Chapter 9

Taggert stood up and his mouth dropped open.  "What?"

"The body in the warehouse was not Zander Smith," Mac repeated.

"Then who was it?  Where is Zander Smith?"

"If we find the answer to those questions, we'll have this case solved.

Taggert sighed and sank into the chair.  "But we found the Smith's wallet on him."

Mac shook his head.  "No the wallet was found next to the body, not on it."

Alexis had been listening to their conversation with interest.  She stood up and looked at Taggert.  "Well it sounds like Zander Smith wasn't murdered, so you have nothing on my client."

"Think again, Miss Davis.  Jason Morgan was seen coming out of that warehouse after the fire and the sound of the gunshot.  Maybe Zander Smith wasn't murdered in that warehouse, but someone was.  Morgan is still our number one suspect.  Now all we have to do is find him," Taggert told her.

"And your sister," Alexis said.  "You'll be hearing from me."  She picked up her briefcase and left the station.

Meanwhile, Jason and Gia arrived at the cove.  A man was standing on the shore near a small houseboat that was tied there.  He looked up as they approached.

"Morgan?" he asked

Jason nodded.  "Sonny send you?"

"Um, yeah," the man said looking around nervously.  "Just the two of you?"

"Were you expecting more?" Jason asked.

"No.  Um… we'd better get going," the man said ushering them aboard the boat.

Jason took Gia's hand and helped her aboard.  They had barely made it aboard when the man untied the boat and started the engine.  Soon they were on their way.

Gia stood next to Jason for a little while, but the movement of the boat on the waves was getting to her.  "I'm going inside for a while," she whispered to him holding her stomach.

Jason nodded and gave her a kiss.  Gia went into the cabin of the houseboat.  She sat down for a few minutes.  She heard a muffled sound coming from behind  a waist high door.  It didn't sound like a sound a boat should be making.

Gia cautiously walked over to the door and opened it.  There inside the cabinet was a man.  He was tied and gagged.  She wasn't sure what to do.  She knelt beside him and removed the gag.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm the man Sonny sent to get you to New York.  Someone hit me in the head and I woke up in here tied," he said.

"So the man out there is…"

"An imposter," the man finished for her.

Gia quickly untied the man's hands.  "I have to warn Jason!" she said leaving the man to get his feet untied.  She quickly went back on deck and ran to Jason.

"I have to talk to you," she whispered.

Jason followed her to the entrance to the cabin.  "It's a trap!  That's not the man Sonny sent!" she told him.

"Very good, Miss Campbell," came a voice from behind them.

They turned and saw the man that had met them at the cove.  He was holding a gun on them.  "Now its time that I complete what my boss sent me to do," he said aiming at them.  "You may want to say your good-byes now."