Clearwater Undercover

By Al Rennie

Joe is in deep trouble. He has had to make a pact with the Greek mafia to help a detective friend. Now he has to honour the agreement. That spells danger for all the Clearwater crew. A British tourist has gone astray, but the story Joe hears is not entirely accurate. A wealthy businessman and client of Bob has been scammed and wants his money back. More crime than enough in this romp in paradise!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Al Rennie
• Release date: Jan 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310145926

Al Rennie

I was born and raised in Toronto. I attended Upper Canada College before taking a degree at Queen's University. I have worked as a lifeguard for the Toronto Harbour Police, a youth worker for the Toronto YMCA, and an English teacher in Lakefield. I am married with two great daughters and an extended foster family. My interests include Maple Leaf hockey - this is our year - New England Patriot football and writing.

Book preview

Clearwater Undercover

by

Al Rennie

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2013 by Al Rennie

All Rights Reserved.

Cover Credit: Rita Toews – probably the most caring, patient and inventive cover creator ever!

Image Credit: Rita Toews – whose cover for Clearwater Crazy, California Michael proclaimed to be stylistically perfect.

Formatting Credit: L.K. Campbell – as always just great – and thank you for the Kindle stuff…

Dedication

For my wife – Marsha

Always there for me and always keeping my moral compass headed in the right direction!

And Ilker of Altin Bilek Yaylinlari

Who liked Clearwater Journals enough to get it published in his home country of Turkey. As an encore, he said he would be publishing Clearwater Diaries later this year.

Turkey is a bit of a crap shoot right now, so I’m not holding my breath on that one.

Thank You Ilker

Merry Christmas 2013 and a Happy New Year to all those people who have supported Mia, Doc and the Clearwater crew through the last few years and sixteen books. My gift back to you is a price reduction of two dollars on this title. May your 2014 be happy and prosperous! Best

Regards! … Al

Acknowledgements:

I’d like to thank the growing number of readers who are enjoying the Clearwater Series and who have sent me their kind and encouraging comments. I have enjoyed meeting a number of those people on Face Book and on our last trip to Sand Key had a delightful lunch visit with Mrs. Finelli and her husband, Jack, at Ruby Tuesday’s in Ellenton. As well, I have been tickled to read the many very interesting and informative e-mails sent my way. California Michael is a special regular correspondent who I have enjoyed; he supplied the joke I used in Danger and another one can be found in Killer. A few of the other regulars include: Debby, Sandra, Dwight, Diane, Warren, Angie, Kathy, Pat, Bonnie, Edd, Carol, Cheerie, Greg, Dee, Donna, Steve and Merle and all the Lakefield guys and gals. Thank you. Elaine, your water colour painting looks Florida fantastic, and Paul the Pelican enjoys a special place on my office wall carefully watching my every move. Thank you again.

You do not know how encouraging it is for a writer like me to read that his or her work has been read and then re-read and enjoyed. Beyond that, to be told that I had better be writing quickly because of the interest in what is going to happen next to the Clearwater crew is very gratifying. Thank you Joe and Mia fans, whoever and wherever you are. You are making this ride so much fun. Let me assure the readers who have written asking for more Mia and Joe – I am writing as fast as I can bubbas!

My three excellent editors have returned again to make my life miserable but your reading experience better. I’d like to thank my wife, Marsha and daughter, Jane as well as Annmarie Schwanke for their masterful work in editing yet another novel. Their efforts have made the story much better and the content easier for you, the reader, to decipher. The cheque is in the mail!

I’d also like to thank Deputy Chief Ken Jackman (ret.) Peterborough Police Force, for taking time out of his busy life to answer my questions about aspects of being a police officer and working in the legal system. In this book, he helped me understand the current difficulties enforcement agencies have coping with internet crime in general and scams in particular. With his permission, I have used some of his language in the content of this book. If there are errors in my representation of what we discussed, the fault is entirely mine.

Kudos to Skye Graham, she is the critical care nurse who assists with all things medical. She also happens to be a Joe and Mia fan.

And thanks to Cec Knight, old poker buddy and science teacher for his help with genetics. His words also make up part of a dialogue found in this book. If there are mistakes in the accuracy of my representation of genetic complexities, it’s on me. I’m your huckleberry.

Notice to all young adult readers:

As a former teacher – and therefore someone sworn to be concerned about the minds of our young people - I have to warn the under eighteen group that Clearwater Undercover, much like the other books in this series, contains a number of bad words, but maybe not as many as a few of the earlier works. And really, what is a bad word? I must also tell you that you will come across some pretty suggestive scenes and some very bad people – but nothing is likely to overly stimulate you or disgust you. Sorry about that. In any case, good reading bubba - enjoy.

Best Regards,

Doc

P.S. – If any of you feel a strong need to communicate with me – try

[e-mail] or [e-mail]

If you would like to see pictures of the Clearwater Beach setting, visit my revised website courtesy of Chance Faulkner Photography. I have included photos of Cooters, Wings, the Jolley Trolley and a few shots taken from Doc and Mia’s condo in Sand Key. If you really look closely enough, you might even see Doc hanging out at the marina. alrennie.com

NOTE: If you are new to this series, this is not the title for you to start with. From Clearwater Killer forward, there is an assumption that you have met some of the regular characters in your reading of the earlier novels. There is no point in me repeating the same detailed descriptive information on an ongoing basis. If you want an introduction to Joe and Mia, go to Clearwater Journals. That is where the couple first meet. At that time, I did not enjoy the luxury of the editors I have now, so there are typos etc. that I have been too lazy to go back and repair. But it is free. The language is rougher and the humour is less evident. If you want lighter fare, try Clearwater Ambush. In one section of that book, Joe visits an A.I. Clinic. My youngest daughter, age – adult - claims that she wet her pants laughing so hard as she was reading those pages. Embarrassing…you bet! Jeez!

Annie’s Amendment – she’s blonde!

The Clearwater Series in the sequence the books were written.

1) Clearwater Journals

2) Clearwater Diaries

3) Clearwater Ambush

4) Clearwater Abduction

5) Clearwater Heat

6) Clearwater Kiss Off

7) Clearwater Showdown

8) Clearwater Magic

9) Clearwater Intrigue

10) Clearwater Danger

11) Clearwater Predator

12) Clearwater Extortion

13) Clearwater Killer

14) Clearwater Oops!

15) Clearwater Crazy

16) Clearwater Undercover

17) Clearwater Betrayal (out in March 2014)

Note: Clearwater Beach and the area surrounding it is truly my idea of paradise. It is a beautiful place to visit and to live – if you can afford it. The violence depicted in the Clearwater series is just that - fiction – i.e. – it never happened. Go there and find out for yourself. You’ll love the place. Say ‘hi’ to Betsy if you grab a bite to eat at Cooters, and Daisy at Backwaters on Sand Key. That’s some tattoo she has on her left thigh eh? But, whatever else you do, don’t start chatting with Captain Frankie Donner at the marina; you’ll lose hours of your holiday time.

A few Reader Responses to Clearwater Series:

On the advice of critics, I have reduced the number of reader responses to a limited number. The suggestion was that no one reads them anyway. Apologies to those cut.

I have truly enjoyed reading this series, and hope you plan on taking Joe, Mia, Coop and Ida May further. I'm anxiously awaiting another installment. Corrina Wilke - a Doc Holiday fan (I'm your huckleberry lol)

Just to let you know I just finished your newest book in the Clearwater series, …. it was great….lol…..best series I ever read…..keep on…… Sandra Orndorff

Al: Just keep them coming! Clearwater is a great series. The Characters are becoming part of the family! …Edd Jenkins

Looking forward to reading the next adventures of Joe and Mia…I read Intrigue and Danger in three days! Keep up the great work Al!!! Angie Day

Hi Al, I just finished Clearwater Extortion, and I loved it. I hope you’re working on the next book, because I can’t wait to see how things go for Jeremy and the boys with all of the new and exciting things happening in their lives. Thank you Al for giving us such fun and interesting characters to read about…

Love the books, can’t put them down and I even find myself slipping into some of the phrases!!! Not sure that will always be a good thing though! Carol

I read the book in one sitting. Great characters, great plot could not put it down. Love the part where he fell in the grave, very funny. I know you are writing another book because we have to find out what was in the safe. I wish I had a Joe in my family lol. Let us know when it's available; I might have to get a Kindle to get it quicker. Waiting patiently… Bonnie Walston

Babe, call the hospital. I’ve gone blind. Everything is so dark… Cracked me up!!! Just finished Oops and again you hit it out of the park-grand salami, best of the best!!! Rock on Rennie!! …Debby Charles

Travis McGee was the old Joe Holiday. You have really done a great job! Just when I thought it was over by reading Killer, you surprised me with another. Great job!!! I’m enjoying this series more than any I’ve read in years. I’m turning as many people as possible to it, and they all seem to be hooked. Please keep writing, and fast. Greg Martin

Just finished Crazy and wanted to let you know, you still got it!! Stay healthy and keep writing. Steve Owle

Chapter 1

Clearwater Undercover

Joey, that young cop, the one who I thought wanted to arrest you a couple of times before, is here. I didn’t recognize him at first cause he looks like crap. He also looks like he’s hurting real bad …like something is eating him up inside. Maybe he’s been shot. He’s a fricken mess. He came up off the beach side wearing only board shorts and a T-shirt. He said that he really needs to talk with you as soon as possible. He’s desperate. I left him sitting on the back deck and told him that I’d go and get you.

Is that Robb…? Was there any blood? I asked as I stayed focused on completing my next heavy dumb-bell curl. Even I was feeling pretty damned impressed with the vascularity of my bicep.

I didn’t see any and no, this is the other guy who usually dresses so neat… Why?

Neatly… and no blood equals probably not shot, and that would be Detective Simon Scott … okay so just let me finish this last set of curls, babe and I’ll be right there, I said as I forced out three additional reps that I was thinking would have to impress Mia. The set of heavy curls I was doing only required eight reps. Vascularity or not, I thought that my swollen arm was about to fall off as I finished rep eleven. I was at the end of my work-out. There was no way I could lift the twelfth.

Mia looked at me for a second or two like maybe I hadn’t picked up on the true sense of her urgency. She hadn’t appeared to be too impressed with the bicep curl either. She had turned away quickly and headed back to wherever she had parked Scott on the deck. I rubbed my arm thinking that I might have hurt myself squeezing out that final rep. The old body builder adage, no pain; no gain might not always be accurate. Jeez that stung!

It was after dinner and starting to get quite dark. What was Scott doing pulling a surprise visit off the beach like this? Maybe he was working undercover. I liked the guy; we were developing a good rapport. I just didn’t know how far I could trust him as yet.

Simon Scott was sitting stooped over on a faux wicker chair on our back deck gazing out at the last boats on the gulf as they started back to the marina. Mia was right. Even in yet another incredible Clearwater Beach sunset, the young detective looked like total whale poop. He also looked as if he was crying, maybe still was. That’s not often what a cop is likely to let someone see.

What’s up Simon? I asked as I sat down beside him in the chair Mia usually occupies when we sit out here in the evening together. There was another little navy blue plastic molded Adirondack chair beside Mia’s. That chair is for our adopted five year old boy, Sean, even though I had caught Mia trying it out once or twice. Sean uses it whenever he manages to slow down long enough to sit which happens only seldom and never.

Can I get you something to drink? Mia asked anxiously. She really did look concerned about Scott’s condition. I wasn’t far behind her in that department now that I had seen him, but I was better at hiding it.

Iced water would be fine, Scott answered looking up sadly at the princess. Thanks, Mia.

Diet Pepsi, lots of ice and lime for me babe …

Now there’s a big surprise, precious sweetheart muttered with more volume that might have been needed as she headed off in the direction of the kitchen.

Scott looked at me, and for a quick second or three, I thought the guy was going to start really sobbing. That would be embarrassing for both of us. Maybe he had been shot.

I’m desperate man; I need some big help Joe, and there’s no one else I can ask for it.

The bank turned down your loan application … My weak attempt to lighten the load landed stonily. Not even a polite smile … This really was serious.

My seven year old son, Steven … he has been taken.

By the time Mia returned with our drinks, Simon Scott was taking me through the series of events that had resulted in his present miserable state. Mia placed the drinks down on the glass top of the little table between our chairs. She took a quick look at Simon and a longer one at me. When neither of us said more than, thanks, I guess she figured out that Scott wanted time alone with me. That wouldn’t necessarily always translate into ‘will happen’ but this time it did. She said that she had some things to do and scurried off back into the house.

The story about what had happened to his seven year old son, Steven, was quite a stretch from what I might have expected given the type of work that I do. This scenario did not involve an unhappy wife looking at a legally directed shared access order with an abusive husband and father. Ticked off with the wisdom of the court, the angry and often distraught mom then grabs her kids and takes off to another state. It’s amazing how many times that drama is played out on an almost daily basis. In fact, if Simon was struggling mightily with his new reality, I had to believe that his wife would be suffocating under it.

Only a few months ago, Simon Scott had been part of a state wide task force appointed to work with the Feds in bringing down a well organized scumbag gang of human traffickers. The FBI rate the Tampa area as number three on the list of transport spots in all of the U.S.A. for this kind of nasty, to say nothing about illegal, activity. Simon Scott claimed that his role in the investigation was really not as significant as many of the others on the task force. Some of the federal officers involved had been working the case for several months. Local involvement had only happened during the last week or so before the take downs started. His role had been nothing more than a support one, but information that he personally had uncovered, almost by accident, led to the arrest and conviction of one of the local gang leaders. The feds had made a big deal of thanking him for his contribution. His name had been prominent in the news coverage in the days surrounding the arrests. The local arrested man’s