Moving Target

by Melissa Good

  He'd seemed somewhat disappointed, but, she realized, it wasn't so much in her as in the fact that she and Gerry's son would never be getting married to each other. That touched Dar, because Gerry had always treated her like an adopted daughter, and when they'd been at odds over the Navy base she'd really felt it.

  Even more so than with Chuckie.

  Ah well. "So."

  "So." Michelle wrinkled her nose. "Well, frankly, that actually does suck, Dar. Your Kerrison was right. This guy's fake as a perfect nose on South Beach." She tossed the report on the desk. "But I don't get it. You knew about him before this. What's up with that?"

  "You didn't think it was a little odd for him to show up?"

  Michelle shrugged both shoulders and made a face. "Given what we've had here the past week, with the EPA, and Customs, the police, immigration, the Coast Guard...no, frankly. I didn't think it was strange at all, or at least, no stranger than anything else that's gone on here."

  Michelle did have a point there, Dar had to concede. "He showed up at that damn show in Orlando." She paused, considering her words. "I thought he'd picked up on that security seminar I did."

  Michelle snorted in mild amusement.

  Dar got up and paced around the small office, restlessly wishing Kerry would return. "He wanted to buy out some new technology I was working on."

  "What a surprise."

  Dar turned. "He ended up getting someone to sneak inside our office, pretending to be a cleaning person."

  Michelle laughed, covering her eyes. "You're kidding, right?"

  "No." Dar went to the equipment rack and studied the machinery mounted in it. "Tried to put some pressure on us with that, saying it showed lack of security for the government."

  "Doesn't it?"

  "Well, not if there's no government traffic going through the Miami office, no." Dar remarked dryly as she turned and crossed her arms. "Apparently he forgot to do his homework. Anyway, I got him to back off, but the whole thing just didn't make any sense."

  "Still doesn't" Michelle got up and prowled after Dar. "I just can't believe this whole thing's a setup. It's just impossible."

  Dar settled back against the desk and ticked off points on her fingers. "You have four ships," she said. "All of them are wrecks."

  "Yeah, but they're being fixed over." Michelle objected.

  "Only on the surface." Dar leaned forward a little. "Think about it--new carpet, new paint, new wallpaper, but same old engines, same old machinery, same old crappy plumbing."

  "Heard you had a problem with that." Michelle smirked.

  Dar looked at her.

  "Okay." Michelle held up a hand. "I get your point. So, they're only doing cosmetic changes. So what?"

  "So what?" Dar's voice rose in incredulity. "What the hell do you think they're going to do with the damn things when they're finished with the frills? They can't sail them in the US. They don't meet maritime code, much less public health! They've got kettles in the kitchens older than I am!"

  Michelle appeared puzzled. She folded her own arms. "You know that for sure?"

  Dar rolled her eyes.

  "Oh yeah, I forgot. Navy brat," the other woman said. "Okay, well, maybe Quest was going to do that next. Maybe he got funding to do the cosmetics first."

  The door opened and Kerry returned, bearing several bottles. One she handed over to Dar. "Cruickshank is outside, wanting to know where you two are. I kicked her out of the building."

  Dar examined her offering with interest. "Double fudge Yoohoo?"

  "What?" Michelle started forward. "Hey, you shouldn't piss that woman off. You know she's got all our asses on tape and she can...what the hell's wrong with you, Stuart? You lost your mind or the vestiges of common sense you used to have?"

  "Both are intact thanks; but then, I guess we weren't being paid off by them so I have less to lose by being a meanie." Kerry replied evenly.

  Michelle stopped on the way to the door and looked at her. "Who told you that?" She demanded.

  Kerry merely smiled, and took a sip of her soda.

  "It's not a payoff," Michelle told her stiffly. "It's an all access fee."

  Dar started laughing, almost spitting a mouthful of her delightfully chocolate beverage across the room.

  "It is." Michelle insisted. "They wanted twenty four hour access to us, well, they got it. But at a price."

  Kerry patted Dar on the back. "Easy, hon." She was chuckling herself, though. "I guess that explains why we're behind in this whole scheme. We've been chasing her ass away from us from day one."

  "Hey, it's subsidizing the work," Michelle said. "It's going to make my bid pretty damn unbeatable, so you can stop laughing now, wonderkind." She headed for the door again, shaking her head.

  Dar wiped her eyes. "Michelle, you ass. The bid's a fake. What the hell difference does it make what your numbers are? You don't get it. You're not going to get a contract. There is no deal. It's all for television!"

  Michelle paused with her hand on the door latch. "You don't know that."

  "We do, and you know it too. You're not stupid," Kerry said. "C'mon, Michelle. You called me on my common sense. Where's yours?"

  Their erstwhile adversary stood in silence for a bit, her eyes flicking between them as she considered.

  Dar and Kerry waited side by side, sipping their drinks and obvious in the solidarity of their partnership. "How is that?" Kerry inquired, indicating the bottle.

  Dar offered her a taste, tipping the beverage to her lips.

  "Mm." Kerry considered. "Definitely chocolatier than the regular kind."

  "I like it."

  Michelle turned fully and leaned her back against the door. "You know something? You two are obnoxiously goopy."

  "Kiss my ass," Dar replied pleasantly. "At least we don't act like two biddies at a cockfight."

  Even Kerry blinked. "Pithy, sweetheart." She bumped shoulders with Dar. "Very pithy."

  Dar shrugged. "Are we done posturing? You want to work with us to end this without everyone looking like jackasses, or do you want to leave?" she asked Michelle. "Pick one. But make it fast."

  Michelle definitely looked both tempted and very frustrated. It was an odd mixture on her face. "Why in the hell should I trust you?" she suddenly asked. "You could be just looking to screw me over."

  Ah. Good question. Dar took a mouthful of her soda, rolling it around a minute before she swallowed it.

  "After all, wouldn't it be to your advantage to have me suddenly backing out of my deal?" Michelle asked shrewdly. "What if you're the one who's scamming this time, and you've just fed me a lot of BS?"

  Kerry put her drink down and walked over to Michelle. "Sure, we could be doing that," she agreed, stopping just short of the other woman. "I could have made up that email, and we could be lying." She put her hands on her hips. "But you know what, Michelle? We aren't."

  "So you say."

  Kerry tilted her head and gazed down at her, enjoying the experience with a good deal of guilty pleasure. "Think about it. If what we're saying is true, then the only purpose for what Quest did was to make all of us look like fools."

  It was apparent that the notion had occurred to Michelle, and her face twisted into a wry grimace. "That's one interpretation of what might happen," she answered. "However, hypothetically speaking, if this crazy story you came up with were true, what do you intend on doing about it?"

  Gotcha. Kerry smiled at her with a touch of genuine warmth.

  "And why would you want my cooperation?" Michelle added cannily.

  "Because those television people made us the story." Dar interjected from her spot across the room. "So if we're going to get out of this without looking like crap, we've got to do it together."

  Michelle gave her a look of patent disbelief.

  "Trust us," Kerry said, catching her eye and holding it.

  "You've got to be kidding"

  "Trust us," Kerry repeated. "Or we'll both end up screwed and you know it."


  Michelle studied those clear green eyes for a long moment. Then she turned and opened the door. "If I'm not back in ten minutes, I'd start looking for a plan B." She left and closed the door after her without looking back.

  Kerry returned to Dar's side and sat on the desk, kicking her feet out idly. "Do we have a plan B?"

  Dar drained her bottle of Yoohoo. "Ker, we don't even have a plan A yet."

  "Ah."

  "This changes every damn thing."

  "Yeah."

  "Goddamn it."

  Chapter Eight

  THEY WENT OUTSIDE, finding a place in the shade in front of the terminal where a stone bench and table were perched. Dar took a seat on the unevenly slanted bench and rested her elbows on her knees, gazing thoughtfully back at the ship as Kerry joined her.

  For a little while, they just sat there together watching the foot traffic pass in front of them. There was a slight breeze, enough for the heat not to be unbearable, and the soft sound of nearby crickets was almost soothing.

  Kerry shifted a little, bringing her shoulder into contact with Dar's. She propped her chin up on her fists and rocked back and forth, swaying them both.

  Dar turned her head, and then leaned over and gave Kerry a kiss on the top of her shoulder.

  Kerry smiled, and rested her head against Dar's.

  "Did you hear from Dad?" Dar asked, after a few more quiet minutes.

  "Not yet, no," Kerry replied. "But it was kind of a bizarre request, so maybe he can't find anyone."

  "Maybe," Dar agreed. "Should we call him and tell him to stop looking?"

  Kerry was quiet for a few breaths. "Well, I guess," she said. "There really is no point in doing this anymore. Is there? Can we just...go home? What are we going to do, Dar?"

  Dar stuck her lower lip out, and scrunched her face into a wry expression. "That's what I've been sitting here trying to figure out."

  "Hm. Yeah, me too."

  "I just have really no idea how to turn this around. What the hell are we going to do?" Dar asked. "Do we just call Quest over and say forget it? Call the press? Call the Marines? How do we get out of this without looking like total idiots?"

  Kerry watched a snail make its leisurely way across the concrete between her boots. "Well, we could play along with it."

  "Bah."

  "Yeah, my feelings too, but you did ask," Kerry said. "I mean, if we did play along, and we got all our stuff done and all that, what's the worst that could happen? The television show would just show us doing what we do."

  "Mmph." Dar grunted.

  Kerry waited, but the look of stubborn disagreement didn't fade from Dar's face. She exhaled, understanding the emotion behind it. "Okay, so, what does blowing them out of the water get us?"

  "Immense personal satisfaction," Dar replied in a decisive tone.

  Kerry sighed. "Aside from that."

  Dar was quiet for a minute, then shifted. "It lets us turn the tables and not let it be seen that they pulled one over on us completely," she said. "Think about it, Ker. Here they all are, laughing their asses off at us behind our backs."

  "Hm."

  "So, does it look better for us to have them figured out, and play them in the end rather than be the ones who have to stand there like jackasses when they decide to reveal themselves?" Dar asked. "I think I'd feel a lot better about how this comes out, regardless of how it comes out, if I can salvage at least a little of my dignity."

  Dar was right. Kerry could feel it, and she found herself nodding in agreement even before her partner stopped talking. "Okay, so where do we start?" she asked. "I don't think we should just come out and tell them we're on to them. Or should we?"

  From a personal standpoint, Dar liked that idea. It meant the entire ordeal would be effectively over, and they could just go home. She really wanted that to happen, because frankly, the project was seriously getting on her nerves.

  Unfortunately, Kerry did have a point, and she didn't think just blowing them out of the water was a good strategic idea either. Also, it didn't really satisfy her need for some revenge on Mr. Quest and his personal circus.

  Ah well. "No, I don't think we should just spill their little story," Dar said. "Let's think about it a minute. What's the purpose for what they did? To get a good piece of television, right?"

  Kerry shrugged. "I suppose, though a show about a bunch of geeks running wire-- gotta wonder what demographic that's aimed at, hon."

  "Eh." Dar looked around. "Miami, sun, fun, bare-chested sailors, lesbians...probably be a hit," she remarked in a droll tone. "But the point is they're hoping to get a fight to the finish, right? All of us going full out until midnight--maybe even a couple more cat fights along the way."

  "Probably."

  "So what if we all just cooperate and work together instead? Help each other to finish, so that everyone ends in a tie?"

  Kerry looked at her. "Sweetheart, you know I love you with all my heart, but do you think you can really get all these people to do that?"

  Dar shrugged. "I dunno. Haven't tried yet."

  "Yeesh." Kerry rested her head against Dar's shoulder again. "Well, I guess we can give it a try, but if Michelle blows us off, that kind of blows that up, right?"

  "Right. However..." Dar nudged her.

  Kerry looked up and saw Michelle and Shari headed in their direction. "You think they're going to cooperate with us?"

  Dar studied the approaching women. "Possibly." She got up and ran her hands through her hair, then let them fall to rest on her hips as she waited for their adversaries to arrive.

  Kerry got up and came to her side, but her cell phone rang as she did so. She opened it, and glanced at the caller ID. "It's Dad." She murmured, before she answered it. "Hi Dad."

  "Hello there, kumquat," Andrew answered. "You all doing all right?"

  Kerry eyed the oncoming devilishly dykish duo. "Oh, fine, Dad...you? Have any luck?"

  "Ah do believe I might have." Andrew sounded pleased with himself. "Got me a feller used to hang around on subs with me and he's willing to poke an eyeball at that damn thing."

  "Great," Kerry said. "Are you coming over here?"

  "Yeap, that we are. You by that concrete pillbox of yours?"

  Kerry chuckled. "We're here. See you in a bit." She closed the phone hastily and cleared her throat, wondering what would be left on the steps when he got there.

  Left of Shari, of course.

  "Well?" Dar asked, as Michelle and Shari stopped in front of them.

  She noted Shari's skeptical expression, but realized suddenly that other than that, the sight of her old lover no longer held the slightest emotional charge for her.

  It was an interesting revelation, given the circumstances. It was seldom that Dar actually got to experience a moment of personal growth when it happened, but she was actually glad she'd gotten a chance this time.

  "Michelle's convinced this bullshit story of yours is true," Shari said, bluntly. "I think she's nuts, and I think you're a fucking liar." Like Michelle, she'd given up on business formal, but she'd opted for a canvas colored outfit that didn't show the dust quite as much.

  "And you're here because?" Dar inquired.

  "If you think I'm going to let you rob us of this bid, you're dead wrong, Dar." Shari warned. "I don't know what your game is this time, but I'm going to sink you, no matter what it is." She advanced and stuck a finger out pointing it at Dar's chest. "You are not going to bullshit me or intimidate her. Got me!"

  Dar waited for the shouting to fade. She cocked her head to one side. "And you're here because?" She repeated mildly, allowing a hint of a smile to cross her lips.

  Kerry folded her arms to prevent the temptation to whack Shari.

  "You're not listening to me." Shari took a step closer and this time, poked her finger right into Dar's chest.

  "You're not saying anything intelligible." Dar replied. "But if you don't want to end up in Jackson, take that finger back."

  Michelle sighed.

&nb
sp; "You don't scare me." Shari scoffed, leaving her hand where it was.

  "That's your problem." Dar reached up and fastened her fingers around Shari's wrist. "I should scare you." She tightened down suddenly, the tendons on her arm jumping.

  "Jesus." Michelle started forward, only to have Kerry put a hand out and stop her.

  Shari tried to pull her hand back, but found it wouldn't budge. The skin on it was starting to turn red, and as Dar's grip clenched down further, the veins popped out on it.

  "Let me the fuck go." Shari yanked her arm back. It got her nowhere, but off balance. Dar's body didn't even quiver--her half extended arm stayed still as iron, the curve of her biceps very visible under her tanned skin.

  Now Dar stepped closer and pinned her with both icy eyes. "Now you listen to me," she growled softly. "You want to cut the crap? Fine. Cut the crap, Shari. Either you want to cooperate with me, or you don't. If you don't, get out of here. If you do, then shut up, and just start being a part of the solution instead of a windbag excuse for a person." She released Shari's arm and stepped back, and then waited. "Choose. Now."

  Kerry let her hand drop as she also waited. There was nothing she could add to the situation, no words of wisdom that could help, or in fact, any words at all that could do anything productive--though she could come up with some that would probably degrade the confrontation to a fistfight.

  She really wanted it to become a fistfight. She really wanted to punch Shari, and wipe that obnoxious look right off her face. It shocked her a little.

  Shari stared at her hand that was still an angry red with vivid marks where Dar's fingers had been. She looked back up at Dar's face, which was still and watchful and as serious as a heart attack.

  "Just think." Kerry found herself speaking up anyway. "If what we're saying is right, and you cooperate with us, we all end up winning. If you don't..." She shrugged a little. "We'll win anyway."

  Shari really looked like she was sucking a lemon. "What if you're lying?" She addressed Kerry, no longer looking at Dar at all. "How in the hell can I be sure you're not just taking us for a ride?"