Desperate Measures

by Cindy Cromer

  “You can’t blame Jack for anything. We all made our own choices. He had the drive and ambition and had a very successful career. He did that on his own, Ginny. You have to accept that. Mom and Dad didn’t have the money to put him through college, let alone law school. He got scholarships and worked his ass off,” Gary said, in defense of his brother.

  A tug on the fishing line broke Gary’s reverie, he reeled in a small trout too small to keep and threw it back into the water. Still disturbed by his sister and the FBI’s visit, he steered his boat in the direction of the marina.

  Speeding across the calm lake, Gary once again tried his twin’s cell-phone, the same number he verified for Agent Cox. The futile call went to voice mail. He didn’t bother leaving another message.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Caitlin and her chaperone reached the pink sandy beach. She dropped her beach bag on the hotel’s blue cushioned lounge chair then ran into the deep blue waters of the open Atlantic. Diving into the refreshing waves melted the tension in her muscles. She crested over a wave and swam with rapid strokes toward her family. Alexandra tried to body surf with her life-jacket on. She swam in the pool with no jacket but out here in the waves of the Atlantic, the two-year-old needed some sort of floatation device. She didn’t put up much of a fuss when she went into the ocean.

  “Mom, guess where we’re going today?” Chad fought the waves, moving toward his mother.

  Caitlin raised an eyebrow and looked at her husband. “I have no clue where we’re going, someplace exciting?”

  “Yup, Dad called Mel and he’s taking us out on his boat to go water skiing and knee boarding. Are you going to ski, Mom?”

  “Of course I’m going to ski. That sounds like a great plan.”

  A huge wave shot Alexandra up, Caitlin grabbed her. Scott struggled to keep above the surface when the same wave crashed over his head.

  Scott swam over and said, “I thought boating would be a nice change of pace. Mel doesn’t have any fishing charters booked. He has the whole afternoon and early evening open. We have to meet him at one o’clock. Okay with you?”

  “Absolutely. A day out on the water, without any cryptic notes or threats, is exactly what we need.”

  An hour later everyone, including Mitch, boarded Mel’s watercraft. Caitlin couldn’t help but be impressed by the other vessels anchored off-shore, which Mel owned and operated. When she and Scott had first met him on their honeymoon, he’d been employed by the hotel to provide water sport activities for the registered guests. Shortly thereafter, he opened up his own water sports shop called Mr. M’s, and now owned the Lobster Shack. Busy with his growing business, Mel rarely had time to spend with them.

  Mel threw out the ski rope. “Who’s first?”

  Alexandra, who always had to be first at everything, shocked the group. “CC ski first then I go.”

  Chad shrugged, zipped up his ski vest, and jumped in the water. “Two skis, Mom.”

  “You got it but soon you’ll be ready to slalom with only one.” Caitlin threw the two child skis into the water. He slipped his feet into the skis, grabbed the rope, and signaled he was ready. Mel straightened the boat and took off.

  Chad rose out of the water and jumped over the wake of the boat. Caitlin snapped pictures on her digital camera, even though she had enough pictures of this same scene to fill three photo albums. The views from the boat were breathtaking. The lush green mountains of St. Kitts were to the left. To the right Nevis, both islands full with green foliage and so high, the clouds covering the peaks gave the appearance of snow. If Chad hadn’t been skiing behind the boat, the location could be mistaken for Switzerland rather than a tropical island.

  After twenty minutes of strenuous wave jumping, Chad tapped his head, released the rope, sank into the water, and waited for the boat to circle and pick him up. His gestures relayed the signal, “I’m done.”

  Alexandra recognized the sign and grabbed the kneeboard. “Daddy go with me.”

  While Caitlin grabbed the skis and helped Chad into the boat, Scott snapped his life-jacket on and then he and his daughter leaped into the water.

  When they got up on the kneeboard, Caitlin snapped more pictures.

  Once everyone had their turn or two at their favorite water sport, albeit water skiing, tubing or knee boarding, Mel took them for a slow scenic boat ride over to Nevis.

  The ride to Nevis had a calming affect on Caitlin. She enjoyed the scenery and relaxed for the first time since early Monday morning and appreciated the reprieve from drama. She decided to take advantage of her good mood and call her mother. They hadn’t spoken about what happened. Caitlin chose to utilize her father as the communication pipeline since Constance became upset easily and overreacted. She dug her cell-phone out of the bag.

  * * * *

  Constance drove north on Interstate 95 and Dean dozed in the passenger seat. Her phone rang, Caitlin. She hadn’t expected to hear from her, maybe she had good news. The past three days had been traumatic for her daughter, with one thing after another; more accurately one threat and scare after another. She forced a positive greeting. “Caitlin, honey, I’m so glad to hear from you, everything all right?”

  “Yes, Mom, for once during this trip from hell we’re enjoying a beautiful sunny day out on a boat. We went water skiing and knee boarding. Now we’re going over to a beach on Nevis to have an early dinner.”

  At the sound of her daughter’s cheery voice, Constance released a pent up breath. She wanted to ask if they found the bastard but couldn’t bring herself to dampen Caitlin’s good spirits and did her best to keep the conversation light and upbeat. “That sounds wonderful. How did the baby do on the kneeboard? Is Chad on one ski yet?”

  “Don’t let Alexandra hear you call her a baby, she’s a big girl! Anyway, you know the water-bug. We could barely get her out to take a rest. I’m sure she’ll want to water skate, as she calls it, all the way back from Nevis. Chad did great on two skis. It won’t be long before he’s slaloming.”

  “Sounds like a wonderful day and I can’t wait to see all of you in a couple of weeks.”

  “Me too, Mom. I miss you and love you.”

  Relieved, Constance replied, “I love you too, Sweetheart. Have fun this evening.”

  “We will. By the way where are you? Didn’t Dean get in today?” Caitlin asked.

  “Yes, I picked him up this morning. He’s right here. Do you want to speak to him?”

  “Sure put him on, talk to you later, Mom, love ya.”

  Saying another I love you, Constance held her hand over the mouth piece of the phone, and whispered to her son. “Don’t ask her anything about what’s happening. She sounds happy and like the old Caitlin for once.”

  * * * *

  “Hey, Caitlin, it’s good to hear your voice.” Dean had never been very talkative, now he grasped for words to continue the conversation without bringing up the threats. He chose insignificant babble. “Mom picked me up at the airport and we took the afternoon cruise on the gambling boat out of West Palm Beach. You know Mom. Every now and then she gets that gambling urge. Remember when you’d come home from college for Christmas, she’d take a day off work and take the three of us to Atlantic City? Sometimes it’d be the next morning before we got home and Dad would be leaving for work sneering at us.”

  Caitlin laughed and interrupted her brother’s rambling. “Dean, I can read you like a book and see through your façade. You’re chattering on to avoid asking me about what’s happening.”

  “Caitlin, I didn’t mean to, uh, I mean how are you?” Dean fumbled.

  Caitlin laughed harder. “Dean, don’t worry about it. We’re fine for today and I’m glad you brought up the good old times. It helped to take my mind off of everything else. To answer your question, of course I remember those times! How could I forget? We would always go at night after Mom got home from work. She’d make Dad dinner and give him some song and dance about gambling for a few ho
urs. Meanwhile, she’d take us to some fancy restaurant for dinner and then we’d hit the casinos. Oh, Dean, if Dad ever knew some of the restaurants Mom took us to, he’d have a fit!”

  Brother and sister gasped for air in between roars of laughter. Relief swept over Dean, he didn’t have to get into any serious talk. This he could handle. “Caitlin, a fit couldn’t begin to describe it. Dad used to bitch every time we walked out the door, ‘Sure fine run off and throw money away gambling. Here I sit eating a can of soup your mother threw in a bucket,’ with his predictable closing argument before the door shut behind us, ‘I hope you have enough money, Constance, and I don’t mean to throw away in the slot machines. Your sons aren’t old enough to gamble so don’t call me when all of you are locked up in jail’.”

  “Dean, don’t forget the time when Nana went with us, she must have been in her late seventies, and Mom was convinced the slot machine she’d been glued to for the past eight hours was going to pay. It must have been five a.m. when Nana had enough and what did Mom do?” Caitlin asked her brother.

  “Oh yeah I remember that too, she gave Nana another bucket of quarters, parked her at the machine next to her and told her to keep playing. That day when we got home Dad, thankfully, had already left for work, probably eating lunch by the time we walked into the house.”

  “Dean, it’s been fun reminiscing like this and I miss you. We don’t get to see enough of each other.”

  “When this is all over…” His mother delivered a slap to his muscled bicep and cut short Dean’s statement. Turning his head, he saw Constance’s warning stare and pursed lips. He realized his error. “Uh, I mean when I get to St. Kitts in a few weeks, I can’t wait to get Chad on a surfboard.”

  “Have fun with Mom, I wish I was there. I’m sure you two will have a blast.”

  Dean ended the conversation on a positive note. “We will and we miss you too. When we get down there, for old time’s sake, me, you, and Mom are going to have a night out; dinner in the fanciest restaurant and a night of gambling in the hotel casino. Deal?”

  “Deal!” Caitlin agreed to the suggestion and ended the call.

  * * * *

  Carol Spencer Timmons, Jack’s youngest sister, sat on the balcony and looked at the Point Pleasant boardwalk. It wasn’t yet six on this clear July evening but she could see the neon lights of the boardwalk flicker on.

  Larry was out of town on a fishing trip in North Carolina. She planned to take a walk on the boardwalk and have a sinful but delicious dinner, consisting of a greasy cheese steak sandwich, and maybe some of those famous boardwalk fries doused with vinegar and salt.

  Carol had always been tall and slender, never had to worry about her weight much. Lately, she couldn’t deny the fact that she’d put on a few extra pounds. Her expanding waistline and deteriorating marriage, depressed her.

  Carol and Larry had hit a major rift in their thirty-five year marriage. Larry had been out of work for the past year, due to a back injury, and the construction company he worked for put him on long term disability. They seemed to constantly argue over money for no reason.

  Carol still held the job she loved as the director of a daycare center. They were able to live comfortably in a nice condominium, not far from the beach. She rested her elbows on the railing, the palms of her hands cradling her face. She sighed and breathed in the unique distinctive salt air aroma of the Jersey Shore.

  Larry’s behavior over the last year disturbed her and convinced Carol he’d been having an affair. Unsure of his actual whereabouts at the moment, she was certain he was with another woman.

  The visit from the FBI earlier in the day had shaken Carol and caused her to worry about her niece. Her problems were inconsequential compared to Caitlin’s. Carol tucked her wallet into the pocket of her shorts and pushed aside self-pity. She walked the boardwalk, determined to put together the pieces of the puzzle and attempt to help her niece.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Victoria Norris looked at the clock on her computer and couldn’t believe the time, already 7:30 p.m. After the perpetual day from hell with the FBI screening and employee questioning, she looked forward to going home and putting the day behind her. Today had been rough. It took a lot of energy for her to project a positive and calming demeanor. Her role as executive assistant required Victoria to provide quite a bit of interference when the employees were unsettled. She jumped when Dr. Albright called out to her.

  “Victoria, can you come into my office for a minute? At this late hour, I won’t take up much of your time.”

  “I’ll be right there.” Despite his assurance, her hopes of leaving the office in the next hour or so were dashed. She prepared herself for a long night.

  A few minutes later, Victoria knocked and entered Steve’s office. Steve Albright, short and thin, with glasses that resembled the bottom of a soda bottle, had never been a looker. She couldn’t help but notice the drastic change in his appearance. Tonight he looked horrible and disheveled.

  “Thanks for staying so late tonight. I know it’s been a really tough day. Have you heard any scuttlebutt?”

  “The employees seemed okay after you spoke to them at the mandatory all hands meeting.”

  “Good. I had a one on one meeting with each department manager as well. They’re committed to our company and will do their best to work with each individual to dispel any fears or concerns, keep moral up.

  “Victoria, thank you for continuing to be so upbeat and positive during this crisis. I’ve got to tell you this company doesn’t need this shit right now. We got enough bad PR when Caitlin hired Brad. Now we have our illustrious CEO and founder getting threatening letters and disrupting this company.” Steve vented then apologized. “Victoria, please forgive my outburst. That must’ve sounded crass. Of course I’m worried about Caitlin’s safety and that of her family. We’ll work together and keep the troops spirits up.”

  “Yes, we will. Work together that is,” she said through clenched teeth, and straightened her shoulders. Dr. Albright’s tirade and attack on Caitlin had offended Victoria and she didn’t appreciate his comments but she remained silent.

  * * * *

  Steve sat alone, thinking back to four years ago when he’d first met Caitlin at a Water Resources Conference.

  “Dr. Albright, impressive speech you gave on the global water shortages and challenges of providing safe drinking water for mankind. I find your proposed model for water filtration quite fascinating. Do you have a minute so that we can speak further? I may have a business proposition for you. Care to have a cup of coffee?”

  Steve turned to see the owner of the female voice. He almost spilled his glass of juice. He couldn’t believe how attractive and professional the woman was.

  “Sure, lead the way,” he agreed.

  She held out her hand. “Caitlin Martel.”

  “Steve Albright.” Like a fool he repeated his name. A tingle of excitement ran up his spine at the touch of her hand.

  Seated in a quiet corner of a nearby coffee shop, Caitlin got right down to business. “Dr. Albright, I’m in the process of opening my own company. I think your background and philosophy are perfect for the executive and research team I’m building.”

  “Please call me Steve. I’d very much like to hear more about your company,” Steve said and stared at Caitlin. Who wouldn’t stare at her? She was bright, confident, and those eyes. No one had eyes that color, they had to be contacts.

  Caitlin shared her plans for the company she’d formed and her intentions of taking it to unthinkable levels of success. The clear, concise, and well thought out business plan she’d written, captivated Steve. He wanted in. This opportunity would be a boost for his career.

  It took a month of contract negotiations but Steve couldn’t turn down the lucrative incentive package Caitlin presented to him. At first Steve thought he made a monumental mistake in joining CSM Technologies as Vice President of Research and Development.

/>   After three short months of getting the company on its feet, Caitlin announced she was pregnant with her second child. Steve couldn’t believe it. They had a lot of work ahead of them to keep the company on track. He failed to see how she could handle pregnancy then maternity leave, and still run the company. He shuddered when he remembered his wife’s behavior during her two pregnancies.

  His misgivings were completely unwarranted. Caitlin didn’t miss a beat during the whole nine months, and even worked the day she went into labor. She and Alexandra were home sixteen hours after the birth. Caitlin worked remotely from home for a few days but kept on top of all business matters. Not much of a maternity leave, a shorter time than most people took for a vacation.

  The ring of his cell-phone snapped Steve back into the present. He answered and couldn’t control the husky voice that came out of his throat. “Hello, Steve Albright.”

  “Don’t you check caller ID? It’s me, aren’t you ever coming home tonight?” his wife, Ellen, screeched into the phone.

  “Ellen, you know what’s going on here, I told you not to expect me home early. Are the kids all right?”

  “Yes, they’re fine as much as you care. You’re a slave to the company and now that bitch’s stunts are interfering in our life.”

  Steve chided himself for telling Ellen the details of the investigation involving Caitlin. He shouldn’t have mentioned anything about her father’s adoption, but he did, so now he had to deal with the situation. He chose to ignore Ellen’s rants.