“I don’t know what I can tell you that would be of help.”
Maggie wasn’t sure what Sheriff Clayton had told Mrs. Coffland. She had to know, however, that they had only a piece of him. Tough news for anyone to receive. Maggie proceeded gently.
“Can you tell me what you remember about the last few minutes before your husband disappeared?”
“I’ve already told the local authorities as well as your sheriff.”
“I’m sorry. Look, you really don’t have to talk to me. I know this isn’t easy.” Maggie knew that if Mrs. Coffland called her, she wanted to talk. Sometimes when you told people they don’t have to, they suddenly wanted to tell you. A cheap bit of reverse psychology.
“We had driven back to our home. After the hurricane. Things were a mess. We were worried about looters.” The woman sighed. “What a thing to worry about. Things. They’re just things. We were cleaning up. Vince had just started the generator. It was getting dark. Our neighbors had returned and we were all in our backyard when we heard a boat in the bay.”
“A boat?”
“Yes. The men thought it must be looters. Vince told us to stay put. He got his rifle and headed down to the water.”
“Alone?”
“My husband was a retired police chief. Forced retirement after his heart attack. There was no question he could handle himself. And he wanted Henry to stay with Katherine and me. Everything had been so quiet but the generator made an awful lot of noise. We heard some shouts but they sounded like greetings. Definitely not a ruckus. We relaxed a bit. Thought it might just be another neighbor. Maybe the authorities. He was gone ten, fifteen minutes. Then we heard the boat start up again. We waited for Vince.”
Another pause, this time Maggie could hear her clearing her throat. “He never came back. We looked all night. Called the local authorities. After the storm they had too many other important things to do. So many people were unaccounted for. My husband simply became just one of dozens.”
“Did you ever find out if the authorities had a boat in your area?”
“No, they said they didn’t. But I will tell you this, Vince would have fought hard if he thought whoever was on that boat was a threat to any of us.”
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying, Mrs. Coffland.”
“We heard what sounded like greetings. An amicable exchange. Vince either recognized the person on that boat or he didn’t feel threatened by him.”
As Maggie ended the call she considered what she’d learned. Vince Coffland’s killer had access to or owned a boat. Probably one small enough to trailer. That would explain how Vince Coffland disappeared off the Atlantic coast and ended up in the Gulf of Mexico. She could check the Pensacola Beach marina, though without a name or even a description of the boat she knew she wouldn’t have much luck.
She punched in the number for Liz Bailey as she heard a phone ring in the other room. Platt answered his phone as Liz Bailey answered Maggie.
“Hello.”
“Liz, it’s Maggie O’Dell. Sorry for not getting back to you sooner.”
“Actually, I’m not sure if this means anything but I saw an exact replica of that fishing cooler we found in the Gulf.”
“Wasn’t it pretty standard? Especially down here.”
“It wasn’t just the cooler. It had the exact same tie-down.”
“Are you sure?”
“Looked like it. Same blue-and-yellow strands. Same thickness.”
Maggie hesitated. Could it be a coincidence? Her old boss, Assistant Director Cunningham, used to tell her there was no such thing as a coincidence. There was a very good chance that the person who owned this cooler also owned the one found in the Gulf.
Before Maggie responded, Liz continued. “What sort of got my attention was where I saw it. You know, considering what we found inside the first one.”
“Where exactly did you see it?”
“In a shed back behind a funeral home.”
CHAPTER 48
From the bedroom balcony Maggie could see that things had changed drastically overnight. The waves churned higher, crashing farther up the shore. The sky had turned into a thick gray ceiling, several layers of clouds, low and moving, each layer at its own speed. Not even noon and the heat was stifling, the humidity oppressive. She had just dried her hair and it was already damp. Her shirt stuck to her skin.
She found Platt and Wurth in the suite’s living room, eating doughnuts. One of them had made coffee and the scent filled the room. Before she had a chance to sit, Platt was up getting her a Diet Pepsi from the minibar while Wurth unwrapped a chocolate doughnut to set in front of her. She held back a smile as well as any comments about the men waiting on her.
“Outer bands may start hitting the area as soon as one this afternoon,” Wurth updated her. “Landfall is definitely gonna be tonight. Probably after dark.”
“Isn’t that sooner than predicted?” Maggie asked.