Bluewater Quest

by Charles Dougherty

  19

  "Well, wherever they are, they aren't walking around Ste. Anne," Ashley said.

  "They must have taken a taxi somewhere," Ed said. "Their dinghy hasn't moved all afternoon. We should have been ready to follow them this morning."

  "This doesn't feel right for the kind of place Everett would be looking for," Ashley said.

  "What do you mean? We can't tell a damn thing about what this place would have been like a thousand years ago," Ed said, frowning.

  "I didn't mean the place itself, Ed. I was thinking about their behavior. When Everett came back to the boat this morning, he picked up a briefcase, remember?"

  "Yeah. So?"

  "He's been gone all day, with his wife."

  "And Liz," Ed said.

  "But not Dani, and she met up with those two men and went somewhere. This doesn't look like they're searching for something. My bet is Everett's doing some kind of administrative work. Maybe getting a permit to excavate. Or maybe research, like at a library or somewhere."

  "With Liz, though?"

  "They could have rented a car. She probably knows her way around the island."

  "But what about Dani?"

  "I don't know, Ed. I'm just saying this seems like prep work, the way they're acting."

  "Maybe so, but where the hell could they be? It'll be dark in another hour."

  "Yeah, you're right. We should get Leila and Bert ashore and have an early dinner. We can see their dinghy well enough from here. When they come back, we'll be ready to go, or close enough, in case they leave the island."

  They were sitting at the bar in a hotel that had a dining patio overlooking the anchorage.

  "Okay," Ed said. "I'll get us a table. You go get Bert and Leila and bring them back. Listen up for your phone, though. If anything happens, I'll call you."

  "On my way," Ashley said. "Call them and tell them to get ready, will you?"

  "Yeah, sure." Ed took out his phone and made the call as he watched Ashley walking toward the town dock.

  "Leila?"

  "Yeah. You got something?"

  "No. Ashley's on her way out to pick you and Bert up. We're going to have a quick dinner here. I'm getting a table where we can keep an eye out for Everett."

  "Okay. There's been no activity aboard their boat, for what that's worth."

  "Yeah, okay. See you soon."

  He disconnected and turned to the bartender, making arrangements for a table for four that provided a view of the dock. He nursed his beer, watching as a waitress set up the table he'd chosen.

  In a few minutes, the table was ready. He picked up his unfinished beer from the bar and took it to the table. He sat so that he could see Vengeance's dinghy. In the distance, he saw Leila and Bert climbing into their dinghy. He was surprised that Ashley wasn't in sight, but she appeared in the cockpit in a few seconds. He shook his head, wondering why she'd gone aboard the boat.

  Less than ten minutes later, she walked in with Leila and Bert. As she pulled out a chair, Ashley said, "Sorry for the delay, but I had an idea on the way out there."

  "What's that?" Ed asked.

  "I snapped some pictures with the telephoto lens this morning while we were keeping watch."

  "I don't remember that," he said.

  "You were below, doing something on the computer. Anyway, I wanted to take a look at them; see what I got."

  Ed shrugged. "Okay, but why now?"

  "Take a look," she said, fiddling with her smartphone and handing it to him.

  "I'll be damned," he said. "Any others?"

  "Yeah. Swipe right to left."

  "I wish to hell you'd remembered these earlier," he said, turning the phone so that Leila and Bert could see the photos.

  "Those are the guys who took the dinghy? The one from Vengeance, I mean?" Leila asked.

  "Yes," Ashley said.

  "I thought Dani was with them." Bert said.

  "No, that was later. The camera battery died as I was taking these, and I put it away and forgot about it. These were when they first took the dinghy."

  "I see what you mean about the guy with the dreadlocks. He's one big man," Leila said.

  "Yes," Ashley said, reaching for her phone. "Should I show these to the bartender and see if he recognizes either of them?"

  "Go for it," Ed said.

  Ashley got up and walked over to the bar, greeting the man who was polishing glassware. The others watched as he took the phone from her and studied it. After a moment, he shook his head and spoke to her in a soft voice. She nodded, and he called the waitress over. He showed her the phone and said something to her. She looked up at him, and then turned to face Ashley, shaking her head and shrugging.

  Ashley smiled and thanked them. She put the phone in her purse and came back to the table.

  "No luck?" Ed asked.

  "No, but I think they may have been lying. He spoke to her in some kind of pidgin French, so I couldn't tell what he said, but I could read their eye contact and body language."

  "I agree," Leila said. "I caught the look he gave her, too."

  "Should we catch one of them later and put a little pressure on?" Ed asked.

  "Yeah," Bert said. "We could — "

  "No," Leila said. "I don't agree. Chances are we'd do more harm than good. It's not clear that those two men have anything to do with Everett's mission. Interrogating innocent locals to identify two men would attract attention that we don't want."

  "We could make them talk," Bert said. "I think we should — "

  "Tell him, Ed," Leila said. "I'm getting bored with him."

  "Leila's our tactical operator; she decides the use of force, deadly or otherwise. Clear?" Ed locked eyes with him.

  Bert dropped his gaze after a few seconds and looked at Leila. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't … I only wanted — "

  "Shut up and read the menu," Leila said. "Get a grip on yourself. I'm not going to hurt you. Not unless it's necessary."

  "Who called while I was inside?" Liz asked, as she joined Dani and Phillip at the table on the veranda with Sharktooth and Maureen. "I heard your phone."

  "Marie," Dani said. "She had a quick update on the surveillance. One couple spent the afternoon aboard Aquila, and the others searched the town, probably looking for us."

  "Or the Everetts," Liz said.

  "They're part of us," Dani said. She paused for a few seconds, looking at Liz. "Unless you've changed your mind about them. You think they're up to something?"

  Liz chuckled. "No, I haven't changed my mind about them. They searched the town, did they?"

  "Yes. Marie's people tailed them. They didn't talk to anybody, but they checked out all the shops. Bars and restaurants, too. The couple on Aquila took turns in the cockpit with binoculars, watching Vengeance and the dinghy dock."

  "That must have been boring for them," Liz said. "Too bad all four of them didn't come to town."

  "Yes. The day's not over, yet. Maybe they'll decide to go out to dinner. What time were Rick and Shellie expecting to be back?"

  Liz shrugged. "Late. He said around ten o'clock, remember."

  "Good," Dani said. "If they do leave their boat unattended, we can check it out without telling Rick and Shellie."

  "Shouldn't we let Marie's team do that?" Liz asked.

  "We're likely to spot something they'd miss," Dani said. "They're lacking context, and I don't know how to tell them what to look for, what might be important."

  "What you t'ink you gonna find?" Sharktooth asked.

  "That's the problem," Dani said. "I won't know until I see it."

  Sharktooth nodded, and they were silent for a minute or two. Maureen had been looking out over the anchorage, sketching idly while they talked. She broke the silence. "Look at that sunset. You must sit out here every evening and wait for that, Phillip."

  "As often as I can. It's not always this good, but it's rarely disappointing."

  "Beautiful," Liz said. "It reminds me of your painting, Sharktooth. The one in o
ur saloon."

  Sharktooth looked away and began to pick at a hangnail. "You ver' kind," he said, almost whispering.

  "Sharktooth," Dani said in a sharp tone.

  He looked up at her from under his heavy brow. "Mmm?"

  "Every guest we've had aboard has admired that painting. Quit being so hard on yourself. It's a — "

  She was interrupted by the ringing of her cellphone. Glancing at the screen, she said, "Marie." She got up and moved away from the group to take the call. In less than a minute, she came back to the table. "We got our wish," she said.

  "What's going on?" Sandrine asked, coming from inside the house. "Have I missed the cocktail hour? It was very busy at — " she stopped when she caught the expression on Phillip's face. "Sorry, I am interrupting something. Please, Dani?"

  "It's okay. Marie just called. The people on Aquila are all ashore, getting ready to order dinner. Liz and I need to get moving. Phillip can fill you in."

  "Do we need to go to Vengeance first?" Liz asked. "For tools?"

  "No," Dani said. "My rigging knife should be more than a match for the companionway lock on that boat."

  "Want a ride to your dinghy?" Sharktooth asked.

  "No, that's another problem," Dani said. "They're sitting where they can see the dinghy dock."

  "I've got a dinghy in the marina, with Kayak Spirit," Phillip said.

  "If they can see the dinghy dock, they might be able to see their boat," Dani said. "We'd be better off swimming out from the beach down the hill. Do you have snorkel gear and wetsuits?"

  "Sure, let's go downstairs," Phillip said.

  "How about a dry bag?" Dani asked. "I'm going to steal whatever I can find, like phones, computers, whatever."

  "I've got you covered," Phillip said. "Sharktooth, tell Sandrine what's happening, would you? Come on, Dani, Liz."

  20

  "You have the makings of a thief," Liz said, as she and Dani made their way up the path from the beach toward Phillip's villa.

  "You sound surprised," Dani said.

  "I expected you to take the computer, but what else is in that dry bag? It's bulging."

  "Come on, Liz. Remember how suspicious it was that they didn't take Rick's computer when it was left in plain view? I took everything a druggie might take. Even an envelope full of cash."

  "How much cash?"

  "I didn't stop to count it. Leaving all the valuables when they hit Vengeance was an amateurish mistake. These people are idiots."

  "Nobody's going to say you were an amateur, but why did you say 'these people are idiots?'"

  "They're the ones who broke into Vengeance."

  "You don't know that for sure," Liz said.

  "Yes, I do. I found our VHF and GPS under their chart table."

  "You didn't say anything about that. Why not?"

  "I just did; we were in a hurry to get out of there, remember? And since we got ashore, you've been ragging on me. I never got a chance to tell you what I found."

  "Okay. So now that we're safe and dry, what else did you steal, you little thief?"

  "Hey, don't make out like I'm the only guilty one; you were an accessory, or whatever they call it. Standing lookout's just as bad as breaking and entering."

  "I don't know about that. And speaking of breaking, you went out of your way to damage the companionway doors. That was unnecessary."

  "I wanted it to look authentic. Besides, I'm still pissed off about the knot on my head. I hope the charter company makes them pay."

  "You know they won't; they're insured for theft, I'm sure. Now, answer me. What else did you take?"

  "I got a laptop, our stuff, their handheld VHF, a satellite phone, a little bag of burglar's tools, including that automatic lock pick. Plus, a bunch of stuff that was in the drawer with the money and their passports. I just scooped all that out. I did a quick check in the cabins, but I didn't find anything there, so I … oh yeah. I got their camera. It was in one of the cabins. The one with the telephoto lens we saw them using to spy on us at Petit Nevis."

  "I can't wait to dump the dry bag and see what you got. Sorry to pick on you, but it was too tempting to pass up."

  "Sure. Like you never get a chance to pick on me. There's one other thing."

  "That you stole?"

  "No. About the people. The two women are sharing the aft stateroom, and the men each have a forward cabin. And the forwards are both doubles, for what it's worth."

  "So they aren't couples, then," Liz said.

  "Well, I don't know about the women, but the men look to be single."

  "You think the women are a couple?"

  "Who knows? I just thought it was kind of odd, that's all. There are two double berths in the aft stateroom. There's no reason to think the women are a couple, but they could be."

  "Were there only three staterooms?"

  "Yes."

  "Maybe they drew straws, and the women lost," Liz said.

  "Or maybe there's some kind of male prerogative at work. We may discover more when we get a look at this stuff." Dani opened the gate into Phillip's yard. "What time is it?"

  "It's still early," Liz said, checking her watch. "Seven thirty-five. Why?"

  "I just wondered how much time we have before Rick and Shellie get back."

  "Should we tell them what's going on?" Liz asked.

  "I don't know," Dani said, knocking on the door into the villa. "I thought we might have a better feel for that after we went through all this stuff."

  "Looks like you made it back okay," Maureen said, opening the door. "Come on in. The boys are in the kitchen with Sandrine. She and Sharktooth are cooking dinner."

  "Thanks for waiting on us," Liz said. "Have we got time to lose the wetsuits and rinse off the saltwater?"

  "Sure. I put some fresh towels in the downstairs bathroom. Phillip said you both kept some clothes in the cupboard in there. Just come up to the kitchen when you're ready, and don't rush. There's plenty of time. Sharktooth and Sandrine are arguing about how to season the curry."

  "Ed!" Leila called, as she stepped into Aquila's cockpit.

  "Yeah? I'll be up in a second. Let me lock the dinghy."

  "Somebody broke in while we were gone," Ashley said, joining Leila in the cockpit.

  "Broke in?" Bert said, as he stepped over the coaming. "Shit, I'll say. Busted the door."

  "Careful," Ed said. Using his cellphone's flashlight, he examined the damage. "Nothing subtle about that."

  "I didn't see anybody on the boat," Leila said. "I kept an eye on her the whole time we were at dinner. No dinghies even came close to her,"

  Ed knelt, running a finger over the nonskid fiberglass surface of the bridge deck. "Wet. They swam out and climbed aboard."

  "But I didn't see anybody," Leila said, again.

  "No. Somebody that was sneaky enough could slither under the lifelines and roll into the cockpit without silhouetting themselves against the skyline."

  "I'll check below," Leila said, "and make sure nobody's still here. You wait here until I call."

  "Go," Ed said. "But if you catch somebody, don't kill them before we question them."

  Leila nodded and slipped down the companionway ladder.

  "You think this is related to our mission?" Ashley asked.

  "I don't know. It might be, but probably not."

  "Clear below," Leila called. She turned on the lights and the others joined her below deck. "Spread out and check to see if anything's missing."

  "I'll do the nav station," Ed said, lifting the top of the chart table. "Bert, take our cabin. Leila, you and Ash check your cabin."

  Three minutes later, they gathered in the main saloon.

  "Bert?" Ed asked. "What about our cabins?"

  "They went through everything. Tossed all our stuff on the floor. It's a mess, but I don't think they took anything. Not that there was anything worth stealing."

  "Leila?" Ed asked.

  "Same in our cabin, but they took the camera."

&nb
sp; "I think I left it out when I transferred those pictures to my phone," Ashley said.

  "No matter," Leila said. "They would have found it anyway."

  "Yeah," Ed said. "They were thorough. They got everything worth taking from the nav center, except the built-in electronics."

  "Everything?" Leila asked.

  "Yeah. Our handheld radio, the sat phone, that radio and GPS that Ashley stole from Vengeance. Our computer, and — "

  "The computer?" Leila interrupted. "That's not good. At least it's encrypted, right?"

  "I guess," Ed said. "I don't know. It's however it came. Password protected. And all our papers — passports, the emergency cash. They cleaned us out."

  "Shit!" Bert said. "Can we call Tehran on a cellphone?"

  "We can, but only in an emergency. They aren't encrypted," Ed said. "Why?"

  "We need passports; we're stuck without them," Bert said.

  "Tehran's not going to help with that. They could do forged ones, but the ones we had are real. It's too risky to use forged ones down here. Most of these islands are able to scan for chips. It's okay — "

  "How the hell is it okay?" Bert asked.

  "Calm down, Bert," Leila said. "We're U.S. citizens, remember? We'll call the consulate and get replacements. Not that big a deal."

  "Yeah, but we can't go anywhere until we — "

  "It doesn't take long. Relax," Ed said. "We've got the tracker if Everett leaves. Leila's right. This looks like a typical theft from an unoccupied yacht. We just need to act like typical tourists. Leila?"

  "Yes?"

  "You want to be a typical tourist and call the cops? Report this? We may need something from them to get replacement passports."

  "Yes. I'll call from on deck; you keep our village idiot quiet, okay?"

  "Hey! I outrank you, you mouthy bitch. Don't you — "

  Leila appeared to flinch, barely moving. Bert doubled over and gasped for breath, collapsing to the deck. Leila rubbed the knuckles of her right hand and nudged him with her foot. "He's a liability."

  Ed nodded. "I'll talk to him."

  "I warned him once before. If this doesn't convince him, I'll kill him next time. I'd do it now, but we're already short-handed. Let him know he's on borrowed time, please."