"It's almost dawn," Dani said. "That means we can't do much until tonight."
"Yes, I think so," Rosa said.
"Do you know about personal locator beacons? PLBs?"
Rosa frowned for a second. "I remember from my crew training, I think. This is like an EPIRB, yes, but small?"
"Exactly. If I give you one, can you keep it concealed until tonight?"
"Yes, of course. I can do this."
"I haven't had time to check over the ship. Is there a fire alarm system that has pull boxes around the ship?"
"Yes, at least two pull boxes in every corridor, usually where you leave to go on deck."
"I have to make some arrangements with some people who will pick us up, but sometime tonight, I will pull the fire alarm. You get the other women together and jump overboard when you hear it. Trigger the PLB that I'm going to give you, and keep the women together until you are rescued. Okay?"
"Yes, I understand. I must hurry, before it is too light."
"I'll be right back." Dani stepped inside and returned a few seconds later with the PLB, pressing it into the woman's hand. "I'll see you after you're rescued, Rosa. Good luck; you're a brave woman."
Rosa stuffed the PLB in the pocket of her shorts and hugged Dani. Dropping her arms, she scrambled up onto the railing of the balcony, edging to the side until she found handholds that Dani couldn't see. In seconds, she was gone.
Dani took the infrared transceiver from her pocket and turned it on. Based on her survey of the foredeck earlier and Strong's story that the hold beneath it was off limits, she had already loaded it with a message affirming the presence of the missiles. Now she had Rosa's confirmation. Aiming the device out at the water, she swung it slowly from side to side until she saw one of the LEDs switch from red to green. Pressing the 'send' button, she waited until the LED flickered three times and turned red, indicating that the message had been sent and received. She went back inside and sat on the edge of her bed. Picking up her cellphone, she began composing an email to Liz.
****
"Good morning, Andrei," Greg Baklanov said, as he joined Danilov in his private dining room for breakfast.
"What's new, Greg?"
"Not too much."
"Did Strong sleep with her?"
"No," Greg said, with a chuckle, "but not because he didn't try."
"She turned him down? I'm surprised, given that she came out here to begin with."
"She's very smooth, that one. You should listen to the recording, when you have time."
"Just tell me."
"She stalled him, but the way she did it," Greg shook his head and grinned. "I'm sure he doesn't feel rejected. It was almost like she gave him a road map. He no doubt thinks that by playing along with her, he's going to score really big with her any day now."
"Women," Danilov said. "Who has time for their foolishness?"
"Not everyone has the ... uh, options that you have, Andrei."
"So she sent him away. Was this right after dinner? I saw that he escorted her back to her stateroom."
"No. They talked for a few minutes after she shut down his advances, but not about anything important. Mostly about how they'd handle the readings from the script today."
"Boring. Has she made any telephone calls since she's been aboard?"
"No. She took a turn around the deck after he left. She said hello to the man on watch at the bow, but he doesn't speak English. When she went back to her stateroom, she dressed for bed and turned the lights off. After that, there was no sign of life in her quarters until about dawn."
"Dawn? What happened then?"
"She sent an email from her smartphone, and then turned on the lights and got in the shower."
"She's an early riser, then. Who did she send the email to?"
"Liz Chirac, her partner in the charter business."
"What was in the email?"
"Girl talk, mostly. She told her that Strong made a play, but that she put him off. 'I did it basically the way you suggested,' she said, 'but I didn't have to play the failed relationship card — yet.'"
Danilov laughed and shook his head again. "Shit, Greg, her friend's coaching her on how to manipulate that dumb bastard. This could be fun to watch. That fucker doesn't have a clue, does he?"
"I don't know about that, Andrei. A lot of people think he's a ladies' man. And a lot of those people are ladies."
"This Berger is a real little snake, Greg." Danilov laughed. "I think I like her. I wonder how long she's going to make him suffer?"
Greg smiled and shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. "Hard to say."
"Anything else in the email?"
"Yeah, but just bullshit about a PLB she'd borrowed from Chirac and lost."
"What?"
"PLB," Greg said. "Personal Locator Beacon ... "
"I know what a PLB is," Danilov said. "You have the email?"
"Yeah. I copied it to my phone."
"Read me the part about the PLB."
Greg scrolled down the screen of his smartphone and paused. " ... about your PLB that I borrowed — don't buy a replacement just yet. I had it in my duffle bag when I was out offshore from St. Lucia with Marie's friend — Catherine Demars, I think her name was. Anyway, remember I told you how several of us were swimming off her boat out of sight of land that evening? I'll bet it's there on her boat still. It was pretty rough; it probably got bounced out of my bag. There was a lot of bilge water, but they don't trigger when they get wet, like an EPIRB does. Somebody has to set it off on purpose, so it's probably still there and still okay to use. Maybe you should ask your friend with the funny name from Dominica to see if he can find it and bring it to us when he comes up this way next. I hope you and Marie are doing okay with the guests; tell her I'll be in touch after this is over. See you in a — "
"Okay, okay. You're right. Just bullshit. Funny about them comparing notes on how to hustle our boy Strong, though."
"Yeah, it is."
"What did she do after she sent the email?"
"She was reading aloud from the script, trying different, I don't know — I guess different tones of voice? Like she was trying to get some emotion into it. She and Strong were going to meet for breakfast about now in his stateroom. That's where they were planning to work today."
"Okay, good. I need to run; enjoy your breakfast. Angelika's got some new spreadsheets for me. Keep me posted on our soap opera." Danilov stood and walked through the door that connected to his office.
Chapter 27
"Do you trust them to handle Vengeance?" Marie asked. She and Liz sat in the cockpit, sailing along on a close reach. Blaine and Mindy were in the dinghy, holding a position about 50 yards off their beam, shooting video of Vengeance as she sliced through the smooth, even swell at nine knots under full sail.
Liz shrugged. "Why do you ask?"
"I thought we might offer to change places with them; I could get some video of the two of them sailing for their TV show."
"That's a kind thought. I don't think they could get into too much trouble out here; Platinum Odyssey's barely in sight. If you want to, we can make the offer when they get back. Did you hear any more about them? Or remember anything?"
"Not yet. I think they may have been part of some NGO — a charity, or something."
"So not some kind of secret agents, then?" Liz asked, with a smile.
"They could be both," Marie said. "It happens."
"Mindy was asking me a lot of questions about you last night," Liz said.
"What about me?"
"She and Blaine were trying to place your native tongue based on your speech patterns."
Marie laughed. "Good luck to them with that. Did they have a guess?"
"No." Liz recounted the details of her conversation with Mindy.
"Did she seem suspicious of me?" Marie asked.
"Not especially. She asked if I thought you'd be offended it she asked you outright."
"That does make it seem more innocent
," Marie said. "What did you tell her?"
"That you're not easily offended."
Marie smiled. "I am not. I don't mind talking with them about that, but it probably will only frustrate them. You know where I grew up; everybody spoke a different language. Even the ones who spoke the same had different accents. I'm not even sure I have what most people call a native tongue."
"I'm glad it doesn't worry you that she asked."
"Not at all. If it comes up again, tell her as much as you know."
"Thanks. That's not much, since I've been thinking of it."
"And that is the truth," Marie said, grinning. "Not because I hide anything. The way I have lived, there is not much to know about me. I have lived as a native in many different cultures, and I belong to none. This probably will not make them satisfied, but it is what I am."
Liz nodded and leaned back against the cockpit coaming, enjoying the tranquility of the easy point of sail.
"Liz?"
"Yes?"
"Sorry to disturb you, but do you mind if I tell Mindy that you shared her conversation with me?"
"No. I think that's okay. Why?"
"It may give me carte blanche to ask them some questions in return, I am thinking. After all, she has opened the door, as the Americans say."
"Yes, you're right. I think that would be appropriate; it might be a good conversation over cocktails."
"Good. I think they are coming back, now. We can have lunch and then offer to let them sail Vengeance while we make video for them?"
"Okay," Liz said, stepping over the leeward cockpit coaming onto the side deck and giving Blaine hand signals as he brought the dinghy in close. Seeing that he looked worried, she signaled for him to back off. Turning back to Marie, she said, "Let's heave to; I don't think they're comfortable boarding at nine knots."
Liz watched as Marie studied the sails, frowning. After a few seconds, Marie nodded and yelled, "Helm's alee," as she turned the bow through the wind. The sails flogged for a few seconds and filled on the opposite tack, the back-winded headsails now working against the main and mizzen to hold Vengeance steady as she forereached at less than a knot.
"Perfect," Liz said. "Well done, Marie. Now just clamp the brake on the helm." She turned back to Blaine and Mindy and waved for them to come alongside.
****
"Did he say which agency?" Greg asked, a puzzled look on his face.
"No," Danilov said. "I asked, but he didn't know. He just said that he had heard from a reliable source that she was an undercover Federal agent. That's all I could get out of him."
"What do you think, Andrei?"
"You first, please. You have had more time with both of them."
"It seems far-fetched to me, honestly," Greg said.
"Why? Something about her doesn't fit?"
"Not even considering her; just think about it. If the Feds wanted to plant an agent aboard Platinum Odyssey this would be an odd way to go about it. It leaves a great deal to chance."
"Somebody planted the chambermaid aboard," Danilov said. "That was opportunistic."
"Yes, but not as much as this would be, Andrei. First they would have to know that we were about to bring Strong aboard. Then, they would have had to learn where he could be approached. Not only that, but they had to know the particulars of the movie, so that they could find an agent Strong would find attractive in one of the roles. And it would have to be a key role — otherwise, he wouldn't bring the person aboard. And he's right; she's perfect for the role. What are the odds? I could keep going, but you see my point."
"Indeed I do. But there's one thing you've overlooked."
"What's that?"
"Suppose they managed to turn Strong? Then the rest is no longer so improbable."
"Shit! You think he's working for them?"
"I don't know, but if he were, then it would be an easy thing for them to put Berger in place."
"You're right, Andrei. But I have another thought, putting aside the question of whether either of them is a Federal agent for a moment."
"Good. Tell me."
"Cui bono?" Greg asked. "Who benefits?"
"Ah! Good question. You mean aside from whoever planted the spy, I take it."
"Right."
"And you already have an idea of who stands to gain. I do, too. Who do you think, Greg?"
"My thought was Nino Petrillo. This is just the kind of thing those Mafia bastards would think of. We screwed them out of the movie business, so now they're going to mess us up."
"You may be onto something, but what could they gain by planting a spy among us."
"I hadn't taken that fork in the road, although that's interesting, too. I had in mind that they made up the whole Federal agent story and planted it, just to disrupt us."
"You mean Berger and Strong are nothing more than they appear to be?"
"It's possible, Andrei."
Danilov nodded several times. "It is. Any other ideas come to mind?"
Greg sat, thinking. Danilov waited, not moving. After a few minutes, Greg said, "I think we have enough options to start with."
"I agree," Danilov said, picking up a pencil and pulling a legal pad across his desk. "Option one," he said, as he began to write, "the U.S. government has planted Dani Berger, with or without Strong's assistance. Correct?"
"Actually, we have nothing but your source in the Antigua government pointing to the U.S. I think we should not narrow the possibilities," Greg said.
Danilov nodded and struck through U.S. on his notepad. "Some government," he said, looking up at Greg.
"Yes," Greg said. "Option two is that some government has co-opted Strong and induced him to bring Berger in."
"Or not," Danilov said.
"Sorry?" Greg said. "Or not what?"
"It's possible that Strong is the sole agent. Again, only my contact in the government of Antigua has mentioned Berger," Danilov said.
"You're right," Greg said. "How trustworthy is he, anyway."
"That's a very good question," Danilov said. "That takes us to the possibility that the Mafia has put him up to misleading us. There may be no agent of any kind."
"Except," Greg said, "someone has already planted one agent aboard. We mustn't forget the chambermaid."
"You're right." Danilov scribbled more notes. "We must not forget that. I'm circling toward a conclusion of sorts, Greg."
"The safe choice is for us to assume we have an agent aboard," Greg said. "Right?"
"Exactly," Danilov said. "How do we determine whether it's Berger or Strong or both?"
"We start by questioning one of them; whichever one we think will be the easiest to break."
****
"We're almost at a good stopping point," Strong said. "Should I order some lunch?"
"Sure," Dani said. "Something light for me; a — "
A knock on the door interrupted her. Strong stood and opened the door to find a stewardess outside.
"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Strong," the woman said, in heavily accented English, "but Mr. Danilov wishes to see you immediately."
"We were about to order lunch," Strong said, "should we just join him instead?"
"Not Ms. Berger. Only you, he wishes. Ms. Berger should go to her quarters, perhaps, and I will arrange for someone to take her order for lunch. You will come now. Mr. Danilov does not wish to wait."
"Okay, but I think Ms. Berger should stay here and order; I don't expect this will take very long."
"No! Mr. Danilov has said she should wait in her quarters. You will come now. I have orders to force you to attend, if necessary."
"This is prepost — " Strong was interrupted as the stewardess gripped his right elbow and spun him around. He shrieked once as her thumb dug into the nerve on the inside of his arm just above his elbow.
Dani watched with professional interest as the woman swept his arm behind him and barred it with her left forearm, shifting the grip of her right hand to the trapezius muscle on the left side of his neck.
She levered up on his right arm and he rose to his toes, whimpering. She turned him and marched him out the door, looking over her shoulder at Dani.
"You go to your quarters now, Ms. Berger. I will be back directly to see to your lunch."
Dani stood and picked up her copy of the script. "I'll be waiting," she said, following the woman and Strong through the door.
Chapter 28
"Were we as successful with the videography as you two were at sailing?" Liz asked, as Blaine and Mindy came up into the cockpit. They had been working below, uploading the day's videos to Blaine's computer.
"You guys did a great job," Mindy said. "We don't often have the chance to get video of both of us doing things together. One of us is always behind the camera. And Marie, you have real talent, not to mention a steady hand. What you shot was way better than what Blaine and I did earlier. Thanks for suggesting that."
"You are welcome," Marie said. "It was quite enjoyable. But the steady hand part is because of Liz, I think. It is that she handles the dinghy so, ah ... she is steering for the smooth ride. I do not have the exact words; please excuse my poor English."
"There's nothing wrong with your English," Mindy said, casting a sideways glance at Liz, who was occupied with slicing some of the cheese that was on their hors d'oeuvre platter. "But I can't quite identify the origin of some of your speech patterns. I mentioned that to Liz the other night."
"I think that is not surprising, Mindy. It is because of where I spent my childhood. Everyone around me was from different places, and they all spoke different languages. When I was little, I did not distinguish one language from another."
"That must have been difficult for you," Blaine said.
"I was a child. I did not know difficult. I only knew that some people used certain words when I was speaking with them, and other people maybe would not know those words. The words I used depended on the person I was with. It was not something that caused me problems. Later, when I was in the schools, I began to understand that there were many different languages."
"I don't mean to be nosey," Mindy said, "but that's utterly fascinating. I majored in English in college, and I have a minor in linguistics; I've never met anybody with a background like yours. Where did you grow up?"
Bluewater Drone: The Eleventh Novel in the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Bluewater Thrillers Book 11) Page 20