Hostile Waters

by William Nikkel

  “Ready when you are,” Robert said, stepping inside. “And now might be a good time to test the air conditioner.”

  Sweat had already beaded on Jack’s forehead. He swiped it away with the back of his hand. “Good idea. You can do the honors.”

  Robert reached up and turned the system on. At once, cool air began flooding the compartment. Given the size of the cabin, it would take a while.

  Jack listened to the unit run. Satisfied it operated properly, he eased the throttles forward and maneuvered through a flotilla of pleasure craft on a slow course for the Gulf of Mexico. When they were clear of the other boats, he pushed the throttles forward and brought Adeona up to ten knots. Then seventeen. Then the top speed of twenty-three knots. The speedometer inched forward to twenty five.

  He ran the engines at that speed a few minutes then backed off to ten knots and kept it there. With the boat slicing smoothly through a calm sea, he turned the helm over to Robert and began a systematic check of all the onboard systems, including a thorough examination of the bilge and engines.

  Not that he questioned the marine survey that had been done six months earlier, he just didn’t want to chance having another boat explode under him.

  Given his druthers, he’d rather live until he was old and gray.

  CHAPTER 12

  Cherise had her cellular in hand and her finger poised to make a call, when the phone chimed with a text. Seeing Jack’s name appear on the screen brought a smile she hadn’t expected. She read his note, surprised by its content.

  “You’re smiling,” Lindsey said.

  “I am.”

  That she had brightened so easily to receiving a text from him, surprised her. They had said goodbye on Oahu—had kissed long and sweet, and she had carried the memory of that final embrace with her into the waiting taxi . . . and later onto the plane. Then she had needed to put her thoughts on what lay ahead with Lindsey, and beyond. After all, their relationship was hardly one at all. More a mutual attraction they both acknowledged with no discussion of where it would lead.

  “Well . . . ?” Lindsey continued to stare.

  Cherise chuckled to conceal her nervous flutter. “Jack, a friend of mine, is in Key West buying a boat.”

  “I’m sure there is a story that goes with it.”

  There certainly is.

  Cherise continued to grin, her thoughts on Jack. What would he have to say about the situation with Lindsey’s missing father?

  She had a pretty good guess.

  “There’s a story, all right. A good one,” she said. “I’ll share it with you later. Right now, Jack being in Key West might work to our advantage if he can have a look around down there and make some inquiries about your father. According to your dad’s texts, he’d hooked up with Amanda by then. Which we agree is suspicious in itself. If she and her brother are part of an ongoing scam, perhaps something will pop.”

  “He’d do that?”

  “I believe he will if I ask him.”

  Lindsey’s lips curled up at the corners, having at last allowed herself a smile. “I take it he’s someone special?”

  Cherise almost laughed. “You could say that. I just spent three weeks with him island hopping our way up and down the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. That’s where we were when you tried to reach me.”

  Lindsey arched a brow. “I’d say that qualifies. And judging from your expression, you’re ready for that Grey Goose martini.”

  “Sounds like a great idea.”

  While Lindsey waved over their waiter, Cherise placed her call. She turned in her seat and stretched her long legs while she listened. The phone would buzz twice before it connected.

  “Susan, it’s me again.” She kept her voice down. “I need you to access Blue Water Cruise Line’s passenger list for the Caribbean Star. The ship returned to port two weeks ago. I’m particularly interested in a brother and sister traveling together. Probably in their thirties. Their first names are Corey and Amanda.”

  As usual, Susan had questions. Cherise listened, and added, “Sorry, I don’t have their last names. But there can’t be too many passengers by those names. It’s even possible they have the same last name. Send their photos. Include one of Lindsey’s father, Sam King. He was on the same cruise. Yes, I know. You’re the best. Text the information to me as soon as you get it.”

  Lindsey was staring at her, so she asked, “Why the puzzled look?”

  Lindsey leaned close. “Both the cruise line and the police refused to show me the passenger list for Dad’s cruise. You make it look easy.”

  “Susan makes it look easy. Not me.”

  “The woman I spoke to on the phone?”

  “She’s a real treasure.”

  Their martinis arrived and Cherise pulled her legs in. A group of people walked by speaking German. Cherise couldn’t help overhearing their conversation. Chatter about how much they enjoyed their tour of the Statue of Liberty. The waiter followed them to their table.

  “To us,” Lindsey said, raising her glass.

  “To us.”

  Lindsey asked, “So Susan can hack Blue Water Cruise Line’s computer?”

  “Among other things.”

  “You sound confident.”

  Cherise checked her watch. “She’s already in, I’m sure. Providing she doesn’t have too difficult a time putting the first names with a last, we should have the information in a matter of minutes.”

  They worked on their salads until Cherise’s phone chimed. She read the text and scanned the attachments. The first three stuck out.

  “That was fast,” Lindsey said.

  Cherise smiled. “Actually I expected this information sooner. But it appears Susan did a little extra digging. She sent photos of Amanda and Corey. And one of your father. She also attached several promotional photos taken during the trip. She thought we might be able to make use of them.”

  “We could use some luck.”

  “Give it a chance. We’re only getting started.”

  Cherise clicked on a photo taken at the Captain’s dinner. She enlarged it. “That’s your father, right?”

  Lindsey studied the image. A smile formed. “He looks happy. Maybe that’s Amanda sitting next to him?”

  “Here’s her picture. Looks like her to me.”

  “She’s younger than I imagined.”

  “Do you find that odd?”

  “Some,” Lindsey said. “Dad’s not bad looking in a rugged sort of way but he’s no spring chicken, either.”

  Cherise took a closer look. Seated, the woman in question was close to Lindsey’s father’s height, thirtyish, possibly a few years older, voluptuous, styled dishwater blonde hair extending several inches below the shoulders, high cheek bones, a nice smile, and twin arches of thick graceful brows. Not hard to see why he found her attractive.

  “Perhaps she likes older men.”

  “Yeah, maybe. So what do we do now?”

  “Do you have to get back to work?”

  “I asked for the afternoon off to give us plenty of time to talk.”

  “Did you bring your laptop with you? Mine’s dead.”

  “In my car.”

  “Then let’s finish our lunch. When we’re done, we’ll look over the information Susan sent us.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Cherise took a seat at the table in her room. She could read the anticipation showing in her friend’s expression.

  “I’m also emailing the attachments. Won’t take but a moment.”

  Lindsey pulled her laptop from her briefcase and quickly opened it on the tabletop in front of them. “Where should I start?”

  “First read the text. Apparently there were a half-dozen Amanda’s on board. But four of them were under ten and one was sixty-five. That left only the one possibility. Amanda Kelly. Fortunately, there was only one Corey. Corey Jameson.”

  “Brother and sister?”

  “According to your dad’s text.”

  Lindsey scanned the email. “S
urely Amanda wouldn’t have lied to Dad about her name . . . or Corey’s.”

  “There’s always that possibility, but I’m betting she didn’t. Unless it was a lie from the beginning and they had fake IDs and passports.”

  “That’s scary to think.” Lindsey leaned close and scrolled the list. “Here they are. They had an aft suite on deck eight. Port side, number 8702, two queen beds and a large aft-facing balcony.”

  “Which cabin did your father stay in?”

  “Here it is.” She leaned close. “A suite all the way forward. Same deck. Number 8504.”

  “Practically neighbors.”

  Lindsey turned a confused expression on Cherise. “So what are you thinking? We know Corey’s last name is Jameson and Amanda’s last name is Kelly. We know the cabin they stayed in, and we know the cabin Dad stayed in. You obviously have an idea of where we need to go with this thing. I’d like to hear it.”

  Cherise placed her hand on Lindsey’s arm. “Your dad had an on board romance with Amanda. Her brother Corey—if he is in fact her brother—was with your dad when he purchased the gold idols. I say we begin by talking to them. Find out what kind of people they are. How much time they spent with your father during the cruise. Maybe something was bothering him that you aren’t aware of.”

  “Other than the idols?”

  “Something that might have caused him to cut and run.”

  “I told you that doesn’t sound like something Dad would do. And we’ve already determined he was on board after the stop in Belize, the ships last port of call. The text about the idols proves it. And he sure didn’t disembark in Miami. That only leaves the middle of the Caribbean.”

  Cherise pulled her hand away. “I know what you’re thinking. I’m thinking the same thing. But likely or not, it’s possible your dad cut and ran all the same. Especially if he thought he was going to be arrested. Who, other than Corey and Amanda, can best describe your father’s frame of mind? Particularly Amanda, if she and your father were sleeping together.”

  “Don’t you think the police have already talked to them?”

  “Seems like they would have, provided they put two and two together as far as their names. But you and I haven’t. And I’d like to hear what they have to say.”

  “Me, too. Only how do you suppose we go about that without an address for Corey or Amanda? It’d be on the police report. But when I tried to get a copy, the police told me they couldn’t release the information because Dad’s missing persons case is officially an ongoing investigation.”

  “Only they’re not investigating.”

  “Not until there’s more for them to go on. At least that’s what the detectives told me.”

  “It’d be nice to know what’s in their report, but we don’t need it. Susan, being the detail oriented person she is, thought ahead and attached the shipboard financials for all the passengers. Home address, credit cards used, a complete list of charges during the trip, total amount paid. According to the information, they live in Palm Beach. Or at least that’s the address they gave. Should make it easy enough for us to locate them. Can you take some time off?”

  “The meetings at the UN conclude tomorrow. I’ll have to work all day finishing up, but I have a week’s vacation coming. My boss knows about my dad’s disappearance so there shouldn’t be a problem with me taking it.”

  “A boyfriend you need to worry about?”

  “No one I have a serious enough relationship with that it would interfere with anything I’m doing.”

  “Good. We need to move on this ASAP, so put in your vacation request.”

  Lindsey took Cherise’s hand. “I think I already told you this, but even if I did, I’m going to say it anyway. It’s like Afghanistan all over again. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here to help me through this.”

  “I haven’t helped anyone yet.”

  “But we’re doing something. That’s a step in the right direction.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Jack took his time completing a thorough going-over of the yacht, bow to stern, before returning to the forward cabin.

  “Well?” Robert asked.

  Jack gave him a thumbs-up. “Adeona is in excellent condition.”

  Salvatore rose to his feet. “My cousin will be pleased to hear that. She is most anxious to conclude her business here.”

  Jack let the comment hang and turned to Robert. “Take us back in. And kick her up a few RPMs.”

  Robert winked and pushed the throttle levers forward an inch. The twin four-hundred-and-fifty horsepower diesel engines responded with a slight lurch of the hull and a lifting of the bow.

  Jack adjusted his balance and refocused his attention on Salvatore. “I would like to give Ms. Faggini my answer in the morning, if that’s possible. There is a lot to think over and I’d like to sleep on it before I make my decision.”

  “You do understand she hoped to conclude her business by this weekend. She has a flight to New York at noon tomorrow. The boat’s captain and chef have already taken work elsewhere. If the Adeona isn’t sold, she’ll turn her over to a local yacht broker at that time.”

  Upping the pressure.

  “She’ll have my answer first thing. That’s the best I can do.”

  “Very well. I will tell her she can expect an answer in the morning.”

  “Over breakfast. Say, at eight o’clock. My treat.”

  “I assure you that is not necessary.”

  “But I insist.” Jack gave him a toothy grin.

  My idea. My treat.

  * * *

  Three hours later, Jack rested his arms on a table inside Sloppy Joe’s and gripped his glass of cold draft lager with the correct amount of head. He lifted the beer to his lips and savored a swallow that brightened his already great day.

  Robert sat on the opposite side of the table, a pint of lager in front of him. He pointed at the photo gallery of Ernest Hemmingway hanging on the wall. “Appears nothing’s changed since the last time we were in this place.”

  “Except Pillai and Kazuko aren’t sitting here with us.”

  “Do you still hear from her from time to time?”

  Jack shook his head. “Not so much this last year. She’s engaged. Or even married by now. I wasn’t invited to the wedding.”

  Robert chuckled. “Probably a good thing. Did you get hold of Doctor Goddard at the aquarium?”

  “That’s a bust. Monday, he flew to Australia for a conference on a broad spectrum of issues impacting the Great Barrier Reef.”

  “Missed him by a couple of days. The bright side is we’re sitting in Sloppy Joe’s drinking a cold beer.”

  Jack hoisted his glass. “Here’s to The Old Man and the Sea.”

  “A tried and true Hemingway fan,” Robert said.

  “Always have been. Always will be.”

  For maybe fifteen minutes, they had the place mostly to themselves before people began flooding in. Somewhere up the street, Jimmy Buffet sang a tune about cheeseburgers and paradise and a big glass of cold beer. Jack took another gulp of lager and quietly listened.

  Robert made it to the end of the song before saying, “You’re going to buy the Adeona.”

  “Are you telling me or asking.”

  “I know you.”

  “So you think I should?”

  “Nice boat. But it’s your call.”

  A sunbaked couple walked past.

  Robert looked around the room. “Place is filling up. You want to stay here or go someplace else and eat?”

  “Mostly, I just want to sit here and enjoy a couple more of these.” He held up his near empty glass.

  “I can’t argue that.” Robert waved their waiter over. “Another round, please.”

  Jack downed his last swallow. “It’ll be a long cruise getting her to Oahu.”

  “You could invite Cherise along. Or has she had enough of you?”

  “Seriously?”

  Robert shrugged. “It could happen.”
/>
  Jack shook his head. “She’s busy with her friend, but I could ask.”

  “Have you texted her a picture of the Adeona yet?”

  Their beer arrived and Jack pulled his arms back to allow room for his freshly-drawn pint. “Not yet. Just the text I sent her earlier today.”

  Robert clinked his glass against Jack’s. “I think it’s high time you sent your lady a picture to go with that text, don’t you?”

  Jack pondered the question. “And say what?”

  “That you’ve decided to buy a new boat.”

  “It’s an old boat.”

  “Then tell her you’re buying a new old boat.”

  Jack removed his phone, tapped out the message, attached a couple of photos of the Adeona, and sent the text.

  “Done,” he said.

  Robert nodded. “Now you wait.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Cherise stepped into the warm New York evening pleasantly content after enjoying a delightful dinner at Dino’s Northern Italian Fine Dining located at the corner of Lexington and East 45th Street. She took Lindsey’s hands in hers and held them gently in her fingers. “It was great catching up. And the food was fabulous. I only wish I was in town under different circumstances.”

  Lindsey’s smile slipped. “I wish a lot of things were different.”

  Cherise felt a twinge of regret for her choice of words. “I’m sorry, Linds. I feel terrible about what’s happened and should have . . .”

  Lindsey sighed. “I suppose it’s just me being melodramatic. But this situation with Dad has me wearing my emotions on my shirtsleeves.”

  “That’s perfectly understandable.” Cherise had been there herself and knew the sense of loss Lindsey struggled with. “I guess I should have said don’t worry, together we’ll find out what happened to your dad. . . . Because that’s what we will do.”

  “You really believe that?” Lindsey’s look intensified. “That we’ll find out what happened to Dad?”

  Cherise nodded, confident in her abilities. “That’s what I do, Linds.”