Page 107 of False Flag

He held up a hand in a signal to Dahlia in the booth. A moment later, the door opened, and Casper Osborne entered the room.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Osborne’s footsteps faded as he descended the basement stairs. Jake took a deep breath as he considered the man’s ultimatum.

He didn’t have much time.

Thankfully, he’d plugged the thumb drive into Gerard’s computer a moment after the recording light above the basement stairs turned red. Now he returned to Gerard’s office to retrieve it.

He checked the progress and decided to push his luck and give it a few more minutes. Meanwhile, he did a cursory search of the office. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but Lloyd’s cell phone would be a good start.

The sound of the front door opening alerted him. He gave up his search and ejected the USB-C drive, which he tucked into his boot, then scanned the room to see if he’d left anything out of place. Footsteps in the hall indicated there was no time to escape, so he crossed to the bookshelf and grabbed a history of BC and a stack of nautical charts.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

He turned slowly, shoulders relaxed, and faced Beau. “None of your fucking business.”

“Security is my business, and you’re in Gerard’s office.”

He held up the charts. “This is where the reference material I need is.”

“They have that at Geoduck House.”

“They have charts, but not these charts. Books, but not these books.”

“You aren’t supposed to be here.”

“My room is here.” Jake pointed to the ceiling. “Right above this one. I’m staying in Heron House, unlike you. Why are you here?”

“You’re in Geoduck now.”

“I slept in Geoduck. But my room is here.”

Beau glared at him.

Jake smiled. Beau the lousy lay.

He hoped the man was also thinking of yesterday’s humiliation.

“How long have you been a Truther? Since before you dated Staci, I assume. But how long before? Months? Years?”

Beau said nothing, and Jake gave him credit for knowing when to keep his mouth shut.

Jake turned back to the bookshelf and grabbed another title. He flipped through it, then set it aside. He spotted a familiar name and paused for a heartbeat, then pulled it from the shelf.

Under the Sea: Protecting and Preserving Submerged Cultural Resources Along the Carolina Coast

by A. Staci Allen

He held it up to Beau. “Her initials are A-A-A?”

“Yes.”

“What does the first A stand for?”

“Who cares?”

“That doesn’t even start with A.” He gave him a disgusted look. “Didn’t you date her in high school?” He shook his head. “Lousy in more ways than one, I guess.”