”
    “Please don’t make me.”
    “Cash from the First Third robbery in Gracie.”
    That rocked Nick.
    Rocked him right back.
    Byron Deitz was his brother-in-law, a thug and a wife beater. Kate’s sister was married to the guy. Just last night Beth had finally gotten one too many smacks in the mouth.
    She’d packed her kids into the SUV, told Byron she was going to a hotel, and called Kate on her cell. When he’d left for work this morning, Kate and Beth were still in the sunroom talking it through. Nick was planning on dropping in to see Deitz later in the day, straighten him out, a righteous meet that had been too long coming.
    But this?
    The First Third robbery had happened last Friday afternoon. Take was at least two million five, maybe more. Four cops had been executed during the pursuit.
    As much as Nick loathed the guy, he found it hard to believe that Deitz, who was retired FBI himself, could have had anything to do with something as ugly as the cold-blooded slaughter of four cops.
    “How’d they know it was from the First Third?”
    “Still had the bank bands on it. A big fat sheaf of brand-new hundreds. They also found a Rolex that was part of the stuff stolen from the safety-deposit boxes.”
    “I don’t—I just don’t believe it.”
    “Believe it,” said Mavis. “It gets better. Deitz connects to this Learjet crash too.”
    “How?”
    “Parkhurst said somebody called the tower about a quarter to eleven, ID’d himself as Byron Deitz, says he wants the Chinese Lear on the runway to be held until he gets