Colleen Coble

by Rosemary Cottage

  They all had to speak by microphone to hear above the roar of the chopper’s blades and engine.

  Amy gestured. “I need to get down there!”

  Curtis shook his head. “That boat is going down.”

  Amy leaned out the open window, and the wind made her hair fly around her head. “I don’t think we can get her up here in the shape she’s in.”

  Curtis took her arm and pulled her back inside. “You can’t lean out, Amy, not without wearing a gunner’s belt.” Even he wouldn’t lean out of the open door without a gunner’s belt to keep him from falling.

  Josh took his arm. “I think she’s right, buck. We could lose the baby if it comes while she’s in the water. We just have a few minutes. We can deploy the rubber raft and transfer her to it if necessary.”

  Curtis didn’t want to run the risk of losing Amy, but he finally nodded. “You’re a strong swimmer, I know. You’re going to have to drop into the water and swim to the boat. Think you can do that?”

  Her face was pale and set. “Of course. I’ll need my instruments.”

  “We can put them in a dry pack and tie them to your waist.” Josh pointed at the red jumpsuits. “You need a jelly fish too.”

  Curtis grabbed the jumpsuit and handed it to Amy. He held up a blanket and averted his gaze while she changed into it.

  “I’m ready,” Amy said from behind the blanket.

  He turned and saw her zipped into the wetsuit. A hoodie covered her hair.

  Amy grabbed her bag and handed it to him. “Let’s get down there.”

  He prepared her bag for submersion in the sea. Attached to the gunner’s belt, Alec sat on the edge of the doorway with his feet dangling over the edge. He adjusted his mask and pulled on his fins, then waited for the signal.

  Curtis tapped him on the chest. Alec disengaged the gunner’s belt and waited again. Curtis tapped him three times on the shoulder and Alec studied the water below, then dropped like a gull toward the waves.

  When Alec’s head popped up, Curtis sent the raft down to him too. As soon as the raft hit the water, Alec tugged the line on the bundle, and the raft inflated. Holding on to the raft’s line, he swam to the boat, attached the line to the ladder, then clambered aboard.

  Curtis took Amy by the arm. “We’ll drop you as close to the boat as we safely can. When you know you’re all right, raise your hand in the air to signal that you’re all right before you start swimming for the boat. Got it?”

  “Got it.” She sounded a little breathless.

  If he had any other options, he wouldn’t send her down there. But the woman and her baby could die if they didn’t get help. He attached the gunner’s belt to her chest, then guided her into position. “Josh, get us down a little if you can.”

  Josh nodded and maneuvered the helicopter a little closer to the swamped boat. Curtis knelt beside Amy. “Keep one hand on your mask and the other across your chest so you don’t hit it hard with the water. Stay in a slightly seated position with your fins pointing up. Give me a thumbs-up when you’re ready. I’ll tap you three times on the shoulder. That will be your signal to look for debris and, if it’s all clear, to jump. Got it?”

  “Got it.” She swallowed, then adjusted her mask. Her eyes were wide behind the plastic. Her face was pale and set, but she jabbed her thumb up. “Ready.”

  He triple-tapped her shoulder, then disengaged the gunner’s belt. “Look around below you. If it’s all good, jump.”

  His throat tightened as she looked at the waves, then shoved herself off the floor of the helicopter and plummeted toward the water. Leaning out, he watched her hit the waves. He held his breath waiting until he could see her again. Where was she? It was dangerous for an untrained person to jump from this height, and he fully expected to get into trouble with his superiors for allowing her to do it. Her form had looked good as she’d gone into the water, but the force of hitting the waves had been known to knock someone out.

  “I’m going down!” He sat in the doorway and inhaled. Then he saw her head pop up. “Wait, there she is.”

  She jabbed her thumb in the air, then began to swim toward the boat. Alec was leaning over the woman, but he turned to watch Amy’s progress as well. He motioned with his arm as if she should hurry. Her strokes were long and sure, and she steadily neared the boat. Alec reached over the side and grabbed her arm as she started up the ladder. He hoisted her the rest of the way.

  She knelt by the woman, then leaned around and grabbed her bag. Curtis couldn’t see well with her and Alec blocking his view. He anxiously watched the boat pitch and yaw. The thing could take a nosedive and sink at any time. He began to pray and saw Josh’s lips moving too. This was going to be close.

  The boat wallowed low in the water. “That thing’s going under any minute!” He attached the gunner’s belt and sat in the doorway waving his arms at his friend. He gestured to the boat. “Get them off there!”

  Alec looked back at the raft and made the gesture to back off. “He’s not ready yet.”

  Come on, come on. There seemed to be a sudden flurry of movement, then Curtis caught a glimpse of something in Amy’s arms. “She’s delivered the baby!”

  Time seemed to drag as Amy continued to kneel by the woman. She would need to clamp off the umbilical cord and deliver the placenta before they could get off. Praying, he waited.

  Finally, Alec rushed to the ladder. He climbed down and seized the raft’s line, then dragged the raft closer to the boat. Amy disappeared belowdecks. What was she doing? She needed to get out of there. Curtis could barely keep from going down himself. When she finally emerged, she had a bag in her hand. She pulled out a blanket and wrapped the baby in it. The husband helped his wife to her feet and half carried her to the ladder.

  Alec climbed to the top of the ladder to assist while the husband helped the woman put one foot down onto the first rung. The woman swayed on the ladder, and Curtis held his breath, sure she was going to fall. She clung there for a long minute, then made it down another two rungs before she swayed again.

  She lost her grip on the ladder. Amy made a grab for her but missed. The woman hurtled down, and the force of her fall knocked Alec from the ladder as well. They both plummeted into the water.

  The husband shouted and leaped overboard after his wife. With the baby in one arm, Amy clambered down the ladder. She rushed to the side of the raft.

  Alec’s head popped up, and he had hold of the woman. The husband reached them as well and helped tow her to the raft. From here, it looked like her eyes were closed.

  Moments later they were all in the raft, but the boat began to sink. If they didn’t get away in time, it would drag the raft down with it. Curtis blew his whistle to attract Alec’s attention, then waved his arms again, giving the sign to back away. Alec turned and grabbed the paddle. He paddled frantically away from the sinking boat.

  The boat shuddered, then went under. The eddies caught the raft, and it began to rotate back toward the whirlpool, taking the craft to its grave.

  “Please, God,” Curtis whispered, clenching his fists. Alec paddled harder, and the eddy released the raft.

  “They’re free of it!” Josh yelled. “Deploy the rescue basket.”

  SEVENTEEN

  Amy clutched the warming blanket around her. She couldn’t stop shivering as she waited to disembark from the helicopter at the airport in Kitty Hawk. Evening shrouded the helicopter, and the interior lights lit it only with a dim glow. Her shudders were more a reaction to the stress than to the cold water, and her ears vibrated from the roar of the rotors. The woman and baby had been unloaded first and rushed to the hospital.

  They were the last ones in the helicopter, and sitting in the tight space where she could hear Curtis’s breathing and smell his cologne was such an intimate experience, one that made her wonder exactly what this emotion in her chest was. If she leaned over a bit, she would be able to touch him.

  His face radiated approval. “You did great. Need another blanket?
”

  Her teeth were chattering, and she was cold clear to the bone. “I’m frozen. Glad they’re okay.”

  He tucked another blanket around her, then wrapped his arm around her. “I hope you don’t mind, but we have to get you warm.”

  “I don’t mind.” She relaxed against his warmth.

  “If you were scared, you didn’t show it.”

  “I was terrified. When she fell overboard, I couldn’t believe it. I was sure she’d drown.”

  “The baby was early?”

  Amy nodded. “About three weeks. She looked to be about six pounds though, so I think she’ll be okay. This is one birth that her family will retell for years.”

  “I bet they name her after you.”

  Amy gave a weak chuckle. “So they said.” The memory of holding that brand-new infant, literally snatched from the jaws of death, warmed her.

  She clenched her hands in her lap. “I suppose we should get out ourselves.”

  “Yeah.” But he made no move to release her and move toward the door. “Listen, Amy, I have to tell you that I don’t know another person, male or female, who would have done what you did today. You’re an amazing woman.”

  Heat scorched her cheeks, and she wanted to look away from the intensity in his eyes, but she didn’t. “I’m glad I could help.”

  He covered her hands with his. “I think I owe you a special dinner as thanks.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I want to. I think lobster is in order.”

  The heat of his hands warmed her better than the blanket. When he pulled his hands back, the coldness flooded back. “I’m famished, now that you mention it.”

  “No wonder. You’ve been in the frigid water, and it’s getting late. We still need to get my car back too. You want to eat here in Kitty Hawk or somewhere else?”

  “Let’s eat here. I have a yen for the Black Pelican.”

  He rose and moved toward the door. “I think I have a banana in my jacket to hold you over.”

  She grabbed her discarded clothing and accepted the hand he offered her. “I’ll take it.” He helped her down onto the pavement. The runway had emptied out as they walked toward the building. “Good thing my car is still here.”

  She glanced at her watch. It was after seven. They’d be lucky to eat by eight. “I’ll take that banana now.” He grinned and dug it out of his pocket. She peeled it and offered him half. “Can’t have you keeling over on me. I’d never catch you.”

  He didn’t turn it down, and they ate their snack in companionable silence. When they reached the building, the outside lights brightened the gloom. He grinned and reached toward her. His hand cupped her face, and he flicked his thumb over the corner of her mouth. “A fleck of banana.”

  “I was saving that for a snack.” She pulled the hoodie from her head and shook out her wet hair. “I hope they seat us. I’m hardly dressed for a nice dinner out.”

  “You look beautiful.”

  The soft words turned her insides to mush. Where was this relationship going?

  Curtis had parked the car under a light pole, and the bright light showed the Viper where he’d left it. The top was up.

  Curtis frowned as he walked toward the vehicle. “I thought we left the top down.” Amy and Josh followed him.

  Amy stepped to his side as they approached his car. “We did.”

  From here, the car didn’t appear to have been damaged, but no one could have put the hood up without a key. Curtis punched the key fob and heard the doors unlock. He yanked open the door and glanced inside. His jacket still draped the console. After rooting through the console, he saw nothing missing.

  He exited the car and stared at Amy and Josh. “How did the top get up? I don’t get it.”

  Josh reached past him and touched the button that operated the power top. It whirred and began to go down. “There’s a key in the ignition.”

  Curtis leaned past Josh and looked at the steering column. “That’s my extra set.” He pulled the key free from the slot and stared at it.

  “Where did you leave it?” Amy asked.

  “It hangs on a ring by the back door at my house.”

  Amy pulled out her phone. “We need to make sure Edith and Raine are all right.”

  She placed the call, and he tensed until he heard her speak to Edith. When it was clear from Amy’s end of the conversation that everything was all right, he stared at Josh. “What if someone has tampered with the car in other ways? It might not be safe to drive.”

  Josh looked uneasy too, and he nodded. “You might be right. You should probably have a mechanic go over it and make sure the brakes are okay.”

  Curtis stared at the car. “I don’t like this. Someone was in my house.” He pushed the button to pop his trunk. “I want to take a look around with my flashlight.” He pulled it out but didn’t slam the lid.

  Amy ended the call. “Edith took Raine to the beach today. She was gone most of the day. The house wasn’t locked.”

  “Most of us don’t lock anything,” Curtis said. “But someone had to know they were gone. And that I was on a mission and wasn’t likely to walk in on them. What was the point?”

  None of them had the answer to that. Curtis stared at his car again. “It’s not like a good Samaritan decided to put the top up. It’s just plain weird.”

  “You can have it towed to a mechanic,” Josh said.

  “Let me just have a look.” Curtis dropped to the pavement and scooted under the car, then shone the flashlight around the undercarriage. “Brake lines are okay. Nothing unusual under here.” Then the light landed on a small box. “Wait a minute.” He moved closer and studied the box. It shouldn’t be there. Wire ties strapped it to the exhaust pipe.

  He shoved himself out from under the car, then jumped to his feet. “Run!” He grabbed Amy’s arm and propelled her away from the vehicle. “I think there’s a bomb under there!”

  Josh leaped away from the car. Amy and Curtis raced after him. A whump sounded from the car, and a hot rush of air pushed him. Amy stumbled, and he seized her waist and half carried her away from the heat baking the pavement behind them. When he finally turned to look, he saw his car engulfed in flames.

  “Holy moly,” Josh said softly.

  Curtis couldn’t quite believe it. He stared at the flames. “Someone tried to kill me.”

  Josh glanced at Amy. “Or both of you. Whoever did this had to know the two of you were together, so it’s hard to know who was the target.”

  Several men ran from the metal hangar with fire extinguishers in their hands. Curtis pulled out his phone and placed a call to the authorities. The dispatcher promised to send some officers and the bomb squad. The hot fire began to bubble the blacktop. If they’d been in that car, they would both be dead now.

  Her face pale, Amy hugged herself. “Thank the good Lord that you decided to look under the car, Curtis. You saved our lives.”

  He didn’t like to think about what might have happened to her. “You okay?”

  She nodded. “Just shaken. Do you believe me now? That someone killed Gina and Ben?”

  “You think this is related?”

  “Don’t you? It’s the only explanation. Someone knows we’re poking into their deaths, and whoever it is wants to stop us from getting to the bottom of it. But it makes me even more determined.”

  He absorbed her words and glanced back at the burning car. The fire extinguishers weren’t making a dent in the ferocity of the flames. Whoever planted that bomb hadn’t been messing around.

  Curtis was ready to do just about anything to prevent another attack on Amy.

  EIGHTEEN

  Amy felt almost sick from hunger and fatigue by the time they settled at a table in Kitty Hawk. Their table at the Black Pelican faced the Atlantic, and watching the moonlight glimmer on the water eased the tension from her shoulders. It was almost nine, and the restaurant held only a few people.

  Curtis glanced up over the top of the menu. �
��I promised you lobster, but I don’t see it on the menu. Anything look good? And are you sure you’re up to this? We could grab fast food and head for home.”

  “I wouldn’t be able to sleep yet. I’m too keyed up. And hungry.” She studied the selection. “Ooh, look at the Wanchese Fisherman’s Risotto. ‘Scallops, shrimp, jumbo lump crabmeat, and bacon sautéed with sweet corn, tomatoes, and baby spinach folded into creamy roasted garlic risotto topped with a crispy sweet potato nest.’ I’ll take it.” She closed her menu and laid it aside.

  The server placed a basket of hearth-baked pita bread and butter on the table. Curtis ordered for both of them and asked the server to bring an appetizer of seared ahi tuna.

  She wrinkled her nose. “I still smell of smoke.”

  “We’re lucky that’s all we endured. I thought Edith was going to have a heart attack when I called her.”

  She squeezed lemon into her ice water. “We have to figure out what to do next.”

  “I know. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  The intensity of his tone made her look up. He was staring at her with an expression that made her gulp. She was so unused to the dating scene. When should she tell him about her past? Now might be too soon. He could assume she thought there was more between them than he felt. It could scare him off.

  She sipped her water. “About the investigation. Any ideas where to look next?”

  “You said Tom mentioned he didn’t find Ben’s driver’s license. Did you ever look for it?”

  She choked on her water. “I completely forgot about that! What on earth is wrong with me? I intended to search for it yesterday after church.”

  “You went with me to talk to Gina’s neighbors,” he reminded her. “And we found that flash drive with all the money. So we had other leads to follow.”

  She nodded. “If I can find his log-in information for that bank account, I could track where the money came from.”

  “Would your father know?”

  She shook her head. “Even if he knew, I don’t think he’d tell me. He wants me to forget all about this.”