Fatal Tide

by Iris Johansen

  Chapter Three

  As usual, Susie and Pete met Melis at the net.

  She had never figured out how the dolphins knew she was coming. Of course their hearing was phenomenal, but they often ignored the arrival of the mail boat or passing fishermen. Yet they were always there when she returned from any trip. She’d even run tests to try to fool them. Once she’d left the boat a mile from the net and swum the rest of the way. But their instinct was unerring. They were always there, waiting, squeaking, clicking, whistling, dipping, swimming joyously in giddy circles.

  “Okay, okay, I’ve missed you too.” She floated the motorboat over the net before fastening it again. “Have you been giving Cal a bad time while I’ve been gone?”

  Susie gave her high, clicking squeak that was so like laughter.

  Dear God, it was good to be home. After the ugliness and horror she’d gone through in Athens, being here with Pete and Susie was like having a loving hand stroking, soothing her.

  “I thought so.” She restarted the motor. “Come on, we’ll get some supper and you can tell Cal you’re sorry.”

  Again, that joyous laughter as the dolphins raced ahead of her toward the cottage.

  Cal met her at the pier, his expression sober. “You okay?”

  No, she wasn’t okay. But she was better now that she was home. “Gary called you?”

  He nodded as he tied up the boat. “I’m damn sorry, Melis. I’ll miss him. We’ll all miss him.”

  “Yes, we will.” She got out of the boat. “Do you mind if we don’t talk about Phil right now? I’ve got to come to terms with it in my own way.”

  “Sure.” Cal fell into step with her. “Then can we talk about Kelby?”

  She stiffened. “Why?”

  “Because Kelby offered Gary a job on the Trina.”

  She stopped and stared at him. “What?”

  “Good wages. Interesting work. It wouldn’t be like crewing on the Last Home, but we have to make a living.”

  “We?”

  “Gary said that there was a job for Terry and me too. He gave me Kelby’s cell-phone number. He said to call him if we wanted the job.” He looked away from her. “And if you didn’t mind.”

  She did mind. The thought of losing these men with whom she’d grown up made her feel a little lost. “You think you could be happy working for Kelby?”

  “Gary likes him and he’s talked to the crew on the Trina. They say Kelby’s fair, and as long as you’re square with him, he’ll be square with you.” He paused. “But we don’t have to take the job. Not if you don’t like the idea. I know you and Phil didn’t agree about Kelby. But his rep is pretty good.”

  His reputation was better than good. Kelby was the rising star in the profession Phil had loved so well. He’d already discovered two galleons in the Caribbean. It was one of the reasons she’d harbored resentment. In the relatively short time he’d been in the business, he’d effortlessly overshadowed Phil’s accomplishments.

  She was being selfish. She had felt so safe when she’d reached the island that it hurt to realize Kelby was able to reach out even here and take these old friends away. “It doesn’t matter what I think. Do what’s best for you.”

  “We’d feel bad if you—”

  “Cal, it’s okay. Call Kelby and take the job. It’s not as if you’re going to work for a group of terrorists. I would have had to find all of you new berths anyway. I can’t keep you employed here, so you might as well go where you can get work.” He was still frowning and she forced herself to smile. “Unless you want me to hire you to help take care of Pete and Susie?”

  “God, no,” he said, horrified. “Do you know what they did to me? They stole my trunks. I was taking a morning swim and that female came up from below and jerked them off me. I thought I was being attacked. A man’s privates should be respected.”

  She smothered a smile. “Only a little prank. They don’t understand clothing. It’s just another toy to them.”

  “Yeah? Well, I don’t understand being stripped down to my birthday suit.”

  He was so outraged she couldn’t resist. “They must have found you appealing. Dolphins are very highly sexed, you know.”

  “Oh, my God.”

  She chuckled and shook her head. “They were just playing. Neither of them has reached sexual maturity yet. They’re only about eight years old and it may still be a year or two.”

  “Remind me not to be around. And that’s not all they did. I couldn’t get in the boat without them tipping it over.”

  “I can see you’ve suffered. I’ll talk to them about it.” She opened the front door. “After supper I promise I’ll have them apologize.”

  “I don’t want an apology. They wouldn’t mean it anyway.” He scowled. “Just don’t leave me alone with them again.”

  “Not unless I absolutely have to do it.”

  His gaze narrowed on her face. “What’s that supposed to mean? You never leave the island these days unless you’re forced.”

  “Things happen. I didn’t want to leave here when you brought me those documents from Phil, but I did.” She headed for the kitchen. “Besides, you won’t be here for me to call on if you’re going to take that job with Kelby.”

  “I never leave a buddy in the lurch.”

  She was touched. “Thanks, Cal. I hope I won’t have to subject you to any more of the dolphins’ tricks.”

  “Don’t worry. I can handle them.” He hesitated. “Maybe.”

  “They really like you or they wouldn’t play with you. You should be flattered. It’s a wonderful comp—”

  “I don’t want to be flattered. I just want to keep my drawers on.” He gave her a nudge toward the lanai. “You look tired. Go out and sit down. I’ll make supper.” He hesitated. “I was wondering . . . Is there anyone we should tell about Phil? He didn’t have any family, did he?”

  “No one he’s kept in touch with over the years. You and the other guys were more his family than any relation.” But there was one person she should call. Not for Phil’s sake, but Carolyn would be concerned if she found out later that Melis hadn’t told her. “Maybe I will make a phone call or two.”

  “Do you need me?” Carolyn asked quietly. “Say the word and I’ll hire a seaplane here in Nassau and be outside those nets in a heartbeat.”

  “I’m okay.” Melis gazed out at the sea where Pete and Susie were playing. “Well, not okay. But I’m pulling myself together.”

  “What are you feeling? Anger? Sadness? Guilt?”

  “I don’t know yet. I’m still numb. I know I was glad to get home. I feel as if everything is dammed up inside me and can’t get out.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “No, I know what your appointment book looks like. You have clients, for God’s sake.”

  “And I have a friend who needs me.”

  “Look, I’m coping. If you want to come here this weekend, I’ll be glad to have you. You haven’t seen Pete and Susie for a while anyway.”

  There was a silence on the other end of the line, and Melis could almost see the thoughtful frown on Carolyn’s café au lait face. “Are you alone?”

  “No, Cal is here. And, even if he wasn’t, I’m never alone, Carolyn. I have the dolphins.”

  “Yeah, they’re really great to confide in.”

  “Actually, they are. They don’t talk back.”

  Carolyn chuckled. “Okay, I’ll wait until the weekend. And next week I’ll arrange a few days off and we’ll take my boat over to Paradise Island. We’ll lie on the beach and drink piña coladas and forget about the world.”

  “That sounds great.”

  “Yes, and totally unrealistic. But that’s okay too.” She paused. “You call me if you need me. This has been coming for a long time, you know. If that dam breaks, I want to be there for you.”

  “I’m fine. I’ll expect you Friday afternoon.” She was silent a moment. “Thanks, Carolyn. Have I ever told you how much it means to me to have a good friend l
ike you?”

  “In one of your more sentimental moments I’m sure it came up. I’ll see you Friday.” She hung up.

  And today was Tuesday. Melis felt a wave of loneliness, and suddenly the weekend seemed a long time away. She had an impulse to call Carolyn back and—

  Stop it. What would she do if she did call her back? Whine and tell her she’d changed her mind? She couldn’t lean on anyone, not even Carolyn.

  Just keep busy with the dolphins. Let the island soothe and heal her.

  If that dam breaks, I want to be there for you.

  There wasn’t going to be a dam break. She was in control just as she’d always been.

  And Friday wasn’t that far away.

  Fifteen minutes after Kelby got off the plane in Tobago, his phone rang.

  “Is this soon enough for the first report?” Wilson asked. “I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”

  “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re an overachiever?” He paid the porter as he got into the cab. “The docks,” he told the driver as he sat back in the cab. “What have you got for me?”

  “Not as much as I’d like. You know about Lontana’s professional background.”

  “Not in the last year or so.”

  “That’s because he disappeared from sight about two years ago. No one knew where he was or what he was doing.”

  “Some sort of exploration?”

  “His ship never left Nassau harbor until about a year ago. Then he flew in and sailed out in the Last Home in a big hurry. He didn’t tell anyone where he was going or when he’d be back.”

  “Interesting.”

  “And right after he left, some pretty rough types were searching for him in Nassau, asking questions in a very ugly way.”

  “Where was Melis Nemid all this time?”

  “On her island taking care of her dolphins.”

  “Did she know where he was?”

  “If she did, she wasn’t talking.”

  “Tell me about Melis Nemid.”

  “Some more blanks. She seems to have hooked up with Lontana when she was a kid of sixteen. He was studying oceanic thermal vents off the coast of Santiago, Chile, and she was in the custody of a Luis Delgado. She was going to school and working for his Save the Dolphin foundation. According to Gary St. George, she was a quiet, withdrawn child, and her whole life seems to have been geared toward study and working with the dolphins. She’s evidently one very smart cookie. Most of her education was home schooling on the Internet and on-the-job training. But she was accepted for college courses at sixteen and has earned an advanced degree in marine biology over the years.”

  “Very smart.”

  “And she seems to like her dolphins better than people. She’s alone on that island most of the time. Of course, she did leave the island about six months ago to go to Florida. But that was to protest the bureaucracy that was interfering with the saving of stranded dolphins.”

  “What happened to this Luis Delgado?”

  “He moved to San Diego when she was sixteen.”

  “And just left her?”

  “That’s one of the blanks. I only know that same week she sailed out of Santiago with Lontana and has been with him ever since. She’s been on several of his explorations on the Last Home, but they seem to pretty much live their own lives.”

  “And what about this island where she lives?”

  “Lontana bought it with the money he received from salvaging that Spanish galleon. If you’re thinking about paying her a visit, I wouldn’t do it without an invitation. The only access is an inlet on the south side of the island, and that’s barricaded by an electrified net to protect the dolphins. The vegetation is so lush that you can’t even land a helicopter.”

  “I wasn’t going to pay her a visit yet. I’m renting a cruiser and staying here until you give me something to use. I think she needs a little time to come to terms with Lontana’s death.”

  “Then why are you there?”

  Kelby ignored the question. “What did you find out about that cruiser I saw while we were searching for Lontana?”

  “I’m still working on it. There’s a possibility we may track it down soon if it’s a lease. The Siren is owned by a British leasing company in Athens. There are lots of other Sirens registered, but they all have an adjective preceding the noun. Of course, I may be on the wrong track entirely.” He paused. “You think someone may have followed her?”

  “Maybe. Get me names and descriptions as soon as you can.”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Today.”

  “You’re a hard man, Kelby. Anything else?”

  “Yes, try to locate Nicholas Lyons and get him down here.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  He chuckled. “It’s okay, Wilson. The last I heard from him he was being very circumspect and legal—for him.”

  “Which isn’t saying much. I suppose I’m going to have to look forward to bribing you both out of jail again?”

  “You only had to do it once. And that jail in Algiers was very secure or we’d have managed to get out ourselves.”

  “I think you chose the worst elements possible to befriend while you were in the SEALs.”

  “No, I was the worst element possible, Wilson.”

  “Well, thank God you decided to grow up and stop playing commando. It would have been just like you to get killed and leave me with all that paperwork to straighten out.”

  “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  “Yes, you would.” Wilson sighed. “Do you have any idea where Lyons is?”

  “St. Petersburg.”

  “Can you call him?”

  “No, he changes phones frequently.”

  “Which all circumspect and legal citizens do.”

  “Wilson. Find him. Get him to call me.”

  “It’s against my better judgment.” He paused. “I found out one more thing from Gary St. George about Melis Nemid. For the first two years she was with Lontana, she paid regular visits to some shrink in Nassau. Dr. Carolyn Mulan.”

  “What?”

  “She didn’t make any secret of it. She was very matter-of-fact about the visits to this Dr. Mulan. She even joked about it. He thought she’d been under a psychiatrist’s care in Santiago too.”

  “That’s a surprise. I’d judge her to be one of the most well-balanced people I’ve ever run across.”

  “Do you want me to try to contact her doctor and try to pump her?”

  “There’s such a thing as patient confidentiality.”

  “A little well-placed bribery could jump over that barrier.”

  Kelby knew that better than Wilson. Money talked; money could turn black into white. He’d lived with that truth since he was a child. Why was he so reluctant to turn Wilson loose on Melis Nemid’s records? It was very nasty. She’d probably bared her soul to that shrink, and it would be like stripping her naked to delve into her secrets.

  But she might also have told this doctor about Marinth.

  “See what you can find out.”

  NASSAU

  Jesus, it was hot today.

  Carolyn Mulan wiped the back of her neck with her handkerchief before wandering over to the window to look down at Parliament Street. The air conditioner in the building was on the fritz again, and she couldn’t wait to get out of the office and drive down to the beach for a swim. Maybe she’d go out on the boat and sail over to Paradise Island. No, she’d wait until she could do that with Melis. With any luck she’d be able to coax her away from the dolphins next week.

  Just one more patient and she’d be free to leave.

  A knock and then the door opened. “Dr. Mulan? I’m sorry to barge in like this, but it seems your secretary has stepped away from her desk.” His voice was hesitant and so was his demeanor. He was fortyish, small and pale and dressed in a neat blue suit. He reminded her vaguely of a milquetoast stereotype from some classic TV show. Only she’d learned there were no stereotypes. Each patient was an individual and d
eserved to be treated as such.

  “Has she? That’s not like Maria. I’m sure she’ll be back soon.” She smiled. “Please come in. I’m sorry. I don’t recall your name.”

  “Archer. Hugh Archer.” He came in and closed the door. “And don’t apologize. I’m used to it. I know I’m one of those men who tend to fade into the background.”

  “Nonsense. It’s just that I usually have Maria’s notes in front of me.” She headed for the door. “I’ll get the new-patient forms from Maria’s desk and then we can talk.”

  “Splendid.” He didn’t move from in front of the door. “I can’t tell you how I’m looking forward to talking to you.”

  It was after three A.M. when Kelby’s phone rang.

  “I’ve reached Lyons,” Wilson said. “He’s on his way to Tobago. I think he was glad to leave Russia.”

  “Why not? The Antilles are much more pleasant.”

  “Yeah, and the police aren’t nearly as grim about smuggling.”

  “That’s true.”

  “And I may have to get on a plane and head for Nassau.”

  “Why?”

  “I can’t reach Carolyn Mulan. I’ll keep trying to phone her, but I may have to search her out myself.”

  “You tried her office?”

  “I got a recording. She has a secretary, Maria Perez, but I can’t reach her either.”

  “That’s not good.”

  “It’s not unusual for her not to come home. According to her roommate, Maria has several very healthy and torrid relationships with men in town.”

  “And Carolyn Mulan?”

  “She’s divorced and in her fifties. She has no significant other at the moment. She practically lives on her boat when she’s not in her office.”

  “Let me know as soon as you contact her.” He hung up and moved out onto the deck. It was hot and humid and the sea stretched like a dark, placid carpet before him. Dammit, he didn’t like the way the situation was shaping up with Carolyn Mulan. If he’d decided Melis’s doctor might be of use, someone else might have come to the same conclusion.