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

by Charles Dougherty

  "Too bad you didn't get here in time to see Angela. I'm sure she'll be disappointed. Ralph said to remind you that he's watching out for her. You're supposed to be a bad-ass, but he says that first part's undeserved. He says the only 'bad' part of you is that you're a bully and a coward. I'll send your boys back to help you. 'Bye, now, Joe Bones." She laughed and blew him a kiss as she stepped around him to open the door.

  Chapter 9

  Dani feigned attention as Carlotta chattered away, telling Liz all about her shopping expedition. Dani had never understood the compulsion to shop. When she needed something, she set out to find it in the shortest amount of time possible. The notion of pawing through baubles for amusement was foreign to her. She forced a smile as Carlotta held a small gold pendant out for inspection.

  "I have this thing about angels," Carlotta said, as Liz took the piece of jewelry from her and held it to the light.

  "Beautiful," Liz said, turning the piece and watching as the sunlight flashed from its tiny facets. "It almost looks like somebody carved it by hand. The face looks like a man's."

  "The jeweler said the artist called this piece Raphael, after the archangel. He had one called Michael, and another called Gabriel. It was hard not to ... "

  Dani lost the thread of conversation as she made the connection. Raphael Angel — Ralph's given names. And then she remembered. His cousin in Miami was named Angela. He had joked that their mothers thought they were angels. Once she recalled the cousin's first name, the surname came to mind. Angela Cappelletti.

  Dani could understand the girl using an assumed name in her effort to escape her father's scrutiny, but she had a passport in that name. The French immigration officer in Gustavia held it up to the chip reader this morning when she had cleared in and out of St. Barth. It had been processed without a problem. Dani knew that even legitimate passports often required manual entry of the number or a barcode scan in this part of the world. Having the chip reader work on the first try wasn't all that remarkable, but given her suspicions, it surprised her now. That all but guaranteed that the passport was not forged. So now she wondered who their passenger really was.

  She kept her question to herself, half-listening as Liz and Carlotta continued to talk about the shops in Gustavia. She'd developed a friendly feeling toward Carlotta, after their rocky start. Now, she felt cautious about the woman. If she was indeed Carlotta Solanó, what was her relationship to Ralph Suarez, and why had he set up the charter for her?

  Dani realized that she was assuming that Ralph had been telling her the truth back when she spent the evening with him. His answers to her questions about the Venezuelan provocateur, Martinez, had proven true. He had betrayed the Venezuelan government with little hesitation. He hinted that he was working for 'another faction,' as he had put it, and that Dani's interest coincided with theirs. Given that, she couldn't understand why he would have misled her about his personal background. She was considering calling one of her Miami connections to pursue the Angela-Carlotta question. Then she realized that Liz was speaking to her.

  "Sorry, Liz. I was lost. What did you just ask?"

  Liz gave her an odd look. "I wondered if you were ready for lunch."

  "Oh. Sure, if you guys are. I could eat now."

  "Good. I'll get it on the table."

  ****

  "It's really not any of our business, Dani," Liz protested. They had finished lunch a couple of hours ago, and the two of them were sitting under the cockpit awning. Carlotta had made the 100-yard swim to the sparsely populated, white-sand beach, and was exploring the detritus along the high-tide mark. They saw her bend to pick up something, probably a shell that caught her eye.

  "It might be. We have no idea who this woman is or what she's up to. We could be about to get mixed up in any number of things that we'd rather avoid."

  "Like what?"

  "I don't know. Drugs? A revolution in Venezuela? Or somewhere else? Who knows — "

  "Wait a minute, Dani. Rein in the paranoia. I thought you trusted Ralph Suarez. You get this dreamy look every time ... "

  "Dreamy look!" Dani said, her face flushed. "You're going to keep on about him until I'm forced to kick your ass, Liz."

  "Well, maybe not dreamy, then, but kind of far away. I've never seen you react that way to a guy." Liz let the provocation go by, although she considered engaging Dani in a sparring match. Sometimes, that physical outlet was the only way to get her to settle down.

  "I've never met anybody quite like him. He reminds me of Phillip, for some reason."

  "Phillip?" Liz was puzzled. Phillip Davis was a former partner of Dani's father's and was like an older brother to Dani. "How so? Is it the military connection?"

  "No, I don't think so. Phillip wasn't in the military by the time I was old enough to be hanging around with him. Or I guess I should say, he wasn't openly in the military. He had some ties, but ... no, that's not it. Just something about the way he was so sure of himself without being all macho about it. It's hard to express."

  "Okay. So you trusted him because he reminded you of Phillip. What's changed since Carlotta joined us?"

  "Good question. You may have something, there. Nothing about Ralph has changed. He never said she was his cousin. She told us that."

  "Right, and she seemed surprised, and even cautious, when she found out you knew him. Remember? She wanted to know what he'd told you about her family?"

  "Yes. So he set up this charter for her, but she's not his cousin. Why would he do that, and who the hell is she?"

  "He might have more than one cousin, Dani. People do, you know. Look at you and all your distant cousins in the States and the islands that you don't even know about. Remember Racine?"

  "Yes. What about her?"

  "Nothing, except she was really close to your father when they were growing up, and you didn't even know about her."

  "That's true. I met her about the same time I met Ralph."

  "Too bad you can't just call him and ask."

  "Yes. I'm thinking, though, speaking of calling and asking."

  "Now what?"

  "About calling Mario and asking him to get Paul Russo's replacement to check up on Carlotta Solanó and Angela Cappelletti."

  "Will that make you relax? I mean, I think you're being a snoop, but if that's what it takes for you to settle down and enjoy this, then go ahead. It's okay with me. Just don't embarrass poor Carlotta. She's got enough trouble without you making her out to be some kind of criminal."

  "Reach in the locker and hand me the satellite phone, please," Dani said. "I might as well make the call while she's still on the beach."

  ****

  "Good swim?" Liz asked, as she handed Carlotta a towel. She had intercepted their guest as she climbed the boarding ladder.

  "It was wonderful; the water's just cool enough to be refreshing. It makes the surf at Miami Beach seem like one of those polar bear swims people do up north."

  "We saw you picking up stuff. Shells?"

  "Yes. I left them in a little pile up by the dunes."

  "Want me to run you back in the dinghy so you can retrieve them?"

  "Oh, I guess not. I have this urge to gather them, but then I don't know what to do with them. Just leave them."

  "Up to you," Liz said. "It's no problem."

  Liz heard Dani saying goodbye. "So did you want to rinse off the salt?"

  "Well, maybe, but it's so nice out here. Maybe I'll just stay in my suit."

  "You can have it both ways. There's a freshwater shower hose in the cockpit. Just stand on the side deck and I'll pass it to you. The dried salt irritates my skin. Doesn't it yours?"

  By now, Liz was in the cockpit. She adjusted the temperature of the shower and handed it to Carlotta, who rinsed herself off while Liz got a fresh towel for her. She dried off and sat down in the cockpit next to Dani, finger-combing her shoulder-length black hair. She was letting the warm breeze blow it dry.

  "Hey, Carlotta?" Dani asked.

  "Ye
s?" Carlotta shook out her hair, continuing to run her fingers through it as the tendrils flew in the breeze.

  "I'm curious about something."

  "What's that?"

  "You said your family was Italian, right?" Dani ignored the gentle kick that Liz delivered under the cockpit table.

  Carlotta froze for a moment, hands in her hair. Dropping her hands into her lap, she turned to face Dani. "Yes. Why?"

  "I was just talking with my godfather; I mentioned he lives in Miami." Dani glared at Liz as she felt a harder kick at her ankle.

  "Yes. So?"

  "Well, he's Cuban-American, and it just got me to thinking. Solanó is a Spanish name, isn't it?"

  "Um, usually, I guess. My father was like, an orphan, kind of. I told you he grew up on the streets in New York, right?"

  "Yes, you said that," Dani said, watching as Carlotta shifted her position, fidgeting.

  "Well, even though he was Italian, his best friend was Puerto Rican. His friend's family took him in, so he changed his name to Solanó in appreciation. I don't even know his original surname."

  Dani noticed that Carlotta didn't maintain eye contact as she delivered her explanation.

  "That's a nice story, Carlotta," Liz said, giving Dani a look that said, 'Don't you dare.' "Your father's gesture must have touched those people deeply."

  Carlotta forced a smile and nodded.

  "That explains it," Dani said.

  "I'm a little chilled," Carlotta said, "from the breeze and my wet hair. Think I'll stretch out in the sun for a while." She picked up her towel and walked to the foredeck.

  "Way to go, Miss Congeniality," Liz hissed at Dani.

  "I don't get it, Liz," Dani said, in a soft tone.

  "It's called sarcasm. I can't believe — "

  "No, I got that all right."

  "Then what don't you get?"

  "She was lying. You catch that body language? I'm almost certain she's Angela Cappelletti. Mario knows her by sight; her father's a member of the same golf club where Mario plays. He described her to me."

  "So what?"

  "So she's got a genuine passport in somebody else's name, with her picture in it."

  Liz rolled her eyes. "Dani?"

  "Yes?"

  "Keep it up and I'm going to take you to the beach and teach you a lesson."

  "Whoa!" Dani had a stunned look on her face. "That's my line; I've upset you."

  "Keep it up. You're about to see just how much of you has rubbed off on me. Want to try me?"

  "No. Not when you're that angry. One of us might get hurt." Dani stood up and started for the companionway.

  "You can't just walk away, Dani."

  "I'm sorry, Liz. I'm going to put on my suit and swim some laps around the boat. Maybe the exercise will straighten me out. I'll apologize to Carlotta when I get back. Sorry I upset you. I just don't feel good about this. Maybe it's too close to home, or something."

  Liz nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry, too, if I've provoked you."

  Dani left, reappearing in less than a minute in a sleek black tank suit. She vaulted from the companionway over the lifelines. Her feet tapped the gunwale, and she executed a graceful dive. Liz watched her slip into the water leaving a tiny ripple where she broke the surface. Her head popped up a moment later and she started swimming with the efficient stroke of a serious freestyle competitor.

  Liz saw Carlotta sit up on the foredeck. She watched Dani complete three circuits of the boat, and then she gathered her towel and came to join Liz in the cockpit.

  "I'm sorry, Carlotta. I can't imagine what she was thinking."

  "Thanks, Liz. It's okay. She's just a direct kind of person, I guess. And my situation does invite some speculation, I know. She's not so far off base, you know. I'm traveling under an assumed name to keep my father's people from finding me. But I don't blame her; she sees right through me. I'd tell you who I am, but it might not be a good idea. I didn't quite level with you about my father; he's a dangerous man. I don't want you two mixed up in this. I'm feeling bad that I've gotten you into it."

  Liz thought for a moment before she said, "You're very understanding. She'll feel terrible about her behavior once she's worked off whatever is bothering her. Can I get you anything, by the way?"

  "No, but if you could turn on the Internet service, I'd like to see if Ralph has answered me yet."

  "Sure," Liz said. "No problem."

  Chapter 10

  "You dumb shit!" Guido laughed, a harsh, evil sound, as he processed what Joe Bones had just said. "So this broad shot your ear off and kneecapped you and said it was a message from cousin Ralph?"

  "More or less, yeah," Joe Bones said, through the haze of pain medication. He fumbled as he transferred the phone to his other hand.

  "Shit!" he yelled, as he grabbed for the phone. He strained his damaged knee, which rested on a pile of pillows on the coffee table in the villa's living room. Willy scurried to retrieve the phone from the floor in front of the couch and put it back in Joe Bones's hand.

  "What the hell?" Guido's voice grumbled from the iPhone.

  "I dropped the phone. Sorry."

  "I ain't sure you're fit to take over. A fuckin' cripple can't command the respect of the boys, you know."

  "The doc says I'm gonna be fine. I was lucky. Goddamn .22 hollow point grazed the side of the patella. Blew the shit out of the soft tissue around the side of my knee. He says once it all heals, I won't even have a limp. If she'd had a real gun, I'd be in some trouble. He patched the ear up; I gotta wait until it heals before a plastic surgeon looks at it."

  "Sounds to me like she did okay with the gun she had. She's gotta be a pro. You got a description?"

  "Yeah. She was hot; at a distance, she could pass for Angela. Same height and build. Same coloring. Good English; no accent, but my bet is she's a native Spanish speaker from the rhythm of her speech."

  "Did Fats and Willy see her?" Guido asked.

  "No. She musta gone out the back way or something. But another woman stopped at their table and told them I needed help."

  "Another woman? Put the damn speaker on."

  "Okay, Don Guido. You're on the speaker. Willy and Fats are both here."

  "Tell me about the woman that came to your table," Guido ordered.

  "Real looker," Willy said.

  "Long blond hair, long legs. Built out to here," Fats added.

  "What did she say, exactly?"

  "She said, 'Joe Bones wet his pants in Angela's room, Willy. You and Fats better go help the poor boy.' Then she walked out the door and got in this black car that was waitin'. Peeled out before she even got the door closed."

  "She have an accent?"

  "No. Sounded just like them broads that read the news on TV," Fats said.

  "Wonder how she knew your names?" Guido asked.

  When no one answered, he spoke again. "Joe Bones?"

  "Yeah, Don Guido?"

  "That true?"

  "What?"

  "You wet your pants?"

  Joe Bones turned bright red. "I don't know; I was barely conscious, I — "

  Guido's laughter pealed from the phone's tiny speaker. "Stupid fucker. You find out anything about the Welsh kid?"

  "Not yet. I got the guys in Atlanta checking. I should hear soon."

  "Let me know. And Giuseppe?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Don't embarrass yourself again."

  ****

  Dani sat in the cockpit, panting after swimming hard for 45 minutes. Liz told her about what Carlotta said while she was swimming laps.

  "I didn't tell you what else Mario said. Are you ready for this?" Dani asked.

  "Probably not, but go ahead. Just remember, I think she's starting to trust us. Don't blow her off, please. Give her a chance."

  "Okay. That's where I was coming out, too. Guido Cappelletti runs the whole eastern U.S. He's the last of the old-time capos. The Feds have a big task force assigned to him. Have had, for years, but they've never pinned anything on
him."

  "We don't know for sure that he's her father, Dani."

  "No, but chances are pretty good."

  "So where does that leave you?"

  "I think she needs our help. Wait, Liz. Why are you looking at me like that? I thought you'd be — "

  "I've never seen your feelings flip-flop like this. I'm glad you're more positive about our guest, but I hope you're going to settle down soon. I know you're under some stress, but this flakiness is driving — "

  "Hi, Dani," Carlotta interrupted, stepping into the cockpit. "Have a good swim?"

  "Yes, thanks, I — "

  "You've got an impressive stroke. You race?"

  "Some, when I was in school. I want to — "

  "Sorry. Before you say anything else, I need to explain some things."

  "Okay," Dani said, glancing at Liz and then locking eyes with Carlotta. "What's up?"

  "I heard from Ralph. He said to tell you hello, and thanks."

  "Thanks?" Dani looked puzzled. "For what?"

  "Taking the charter. He said he wasn't sure you'd want to. That's why he told the broker to be sure to mention his name to you — in case you wanted no part of it."

  "I'm afraid I still don't understand," Dani said.

  "He thought you might turn it down because of his involvement. He wanted you to have that option, and when you accepted it, he knew he could depend on you."

  "I'm confused, Carlotta," Dani said.

  "Me, too," Liz added. "Depend on her for what?"

  "To help me. He said I could trust you. With my life, even. That sounds so melodramatic, I can't believe he said it. But he said after the way you dealt with the Martinez situation, he was sure you could handle my problem. What was the Martinez situation?"

  "Um, that could be a long story. Maybe we should save it for later," Dani said. "What is it that we're supposed to help you with?"

  "Okay. I know you've been suspicious of me; I told Liz, you weren't so far off track. First thing, my name isn't Carlotta Solanó. It's Angela Cappelletti. My father's — "

  "Guido Cappelletti," Dani said.

  "Right. And I was being disingenuous when I told you about his business. He's a mobster, big-time. The capo di tutti capi, they call him. That means — "