Bluewater Enigma

by Charles Dougherty

  "You know my handshake trick."

  "You didn't!" Liz said.

  "I was careful; I didn't give him the full treatment. Just enough pressure to let him know there was more available."

  Liz shook her head. "You're incorrigible." She chuckled. "Wish I had thought of it."

  "I had the advantage of being second," Dani said. "That was a slimeball salesman's handshake he gave you. You didn't have any warning, but I did."

  "You think he's a salesman?" Liz asked. "What kind?"

  "Snake oil," Dani said. "He's some kind of con man."

  "I do wonder who they are," Liz said. "How long do you think it will be before Luke gets something back on their fingerprints?"

  "Well, he hasn't even had time to get them, yet. I left their shot glasses at the Port Authority office last night. The senior police officer was expecting them; she said she'd get them to Cedric first thing this morning. But remember, he has to get somebody to lift the prints and send them to Luke. My guess is we're looking at a day or two, at best."

  They passed a few minutes in silence. "If he's the mark, do you think she's going to blackmail him herself?"

  "There's no way for us to know," Dani said. "My biggest question is why we're involved. If she's on her own, how did she get Vengeance wired? Stealing her and sailing to the islands to set this up argues that there's a big organization behind it."

  "I agree with that," Liz said.

  "Then she's probably just a bit player — the bait for the trap," Dani said. "We'll be in a better position to guess about what's going on when we find out who they are."

  "What do you think about lunch?" Liz asked.

  Dani shook her head and frowned. "What?" she asked, looking sideways at Liz.

  Liz laughed. "Okay, so it was an abrupt shift. I'm trying to figure out whether to serve lunch before we cross the Saint Vincent Channel, or after."

  Dani pushed a few buttons on the chart plotter above the helm. "That's either a little before noon, or a little after two," she said. "You think it's going to be too rough in the channel? It's not blowing that hard, and we'll cross under sail. The ride shouldn't be too bad."

  "I don't know," Liz said. "I guess I should ask them, huh?"

  "Probably. Don't forget to turn the surveillance system back on."

  "Think I should do that now?"

  "Whenever. I'm just trying to keep it in mind. I don't want to forget it's there if it's on, or tip our hand if it's left off. For all we know, she may be able to tell somehow."

  "I hadn't thought of that," Liz said. "I just assumed it was somebody that we don't know about that was monitoring it."

  "I was thinking the same thing, Dani said, "but it just dawned on me that if she's a key part of this, she might be able to tell."

  "Good thought. I'll go switch it back on before I ask them about lunch. We shouldn't tamper with it unless it's necessary, I guess."

  "Why couldn't we get one of them speedboats?" the smaller member of the surveillance team asked, as he stowed his gear.

  The leader looked at him and shook his head. "You just can't keep your mouth shut and do what you're told, can you?"

  "I just wondered, makin' conversation, like. I didn't mean nothin' by it, sir. But I know how to run one of them go-fast boats. I ain't never been on no sailboat before, though. That's all I meant."

  "Fair enough," the leader said. "We chartered this because it won't stand out among all the others where we're going."

  "Bequia, right?" the little man asked.

  "Right. Mostly sailboats there, except for the local fishermen, and they've got locally built, open boats. A plain white boat like this with blue canvas? There's gonna be so many of them we'll have trouble remembering which one's ours."

  "Yes, sir. Reckon that makes sense when you put it like that. This here boat's pretty little, though. We gonna be okay, crossin' that open water out to Bequia?"

  The leader chuckled. "We'll be fine. Thirty-two feet's on the small side, but I've sailed boats like this from North Carolina to Bermuda and back."

  "No shit?" the larger of his two subordinates asked. "On purpose? Uh ... I mean 'cause you wanted to? Or was it some kind of Navy survival training?"

  That got a belly laugh from the leader. "I just did it for the pure pleasure of it. I thought you airborne boys weren't scared of anything. You jump out of perfectly good airplanes and think it's fun, but you're afraid of a little water? Pussies, that's what you are."

  His two subordinates traded looks, but neither said anything. After several seconds, the bigger one broke the silence. "Will they already be there, you reckon?" he asked.

  "Not unless they left before daybreak," the leader said. "I figure that's not likely. A boat like that, though, they'll make the trip in maybe 10 hours. I expect they'll pull in around sunset."

  "So if we leave here now, we'll get there way before they do, right, sir?" the smaller man said. "You said it was about three hours from here?"

  "Yes. It's only about eight miles. We'll probably do it in less than three hours."

  The three men had flown from St. Lucia to St. Vincent that morning and picked up the bareboat charter at Blue Lagoon, on St. Vincent's south coast. Bequia was visible on the southern horizon.

  The leader pointed through the porthole over the galley stove. "That's where we're going."

  "How we gonna know where to anchor, then, sir, if they ain't there yet?"

  "We'll drop the hook just inside the northern point of the harbor mouth and wait for them," the leader said. "Once we see where they go, we'll move."

  "They ain't gonna notice us doin' that?" the big man asked.

  "Not likely. When they come in, they'll be focused on finding a spot in the crowd. There'll be a lot of boats there; they won't notice us on their way in. If they see us moving around after they anchor, they'll think we're just another late arrival. Even if they do make the connection, they won't think anything of it. People move around in anchorages like that all the time."

  "Sir?" the smaller one asked.

  "Yes?"

  "Reckon when the Coast Guard's gonna board them? They was gonna call you, right?"

  "Yes. Could be any time, now," he said, looking at his wristwatch. "They should be across the St. Vincent Channel by now, cruising down the west coast of St. Vincent. I don't know where they're planning to intercept them, but I'd guess it'll be up near the northern end of the island. There aren't as many people up there to notice, if anything goes wrong."

  "Thank you for explainin' sir."

  "You're welcome. Thanks for shaping up. Maybe you airborne guys aren't as bad as I thought." He grinned. Then he noticed the looks they traded. "That's a joke, boys. I have a lot of respect for the 82nd Airborne."

  "Thank you, sir," the bigger man said. "Reckon we ain't quite used to naval officers yet."

  "We're gonna be okay," the leader said. "Let's go sailing."

  "That boat's coming fast," Dani said, pointing at an orange speck against the shoreline to the east.

  "It popped up out of nowhere," Liz said, reaching for the binoculars. She raised them to her eyes and studied the boat. "It looks like a Coast Guard patrol boat — one of those big orange RIBs."

  "Bet we're going to get boarded," Dani said.

  "You think they were watching for us?"

  "There wouldn't have been any point in that gift Sandrine found for us, unless we were going to show it to somebody," Dani said. "Know what I'm talking about?"

  "Yes, I do. They're headed straight for us," Liz said. "You must be right. Looks like they came out of Chateaubelair."

  "I don't think Beverly and Harry have noticed," Dani said. "I wonder how they're going to react. I hope this doesn't upset them."

  Liz leaned close and put her lips to Dani's ear. "Okay, I got it. You handle the boat and I'll watch them. Now quit playing for the surveillance system and act normal."

  The Coast Guard RIB came up fast on their port quarter. When it was a few yards away, there was
a blast from the siren and the blue lights on the cabin top began to flash. A voice blared over a loudhailer.

  "Shut down your engine, Vengeance. We're coming aboard."

  Dani throttled back and shifted into neutral. She leaned over to reach the engine instrument panel and pressed the stop button. Vengeance began losing way. Dani had left the sails up after crossing the St. Vincent Channel. Although there wasn't much wind, the sails damped the rolling and made the ride more comfortable. Without the engine, the sails were filling with a light onshore breeze, moving Vengeance along at a couple of knots.

  The RIB approached within a couple of feet of Vengeance's rail, and a burly man in uniform said, "Good afternoon, captain. St. Vincent Coast Guard. We're going to board for a routine safety inspection."

  "Do you want me to heave to, or drop the sails?"

  "No, ma'am. You're okay as you are. How many people on board?"

  "Four of us," Dani said.

  "Any weapons?"

  "No, none."

  "Where have you come from?"

  "St. Lucia."

  "And where are you going?"

  "Bequia."

  "Okay," he said, giving the man at the helm a hand signal.

  The RIB came in closer, the pneumatic tubes pressing against Vengeance. The man who had spoken stepped aboard, followed by two armed men. The RIB fell back a few feet and held its position.

  "Where are your ship's papers and passports, captain?" the man in charge asked.

  "They're below, under the chart table."

  "Bring them up for me, please. Your friend can take the helm for a moment."

  Liz stepped behind the helm and Dani went below. She returned in less than a minute, a manila folder in her hand.

  "What would you like first?" she asked.

  "The vessel's document," he said.

  She handed it to him and watched as he studied it and made a few notes on his clipboard. He gave the document back to her.

  "Your outbound clearance papers from your last port in St. Lucia, please," he said.

  She passed them to him, and he made more entries on the clipboard.

  "Passports," he said, returning the clearance documents to her and taking the passports, which she had ready in her hand.

  He studied the passports, taking a moment to match each with its owner. Dani looked up and saw that Beverly and Harry had come aft. They were standing on the side deck, watching. The two coastguardsmen blocked their access to the cockpit.

  "This is a charter yacht?" the man in charge of the boarding party asked.

  "That's right," Dani said.

  "And you and Ms. Chirac run her?"

  "Correct."

  "You are from the U.S., and Ms. Chirac is from Belgium."

  "That's right."

  "How long has Ms. Chirac been in your employ?"

  "She and I are partners in Venture Charters, LLC, the corporation that owns the yacht. She's not an employee."

  "I see. Then you have been working together since you started this business?"

  "Yes."

  "And the vessel is in charter to Mr. Starnes and Ms. Lennox at the moment?"

  "Correct."

  "When did the charter begin?"

  "Yesterday, in St. Lucia."

  He spent half a minute scribbling notes on his clipboard. When he looked up at Dani, he asked, "Is there any contraband aboard?"

  "None," Dani said.

  "Very well. You stay with me in the cockpit." He turned to face Liz. "Ms. Chirac, please escort your guests to the foredeck and stay there while my men carry out their inspection below deck. We won't be long."

  The two men waited until Liz and the guests were on the foredeck and then they ducked below. From where Dani sat behind the helm, she could see them shifting the cushions on the settees and making a cursory inspection of the spaces behind and beneath them. One man disappeared into the aft stateroom that she and Liz shared, and the other went forward, toward the guests' stateroom.

  Within three minutes, the man who had gone forward mounted the companionway ladder and motioned to the man in charge.

  "Stay seated, please, captain," he said, and moved to the companionway.

  The man on the ladder whispered something, and the man in charge nodded. The man on the ladder shook his head. The man in charge frowned and took a smartphone from his pocket. He fiddled with it for a few seconds, flipping through pictures.

  When he found what he was looking for, he showed it to the man on the ladder and whispered something to him. The man frowned and shook his head, but he went back below. In a moment, he returned and shook his head again. The man in charge called something to the one who was still out of sight in the aft cabin.

  When both his subordinates were at the companionway, the man in charge held a brief, whispered conference with them. He returned to his seat and made more notes on his clipboard. The two men came up on deck and stood, waiting, on the side deck.

  "Thank you for your patience, captain. We are finished. Please apologize to your guests for me and wish them a pleasant holiday in St. Vincent and the Grenadines."

  "I'll do that," Dani said, as he handed her the clipboard.

  "Please sign by the 'X'. Press hard, there are three copies."

  "Don't you want to see our safety equipment? Flares, PFDs?" Dani asked, examining the papers.

  "That won't be necessary, captain. Your vessel is quite beautiful, and well maintained. I'm sure you have far more than the minimum required safety equipment."

  He stood and took one of the forms from his clipboard. "This copy is for you. If you should happen to be boarded again in our waters, show it to the officer in charge. Perhaps it will save you from the inconvenience of another inspection."

  "Thank you," Dani said.

  He gave her a curt nod and waved the RIB over. Within seconds, the three men had dropped into the RIB, and it was racing away in the direction of Chateaubelair.

  Dani waited until Liz and their guests were back in the cockpit, and then she leaned over and started the engine.

  "What did they want?" Harry asked.

  "Just a routine inspection," Dani said, watching Beverly's face. "It happens. Not often, but it's far from unusual. No big deal."

  "Before they chased us away, I heard him ask about contraband," Beverly said. "What was that all about?"

  "Oh, they always ask that," Dani said. "Like somebody would be dumb enough to say, 'Oh, yeah, I've got a few drugs — just for recreational use.' Or a case of automatic weapons." She laughed at her own joke, noticing that Beverly wasn't amused.

  "We've actually had some of them tell us that if we have contraband, we should throw it over the side while they look the other way," Liz said. "More than once."

  "But we never carry anything illegal," Dani said. "It's not worth the risk; they could confiscate Vengeance."

  "Really?" Beverly asked. "Even if it was your guests who brought it aboard?"

  "Yes," Liz said. "We're careful about that. There are some places here where the local drug dealers tip the police when a tourist buys."

  "Why would they do that?" Harry asked. "Sounds like that would be bad for business."

  "The police shake down the tourists and split the proceeds with the dealer who turned them in. It's not like tourists are repeat customers. It's kind of a typical island deal. Nobody gets hurt too badly, and maybe the tourist learns a lesson."

  "What do you do if your guests bring drugs on the boat?" Beverly asked.

  "Given airport security, we assume they're bought locally," Liz said. "That means there's a chance the dealer is working a scam, like we just discussed. We explain that, then we give them a choice; they can toss the drugs, or we'll have to turn them in ourselves. It's only happened a couple of times, and the people got rid of them in a hurry. Nobody wants trouble with the police."

  "What would have happened if they had found drugs in our luggage?" Beverly asked. "Assuming it wasn't a local dealer that turned us in, that is."
<
br />   "That depends," Dani said. "Like anywhere else, most of the authorities are honest, but a few aren't. They might have arrested us, or they might have hustled us for a bribe. Or both. Marijuana is a huge cash crop in St. Vincent, so there's more corruption here than most of the islands."

  "Well, that whole experience was unnerving," Harry said.

  "It's behind us now," Dani said. "No harm, no foul. Forget it and enjoy the rest of the trip."

  "Can I get anybody some refreshments?" Liz asked.

  "No, thanks," Beverly said. "I'm okay for now. I'm going to take some more pictures."

  "I feel a nap coming on," Harry said.

  "Let me know if you change your minds," Liz said, sitting down behind the helm next to Dani.

  10

  Beverly sat on the forward end of the coachroof, her camera in hand. She was glad that Velasquez had opted for a nap; she needed time to think. Reflecting on her conversations with the man called Berto, she speculated on whether she had been too quick to trust him.

  Why had he insisted that she have Vengeance hug the shoreline of St. Vincent? She wondered about that when she had first read the instructions in the memo he had included with the passports and credit cards. He had suggested that she purchase an expensive camera and take up photography to explain her request.

  In the absence of those instructions, she would have let Dani and Liz choose their route. As it was, they had tried to persuade her that the trip would be better farther offshore. As carefully as Berto had arranged everything else, she was sure he had a reason for wanting them close to the St. Vincent shoreline on their way to Bequia, but back then, she couldn't think what it could be.

  Could he have set up the boarding by the Coast Guard? He could have, but why would he have done that? She pondered what Dani and Liz had said about marijuana and corruption in St. Vincent. Could those men from the patrol boat have planted drugs? Were they part of some elaborate setup that Berto hadn't told her about? Were they going to be boarded again, and this time, would the Coast Guard find drugs?

  She knew Berto had people watching them down here. He'd mentioned that he might send her a text and ask her to invite Dani and Liz to have dinner with her and Velasquez at some point. He told her that wasn't unusual on charters like this one, and that it would give his local people an opportunity to retrieve the recordings and replace the disk with a fresh one.