by Mark Nolan
“Thanks, Chief. Be right back.”
As he walked to the break area, Terrell checked his text messages on his phone. He’d been ignoring them because he’d wanted to give Alicia all of his attention. If the text didn’t repeat over and over, he figured he could let it wait. There was one text from Jukebox that had come in a while earlier. What did Jake want now?
The text said: The assassin shot another lawyer, this time with a poisoned arrow. It happened in Mill Valley. You might want to suggest that the Chief send Ryan and his dog Hank there to help the MVPD search the woods. Make you all look good.
That was a great idea to send the K9 Unit over there to work with the neighbors. Jake was always trying to help his friends in law enforcement. That guy could be annoying at times, but he was also a really good friend, at least when he wasn’t causing all kinds of trouble. Jake had sent a link to a news story, and as Terrell walked down the hallway, he scanned the news for details.
Terrell went to the break room coffee maker and filled two cups, then picked out two donuts. He hadn’t asked the Chief if he’d wanted anything. The Chief would always say no. Terrell just brought him a coffee and a powdered, jelly-filled donut anyway, and set it down without saying a word about it.
Terrell talked with the Chief about the poisoned arrow that was shot from a tree on Mount Tamalpais, and the idea that maybe Ryan and his dog Hank could help the Mill Valley cops search the woods for clues. Those guys didn’t currently have a K9 unit over there, so they would no doubt appreciate the gesture.
Chief Pierce already knew about the murder, but he hadn’t thought of lending his K9 Unit, and he liked the idea. He didn’t say thank you for the coffee and donut, or the K9 Unit idea that would make him look good. but he appreciated the show of respect and the understanding of protocol from Hayes. Pierce thought that Hayes was a team player, and he had the leadership ability to be the next Captain. He was Pierce’s number one draft pick so far. Hopefully, Hayes would not get shot tonight by one of the killers.
Chapter 47
Kelli went inside the yacht, and she was impressed with the spacious layout and open floor plan. There were lots of windows to let in the natural light. It felt like you were in a cozy but luxurious condominium right on the seashore.
Jake left the sliding door open at the aft end of the yacht so Cody could go in and out at will.
“Welcome to the Far Niente, make yourself right at home,” Jake said.
“Thank you, Jake. What does Far Niente mean?”
“It’s an Italian saying that means, literally, doing nothing. Translated it means something like… carefree idleness, taking time off the treadmill to relax and enjoy life.”
Kelli looked in the refrigerator and found the champagne.
“There are some champagne glasses in that cabinet to your right,” Jake said.
“Mind reader,” Kelli said and winked at Jake as she opened the cabinet and took out two champagne flutes.
Adjacent to the galley was a bar counter with a row of stools to sit on. Kelli put the champagne bottle and glasses on the bar top. She glanced around the interior of the yacht and noticed an acoustic guitar on a stand. She also saw a cowboy hat hanging on a peg on the wall. She imagined Jake playing guitar and then driving the yacht with the cowboy hat on his head. He was an attractive, protective man who had shown that he cared about her, and she was feeling it.
Jake patted Cody on the head and talked to him about the situation. Cody barked once and went out the open sliding door to the aft deck. He sat there looking around and smelling the aromas of the Bay, the harbor, and the neighborhood. Cody knew what was going on inside his den, and he was okay with being out on the deck, standing post on guard duty. His alpha had told him to protect their guest, and that’s exactly what he would do, no matter what. If anybody tried to get onto this vessel uninvited, Cody would tear into them.
Jake popped the cork off of the champagne bottle and into a white bar towel with a practiced ease, and poured each of them a glass of the French bubbly.
“Can you show me how to do that?” Kelli said. “I’ve always been afraid to try it.”
“Sure, you can pop open the next bottle. It’s easy, and you’ll be a pro at it in no time.”
The two of them smiled at each other and touched their glasses together.
“Here’s to getting through the surprising challenges of life,” Jake said.
Kelli nodded and took a sip. “To true friends who rescue you when the going gets tough.”
Jake took a drink too. “We can order some takeout food to be delivered, or I could see what might be in the fridge.”
“I couldn’t eat very much right now. My stomach is still in a knot.”
“I understand, tell you what, you have a seat here, and I’ll just whip up a quick plate of appetizers you can snack on whenever you feel like it,” Jake said.
“Okay you talked me into it,” Kelli said, and she sat on one of the barstools and crossed her long legs.
Jake smiled at Kelli thoughtfully. “But first, let’s wipe those tears away.”
Kelli was surprised when Jake took a white bar towel, ran it under some warm water and then began to gently wipe away the tear streaks and mascara lines from her cheeks. He did it in a confident way, and she didn’t object to it. Kelli looked into Jake’s eyes, and she got a warm feeling in her heart like a spark had caught fire and was beginning a slow burn. It was something she hadn’t felt in quite a while.
“That was sweet of you Jake.”
Kelli was speechless for a minute, but she smiled at Jake and sipped her champagne. Some men fawned over her and sought her approval, others tried to act overly macho to impress her with their virility. Jake just treated her like he honestly cared about her. It seemed as if he simply loved women and wasn’t afraid to show his feelings to them, but it didn’t matter to him if he gained their approval or not. As Kelli sat there watching Jake improvise a meal from whatever he could find in the galley, she couldn’t help but take note of his capable hands and athletic body. He moved with an almost animal-like litheness on his feet, his sinewy muscles suggesting untapped power.
Jake set half a baguette of Boudin sourdough French bread on a breadboard and cut it into thick slices with a knife, then tossed the bread onto a big oval plate. He added various items he found in the fridge, two kinds of cheese slices and a handful of olives, some cherry tomatoes, and several strawberries. Lastly, he took some cooked prawns out of the freezer and ran them under water to thaw them out. He squeezed some lemon juice onto the prawns and poured cocktail sauce into a small dish for dipping.
“That all looks yummy,” Kelli said.
Jake avoided saying that she looked yummy too. He assumed that a model like her had heard every dumb line in the book from men who just wanted one thing, and he was not going to join that crowd of lame pick-up artists.
“Picnic foods go great with champagne,” Jake said. “Everything does, we can just snack on these appetizers along with the bubbly and have a relaxing meal.”
“Relaxing is exactly what I need right now,” Kelli said, and she arched her back to relax her tight muscles.
Jake took the plate of food and the bottle of champagne over to the couch area in the lounge and set it on the coffee table. He and Kelli both sat down next to each other on the settee. They had a pleasant conversation while they enjoyed the delicious champagne and the simple but satisfying food. Soon, Jake had Kelli laughing at some of his stories, and he could see that she was feeling more relaxed, now that she had sipped her way through a couple of glasses of champagne.
Kelli was sitting on Jake’s left, and she had turned her body to the right on the couch so she was facing him. Her long legs were on display, but Jake never made a move to try and seduce her. He was in no hurry, just living in the moment and enjoying it. Kelli had never met a man like Jake, who was so confident that he didn’t chase after her in an obvious way. That made her see him as a challenge.
Duri
ng a lull in the conversation, Kelli’s eyes softened, and she looked at Jake thoughtfully over the rim of her champagne glass as she took a sip. Then she slipped her bare foot up inside the bottom cuff of Jake’s pant leg and rubbed his shin.
In the parking lot of the Bonita Yacht Harbor, Jake’s ex-fiancée Gwen was sitting in her car and watching the Far Niente yacht through a small pair of opera binoculars that she often used at sporting events.
She could just barely see into one of the boat’s windows, through a narrow spot between two curtains that were not pulled all the way closed. She spied on Jake and Kelli, and she watched them drink champagne and then slow dance to some music. It wasn’t long before they began kissing each other. Now they were making love on the couch. As Gwen watched them, she began talking to herself.
“So you can afford to pay thousands of dollars a month to support a playmate girlfriend,” Gwen said. “You’ve probably been doing this since the day we met. I’m glad I had an affair during that photo shoot in Jamaica, now that I see how you really are, you jerk.”
Gwen took some deep breaths and felt a panic attack coming on. Opening her purse, she took out a 3 x 5 photograph in a frame behind a piece of glass. The photo was of Gwen and Jake in happier times. She also brought out a razor blade and a small folded piece of paper that was about the size of a packet of sugar but was filled with a very different kind of white powder.
She carefully unfolded the square of paper and then tapped out some of the powder onto the glass of the framed photo. She used the razor blade to chop the powder up into a fine dust and form it into two lines. Next, she rolled up a twenty dollar bill into a straw shaped tube and with a practiced habit, she snorted the cocaine up her nose. One line of powder disappeared up the left nostril, and the other line went up the right nostril.
The car stereo was playing a mixed collection of sad breakup songs. As Gwen listened to the lyrics about the suffering and regret of lost love, she began to accept that she’d made a mistake beyond repair when she had wrecked her relationship with Jake. He was gone and out of her life forever. There was nothing Gwen could do to take back the things she’d said and done to him. He might forgive her, but he would never love her again like he once had. And he had truly loved her, so much, she realized that now. Another woman would take her place, and he’d forget all about her. Why had she done all of the awful things to him, what had she been thinking?
“You don’t know how it feels to be me,” Gwen said. “You can’t imagine the pressure I live with, the demand to look perfect every day of my life for the judgmental lynch mob.”
Tears came to her eyes and she slowly moved the razor blade toward her wrist and pressed it against her flesh. One slash across her veins and all of this would be over. That might make Jake feel bad; like he’d made a mistake in leaving her. Maybe it would ruin his life forever. Gwen felt the cold, sharp steel touching the thin veil of skin that was the only thing between her and death. Then she closed her eyes and felt her body shudder as she pressed harder on the blade. Seconds passed, but Gwen took a deep breath and realized she couldn’t go through with it. The thought of the painful sawing across her skin and the resulting spray of warm blood made her feel sick and queasy. She started crying and cursing Jake and that evil tramp Kelli.
Gwen reached into her purse and removed the pistol Jake had given to her for protection. A bullet into the roof of her mouth would end things more quickly and finally. One click of the trigger and it would be done. Jake would find her here in the morning and then he would be very sorry. Her death would haunt him forever.
The irony was that Jake had given her the pistol after a frightening night when a stranger had tailgated her car, trying to run her off the road. She’d called Jake on her phone, afraid for her life. Jake had rushed to find her and then slammed his car into the man’s bumper and sent his car spinning into a ditch. Jake had gone into a rage and beaten the man, saying that if he ever threatened another woman Jake would find him and kill him. After that night, Jake had insisted that she learn to fire a pistol, and carry the weapon with her at all times.
Gwen’s heart ached when she thought of how Jake would never protect her again, never hold her in his strong arms, never listen to her and understand her like no man ever had before. He would never again make her laugh, or sing to her, or make sweet love to her the way only he could. And although there was no way to get him back, it just wasn’t fair that another woman would have him now, especially if it were her bitter rival Kelli.
The pistol felt cool in Gwen’s shaking hand and in a moment of clarity it occurred to her that if she was going to die tonight, then Jake and Kelli should die too. They could all go away together. It made perfect sense to her as her anxiety attack worsened and the drug she’d taken coursed its way through her nervous system. The bitter taste of the cocaine dripping from her nasal passages into the back of her throat was making her gag a little bit. She twisted the cap off of another single-serving bottle of white wine and gulped down the whole thing in one long drink.
“If I can’t have Jake, nobody can have him,” Gwen said, slurring her words as she opened the car door and stepped out on shaking legs.
Gwen walked slowly toward the Far Niente, holding the pistol in her right hand and gritting her teeth as she went. Everything was clear to her now. She would surprise Jake and shoot him first before he could stop her. Next, she would make that slut Kelli get on her knees and beg for her life, and then put a bullet in her pretty face anyway.
This was right, this was good, and it would straighten everything out. Gwen stumbled in a daze down the wooden dock, getting closer and closer to the boat. In a few minutes, everything would be okay, the world would stop spinning, and she could be at peace at last.
Gwen saw some movement near her right side, and a dog appeared out of the dark, like a ghost. It was Jake’s new dog named Cody, the golden haired one. Cody quickly took Gwen’s right hand in his mouth and bit down on it, not hard enough to cause any damage but enough to cause her pain and make her drop the pistol and jump back in fright.
Cody moved forward and stood over the pistol, protecting it with his body, one paw on either side of it. He looked deeply into her eyes and growled low in his throat while showing his sharp teeth. He then began slowly walking toward her, with the hair on the back of his neck standing up in warning. The message was clearly communicated to Gwen in a primal lobe of her brain… If she tried to pick up the pistol, the dog would fight her, but if she backed away, she might be able to leave without injury.
Gwen backpedaled quickly away from Cody, but he followed her closely, growling all the while. One of her feet slipped on a wet board on the dock, and she fell backward on her rear. Cody continued coming toward her, and she felt panic rising in her throat as she got up and ran for her life. She could hear the panting of the dog close behind her, but she made it to her car and got inside and closed the door.
Gwen started her car and drove straight at Cody, trying to run over the beast from hell. Cody quickly moved out of the way, and he stared at her with those unnerving wise eyes that seemed to know what she thought before she did. Gwen drove off into the night cursing and wiping tears from her eyes while she played more sad songs on the car stereo and drank another small bottle of wine. Her driving was erratic, and she crossed the center line on the road several times, almost causing head on collisions with other cars.
“The hell with Jake and his devil dog and that backstabber Kelli,” Gwen said. “Someday they’ll all be sorry, and they’ll pay for this. It’s not over yet.”
On the Far Niente, Kelli and Jake were helping each other forget all about their troubles. They were making love, and as they rocked the boat, Kelli was whispering passionately.
“Tell me I’m beautiful Jake honey,” Kelli said. “Tell me you love me. Say it!”
Jake felt like he was floating somewhere on cloud nine and he was happy to say whatever she wanted to hear.
“Yes… I love you, Kelli,”
Jake said.
Kelli cried out when he said he loved her and then she was on cloud nine along with him. Jake would have told her anything at this point, even the code numbers to his secret Swiss bank account… if only he’d had a secret Swiss bank account. Someday he would have to get one of those.
As the sun set over the Pacific Ocean and stars burst in Jake’s brain, somewhere way deep in the recesses of his mind, a random thought wandered past his consciousness. Jake thought that if the stories were true, this might be just a typical date night for one of the millionaire celebrity men who would cheerfully pay $10,000 a month to be in a relationship with Kelli and make love to her like he was doing right now. Jake thought that even though he was still looking for true love and Ms. Right, he would go along with the flip side of what so many women jokingly said about men. For this evening, he would enjoy the moment with Ms. Here Right Now.
Outside of the yacht, Cody padded quietly along the dock. He had something in his mouth, and when he went on board the stern of the Far Niente, he placed the item off to the right side of the sliding glass door. Gwen’s pistol glinted in the moonlight as it sat there.
Cody could have torn off Gwen’s hand with his teeth, but he’d felt there was something wrong with her, and she was a sick puppy who needed help. He would not hesitate to kill anyone who threatened his Alpha. He would also defend any people he’d been ordered to protect, such as the floral-scented woman who was on the boat at the moment. However, he was an intelligent dog and in this situation he’d made his own decision based on training, instinct and something more, something unexplained.
Cody sat and watched the harbor area as he sniffed the air and listened to the sounds of the night and the ocean. This life by the water was much better than his previous tour of duty in the hot and dangerous desert, far away from the land of his birth. He was glad to be back home in America and to be living with the Alpha named Jake, the man with the dog eyes that looked into his own eyes and understood his thoughts and feelings.
