Bluewater Drone: The Eleventh Novel in the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Bluewater Thrillers Book 11)

by Charles Dougherty

  Vinnie gulped his wine again, choking, hurrying to swallow, and stammered, "St-Strong's in place."

  "With Danilov?"

  "Yeah. They picked him up last night. He — "

  "Where the fuck's Danilov?"

  "On his yacht. He — "

  "His yacht? The son of a bitch has the balls to rob me and then go ride around on his yacht? What kinda yacht?"

  "I don't know. We — "

  "You don't know. The fuck do you think I keep you around for, Vinnie? You think you're fuckin' special 'cause my old man was sweet on your ma? You like bein' the Don's bastard half-brother? Answer me, Vinnie."

  "It's an honor, Don Petrillo."

  "Yeah? Well, you want to keep bein' my brother, you better get your ass in gear. I want to know all about that yacht. Where it is, how big, what's its name, all that shit. Capisce?"

  "Yes. I'll get right on it." Vinnie made to push his chair back.

  "Don't you fuckin' move until I say. I got more questions."

  "Sorry, Don — "

  "Is that scumbag Strong on this yacht with Danilov?"

  "Yes."

  "You talk to him yet?"

  "Yes."

  "And he didn't tell you nothin' about the yacht?"

  "No." Vinnie shook his head.

  "Well, what the fuck did he say? I gotta have Luca come in here and break your fingers, or what?"

  "He had dinner with Danilov. Everything's going well. Danilov set him up with his accountant, and gave her instructions to pay anything Strong authorizes. Also, Baklanov's been told to get Strong anything he wants."

  "We gettin' any money yet?"

  "Soon, Don Petrillo. Strong called Joey, but on the backup number. Something's wrong with his satellite phone, so he's gotta use a regular cellphone."

  "Why the fuck do I care about that?"

  "It's not encrypted, so Strong's gotta be careful what he says. He thinks they're listening to his conversations."

  "Fuckin' thieving commie bastards. Tell Joey to turn on the damn spigot; I wanna start drainin' their fuckin' bank accounts."

  "No problem, Don Petrillo. Joey's emailing Strong the paperwork on a bunch of bogus actors. Signing bonuses are gonna start rolling in, probably by tomorrow or the next day. Then they'll set up the payroll."

  "Good. If you ain't gonna eat, then get your sorry ass out of here and find out about that yacht. I always wanted a goddam yacht. I'm gonna have that one, I think. Put it on Lake Tahoe, maybe."

  "Thanks, Don Petrillo," Vinnie said, scrambling to his feet and rushing to the door, ignoring the demented cackle that followed him out into the hallway.

  ****

  "Well, what did you think of Nelson's Dockyard?" Liz asked. She and Dani were enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the cockpit with Blaine and Mindy.

  "It's really something," Mindy said. "We'll go back in the morning and get an hour or so of video while the light's at its best."

  "I found your elusive movie star while you were gone," Dani said.

  "That's great! How?" Blaine asked.

  "Remember the flowers that came on your first night?"

  "The ones you sent on to the hospital?" Mindy asked.

  Dani nodded. "I didn't say anything at the time, but they were from Kev Strong."

  "Whoa!" Blaine said.

  "You know him?" Mindy asked.

  "Well, I wouldn't say I know him," Dani said. "I met him in the bar at the resort the night before you got here. We didn't exactly hit it off ... "

  "That's an understatement," Liz said. "He managed to provoke her right from the start." She grinned at Dani's frown.

  "What did he do?" Mindy asked.

  "It doesn't matter," Dani said. "I was in a bad mood, and he acted sort of like a jerk. Anyway, we didn't exactly part friends. He sent the flowers as an apology of sorts."

  "I see," Mindy said. "So how did you find out where he is?"

  "His phone number was on the card that came with the flowers. I called to thank him, and we chatted for a minute. He's on a megayacht that belongs to a friend of his. It's called Platinum Odyssey."

  "So, who's the friend?" Blaine asked, his eyes flashing.

  "He didn't say," Dani asked.

  "Man, oh man," Blaine said. "I'll bet it's whoever is going to bankroll this movie. Can you call him back and find out?"

  "I'm not really — "

  "Blaine, don't impose on Dani," Mindy said.

  "Well, I don't mean to impose, but wow! We could have a scoop with this kind of info. This could be big bucks for us, Mindy."

  "I can find out who owns Platinum Odyssey," Dani said, "without asking him. If I call him back, he's going to want to meet me somewhere for a meal. He's already asked, but I begged off by telling him I didn't know what your schedule was."

  "You're passing up a chance to go out with Kev Strong?" Mindy said. "I can't believe that. Most women would die for the opportunity."

  "He didn't make a very good impression," Dani said.

  "So you can look up the registration on this yacht, or something?" Mindy asked.

  "Yes. That's an oversimplification, probably. Yachts like that are usually registered to some shell corporation to hide the true owner's identity, for all kinds of reasons."

  "What kinds of reasons?" Blaine asked.

  "Privacy, tax avoidance, protection from liability, just for starters," Dani said.

  "But you think you can get around that?"

  "It'll take me a few phone calls, but I have some friends who can find out who really owns it. You want me to make a call?"

  "Sure. Please," Blaine said. "I really wish you'd make a date with Strong, too."

  "Why does that matter to you?" Dani asked, an edge in her voice. She saw Liz shaking her head. "I don't really want to encourage him; he's not my type," she said, in a more moderate tone.

  "Sorry, Dani," Mindy said. "Blaine's like a dog with a bone when it comes to this kind of thing."

  "I'd love to get some pictures of you with him," Blaine said. "With a scoop on the movie deal and pictures of his latest love interest, we'd be talking high five figures — maybe more."

  "I don't want to be in the papers as his latest love interest," Dani said, her tone sharp again.

  "I could just get the back of your head in the picture. Nobody would have to — "

  "Blaine! She said no." Mindy said.

  Blaine looked crestfallen.

  "Let's see who owns the yacht before we make any more plans," Liz said, giving Dani another head shake.

  "I'll make the call after dinner," Dani said.

  ****

  "She called me," Strong said, taking a sip of his wine.

  "Who? Berger?" Greg asked.

  "Right. To thank me for the flowers."

  "Well, that's encouraging," Greg said. "That raises the odds that you can hook up with her, doesn't it?"

  "Oh, yeah. I'm pretty sure," Strong said. "Once I get 'em talking to me, I can usually work them around."

  "So, Maestro, what's the next step? I'm taking notes; I want to learn your tricks with the ladies."

  Strong grinned and took a bigger drink of the wine. "No tricks. Just my good looks and natural charm, I guess. But the next step is a nice, long meal somewhere private."

  "How about aboard Platinum Odyssey?" Greg asked.

  "That's probably pushing it for the first time. She strikes me as a control freak. She's gotta be the one that makes the moves, at least at first. Gotta keep her comfortable, you know."

  "Yeah, okay. That makes sense. How're you going to do that, then?"

  "She called once, and I didn't push her. Let her set the terms of the encounter. She'll call again, once she figures out when she can get loose from her guests."

  "Fifty-fifty, still?" Greg asked. "Or are the odds better, now that she's called once?"

  "Better, for sure." Strong took another big sip of wine and leaned back in his chair, rolling the liquid around on his tongue. "Eighty-twenty, by now."

&n
bsp; "You really have it figured out with women, don't you, Kev?" Greg said.

  Strong grinned. "You never know for sure, but I do have some experience."

  "And a solid track record," Greg said. "I know I'm not in your league, but I have an idea about how to maybe help this conquest along."

  Strong sat up straight, a look of surprise on his face. "How's that?"

  "Try this on and see how it fits," Greg said. "You make arrangements to meet her for that meal, but make sure she gets there first."

  Strong nodded, "Okay, but — "

  Greg held up a hand, palm toward Strong. "Hear me out, Kev."

  Strong nodded again, and Greg continued.

  "You'll leave a message with the maître d' saying you've been held up, and begging her to wait a few minutes. While she's waiting, this scumbag comes up and starts hustling her, trying to talk to her and distract her so he can snatch her purse, or steal her jewelry, or whatever seems to fit the situation."

  Strong frowned, but kept quiet, waiting for Greg to continue.

  "You walk up just as he starts to get really ugly with her, and you kick his ass; send him packing. You're the hero. The hero always gets the girl, right?"

  "Yeah, but this isn't a movie. How's a scumbag going to get into a classy restaurant to begin with? And what about the cops? The restaurant's gonna call them. And suppose the scumbag decides not to play along with your plan?"

  "Come on, Kev. This is me, Greg Baklanov. You're God's gift to women, but I'm the best fixer in the whole damn universe. We can make this happen. She'll melt into your arms, and the two of you can sail away into the sunset on Platinum Odyssey."

  "But what about her charter guests. She's got a business — "

  "One step at a time, Kev. This is to soften her up. How long are her guests staying?"

  "I don't know, but — "

  "One step at a time. Maybe we could offer the guests an upgrade of some kind — get them to move on early. Who knows, Kev? Don't worry about that part. You focus on the lady; I'll handle the donkey work, okay?"

  Strong took another swallow of wine and grinned, nodding. "I like the way you think, Greg."

  Chapter 11

  "Good morning, Phillip," Dani said, answering their satellite phone. She hit the hands-free button and set the phone on the cockpit table.

  "Did I catch you at a bad time?" Phillip asked. "Are you with your guests?"

  "No. Liz and I are finishing up the coffee. The guests are ashore making a video. Did you get something on Platinum Odyssey?"

  "Yes. Or rather, Clarence did. He recognized the yacht's name. The owner's a Russian billionaire — a guy named Andrei Danilov."

  "Okay. Thanks. Why did Clarence know that?"

  "I'm not sure. He wasn't at liberty to tell me, so you can guess as well as I can."

  "This Danilov's under surveillance," Dani said.

  "That's my guess, too. Clarence wants to know as much as you can find out about Kev Strong."

  "I'll ask our guests. The guy, Blaine, is a serious gossip monger when it comes to celebrities."

  "The guy?" Phillip asked. "Not his wife?"

  "I can tell Sandrine's not there," Liz said. "She'd never let you get away with that kind of question."

  "Sorry," Phillip said, "but you have to admit that's a little odd."

  "He's a sometime paparazzo," Dani said.

  "I see," Phillip said.

  "He wants a chance for some candid shots of Strong, hoping he can sell them to a tabloid. He's trying to talk Dani into going on a date with Strong," Liz said.

  "No!" Dani snapped.

  "No? You mean you aren't star-struck?" Phillip asked. "Did Strong ask you out?"

  Dani, her face flushed, glared at Liz. "He offered to take me to lunch, by way of an apology. It wasn't a date — just a meal. And anyway, I declined."

  "An apology? For — hang on. Can I call you right back? Clarence is on the other line."

  "Sure," Dani said. She disconnected the call and turned to Liz.

  "It wouldn't be a date, Liz." Dani's face was flushed.

  "Whatever you say."

  "Why did you tell Phillip that, huh?"

  "I didn't mean anything by it. Come on. A guy asks you out for purely social reasons. Most people would call that a date."

  "No!"

  "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

  "I'll show you protests too much," Dani said, standing up.

  The phone rang again, and Liz shoved Dani back into her seat. "Sorry," Liz said. "I didn't mean to upset you. Now let's talk to Phillip."

  Dani locked eyes with her for a moment and then nodded as she pressed the connect button. "Hello again, Phillip."

  "Sorry for the interruption. Clarence called to tell me he had his client's okay to bring us in."

  "Wait," Dani said. "Us?"

  "The three of us, for now."

  "Bring us into what?" Liz asked.

  "He's got Danilov under surveillance — no surprise."

  "Who's the client?" Dani asked.

  "That was one of the conditions of bringing us in. The client is anonymous."

  "But we've got guests, Phillip," Dani said.

  "I know. I explained that. Clarence is asking a favor; he doesn't want you to do anything differently. Just help your guests do their thing. Help the guy get some shots of Strong, and Danilov too, if he can. Clarence thinks that might be useful, for whatever reason."

  "Does this mean I have to go to lunch with that jerk?" Dani asked.

  "It won't hurt you, Dani," Liz said. "It's just lunch. Remember what we've been talking about?"

  "Okay, but only to pay Clarence back for all he's done for us."

  "He'll appreciate it," Phillip said. "If there's a way for you to meet Danilov, too, Clarence would like your reaction."

  "That may take a little time," Dani said, "but I'll try. Strong has designs on me; he's not going to want to introduce me to his sponsor."

  "Well, give it your best shot," Phillip said. "There's something else."

  "What's that?" Dani asked.

  "Clarence had an agent on Danilov's yacht, a chambermaid. She hasn't been heard from for a couple of weeks."

  "A couple of weeks?" Liz asked.

  "She joined the crew in the Med. Her last contact was from the Azores."

  "Do you have her name? Or a photo?" Dani asked.

  "He's emailing it to me. I'll forward it."

  "Okay. I can't make the call to Strong until Blaine and Mindy get back, anyway. I'll have to work with them on the timing of meeting with Strong."

  "Understood. Just don't tell them more than you have to — and nothing about the surveillance."

  "Right. I can handle that. Blaine will be thrilled that I'm going to set up Strong for him. I don't think he'll ask too many questions."

  "All right. Keep me posted, and let me know if you need anything in the way of backup, or equipment."

  "We will. Talk to you later." Dani disconnected the call.

  "Wow," Liz said.

  "Yes. Wow," Dani agreed.

  ****

  "Did you get some good video clips?" Dani asked. She and their guests were sitting around the cockpit table as Liz prepared to serve lunch.

  "We did," Mindy said.

  Blaine nodded. "We got maybe an hour's worth. Even after we edit, we'll still have way more than we need."

  "Have you thought about where you want to go next?" Liz called, still below in the galley.

  "We were thinking maybe Nonesuch Bay," Mindy said. "From the guidebooks, it sounds pretty nice. There's supposed to be a high-end resort there, on a private island; maybe we could get them to let us shoot some video."

  "You sound doubtful," Dani said.

  "We never know. Some places like the exposure; others think it cheapens their image."

  "Do you ask in advance, or just show up?" Liz asked, setting a tray with four warm seafood salads on the bridge deck.

  "We've tried it both ways. It usually works
better if we just show up. It's harder for them to say no when we're standing there. We show them some clips that we've done in other places, and kind of hustle them into a decision," Mindy said.

  "When we write or call in advance, they tend to push the decision up the line to some corporate drone who's usually programmed to say no," Blaine added.

  Liz served the salads and poured a glass of chilled white wine for each of them. "We can get to Nonesuch Bay this afternoon, if that's where you want to go. It's a short sail."

  "We'd probably get there too late to do any work," Mindy said.

  "Unless you want some scenic shots," Dani said. "There's a beautiful anchorage there that's exposed to the trade winds. It's behind a fringing reef — nothing out to the east but open ocean. The reef breaks the waves and makes for a calm spot with a great view."

  "Sounds lovely," Mindy said.

  "It is," Liz said. "And there's some fine snorkeling on the reef. Do you ever do underwater shots?"

  "We have," Mindy said. "They work best if it's really shallow; that way, the water doesn't filter out the color too much."

  "It's mostly shallow — ten to fifteen feet," Dani said. "We could anchor behind the reef for the evening, and then in the morning you could shoot your video. Once you're done, we can move closer to that resort you were talking about."

  "Sounds great," Blaine said.

  They passed a few minutes, eating in silence, and then Liz nudged Dani with her foot. Dani looked at her, and Liz raised her eyebrows, nodding slightly.

  Dani cleared her throat. "I got some information on Platinum Odyssey," she said. "It belongs to one of the Russian oligarchs. His name is Andrei Danilov. He's — "

  "Rolling in money," Blaine interrupted. "He's rumored to be richer than any of the supposed richest people in the world. Some connection to the Russian government, and he's got his fingers in everything. He's gotta be the one footing the bill for the movie. Think we can find the yacht?"

  "I don't know about that," Dani said, "but if we're going to stay here in Nonesuch Bay for a day or two, I'll call Kev Strong and set up a lunch with him."

  "Wow! You'd do that for us?" Blaine asked, eyes wide.

  Dani couldn't resist smiling at his enthusiasm. "You'll be in my debt, big-time."

  "Anything you want," Blaine said. "We'll make you guys and Vengeance famous."