by Josh Karnes
Chapter 13
Isla de Vieques, Puerto Rico
The Gradys conducted what began as a thorough search of the Ensenada del Mar but it occurred to James that a shirtless and shoeless teenager with no money and no room key would not easily blend in, even on a beach resort. They combed the common areas and grounds of the resort with a balance of fervency and haste, knowing that they would be running out of daylight in just a few minutes and once dark set in, finding Joey would become considerably more difficult.
After their search produced no results, they decided to return briefly to their rooms to regroup and talk about a plan. Melissa needed to change into street clothes and get her purse and other things. In a vain effort to keep an eye on the beach just in case Joey happened to be there, they held their brief family meeting on the balcony of Mark’s and Eli’s room. Worst case, if he found his way to the resort without a room key he would either knock on the door or probably plead with the front desk clerk to call up to the room or make him a new key. They didn’t think they’d miss him if he returned.
James, ever the logician, began to lay out the problem. “Okay, guys. The way I see it, there are a few options, and we need to come up with a plan to check them out. First of all, Joey may have just taken off on his own for whatever reason. Maybe he got distracted or something caught his attention, maybe he just wanted some time to himself—”
“Dad, that’s not—” Eli interrupted.
“Let me finish, then let’s discuss it, okay?” Everyone nodded. “Second option, he met with some trouble of the criminal kind, either on the boat on the return trip, or after he left the boat but before we went looking for him there. Vieques is pretty safe, in general, but it still is not completely crime-free. Now, to me this makes little sense because a teenage boy with no shirt, shoes or wallet is not a very good mark for a mugger.” Just then it flashed in his mind that they were not exactly poor, and that means Joey could be a good target for a kidnapper. But how would any kidnappers know that they had money? It was mostly locked away in a numbered account and he wasn’t a public figure of any kind. Sure, they were staying in one of the nicer resorts, and they did arrive by plane, but they took a taxi to the resort and generally appeared no more extravagant than the average Norte Americano tourist in this place. James extinguished this thought, convincing himself that it was not at the top of the list. Yet. And the last thing he wanted was to plant this idea in Melissa’s mind.
“Third option, which seems almost impossible, is that he never made it back on the dive boat. If that happened, he’d likely have to hitch a ride with another boat, fisherman or other pleasure craft, if there were any in the area, and in that case he’s probably on dry land but may be at a loss for how to find us,” James suggested, concluding his overview and opening the table for discussion.
“Well, for your first option, Dad, like I was saying, Joey may have wandered off or gotten distracted by something, then got lost, but there’s no reason to think he intentionally went off somewhere. He wasn’t overly upset or acting like he wanted to be alone, and he’s never done that kind of thing before. I don’t think we should waste our time trying to find him camped out in a bar or coffee shop,” Eli said.
“And I’m with you, I think it’d be a dumb mugger to try and rob a kid in swim trunks. Plus, Joey’s not some ninety-pound weakling. He’s bigger and stronger than most of the other folks I have seen on this island,” Mark said, conveying a little bit of pride in his younger brother.
“But it’s not impossible. If some mugger got ahold of him, he may be laying beaten in some alley somewhere!” Melissa said. Mama bear was starting to sharpen her claws.
“Okay, okay,” James responded with a slight calming gesture, his left hand waving subtly above the tabletop. “We will look into that. But first, before we go off, Mark and Eli, you guys were out there in the water. Were there other boats around? What might Joey have done if he did get separated from the dive group and missed his ride home?”
“Well, there were plenty of boats out there. It’s gorgeous, and there was another tour with a bunch of people doing some snorkeling, that kind of thing. I noticed one or two party boats full of drunk people, couldn’t see any fishermen,” Eli began.
“And there were a couple of guys zipping around on one of those rubber rafts with a motor, you know,” Mark said.
“Zodiac,” James prompted.
“Yeah, in a Zodiac, and they were running back and forth to some buoys messing with them.”
“Right. So it sounds like between party boats, another dive tour, some spies in a Zodiac and some, what, two, three, buoys—”
“I counted four,” Mark said.
“Right. Four buoys, it looks like even if he missed the boat, he’d have other options to get back. He’s a smart kid and speaks a little Spanish, so he probably could find a way home. No way we’d find him in the dark if he were clinging to a buoy anyway. So, I think that means we have two things we can check tonight. Eli, you and your mother should go to the Vieques police, file a report and see if they can help you determine if he is either lost in the city or has been victim of some crime. They will be best able to help find him if that is the case. And Mark, you and I will go down to the marina, ask around about other boats that may have brought home a stowaway, and you can help me by translating if necessary.”
“‘The crease’ is way closer to Culebra. The boats out there might have been returning there. Also they could be coming from the main island, from Fajardo or some tiny town,” Mark suggested.
“Good point, Mark, but we can’t do anything about that tonight. Let’s just check what’s here on Vieques first, keep in touch with your cell phones. Truth is, I think Joey’s probably either hanging out at the marina right where we were supposed to pick him up, or he’s at the police station and they are trying to figure out who he is and how to contact his family. So odds are we will find him in just a few minutes and be here in no time,” James said optimistically, trying to keep Melissa from freaking out.
Melissa was already up from the table before James could finish saying, “Sound like a plan?”.
“Sounds good. Let’s go, Eli,” she said and they bolted from the room. James checked that the door locked when they had left, then brought Mark with him through the adjoining room door and they left from the other room locking the door behind them.