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“It’s named after his company, Dragon Capitol. The boat’s called Dragon.”
Theodosia hung up. Her heart raced and she felt jittery, as if she’d finally found a hairline fracture that could lead to answers in these two mysterious murder cases.
“Well?” Drayton said.
“Here’s how I see it adding up,” Theodosia said. “Usher’s out on his boat right now, which is named Dragon. He’s storing what might be illegally obtained marine artifacts in the garage near me. And the Crime Scene techs found traces of algae on the rug in Helene’s office. What do you think?”
“I think maybe we should head over to Charleston Harbor and take a look at that boat. What do you think?”
“I think…ditto.”
29
“It’s probably going to be a good-sized boat,” Theodosia said as they coasted along East Bay Street, heading for Union Pier Terminal, where commercial boats were docked.
“How so?” Drayton asked.
“It might have some kind of crane for lifting and may even be disguised as a fishing boat.”
“And you’re sure Usher would keep it moored here instead of at the Charleston Yacht Club?”
“No, I’m not sure. But since it’s more of a working vessel than a pleasure craft, I’m playing a hunch.”
It was full-on dark as Theodosia hooked a right at Hasell Street, then right again on Pritchard. They were just north of Port of Charleston, where the large cruise and cargo ships came in, winding their way past warehouses, stacks of freight containers, construction shacks, and piles of metal that looked like gargantuan Pick-Up Sticks. Ahead of them loomed another series of large warehouses shrouded by a tall wire fence. The docks on the Cooper River were just beyond.
“Spooky,” Drayton said. “Quiet.”
“This whole area is supposedly going to be revitalized,” Theodosia said. “There’s a master plan floating around for new housing, parks, dog parks, and an entertainment venue.”
“You think that’s going to happen?”
“Maybe.”
“But probably not in our lifetime,” Drayton said. “There’s always been a certain reticence when it comes to interfering with Charleston’s DNA.”
“We’re an old city. I suppose many of us prefer to keep it that way,” Theodosia said as she rolled to a stop. She’d come up against a padlocked gate posted with a sign that said stop in large letters. And underneath that, no trespassing, no overnight parking.
“Looks like this is where the trail ends,” Drayton said.
Theodosia popped open her door and climbed out. “Maybe there’s another way for us to get down to those commercial docks.”
Drayton climbed out reluctantly, looked around, and then peered at the tall metal fence that ran for several hundred yards. “There’s no way we’ll ever get over that.”
“We have to.” Theodosia looked up at the sky. No stars tonight, just low-hanging gray clouds and fog rolling in. The air was so heavy with moisture it felt like you could grab it and wring it out. The encroaching fog also put a damper on sounds and lent everything a hazy outline.
“Look at that monster fence,” Drayton said, respect in his voice. “It’s almost eight feet tall with curved pokey things at the top. If we try to go over the top it’ll serve us up en brochette. And I don’t fancy being a human shish kebab.”
“Then we need to find another way.”
“There isn’t another way.”
“Has to be.”
Theodosia walked some twenty feet down the fence line, checking out the galvanized chain-link fence, looking for what she hoped might be a chink in the armor. She grasped the fence with her hands and rattled it. Drayton was right. It was a tough monster. She walked another fifteen feet where stringy weeds sprouted at the base of the fence, her eyes searching for what might be an answer to their problem. And just when she was about to give up, found what she’d been hoping for.
Next to one of the metal fence poles a small part of the fence had been cut and peeled back slightly. It was hidden behind the weeds like a rabbit hole, and Theodosia figured it had probably been made by marauding kids so they could worm their way closer to the Cooper River as well as the boat docks.
“There’s a spot here, Drayton. A place where the fence has been ripped. I think we might be able to squirm through.”
