Bluewater Quest

by Charles Dougherty

  "Yes, ma'am. I am born here. I never go away, except to Jalousie and Unionvale. Or Fond Gens Libre, some people call now. Was Unionvale for long time. Same place."

  Dani handed him a Guinness and sat down next to him. "I saw a spear gun on your surfboard. Do you fish?"

  He grinned, showing a mouthful of large, straight teeth that were a dazzling white in the dark of the evening. "Yes, ma'am. Is how I make my living. I bring you some fish. Tomorrow, prob'ly. All finish for today. I take to town already this afternoon. To the market."

  "That would be nice," Liz said.

  "Is my pleasure." He took a swallow of the Guinness. "The leas' I do to repay your kindness. You have good day in Soufrière?"

  "Yes," Rick said. "We hiked up Gros Piton and saw Brigands' Cave."

  "Mm-hmm. I did see you wit' the mon, Randolph. I camp in forest up there."

  "We didn't see you," Shellie said. "Or a camp."

  "No, ma'am. Nobody see me, 'cept when I show them. Is bes' that way. Mos' people don' like me, so I stay out of the way. You like the cave?"

  "We were a little disappointed in the cave," Rick said. "We were hoping to find a cave that not so many people have been into. A more natural one, if you know what I mean."

  Gerald nodded and took another sip of his Guinness. "You stay here tomorrow?"

  "Yes, we'll be here tomorrow," Rick said.

  "Good. I show you cave tomorrow. This cave, people like Randolph, they don' know 'bout, mebbe."

  "That would be great," Rick said. "Where is it?"

  "There," Gerald gestured toward Petit Piton. "Many cave, but all connect together. This one, people use long time. Draw on walls. People before us, you see?"

  "I think so," Rick said.

  "Good. I mus' go now. Tomorrow, I show you."

  "Where will we meet you?"

  "Miss Dani?" Gerald asked.

  "Yes."

  "You know beach between two mooring place? Mebbe halfway Petit Piton? Little reef?"

  "Yes."

  "You bring there, Miss Dani. Go to road, walk to Pitons. I meet you, no problem."

  "What time?" Rick asked.

  Gerald shrugged, "When you come, I am there. Don' worry. Tomorrow. Thank you for Guinness, Miss Dani."

  He stood and stepped over the lifelines onto his surfboard, untied it, and paddled away into the darkness, all in a matter of seconds.

  "It's almost like he disappeared," Shellie said. "What a strange man."

  "Welcome to the islands," Dani said. "Soufrière isn't exactly on the beaten path, but that was a little unusual, even for here."

  "What was going on with the alcohol thing?" Rick said.

  "I don't know. A lot of the Rastas we run across will drink a little beer. Especially Guinness. But they say they don't use alcohol, if you offer them rum or wine."

  "That whole experience was a little creepy," Shellie said. "It almost sounded like he'd been spying on us. Do you think it's safe for us to go off with him?"

  Dani shrugged. "He's different, but not that different. I think you'll be fine. He invited you; people here take hospitality seriously. I don't think he would have taken the trouble to paddle out here and introduce himself if he meant any harm."

  "But he's odd," Shellie said. "Do you think he was in the woods, watching us when we were out with Randolph?"

  "I don't think there's any doubt," Dani said. "He may live in the woods somewhere up there, that camp he mentioned. I'll go with you, if that makes you feel better."

  "Oh, you're welcome, but you don't have to," Rick said.

  "I'd feel better if you and Liz were here on the boat," Shellie said. "That way, if we don't come back on time … " She shook her head. "You could call the police, or something."

  "Whatever makes you comfortable," Dani said. "You don't have to decide now."

  "Speaking of now," Liz said, "I should get dinner on the table. It's getting late."

  "They're still in Soufrière," Ashley said, looking at the tablet. "That must be a good sign."

  "Why do you say that?" Ed asked.

  "Because, from looking at the guidebook, there isn't much there, once you've seen the town and the Bat Cave." She grinned and faked a shudder. "Some tourist attraction. Bats."

  They sat in Aquila's cockpit, sipping iced tea and recovering from their trip into Fort-de-France. Bert had gone straight back to his cabin when they returned to the boat, still complaining about his head.

  "Leila, I think we should go," Ed said.

  "Let's do," Leila said.

  "But … " Ashley shrugged.

  "But what?" Leila asked.

  "Soufrière's not a very big place."

  "You're worried they might recognize the boat?" Ed asked.

  "Yes, exactly," Ashley said.

  "All these rent-a-boats look alike," Ed said.

  "To you they do," Ashley said. "But you're not a boat person. Those two women do this for a living. They probably know a lot of the other boats by sight, especially ones that are based in their neighborhood."

  "Can we anchor around the corner, or something?" Leila asked. "In Soufrière, I mean."

  "That's what got me worried," Ashley said. "The whole area around there's a marine park. They don't allow anchoring; you have to tie up to a mooring buoy. Every boat's going to be visible to anybody who looks."

  Ed frowned and shook his head. "So, do you have an idea, Ash?"

  "We could sail to Rodney Bay. That's only around twenty or twenty-five miles. If we left the boat there, we could rent a car and drive down to Soufrière. There are resorts there, places we could stay. Or we could take a water taxi down there if we don't want a car."

  "I like having the boat for a base of operations," Ed said. "What other ideas do you have?"

  "We can go check out Soufrière and see where they are. There are two places where they have moorings. Most of them are in the main harbor, but there are a few between the two mountains. We could see which place they're in and we'd stay in the other."

  "How far apart are they?" Leila asked. "These two places?"

  "A mile or two, max," Ashley said, "But it looks like there's no line of sight between the two areas. The smaller of the two mountains is between them."

  "I like that," Ed said. "Is there a downside?"

  "Yes," Ashley said. "The downside is that we may not be able to get a mooring, depending on how crowded it is."

  "Are there other places near there?" Leila asked.

  "There are some along the coast north of Soufrière, but nowhere close by on the south side. The problem with that would be shore access, if we want to tail them. It wouldn't be easy — go ashore, try to get a taxi, maybe in the middle of nowhere … "

  "Yeah," Ed said. "Okay. Let's head for Soufrière. If we can't find a spot, we'll double back, take the closest place, and move in the morning. If it's like you said and there's not much there, the moorings probably turn over pretty quick. How's that sound?"

  "You're the boss," Leila said. "You want to leave now?"

  "How long will it take us?" Ed asked.

  "Four or five hours," Leila said. "We might be better off motoring, with Bert out of commission. We'll rotate every two hours, keep a fresh set of eyes on deck, since it's nighttime."

  "Let's do it, then," Ed said.

  27

  "Done?" Leila asked, as Ashley sat down on the bench beside her. Leila had been pretending to snap photographs of the boats while Ashley handled their inbound clearance.

  "Yes. We're all checked in. Any activity on Vengeance?"

  "Your timing's perfect," Leila said. "The Everetts just now climbed in the dinghy with Dani. They should be coming out from behind the boat any time, now."

  "How's the new camera?" Ashley asked.

  "No complaints. I think this zoom lens is way better than the one that was stolen."

  "Good," Ashley said. "I thought it would be. Here they come."

  "Should we get out of sight?" Leila asked, handing Ashley the camera. "Want to
put this in the bag?"

  Ashley took the camera and held it in her lap while she opened the camera bag. Taking out a pair of hats, she said, "Baseball cap? Or sun hat?"

  Leila took the baseball cap and pulled it down, shading most of her face. "You need the big hat to hide your blond hair."

  Ashley zipped the camera bag closed and put on the wide-brimmed canvas hat. She reached back and tugged a Velcro strip free, unfurling a lightweight cloth screen for her neck and upper shoulders. "I think we're okay here. Let's see what they're up to."

  "They're not coming this way," Leila said. "Looks like they're heading down toward Petit Piton."

  "There's a beachfront restaurant down there. I saw it marked on the sketch chart in the cruising guide," Ashley said. "That's about the only thing I'd think would attract them to that area. Let's move."

  "Yeah," Leila said. "Let's follow the road down that way."

  "Look," Ashley said, five minutes later. "There goes the dinghy, headed back out to Vengeance."

  "Only one person in it," Leila said. "You think the Everetts are having breakfast at that place?"

  "No," Ashley said. "I saw the ad for it. They're only open for lunch and dinner. Besides, I don't think they had time to get that far."

  "Shit," Leila said. "If they're heading south, they've got a good half mile on us."

  "Jog?" Ashley asked.

  "May as well. If we see anybody coming our way, drop back to a walk. You go ahead. I'm going to give Ed a quick call, let him know what's happening. I'll catch you."

  "What's your bet that Gerald is a no-show?" Dani asked. She had just returned from taking Rick and Shellie ashore and was sitting in the cockpit with Liz, finishing the coffee left from breakfast.

  Liz shrugged. "Why would he have bothered to paddle out here last night, then?"

  "I don't know. I keep asking myself that."

  "But you encouraged them to go, Dani. I don't understand what you're thinking."

  "There wasn't much risk in their going. And I'm intrigued by something he said last night, too."

  "Gerald?"

  "Yes. Who else?"

  "What did he say?"

  "When I was crouched on the side deck right after he came up, he was mumbling half the time."

  "Yes. We couldn't hear most of what he was saying, until he commented on Vengeance. What was that all about?"

  "I don't know. At the time, I thought he was high as a kite, hallucinating, maybe, from the look in his eyes. I caught a strong whiff of ganja, but it dissipated before he came up."

  "I saw his eyes," Liz said. "They were bloodshot and dilated. I thought he was probably high on something."

  "I guess he'd been partaking of the sacrament," Dani said, smiling. "It's hard to know how 'with it' he was. That's why I wondered if he would show up this morning."

  "Oh, well. Rick wanted to walk around town, anyway. They'll call us when they're ready to come back, either way. We got off the subject, though. What was it that Gerald said that intrigued you so?"

  "Right, it keeps slipping my mind, because it was so confusing, with his mumbling. I decided I'd misheard, but looking back on it, I don't think I did. He said something about how he'd been waiting for us. Something like, 'Welcome. I been waitin' for you, I t'ink.' And I wasn't sure I'd heard him correctly. So, I said, 'waiting?'"

  "That's strange," Liz said. "How'd he respond?"

  "More mumbling, but something to the effect that he'd overheard some men saying that we would be here looking for the cave soon."

  "You mean like somebody knew we were coming?"

  "That's what my first thought was, but it didn't make any sense, and I thought he was out of it. I asked him what cave he was talking about, and he said, 'the cave,' and then went on to how pretty Vengeance looked. I tried to get him back on the subject of the men — like, 'What men, Gerald?' And he got this panicked look and shook his head like druggies do when they're freaked out."

  "But you still invited him aboard?"

  "He was about to cut and run at that point. He was muttering about being thirsty, and he let go of the lifelines and dropped into a crouch on his surfboard, like he was going to paddle away. I wanted to know more about the cave, in particular. So, yes. That's when I offered him a Guinness."

  "You didn't say anything to Rick and Shellie about this. Why not?"

  "Once he came aboard and started talking with us, he said he'd seen them with the guide when they went to Brigands' Cave. His conversation with me before that had been so muddled that I thought maybe he was just confused. He seemed harmless enough, so I put it aside."

  "You think he was talking about Rick and Randolph when he mentioned 'the men?' Is that it?"

  "Yes. I just thought he'd been high when he saw them, maybe. And Rick was definitely hooked on the cave thing, so I decided to let it go. You think I should have said something? I mean later, to Rick and Shellie?"

  "I don't know. It doesn't matter, now. Like you said, he's not exactly a threatening sort. Quite the opposite. But it will be interesting to hear how Rick and Shellie get on with him."

  "If he shows up," Dani said.

  Liz poured them each another mug of coffee. "On a different topic, I'm surprised we haven't heard from Marie or Phillip," Liz said.

  "Me, too," Dani said. "Let's call them."

  "I did, while you were running Rick and Shellie ashore. I left a message on Phillip's voicemail."

  Dani looked down through the companionway, peering at the ship's clock on the forward bulkhead. "He's probably taking Sandrine to work. He'll call in a few minutes."

  Liz nodded. "That's what I thought."

  "How was your sketching yesterday?"

  "Okay," Liz said. "I got distracted by the cliff face over there, though." She pointed at the rocky outcroppings on Petit Piton a few hundred yards away. "I spent most of my time on that."

  Dani twisted in her seat, looking over her shoulder. "There are some interesting contrasts in the textures there."

  "Yes. All that green scrub, and the rocky parts peeking through. And in the afternoon sunlight, this long, almost vertical crevice pops out at you. It stretches from that big oval of exposed rock down through the underbrush, all the way to the base of the cliff. It reminds me of the Bat Cave, but it's longer and narrower, and it runs at more of an angle."

  "I'm not seeing it," Dani said.

  "No, not yet," Liz said, "It'll show up in a few — "

  Her phone interrupted her. "Phillip," she said, touching the screen. "Hi, Phillip. You're on the speaker with me and Dani."

  "Good morning," Phillip said. "Sorry I missed your call. I was driving Sandrine to her office. Your guests aren't around?"

  "They're ashore, exploring," Liz said. "We were wondering if you or Marie had heard anything from Luke or Interpol about the people from Aquila."

  "Not yet, but I was about to call you when I got your voicemail. Sandrine checked first thing when she got in to work. Aquila cleared out late yesterday afternoon, headed your way."

  "They got their passports, then," Liz said.

  "Yes, I guess so," Phillip said.

  "They're headed for St. Lucia?" Dani asked.

  "Listed their next port of call as Soufrière."

  "When did they leave?" Liz asked, standing up and scanning the boats in the harbor.

  "I don't know, but they're not in the anchorage off Ste. Anne now. I looked before I called."

  "Okay," Dani said. "Thanks for the heads up. Anything else?"

  "Not right now. I've got a call in for Marie; I was going to ask if they saw when Aquila left. One of us will be in touch soon."

  "All right, then," Liz said. "We'll talk later." She disconnected the call. "They're not in the harbor here," she said, sitting down again.

  "I think I'll take the dinghy around to the other side of Petit Piton and see if they picked up one of those moorings," Dani said. "Do you want to ride with me?"

  "No, thanks. I'll stay here. If they're not here yet, I shou
ld be able to spot them approaching. Besides, I'm more comfortable if we have somebody aboard while we're here."

  "Worried about petty thieves?" Dani asked.

  "Yes. The websites both say they've had a recent increase in thefts here. But only from unoccupied boats. No sense tempting anybody."

  Dani nodded, rubbing the back of her head. "I agree. Once is enough."

  "Still have a knot?" Liz asked.

  Dani snatched her hand away from the site of her recent injury. "No. Guess that was subconscious."

  "Take the handheld radio with you," Liz said, as Dani moved to untie the dinghy. "If Rick and Shellie phone me for a pickup, I'll give you a shout." She passed the radio to Dani.

  "Back soon," Dani said, taking the radio and climbing down into the dinghy.

  Leila was holding the phone away from her ear because of Ed's shouting. When he paused for breath, she interrupted. "Look, Ed. I'm sorry we've got the dinghy and you're stuck on the boat, but that's the way it worked out. Where do you and Bert need to go, anyway?"

  "Nowhere right now, but suppose the women on Vengeance decide to go somewhere? Or we get hungry? It'll be lunchtime soon."

  "It's Everett we need to worry about," she said, "not the women on Vengeance. But if it makes you feel better, take a water taxi in and retrieve the dinghy. You remember the combination for the lock?"

  "Yeah, okay. Maybe I'll do that, unless we decide to make sandwiches. Any idea where they're going?"

  "None, right now. I stopped walking to call in. Ashley's following them. I need to get moving and catch up with her, okay?"

  "Yeah, go ahead." Ed disconnected the call.

  Leila slipped the phone in her pocket and started jogging at an easy pace. After she'd covered a few hundred yards, she rounded a gradual bend in the road and saw Ashley stopped another two hundred yards ahead. As she dropped back to a walk, she saw Ashley raise the camera and focus on something back in the direction of town.

  "What's up with the guys?" Ashley asked, when Leila was within speaking distance.

  Leila rolled her eyes and shook her head. "They're bored, I guess."

  "That's no surprise, given who they have for company," Ashley said. "Dickheads."