by Carol Ross
Aubrey looked at the two men. “Are you both comfortable with that?” She focused on Coveralls, who she could tell desperately wanted to go. He glanced at the captain, who was glaring daggers his way.
“Uh, yeah, I guess I’m staying.”
“Okay, we’ll be hanging around until your escort from Cape Disappointment arrives, just in case. We’ll be in communication. If anything goes wrong, or anyone changes their mind, you let us know.”
“Sure thing,” the captain said. “Uh, thank you, Officer.”
She called for the cable and headed out to the stern. After the hoist had lowered and the ground line hit the deck, she attached the hook to her V-ring and signaled to be brought up. As far as she was concerned, she couldn’t get off of that boat quick enough.
After entering the helicopter, she donned the ICS and highlighted the events, including the part about the crew throwing something overboard as well as their odd behavior.
“Any clue what it might have been?” Gale asked.
“Negative. I was focused on getting those pumps going. But something is shifty with this crew.”
“We’ll be here until the forty-seven arrives. If they’re planning to dump something else, we’ll be watching.”
Gale then radioed the command center to fill them in. The Cape Disappointment guys were going to have a boat to inspect after they hauled it to port.
* * *
NERVE-RACKING DIDN’T begin to cover his reaction to the experience. Eli glanced at his aching hands, knuckles still white from clenching the controls. A sheen of sweat dampened his brow and his skin felt itchy. He’d never had a problem putting the mission first, but where Aubrey was concerned, all bets seemed to be off.
He knew very well how capable she was, how skilled every RS and the entire flight crew had to be. But that didn’t help him in the moment. He’d spent the entire time she was deployed thinking about all the ways it could go wrong. He’d once had an army doctor tell him that after spending two tours as a medic in combat, he’d passed out while his wife was giving birth. He assumed he was experiencing a similar phenomenon.
At least she was safe now, he told himself as he listened to her relay what had transpired on the boat below them.
The Coast Guard boat arrived and all he could think about as he flew the helicopter back to base was how much danger she’d been in. So many ways she could have been hurt or killed...
After landing and disembarking, Aubrey gave them a step-by-step accounting of her experience.
When she was through, she added, “These guys are shady. Something is not right. They don’t know anything about boats.” She explained how the crewman told her the boat had been leaking for a long time. “But the captain had no idea how to use the portable bilge pumps. They are not that complicated. They come with instructions. The whole experience was odd. I don’t know what they threw overboard, but I’d be willing to bet it was something illegal. They claimed they were fishing, but there was no sign of that, no poles ready, no bait or gear visible.”
“What else did you see?” Gale asked.
She gave her head an absent shake. “Besides a cabin that looked like the inside of a storage unit? These guys are slobs, I can tell you that.”
“Tell me what you saw in there—exactly.”
Eyebrows knitted, she brought a hand to her face, massaging her brow. “Um, let’s see...coolers, boxes, duffel bags, a tool box, garbage bags...”
“Were there any wooden boxes or crates?”
She nodded slowly, analyzing the picture in her mind. “Yes...” she said. “There were a couple boxes that looked like fruit boxes or something. You remember, Eli—the boxes Mr. Quinley used for berries sometimes? With the top on them? Why would you ask that?”
Eli felt a rush of excitement and knew Gale must be feeling it, too.
Gale ignored her question and followed up with a few more of his own. “That’s all we need for now. Nice work, Petty Officer Wynn.”
Eli watched her walk out the door.
As soon as she was gone Gale said, “They were tossing drugs off that boat. What are the chances they got them all overboard?”
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
“I can’t wait for the Cape D guys to get back with that boat.”
Eli turned toward the window. His initial reaction to Aubrey being deployed was hard enough. That was before he realized she had likely been lowered onto a boat full of drug dealers. Lifting a hand to his jaw, he saw that it was shaking. He looked up to find Gale studying him with narrowed eyes.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, just tired.”
“Tired?” his friend repeated doubtfully. “You’re tired?”
“Uh, yeah,” he drawled, feeling the knot of tension finally begin to unwind inside him. Aubrey was safe and that was all that mattered right now.
“I’ve seen you stay awake for thirty-six hours straight, take first place in the Candleman Triathalon, and come out looking fresh as a daisy.”
Eli chuckled at the happy, pain-filled memory. He’d done that last year after he and Gale had spent two days on a volunteer SAR mission after some horrific flooding in Texas. They’d helped to evacuate thirty-six people trapped by floodwaters that weekend.
“What I have never seen you do is fidget while flying a helicopter. What was wrong with you up there? If I didn’t know better, I would have thought it was your first solo flight. Ever.”
“I was, uh—”
“You were worried about Aubrey. And now that you know she was lowered down there into a nest full of vipers, you are ready to lose your mind.”
Eli stared, trying to think of something to say. Denial seemed pointless. Gale knew him too well.
“On that same track, I don’t think I need to point out to you that we now have two boats with suspected involvement in drug trafficking where Aubrey has been the RS on both of them.”
“I am aware of that.”
“Good, because I’m afraid it’s going to be an issue.”
“Surely you’re not suggesting that she’s involved?”
“No.” Gale pursed his lips as his head swayed to one side. “But...”
“But what?”
Gale met his steely stare with one of his own.
“It’s a coincidence. Even if she was involved, how could she possibly know that those boats would get into trouble on her shifts? And why would she let us know they’d thrown drugs overboard if she was somehow involved?”
“She wouldn’t know they were going to get into trouble. And she would mention it in case someone from the helo saw it, too. If the drugs are gone, it doesn’t matter what she says she saw. She’d be covering her butt at that point.”
“Gale—”
“Look, I don’t think she’s involved, either. I’m just asking you to think about this. Johnston told me she basically does the scheduling for Nivens. She writes it up and he signs off. She could easily put herself down on the days when the drugs are being moved, as a precaution in case things do go wrong. Or maybe someone else is making sure she’s on when they are being moved.”
“Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know. I’m just telling you the way it might look to someone else. Yeats, for example. She’s going to be looked at, Eli, especially if Alex is involved.”
A vein began to throb uncomfortably hard in his neck, and he made an effort to relax. He wanted to get mad at Gale, but there was logic here, too. If he were in his place, he’d be saying the same things. How long before someone else figured this out, too?
“Let’s go get some breakfast while we wait.”
They headed to the Boatsmen, a hole-in-the-wall café Gale had discovered in his quest to ingratiate himself with the locals. They’d just finished the Whaler’s Breakfast—a delicious combination of eggs, sausage, peppers, onions and hash browns, all fried and served in one big heap with a dollop of country gravy on top—when Gale’s phone rang. He picked it up.
* * *
IT WAS APPROXIMATELY a half-hour drive to Station Cape Disappointment, the Coast Guard’s boat station located across the Columbia River in Washington. Within the hour Eli and Gale were examining the wooden boxes discovered in the cabin of the Angela Sue.
“It’s not larch,” Eli said, looking closely at the wood. “But the construction of the box looks the same. These were put together with an air gun, too.”
Gale agreed. “Let’s call Yeats. We can have the DEA use their forensic guys to examine them.”
This was all the proof Eli needed. He knew there had been drugs on that boat. This was good from a professional standpoint. Chances were that this would reveal some clues that would get them closer to solving the case.
On a personal level, this was the worst possible news. Icy-cold tendrils of fear ran up his spine as he broke out into a sweat. What was he going to do?
Aubrey had been on that boat.
* * *
LATE THAT AFTERNOON Eli sat in his office and stared out the window. He’d made a decision. He didn’t have a choice, really. He knew this was going to hurt. This might even rival the hurt he’d caused her twelve years ago when he’d broken up with her. He’d felt in his heart it was the right thing to do then, just as he did now. Apparently it was his destiny to hurt the only woman he’d ever loved. And not just once, but over and over again.
Frustration tore through him. He hated this feeling of helplessness. He wasn’t used to it. He was the type of person who fixed things. The DEA would bring these guys in for questioning and hopefully get some more evidence. But in the meantime, he needed to do what he could. Regardless of Aubrey’s reaction.
He knew Aubrey. No, he hadn’t spent time with her these last twelve years, but he had spent time with her nearly every day in many of the preceding years and in the last couple weeks. He knew she wasn’t involved in this drug ring. But, as Gale had suggested, he also knew how it might look to someone who didn’t know her; like an awfully big coincidence. And if Alex was involved, it might look even worse for her.
There was only one way to keep anything like this from happening again. He picked up the phone and hit the line that would connect him to Daphne, the uncommonly efficient office manager assigned to both him and Gale upon their arrival.
She picked up immediately. “Yes, Lieutenant Commander. How can I help you?”
“You can connect me with Senior Chief Nivens.”
He knew this was going to make it worse, but that couldn’t be helped. He’d sacrificed their relationship once before for Aubrey’s happiness. This time he was doing it for her safety. Because, in spite of what she maintained, she couldn’t always take care of herself. Sometimes circumstances were beyond her control.
Thankfully, in this case, they weren’t beyond his.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AT APPROXIMATELY 8:00 A.M. the next morning Aubrey climbed out of the pool and picked up her towel. She hadn’t seen or heard from Eli since the incident on the Angela Sue the day before. So when her phone rang, she grabbed it, thinking it might be him.
She had some questions for him regarding the crates he and Gale had asked her about. It hadn’t escaped her notice that Gale had glossed over her inquiry. She knew better than to push it while they were on duty, but she intended to see if Eli could disclose anything off the record.
She answered only to discover it was Daphne letting her know that Senior Chief wanted to speak with her. She offered no clue as to what it might be regarding.
Huh. It wasn’t unusual for him to contact her when she wasn’t on duty, but it was odd for him to request a face-to-face meeting.
She planned to go to Nina’s later, so to save time she drove to the base first before heading home to shower and change. Senior Chief was working his mechanical magic at a workbench when she found him.
“Hey, Senior Chief. Daphne said you wanted to see me?”
Senior Chief Wyatt Nivens looked up, an unreadable expression on his face. He had gorgeous brown eyes with lazy lids and lashes so thick it was difficult not to stare at them sometimes. This morning his sleeves were rolled back to reveal lean, muscled forearms smudged with grease. He was a gifted mechanic who resisted being promoted any further because he didn’t want to relinquish control over the shop. He was also a super boss and an all-around great guy.
“Hey, Wynn. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing well, sir. How are you?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
Nervous, she thought as he went on, “Good. I’m good. High winds in the forecast for tonight, but it sure is a gorgeous morning, huh?” He gestured out the window.
She squinted in that direction. In an overly enthusiastic tone, she agreed. “Yes, the weather is just delightful.”
He gave her a sheepish grin.
“Seriously, why are we exchanging pleasantries and discussing the weather as if we don’t see each other all the time?”
He seemed to study the ceiling somewhere above her left shoulder. “All right, Wynn, because...” He muttered something under his breath before finally making eye contact. “I hate having to tell you this.”
Her stomach dipped. “Tell me what?”
“You’re benched.”
“I’m... What?”
“You’re off the schedule.”
“Off the—” Anger shot through her so fast and hard it made her breath catch. “I’m suspended?”
“Technically? I’m not sure. I’m sorry. Obviously you know this wasn’t my call. Lieutenant Commander Pelletier—”
But she already knew who was behind it. “Am I being investigated for something?”
Nivens tucked his hands into his back pockets and shook his head. “I don’t know. He didn’t give me any details. He just told me that you were to be removed from the RS rotation—effective immediately. He’s got some kind of special power right now and I...” He trailed off with a frustrated shrug.
Special power? Assessing SAR procedures didn’t give him the power to remove her from duty like this. But she couldn’t argue and she certainly couldn’t react in front of Nivens. She couldn’t let on how much this bothered her on a personal level. But she couldn’t not say anything, either. “This is a mistake. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
He nodded. “I know that, Wynn. I reviewed the log. I talked to Johnston.”
“Thank you for believing in me, Senior Chief.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to get you back on duty.”
She marched to Eli’s office only to find that he was gone. She texted him.
What’s going on? Chief says I’m suspended.
She waited. A text came through almost immediately.
Sort of. I have some safety concerns.
Safety concerns? She studied the words. He has safety concerns. About what? She tapped out a question.
What does that mean? Am I being investigated for something?
I’ll explain what I can later. It’s more of a judgment call.
A judgment call? That could only mean he’d done this. Eli had made this decision without even talking to her. Without giving her a chance to defend herself. And defend herself against what? She didn’t even know what she’d done wrong.
Her skin felt hot and tingly. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this angry. Of course, if she had done something wrong, she’d expect to be called on it. But he’d clearly implied that he was responsible for the decision.
With her brain fogged over with a thousand questions, she headed home, trying to think this through. How could he do this to her? Could he do this to her? Obviously the answe
r to that was yes or else Senior Chief wouldn’t have let it stand. She gripped the steering wheel tightly and forced herself to inhale a series of deep, calming breaths.
The Coast Guard was her life. Even when she was cleared to go back on rotation, this would surely leave a mark on her record. Even if it didn’t go into her permanent file, people would remember. And they would wonder what she had done wrong.
After returning home and taking a shower, she was scrambling some eggs when her phone buzzed on the countertop. She picked it up and read another text from Eli.
I need to talk to you.
A cynical laugh escaped her. She said to the empty room, “You need to do more than talk, big guy.”
Chewing her eggs, which felt like rubber in her mouth, she was trying to compose a response when he sent another.
I’m on base now. Can’t talk here.
She stared at the display. What was that supposed to mean? That seemed as cryptic as Gale telling her they couldn’t disclose what might have been in the wooden boxes. She knew this had something to do with the rescue yesterday, she just didn’t know what. But something was telling her this was a whole lot more complicated than she’d been led to believe.
Her phone buzzed again.
Remember we have plans tonight. We’ll talk then.
“Maybe,” she said. “Then again, maybe not.” She tapped out a message.
Will we be talking about how you made an error in your “judgment call” and I’m back on duty?
He responded immediately.
I can’t do that.
Am I being investigated for something?
Tonight.
“Oh, now it’s tonight, period. Sans question mark. Arrogant...” Fuming, she thought about responding with her own NO, period, or maybe even a NO, exclamation mark. Instead she headed upstairs and began shoving necessities into her duffel bag—toothbrush, underwear, socks... She’d already planned to spend the day with Nina. They were going to do some hiking. But now she was thinking she’d go ahead and stay the night. Eli would have to settle for his arrogant self for company tonight. She slung the bag over her shoulder, grabbed her hiking boots and headed back out to her SUV.
