by P. K. Abbot
“No. She can’t afford to pay a ransom. We fear it’s much worse than that.”
“I see.” Marcus’s expression turned grim. “What can I do for you?”
“I promised the boy’s mother I’d look into the investigation for her. I’ll need your help to do that.”
Marcus slowly shook his head and sighed. “All that I can do, Riley, is to share the abductor’s profile with you. I am not involved in any individual case. If you want to track the progress of this boy’s case, you’ll need to contact Nick Wolfson. He’s the lead investigator for all of the abduction investigations.”
“That won’t work, I’m afraid. I met with him earlier, and we had a major blowup.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Nick has a reputation for being tough to work with. He can be volatile, and even violent – I suppose that comes from thirty years of working homicide. It can destroy those things that are decent in a man.” Marcus looked out the window for a moment, and then he looked back at Riley. “Did you ever think of meeting him outside of the precinct? I mean, if you get away from that hell-hole, you might get a better result.”
“What should I do – take him on a picnic?” Riley sneered.
“Well,” Marcus laughed, “you’re not too far off the mark. Nick and I share a common interest – we’re both crazy about bluefish. I can tell you, Riley, when Wolfson is out on the water, he’s a different man. We’re supposed to go fishing tomorrow. Why don’t you and Francis join us for the day?”
“I don’t know,” Riley said. “I think it’s still a lost cause.”
Pepp spoke up now. “What have you got to lose, Riley? Let’s join them.”
Riley stared at Pepp for long moment, and then nodded. “Okay,” he said.
Marcus smiled at him and said, “That’s great news – but there’s just one thing.”
“What’s that?” Riley asked.
“I’ve been trying to book a charter for tomorrow, but I haven’t had any luck so far. Do you know of anyone who might be able to fit us in tomorrow?”
Riley stared at the floor for a moment and then looked back up at Marcus and smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “I do know someone who probably has availability – but you’d have to drive down to Wildwood. That’s where his boat is.”
“Nick and I have gone lot farther to fish for blues. Wildwood won’t be a problem.”
Riley smiled at Marcus and said. “Then I think I can book a boat for tomorrow.”
“That’s good… because you’re going to need Wolfson.”
Chapter 10
Before leaving Pepp’s office, Riley called Jack Mueller and booked Jack’s boat for their fishing trip. Jack and his wife, Ginny, were Riley’s landlords. They owned a mom-and-pop motel in Wildwood – the Casa Bahama. Ginny ran a luncheonette in the front of the motel. She served fresh caught seafood and light fare to the motel’s guests and to her local walk-in customers. Jack kept her restaurant stocked with seafood. Early each morning, he was in his boat on the ocean, fishing for whatever was running at that time of year.
Well before dawn the next morning, Jack and Riley were on Jack’s boat in the marina, preparing for the fishing trip. To say that Jack Mueller was frugal would be an understatement. Jack’s boat, the Ginny Mae, was tiny for a cabin cruiser – only about twenty-five feet long. And, although it was very old, Jack insisted on doing all maintenance himself – from tinkering with the boat’s finicky engine to scraping and painting its wooden hull. He tried to do everything as inexpensively as possible. At the end of the summer, Jack bought his marine paint from the overstocks at the marina store. As long as it was marine paint, color didn’t matter to Jack; but, every year, the overstock color managed to be green – always an unflattering, sometimes bilious, shade of green. Although Jack had painted “Ginny Mae” on the stern of the boat, the folks in the marina knew it as the Green Hornet, and they smiled when they said it.
Jack’s sinewy forearms were streaked with grease, and the boat’s engine was spewing an oily exhaust when Marcus drove into the marina’s parking lot with Pepp and Wolfson at dawn.
“Stow your gear on the deck for now, boys,” Jack said. “We want to get to the blues before the tide changes and takes the fish out with it.”
As soon as the three were on board, Riley castoff the lines, and Jack turned the boat into the bay and pulled away from the dock. The boat chugged along slowly, trailing it stream of blue exhaust. They followed the central channel of the bay and turned into the inlet toward the ocean.
The sun was still low on the horizon, bathing the boat and the fishermen in its rosy light. Riley pointed his phone at the three men in the stern of the boat. “Smile, guys,” he said as he snapped their photograph. Pepp and Marcus looked surprised, but Wolfson managed to flash Riley the finger for his picture.
“What was that, tinman?” Wolfson said. “A memento of the voyage of the S. S. Minnow? We’re limping along, burning oil. We’ll be lucky to make it back into port. This boat is garbage.”
Jack overheard Wolfson and broke into their conversation. “This boat will catch fish, smart guy.”
“Is that a fact, cap’n?” Wolfson laughed at Jack and slid a toothpick between his lips.
“That is a fact,” Jack replied.
Wolfson rolled the toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. “What kind of equipment do you have, cap’n?”
“I don’t need any special equipment. I’ve been fishing these waters for thirty years.”
“Do you have a fishfinder at least?”
“I don’t need one. I’ll find the fish for you, because I think like a bluefish.” Jack tapped his forefinger against his temple as he said this.
Wolfson looked directly at Jack and laughed. “And I bet you’re as smart as any bluefish too,” he said. Then he turned to Riley and asked, “What are you trying to do, Riley? This is a sorry excuse for a fishing trip. Do you have another motive here?”
Riley didn’t answer Wolfson, but he looked at Marcus for a long moment.
“I thought so,” Wolfson said. “You’re trying to weasel your way back into the investigation, aren’t you?” He pulled the toothpick from his mouth and stared at Riley. Riley could see the vein pulsing in his temple.
“What makes you think, tinman, that you belong in this investigation?” Wolfson put the toothpick into his mouth again and shook his head. “You’re going to say that you were a cop – just like me.” Wolfson stared at Riley with a withering look. “But you’re not like me, Riley. You were never a homicide cop. You were a vice cop. All those arrests – you arrested hookers – teenagers mostly. You’re nothing like me, tinman.” He spat into the ocean and stared at Riley again. “You’re just a bottom feeder, tinman.”
Riley turned pale and had no answer for Wolfson.
At that moment, Jack noticed something on the horizon and said, “You’d better bait your hooks and get them into the water, gentlemen. We’re gonna be pretty damn busy in a few minutes.”
Jack went up to the helm and steered the boat through the ocean’s rolling swells toward a flock of gulls on the horizon.
All the men set up their tackle and secured their poles in the holders along the boat’s gunwales. Wolfson had brought out a second, heavier pole with a steel leader and a larger hook. He baited that hook, cast the bait over the side, and set the pole alongside his first one.
Jack had noticed Wolfson and asked, “What are you going to do with the second pole?”
“I always set up for sharks when trolling for blues – in case they’re following the school.”
Jack nodded to him. Then he looked out at the flock of gulls. The birds were diving down, snatching food from the water, and climbing back up into their flock. Jack could see that the birds were moving as a group in a definite direction. He steered the boat to a spot on the ocean in front of the moving flock. Then he slowed the boat’s engine and said, “Better get ready, boys. They’re gonna hit us in a moment.”
As soon as Jack st
opped speaking, every pole in the boat bent in half. The bluefish had hit their lines. As quickly as each man could pull in his catch and bait his hook again, he had another bluefish on his hook. After his fifth bluefish, Wolfson saw his heavy shark pole band in half too. He set his lighter pole aside and picked up the shark pole.
As Wolfson fought with the shark, Jack maneuvered the other fishermen in the boat to keep them from tangling Wolfson’s shark line. After only a half-hour, the shark tired and drew close to the boat. Jack left the helm and walked over to Wolfson to help him land the shark.
Jack looked over the gunwale at the fish. “It’s a mako, but it’s a juvenile.”
“It’s still good eating,” Wolfson said. Then he reached into his gunnysack, pulled out a sawed-off shotgun, and pointed its muzzle at the fish’s brain.
Jack wrapped his calloused hands around the gun and pulled it out of Wolfson’s grip. “The mako’s a juvenile – it’s too small. You’ll have to throw it back.”
“I’m keeping it, cap’n.”
“I can lose my charter license for taking undersized fish. If you keep the mako, you’ll be swimming back, friend.” Jack stood eyeball to eyeball with Wolfson and didn’t flinch.
Then Wolfson turned away with a huff and said, “You win, cap’n. Help me haul it up here, so I can get my leader back.”
Jack slipped a rope around the shark’s tale and dragged it up to the gunwale where Wolfson pinned it with his forearm. “I’ll need a knife to cut the leader,” Wolfson said.
Pepp drew his jackknife out of his pocket, opened it, and handed it to Wolfson.
Wolfson cut the leader. Then, still pinning the shark to the gunwale, he plunged the jackknife into the shark’s abdomen below its sternum. Then he sliced the shark open along the length of its abdomen and pounded on its side until its guts protruded.
Wolfson pushed the shark off the gunwale and into the ocean. He watched it writhe in agony and sink into the depths, trailing a widening curtain of blood behind it.
He turned away and smiled at Jack now. “There you go, cap’n. Nice and legal.”
Jack’s face was beet red, and his arms were shaking with rage. “You son of a bitch,” he bellowed.
“Don’t get all upset, cap’n. I only want to send a message to his friends.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s a bigger predator on the ocean today.”
Chapter 11
Riley had convinced Céline to drive down to Wildwood from Atlantic City. She could meet him after the fishing trip, and they could take Nathaniel to the beach in the afternoon and to the boardwalk at night. They could have dinner at the Casa Bahama and sleep there overnight.
Céline agreed. Although the drive was a little long, she had no problem finding the Casa Bahama or Porgy & Bass, the little restaurant in the front of the motel.
When Céline and Nathaniel walked into the restaurant, Gershwin showtunes were playing inside, and the restaurant was bustling with diners. They walked up to a woman in her sixties behind the counter. She had laughing gray eyes and smiled at them when they approached.
“Hello,” Céline said. “I was told to look for Ginny.”
The woman smiled broadly at her. “I’m Ginny. Are you Riley’s friend?”
“Yes. Céline.” She returned Ginny’s smile shook hands with her. “And this is my son, Nathaniel.”
Ginny shook hands with Nathaniel. “You drove down from Atlantic City?” she asked Céline.
“Yes.”
“And how was the traffic?”
“Light. But it was still a long drive – about forty-five minutes.”
Ginny nodded and smiled at Céline.
“Riley takes that trip every day?” Céline asked.
Ginny nodded and said, “He does.”
“I am curious why he doesn’t buy or rent a place in Atlantic City – closer to his work.”
“But he does own a place in Atlantic City,” Ginny replied.
“He does?”
“Yes. He had lived there with his friend, Pepp, after Pepp’s divorce. Now Pepp lives there by himself.”
“Why did Riley move?” Céline asked.
“Riley is a vice cop. He arrests prostitutes, and I understand that he arrests a lot of them. One day one of the pimps decided to get revenge. He had Riley beaten. Riley was in intensive care for more than a week. After that, he moved here. Discretion is the better part of valor, I guess.”
“Oh, I see,” Céline said.
Just then, Riley and Jack walked into the restaurant, carrying a tub of bluefish – two or three dozen bluefish.
“Oh, they look beautiful,” Ginny said. “How was your fishing trip?”
Jack shook his head, and Riley rolled his eyes.
“Still better than a hard day at work?” Ginny persisted.
“That’s debatable,” Jack said.
“Well, you can tell me about it later,” Ginny said.
Riley walked up to Céline. “Hey, beautiful,” he said as he embraced her.
She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. “Whew!” she laughed. “You smell like fish, Riley. Delicious, stinky bluefish.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “I’m sorry about that. Let’s go to the beach. I’ll take a dip in the ocean, and I’ll smell better – I promise!”
Céline smirked at him and rolled her eyes. “Okay,” she laughed. She grabbed her tote bag with the beach blanket and towels inside. Together with Nathaniel, they walked to the beach, one block away from the motel.
Wildwood had one of the most idyllic beaches on the Atlantic coast. With fine white sand, the beach was wide and deep. The ocean was never too deep or rough there. At high tide, one can walk out very far to wide sandbar. At low tide, the ocean retreated to the sandbar and left a small tidal pool where children could play safely on the beach while their parents swam in the ocean.
“Sweetheart,” Céline said to Nathaniel, “would you like to play in the tidal pool here, while Riley and I go for a swim?”
“Can I dig for crabs?” he asked.
She smiled at him and rubbed her hand through his hair. “Sure,” she said.
Nathaniel ran away toward the tidal pool. “Have fun,” he shouted over his shoulder.
Céline turned toward Riley and smiled at him. He had already stripped off his shorts and T-shirt, and he was standing in front of her in his bathing suit.
“Are you ready for our swim?” he asked her.
“Just give me a moment,” she said. She laid the blanket down on the beach and placed the towels and tote bag on top of it. Then she took off her cover-up and left it on the blanket.
“Let’s go,” she said. Riley couldn’t help but stare at her. She looked stunning in a high cut black bikini.
“Come on,” she said as she held her hand out to him.
“You look beautiful,” he said. He took her hand, and they walked together into the ocean. They walked out past the sandbar to where the water was up to their necks. They swam together parallel to the shore, keeping Nathaniel in sight. She stopped and floated in a spot where she could just tread water. Riley swam up behind her. He gave her soft a embrace and kissed her gently on her neck. She lifted her hand and caressed the back of his head. Then she turned toward him and kissed him on the lips.
He drew her closer to him and kissed her. She returned his kisses and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him more passionately. Then she put her hand on his chest and pushed away from him a little. “Oh,” she said, “this can’t work. I really like you, Riley, but we can’t do this. I have to think of Nathaniel. I really like you, but I can’t be one of your friends with benefits. I’m sorry.”
Riley stared at her blankly. “I really like you too, Céline. Can we just see where this leads?”
“Maybe someday,” she said, “but not right now.” There were tears welling in her smoky blue eyes. “I don’t think we’re ready yet.” She looked away from him toward Nathaniel. Then she spoke
to him over her shoulder. “Can we just go back to the motel now?”
“Sure,” he said. They got out of the ocean, gathered together Nathaniel and their things, and walked up to the motel.
The three of them had supper with Jack and Ginny in the restaurant. At the end of their meal, Riley’s phone rang. It was Wolfson. Grim faced, Riley got up from the table and walked outside to take the call.
“What’s up, Wolfson?”
“We found the boy – Aleksander. You can tell your girlfriend, Yuliya, that he’s dead. He’s been dead for one to two days. He was beaten to a pulp. You really did well in helping her with the case, tinman.”
Riley turned deathly pale and hung up on Wolfson. When he walked back into the restaurant, Céline knew immediately what had happened.
“Did he suffer?” she asked.
Riley hesitated, and then he answered her. “No. No, he didn’t.” But she knew he was lying to her, and she bursts into tears.
“How can Nathaniel be safe now?” she moaned. “I can’t watch him twenty-four hours a day. When I go to work, he’s alone. He’s vulnerable.”
Ginny listened to their conversation and became very agitated. “You don’t have to work in Atlantic City. You can live and work in the Casa Bahama. You and Nathaniel can be together. I’ll give you a job here. I can always use the extra help.”
“That’s sweet of you, Ginny, but I can’t afford to give up my bartenders job.”
“I’ll pay you the same amount and give you room and board too.”
“You can’t afford to pay me that much.”
Ginny looked at her with steely eyed determination now. “I can afford to pay you whatever I want. And, for Nathaniel, I’d be happy to do it. Now, just take my offer… for Nathaniel.”
Céline looked away toward Nathaniel. When she turned back toward Ginny, Céline took her hand and said, “Thank you.”
Ginny smiled at her and said, “You’ll both be safe here.”
“Will we?” Céline asked.
Chapter 12
It’s almost comical – watching him stumble through his “investigation” – but I’m not laughing.