085 Sea of Suspicion

by Carolyn Keene

  "Sean just called a little while ago. Karen canceled their meeting earlier today so they're meeting tonight—probably until quite late," George said.

  "He and Karen are probably planning his defense," Nancy said. "I guess my news can keep until morning." George had a slightly wistful expression on her face, she noticed. "Tell me about your date," Nancy prodded, pulling her robe tighter around her.

  "We just had a nice, quiet walk on the beach." George blushed. "I found some beautiful shells." She took a deep breath and turned her head away. "I'm just starting to realize how much I want everything to be okay for Sean," she added quietly.

  "So do I, George," Nancy said. "So do I."

  Nancy was up before the sun the next morning. She wanted to call Sean before he left for the Lady Jane.

  "Hi, Nancy." Sean sounded dispirited. "Last night I found out that Karen managed to postpone my arraignment for a month. Unfortunately, I also found out that the police didn't turn up any fingerprints other than mine on the fishing spear that killed Rusty. And the autopsy showed that the spear definitely was the murder weapon. So it looks like I'm still the only suspect."

  "I'm sorry to hear that, Sean," Nancy replied. "But we may be closing in on the real murderer. Last night I searched Leif Dorning's boat. I found a picture that proves he and Talia are going out."

  There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. "I'll bet anything Talia has told Doming about the anchor we just found," he fumed.

  "As a member of your crew, Talia had plenty of opportunities for sabotage," Nancy pointed out. "She and Doming could be behind the whole thing—including Rusty's death. We know that Rusty used to work for Doming. Maybe Rusty was in league with them and was killed during a quarrel over the gold ingot."

  "I hate to think that Talia is really involved in all this," Sean said sadly.

  "We'll have to confront her as soon as she arrives on board this morning," Nancy said.

  "That sounds like a good idea," Sean replied. "Let's all meet at the Lady Jane in half an hour." Then he hung up.

  Nancy pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, then waited for Bess and George to get ready. They picked up Ned and headed for the marina, skipping breakfast. As they stepped onto the Lady Jane's deck, Nancy saw that Sean was already on board with Zach. The two men were inside the pilothouse huddled over some charts.

  "Where's Talia?" Nancy asked.

  "She left a message on my machine saying she'd be a little late," Zach said.

  Nancy decided not to refer to her conversation with Sean in front of Zach. She still hadn't ruled him out as a suspect.

  Sean disappeared down into the galley and soon reappeared on deck bearing a platter of doughnuts and two thermoses, one of tea and one of coffee.

  "Mmm, look at those doughnuts," Bess said. "Who do we have to thank for these?"

  "Me." Sean grinned. "I always start off the day on a full stomach."

  "My sentiments exactly," Bess said. She picked up a powdered doughnut and took a bite.

  Nancy was just reaching for a doughnut as a shadow fell across the group. She turned around and saw Leif Doming standing on the dock.

  Doming stopped short when he saw Nancy. "You!" he yelled at her. "You broke into my ship last night, didn't you!"

  So he did get a good look at me last night, Nancy realized uncomfortably. Before she had a chance to reply, Sean stepped forward. "Give it a rest, Doming," he began, but Nancy interrupted him.

  "I was on board the Sea Scorpion last night," she said, "investigating Rusty's murder." She took a step forward. "I have reason to suspect you may be involved in it as well as in the sabotage of the Lady Jane."

  Doming's jaw dropped. "I never did that old geezer any harm," he said defensively. "And speaking of sabotage, if we hadn't interrupted you last night, I'll bet you would have done something to the Sea Scorpion. And not for the first time, either!" he sputtered.

  "Wait a minute," Nancy said, confused by the counterattack. Doming had accused Sean of sabotaging him a couple of days earlier, too. "You're saying that the Sea Scorpion has been sabotaged, too?"

  "You bet it has!" Doming blustered. "Just last week someone poked a hole in our fuel line. I suspect you were behind it, Sean."

  "I don't believe a word of this, Doming," he snapped. "You're just blowing smoke to cover your own tracks."

  Bess, Ned, and George had been listening off to the side. George shook her head. "What do you make of all this, Nan?" she asked.

  "I'm not sure," Nancy said slowly. "It sounds as if someone may have it in for both Sean and Doming."

  "Leif! What are you doing here?"

  Nancy whirled around and saw Talia approaching.

  "I was just leaving," Doming said, his eyes softening as he took in Talia.

  Just then Nancy blurted out, "Tell me something, Doming, have you ever had a tall, brown-haired man work on your boat—a man with a full beard and mustache?"

  Doming shook his head. "I don't know any guys with full beards," he said. He looked from Nancy to Sean. "I don't know exactly what's going on, but I'm keeping my eye on you two," he said. "And stay off the Sea Scorpion. Next time I'll have you arrested!"

  As Talia boarded, she looked anxiously at Sean. "Why did Leif come here?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

  "Something is definitely wrong," Sean snapped. "When did you and Doming start seeing each other?"

  Talia flushed a bright red. "Leif was very kind to me after my brother died," she explained, setting down her boat bag. "He—he sent me a very sweet sympathy note. After that we started talking once in a while." She twisted a friendship ring on her finger.

  "Why didn't you tell Sean about your relationship with Doming?" Nancy asked her.

  "I didn't think Sean would understand—I know he and Leif can't stand each other," she said with a sigh. "Leif's really a good person underneath all that bluster," she explained to Nancy. "He's become quite conscious of protecting the environment when he treasure hunts now."

  "I'm just curious to know about your dinner meeting with Doming the other night on his boat," Nancy said. "What was it he gave you in the big white envelope?"

  Talia seemed to be puzzled for a moment. Then she smiled. "Oh, just some articles I lent him about the environment."

  Nancy nodded but felt doubtful. She wanted to believe that Doming and Talia were telling the truth, but she couldn't ignore the possibility that they were both lying.

  Nancy looked at Sean. "I want to talk to Hank Morley again," she said. "He's the one who told me about seeing the bearded man on board the Sea Scorpion. Maybe he was mistaken." She glanced at her watch—it was still only seven-thirty. "Do you think Hank's open this early?" she asked.

  "Sure," Zach spoke up. "I'll go with you. I need to get our air tanks filled up, anyway."

  "George, maybe you and Bess can give me a hand getting the galley ready this morning," Sean said. "With Rusty gone, things are kind of a mess."

  "Sure thing," George said, nodding.

  "Kitchen work—my least favorite," Bess groaned quietly into Nancy's ear as she and George followed Sean down to the galley.

  Nancy, Ned, and Zach carried the air tanks to Hank's shop. Nancy found Hank working behind the cash register.

  "Hi, Hank," Nancy said, greeting him. "Remember when you said you thought you saw that guy we chased through your shop on board the Sea Scorpion. Leif Doming says he doesn't know anyone who fits that description. Do you think it could have been another boat you were thinking about?"

  Morley scratched his head. "Could be," he said slowly. "But I was sure it was Dorning's." He shrugged. "Maybe my memory's not what it used to be."

  Zach came out from the back of the shop with Ned. "Hey, Hank," he said. "Your air tank pump is busted. I'll have to go all the way to Diver Dan's to fill these tanks." He checked his watch and grimaced. "I really need to get back to the boat to help Sean map out a course for our trip today."

  "Nancy and I could get the tanks filled," Ned volunte
ered.

  Zach smiled. "That'd be great," he said. Zach helped them load the tanks into Nancy's car after giving them directions. Then he gave a quick wave and headed back to the boat.

  They soon arrived at the other store, and Ned climbed out and went around to open the trunk. He was reaching for the first tank when Nancy saw his face contort with pain. He cried out, jerking his hand away.

  "What is it, Ned?"

  "I think I just got bitten by something," Ned said. He held up his hand, which had an ugly red mark on it.

  Nancy peered into the trunk and saw a large insect crawling on one of the tanks. She leaned down to get a closer look—and her heart beat double time. Ned had just been bitten by a scorpion!

  Chapter Ten

  "We have to get you to the hospital right away, Ned," Nancy said in a worried voice. She knew that some scorpion bites were extremely dangerous.

  "I'm okay, Nancy—really," Ned said, and climbed into the car next to her. "It just stings a little where the actual bite is."

  Ned's hand was already swelling, Nancy could see. She drove as quickly as safety allowed, following a series of blue signs that pointed the way to Key West Hospital.

  "I know you'll be fine, Ned," Nancy said reassuringly. She didn't want him to know how worried she really was. Glancing at him, Nancy could see that the swelling had already doubled in the short time they'd been driving.

  "Hang on, Ned," she said, deftly maneuvering around some bicycles. "We're almost there."

  It seemed an eternity before they spotted the red and white sign of the hospital's emergency room. Nancy pulled into a parking space next to an ambulance. She got out and hurried around to open the passenger door for Ned.

  "Do you think you can walk, or should I get a wheelchair?" Nancy asked Ned. He looked as if he was beginning to get dizzy.

  "I can walk—just don't ask me to do the high jump," Ned joked weakly as he climbed out of the car.

  Inside the hospital they were quickly admitted to see an emergency room doctor. The doctor, who had short dark hair and a no-nonsense manner, was briskly reassuring as she examined the bite on Ned's hand.

  "Don't worry, Ms. Drew," the doctor said to Nancy as she gave Ned a shot, "you'll have your boyfriend around for many years to come."

  "Then the bite's not serious?" Nancy asked, holding her breath.

  "A scorpion bite can be serious, but only to people who are severely allergic to insect venom, such as bee stings," the doctor explained. "In general, scorpions and other bugs like tarantulas are fairly harmless. They've just gotten a bad rap from all those horror movies. We'll keep you here a little while for observation, then send you home," she said to Ned.

  Nancy felt a warm rush wash through her body, "I'm so relieved," she whispered, squeezing Ned's good hand.

  "You're relieved?" Ned grinned. "I feel like a death sentence has just been lifted!"

  About an hour later Nancy and Ned walked out of the emergency room.

  "I'll call Sean again and tell him to go on without us—I want to take care of you back at the inn," Nancy said.

  "No way!" Ned protested. "You heard the doctor say I'm fine. I'll just want to sleep anyway."

  "If you're really sure ..." Nancy said.

  "Positive." Ned leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

  As they made their way back to the inn, Ned glanced at Nancy. "You've got that look, Nan, like you're figuring something out," he said after a while. "What wheels are turning behind those beautiful blue eyes?"

  "I'm just wondering how that scorpion got into the trunk," Nancy replied. "It doesn't seem a likely place for an insect to hang out."

  "Maybe it hitched a ride on something," Ned said. "Like one of the scuba tanks."

  "Or was given a ride," Nancy said thoughtfully. "Could this have been Leif Dorning's way of sending a message from the Sea Scorpion?"

  "Possibly. Only how did he know we'd be going into the trunk?" Ned asked her.

  Nancy's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You're right, Ned. Only Zach knew that we'd be opening the trunk. In fact, he even helped us load those air tanks." She sighed. "If I know Zach, he'll swear that you're another victim of the curse of the Ninfa Marina. "

  "Oh, yeah, the curse," Ned said, raising one dubious eyebrow.

  "Either he really believes in it—or he wants us to," Nancy said. "I have to find out which."

  Nancy pulled up in front of the Sunset Cove Inn to drop Ned off. "Get lots of sleep today," she told him. "I'll come back to check on you as soon as I get off the boat this afternoon." She gave him a quick hug.

  "I want more than a hug," Ned whispered huskily. He tilted her chin toward him with his finger. Then he kissed her long and hard, until she felt a tingling warmth reach all the way down to her toes. "To be continued tonight," he said, opening the car door.

  "Wow," Nancy said, still feeling the lingering effect of Ned's kiss. She couldn't wait until later!

  Nancy stopped to have the tanks filled at Diver Dan's and then returned to the Lady Jane. Bess, George, and the others greeted her with anxious questions. All they knew was what Sean had told them after Nancy called from the emergency room a couple hours earlier.

  "Sorry to hear about your friend," Zach muttered.

  After Nancy reassured everyone that Ned would recover, they prepared to cast off.

  "We're going back to the spot where we found the Ninfa Marina's anchor," Sean told her. "It'll be a short day because of our delay, but I want to scour that area before dark. Another day when we have more time, I'll bring up the anchor itself."

  By eleven o'clock the Lady Jane was pounding through choppy seas about a mile off Key West. Nancy, Bess, and George were standing outside on the deck in front of the pilothouse. Through its window, Nancy could see Zach guiding the boat. Sean and Talia were behind him, monitoring some equipment.

  A big wave slapped against the boat's hull.

  "Wow, it's getting rough," Bess said, clutching the rail for support.

  "It sure is. Just look at those dark gray clouds on the horizon," George observed.

  Nancy nodded. "It looks like there's a storm heading our way," she said, opening the door to the pilothouse.

  "Hi, Nancy," Sean greeted her. "We've got something new on the subbottom profiler. Since this is close to the spot where we found the anchor, I think we should check it out." Zach cut the engine. "Talia, why don't you take a quick look around in the submersible," Sean continued. "But let's hurry. We may have a squall kicking up to the east."

  Sean seemed to have accepted Talia's explanation for her involvement with Leif Doming, Nancy noted. Nancy herself hadn't made up her mind about the marine archaeologist.

  "Come on, Nancy," Talia said, tapping her on the shoulder. "Let's take the submersible down and have a look around."

  Talia, Nancy, Zach, and Sean stepped out on the deck, joining Bess and George. Nancy checked out the tubular, metallic craft. The submersible had a robotic arm attached to one side, complete with a clawlike hand.

  "We use that claw for heavy lifting underwater," Talia explained.

  Bess stared apprehensively at the sub. "I can't believe you're actually going underwater in that tiny thing," she whispered to Nancy.

  Talia and Zach used a small hydraulic lift to maneuver the submersible into the water. Then Nancy and Talia climbed over the rail and down a ladder to the water. The tiny sub was pitching wildly in the swells.

  "Be careful, you two," George called from the deck above them.

  Talia climbed through the hatch on top of the sub, followed by Nancy. Talia shut the hatch, flipped a switch, and the submersible plunged under the roiling waves.

  As soon as they were below the surface, Nancy felt they had entered another world. Except for the high-pitched drone of the submersible's small propellers, all was silent. A school of brilliantly colored fish swam before the window. By pushing something that resembled a gear stick, Talia nudged the submersible into still deeper water.

  "It feels ju
st like flying underwater," Nancy noted. She heard a crackling noise and then a voice came over the intercom.

  "You there, guys?" It was Sean.

  Talia picked up a small black microphone. "Even under water, we can communicate by radio," she explained to Nancy. "Right here, Sean," she spoke into the mike.

  "You'd better hurry. It's getting kind of rough up here," Sean said. "See you topside soon."

  As the craft nosed into still deeper water, Nancy glanced sideways at Talia. She really liked the marine archaeologist and had to remind herself that Talia was a major suspect.

  "Were you aware that Leif Dorning's boat had been sabotaged, as well as Sean's?" she asked Talia.

  Talia nodded "I just hope he realizes that Sean had nothing to do with it," she said. "I hate to see the two of them fighting."

  "And what about your feelings about Sean?" Nancy pressed, remembering the bitter letter that Talia had started writing. "Do you blame him for your brother's death?

  Talia sighed. "No, I don't really blame Sean for Jaime's death. It was just an accident. A senseless accident." Almost despite herself, Nancy had the gut feeling that Talia was telling the truth.

  The sub was nearing the ocean floor. The water was very murky because of the weather on the surface. Talia shone the submersible's light on a large object in front of them. "Uh-oh. Looks like our treasure is just a pile of rocks," Talia said in disappointment. "I'll have to tell Sean we struck out."

  "Zach seems to be convinced that all the trouble you've had has been caused by that curse," Nancy said as they headed back to the surface.

  "Oh, that again," Talia said, rolling her eyes. "He's been going on about that dumb curse for at least six months. I got riled at him the other day because he tried to pin my brother's death on it. I think it was some wild idea that Hank Morley put in his head. He's pretty superstitious."

  "Hank Morley?" Nancy echoed. "Are he and Zach friendly?"

  "Oh, yes, very friendly," Talia replied. "Don't tell Sean, but I think Zach moonlights as a diver for Morley on the weekends."