James Swain - The King Tides

Jon Lancaster sat slumped in a chair, fighting exhaustion. Dressed like a street person, he wore ratty jeans with holes in the knees and a stained Jimmy Buffett T-shirt. He did not have an athletic appearance, and his most prominent physical feature was his stomach, which was as round as a beach ball. He also smelled like low tide.

No offense, Jon, but I really dont think youre suited for this job, Dr. Nolan Pearl said. Youre a little rougher than Im used to.

Lancaster blinked awake. You want me to leave?

If you dont mind. You need to go sleep it off.

Im not drunk. Ive been up seventy-two hours straight on a job, and I hit the wall. Ill be okay in a few minutes. Think I could bum a cup of coffee?

Theres a Starbucks down the street. Pearl rose from his desk. Ill show you out.

Lancaster remained seated. You said you were desperate.

I am. I just dont think

That Im right for the job? Dont judge a book by its cover.

These arent your normal clothes?

No. Theyre a disguise.

No offense, but your body odor is repulsive. Is that part of your disguise too?

Lancasters eyes narrowed and his lips parted, the movements hardly noticeable. Pearl shuddered, knowing that hed stepped over an invisible line.

Why dont you sit down, and tell me what the problem is, Lancaster said.

Please dont order me around in my house, his host said.

Look, Im normally a nice guy. But I drove two and a half hours, and traffic was a bitch.

I thought you were local.

I was in Melbourne on a job. Ill be heading back once were done.

Pearl suddenly looked ashamed of himself for treating his guest so rudely. He sank back into his chair and spent a moment gathering his thoughts. Very well, heres the situation. A group of strange men are stalking my daughter, Nicki. I dont know what they want, but I want them to go away.

How many men are we talking about?

Eight that I know of.

Thats a big number. Any idea who they are?

I dont have a clue.

Have they tried to harm your kid?

Yes. Two days ago, two of them attempted to abduct Nicki at the Galleria mall. Luckily, I was there and managed to stop them. I filed a report with the police, who suggested I hire a private bodyguard until they can figure out whats going on. I contacted several security companies, who have pitched me on their services. They claim they can keep Nicki safe, but I want more. I want these men to go away.

You want someone to put the fear of God into them.

His host nodded vigorously. Thats exactly what I want, and Im willing to pay for it. I visited a local bar, hoping to find a person with the right credentials. The bartender mentioned you, and gave me your number. I did a search on Google, and saw the YouTube video of you saving that little girl from those kidnappers back when you were a policeman. It gave me hope, so I called.

The YouTube video that Pearl had seen was a car chase that had stretched over two counties, with speeds exceeding 120 miles per hour. A news helicopter doing a traffic report had started filming right as Lancaster had rammed the kidnappers vehicle into a field, jumped out of his car, and shot them both to death. The victim, a ten-year-old child with flowing blonde hair, had climbed out and run into Lancasters waiting arms. There were plenty of car-chase videos on YouTube, but Lancasters video was different. Perhaps it was his willingness to risk his life in order to save a child and the Dirty Harry like aspect of shooting first. Or maybe it was the indelible image of the girl clinging to her savior well after the danger had passed. At the end of the day, it really didnt matter. It had gone viral and made him famous.

Well, you called the right person, Lancaster said.

How so?

Security companies are licensed and bound by a strict set of rules in the state of Florida. Im not licensed, which lets me do pretty much whatever the hell I want. Ill get to the bottom of this, and make these characters go away.

Is that a guarantee, Mr. Lancaster?

Call me Jon. Yes, its a guarantee.

How do you plan to do that?

The old-fashioned way. He lifted his T-shirt to reveal a Smith & Wesson M2.0 handgun tucked behind a silver belt buckle. He produced a Beretta subcompact from his pants pocket, then drew a Heizer two-shot from an ankle holster.

Youre a walking arsenal, Pearl said.

Yes, I am. And theyre not for show.

You mentioned you were on a job. May I inquire what it is?

A cocktail waitress in Melbourne disappeared over the weekend. The police think shes partying in Key West; her grandmother thinks it was foul play, and hired me to find her. Ive been on the case for three days, and am convinced the girl was abducted. I was waiting for the bloodhounds to arrive when you called, so I drove down.

You use bloodhounds?

Sometimes. I rent them from a tracker in Lake City. Its a long-ass drive, so rather than kill time, I decided to come see you. Im heading back once were done.

Do you think the girls alive?

Id rather not go there, Dr. Pearl.

His host drummed his fingers on the desk, thinking. Lancaster knew that he hadnt made a good first impression, which was critical in his line of work. But Pearl had a bad situation on his hands, and desperate men sometimes resorted to desperate measures.

Youre on, Pearl said. Can I interest you in a cup of coffee?

Now youre talking, he said.

Last week, I became aware that strange men were stalking my daughter, Pearl said, blowing steam off his drink. Every time our family went out, a man would appear, and start leering at her. They were everywhere. At the beach, in a restaurant, or just walking down the street, there was a guy following Nicki.

How many times has this happened? Lancaster asked.

Seven times. Each time, the man was different. The last time was at the Galleria mall, when two men nearly abducted her.

Do these creeps ever say anything?

No. But I know what theyre thinking. Its written all over their faces.

They want sex.

Yes, they want sex.

Can you describe them?

Theyre never the same. Four were white, three were Hispanic, and one was black. And their ages are different.

Give me a range.

Late twenties to late fifties.

How old is your daughter?

Nicki just turned fifteen.

So none of these creeps are her age?

Pearl shook his head. The situation would be understandable if my daughters stalkers were teenage boys. Nicki is quite pretty, and boys in her age group are attracted to her, which is normal. These men are anything but normal.

You said your daughter was nearly abducted at the Galleria mall. Is there a surveillance video of what happened?

There is. The police asked me to study it, and see if my wife and I could identify the two men. Would you like to see it?

Please.

Pearl opened the laptop on his desk and turned it so they both could watch. It was in sleep mode, and he hit the Return button, causing the screen to blink awake. He played with the mouse, and Windows Media Player filled the screen. He clicked on the Play button, and a full-color surveillance video started to play.

Nicki is in the bottom corner of the screen, Pearl said. Two days ago, I picked her up from school and took her to the mall to do some shopping. While we were outside Neimans, I got a call from the hospital where I work, and was momentarily distracted. Thats when it happened.

The coffee had brought Lancaster around, and he stared at the small screen with a frightening intensity. Your kids wearing the khaki dress?

Yes, thats her school uniform.

Neiman Marcus was a popular store, and there was heavy foot traffic by the entrance. Two middle-aged white males wearing sweatshirts and ball caps whose rims shaded their faces entered the picture. One of the pair held a metal flask in his right hand, a folded cloth in his left, while his partner pushed a wheelchair.