Steady As She Goes: A Jesse McDermitt Novel (Caribbean Adventure Series Book 21)

by Wayne Stinnett

“Dat is Grand Anse Beach,” Turi said, looking off to the right at a long, beautiful beach. Then he pointed to an opulent stone structure ahead, sitting on a hill, overlooking the beautiful beach. “And dere is de governor general’s residence.”

  “This is where the firefight happened?” I asked, getting out.

  Turi climbed out and joined me on the side of the road.

  “Yes,” he replied. “When we hear de shooting, we could see it from de windows on de top floor—flashes from de guns.” He pointed behind the van. “Dat roundabout was built on de very spot.”

  I started walking back toward the traffic circle, not sure exactly why. The others followed behind me. There was little traffic and no reason for the circle. A simple stop sign would have sufficed for the Y-shaped intersection.

  Continuing across the road, I walked out to the middle of the small, well-manicured lawn. The others stopped at the edge of the grass.

  When I reached the center, I found a bronze plaque fixed on a concrete pedestal just a few inches above the ground. The inscription was simple, done in raised gold letters on a field of blue.

  VIVE LA LIBERTÉ

  25 OCTOBRE 1983

  When we returned to Ambrosia, it was mid-afternoon, and Matt reported that the tanks were all full, and that Heitor had run diagnostics on all systems, including the fuel polishing system, and everything was good to go.

  “Where’re Axel and Ross?” I asked.

  “I saw them a few minutes ago in the dining room,” Val said, as Travis Stockwell came through the hatch.

  “How’s the shoulder, Colonel?” I asked.

  “A little stiff,” he replied. “But give your wife my thanks. I sometimes have to be reminded that I’m not as invincible as I once was.”

  “Will do.”

  “A man named Luis Bishop came by a few hours ago,” Travis said. “He took some measurements of the opening in the foredeck and now he and two of his workers are installing a new hatch.”

  I moved toward the front of the bridge and looked out over the long foredeck. A high-lift was parked on the end of the dock, its arm extending out over the bow, where a large, smoked glass hatch was being lowered.

  “He had one in stock,” Travis said. “Said it could support three hundred pounds. It’s a few inches longer than the hole we made, but they adjusted it.”

  “I didn’t think he’d even be here until about now,” I said.

  “Walt and Duster will be up here soon,” Travis said. “The three of us will stand watch through the night.”

  “You haven’t been ashore?”

  His left eyebrow moved almost imperceptibly. “Been here a few times before. Fun place for younger folks.”

  Without another word, he turned and strode into the op center, where he sat at a terminal and put on a headset.

  “Does he even have an off switch?” Val asked.

  “Not that I’m aware of,” I replied. “Where is everyone?”

  “Most of the crew went to Grand Anse Beach,” Matt said. “We’re going to join ’em in a few minutes, do all the proper emmet stuff.”

  I tried to picture Matt as a beach tourist. He was broad-shouldered and very fit—not a bad-looking man—but he had the typical pale complexion of his countrymen.

  “Take some sunscreen,” I advised him. “I don’t want you ending up in sick bay.”

  Then I turned to Val. “Would you mind contacting the two younger Santiago sisters and asking them if they’d meet me in the mess hall?”

  “Right away,” Val replied, thankfully without asking why.

  I went down the spiral staircase to the mess deck and found Ross and Axel there, eating burgers and fries.

  “Late lunch?” I asked, taking a seat at their table.

  “Late night,” Axel said.

  “How’d you guys like to hit the town?” I asked, as Kassandra and Crystal Santiago entered. “My treat.”

  Both men’s eyes cut to the sisters as they moved toward us.

  “Sure, Captain,” Ross said. “Sounds like fun.”

  “You wished to see us, Capitan?” Crystal asked.

  The three of us stood and I waved a hand to two empty chairs, inviting them to sit.

  Crystal was the younger and smaller of the three sisters, the one who Marcos had said was an expert in stick fighting. She had hair as dark as night but light brown eyes. That and her sister’s auburn hair spoke to Marcos’s mixed ancestry. Crystal was slim to the point of being skinny, but she moved with the sultry grace of a feline.

  “I wanted to thank you for taking care of Alberto and the dogs last night. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”

  Kassandra smiled. “It was nothing,” she said. “Alberto is a very bright young man.” She paused. “But your dogs snore.”

  I grinned at her. “That was what I meant. But wherever Alberto goes, they go.”

  “It was no trouble,” Crystal said. “We played games and the dogs mostly slept.”

  “I’d like to make it up to you,” I said. “I’m taking Axel and Ross here out for dinner and drinks later. Would you care to join us?”

  Kassandra, who was a couple of inches taller than her sister, glanced at the two men, then smiled. “We would be honored, Capitan. Will there be dancing?”

  I looked at the two men, who both nodded quickly.

  “Yeah,” I replied. “Dinner, drinks, and dancing. Matt and Val told me about a place just down the dock. About nineteen—er—seven o’clock?”

  The sisters rose, followed quickly by the three of us.

  Crystal smiled. “We will be ready.”

  The three of us sat back down slowly as the two women left.

  “Did you just—” Axel started to say.

  I raised a hand to stop him. “No,” I said. “First night in a new port and the four of you had duty. I’m just making it up to you. Nothing more.”

  Both men grinned as I stood.

  “Just doing our jobs,” Ross said.

  I wondered what I’d gotten myself into as I went out the aft hatch of the mess hall.

  Taking two young crewmen out for a pub crawl was one thing. I’m not big on social drinking, though no stranger to the custom. But Savannah had been right; I owed the sisters something also. It was the fact that all four were young and single that was the problem. Not for them. I was neither and would feel like a fifth wheel all evening. Of that, I was certain.

  I went up the side steps to the passageway’s exterior hatch. I didn’t want to field the questions Val and Matt would have.

  Sitting on the sofa in my quarters, I stretched my legs and kicked my shoes off, thinking about it. Four young people, drinking and dancing, while the salty old captain sat alone at a table.

  The chessboard was still set up where David and Alberto had been playing just the night before, as if waiting for them to return. I studied the positions of the various pieces. David had been winning.

  They’d played a few games during the day, and David won them all, except for one stalemate. He’d mentioned to me that Alberto seemed more intelligent than a lot of his college classmates.

  It seemed that Alberto had met his match with David.

  As I started to lie back on the sofa, something caught my eye. I leaned forward and studied the pieces some more. A slow grin came as I realized that David was in trouble.

  Depending on whose move it was, Alberto would win in either two or four moves. If it were David’s turn and he moved the right piece, it would be the latter. If he made the wrong move, or if it were Alberto’s turn, the game would be over in two.

  Just then, Alberto came in, Finn and Woden preceding him.

  “Hey, little man. How’s it going?”

  Woden stopped and did a couple of circles before settling onto the deck in front of the hatch. Finn came over and sat on my foot, leaning his head against me as his thick tail thumped the carpet.

  “I finished my lessons,” he said
. “Ms. Santiago is very smart.”

  “She is, huh? What were you studying?”

  “Nothing really,” he said with a shrug. He sat on the floor and looked at the chess set. “She just wanted to find out where I was on a bunch of things.”

  “And what was her conclusion?”

  “She said I could move into middle grade math and science.”

  “Middle grade?” I asked. “What’s that? Like twelve-year-olds?”

  “Eleven,” he replied. “A year ahead of me. Want to finish David’s game?”

  I grinned at him. “No, I think David needs to finish this one out, himself. What about reading and writing?”

  He shrugged again. “I don’t know.”

  “Oh? She was able to assess your math and science level and she told you where she thought you were. But she couldn’t do that for reading and writing?”

  The shrug again.

  “Look, son, being good at something is great,” I told him. “But never let your greater ability make you think you’re somehow better than others. Being behind on something else isn’t the end of the world. You can catch up easy enough. Just like any skill, it just takes a lot of practice.”

  “What are you not good at?”

  “Me? We’re not talking about me.”

  “I’m just curious,” he said.

  “Women,” I replied. “I’m definitely no good at understanding women.”

  “I kinda noticed that.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Sometimes when she says something, you look confused,” he replied.

  I grinned. “Guilty as charged. Women are confusing.”

  “But Mom seems to know what you think all the time.”

  I thought about that a moment. He was right. Savannah was very intuitive to what I wanted or needed. I’d have to make a concerted effort to not just listen but understand.

  “I guess I oughta try harder, huh?”

  Alberto nodded. “What’s for supper?”

  “I’m taking Ross and Axel out to eat,” I said. “You’ll stay with Fernando again, I’m afraid. In the Santiago’s cabin.”

  “Aw, man.”

  “What’s the matter?” I asked.

  “Can they just come here to babysit? The rooms down there are small. Woden farted in my face last night.”

  I threw myself back on the sofa, laughing.

  “It wasn’t funny, Dad. You shoulda been there.”

  “In that case, I probably owe a dinner to the sisters, too.”

  “Yeah, you do,” he replied. “I think Kassandra likes Ross. She was asking me a lot of questions about him.”

  “Is that right?” I said, as a knock came at the door. “Excuse me.”

  When I opened it, Mayra was standing in the passageway.

  “Please, come in,” I offered.

  “Graçias, Capitan,” she said, and entered the room. “I suppose Alberto told you of my testing?”

  “He did,” I replied. “Middle grade math and science.”

  She sat on the sofa and smiled at Alberto. “It is not often that a teacher has such a bright pupil. I have been blessed with two. Both Fernando and Alberto are highly intelligent. They can become anything they want to be.”

  “But I need to learn to write better,” Alberto said.

  “And by doing more, you will.” She turned and looked up at me. “My daughters told me you have asked them out for dinner.”

  “In gratitude for last night,” I said. “Two other crewmen who had to stay aboard will be joining us. I hope it’s okay with you and Marcos.”

  “You will be chaperoning the whole evening?”

  Chaperone? I thought. It wasn’t like I was setting them up on a date or anything.

  “Kassandra and Crystal are very young,” Mayra continued. “And they sometimes attract the wrong type of men. It makes me nervous when they are not with me.”

  “Rest assured,” I said, “I’ll be with them at all times. Nothing will happen to your daughters.”

  She stood. “Very well, then. Will you bring Alberto to our cabin for the night?”

  I glanced down at him, sitting on the floor. “Would it be possible for you and Marcos to come here? Two boys and two dogs will make your cabin very crowded.”

  “Si, Capitan,” she replied with a smile.

  “About seven o’clock, then?”

  “We will be here,” she replied.

  “And Mayra,” I said with a grin. “Please tell Marcos to make himself at home. The Diplomatico is on the top shelf.”

  Once more dressed for a night on the town, I headed down to the cockpit. Axel and Ross were waiting on the work deck, both wearing comfortable, tropical-casual clothing, the same as me. Nothing flashy but dressed up by our standards.

  Social engagements and all the niceties that go with them were a little foreign to me. For me, a really good evening was a blackened fish sandwich, a beautiful sunset, two fingers of good rum, and maybe a fish tugging on the line. Even in my younger days, I wasn’t one of those guys who cruised around looking for girls or who hung around shooting pool all night. Most weekends as a teenager, I’d spent sleeping under the stars.

  “Did your wife and daughter get home safely?” Ross asked, as I joined them on the work deck.

  “Savannah called about an hour ago,” I replied. “They’re at a hotel in Orlando and hitting the dress shops in the morning.”

  “You have two other daughters, right?” Axel asked.

  I nodded. “Eve’s thirty-seven and Kim just turned thirty-two.”

  “Grandkids?” Ross asked.

  “One grandson,” I replied. “He’s almost fourteen.”

  “And now you’ve adopted a son, half your grandson’s age?” Axel asked. “That takes some nerve, Captain.”

  “You guys call me Jesse when we’re off duty, okay? Alberto’s nine—he’s just small for his age. The thing is, I never had much of a hand in raising my own children and I regret that sometimes.”

  “Uh-oh,” Ross said, looking past me and Axel toward the top of the steps.

  I looked over my shoulder and saw the Santiago sisters starting down the steps, both smiling radiantly. Crystal wore a white dress with an angled hemline that showed a lot of leg. Her long, jet-black hair hung down in front of her shoulders, contrasting sharply against the white fabric. Kassandra had her thick, auburn hair done up on one side. She wore a tight-fitting red dress with a deep neckline that accentuated her natural curves. They were both barefoot and carried matching high-heeled shoes in their hands.

  “Buenas noches,” Kassandra said, stepping off the last step.

  “Good evening,” I replied. “The place we’re going to is just a short walk down the dock.”

  “I must apologize,” Axel said. “It looks like Ross and I are a little underdressed.”

  “Disparates,” Crystal said. “You look very handsome.”

  Axel’s face flushed.

  “We came aboard with very little,” Kassandra said. “Val bought us these dresses and shoes last night as a gift.” She smiled. “So, it was this or the same clothes we were wearing earlier.”

  “Shall we go?” I said, waving a hand toward the side of the boat.

  Once more, I’d failed to grasp women’s needs. While Marcos and Ricardo would be fine in whatever they had, even Mayra to an extent, the younger Santiago women needed a wardrobe. I made a mental note to have Val take them shopping on Jack’s dime, knowing he would have grasped the need.

  I helped the girls up to the dock, noting how nervous my crewmen were in their presence.

  Yeah, this is going to be a lot of fun, McDermitt.

  Axel and Ross were twenty-nine and thirty-one, each seven years older than Crystal and Kassandra, yet they acted more like schoolboys on prom night than former military men and experienced world travelers.

  Once on the dock, the sisters slipped their heels on, each leani
ng on one of the men to do so. They’d obviously discussed the pairing arrangement before meeting us.

  I could hear the music as we walked toward Victory Bar and Restaurant; a driving bass sound accompanied by steel drums emanated from behind the building. Once inside, only the heavy bass filtered through the thick wood walls.

  “Captain McDermitt?” a young man dressed all in black asked.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “We have your table all set up, sir,” the young man said. “Please follow me.”

  He led us to a large table by a window, which provided a magnificent view of the harbor, steeped in the warm glow of the sun’s aftermath. The hour of sunset is a magical time when colors take on a different hue and everything looks inviting.

  A waiter appeared and took our drink requests. I noticed that the sisters ordered non-alcoholic drinks, while Axel and Ross opted for West Indies pale ales. I stuck with water.

  “So, how do you like Ambrosia, so far?” I asked the women.

  “It is a beautiful ship,” Kassandra replied. “And working with father and Señor Grady is fun. He makes father laugh.”

  “What about you, Crystal? I know working in the laundry can’t be overly exciting.”

  Her smile seemed to light up the room. “It is good work,” she replied. “And doesn’t require a lot of time. When I am not working, I love being on deck, feeling the wind. Besides, I love the smell of clean linens.”

  The waiter returned and took our dinner orders. Unlike Patrick’s, Victory catered to a wealthy, international clientele, offering a wide array of Mediterranean fare, as well as American beef, which I took advantage of.

  “I feel bad for Mother and Father,” Crystal said, a devious smile on her face. She leaned toward Axel. “The captain’s dog has terrible gas.”

  “Ew!” Ross said, laughing. “I used to have a black Lab with that problem. He could peel the paint off the walls.”

  With the ice broken, and the four of them having common interests in the ship, they talked mostly among themselves as we ate. Axel and Ross relaxed a little as the girls proved to be more than just pretty faces. They were bright and engaging and apparently, well-traveled.

  Before we finished, I already had the fifth wheel feeling, but I’d promised Mayra I’d make sure nothing happened to her daughters.