Beth wondered if he blamed her for involving the club. It didn’t seem, however, that he ever realized it had anything to do with her. There were so many exceptional yachts berthed there that he seemed to think that was what made them a potential target.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. She made calls to confirm arrangements for the Summer Sizzler, contacting delivery services and the florist, and talked to the chef and the staff. She called Eduardo Shea’s office, and he assured her that he had not forgotten, and told her that he would be in with Mauricio and Maria later during the week.
That afternoon a police tech came to inspect her computer. She went down to the cafeteria to allow him time to work on his own. The club was strangely quiet. There was no sign of any of the Masons.
The tech was a nice guy, encouraging in his expertise. He was convinced no one had hacked her computer from the outside. The sabotage had been performed right in her office.
Chilling information. Whoever had given her the warning had been at her desk, in her chair.
She left early to pick up Amber. The policeman followed them home. She waved goodbye a few minutes later, after he had inspected the house and she had locked the door behind him.
She spent the evening practicing scenes with Amber.
That night Ben kept his distance, and she found herself growing angrier with her brother. None of this was her fault, though he was behaving as if it were.
Tuesday was more or less a repeat of Monday. She felt the growing strain of the situation.
Wednesday was better. When she went down to lunch, she was startled to run into Eduardo Shea in the dining room.
“Mr. Shea,” she said happily. “You’re here.”
“Miss Anderson, your party is this Friday night. I told you I would see you here.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Ah, there’s Mauricio.”
A handsome young man with dark hair and arresting green eyes approached, and Eduardo introduced him to Beth. A few minutes later Maria Lopez arrived in a stunning gown. Short, sequined, it fit her to a T.
“Where will the performance be held?” Eduardo asked.
“There will be a dance floor on the patio. It’s being delivered Friday morning,” Beth told them.
“That’s not good,” Eduardo said.
“Oh?”
“They should have more time to practice their number on the actual site,” Eduardo said.
“Oh,” Beth murmured. “I’m…I don’t think we can close off the area until then,” she told them unhappily.
“It will be fine, Eduardo,” Maria said. She smiled at Beth. “But for now, where may we rehearse?”
“The meeting room,” Beth suggested. It was actually part of the dining room, but it could be closed off for committee luncheons and was sometimes rented out to corporations for special functions.
It also had a hardwood floor.
Eduardo wasn’t pleased, but he seemed resigned. Disdainful, but resigned.
Beth managed to get Eduardo to allow her to attend the rehearsal. At first she simply watched the two dances in wonder. It seemed unbelievable that anyone could move their hips as fast as Maria did. On the dance floor, she was ageless. Her face glowed; her elegance was visible in every movement.
“Incredible,” Beth murmured.
“Come on. I’ll teach you,” Eduardo said.
“Oh, no, no,” Beth protested.
But she found herself standing up with him anyway. “It’s all in the timing,” he told her. The music was playing again. Mauricio came up to partner her under Eduardo’s direction, while Maria stepped behind her to show her how to move her hips. She grew flushed and happy as she began to get the timing, so involved that, to her amazement, she forgot the current circumstances of her life.
Forgot that she had first thought of this because she’d wanted to meet Eduardo Shea, suspecting that he might somehow have been involved in the Monocos’ disappearance. To her absolute amazement, she was having fun.
Until Amanda Mason arrived.
Amanda greeted Eduardo with enthusiasm, kissed Mauricio, and did the continental kiss-on-both-cheeks thing with Maria Lopez. At that point Beth excused herself and returned to her office. She was startled when she reached her door to turn around and discover that she had been followed.
By Amanda.
The woman stood there, chin high, hands on her hips—looking much taller than her actual stature—staring at Beth belligerently. “Why do you do that to me all the time?” Amanda demanded.
“Why do I do what?” Beth demanded.
“I walk into a room, and you leave.”
Beth stared at her, stunned. Then she replied honestly, “Let’s see. Maybe because you treat me as if I were a servant or a lesser being of some kind?”
“I do not,” Amanda protested.
“You do, too.”
“If I do, it’s only because of the way you act toward me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Let’s see. You don’t do anything overt. That nose of yours just goes in the air a little, and you look at me as if I were…the trash of the century.”
Beth could barely believe the conversation.
“Amanda—” She broke off, shaking her head, not at all sure what to say. “Maybe it’s the way you behave.”
“And that would be…?”
“I don’t know! As if the world was your toy, as if men were there for your amusement, whether they’re married, engaged or…taken.”
“You’re jealous.”
“No, Amanda, I’m not jealous.”
She expected anger, some kind of scathing retort. But Amanda just stared at her. “Am I that bad, really?”
Beth sighed. “I don’t know, Amanda. Maybe it’s me, too. I don’t know.”
She didn’t know what she expected then. Certainly not the frown that furrowed Amanda’s brow. “I…I’ll try to be…” She paused, looking for a word. “Better.”
Then she walked down the hallway, and Beth went into her office and sat down, stunned.
KEITH WAITED IN THE Palm Beach deli. At ten o’clock, Laurie Green walked in, just as she had promised. She saw him at the table, and a smile lit her face. “Keith!”
She rushed over and hugged him fiercely. He hugged her back, then disentangled himself carefully. She had lost her parents when the plane had gone down, and she herself had nearly perished in the muck soup of the Everglades. She had experienced agony and grief, but from the beginning, she had been grateful for her own life. Once on the verge of death, her sandy skin and light hair spoke of her health and well-being.
Slightly embarrassed by her show of emotion, he managed to get her seated opposite him. “So everything’s going okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “I graduate from Nova University next spring.”
“That’s great. I’m delighted to hear it.”
She waved her left hand in front of him, showing him the diamond on her finger. “And I’m getting married in the fall.”
“That’s absolutely wonderful,” he said sincerely.
Then she smiled. “That’s not why you called me.”
“No.”
“What’s up? You know that I’ll help you any way I can.”
“I know that, and thanks…. Do you know if your folks were friends with a couple named Ted and Molly Monoco?”
The smiled left her face. “Have they been found?” she asked.
He shook his head. “So it’s true, they were friends of your folks?”
She nodded. “I didn’t know them that well. My parents decided to take dance lessons for some event they were going to. Ted owned the studio they went to, and they got friendly. They were nice. Are nice. I hope. I don’t know what to think.”
Keith nodded. “Did you ever meet a man named Manny Ortega?”
“Oh!” she exclaimed, her cheeks reddening. “I gave him your number. I told him I’d gotten it a long time ago, that it might not be good. Did
I do something wrong? I’d forgotten all about it.”
“No, no, it’s fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. So you know Manny?”
“Yes, he was a friend of the Monocos. I went to a couple of dance parties with my parents, and he was there, playing with the band. I was sticking out like a sore thumb, and he was nice to me. I can’t say that I’ve seen him in…well, in years. But when he called me, saying that Ted hadn’t called in and he’d mentioned something about your name, well…I’m sorry. I didn’t hesitate to give him the number.”
“It’s fine. I just had to make sure,” Keith told her. “So tell me about this guy you’re about to marry.”
He had a firm destination in mind once he left Laurie, and with a two-hour plus—depending on traffic—drive ahead of him, he pulled out his cell phone and put a call through to Mike. “Manny’s information checked out,” he told his boss.
“Any more finds?”
“Not as of the time I left this morning,” Keith told him. “I’m heading down to the Keys. Look, we’re searching, doing the best we can with what we have. You need to haul out the big equipment for this one, Mike.”
“You need to hang in there. They’ll catch that couple soon. They’re watching the roads, the airports, train stations…and boats.”
“You know how big the damn coastline is, Mike?” Keith asked.
“Yes, I’m aware of the length of the coastline.”
“I don’t think that catching them is going to solve the entire problem,” Keith said.
“It needs to happen.”
“Yes, but, Mike, they can’t be pulling this off alone.”
“You don’t think they’ll squeal once they’re caught?”
“Maybe, maybe not. Mike, you need to get the right people following the financial trail. Someone in the area is making the arrangements to take the yachts, and refurbish and camouflage them.”
“We’ve been looking into every boat shop in south Florida.”
“Start looking at people.”
“Want to give me names?”
He did.
“What makes you certain any one of these people is involved?”
“Because I believe there was a skull on the island when we arrived. And I believe that someone who was there that weekend managed to remove it.”
Mike was silent for a moment then he said, “You know, we’re not really trying to catch pirates,” he reminded Keith. “There are other people who do that. Our job is to find La Doña.”
“I swear it’s involved somehow.”
“You know you gave me the names of your co-workers, right?” Mike asked casually.
“Hey, you’re the one who said you don’t trust anyone,” Keith said. “I don’t have the resources to find out who’s invested where. You do.”
“I’m not an idiot, Keith. I’ve already spoken to the FBI. They’ve been working on the money angle. Thing is, people don’t usually write down their ill-gotten gains on their tax returns.”
“There’s got to be a connection to some kind of boat shop somewhere.”
“They’re on it, Keith. What’s your plan now?”
“First, can you get me a list of students and investors in the old Monoco dance studios?”
“Yes.”
“I’m heading to the Keys. Islamorada. I’m going to hang around a few bars, see who knew Victor Thompson, try to find out what he was doing.”
“The police have questioned at least fifty people.”
“The police can’t go down and hang out at a bar as well as I can,” Keith said with a little smile.
A moment later he hung up. He hesitated, played with the thought of trying to reach Beth, then discarded the notion. She would just hang up on him, if he was even able to reach her. Of course, if she said hello and answered her phone, he would at least know she was all right. Still, he decided to call Ashley at work instead. She assured him that everything was all right: Amber was in school, Beth was well. There had been no more incidents. “Will we see you soon?” she asked.
“Of course. No news on Sandy and Brad?”
“Not yet.”
“You’re sure Beth is fine?”
“Yes, there’s an officer on duty at the club. He calls in on the hour.”
He thanked her and hung up.
MARIA LOPEZ WALKED INTO THE empty dance studio and looked around. A feeling of deep and poignant nostalgia swept through her.
She remembered the old days so clearly.
She could still outdo many a younger dancer, but the truth was, her glory days were over. No matter how hard they fought it, people got older.
Ted hadn’t cared. He had wanted nothing more than retirement. He had always told her to cherish her accomplishments and enjoy life. She did enjoy life. But she had given up so much. Love, a real relationship. She had been too busy when she had been young, too eager to compete. Too determined to hold on to her title—until she had known it was time to bow out, rather than lose. Now she had no children to fill her life. She had traveled, of course. And then she had come back to see Manny at the club. And Manny…
Manny would not shut up about Ted and Molly.
She frowned, thinking she heard a loud voice from the office, and spun around.
Curious, Maria walked in that direction. The staff was gone. Not even the young receptionist was manning her station.
She moved closer to the office door.
And she listened, her eyes widening.
She had wanted to speak with Eduardo about the Summer Sizzler.
No more. She swallowed hard. At first she was afraid. Then she thought again of Ted and Molly and their kindnesses to her through the years, and she grew angry.
IN ANOTHER HOUR, Keith had reached Islamorada. He found the marina where Victor Thompson had kept his boat and run his charters.
The guy had clearly been well liked. At the spot where his boat should have been berthed, there was a cross, and flowers covered the pier and floated in the water nearby. He was standing there when a man walked up to him. “Friend of Victor’s?” he asked.
“Fellow diver, paying my respects,” Keith told him. “You were a friend?”
The man was in his late fifties, with a full head of silvergray hair. Well built and bronzed, he was covered with tattoos and sported a gold skeleton for an earring. “I taught him to dive. I never taught him to go off alone, though,” he said sadly.
“Doesn’t make a lot of sense, an experienced diver like Victor,” Keith said. “Where was he diving when it happened?”
“I didn’t see him the morning he took off, so it’s a mystery to me,” the man said. He pointed toward a building near the docks, with a Keys-style thatched roof and an outside bar. “As far as I know, he didn’t say anything to anyone. But we all hang out up there, at La Isla Bar-A. Some of us are up there now, drinking to Vic. Come join us, buy a round. Man, it’s a sorry thing. I just don’t understand how we lost Vic. It’s a tragedy, and a waste, and I’m angry, I guess.” He shook his head.
Keith thanked him for the information and headed for the bar. “I’ll be up in a minute,” the older man told him. “Name’s John, John Elmer. You can buy me a drink, too.”
“Sure.”
The bar was typical of the area, with lots of tall stools and hardwood tables, chairs and benches. It had the neighborhood feel of Nick’s. The woman behind the bar was attractive, but no kid. She was busy, but she handled the load with ease. He decided that the big group at the far end of the bar had to be Victor Thompson’s friends. He didn’t horn in on them immediately but sat a short distance away. When the woman came to take his order, he asked for a beer, then asked her about the group. “If those are Victor Thompson’s friends, I’d like to buy them a drink.”
“Sure. You knew Victor, huh?” she said. “So many people cared. He was a great guy. So sad…”
He saw the group at the end of the bar looking up after the drinks had been ordered. One of them
lifted his newly delivered beer and called out to Keith, “Hey, thanks. Join us?”
Keith rose, taking his beer with him. He offered his hand around, and met Joe, Shelley, Jose, Bill, Junior and Melanie. “Good guy, absolute waste,” the one named Joe, who had summoned him over, told Keith.
“A real friendly guy. Never met a stranger. That’s why we’re all here right now,” Melanie explained.
“He always said he didn’t want a wake, people in black crying over his shell,” Jose said.
“Yeah, Vic wanted a party,” Joe said. “People remembering the good times, laughing. We’re supposed to cremate him, take him out to the reefs he loved.”
“Sounds like a fitting way to handle the end,” Keith agreed. “Still…” He shook his head. “Funny thing. How could he know the reefs so well, and…”
“We can’t figure it out, either,” Shelley said, looking morose despite the fact that she was supposed to be partying. Keith’s heart took a little plunge. The woman had obviously cried her eyes out.
He got them talking about Victor’s destination the day he had died. But they were at a loss, as well. “As far as I know, the day before, he had talked about looking at some new places to take people,” Joe said. “But no destination in particular that I know of.”
“He wanted to get into a day-and-night thing. Like camping somewhere,” Melanie offered. “The Middle Keys are filled with great places.”
“Yeah,” Keith agreed, thinking Calliope Key might be a great place, too.
“I think he headed south, but I don’t really know,” Joe said.
“Hey, remember the time he knocked the whole motor off John’s dinghy?” Melanie said, and giggled.
“Yeah, and remember the time he fell in love with the Cuban girl in Miami and we all had to take dance lessons?” Bill said, snickering. “Man, did we suck.”
“Victor took classes in Miami?” Keith said.
“We all did—he didn’t want it to look as if he was chasing the girl,” Melanie told him. “And speak for yourself. I was good,” she told Bill.
“Where did you guys go?” Keith asked.
“Someplace on the beach,” Bill answered. “It was changing hands when we were there…oh, man, I’m losing brain cells or something. Wait. Monoco. The Monoco Studios. They went missing, didn’t they?”
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