Fatal Tide

by Iris Johansen

“Everything to do with them.” He’d really handled the situation with kid gloves, Kelby thought in disgust. Just yell at the woman, vent all your frustration, and then walk away. “And that son of a bitch Archer. He’s trying to drive her to a breakdown. Sweet. Really sweet.”

  “Can he do it?”

  “No, she’s tough. But he can make her life hell, and she’s going to let him do it. She thinks she can lure him into a trap.”

  “Not a bad idea.”

  “It stinks. The whole thing stinks.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to find Marinth. Make myself a legend. And sail away into the sunset.” He pulled out his phone. “But first I have to have a ship. I’m calling the Trina and having the crew sail it to Las Palmas.”

  “Is that where Marinth is?”

  “How the hell do I know? She says it’s in that area. Of course, she could be lying. She doesn’t trust me worth a damn. Who could blame her? I have a hunch she’s not been able to trust many men.”

  “Are you still going to need me?”

  “You’re damn right. First, I’m going to call the Trina, then I’m going to call Wilson and find out what we know about Archer.” He dialed the Trina. “I’m going to clear the decks before I make my exit. And Archer is going to be the first one overboard.”

  The sun was bright, the water was silky smooth against her body as she moved through the waves. Pete and Susie were ahead of her as usual, but they came back every little bit to make sure she was all right. She’d always wondered if they thought she was slightly handicapped. It must seem odd to them that she was so slow when their sleek bodies were so wonderfully equipped to tear through the water.

  Time to go back. She could see Kelby standing on the edge of the lanai, watching them. He was wearing khakis, deck shoes, and a white pullover shirt, and he looked lean and powerful and vitally alert. It was the first time she’d seen him since last night, and she experienced a ripple of uneasiness. She hadn’t expected to feel this . . . connection with him. It was as if that moment of intimacy last night had woven a bond between them.

  Crazy. That feeling was probably only on her side. Kelby appeared cool and even a little distant.

  “You’re wearing a swimsuit.” He leaned over to take her hand and pull her onto the lanai. “What a disappointment. Cal said you frequently swim in the buff.”

  “Not with guests around.” She took the towel he handed her and started to dry off. “And I seem to have more than my share these days.”

  “I believe I had an invitation. Though you did have an ulterior motive.” He sat down in the lounge chair. “Have you talked to Archer?”

  “No, I promised you I wouldn’t. I turned off the phone. I’ll turn it on again when I go in to dress.”

  “I talked to Wilson last night and got a profile on Archer. Do you want to know what kind of monster you’re dealing with?”

  “Monsters are monsters. But I suppose I should find out everything I can about him.”

  “No, Archer’s in a class by himself. He grew up in the slums of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was running drugs by the time he was nine and was picked up for suspected murder of a fellow student at his high school when he was thirteen. It was a particularly gory murder. He took a long, long time torturing the kid before he killed him.

  “The state couldn’t make a case and he walked. Archer disappeared the next day and presumably went to Mexico. His rap sheet reads like an encyclopedia after that. He went from drugs to arms, and that became his specialty. At twenty-two he formed his own group and went international. He’s done very well in the past twenty years or so. He has investments in Switzerland and owns a ship, Jolie Fille, that he uses for business. It’s usually docked in Marseilles, but he uses it to transport weapons cargoes to the Middle East. The bastard loves money, power, and has never lost that streak of sadism. Some of the stories regarding what he did to rival gang leaders and victims are damn chilling. In that way I guess it served him well. Nobody wanted to be on his shit list.”

  “None of this surprises me,” Melis said. “I knew what he was. I saw what he did to Carolyn. Are we going to get a photo of Archer?”

  “As soon as Wilson can get his hands on one.” He paused. “This isn’t necessary, you know. Don’t take the phone calls. You don’t have to stand that kind of punishment. Archer will follow us when we leave for Las Palmas.”

  She stiffened. “Are we leaving for Las Palmas?”

  “As soon as I hear the Trina is in port and outfitted.”

  “You’re definitely going to help me? What about proof and bond?”

  “Everyone’s entitled to roll the dice once.” He grimaced. “But I’m cutting down the odds. We go after Marinth first. Then Archer. But there’s a chance we may be able to take down two birds with one stone if he follows us to Las Palmas.”

  “It’s still a stalemate. I have to trust you.”

  He nodded. “But you know I’m aching to get my hands on the son of a bitch. It’s not much of a gamble for you.” He paused. “One more thing. The tablets and translations are mine.”

  “No, I may need them to bait Archer.”

  “You can have them on loan, but from this moment they belong to me.”

  She was silent a moment. “You drive a hard bargain.”

  “I’ve been coached by experts. It’s going to be a very expensive gamble if you don’t come through for me.”

  “I’ll keep my promise. I’ll give you what you want.”

  “Now I need to know one thing right away. What kind of equipment am I going to need? What’s the probable depth?”

  “The ocean floor was only sixty meters where we were exploring. Unless there’s a drop in the area, scuba should be fine for initial exploration.”

  “No submersible. That’ll cut the expense way down.”

  “Take it where you can.” She paused. “Because getting there may be even more expensive than you think. You’re going to have to find a plane you can outfit with tanks to transport Pete and Susie. Then you’re going to need a bigger tank when they arrive in Las Palmas.”

  “What? No way. I know you’re fond of Pete and Susie, but I’m not footing the bill to take your aquatic friends with you. Do you know how much money that would—”

  “They have to go.”

  “I’ll leave enough men on this island to protect them from any threat. They’ll be okay.”

  “We can’t find Marinth without them. They’re the only ones who know the way.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “You heard me. We found Pete and Susie in waters off Cadora, one of the Canary Islands, when Phil was looking for Marinth. They kept getting in our way, riding the wake of the boat and swimming with us when we were underwater searching. They were young, not more than two years old. It’s unusual for young dolphins to leave their mother or their chosen subgroup, but Pete and Susie were different from the beginning. They seemed to crave human contact. I gave it to them. They’d show up at the Last Home in the morning and then leave at sunset. I never saw them after dark. Maybe that’s when they went home to their mothers or their group. I didn’t care. The daylight hours were enough for me. I didn’t really want to search for lost cities, and this was my chance to study wild dolphins at close range. I spent more time with them underwater than I did searching for Phil’s city.”

  “Which probably didn’t please him.”

  “No, but he was over the moon when I followed the dolphins to an underwater cave and found the tablets.”

  “They intentionally led you to them?”

  “I don’t know. I think they did. Though I can’t prove it. They may have just wanted to play in an area familiar to them.”

  “And Lontana reaped the benefit.”

  Her lips tightened. “He went crazy with excitement. He thought the dolphins could lead him to the actual city. He and the other men he’d hired at Las Palmas dove every day for weeks with the dolphins. Trying to herd them, even
scare them, into going away from the boat so they could follow them. I wanted to strangle him. I told him to stop, but he wouldn’t listen to me. All he could think about was Marinth.”

  “Did he get what he wanted?”

  “No, Pete and Susie didn’t show up one day. Three days later we heard that two young dolphins had been caught in fishermen’s nets off Lanzarote. It was Pete and Susie, and they were sick and badly dehydrated. I was furious with Phil. I told him if we didn’t take the dolphins back to the island and get them well, I’d broadcast the news of the tablets we’d found to the four corners of the earth.”

  “I’d say that would do the trick.”

  “He didn’t like it. He didn’t have much money, and transporting dolphins isn’t cheap. But we flew Pete and Susie home and here they’ve stayed.”

  “But I’d wager Lontana didn’t want them to stay here. Did he go back to the Canaries and try to find Marinth without them?”

  “Yes, but the underwater terrain there is a maze of reefs, caves, and ledges. Unless you accidentally stumbled on Marinth, you could search for a hundred years without finding it.”

  “And he didn’t put pressure on you to let him use the dolphins again?”

  “Of course he did. Particularly after he had the tablets translated. It seemed the Marinthians used dolphins constantly in daily life.”

  “How?”

  “They were a fishing community, and the dolphins helped herd the fish into the nets. They warned them of sharks in the area. They even helped the children learn to swim. For centuries the dolphins were an integral part of their life.”

  “So? What has that got to do with finding Marinth?”

  “Dolphins are still a mysterious species to us. There’s a possibility there may be a genetic memory passed on to the generations of dolphins that came after Marinth’s destruction. Or they might just cling to a habitat that’s proved beneficial to them. Either way, Phil was sure that we should give Pete and Susie another crack at finding Marinth.”

  “And you refused to consider it?”

  “You’re damn right. Transporting dolphins is highly stressful to them. It was his fault they almost died in those nets. Phil could just find Marinth on his own. They’d already given him the tablets.”

  “But you think Pete and Susie could find it?”

  “If their mother or any dolphin they know is still near the ruins. Each dolphin has its own signature whistle, and they’d be able to follow it with no problem.”

  “But Lontana wasn’t able to get them to go to her.”

  “He was harassing them and they didn’t know Phil well enough to trust him. Yes, I think there’s a good possibility that they can lead us to Marinth. They found the tablets. And the Marinthians who wrote the tablets spoke of the dolphins as their little brothers. Well, their little brothers were probably the only species to survive, and their descendants are still out there.” She added fiercely, “Do you think I want to take Pete and Susie? They’re happy and safe here. If I could see any way to get out of it, I would. So bite the bullet. They’re going to travel first-class, Kelby.”

  “Okay. Okay.” He gazed at Pete and Susie playing in the water. “But they’d damn well better have a great sense of direction.”

  Chapter Eight

  There were seven messages on her cell phone when she went to her room that evening.

  She cleared them without listening and then turned the phone back on. All right, Archer, go for it. I’m ready for you.

  She was lying to herself. She could feel her muscles tense at the thought of answering another call from that bastard. Get over it. She’d made a decision and she had to live with it.

  The phone rang again at exactly midnight.

  “I wasn’t pleased at being ignored,” Archer said. “I thought you cared about those dolphins.”

  She stiffened. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I take it you didn’t listen to my messages.”

  “Why should I listen to that filth?”

  “Because I want you to do it. And because if you don’t, your dolphins will have an accident. I don’t have to invade your little paradise. Maybe poison injected in a fish? I’ll find a way.”

  “They’re only study subjects. No great loss.”

  “That’s not what Lontana told me.”

  She paused. “And what did he tell you?”

  “About Marinth, about the dolphins. When I came to him to make him an offer for the sonic-gun plans, he tried to divert me. He told me all about you and Marinth and the tablets. I tried to tell him I wasn’t interested in Marinth, but he didn’t seem to want to discuss the sonic gun.”

  “He’d been stung before by crooks like you.”

  “I know. But if he didn’t want to play with the big boys, he should have stayed home on that island. The potential is too great to ignore. I have three buyers right now clamoring for the right to give a first bid. And there are signs that there may be other sharks buzzing around. I want Lontana’s research papers.”

  “I don’t have them.”

  “Not on the island. Lontana told me that you didn’t have them there. I think he was trying to protect you. But he did let it slip that you knew where they are. So tell me.”

  “You’re lying. He wouldn’t have made me a target.”

  “He still thought I was going to invest in his lost city at the time. He was rather naive, wasn’t he? And very, very stubborn. Like Carolyn Mulan. Like you.”

  “You’re damn right I’m stubborn. Do you think I’d give you anything I could keep away from you?”

  “But you can’t keep it away from me. You may be able to resist for a while, but I’ve listened to your tapes. I know how delicately balanced you are.”

  “You’re mistaken.”

  “I don’t think so. It’s worth a shot. So here’s how it’s going to be. I’m going to call you twice a day and you’re going to answer and listen. We’ll talk about Kafas and the harem and all the lovely events of your childhood. If you don’t answer, I’ll kill the dolphins.”

  “I can pen them close to the house.”

  “Dolphins don’t take well to pens for any extended period. They often become ill and die.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I’ve been researching. A good businessman always does his research.”

  “Businessman? Murderer.”

  “Only when frustrated. I usually get what I want and I’ve grown spoiled over the years.” He added softly, “I do hope you give in before I totally break you. I feel as if I know you very well. At night I lie in the dark and pretend I’m with you. Only you’re much, much younger. Do you know what we’re doing?”

  She closed her eyes. Smother the anger. Ignore the panic. Breathe slowly. Breathe deep.

  “You’re not answering.”

  “You said I had to listen, not talk.”

  “I did, didn’t I? And you’re being very obedient. That deserves a reward. Good night, Melis.” He hung up.

  It was over.

  But it would start again tomorrow. Only it would be worse, uglier, more obscene. He would blend the present with the past into a nightmare whole.

  She got up and headed for the bathroom. She would take a shower and try to feel clean again. She could take this punishment. Only twice a day. Just block his words from her mind. Think about what he’d done to Phil and Maria and Carolyn.

  And think about what she was going to do to him.

  TOBAGO

  “The Trina has left Athens,” Pennig said as he came out on the terrace. “Jenkins said it left port last night.”

  “Destination?” Archer said.

  “He’s not sure. He’s asking questions.”

  “He’d better do more than that. It probably means that we can expect them to leave the island soon. Make sure that we know what they’re doing every minute.”

  Pennig hesitated. “Maybe we should get out of here. We’re too close to that island. I told you that Cobb said L
yons has left the island several times. This evening he saw him gunning it in the direction of Tobago.”

  “I’ll think about it, but he can’t know where we are.” Archer gazed thoughtfully out at the beach. “It seems Kelby is moving and shaking. I didn’t think he’d wait long before he started putting out feelers. Our sweet Melis is evidently giving him what he wants.”

  “Why? She wouldn’t help Lontana.”

  “But I wasn’t on the scene then. She’s feeling threatened.” And would feel more threatened, Archer thought with a surge of anticipation. Melis Nemid was proving to be very exciting. When he’d first listened to those tapes and read the records, he’d only been interested in finding a weapon. Yet now he could visualize every scene, imagine every emotion she had felt all those years ago. It was incredibly arousing. “She’ll pay Kelby anything he wants to save herself.”

  “The tablets and research?”

  “Maybe. I’d guess he’s more interested in Marinth, but from what I’ve heard, he likes control and he goes after the whole tamale.” He smiled. “But he can’t have it. I’m the one who’s going to get those research papers.”

  And Kelby couldn’t have Melis Nemid either. The more Archer came in contact with the woman, the more he realized that his relationship with her must continue to give him this exquisite pleasure. There were so many ways to twist and hurt her.

  He had to explore every single one before he brought her to the end.

  It was the middle of the night when Kelby’s cell phone rang.

  “I’ve found the stakeout,” Nicholas said when Kelby answered. “Black-and-white motorboat. He’s in a cove on an island two miles from here. Close enough to keep an eye on Melis, but not too close to be noticed. My boat’s about half a mile away, masked by some overhanging trees.”

  “You’re sure he’s the one?”

  “I’ll ignore that insult. I’m breathing down his neck. He’ll see you as you leave the island. You’ll have to head toward Tobago and then double back. Are you coming?”

  Kelby swung his feet to the floor. “I’m coming. Give me directions.”

  The man in the black-and-white motorboat was tall, gray-blond, and was using a pair of high-powered binoculars to observe Lontana’s Island.