by Keene, Susan
“What was that about?” Ryan asked.
“Seems after we left, a man came to see her. He told her if she wanted to stay safe, she needed to forget anything and everything she knows about the Tucker family. He told her helping the nosey people would only get her hurt.”
“Did she call the police?”
“No, she was afraid. He fits the description of the man who kidnapped Ray, and the man your guys saw near the house. She didn’t recognize him as the man who claimed to be Dr. Tucker’s brother.”
“Interesting,” Amy said. “Let’s talk about it in the morning. My belly is full and my legs are tired.” She headed toward their room. “Are you coming?” She called over her shoulder to Nathan.
Amy called it right, we’d had enough for one day.
The next morning we packed before we left for the café. Amy and Nathan agreed to go back to our room and watch as the bellman took our luggage to the foyer so no one could tamper with it.
The plan we devised split us up. Ryan and I were headed for the FBI office. An agent met us on the main floor, led us to a room, and left us there. I took a business card out of my back pocket and laid it on the table. Another agent came in. “I’m Agent DeFore, one of the men who originally investigated the Tucker case. How can I help you?”
“Will you open the case again now that Ivy Tucker was found dead in St. Louis?” I asked.
He tapped his fingers on a manila folder he brought in with him and put on the table in front of him. “In this case, I believe you have me at a disadvantage. Word about her death hasn't reached me yet. I don’t think it has even been logged into the case files. What’s your interest in this?” He looked down at my card.
“Miss Tucker was found dead on our front porch two weeks ago.”
“Do you know how she was killed?”
“Yes, snake venom.”
“Weird. You’re more than welcome to look through the file. We most likely won’t reopen the case. Once you have read it, you’ll understand.” He pushed the packet toward us and left the room.
I opened it and began to read. Ryan moved closer so he could see the documents as I took them out of the packet.
We had all the information they had except for the name of the boat rental location and name, the captain's and his wife’s physical information.
Fifteen minutes later, the agent came back. I stood. “Thanks for letting us read this.”
“Was it helpful?” he asked.
“No, but it was good to know our information is correct.”
Ryan and I shook his hand and were escorted back to the lobby.
Amy and Nathan sat in the foyer having an ice tea and waiting for us.
Ryan said he would settle the bill while Nathan called for the car.
Ten minutes later, in a park, we stopped while the guys scanned for GPS trackers and listening devices.
The car had neither.
Amy asked, “Did you learn anything?”
I turned my body so I faced more toward the backseat. “The information we have on the family is spot on. I think the man who settled the estate is our attacker.
“Michael Mannes was or is the Captain’s name. His new wife, Janis, went along on the trip as the cook. Michael Mannes has black hair, brown eyes, and is five-feet-ten. The only difference between him and our guy is the weight. Mannes weighed 195.”
Amy leaned forward. “A person can change in ten years.”
I turned back toward Ryan. “I think we should make a trip to Smith River, find the boat rental, and see what we can dig up about the captain and his wife,”
Amy reached forward from the back seat and put her hand on my shoulder. “I think the trip is a good idea, but I want to stay with the dogs. I don’t like the idea of them being uprooted and with strangers.”
Nathan gave her a hug. “I agree. We’ll stay at the house with the animals. You two follow the path and find out what you can. I’m fairly sure we'll be fine. The man in question will be much more likely to follow you. We’re no threat to him in St. Louis.”
Ryan looked into the rearview mirror to look at Nathan. “I agree. I would feel better if we had a couple of men there. They don’t have to be in the house. With the new lights, no one can move without giving themselves away.”
We walked into the house and the dogs went wild. They ran from me to Amy to Ryan and Nathan and back again. This went on for a good ten minutes. I knew then, the decision for Amy and Nathan to stay at the house while we were gone was the best one.
CHAPTER 9
R yan and I flew to Crecent City on one of the company’s planes with the hope it would be more difficult to track us if we used private transportation. At the rental counter in the airport, we chose an SUV and drove the fifteen miles to Smith River.
We found the boat rental with no problem. Iguana Boat Rentals stood out from the others. A twenty-foot full-color Iguana sign hung with giant hooks marked the entrance. The Tucker boat had the same insignia on the side, only much smaller.
I’d never been in a boat as large as the ones docked there. They all had Iguana in the name.
The owner, a British fellow in his sixties, remembered the Tuckers for two reasons, the tragic demise of an entire family and the loss of his boat.
When Ryan asked about the Captain, the gentleman frowned.
I noticed his look. “So you didn’t like Michael Mannes?”
“No one did. He was an odd man. His first wife disappeared a few years before he went on the trip with the Tuckers. He told all of us she left him. We had no way of knowing and no one came looking for her. He just didn’t mention her again.”
Ryan stepped closer to the counter. “We heard he had a new wife.”
“Oh, her. They were two peas in a pod. I suggested to Dr. Tucker they wait for Captain Bridges to return from a twelve-day tour. The tour he hosted ran into bad weather and they were forced to dock for three days.
They didn’t want to wait. Said their trip was time sensitive because of the rain and winds in the Pacific. I told them it was less than a week, but they wouldn’t hear of it. I’m not busy, would you like to sit and have a cold drink?” He pointed to one of the brightly painted tables in the room.
Ryan walked to a pop machine with the owner and helped carry the drinks. He handed me a Coke, and gestured toward the man. “Was this Mannes guy good to the Tucker family?”
“As nice as he was to anyone. He wasn’t their choice. They wanted Captain Upton Bridges. They had talked to him several times over the year, but like I said, he and the boat they wanted were out.”
Ryan sat the can on the table. “So this family planned a trip for over a year, rented a boat, and picked out a captain. When the time came for them to leave, neither the boat nor the sailor were available. How could that be?”
“Mr. Randle wanted that particular boat and Captain Bridges. Mr. Randle gets what he wants.”
I had been listening as I looked around the place. “What’s so special about Mr. Randle?”
“Adam Randle owns this place and everything in it and around it. His daughter was getting married in LaPaz and he wanted to attend. I didn’t know he was coming or I would have had a boat and crew ready so as not to ruin the Tucker’s vacation.”
Ryan stood and looked out the window. “So the owner of this place has no regard for the customers.”
“Adam Randle has no regard for anything or anyone. Have you never heard of him? He’s pretty famous. Why is this all so important to you folks?”
“The oldest girl, Ivy, was found dead on our front porch in St. Louis.”
“How can that be? Those people have been lost for over ten years. The authorities did everything but drag the Sea of California to find them. I think they would have done that if they could have found a way.”
I took a drink of my soda. “We don’t know, Mr. Saylor, that’s why we're here. Tell me more about Adam Randle. Why is he famous?” I asked.
Saylor took off his ball cap and scrat
ched his head. “Adam supposedly murdered his wife. They didn’t have enough proof to convict him, but you won’t find a person who doesn’t think he is guilty. Since then he has been the suspect in three more killings. They can never find enough evidence to put him away.”
Ryan turned and nodded to me. “Let’s go back to Captain Mannes. How did he play into this. Did he work here all the time?”
Saylor walked back to the soda machine, bought an orange crush and nearly downed it in one long swallow. “He showed up with a new wife about three weeks before the trip. She was a mousey girl with long hair. Looked like she would blow away in a heavy wind. I don’t know if I liked her or not. She was around me less than a week before they left. Most of the time, Mannes was huddled with the Tuckers discussing provisions and currents. The girl stood back and watched everyone. They took her along as a cook. I don’t know if she could cook or not.”
Ryan pointed out the window. “Can you show us a boat like the one they rented?”
“Sure, follow me.”
The boats were varied in size, most were on lifts. The larger ones bobbed in the water with the wake. He stopped in front of a schooner. “It was like this, only they wanted a wooden one. This one is Kevlar and aluminum. We had the Tucker boat here for over a year. It had everything they listed. It was a beautiful thing. Hand made by Donavan Macy, an old time boat builder. He died years ago. The entire vessel inside and out was cypress.”
Ryan took a step closer. “Do you find it strange the ship was reserved for a year, you customized it for the Tuckers and at the last minute, Adam Randle took it?”
“Yes. When they disappeared in the other schooner, I racked my brain to make a connection, but I couldn’t. They didn’t complain, yet I got the idea they were not happy with Mannes. At one time they came to the office and asked if I thought they would be able to handle the ship on their own. I told them the truth. Our insurance would not allow a vessel that size out without a licensed captain.” Saylor stepped on deck and led the way. “This vessel is sixty-four feet long and thirty-four feet wide. The Iguana Volez, was seventy-two feet by thirty-six feet.”
Ryan began to walk aft. “ What happened to the original vessel they rented?”
“Mr. Randle sold it to someone on the east coast. They didn’t sail it after the trip to the wedding, said it was too dangerous. A special truck with four men came to take it. They had chase cars and lead cars.”
“I know my geography but I’m not familiar with the entire coast line. Is it even possible to sail to the east coast?” I asked.
Saylor pointed to a map on a table in the main cabin. “You could make it as far as the Rocky Mountains. Once you make it to the Continental Divide, you have to take small tributaries, nothing bigger than a canoe could get through. Besides, it is a 6000 mile trip.”
“Back to the trip,” Ryan said.
Reganald Saylor was a talkative man.”The Mrs. Doctor was born and raised in La Paz. She sailed with her uncle on several trips, but she said they never stayed out more than a few days. The other Dr. Tucker was a city boy. We laughed about it.”
Ryan started down below deck. “Do you know how they were going to sleep? I mean who would sleep where?”
“Yes, the kids were in the sleeping quarters in the back. The adults were in the two mid-cabins under the helm.”
I walked to the other end of the boat. “Is there anything else you can think of that was odd or different from other trips that left from here?”
“No. Not off-hand.”
We went back to the office. Ryan walked over to a map of the Baja on the wall. “Do you know where they were last seen?”
Saylor joined him and put his finger on the map. “The last sighting of them was about here, at San Ignacio Lagoon. It’s the biggest and best place to watch whales. Word has it, they stayed in the Lagoon area for three days. They went into the town of the same name about eight miles inland. Not much to do there except to tour the old mission or set up a whale watching tour.” He shook his head. “They didn’t need one of those. Once they left the Lagoon, they were never seen again. That was it. No word from them or about them until you came. The thought is they all perished at sea.”
We talked as we walked back to the office and once more sat at the same table as before. I finished my soda and sat the can on the table. “So no bodies, no boat wreckage, no nothing?”
He pointed to an empty space on the wall. “I had the plank of wood with the name of the boat on it. It hung right there for almost a decade. One day it disappeared. Several other small pieces have surfaced over the years. Due to the currents they were found a great distance from the last sighting of the family.”
Ryan took his phone from his back pocket and pulled up a picture of the plank we received when Ray was taken. “Is this the piece you had?”
He looked at the phone, up to Ryan’s face, over to me, and back to the phone. “Where did you get that?”
Ryan answered. “It was left for us to find back in St. Louis.”
The color drained from his face. “I guess the accident was no accident. I always thought Michael Mannes was a sleaze and maybe even a murderer, and one day he would show up somewhere in the world and we would know the truth. After five or six years passed I figured I was wrong. Now I have no idea the fate of the Tuckers. I do know it could not have been good. Some of the boat parts were scorched. Maybe it caught on fire.”
I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the table top. “Our plan, Mr. Saylor, is to track down the truth. Ivy Tucker was only twenty-two. No one seems to know where she was all those years or how she got from San Ignacio to St. Louis or why someone killed her. I can think of only two reasons. One would be that she isn’t the only one who survived the ordeal ten years ago, and of course there is the old tried and true, follow the money.”
The man stood up. “I hope you find out the truth. If and when you do, will you tell me? I have wondered all these years. It would be nice to put it to rest.”
I stood, as did Ryan. He looked at the older man. “We certainly will.”
CHAPTER 10
R yan called the pilot, who had serviced the plane, while we were at the boatyard. He told us the flight to Loreto would take over four hours. I looked at my phone for the time. The afternoon had slipped away and it was now six in the evening. Although it was late spring at home, the sun beat down on us like the middle of summer.
“I’ll call Jackson back and tell him we’ll leave after breakfast tomorrow. It’ll give us a chance to make our plans, have a good dinner, and get a little rest. I need a shower. I forgot how hot it gets in the middle of the day. What do you think?”
I put my hand on his arm and leaned closer. “Sounds good. I’m tired and overwhelmed. I’d like to have some quiet time to think over what we learned today. The idea of a cool shower sounds wonderful. I feel like I could wring out this dress.”
“It’ll also give Jackson time to file a flight plan.”
Once plans were made, we drove the rental car to the Posada Del Cortes Hotel and checked in. We didn’t think our friend could have tracked us yet, but we were on guard.
The quaint inn had seven rooms which diminished the chances of Mr. Who-Ever-He-Was to stay there if he had managed to find us.
I went upstairs to our room while Ryan waited for a bellman to help with our luggage. He knocked when he arrived. I had to smile, our bellman turned out to be a young boy, maybe twelve. He supported a straw hat, white cotton trousers, a shirt made out of the same material, and had bare feet. Ryan gave him a big smile and a generous tip and sent him on his way. “Are you ready for dinner?”
“I don’t think so. I’d like to but I haven’t showered. Give me twenty minutes. Did you happen to catch a glimpse of the terrace? We could have a cold drink and relax before we head out into the heat again. The breeze is perfect and the entire space is in the shade.”
“Sounds wonderful. I’ll order something.”
I heard him open the door to
the balcony. I had a habit of going over every event of the day as if it were a movie. I remembered more of the conversation and my surroundings as I went over the scenes than I could at the time I experienced it. Colors brightened, people’s mannerisms came up crisp and clear in my replays and inevitably, I came up with an important clue I missed before. I closed my eyes and let the movie run before me.
A shower renewed me. I washed my unruly hair and let tepid water run down my back until it turned cold. It wasn’t until I got out to dry I realized I left my clothes on the bed.
Ryan came in off the deck and I heard him try to get us a room on the shore of the San Ignacio Lagoon. He hung up and turned to look at me. “Don’t bother to get dressed on my account.”
The blood ran from my toes to my head and my face turned firey hot. “I can’t believe you can embarrass me after all our time together. Let me get dressed. I want to show you something.”
“Can’t you show me the way you are?”
“Not if we plan to have dinner tonight.”
He waited seated in a chair on the other side of the bed while I searched for something to wear. I held up a red sundress to see how wrinkled it was, he shook his head yes. Lots of redheads stayed away from oranges and reds. I loved colors, the brighter the better.
Once it was over my head, he came to me and kissed me hard on the lips. He put a hand on each shoulder and pushed me back so he could see my face. “You're beautiful. What do you want to show me?”
I led him into the bathroom. “It’s the biggest bathtub I’ve ever seen. I could swim in it.”
“I saw it in the brochure downstairs. It’s a soaking tub. We can try it when we get back if you like.”
I took his hand and led him out of the bathroom. “Do you have a restaurant in mind for dinner?”
“I heard the Yoyoya is only a short walk. Want to eat there?”
“Sure.” I looked at the tray by the door. “Do you want to let the drinks wait until we get back?”
