by Pete Lister
When the minister asked, “Who gives this woman to this man?” Drew answered, with a smile, “Ashley and I do.” This elicited a smile from the assembled company, but the minister continued without missing a beat.
Immediately after the wedding party, in its four-person entirety, retreated back up the aisle, Drew came down the aisle, alone, where he shook hands and chatted with the minister. As Handel’s ‘Air’ filled the beach, again, the players at the top of the aisle changed roles.
When the music again segued to the Wedding March, Drew looked up as his father walked down the aisle with the most beautiful vision he had ever seen. He was convinced, and would tell everyone who would listen for many years to come, that his bride had actually shimmered, and made the Caribbean scene look shabby, in comparison.
As they reached the bottom of the aisle, John handed Ashley to his son and moved to his side, as Dianne moved next to Ashley. When the minister asked who gave the bride, he answered, “My wife and I do,” as they proudly smiled at each other.
After the ceremony, Kelly took the two couples down to the beach for the formal photographs, but no one could stop laughing, so they didn’t turn out as serious as most wedding photographs.
With Kim and Janess, the minister, Kelly, and the brides and grooms, they had only needed a small wedding cake. The icing, so white it seemed to glow, with a casual garland of orange roses, was perfect for the low-key, albeit memorable, wedding.
§ § §
“Shiv, it’s Jack. Pat and I are still in St. Thomas. We’ve been all over this island. They’re not registered at any hotels, and they haven’t rented any cars or boats. We stopped in at the shop where Sherry used his card, but no one there knew anything about them. The clerk who waited on them is off for the weekend. She’s out on her boat somewhere, and won’t be back ‘till Monday.
“We’ll keep nosing around, but this clerk is the only solid lead we’ve got. The manager told me they were in the store for almost an hour, and she chatted with them the whole time. I guess they’re getting married, ‘cause this gal even went over to a bridal shop with them.”
“Yeah, okay, Jack. Sounds like you’re on the right track. Stay there ‘till this broad gets back. Call me soon’s you talk to her.”
“Okay, Shiv. She comes to work at ten, so I’ll call right after that.”
“Good. By the way, Wendy called me this morning. I’m supposed to tell you to bring something for the kids, and Jack?”
“Yeah, Shiv?”
“Call your old lady once in a while. I got more important things to do than take messages.”
“I know, Shiv. I’ll talk to her.”
“Thanks, Jack.”
“Talk to you Monday, Shiv. Bye.”
§ § §
“I got a call from Kevin Lee. Their charter for this week had to go home a day early. They’ll be docking tomorrow morning. We’ll meet them for lunch at Savant.” John told the family over dinner that night. “Kevin said they’d like to get in a little diving in the afternoon. Anybody up for it?”
“Not me.” Ashley jumped out there. “I think I’m going to stay out of the water for awhile.”
“You’re not still upset about that run-in with the little shark, are you?” Dianne asked, laughing.
“You weren’t there, Dianne I’m telling you, that fish was the size of a bus.” Drew couldn’t help but laugh.
“Maybe a real short bus.”
“Not funny, Mr. Sherry.”
“Yes, it is, Mrs. Sherry. I looked that shark up at the Williams Library. I’m pretty sure it was an Oceanic Whitetip. They absolutely don’t get any longer than 13 feet. In fact, they seldom get longer than 10 feet. Do you remember the black markings on the fins?”
“No, actually. I wasn’t really checking out the decorations while it was sizing me up for lunch.”
“Well, those markings indicate a youngster. I feel bad about cutting it, now. Just popping it on the snout would probably have been enough to discourage it.”
“Are you sure?” John asked.
“Well, not really.”
“Better safe than sorry, then. You didn’t kill it. It’ll heal.”
“You’re probably right, Pop.”
“Besides, you probably taught it a lesson, and saved somebody’s life somewhere down the line.”
“Like mine!” squealed Ashley, to laughter around the table.
§ § §
Jack Paustian was sitting at the desk in his hotel room, talking to Shiv. “We talked to the clerk from the formalwear shop. She remembered them, all right, but didn’t know much about them. These guys aren’t on St. Thomas. You want us to hit the other islands, or just come home?”
“How big are these other islands?”
“Well, St. Croix has almost the same population as St. Thomas, and St. John is really small, like four thousand people.”
“So how long would it take you to cover all three?”
“Maybe another week, probably less.”
“Ok, look around. If they’re there, I want them.”
“Okay, Pat and I’ll fly out in the morning.”
§ § §
Twenty minutes later, Jack was back on the phone. “Shiv, the gal from the shop just called. She remembered what they said while they were shopping. They told her they were getting married in a couple of days, on St. Croix. I’ll call you from there.”
“Wait a minute. They’re getting married? Both of them?”
“That’s what she said.”
“So now there are four of them?”
“That’s the impression I got from her.”
“Great. Thanks, Jack. Don’t forget the kids.”
“Did Wendy tell you about little Wayne? I told her it would be a mistake to name him after you. He told her he wants us to call him Li’l Shiv.” Now both men were laughing.
“So what’s the problem?” Shiv asked.
§ § §
he Sherrys were sitting in the courtyard of Savant, with the crew from the sloop.
“Kevin, I’m sorry you missed the wedding. You know you both would have been welcome.”
“I’m sorry we missed it, too, John. It sounds beautiful. You know, Kim and Janess do a lot of those weddings down here. Every day I spend in these islands, I ask myself why I wasted all those years in Green Bay.”
“Well, for one thing,” Drew pointed out, “the Pack is there.”
“They certainly are, and you can get your butt frostbit going to a game. And that’s if you can score tickets. My dad has season tickets, and my mom says she expects me to move back to the frozen tundra after they’re gone so I can use the family tickets.”
“Well, you know that if you don’t want to leave this paradise, we’d be glad to use them for you. Strictly as a favor, of course.” John told him. “Are they Milwaukee tickets, or the Green Bay package?”
“They’re the Green Package, Green Bay tickets, four of them. My grandfather was one of the ‘Hungry Five’ when the team went public, back in ‘22. My grandmother used to tell us stories about Curly Lambeau coming over for dinner after practice. But, I’m still not interested in moving back. I appreciate your kind offer, though. I’ll remember it.” He told them, laughing. “So, what time would you guys like to get underway, tomorrow?”
“We were thinking after breakfast.” John told him.
“I think we can work that into the schedule.”
“Good, we’ll see you both here for breakfast, then. Right now, if you’ll excuse us, we have some last-minute shopping to take care of.”
§ § §
Pat Mead was napping, but Jack Paustian was watching out the window as the deHavilland Twin Otter seaplane descended to its landing in the harbor at Christiansted. The twenty-minute flight from St. Thomas had been smooth, and Jack was treated to the sight of a beautiful sloop, sails filled, tacking as it left the harbor.
As he and Pat stepped onto the sea wall, he almost collided with a blonde woman, just walking away fr
om the waterfront.
“Excuse me, I’m sorry,” he told her. She eyed their dark suits, immediately recognizing them as first-time visitors to the island.
“Good morning.” She smiled at him. “Welcome to St. Croix. This must be your first visit.”
“How did you know that?”
“People don’t usually wear dark suits here.” She told him, laughing.
“Well, I guess that’s just something the Sherrys forgot to tell me.”
“You know the Sherrys?”
“I sure do. As a matter of fact, we came down here just to see John and Drew. Do you know them?”
“Why, yes. I arranged their weddings.”
“Oh, jeez, we missed it? This was a last-minute visit. We were in Miami on business when I heard, and thought we could surprise them.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Why?” Now Jack was smiling, enjoying the repartee with this lovely stranger.
“Do you see that sloop out there, the white one? They’re on it. They just left about ten minutes ago. I came down to see them off, Mr…?”
“Just Jack is fine. Do you know where they’re going next? We’d sure like to see them, and the girls, of course.”
“Well, ‘Just Jack’, I believe they’ll be sailing for the next week. Normally, they would fly home from St. Thomas after that, but John said they were leaving their options open, playing it by ear, he called it.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. My wife will be so disappointed. I guess we’ll have to catch up with them in Milwaukee if we want to see their wedding pictures.”
“Milwaukee?”
“Yes, our hometown. Didn’t you know?”
“No, I didn’t. I thought they put Silver Lake, Michigan, on the marriage license application.”
“Silver Lake? That’s the summer house, but home is Milwaukee.”
‘That makes sense. Well, if you’ll excuse me, ‘Just Jack’, I have an appointment. Enjoy St. Croix.”
“Thank you, Miss…”
“Just Kim will do. Good day.”
§ § §
“Shiv, We’ll be home tonight. We saw them.”
“Talk to them?”
“No.”
“If you seen them, why ain’tcha talked to them?”
“We landed in St. Croix just as they were sailing out of the harbor. I bumped into the gal who arranged their weddings. I told her we were old friends from Milwaukee, came down for their wedding to surprise them. She was surprised to hear that; she didn’t know they were from Milwaukee. She told me they put Silver Lake, Michigan on their marriage license applications.”
“Silver Lake? Never heard of it.”
“Me, neither. Listen, she said they’d be sailing for another week, but she didn’t know where they’d be going after that. That gives us at least that long before they get back. You want me to find out where Silver Lake is and go take a look?”
“Naw, I’ll have Tony take some guys. You and Pat just come on home. Wendy tells me I’ve had you on the road long enough. I’ll see you when you get here, and don’t forget somethin for Li’l Shiv.”
§ § §
There were light swells rolling across the light blue surface of the Caribbean. A freshening breeze had driven them below for sweaters, but Captain Lee had come about just off the wind, putting the table in the lee of the cabin. The Sherrys were just sitting down to dinner on deck when the captain joined them.
“John, I just got a radio-phone call from Kim Milliken. She says to tell you guys you just missed an old friend.”
“A friend of ours?” John asked him. A look passed among the four of them.
“Some guy named Jack bumped into Kim on the sea wall, just as we were sailing out of the harbor. She said he told her he and another guy had flown in from Miami for your wedding. She also said he told her you were from Milwaukee, which surprised her, ‘cause she thought you put Silver Lake on your licenses. Anyway, she wished you well, and said to tell you that this Jack and his wife would catch up with you when you got home to Milwaukee.”
“Thanks, Kevin, that’s great.”
“Well, I’ll leave you to your dinner,” he told them, as he turned away.
“Okay,” said Drew. “Now, who the hell is this Jack?”
“An old friend? That’s what they always say. Somebody came looking, and just missed us. Who else could that be?”
“And now we have to worry about Silver Lake.” Dianne put in.
“Maybe not,” John told her. “I know we put the address of the first place on the license, but the RV is parked in the other driveway, and they have no way of knowing it’s ours. Even if they’re watching the place, we don’t have to go back, except to get the RV.”
“Pop, when we get back, why don’t we just have Oceana come out and tow the RV back to the shop? Like you said, anybody watching the place wouldn’t know it’s ours.”
“Before we do that, let’s you and I cruise through the neighborhood and see what we can see. In the meantime, we have a week’s sailing ahead of us. Let’s relax and enjoy it.”
“I have a better idea,” his wife told him. “After we get home, let’s you and I cruise through the neighborhood. These guys already know what you and Drew look like. I’ll bet they even know what Ashley looks like. I have some ideas of my own.”
“Honey,” John started to tell her. “I don’t think…”
“Sometimes that’s true.” Dianne said. “But fortunately, this isn’t one of those times. Now, get me a tropical beverage, dear, will you?”
§ § §
12
The midday sun was beating unmercifully on western Michigan. There wasn’t a cloud within a light year of Silver Lake, and Tony was pretty sure the temperature was pushing a hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty, as the sun beat down on the black SUV. Tony Patterson and Mike Santini were parked in the black Escalade with the windows up, engine running, and air conditioning blasting.
Shiv had sent them to find two couples from Milwaukee, using any names, who had recently rented a place in Silver Lake. After a couple of days of asking around, they had heard about this cottage.
There’d been no one home for the last two days, but Jack Paustian had told them that these folks could be coming back any day now. Tony and Mike had just relieved the other guys, and were twenty minutes into their shift. They were watching the house, talking baseball, and munching on Twinkies, Mike’s favorite. Tony was a Sox fan, Mike was a northsider, and the conversation often got lively.
The sun was just beginning to dive for the horizon, and there were still several hours of daylight left. They would be running the air conditioning until dusk, at the earliest. It would have to stay on even later, if the mosquitoes were out and hunting, like they were last night.
“Tony, somebody’s coming.” Mike sat up straighter, watching to see if the approaching vehicle was the one they were waiting for. The van passed them, an older couple in the front seat, but it pulled into a driveway three doors down, parking behind a motor home. The couple went inside and the two men could hear a window air conditioning unit kick in, a very old model, by the sound of it. They could hear it even inside the SUV with their own air on.
“Does that air conditioning have a diesel motor?” Tony laughed.
“Sounds like it, doesn’t it?”
Fifteen minutes later, the couple, now changed into shorts and Indiana Pacers t-shirts, came out, crossed over, and started walking down the country road, holding hands and chatting. They were walking the way they had been taught in grade school, on the left side of the road, facing approaching traffic. This meant that they would be walking right past Mike and Tony.
“When they come by,” Tony suggested, “see if they know the folks we’re waiting for.”
“Good idea.” Mike replied. As the couple came abreast of the Escalade, Mike thumbed down the electric window. “Excuse me…” was all he got out.
Without warning the SUV filled with pepper spray, both men rec
eiving streams directly in their eyes. The pain was excruciating and they screamed, rolling out of the car, rubbing their eyes and moaning.
Unable to defend themselves, they felt their hands grabbed and pulled behind their backs. They could feel the plastic cable ties being cinched tight around their wrists, but at that moment, it was the lesser of their afflictions. They could feel flames licking their eyeballs, and every attempt to open them was met with renewed pain.
Not a word was spoken as they were blindfolded and dragged into the bushes beside their car. They heard a car pull up, then a couple of minutes later, another vehicle, maybe a truck. It sounded like a diesel, and then, silence. The pain was still intense, but all they could hear, as they moaned, were the crickets, and the soft buzzing of mosquitoes. The minutes dragged by painfully. The pain was still exquisite, but they realized it was easing. Forty minutes passed, and it was fully dark out. The pain in their eyes had been reduced to a mild irritation.
“Tony?”
“Yeah.”
“What the hell just happened?”
“I think we got mugged by that old couple. Mike, they maced us. I never felt anything like that in my life. You?”
“Yeah, the cops got me once. But, at least they sprayed my eyes with cold water when they booked me.”
“Did they say anything first? Did you see it coming?”
“Not me. But, I’ll bet that was them. Who else could it have been? I’ll bet we’re watching the wrong house.”
“Nope, this is the house. They must have access to that other one, too. Where are you?”
“I’m right here. Sounds like you’re a couple of feet in front of me. Try to crawl to my voice. They didn’t tie my feet.”
“Mine, neither.” Tony struggled to get up on his knees. Inching forward, toward Mike’s voice, he finally bumped into him.
“Okay, you just kicked my chest. Hang on, can you get your face near my hands?”
