The Island

by Heather Graham

  She shook her head slowly. “That’s all you’re going to say?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Were you on Calliope Key…looking for a body?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “Then…?”

  “I have to leave when Jake gets here, but I’ll be back.”

  She turned and walked away from him. “Don’t bother. I’ve known Jake a while myself. He’s married to one of my best friends. I think I’ll rely on him for whatever help I need.” And leaving him standing there, she headed upstairs.

  IF BETH HAD BEEN AFRAID of being obvious by having a cop arrive at her door, she needn’t have worried, Keith thought.

  Ashley dropped off Jake, with both kids in the car, in their car seats.

  Keith explained the situation briefly. “And you didn’t make her call in a report?” Jake demanded.

  “Apparently Miss Anderson is your good friend. You talk her into it. I’d love to see you succeed.”

  “I’ll talk to her,” Jake said firmly.

  Keith mentally breathed a sigh of relief. He could safely leave—Jake Dilessio was there. Maybe the man could talk some sense into her.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Keith told him.

  When the door closed and locked behind him, he surveyed the area. He cursed, wondering how the hell the two attackers had disappeared so quickly and completely after assaulting Beth. He was fast, but in the seconds it had taken him to make sure she was all right, they’d disappeared. They’d headed down the block, turned the corner and been gone.

  He knew he needed to get going to keep his appointment with Manny, but the speed with which the attackers had vanished disturbed him. He strode to the corner and looked down the street. There were more row houses. There was an old single-family residence, set back deeply in a large yard. Across the street, there were more houses. They could have taken off through any of the yards, and done so easily in the time it had taken him to bend over and see about Beth.

  He headed for the yard of the house that was set back so deeply and crossed over the grass, his penlight on the ground before him. He traversed the area several times, but it seemed undisturbed. He turned his attention to the houses across the street and made a number of mental notes.

  Then he walked back to his car, got in, and shifted into gear to keep his appointment with Manny Ortega.

  “YOU KNOW WHY WE’RE NOT finding anything?” Lee murmured, sitting at the computer console in the main cabin, his eyes darting from the screen to a book of charts.

  “The damn thing isn’t really there?” Matt asked wearily. He was on the sofa, his head on one of the throw pillows. A feeling of guilt and unease still plagued him. Lee had returned from his evening out with a full report—nothing. He’d gotten to see the clubs of Miami Beach. End of story.

  That had been the time for him to speak up. Tell the truth. I was taken for the ride of my life. Sorry, guys. I can’t believe she used me as if I were a horny high-school kid.

  Lee turned and stared at him, shaking his head. “It’s there. I know it’s there. It’s just broken up so badly that we’re not getting anything. The coral’s probably grown over a lot of the ribs and the hull.”

  “So why aren’t we picking up the cannons?” Matt asked.

  “That I don’t know.”

  Matt felt a greater guilt. Still, he kept silent.

  “Shit,” Lee swore suddenly.

  “What?”

  The television mounted over the doorway to the aft area had been on, the sound muted. Lee reached for the remote and turned up the volume. The news was on. The tragic death of a local charter-boat owner and dive master was being reported.

  “Another one,” Lee said.

  “They didn’t say anything about him being anywhere near Calliope Key,” Matt pointed out.

  “It’s time we get our own asses back out there,” Lee said. He shook his head. “Keith is crazy, thinking he can find out something at that yacht club. We need to be out there. Watching. Shit. Where the damn hell is he, anyway?”

  WHEN KEITH RETURNED, Beth’s house was dark.

  He wasn’t accustomed to even feeling uneasy, so it disturbed him to realize he was feeling something akin to growing panic. He dialed her number, but there was no answer. Where the hell was she—and, worse, where the hell was Jake? When the answering machine came on, he felt like an utter fool, but he started speaking. “Jake, dammit, answer. Beth, pick up. You don’t have to see me or let me in, but pick up. I see your car. I know you’re there, and I’m worried. If you don’t answer, I’m going to get the police out here.”

  She picked up. “Yes?”

  “You are there.”

  “Yes.” The terms “icy” and “distant” wouldn’t begin to describe the tone of her voice.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes. Is there a reason I shouldn’t be? Jake is here, remember.” If anything, her tone grew harder still.

  “You guys didn’t answer the phone,” he said irritably.

  “Jake is in the bathroom, and I’m fine. We don’t need to talk right now. It’s late.”

  “Beth, look, I’m sorry. I told you, I had some things I needed to do, and I knew you’d be all right with Jake there. But…we do need to talk.”

  “I’m not calling the police. And as for you…don’t be sorry. You were around to run them off and now…now I’m with a friend. So don’t be sorry. We all have an agenda, don’t we? I just don’t care to see you or talk about it any more right now.”

  “Beth…” He hesitated. There was nothing he was at liberty to say to her.

  “Beth,” he said, “it was a strange day.”

  “I just want to be alone, all right? Jake is here. I’m fine.”

  She hung up.

  He sat there, his phone in his hand, for several seconds, just registering the fact that she had cut him off so coldly.

  Well, what the hell had he expected?

  It didn’t matter. He was loath to leave. Nothing had been solved. Jake had a job and a family. He couldn’t just turn his life over to keeping tabs on Beth.

  His phone rang. He expected it to be Jake, and he answered quickly.

  “Where the hell are you?”

  It was Lee, and he was aggravated.

  “Busy. What’s up?”

  “The noose is tightening. We really need to move.” Lee was quiet. “They found another diver. The news just came out. We need to get back on the boat.”

  “I know we need to get back out there. I just need a little more time.”

  Lee was silent. “I told you before, we need to focus. There’s the project, and that’s it.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Listen to me, Keith. We’ve got to get back out on the reef.”

  “I’ll be there. I have something to solve first.”

  “Look,” Lee said, sounding seriously pissed, “we need to talk. We have a job to do. You can’t go taking care of the rest of the world. We have to be back on that reef by tomorrow morning.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “Right where we’ve been. Waiting.”

  “I’ll be there soon.”

  “Really soon,” Lee said.

  Keith hung up, contemplating the situation. He hesitated, then dialed Beth’s number again. She had been attacked. And then there was the skull on her desk. That had to mean something, as well.

  Why the hell couldn’t he just find the connection?

  He closed his eyes for a moment. There was money in this, big money. Maybe Mike was right. Money often meant corruption.

  He called the house number, determined to tell her at least some of what was going on, and to hell with the consequences. The machine came on.

  “Beth, I know you’re angry. You have a right to be. But I’m worried about you. Jake can’t stay there forever. Listen. I think that you were followed today, from Nick’s to the club. A couple left right in your wake. That was why I followed you
. A couple, Beth. It might have been Brad and Sandy, in disguise. If they’re the pirates, they’re dangerous.” He paused. “Guilty of murder. Jake has to go home sooner or later. You need to stay with someone.”

  “What’s happening?” she picked up and demanded. “Why did you leave, then, and come back so worried and determined?”

  “I had a meeting, that was all. I said I’d be back. Put Jake on the phone, if you just want to fight with me. Please. Honestly, if I knew what was happening, I’d tell you,” he said bitterly.

  He heard her sound of frustration. “Listen, Beth, I’ll explain everything to you as soon as I can, I promise. For now…please, pack a few things and go with Jake to his place.” He was quiet. “I’m not leaving until I see you go with him.”

  “All right.” She hung up on him.

  He remained where he was, tense, pondering his next move. Then his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and realized she had hit Redial. “Beth?”

  “It’s Jake. She’s coming back to my place.”

  “Thanks.”

  “She still won’t agree to filing a police report. I’ve tried everything but brute force,” Jake told him.

  “Just keep her safe, huh?”

  “You bet,” Jake assured him.

  Keith remained where he was. He expected a long wait, but it was no more than ten minutes before Jake and Beth appeared. She locked the house but didn’t glance his way. Jake gave him a wave as he got into the passenger seat of her car.

  Despite Jake’s presence, Keith followed. He pulled out his phone and dialed when he realized she was going in the direction of Nick’s.

  Lee answered. “I’ll be there in about another ten minutes,” Keith told him. “You can bring the tender and get me at the dock at Nick’s.”

  “Great. Glad you’ve had your entertainment for the night,” Lee said sarcastically.

  Keith hung up.

  He waited in the car while Beth parked at Nick’s, grabbed her overnight bag and headed toward the rear with Jake. Then he followed.

  The place was jumping. It was a Saturday night. Nothing could go wrong with that many people around.

  Please, God, he thought. Let that be the truth.

  He saw Ashley, her youngest child in her arms, making her way through the tables to meet Beth and Jake.

  Once they were all together, Keith circumvented the busy patio and headed out to the pier.

  He heard the motor of the tender soon after. Lee had come. The stare he gave Keith spoke volumes.

  “No involvements,” Lee muttered with disgust. “Yeah, like hell. We came in for information. Not for your entertainment.”

  “Let’s just go,” Keith said.

  “Hell, yeah. Let’s just go. Eye on the prize, pal.”

  Keith swung on him. “Hey, swallow this, pal. Fuck you. The prize has changed.”

  IF NOTHING ELSE, it had probably been the longest, most eventful day of Beth’s life. By the time she reached the privacy of Ashley and Jake’s place, in an ell off the restaurant, she was so keyed up she was ready to scream—and not at all sure of where to start.

  “You lied to me,” she told Ashley.

  “I’m not at liberty—” Ashley began.

  “I’ve already explained that,” Jake said, staring at Beth. “Over and over again.”

  “Oh, come on. You know I would never say anything to anyone else if you told me not to. What the hell is going on here? I can’t imagine that you’ve become buddy-buddy with some kind of criminal, but he keeps denying that he’s a cop.” Beth stared from Ashley to Jake.

  “Shh,” Ashley pleaded. “You’ll wake the kids.”

  She let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to make your lives any harder, but—”

  She broke off, wincing.

  But Amber had been threatened. And Keith’s words on the phone had hit disturbingly close to home. She had noticed the couple herself. She just hadn’t realized they had followed her.

  They had probably been following her all day, before staking out her house. She had to pray they hadn’t waited around to follow her here.

  She stood very still and stared at Jake. “I need someone off duty to keep an eye on my niece,” she said softly. “And I mean now. That’s the only reason I agreed to come here. You two can help me. I need Amber protected.”

  “Amber?”

  She nodded. “Jake, you’ve got cop friends coming out of the woodwork. I can pay, but I want Amber protected. Without Ben knowing. I don’t want him doing anything stupid.” She was angry; her decision was made.

  “Does someone want to explain exactly what’s going on?” Ashley demanded.

  “Beth was attacked,” Jake said.

  Ashley gasped.

  “Threatened is more like it,” Beth said.

  “Keith showed up, they ran off.”

  “And you didn’t call the police?” Ashley asked incredulously.

  Beth groaned.

  “I told her she should have called the police immediately,” Jake said sternly. “So did Keith.”

  “They threatened Amber,” she said. “And I’m not filing a report of any kind. I mean it. I’m not taking any chances. I want you to help me with this.”

  “Keith saw a couple here today, while you two were together today. They followed Beth when she left. I’m willing to bet they’re the same two who are suspected of pirating the missing boats.”

  “Here?” Ashley said. “Beth, do you think it might have been them?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but it’s starting to sound likely. And, oh yeah. I found a skull on my desk today, but the cop I called seemed to think I was a paranoid lunatic, so if you don’t mind, I’m not speaking officially to any more police today. I think that someone got into my office, then followed me. The official cop couldn’t see that. Okay? Wait! I don’t care if it’s not okay. You lied to me, Ashley. You said you didn’t know him.”

  Ashley glanced guiltily at the floor.

  “And if he’s not a cop, what the hell is he?” Beth demanded, still angry.

  “We don’t have the right—” Jake began.

  “Oh, Jake! What do you think Beth is going to do—post it on the Internet?” Ashley demanded impatiently. “He’s not a cop. In fact—”

  “Don’t even try to tell me he’s a scuba instructor,” Beth snapped.

  “Well, actually,” Jake said, “he is.”

  Before Beth could literally scream with aggravation, Ashley spoke, explaining, “He’s with a company that specializes in dive rescues and retrievals, salvage and maritime crimes.”

  Beth stared at her friends, perplexed. “Why couldn’t you tell me that?”

  “Because we don’t know what he’s doing,” Jake said impatiently. Then he hesitated. “They contract their services to the government. He could be working for the feds or the state. When I see him, I don’t ask. Whatever he’s doing this time, it’s important that people don’t know who he is. He often works undercover. So when he doesn’t tell me what he’s doing, I respect his position and don’t ask. I don’t want to jeopardize his work—or his life.”

  Beth stared at him, shaking her head. “Why wouldn’t he tell me? Why wouldn’t he trust me?”

  Jake shook his head. “Beth, when you’re undercover, you tell no one. You pray that you don’t run into the people who know you. And if you do, you pray they keep their mouths shut.”

  “Who on earth would I say anything to?” Beth protested.

  Jake shook his head. “You wouldn’t say anything on purpose, Beth, but what if you accidentally let something slip to Ben? They’ve already threatened Amber.”

  “Get someone out there now, Jake,” Beth demanded hotly, then added a soft “Please.”

  “All right.”

  He went away to arrange it, leaving her with Ashley. Beth still felt angry.

  “You could have said something to me,” she insisted.

  “Beth, the point is, anyone can inadvertently say something. You j
ust learn to keep your mouth shut.”

  “Fine,” Beth said. “Then let’s see what I can tell you. It seems that Sandy and Brad—or whatever their real names are—have been stealing yachts and murdering people. They probably changed their appearances and came here to scout for their next victim. They somehow decided that I had them pegged, probably when they saw me here with you, so they attacked me. They’re out there somewhere, but Keith Henson—if that’s his real name—has decided to go back…somewhere. I hope to find them.”

  “There’s already an APB out across the country for them,” Ashley said.

  “Well, they were here. Right here, on land,” Beth said. “And there was a skull on the island. Keith was in the clearing right after I discovered it. Did he take it? Did he bring it in somewhere? Did it belong to one of the Monocos?”

  Ashley shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  Beth shook her head in disgust. “Great detective I would have made. I figured Eduardo Shea must have had something to do with it…someone who was profiting off the dance studios. Or Amanda. I probably just wanted her to be guilty of something.”

  She fell silent.

  Had Keith Henson been questioning Amanda? Had she misread that whole thing?

  Jake reappeared. “Amber will be fine,” he assured Beth.

  “Jake, I don’t care what it costs. I’ll pay it. You called people you really trust, right?”

  “Beth, I called people I’d trust with my own life, Ashley’s life—my children’s lives,” he assured her. “And they’re friends, doing me favors. You don’t have to worry about it.”

  “Yes, I do,” she said firmly. “But the point is, until…Brad and Sandy are brought in, Amber has to be kept safe.”

  She felt deflated suddenly. She’d been so angry, so frightened. And now she felt as if she were a balloon that had been suddenly popped.

  “Beth, are you all right?” Ashley asked. “You look pale.”

  Beth lifted her hands in a shrug. “At least he isn’t a criminal.”

  “Keith? No, he isn’t a criminal,” Ashley said.

  “Beth, the FBI, the local police, the Coast Guard—everyone is looking for Sandy and Brad. They will be caught,” Jake told her.

  She forced a smile and nodded.