Bluewater Rendezvous: The Eighth Novel in the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Bluewater Thrillers Book 8)

by Charles Dougherty

  "Yeah. Who knows?" Guido said.

  "So, is she serious about this kid?"

  "She thinks she is. She's run off with him a few times — weekends here and there. You know how kids do."

  "Maybe I should fuck him up a little bit. Think that might soften her up?" Joe Bones said, grinning.

  "That's between you and her," Guido said. "It would probably scare him off, anyhow."

  "So, I'd like to spend a little time with my bride-to-be, Dad. It's okay if I call you Dad?"

  "Just between us and Lucy and Angela. Don't be doin' that shit with the guys around. They might get the wrong idea."

  "Yeah, yeah. Where is she? She here?" Joe Bones asked.

  "The villa."

  "St. Thomas? Maybe I'll fly down this evening. Visit with her, like. Get her used to me before we tie the knot."

  Guido looked uncomfortable at that.

  Seeing the older man's reaction, Joe Bones said, "Don't worry. I'll save her for her wedding night. I'd just like to see what I'm gettin' into." He laughed at his double entendre.

  "There's a problem," Guido said.

  "What? This boyfriend there or something? That could work out just right, Don Guido."

  "No, that's not it. She flew down last night, but when Willy and Fats met the flight, she wasn't on it. They're lookin' for her right now."

  "Shit, Don Guido, you think maybe the Maldonados or somebody snatched — "

  "No, no. Nothin' like that. She's given them the slip before. She'll turn up. Probably met that boy somewhere. It don't mean nothin'."

  "The hell you say. I gotta straighten her ass out, right quick. No wife of mine is gonna shack up with anybody."

  "Don't hurt her, or you'll be the one gets fucked up," Guido said, his bright eyes going dead as he held Joe Bones's gaze. "Count on it, boy."

  Joe Bones looked away, embarrassed by the beads of sweat breaking out on his face. "I wouldn't hurt her, Don Guido."

  "I know," Guido said, his expression unchanged. "Leave me, now. You got work to do."

  ****

  "Hi," Liz said, as Carlotta stepped into the cockpit. "How's the book?"

  "Pretty good; it's non-fiction, about a couple sailing around the islands."

  "Dungda de Islan'?" Liz asked.

  "Good guess! How'd you know?"

  "Just a lucky guess," Liz said, "but it came to mind because we know them."

  "Really? That's interesting. Did you meet them down here?"

  "Yes, but I can't remember where," Liz said.

  "Ste. Anne, Martinique," Dani said. "They anchored near us. It was about the same time we met Ralph Suarez."

  "Oh, right," Liz said. "Bud and Leslie, on Play Actor. It's all coming back, now. He's written a bunch of books about the islands. If you're enjoying that one, we have some of his nautical thrillers on the shelf in the saloon."

  "I'll take a look when I finish it. I thought you met Ralph in St. Lucia."

  "We did," Dani said. "It's only about 20 miles from Ste. Anne to Rodney Bay."

  "So, how did you meet him, anyway?"

  Dani and Liz exchanged glances before Dani answered. "Liz and I were having a drink in one of the tourist bars overlooking the anchorage in Rodney Bay one evening, and he approached us."

  "That sounds like him; he was always a real ladies' man."

  "Nice guy," Liz said. "He and Dani really hit it off, maybe because they both have dual citizenship. Anyway, I felt like a third wheel after a few minutes. I went my own way and left them to it."

  Carlotta gave Dani a knowing look. Liz watched with interest as a flush spread up from Dani's chest, turning her neck and face pink.

  "And you never heard from him again, after that night, right?" Carlotta asked, smiling at Dani's discomfort. "Typical. I mean, I love him, but he's my cousin. I always thought he was a shit with women."

  "I wouldn't say that," Dani said, fighting for composure. "He was a perfect gentleman; we had a nice visit." She gave Liz an icy look, daring her to say anything. Liz returned her glare with a sweet smile.

  "It blew me away when Elaine gave me his message," Dani said, after an awkward silence.

  "That's kind of strange, on his part. I'm going to send him an email as soon as I can. He wouldn't have done that without some reason; he never does anything on impulse," Carlotta said.

  "We have Internet service," Liz said. "Just let me know and I'll turn all the stuff on for you. It'll give you a wireless connection, and off you go. We just keep it turned off when nobody's using it to save the drain on the house batteries."

  "Okay, great. I'll do it after we get in this evening."

  "So, how are you related to him, anyway?" Liz asked.

  "Our mothers are sisters. He was around a lot when we were growing up, and then all the time when he was at the University of Florida. That's how I met John Welsh; they were roommates, and he used to bring John home to my dad's place in Miami Beach. You said he mentioned my family, Dani?"

  "Oh, just in passing. We had some similar experiences, Ralph and I. You see, my father's French, and my mother's American. I was born in the States and spent a lot of time there growing up, even though for most of my childhood, I didn't technically live in the States."

  "Where in the States?"

  "Well, Miami and New York, mostly. My mother's family is from New York City, and my godfather lives in Miami."

  "What a coincidence. My dad grew up in New York City. My mom's family — they're from South America — always had ties to the Miami area, so my dad bought this big place there on Star Island. You know Star Island?"

  "Sure," Dani said.

  "So what did Ralph tell you about us?"

  "Oh, not a lot of detail. Just that he had a cousin, a girl his age, who was from Miami. He said you were really close, and that he spent some good times there."

  "It's a small world," Carlotta said. "I'm curious to see what he has to say; I hope he's where he can answer soon."

  "Me, too. Be sure to tell him I said hello, and thank him for sending you our way, okay?"

  "You bet. I'll definitely do that."

  "Good. I need to go below and plot our position. I want to get an updated weather forecast, too."

  ****

  "She's an interesting woman," Carlotta said, after Dani excused herself. "I can see how she would have hit it off with Ralph. It's hard to tell what she thought of him, though."

  "Dani's not much for girl talk," Liz said. "As close as we are, she never talks about guys with me."

  "She seems pretty sure of herself," Carlotta said. "Ralph would like that."

  "When you were setting this up, he didn't mention anything about us?"

  "You mean the charter?"

  "Yes."

  "No. I just sent him an email and told him I needed some breathing room, and mentioned chartering a yacht in the Caribbean. I could sense that my father was up to something — his behavior toward me was sort of distant, all of a sudden. And I was missing John. It's been getting harder and harder to sneak away with him. Every time we'd go somewhere, my father always found out about it, so we keep trying to find new places."

  "How did you decide on a charter?"

  "One of the people John works with had told him about chartering a crewed yacht; he was kind of excited about it."

  "So how did it fall to you to make the arrangements? Why didn't he do it?"

  "Um, he's not used to things like this. He didn't have much money growing up; he got through college on an academic scholarship. It doesn't occur to him that he can do things like this. Not the cost — I mean that's part of it. He's a lawyer, but he's just starting out. He's doing okay, but ... "

  "I understand," Liz said. "I grew up with enough money to live, but something like chartering Vengeance would have been out of the question. It wouldn't have occurred to me."

  "Right. And that's kind of an unspoken, um ... I don't quite know how to say it. It's like he's afraid to take the initiative in our relationship, because he's afraid
he can't give me what I'm used to, I guess."

  "You said your father didn't approve of him."

  "That's kind of an understatement. My father's this kind of, I don't know, typical poor Italian kid who grew up on the streets and made it big. He doesn't understand anybody who would work for a salary; he likes hustlers."

  "I think I see what you mean."

  "He intimidates John. John's never come right out and said it, but I know he thinks my father's, like, a big mob boss, or something. John's a great guy, and I know he loves me, but this thing about my father is always between us, just hanging there in the background."

  "That must be difficult for both of you."

  "Well, yes. And now my father's decided to marry me off to this guy who's kind of the heir apparent. I think he may be a gangster; I'm not sure Papa sees that, though. He's naïve in some ways."

  "So this guy works for your father, then?"

  "Not exactly. They're into a lot of stuff together, but Giuseppe has his own interests."

  "And you think he may be a crook?"

  "Well, I've heard things, and I've seen the way he acts when Papa's not around. He's always got these sleazy girls around that snort coke, and I've overheard some of the other men refer to him as 'Joe Bones.' Tell me that doesn't sound like Mafia."

  "Mafia?" Dani asked, stepping through the companionway hatch into the cockpit.

  Carlotta looked embarrassed. Liz said, "Oh, we were just talking about drugs and how they're all over the place in South Florida. How's the weather look?"

  "Great. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't going to change much while we were sightseeing in St. Barth. But it looks fine for the trip to Antigua day after tomorrow."

  "So how are you two feeling about dinner?" Liz asked. "I can go ahead with what I had planned and we can eat underway, or if nobody's starving, I'll whip up a quick pasta dish once we get in."

  "Wait," Carlotta said. "You're going to make me fat, Liz. Let's just enjoy this glorious sail. We'll eat something quick when we get in. We had a late lunch, anyhow."

  Chapter 8

  "I've always thought I got shortchanged a bit in the family department," Liz said. "But listening to you and Carlotta makes me realize I was lucky."

  "Lucky?" Dani asked, eyebrows going up. "I sort of thought you, um ... well, you know what I mean, don't you?"

  "I think so. Yes, I grew up with a single parent, but I couldn't have wanted a better one. I miss him every day. I don't think my father would have been trying to control my adult life the way your mother and Carlotta's father are doing."

  They were sitting in the shade of Vengeance's cockpit awning. Dani had taken the dinghy into Gustavia earlier to clear in and out with customs and immigration, and Carlotta had gone along. Charmed by the quaint town, Carlotta had opted to stay and do a little browsing in the dazzling array of shops. The big name fashion houses and jewelers from Europe all had stores on the tiny main street to keep her occupied. Dani left her with a handheld VHF radio so that she could call for a pickup when she was ready to return to Vengeance.

  "I feel sorry for her," Dani said. "She's got nowhere to turn but this mysterious cousin, Ralph. At least I'm not dependent on anyone financially, and Papa's there if I need anything. My mother's just a nuisance. It sounds like Carlotta's father's a menace. What was that Mafia conversation that I interrupted yesterday, by the way?"

  "Sorry I shut you down on that. I just got the sense she wasn't going to be comfortable telling you about it right then. She thinks this guy her father wants her to marry is in the mob. Said she'd heard the other guys, whoever they are, refer to him as 'Joe Bones.' He's always got a bunch of coke-head party girls hanging around him, she said."

  "Charming," Dani said. "What the hell's wrong with her father? He must be mobbed-up, too."

  "That's what I thought, but she said he wasn't — that he was just naïve."

  "Bullshit. She sounds like the naïve one to me."

  "Exactly. She even said this Joe Bones character was her father's heir apparent. Were you there, then?"

  "No, I don't think so. The last thing I heard her say about him was that he was a psychopath. If he's really her father's heir apparent, then her father must be a mobster, too, no matter what she thinks."

  "That's where I came out, too," Liz said.

  "That kind of makes sense, now that I think about it. I remember Ralph saying his mother's family had some doubts about his uncle."

  "Oh?" Liz said.

  "Yes. Ralph's parents were part of Venezuela's privileged class, before Chavez came into power. They were into tree farming, cattle ranching, oil. From what he said, they managed to get most of their money out of the country without anybody knowing. They were coping as best they could with the new regime. But there was a definite sense of disapproval about the uncle in Miami. Ralph's people weren't gangsters. If Carlotta's father was one, that would explain a lot. May be why Ralph's still looking after her."

  "Vengeance, Vengeance, this is shore party, over." Carlotta's voice over the VHF radio's cockpit speaker interrupted their conversation.

  "I'll answer it," Liz said, reaching for the microphone. "Go ahead and fire up the dinghy. I'll whip up something for lunch while you go get her."

  ****

  "Any news?" Guido asked, as he sat on his veranda smoking his first cigar of the day. Joe Bones was calling from the villa in St. Thomas.

  "A little. Fats and Willy found out she was registered at some beach resort. Had a reservation for late arrival night before last."

  "Yeah? And ... "

  "And they're on their way over there. You know old Fats, how he's got connections all over the place?"

  "Yeah. He's been down there forever. Cut the bullshit. What's goin' on?"

  "He had them check the room records. She made a bunch of phone calls to Brazil from the room phone last night, and — "

  "Brazil? She don't know nobody in Brazil. You guys are fucked up. What are you — "

  "Room's in her name. They got a copy of the first page of her passport in the file from where she used it for i.d. when she paid cash for the room. Remembered her because she wouldn't give them her credit card. They demand i.d. on a cash — "

  "Why the hell would she use the room phone? She never calls anybody except on her iPhone. This don't make — "

  "Look, Don Guido, give me a chance to get this sorted out, okay? This is all happening right now; I can't run the show and answer all your questions at the same time. I need to get over to the resort."

  "Yeah, yeah. Okay, but this don't sound right. Any sign of that kid?"

  "No, she's been in the room by herself, best the resort staff knows. But I'm glad you mentioned that. What's his name? I need to find that son of a bitch."

  "Now you're thinkin', boy. I wondered how long before you'd get around to him. His name's John Welsh. Little shit's a lawyer with some big-ass firm in Atlanta. If he ain't sniffin' around that resort, I'll be damn surprised."

  "I don't know, Don Guido. Room service's only delivered enough food for — "

  "Trust the old man, Giuseppe. If Angela's been there two days, he's either there or on his way."

  "Okay. I got to make some calls, Don Guido. See if I can track that fucker down. If he's here, he's gonna be one fucked-up lawyer."

  "Yeah, yeah. Get your ass in gear and find Angela."

  "I'm on it, Don Guido."

  "Call me soon as you hear back from Fats and Willy."

  ****

  "She's in the room," Willy said, his left eyelid twitching as he answered Joe Bones. "She got a 'do not disturb' sign she hung on the doorknob right after the room service waiter took her breakfast in. He said she's in the room by herself — no sign of anybody else."

  "Welsh coulda been in the bathroom," Joe Bones said.

  "Nah," Fats said. "I take good care of all the staff here. They know to keep an eye on her for me ever since I called 'em last night. The waiter said the bathroom door was open. Nobody there but her. S
he ain't left the room since we found her last night."

  "Okay. Good work. I'm gonna go have a little talk with her; see what she's up to."

  "You want us to come with you?" Willy said, the eyelid twitching again.

  "No. Just stay here. If that Welsh fucker shows up, call my cell to give me a heads up, okay?"

  "Sure thing," Willy said.

  Joe Bones stood and walked toward the hallway that led to the beachfront rooms, leaving Willy and Fats at the table in the coffee shop.

  When he reached the room, he hammered on the door with the side of his fist.

  A woman's voice answered, yelling through the door. "Can't you read the sign?"

  "Open the damn door, Angela, or I'll kick it off the hinges. You got 'til three. One! Two!" He raised his leg, aimed his foot to land beside the doorknob, and drove forward with all his 220 pounds of muscle. To his surprise, his foot grazed the door and slid off as the door swung open. Barely able to stagger through and keep his footing, he didn't see anyone in the room.

  As he straightened up and swung around, the door slammed shut. He found himself facing an attractive woman in casual attire. He realized she'd been behind the door. His blood boiling, he started to speak but stopped when she leveled a silenced pistol at him. He recognized it as a Colt Woodsman .22, a favorite of the old-time hit-men. Watching her eyes, he lunged for the pistol. He screamed in pain; he thought his left ear was on fire.

  "That was a warning shot," she said. "Next one will be in the eye socket. Hollow points make a mess. You better see a good plastic surgeon — get a new ear made."

  "Who are you?" he asked, cupping the ruined ear in his left hand.

  "My passport says I'm Angela Cappelletti. You're Joe Bones, my fiancé."

  "What do you want?"

  "Cousin Ralph sent me to welcome you to the family. You know Ralph?"

  "I remember him. Where is he?"

  "Around. He wanted me to remind you that he's fond of Angela."

  "Yeah? I'll keep that in mind."

  "Good. He thought this might help you remember." She took a step back and lowered the pistol.

  He heard a soft cough from the old gun this time, and then his left knee exploded with pain and he went down screaming.