by Jean James
“Of course. After seeing that picture I felt pretty sure you were mixed up in this.”
“By the looks of your face, I think she’s paid you back,” Rob said drolly.
****
The next morning Katherine stopped to see Iris, knowing it would probably be her last chance for a while. Rob hadn’t called yet, but she guessed he made a visit to the Captain’s Cabin during the night. She hoped he found something.
“Make sure ya get back early, ya hear? It may storm this afternoon,” Iris cautioned with concern in her voice.
“If it gets bad while I’m there, I’ll stay in Marco. I may get tied up in some other business, later. If you don’t see me in church tonight, don’t worry.”
Katherine gazed out Iris’s window. She couldn’t tell her what was actually going on. She couldn’t tell her that she might be somewhere far away by evening—waiting for an unpleasant trial where she would have to face people like Lloyd and Buzzy and Mr. Pinkston. And yes, she would probably have to face Johnny again, too. She shivered. Could she truly feel safe when this was over? How could they make certain they caught everyone? She tried to shake off her fears and remind herself that she was helping to stop terrible crimes. That is enough. God, give me strength to see this through.
She brought her attention back to Iris, ready to apologize for drifting off, but found Iris as far away as she had been. Iris stared at her seashell cupboard and seemed deep in thought—or memories. When they finally parted a short time later, Iris took her hand and squeezed it with more anxiety in her voice than usual.
“Be real careful, ya hear? Be careful out there. I’ll pray for your safety.”
Her trip to Marco went well, and Katherine arrived back at the boat slip ahead of the bad weather. In a couple of hours, she would meet Lee at a restaurant and receive an update on everything. Satisfied that she had plenty of time, she thoroughly cleaned her already clean boat. Tomorrow it might be in someone else’s care for a while, and she didn’t want to feel ashamed of her housekeeping.
When she finished that task to her satisfaction, she gave her attention to fixing herself up for the meeting with Lee. She was all too aware that this might be the last time she ever went out with Lee. He might show no more interest in her when the arrests and trials culminated.
Time to go the limit.
She pulled out her favorite and most expensive dress, the one she had saved for something special. Now that time had come. The shimmering creation would have been the plainest of white sundresses, except for the exquisite cloth. It wasn’t exactly white, but more opalescent. Its sheen seemed to come from the phosphorescence that shined out of the Gulf at night, and she had found high-heeled sandals that exactly matched.
She quickly stepped into the dress. With drop-earrings of single pearls, and another pearl in the hollow of her neck, she felt satisfied that the image in her mirror would pass the grade. The dress added a new dimension of green to her eyes while her hair flowed gently about her bare shoulders. And she was to meet him at a fast-food restaurant! She laughed at the absurdity. I can’t believe I’ve saved this outfit for a fast-food place.
Lee waited at the restaurant door and looked exceptionally well—as if he might also have dressed especially for the occasion. He wore the gray suit she remembered from Chicago, and his hair blew out in the same way it did that day. His usually dark face looked pale and weary. When he saw her, his eyes flashed their approval. At length he shook his head as if to throw off a vision. “Let’s go somewhere else. I can’t take you to dinner here.”
“This is fine—and safe. Let’s hurry in. It’s starting to rain, and I’m blowing away.”
“OK, but see if you can find a semiprivate table. By the way, what does a lady dressed like that eat in a place like this?”
“Whatever you order will do nicely.”
They both kept their voices low while they ate.
“The Captain’s Cabin was the place. They kept more information there than Rob had expected. Rob had a search warrant, but managed to get in and out without discovery, so no one there has a hint about what will take place shortly. The FBI will confiscate everything in the safe and make arrests at the same time. Our only orders are to act ordinary for a short while longer. When we leave here, we just wait.”
“Lee, today on my boat trip I remembered something else that I never mentioned. I don’t know if it means anything or not, but on a couple of trips to Marco it seemed that someone might have boarded my boat while I toured the condos. It even seemed like someone might have run it. I found water, and ashes, which had no reason for being there, and on two occasions my gas gauge read incorrectly. I saved the ashes in an envelope. They’re in my cabin now. I had totally forgotten them while collecting all the other information.”
“Do you remember which trips?”
“Yes. Both times Johnny came. The dates are in my logbook. The second trip was the day you followed me in the rain.”
“Let’s go back to your boat, and you can show me where you found the ashes.”
By the time they arrived at the Miss Iris, a stiff wind almost knocked her over and the rain came down furiously.
“I found the ashes here around the hatch cover, and I smelled pipe or cigar smoke in the hold below. Nothing else looked amiss, and I’ve never noticed any odor of smoke since that day. Wait and I’ll get you the ashes.”
“Yes, go ahead. Rob will probably want them. I’m going to examine below for a minute.” he kneeled to lift the cover.
“Lee, come here. Someone entered my cabin while I was gone. The pillows are—d-different. The covers aren’t smooth and that drawer isn’t closed tight.”
“Your lock looked all right, didn’t it? Does anyone else have a key?”
“Only me.”
“Check and see if anything is missing. Take your time. Don’t overlook anything.”
Katherine looked in the drawer where she kept the envelope of ashes and found it there. She handed it to Lee and went through her other belongings. “It looks like everything is here, but I know for sure someone broke in because I cleaned everything perfectly before I met you for dinner.”
“I’m supposed to meet Rob now. I don’t think you should stay here.”
He tried to reach Rob, but the line was busy.
“Lee, the intruder didn’t find anything. I should be safe here. Go ahead, or you’ll be late. Tonight’s the night, isn’t it?”
Lee looked embarrassed.
“Go on. I can reach you on your cell phone, can’t I?”
“It’ll be with me everywhere. I’ll call you in a little while, and I’ll be back when we’re finished. Keep your door barred. Do you want a gun?”
“How about a two-by-four?”
He grinned.
“Goodbye.” She shoved him out of the cabin.
It was dark and the storm had grown fierce. The rain lashed against the metal roof of the boat dock. She went over everything that had happened. She needed it clearly in her mind if she must recount it before a judge and possibly a jury. I’ll have to identify these criminals and testify against them. What an unpleasant job, she thought as she pulled out the drawer where she kept the bank clipping.
She wanted to see Ray Pinkston’s face again and imagine what it would be like to face him in court. Nervously she went through the drawer twice, but found no clipping. She had seen it only a few hours ago when she cleaned. She had taken the time to refold it and put it on the bottom of the other papers. It hadn’t seemed important at the time, but now it was gone.
18
Goose bumps traveled up and down her spine as she dialed Lee’s number. Now someone knows that I know. The thought kept blinking off and on in her mind like a caution light. It must have been Johnny. He’s the one who’s been watching me, who tried to run over me. If he’s seen that clipping, then….
“Hello,” came Lee’s anxious voice.
“Lee, I found something missing.”
“What?”
“The picture. The newspaper clipping with the bank picture.”
There was silence for a second, and she waited tensely.
“Are you absolutely sure?” It was Rob’s voice this time.
“Absolutely. I had it in my hands a few hours ago. I remember when I put it away. It’s definitely gone.”
“Listen to me carefully, Katherine. Go straight to your car and drive to some busy public place, or go to the police department. Keep your phone with you. Don’t let your anxiety show and don’t tell anyone anything. Sit tight and wait for my call. Go immediately, understand?”
“Y-yes, g-goodbye.” Katherine tried to gulp down her fear.
With her cell phone in her small bag, she locked the cabin door. It was extremely dark outside. At first, she thought the storm had caused that intense darkness, but soon realized the light at her section of dock wasn’t on. She looked at the spot where the light should have gleamed and could just make out the broken piece of glass cover that hung below it. It blew noisily back and forth as the violent gusts of wind had their way with it.
When she stepped lightly onto the dock beside her boat slip, she saw the shadowy outline of someone near her car—a man, a large man, big enough to be Johnny! She couldn’t go back at that point because he obviously had a key to her cabin. There was no one around to help, and he stood between her and her car.
Rather than climb the short wooden stairway to the parking area, she turned down the main dock and walked as if nothing was unusual, as if she only intended to visit someone on another boat—except there was no one to visit. She studied possibilities. The slips ahead of her held a few medium sized boats followed by a larger one. On the other side of that large boat, a short section of dock ran at right angles to the main dock.
She felt the vibration as the man jumped down onto the wooden planks somewhere behind her. Her only chance lay in taking advantage of the darkness and storm. She quickened her steps until she passed the large boat, then ducked low and turned up the adjacent section of dock where, for a split second, the height of the boat hid her from his view. When that second arrived, she slid her purse strap over her head and lowered herself into the black oily water beside the boat.
Silently she worked her way to the bow of the boat where the water was rougher. She let her shoes drop off, and with only her head out of water, she moved on towards the next boat.
She couldn’t see the man, but she heard his leap onto the large boat. Even the din of the storm didn’t cover the loud thump of his landing. She instantly ducked under the closest section of dock, risked a hurried look, and ascertained it was Johnny. By his manner, she could tell that this Johnny had thrown aside all caution. The charade had ended. It had become an out and out chase.
She struggled to put distance between them and headed back in the direction of her own boat. When she reached the Miss Iris, she felt tempted by the slight security it offered, but quickly thought better of it. She reached her arm over its side, dropped her purse into an empty bait bucket, and moved out into deeper water.
From her new location, she watched Johnny run down the ramp beside the large boat. She had to fight off the panic that welled up inside. At least he hadn’t located her yet, and now she was unencumbered by shoes or purse.
It seemed that her best opportunity for escape lay in crossing the narrow canal in front of her boat slip. With the rough water and heavily sheeting rain, she would be almost invisible as long as she stayed low in the water. A weedy piece of vacant land lay directly across the way. If she could reach it, she might be able to crawl across it to safety.
She struggled out to the midway mark where stronger current and choppier water pulled and tossed her about like a fleck of sea foam. With Johnny so close, she didn’t dare swim naturally, but it was difficult to make much forward progress as she dog-paddled and treaded water. In due course, she reached the other side, but further down than she intended.
On hands and knees, she ascended the bank at a section of missing seawall. Flattened tightly against the ground, she started to slither across the field of wet sand and sandspurs. During the slow painful travel, her clothes and flesh picked up every available sandspur. When she lifted her head to look around, she saw another man not far ahead of her.
This man had a flashlight. He shined it on the water and the boat docks and obviously was working with Johnny. He cut off her escape route in that direction, but he hadn’t seen her, yet.
The slashing rain was her salvation. On a clear night the scanty growth would never have hidden her. Katherine started the tedious slither back to the water’s edge, not daring to look again. She held her breath as she crawled down the exposed bank and lowered herself into the black depths. The water greeted her like an old friend, and she was loath to leave it again. Almost totally submerged, she rested and pulled a few of the more painful sandspurs from her hands while contemplating her next move.
The other side of the canal looked safer because there were boats and docks she could use for cover, but Johnny was there. Still, she knew she would have to go back—and quickly—before that flashlight disclosed her whereabouts. The only other choice was the big open bay, and it looked rough and frightening. She would use that as a last resort. Only if it came down to a choice between the bay and Johnny, would she venture out there.
The trip back presented more difficulty than her first crossing. She ended up at the last landing before the bay itself. In the turbulent water there, she held onto the dock edge and pulled herself high enough to locate Johnny. He had moved closer to the other end and now had a flashlight. He would see her if she dared cross the big empty parking lot to its entrance.
For an instant, she considered making a dash for it. She had always been fleet of foot, though not impressively fast on short runs. She measured the distance and decided against such a gamble. With Johnny’s long legs, he would quickly outdistance her, even if he was out of shape—and he wasn’t.
Under the partial cover of the dock, she worked her way back in the direction of the Miss Iris, pulling herself around boat after boat. At times, her bare feet sank deep into the slushy silt, and more than once she cut them on sharp objects lying on the bottom—the garbage of thoughtless boaters.
When she neared the Miss Iris again, for a brief instant she considered taking it out. If she could get it to drift with the current, she wouldn’t have to start the engine until she had floated out of hearing range. She still entailed great risk if one of them saw the boat leaving. Her plan wouldn’t work unless she could manage a good head start. They would probably steal a boat and go after her as soon as they realized.
At that instant, a car pulled into the parking area, not far from where Johnny stood. She hoped for Lee or Rob, but only a lone boater a man she had seen a couple of times before, emerged from the car. He had come to check how his boat weathered the storm.
Please don’t leave, she silently pleaded.
She resisted the temptation to call out and endanger him, as well as herself. He had left his car lights on and motor running. That meant he wouldn’t be there long. Katharine watched him go down to his boat and begin to adjust the mooring lines.
It took her only a second to decide. She would take advantage of the interruption the only way she could. While still in the water, she quickly loosed the Miss Iris’s mooring lines and eased the boat to the end of its slip. With a tight grip on the stern, she planted her feet against the end of the dock and gave a mighty shove. The Miss Iris glided into the canal soundlessly.
Katherine grabbed hold of the closest line and followed in the dark water behind it. If they saw the boat, they at least wouldn’t see her, and she might still escape by committing herself to the sea. She helped the boat’s progress all she could, but as soon as the current got hold of it, her efforts proved futile.
The Miss Iris developed a mind of her own and there was no stopping her. The wind and the current hurried her along, sometimes sideways, sometimes backwards, but st
raight on into the main channel of the bay.
Katherine floundered in the violence, was pushed under by low waves, and at times, flung roughly against the out-of-control boat, but all the while, she held tight to the line. Choking and sputtering, she tried to board the tossing vessel, but slipped back, swallowing great mouthfuls of sea. She tried again and entered, along with a deluge from a wave that broke against the boat just as she climbed over the slippery side. She slid against the wooden bait box and wrenched her arm. Pain shot through her, wrenching her insides, too, and she felt ill for a minute. At length, an overpowering sense of urgency brought her back to the immediate danger.
Visibility was poor, but she could still make out the boat docks and could still see the lights of the boater’s car. It looked like he was backing out. It would only be minutes before Johnny noticed the absence of the Miss Iris—if he hadn’t already.
Chilled through and through, her hands shook too much for efficient work. She reclaimed her boat keys from the soggy purse that still lay in the bottom of the bucket, only now the bucket contained water. She had a flash of hope when she saw her cell phone, but its inner workings hadn’t survived the lengthy bath.
The storm carried her along quickly and recklessly, but she couldn’t risk starting the engine or turning on lights that close to the marina. She gripped the wheel and waited, praying the boat wouldn’t capsize before she drifted out of sight and sound of her pursuers. Another wave hit her broadside, pouring in more of the deep. When she and the boat recovered from the shock of that, she studied her surroundings once more. Seeing only darkness, she turned the key.
The engine sputtered and coughed, reluctant to start.
Continued efforts left her greatly concerned that she would drain the battery before the engine cranked. Without warning, another wave sent her to her knees on the wet deck. She regained her feet, held on as best she could, and tried the ignition repeatedly. Finally, the chug of the engine became a steady sound in the fierce night.
