Free Gray Ghost (The Bill Dix Detective Series Book 1) by C.L. Swinney Page A

do with him what you want.” Then he softened his voice and added, “Listen, man, tell us what you know, and I’ll do what I can to keep you alive. You know you have no other options. Prison or death.”
    The sniper closed his eyes. “Get me some aspirin, and maybe something more than stale bread, and I’ll tell you what I know. No joke, I’ve had it. I choose prison, although I am not too sure I’ll make it out of this shed alive regardless.” Dix asked Roger to get the aspirin and some fresh food.
    While Dix was alone, he leaned back in his chair. “Okay, who are you and what’s your background?’
    The sniper watched him closely. “M. A. Thomas. Retired Special Ops.”
    Dix nodded. “Just as I thought.”
    Roger came back with a can of soda, aspirin, and fresh fruit, which he gave to Dix.
    “ Untie his hands, but keep his feet tied to the chair legs. The door is locked, and there are no weapons here. Even if he escaped his bonds, he’d be dead as he stepped out of the shed.”
    Thomas popped the aspirins and drank the soda in one long gulp.
    He peeled a banana slowly and began to eat it.
    “ Time is of the essence, Thomas. Finish that bite, and we’ll continue.”
    Thomas chewed and swallowed. “Shoot.”
    Dix leaned forward. “Now, tell us what really happened.”
    “ You got most of it right. I took out the men on the speedboat because I panicked after miscalculating my shot.”
    Roger punched Thomas twice in the stomach. Thomas doubled over in pain and groaned.
    Roger said, “That’s one for each of my friends, Sean and Preston. If I’d known for sure you were involved before I called Bubba, I’d have cut your fingers off and shot you with your own rifle. I’d kill you now, but I gave my word not to. I hope you rot in prison.”
    Roger wheeled around, fists clenched at his side, and left the room.
    Dix didn’t feel sorry for Thomas, but he had to get more information.
    Thomas quickly reached over to grab Dix’s leg, but Dix was quicker. He slammed his right elbow into the middle of Thomas’s back. The blow knocked Thomas onto the ground with the chair still secured to his ankles.
    Dix stood over Thomas glaring at him. “What the hell was that about? I’m not the enemy. You’re lucky to be alive. The quicker you tell us what we need, the quicker we turn you over to the police.”
    Thomas gasped, “Help me up.”
    “ Not until you tell me everything. Do you understand?”
    Thomas groaned and nodded. “The Caller is American and most likely has military training. He has knowledge of drug trafficking trends and interdiction. He does his business through middlemen and uses only secured lines on a cell phone when he calls. He pays very well. Dix frowned. “You’ve done a lot of checking on this guy, haven’t you?”
    “ I tried to figure out who he was because I wanted to have some dirt on him as protection.”
    “ When was the last time you worked for him?”
    Thomas groaned again, but when Dix made no move to help him, he took a breath and continued. “Over a year ago. I hadn’t shot the rifle since.”
    “ What else can you tell me about the Caller?”
    “ I think he works alone because I ran into roadblocks everywhere when I tried to track him down. I don’t know much about computers, but when I tried to search for cell phone numbers I had and possible associates, my computer froze up and I had to take it to a local computer store to get it working again.”
    “ Is there anything else you think could be helpful?” Dix was tired and wanted to get Thomas to the local cops.
    “ Whether I’m arrested or one of these men kill me, I think the Caller will send someone else to finish this mission. A hundred million is sitting on the ocean floor. The one person he told about it failed to return it to him. I don’t know anyone who would pass up that much money. Someone else will come.”
    “ You killed two men. I hope you rot in hell.” Dix spat on the floor next to the sniper. Then