Maritime Caper (Coastal Fury Book 12)

by Matt Lincoln

  I was wracked with guilt, and I felt like I was being pulled in opposite directions. I didn’t know what the right thing to do was, and I felt like whatever I did, I would be wrong.

  Suffice it to say that I wasn’t in the best mood when I got back to the bed-and-breakfast.

  “There you are!” Tessa cried when I walked back into our room. “I was wondering where you’d gone off to. Didn’t do anything fun without me, I hope?”

  She shot me a mischievous grin and a wink, and I couldn’t help but smile at her despite the unfortunate circumstances.

  “No, nothing like that,” I chuckled, running a hand through my hair wearily.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, her expression suddenly serious. “Something’s happened, hasn’t it? Do you have to go back to Miami?”

  “Yeah, something’s happened, but Holm told me not to come back yet,” I sighed, sinking down onto the bed as Tessa pulled on a sweatshirt over her t-shirt. “He and Diane were attacked last night.”

  “Attacked?” she asked, suddenly very still. “Oh my God, Ethan, are they alright?”

  “Yes, they’re fine,” I assured her. “Holm sounded a little shaken up about it, but they’re okay.”

  She sunk down onto the bed next to me, and I proceeded to tell her everything that Holm had told me.

  “Well,” she said when I was finished, staring straight ahead at the wall and shaking her head. “I’ll tell you one thing, you guys at MBLIS really know how to shake things up. You’re never not dealing with some huge thing.”

  “Well, there was a bit of a downturn for a while there while our funding got back into gear,” I chuckled. “But yeah, that’s pretty much true.”

  “So, you’re not going back?” she asked, turning to look straight at me. “They don’t need you? Don’t stay for my sake, Ethan. I completely understand if you have to go.”

  “No, they told me to stay,” I sighed. “Well, Holm told me, and Diane told him, at least. I don’t particularly like it, but I also don’t like the idea of leaving you hanging and not following up on all this weird stuff at the museum. I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

  “That’s because you are,” Tessa said sympathetically, reaching out and squeezing my hand between us on the edge of the bed. “But whatever you choose, don’t make it on my account, okay? I’ll be just fine either way, as much as I’d hate to part ways so soon after seeing you again.”

  “Thanks,” I said, giving her a smile and squeezing her hand back, not wanting to let go. “I just have to remind myself that no one’s hurt, and if Diane really needed me, she would say so. Holm, not so much. I wouldn’t put it past him to want to steal this case all for himself. But Diane would tell me.”

  I chuckled a bit on the part about Holm, knowing that it probably wasn’t really true. If MBLIS really was in dire straits without me, my partner would let me know. And my colleagues knew what they were doing. I had to trust them to handle this on their own, and I had no doubt that they could.

  “Alright, so it’s settled, then,” Tessa said, squeezing my hand a second time and clapping her other hand on her thigh in a note of finality. “You’re staying, for the time being, and we’ll reevaluate when your colleagues update you next. And if you change your mind at any point, just let me know. I’ll understand.”

  “I appreciate that,” I said, looking into her eyes and smiling warmly. She returned the gesture.

  “Of course,” she said. “But don’t you be walking around all freaked out about it all day. We have our own mystery to get to the bottom of, and I’m ready to get started.”

  She laughed and shot me a grin, and I smiled, already feeling better just from talking to her.

  “Thanks, Tessa,” I said. “I appreciate your understanding.”

  “Of course,” she said, leaning over and kissing me on the cheek. “Now, let’s go downstairs and let this old lady feed us breakfast.”

  We both got up, our hands still interlinked, and we climbed down the staircase where we found Paulina waiting for us on the bottom step.

  “Oh, I was just about to go up and let you know that breakfast is ready!” she said, holding her interlocked hands in front of her chest excitedly. “Would you like to join us?”

  “We would,” Tessa said, giving the old woman her best smile as we approached her.

  Paulina led us into a small dining room area off from the kitchen. There was a large round table that took up most of the room, and there were four other guests sitting around it, filling their plates from assorted platters in the center of the table. There was homemade French toast made out of sourdough bread, sausage, bacon, pancakes, fruit salad, steel-cut oatmeal, and other assorted breakfast foods available. I had to admit that it all looked delicious.

  “This is amazing, Paulina, thank you,” I told the old woman, reluctantly dropping Tessa’s hand and smoothing out my jeans before sitting down and taking a plate for myself, handing a second one off to Tessa.

  I grabbed some french toast, sausage, bacon, and fruit salad. It smelled mouthwatering and tasted even better. This was a good choice for our stay, I decided.

  “Now, Ethan, what is it that you do again?” Paulina asked once she was confident that no other guests were coming and had settled down at the table herself, spreading a napkin on her lap. “I remember you mentioning something about investigative work?”

  “Oh, yes,” I said, clearing my throat as I swallowed some french toast, which was incredibly rich even without the added syrup. “I’m in law enforcement.”

  “Ooh, now that sounds interesting,” the old woman said, giving me another toothy smile.

  “Uh, yes, it keeps me on my toes,” I said, giving her a forced smile and returning my attention to my plate.

  She seemed a little disappointed that I didn’t offer up any more details but quickly turned her attention to Tessa.

  “And you, dear?” she asked, raising her eyebrows at my companion, who was fully absorbed in her own meal.

  “Oh, me?” Tessa asked, pointing at herself, and Paulina nodded. “Oh, I’m a photojournalist. I mostly do work for National Geographic, but I have other clients, as well.”

  “A couple of many talents,” the old woman said, looking at us each approvingly. “Well, we’re glad that you’re here with us today.”

  “We are, too,” Tessa assured the woman, and this seemed to satisfy her.

  My stomach was just about stuffed when I was through eating, and the rest of the guests had left and either returned to their rooms or gone out on the town.

  “That was excellent, Paulina, thank you,” Tessa said, dabbing some syrup off of the corner of her lip with her napkin.

  “Yes, that was wonderful,” I told the old woman, and she beamed back at us. “Can we help you clean up?”

  “I’m so glad to hear that,” she said, clearly enjoying the praise. “And no, thank you so much for offering, but I have a boy from the local high school who comes in before class to clean up for me. He should be in any minute now.”

  “This really is a beautiful place,” Tessa told her. “And we really appreciate you agreeing to come with us today to check out the nautical museum.”

  “Oh, of course, of course, my dear,” Paulina said, getting up and gathering up our dishes for us despite our protestations. “I don’t mind at all. I’m always happy to escort my guests around town if they wish. And I’ll get to catch up with an old friend to boot!”

  I exchanged a look with Tessa and could tell that she was thinking the same thing that I was. What were we going to tell this woman when Martha, the museum manager, inevitably freaked out upon our arrival? We didn’t exactly want to get kicked out of our hotel or anything.

  But it was the best plan we had, and there was some hope that Paulina’s presence might temper Martha’s reaction or make her more amenable to talking with us.

  As Paulina scurried around in the kitchen, Tessa leaned in to talk to me.

  “So what’s the p
lan?” she whispered in my ear, her breath tickling pleasantly against my face. “What happens when the manager flips out when she finds out who we are?”

  “How about we just play that by ear?” I suggested, glancing over to make sure that Paulina was still out of earshot. “Either way, she already knows I’m in law enforcement. I don’t know that it’s a huge deal to keep the secret from her, and if she kicks us out, oh well. We’ll just shack up at a Best Western or something until we’re ready to head home.”

  “I guess that’s a plan,” Tessa chuckled, folding up her napkin and placing it on the table.

  “We should just go now,” I murmured. “As soon as Paulina’s ready. We should get this thing over with in case I need to leave, and I want to catch the manager before she figures out we’re here.”

  “Do you really think she could know?” Tessa hissed, her eyes widening.

  “If there was really someone watching us last night, yeah,” I sighed, not wanting to alarm her. “Who knows? It could’ve been the manager herself.”

  “Well, I guess in a way that would make me feel better,” Tessa said with a quiet laugh. “I doubt that that woman could be any danger to us. I was worried it was some mob goon or something like the ones who attacked us back in New York.”

  “Well, that’s not exactly off the table, either,” I sighed, shaking my head at the memory of Tessa and I being attacked in that restaurant. “But anyway, we have to find out. And remember to stick close to me and do what I say in the event that something does happen.”

  “I already promised that remember?” she asked, sounding a little irritated.

  “I know, but it’s worth repeating,” I said, looking her in the eye so that she knew that I was serious. She nodded, and I got up to shoot a message to Diane.

  I texted her quickly, asking her to update me on anything that happened at MBLIS and reiterating that I would fly back to Miami at any moment if she wanted me to do so.

  “Stop worrying, Marston,” she texted back quickly. “I’m surprised you didn’t message me earlier. I’ll keep you updated.”

  I decided not to press the matter and sat down at the foot of the stairwell to wait for Tessa and Paulina.

  15

  Ethan

  Once Paulina was done clearing up the table, having rejected any help from us, Tessa and I drove with her back downtown in our rental car. I parked in the same lot as before, and we headed down the steeply sloped street toward the front entrance to the museum.

  As I locked my car, I glanced back in the direction of the next street over, where Tessa and I had had that odd feeling and heard that noise behind us the night before.

  I still had an eerie feeling, being back there, and judging by the wary expression on Tessa’s face as we walked, she was feeling the same. But the area was different in broad daylight, and there were lots of people walking around, giving me a greater sense of security.

  There were more people on the beach at the end of the sloped street that morning, and I watched as kids and dogs played in the shallow water, and adults lounged on the beach with books and mimosas. It looked like a nice place. I thought that if we had time, maybe I could take Tessa down there one morning, and we could actually get some relaxing in before we left.

  The museum doors were open this time, and the light was shining from almost every window in the building. There only looked to be a few people scattered throughout the exhibits as I peered into the ones I could see as we passed.

  “Foot traffic will go up in the later morning and afternoon,” Paulina said cheerily, noticing my interest in the crowds. “Not many people get up this early when they’re on vacation! Though I suppose that two high-powered people like you are go-getters even when you’re supposed to be resting.”

  “You know me too well already,” I chuckled, thinking that Holm and Diane would never let me live it down if they heard this stranger say that about me.

  We let Paulina go in first, just in case the manager was watching. There was just a young man who I recognized from the museum’s website as the intern, Pierce Leal.

  Thankfully, he didn’t seem to recognize Tessa or me.

  “Good morning, Paulina,” he said brightly when he saw us. “What brings you in today?”

  “Oh, I just wanted to stop by and see if I could talk to Martha,” the old woman said, walking up to the front desk where Pierce was and clutching her purse tightly in front of her. “I have some guests who would like to see the museum.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn’t said our names as Pierce smiled brightly at us.

  “Of course,” he said, reaching for the landline on his desk. “We’re always happy to accommodate your guests, Paulina. I’ll just call up to Martha and make sure that she’s available.”

  We waited silently as Pierce got on the phone, and I studied the young man closely. He looked to be in his early twenties, with a mop of blond hair and a cheerful demeanor, nothing like he had been on the phone with me the couple of times that I’d caught him. He was about average-sized, and he had some lingering acne from his teen years and bright blue eyes. He didn’t strike me as ominous or devious in any way, and his cheeriness struck me as genuine. So the question remained as to why he had acted the way he had on the phone.

  Pierce set down the phone and flashed us a wide smile.

  “She says you can head on up,” he said cheerfully. “You remember where her office is, don’t you, Paulina?”

  “Oh yes, of course, I do,” Paulina said, sounding a tiny bit offended that he would think she didn’t. “I remember exactly where it is.”

  “I thought so, just wanted to check,” Pierce said, his cheerfulness unencumbered. “Enjoy yourselves and let me know if I can help you with anything else!”

  “We will, thank you,” Paulina said, nodding to him and scurrying along in the direction of a nearby elevator, motioning for us to follow her.

  I was glad that Paulina had handed the whole of that interaction for us. I doubted that Pierce would remember our voices from our phone calls, but there was no being sure.

  We followed Paulina into the elevator and headed up to the second floor, where the doors dinged open and revealed a wide lobby area decorated like a submarine. There were fish tanks in the steel walls and a steel floor and ceiling to match. The fish tanks were shaped like porthole windows in a submarine, and there were anchors and other seafaring paraphernalia hanging between them, along with some blueprints from old submarines.

  “Wow,” I breathed, unable to stop myself from getting distracted and looking around the area before we went on to the manager’s office. It was just too cool.

  “This is your happy place, isn’t it?” Tessa laughed, watching me with interest as I examined some blueprints.

  “You could say that,” I chuckled, smiling over at her.

  “I’m glad to hear that!” Paulina said excitedly. “Are you a fan of nautical history, Ethan?”

  “Oh yes,” I grinned over at her. “All my life.”

  “He was in the Navy SEALS for years,” Tessa explained. “This is basically his life’s work.”

  “Is that so?” Paulina asked, giving me an appraising look. “Now you two just keep on getting more interesting, don’t you?”

  “I don’t know about that,” I chuckled, moving on to look at one of the old anchors. I was pretty sure it was authentic, and there was a ‘Do Not Touch’ sign hanging next to it.

  “I told you you should write a book,” Tessa whispered in my ear, her eyes dancing at me as I rolled my eyes at the suggestion. “It would sell.”

  I just ignored her, moving around the room and looking in all the fish tanks. They were set up such that it really felt like you were in a submarine, surrounded by water, coral, and schools of fish.

  Paulina waited patiently for us by one of the many doors leading away from the round area. The others were all labeled with exhibits, some of which I recognized from the outside windows. But the one that the old woman was st
anding in front of just said ‘Staff Only.’

  “We should go,” Tessa said apologetically, coming up behind me and whispering in my ear. “The longer we wait, the greater the chance that someone will realize who we are.”

  “You’re right,” I said reluctantly, eyeing an exhibit about an old shipping expedition around the continental United States with particular interest. “Too bad we’ll probably get kicked out and not get to see any of the fun exhibits.”

  “Well, let’s try not to get kicked out, then,” Tessa suggested, placing a hand on my back and guiding me toward Paulina.

  “Right this way,” the old woman said, reaching for the door. “Pierce said they’d leave it open for us.”

  “Oh, let me,” I said, reaching around her and holding the door open for her and Tessa.

  “Such a gentleman,” Paulina said approvingly to Tessa, who snickered at me as I followed behind them.

  Inside the door was a long hallway lined with doors. Some of them were open, and it looked like those were just storage closets, perhaps for old exhibits. One of the doors was labeled ‘Henry Schmidt.’

  “Who’s this?” I asked Paulina, stopping in my tracks and pointing up at the nameplate on the closed door.

  Of course, Tessa and I both knew who that was. Henry was George’s friend, the one who hadn’t been returning his calls about me and Grendel’s journal. I was hoping that Paulina would have some insight into whether he was retired and had failed to inform George, or was out of town, or just plain old intentionally avoiding us.

  “Oh, that’s Henry,” Paulina said brightly, not thinking much of the question. “He’s responsible for finding all the museum’s artifacts and cataloging them.”

  “Really?” I asked, acting as if I didn’t already know this, and it really interested me. “You know, I would love to speak to him, as well, if that’s at all possible.”