Travis, you bastard.
Jordan grabbed her phone and called Travis. She hoped he was asleep.
He answered the call on the fourth ring. “Hello.” His voice was raw and gravelly. Definitely still sleeping.
“I hope I woke you up.”
“Jordan. Why is my little ray of sunshine calling me when she knows I worked late last night?”
“You know why. Those damned dead fish.”
“Oh, those. I thought you weren’t interested?”
“Fuck you. You knew damn well I wouldn’t be able to prevent myself from looking at them. Which would lead me to do some digging. And that the digging would tell me I needed to go to Copper Lake to poke around in person.”
“Look, I just passed a potential lead to a great reporter. You should thank me, not curse me.”
“Well, I don’t feel very thankful at the moment. I’m going to lose some of my well-deserved vacation because of this.”
“Tell me, what was it that convinced you?”
“First was that the fish looked distorted. Almost grotesque. You must have noticed?”
“Oh yeah. They creeped me out. Was that all?”
“No. There wasn’t a single report. Nothing. You’d think that hundreds of fish dying would have made at least some local rag. The other thing that seemed off was the scale of this thing. It’s called a fish kill, by the way. It’s not that I don’t think hundreds of dead fish is significant. But when you hear about fish kills, they’re often on the order of thousands. Either this one was relatively small, or we haven’t seen it all yet. Either way, it’s odd.”
“So maybe there’s something to it. Look, I can think of worse ways to lose some vacation than having to spend a few days at a lakeside retreat in the summer. Poor you.”
“Very funny. Call your friend and tell him I’ll be heading up there today. I’d like to meet his sister and the guy who took the pictures.”
“Yeah, no problem. I’ll give him a heads-up. His sister’s name is Kasey. She works the bar at the marina.”
“One more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“If I uncover something, I might need some assistance. You know, data mining, computer stuff, shit like that. Any chance you could take a day or two and go up to the lake as well?”
“Just because I helped you once doesn’t mean I like being your assistant.”
“You haven’t risen to the level of assistant yet, but if you work hard, you might. Seriously, though, would you be able to help if I need it?”
“I can probably make myself available. I’ll tell Sandy that she may need to cover for a day or two. Let me know once you have something.”
“Thanks. But don’t think this makes up for screwing up my vacation.”
“No worries on that one.”
Time to pack some shit.
3
Mike Banfield stood on the main dock at East Bay Marina taking in the expansive view of the lake. Ever since he could remember, this had been his favorite place to just relax and watch life on the lake. He wished his dad was still alive to sit with him, but a heart attack at fifty-five had taken him from his family and the marina community he’d built. Mike often thought about what his dad would think about how he ran the family business. This thought was the reference point for every marina decision Mike made.
It was just before noon, and the crowd was decent, the clearing weather encouraging his clients to get out on their boats and enjoy the lake. It didn’t hurt that it was the Monday before the Fourth of July. The days around the holiday were always busy at the marina, in part because the marina did an annual fireworks celebration, the largest in the county. With the Fourth being on a Saturday, the actual holiday would be observed on the Friday before. That would also be the day for the marina’s fireworks so as not to compete with the fireworks displays of neighboring towns. Mike sipped his iced tea, waiting for his noon appointment, though, in his mind, the word “appointment” didn’t accurately represent the situation.
Mike was waiting for a lawyer named Alex Koffman, despite having no desire whatsoever to meet with him. It had nothing to do with the man himself. He was a total stranger to Mike. But Mike knew that Alex Koffman was representing someone, a person or a company, that wanted to buy the marina. He and Alex had had a brief telephone discussion a couple of weeks back, at Koffman’s request, to discuss the interest in his property. Mike had stated clearly that he had no intention to sell his business. Period. But the man was relentless and pressed hard for a face-to-face meeting. Mike had finally relented. He still had no intention of selling but figured that meeting with the man would end the discussion once and for all.
At exactly 11:59 a.m., Mike saw a man dressed in a slim-fitting blue suit with white leather sneakers and a plain white cotton crewneck T-shirt. Alex Koffman was definitely on the young side of forty, and the slimness of his frame and the way he moved conveyed strength and fitness. Mike figured he must make a small fortune to be able to dress like that and have time to stay fit. As the man approached the docks, Mike gave a quick wave.
“You must be Alex,” Mike said.
“That’s right. You must be Mike. Pleased to meet you.”
Mike took the hand that Alex extended. Alex had a man’s handshake, firm but relaxed.
“Well, you’re right on time. Let’s go to my office.”
“Sure. Too bad we can’t stay out here. The view is amazing.”
Mike took the opportunity to indirectly state his intention not to sell. “Priceless, in fact.”
Alex didn’t miss the double meaning. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
The two men left the docks and headed toward the offices, just past the pro shop entrance.
Mike sat down behind his desk, while Alex sat in the one chair in front of the desk. Mike’s office was cluttered, the walls covered with an array of photos of people in and around the marina. On the wall behind Mike was a large framed photograph of Mike and his father, Martin Banfield.
Alex began by handing Mike his business card. “Thank you for seeing me today, Mike. I know we spoke on the phone, but given the importance of this topic to my client, I want to make sure you know exactly what’s being offered.”
“Well, I can appreciate that, but as I told you on the phone, my marina isn’t for sale. The marina and Copper Lake are as much a part of me as my family is. My father poured everything he had into the marina and created a place where families can come to escape the rat race of city life. It may not be glamorous to you folks from a big city, but our members know the marina is a quiet jewel, just for them.”
Alex leaned forward, placing his forearms on his knees. “That is exactly what my client sees. But he also sees untapped potential. Most of the Copper Lake area is undeveloped, including much of the land within a few miles of the marina. There is potential to make this ‘jewel’ a true diamond. Imagine a marina double or triple this size, with new commercial development to make Copper Lake the go-to summer destination. My client can do this, but the marina has to be the centerpiece.”
“I’m sure that, to some, the vision you describe is very attractive. But East Bay Marina’s vision is to provide a premium, low-key getaway for families to spend time on a beautiful lake. To enjoy the peace that Copper Lake and its surroundings offer. Besides, I know pretty much everyone around. Few would be pleased if we turned this place into some mini-metropolis.”