Stranger's Game

by Colleen Coble

  Maybe she could call Jason Graham tomorrow while she kept Hailey.

  As she locked the door behind Joe and Hailey, her gaze fell to the bookcase again. Could the key to the safe be there somewhere? She stepped to the shelves and ran her hands along the undersides of them.

  On the third shelf her fingers hit something metal, and she turned on her phone’s flashlight to take a look. A small brass key was taped to the underside. She peeled it off and did a fist pump. This had to unlock the safe.

  She went to the spare room and opened the closet door to find the safe again. The key slid in easily and turned, and she threw the lever to open the door. It was dark in the closet, so she turned on her flashlight again. The glow illuminated the interior, but the only item inside was a business-size envelope.

  She pulled it out and saw Anton scrawled across the front. The flap wasn’t sealed so she opened it and withdrew the piece of paper inside. It was a typed letter addressed to her dad.

  Anton, I can’t take this anymore. This ends tonight. You’ll only have yourself to blame at my funeral. Lily

  Torie exhaled and sat back on her heels. Had her mom killed herself? The letter implied it could be true, even though she’d never wanted to believe it.

  Chapter 30

  Joe would miss Simon. He’d never been so fond of one his charges before.

  In the prow of one of his boats, he faced the fleet sailing by. The new submarine rode high on the choppy waves, and Joe thrilled to see its majesty. He wished Hailey and Torie could see it, but they were safely at the hotel on this Wednesday morning. The wind blew through his hair, and he inhaled the invigorating scents of sea and salt. His crew exclaimed behind him, but he had to sit and soak in the moment. When had he ever seen a sight like today? Never.

  The two aircraft carriers flanked the sub in a simulation of protection, and American flags flapped from the decks. American boats decked out as hostile enemy craft swarmed the starboard side in an attack. Someone onboard shouted, “Battle stations!” An order to fire came seconds later, and a loud boom followed the order. The guns held simulated ammunition, but it was awe-inspiring anyway to see the Navy chase off attacking boats.

  A sense of pride rose in his chest to realize his small part in protecting American soil. He leaned over and slapped his palm against the hull of his boat. Simon’s sleek black head popped up, and Tyrone put the clamp in the sea lion’s mouth. Simon dove and they all waited. A swimmer was out there attempting to plant a fake bomb on the submarine, and Joe wanted to monitor Simon’s first test as an official Navy sea mammal.

  Joe shaded his eyes from the early morning glare with his hand and watched the waves. The swimmer could come from anywhere, and he might be using a diver propulsion device to move faster through the ocean. Joe and his team had no idea how the attack would happen.

  “You think Simon’s ready?” Danielle asked.

  “He’s been performing well,” Tyrone said. “I think he’ll make us proud.”

  “I think so too,” Joe said. “Simon’s smart.”

  He reached for binoculars and searched the water with them. Nothing yet. It could be a few hours still. The wait could be part of the exercise. In fact, it might be. Would Simon perform as well if he was tired?

  The morning sun rose higher in the sky as their boat tracked with the grand armada.

  Tyrone jumped to his feet. “He’s located the swimmer! We’ve got him hooked.” He engaged the winch, and the line began to wind.

  A few minutes later Simon’s head popped above the water, and Joe tossed him some crab. “Good boy!”

  He fed him more crab as the winch continued to yank the swimmer to the boat. The guy would not be able to get away. It took ten minutes before he saw the swimmer’s form under the foamy waves.

  Simon had done it even when tired. He was ready to leave the nest whether Joe liked it or not.

  * * *

  Over a dozen black limousines parked in a line in front of the hotel when Torie arrived with Hailey. She entered a beehive of activity in the lobby.

  “What’s happening?” She stopped her aunt who was rushing past her.

  Aunt Genevieve’s eyes were wide and agitated. “The bank executives are here already! They weren’t supposed to arrive for two days, and we’re not ready.”

  The chaos for such a change in schedule would be massive, and Torie needed to jump in too. “Why would they change the dates without telling us?”

  “They wanted to throw off the media. The state police closed the bridge behind them, and every dock and wharf is closed to boats as well after this afternoon when all the fishing and excursion boats get in.”

  “Are there any guests in the rooms we were planning to use? How can I help?”

  “We’d cleared out the guests to give the rooms a thorough cleaning and to put extra touches in them. But the baskets haven’t been taken to the rooms. They’re all in the Grand Dining Room. Grab a cart and take as many as you can. The room numbers are on the baskets, and you have a master key.”

  Her aunt rushed off without so much as a thank-you, but Torie hadn’t expected one. This was her business, and she was expected to take responsibility.

  “You can help me,” she told Hailey.

  The little girl brightened at the unexpected excitement of helping out. “I’m good with decorations.”

  She followed Torie to the dining room, where Torie found two carts along the wall. She had Hailey load one with gaily decorated baskets while she loaded another one. Five minutes later, they were outside the designated guest rooms. Torie unlocked all the rooms and propped them open with the lever.

  “You take that side, and I’ll take this one,” she told Hailey.

  In short order they had their baskets delivered. The last room was next to her family’s former apartment, which Torie had occupied when she was Hailey’s age. Her gaze lingered on the door. The note she’d found in the safe had rocked her world.

  Hadn’t her mother thought about what her death would do to her daughter? Until reading that note, she would have sworn her mother never harbored any thoughts of suicide. Was she wrong about everything?

  “Want to see where I lived when I was your age?” she asked Hailey.

  Hailey nodded vigorously. “You lived here in the hotel?”

  “Right here.” Before she could change her mind, Torie unlocked the door and pushed it open. “This is a two-bedroom apartment.”

  Light spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding door to the balcony. The light scent of Clive Christian No. 1 lingered in the air just like when she’d been here with her dad. Had someone been in Mom’s bedroom?

  She moved across the white carpet to the master bedroom. The blue silk bedspread held wrinkles as though someone had been sitting there recently. Her mom’s cologne sat on the gleaming marble surface of the dressing table.

  Her gaze went to the closet, which stood open. She’d closed it when she was here five days ago, hadn’t she? Her throat closed at the thought of stepping into the closet. She shook her head and backed away. Wild horses couldn’t drag her into that space.

  Hailey’s voice broke through her fear. “This was your room?”

  “N-No. It was my parents’ room. My room is on the other side of the living room.” Which she hadn’t even gone into when she’d been here with her dad. She exited the room at a near run and walked quickly past the white sofa and gold chairs to her bedroom door. It was closed, and her hand fumbled at the knob. Memories flooded in of playing with Lisbeth here and board games with her parents. Of warm summer days and splashing in the pool and the ocean.

  Torie had an idyllic childhood until that awful day her mom plummeted off the roof.

  She twisted the doorknob and pushed into the room. It was the same size as the other bedroom, but it held two twin beds covered in pink silk Little Mermaid spreads.

  Hailey rushed to throw herself on the closest bed. “You liked The Little Mermaid!”

  Torie touched
the fine silk. “My mom had these custom made for me.”

  She looked around at the original movie posters on the walls. She had a clear memory of herself in this bedroom reading in the fuzzy white lounge in the corner. She moved to the bookcase beside it and saw the complete collection of Little House on the Prairie books beside an assortment of picture books and early readers. She nearly gasped when she saw her old notebooks on the bottom shelf.

  She pulled one out and opened it to see her childish block letters as she practiced her printing. Her mother’s smiling face was more vivid than she could ever remember since she’d left this island. Her mom had spent a lot of time here with her. They’d played games at the table beside the white cabinet. If she opened the doors to the cabinet, she’d find every children’s game available on the shelves.

  There were some loose pages. She shook them out and gathered them up, then stopped when she recognized Lisbeth’s handwriting. The missing journal pages!

  Hailey slid off the bed and came to her side to take her hand. “You look like you’re going to cry. Are you sad?”

  Torie squeezed the little girl’s hand. “I haven’t been in this room since I was ten, and I was remembering my mom. I miss her.” Best not to mention the pages. She couldn’t wait to read them.

  Hailey’s green eyes filled with tears, and she nodded. “I still miss Mommy, and it makes me sad that I can’t remember her voice. Do you remember your mom’s voice?”

  “Yes, but I was ten when she died, and you were only five. Maybe your dad has some videos of her you can watch so you can hear her again.”

  “He does. I watch them sometimes, and I remember better for a little while, then it goes away.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Maybe this hadn’t been a good idea to bring her in here. Torie hadn’t expected to be so emotional. “Let’s go see if there’s anything else we need to do to prepare the rooms.”

  When she led Hailey back to the living room, she smelled her mom’s perfume again, even stronger this time. She frowned and looked around. A glimmer on the carpet caught her eyes—a glass bottle lay broken. Moving closer, she recognized her mom’s perfume bottle. The one that had been on the dressing table just minutes ago.

  She pushed Hailey to the door. “Run!”

  The hair stood on the back of her neck as she followed Hailey through the door and pulled it shut behind them. She took Hailey’s hand and ran for the elevator.

  Chapter 31

  “We have no idea who that hostile diver Simon caught nearly a week ago was.” Commander Chen seemed his normal, unperturbed self behind his large desk except for the way he pursed his lips.

  Joe stood in Chen’s office and waited for more questions. He’d asked Joe to stop by to discuss the bombing incident last Friday morning that had taken out Joe’s boat. It was the second time in a week he’d been in front of Chen, and he could go a long time without being called on the carpet again. None of this had been his fault, but it felt like he’d failed in some way.

  Joe stared at Chen. “Was there any clear information about the bomb’s origins or the materials the guy had? Or of his identity? Or even what his intent was?”

  The commander shrugged. “The materials were common and easily obtained. And while we don’t have any clear evidence, I suspect he wanted to incapacitate the sub and breach the defenses to get aboard and steal top-secret details once it sank.”

  “And the diver? American or foreign?” The question had been burning through Joe ever since he found the swimmer.

  “Hard to say. No ID on the guy, no clear ethnic appearance—not that it would have told us much since we’re so diverse. We’re running his prints, but it will take some time to figure this out.”

  “You think this attack had anything to do with my boat being blown up? Was I specifically targeted?”

  Chen steepled his fingers. “I don’t much believe in coincidence, so yeah. While we can’t figure out how they’re connected yet, it can’t be accidental. It would make sense whoever is behind this wanted to take out the mammal guardians. The best way to do that would be to destroy the people who train them.”

  “Are you ordering extra sea mammal patrols?”

  The commander nodded. “And extra patrol boats. Good work out there during the war games, by the way.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “I’d like you to take charge of all the sea lions for us and get them out in the water, pronto. Your expertise might be crucial in the next few days. I’ll arrange for a place for you to stay. And I want to take possession of the three sea lions today. We’ve already paid for them, and we need them.”

  “I’ll leave the sea lions with you, but I’m sorry, Commander, I can’t take over the Navy’s work with them right now. I need to get back home. My daughter was kidnapped on Saturday.” Joe told Chen about the incident, and the man listened with an impassive expression. “I don’t trust anyone else to guard her but me. This is a true hardship. While I’d like to be part of the protection along the coast this week, my daughter is my primary responsibility.”

  Chen showed no emotion. “Where is she today?”

  “With a friend, but I need to pick her up soon.”

  Chen exhaled, then shook his head. “I sympathize with your situation, but this is a matter of national security. It supersedes all other concerns.”

  Joe dug his fingers into his palms. “I have other trainers in my employ, Commander. Tyrone could do it, I’m sure.”

  “But you’re our best. I’m sorry. You must do this.”

  Joe squared his shoulders. “My answer is still no.” He whirled and stormed for the door. He barely kept himself from slamming it behind him.

  What had he just done? Training the sea lions wasn’t exactly something he could take anywhere but the Navy. He had insurance money from Julie’s death stashed in the bank, but he hadn’t wanted to touch that since it would pay for Hailey’s college someday. Much as he loved America, his daughter’s safety was more important to him than anything, even his country. His life would be over if something happened to Hailey.

  In the bright sunlight he jogged to his boat. Tyrone and Danielle were waiting for him, and he fired up the motor. If he hurried, he could take the girls to lunch.

  After several long moments, the guard at the dock approached his boat. “Um, Commander Chen wants you detained. MPs are coming to get you.”

  “Detained? He can’t do that.”

  But Chen could do whatever he liked on the base. He could call Joe a terrorist and throw him in the brig until he agreed to his demands. Joe couldn’t let that happen. Hailey needed him—now.

  He pushed on the throttle and the boat slewed away. Chen had much less power on the open seas than on the base.

  He told Danielle and Tyrone what had happened. “Keep an eye out for pursuit.”

  But there was none. There might be repercussions later, but for now, he was getting Hailey and laying low. Joe didn’t see how Chen could force him to work when he’d just quit a contractor job. He wasn’t owned by the Navy.

  Joe regretted not getting to say good-bye to Simon and his team, but even as he tried to figure out what the future held, he wasn’t sorry. And he was a little bit excited to think he might forge his way into something new.

  Only God knew what that new adventure might be. Joe had no clue.

  * * *

  Someone had been in the apartment with them.

  Why hadn’t Torie forced herself to check out that closet? She might have been face-to-face with whoever was tormenting her.

  She and Hailey sat in her aunt’s office waiting for security to arrive. When they exited the elevator, she’d gone directly to security and told them there’d been an intruder in the owner’s apartment. They rushed off to check it out, and she sat here castigating herself ever since.

  As well as listening to her aunt harangue her.

  Her aunt’s voice broke into her thoughts again. “You should not have been in that apartment, Torie.”


  Torie stiffened, tired of hearing the same thing. “I’ve been trying to hold my tongue, Aunt Genevieve, but you forget who you’re talking to. My family owns this hotel, not you. You manage it for Dad, but my name is on the paperwork, not yours. I have the right to go anywhere on this property I desire. I don’t want to hear another word about what rights you think I have. I have any rights I want to take.”

  Red ran up her aunt’s face, and her mouth dropped open. She struggled for words, but nothing emerged but a garbled noise. The color vanished as quickly as it came, leaving her angry eyes shooting daggers at Torie.

  She pointed her finger at Torie. “Your father will hear about this. Such impudence! Do children have no respect for their elders any longer?”

  Torie sighed. “I’m twenty-eight years old, hardly a child. You’ve never treated me with respect, and I’ve tried to overlook it, but it needs to end. I’m perfectly competent.”

  Her aunt rolled her eyes. “Look at you. Your mother would be so disappointed in you. No style. No attempt to even hide those huge, ugly feet of yours.” She smiled coldly. “You think those Latin quotes make you appear intelligent, but they only make you seem more pathetic.”

  “Non fortuna homines aestimabo, sed moribus,” Torie said softly. “Seneca said, ‘I do not estimate the men for their fortune, but for their habits.’ Your behavior speaks volumes, Aunt Genevieve.”

  “And don’t even get me started on your father. He’s hardly a role model for anyone.”

  Torie stared at her. “I know you dislike him. Dad met and dated you first, didn’t he? I don’t understand how you can carry a grudge all these years over something like that.”

  Her aunt’s eyes hardened. “Ask your father why Lily killed herself. He was having an affair, and it broke her heart.”

  “That’s a lie! Dad loved Mom with all his heart.”

  “You just don’t want to believe it. I saw him with his floozy with my own eyes. He said he was checking on a hotel in Atlanta, and I was there for a conference. I saw him kissing the other woman. It’s true, Torie.”