by B R Snow
“Sure, Grandma,” Cindy said, not backing down. “Dirk likes it when I play the schoolgirl role, don’t you, sweetie?”
I was sure Dirk loved it, but he wasn’t talking.
“I’ve even got the uniform,” Cindy continued. “I’d lend it you, but given your advanced years, I doubt if you could pull it off.”
My mother leaped forward and went for the young woman’s throat. Dirk managed to get between them and Josie and I pulled my mother back. She was breathing deeply, and her eyes went dark. She continued to glare at Dirk.
“I think I should probably leave,” Dirk said, glancing around at all of us.
“Already? But I just got here,” Cindy said.
“Let’s go,” Dirk whispered. Then he looked at my mother. “I’m sorry.”
“Yes, a sorry excuse for a man,” my mother said.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you around,” he said, nodding his head at Cindy.
“For your sake, Dirk, let’s hope not,” my mother said.
He turned and walked away pulling Cindy by the elbow. Freddie excused himself and headed for the bar.
“Are you okay, Mom?”
“No, darling. I’m not.”
“But you will be, right?” I said.
“I’m surprised you even have to ask that question.”
Way to go, Mom. She’s tough as nails when the chips are down.
“I should have seen this coming,” she said.
“How could you have known?” Josie said.
“From years of experience,” she said.
“You deserve much better, Mom.”
“Yes, I do, darling,” she said, nodding. “What do you say we grab a drink and see what Chef Claire has whipped up?”
“I could eat,” Josie said.
We slowly started walking across the lawn toward the tent that was now full of guests. My mother reached down and took my hand.
“Suzy?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“You set that whole thing up, didn’t you?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Thank you, darling.”
Chapter 22
We drove into town and parked on a small side street near the docks. Our cover story involved finding and treating a lost dog heard whimpering in the nearby park. It wasn’t a perfect alibi by any means, but probably good enough since people had barely looked up from their plates when we told them we needed to duck out for a while. We’d changed into what Josie was now calling our B&E ensembles and headed for the dock where the yacht was moored.
“It looks like the whole town is empty,” I said, already feeling the effects of our brisk pace.
“That’s probably because everyone is at our place,” Josie said.
“Yeah. It’s a good party,” I said.
“Don’t remind me,” Josie said. “Right now they’re all chowing down on grilled salmon.”
“I’m sure Chef Claire will save you some,” I said.
“How is she going to do that without losing a finger? You saw how that mob attacked the Beef Wellington,” Josie said. “I barely got there in time for seconds.”
I laughed and pulled my wool cap further down. It had turned cold again, and the wind was kicking up.
“It would be a good night for criminals to be out doing their thing,” I said.
“You mean like breaking into a five million dollar yacht?”
“Forget I even brought it up,” I said.
We reached the end of the dock, looked left and right, and seeing no one in sight, made our way down the dock and up the stairway. Soon, we were standing on the deck feeling the boat gently rocking.
“Okay, Columbo,” Josie said. “What’s the plan?”
“I thought we’d just try to jimmy one of the windows along the side open,” I said. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and find one that’s not locked.”
“And here I was worried that you didn’t have a plan,” Josie said, shaking her head.
“You got a better idea?”
“Every idea I have is better than this,” Josie said. “For example, like my idea of heading back to the party.”
“Relax,” I said. “This won’t take long.”
I started to work my way along the windows that looked down into the living area below deck. I ran my fingers across the edge of each of the six windows and found them all locked tight. We walked around to the other side and repeated the process with the same result. I put my hands on my hips and looked around.
“I guess we can use one of the gaff hooks to break one of them,” I said.
“Sure,” Josie said. “Why stop now, right?”
“You said you were going to be supportive,” I snapped.
“I’m doing my best, Suzy.”
“Well, do better.”
We both stopped when we heard footsteps on the dock below. We dropped to our knees and inched our way forward and peered down over the boat at the two people beginning their ascent up the stairway.
“Man, we can’t catch a break,” I said. “Now what?”
“Suzy, I am not going back in that water,” Josie said.
“It’s Axel and Claire,” I said. “Now that I think about it, I didn’t see them at the party.”
“Well, think of something,” Josie said. “We’re sitting ducks out here.”
And then I remembered the workman who was installing a new latch on the storage area near the bow.
“I’ve got an idea,” I said. “Follow me.”
We crawled on all fours until we were able to hide behind the storage area that sat in front of the wheelhouse.
“I don’t think this is going to solve our problem,” Josie whispered.
“Shhh. Just give me a minute,” I said, trying to find the latch in the darkness.
“Are you sure you left it on the boat?” we heard Axel say.
“Yes, remember when we were cleaning the cushions near the front of the bow the other day?” Claire said. “I got warm and took my sweater off.”
Their footsteps were getting closer, and I frantically continued to search for the latch. A flashlight beam flashed near our heads.
“Let’s have a look,” Axel said. “We’re already late for the party.”
“And whose fault is that?” Claire said, laughing.
I found the latch and pulled it toward me. The door opened, and Josie and I scrambled inside and pulled the door shut. Although muffled, we could still hear the couple’s conversation and the sound of cushions and deck chairs scraping on the deck as they moved.
“It has to be here,” Claire said.
“What is it about that sweater?” Axel said.
“My mom gave it to me,” she said. “I’d never forgive myself if I lost it.”
“What a sweet kid,” I whispered.
The inside of the storage area was cramped, and we were hunched over with our knees and elbows touching.
“I’m missing out on crab-stuffed lobster tails for this?” Josie whispered.
“Shhh.”
“I need to change positions,” Josie whispered. “My legs are starting to cramp.”
“Just don’t make any noise.”
I felt Josie pretzel her way into a sitting position. I had no idea how she’d managed it, and I certainly wasn’t going to try mimicking her moves. So I stayed put on my hands and knees. In the darkness, I heard the unmistakable sound of a candy bar being unwrapped.
“Really?”
“Hiding in storage areas always makes me hungry,” Josie whispered. “You want a bite?”
“What is it?”
“A Snickers.”
“No, thanks. I’m good,” I said.
We heard a jubilant woman whoop outside on the deck.
“Great,” Axel said. “Let’s get out of here. I hope there’s still some food left when we get there.”
“You and me both, pal,” Josie whispered through a mouthful of chocolate.
We heard the muffled sound of footsteps on the deck and a fe
w minutes later the sound of them chatting as they headed down the dock.
“Okay, they’re gone,” Josie said. “Let’s get out of here. It’s claustrophobic in here. And I can’t see my hand in front of my face.”
“I noticed you didn’t have any trouble finding that candy bar,” I said, laughing and reaching for the latch.
“C’mon, let’s go,” Josie said.
“Uh-oh,” I said.
“Suzy?”
“What?”
“Define what you mean by uh-oh.”
“It’s stuck.”
“What?”
“Or maybe it locks from the outside,” I said.
“Well, isn’t that just perfect,” Josie said.
“Relax? Just give me a minute,” I said, sliding a hand across the walls of the confined space.
“Wait,” Josie said. “There’s something against my foot.”
“What is it?”
“It feels like a handle. Should I try pulling it?”
“I guess it couldn’t hurt,” I said.
But as Josie felt compelled to remind me on a regular basis for the next several months, I was wrong.
I heard a loud click and then the floor of the storage area we were sitting on disappeared. We dropped through the darkness, and one of us screamed. I think it was me. Seconds later, we landed hard on a soft mattress sprawled across each other in the dark.
“We really need to stop meeting like this,” Josie said.
Then we both started giggling uncontrollably.
I rolled over and found a light on a night table next to the bed. We looked around at the elegant master stateroom. Then we stared up at the hole and the drop down ceiling equipped with a small set of stairs.
“Why on earth would anybody design something like that?” Josie said.
I reached up and pulled the bottom step, and the stairs unfolded perfectly and reached the floor.
“It’s probably an emergency exit of some sort,” I said. “If there was ever a fire in the galley, you might not be able to get out through the door on the other side.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Josie said, staring up at the hole in the ceiling.
“I don’t think the guy who swapped out the latches knew what he was doing,” I said. “But at least the release latch worked. Can you imagine getting stuck in that storage area?”
And then a lightbulb went off.
“What is it?” Josie said, noticing the change in my expression.
“I’m not sure yet,” I said. “C’mon, let’s have a look around.”
“Why not? That is why we’re here, right?”
We left the stateroom and entered the living quarters that contained a comfortable sitting area and the galley. The head and shower were located on one side along with a couple of additional storage areas. The renovation looked complete, but some pieces of the composite material used to replace the granite and wood were stacked near the main door that led to the upper deck.
“This stuff looks awful,” Josie said. “The guy who’s buying this boat must be a real nut job.”
“Yeah, I agree. I thought the wood and granite were perfect.”
“But it is light,” Josie said, hefting one of the pieces.
Another lightbulb went off, and my stomach dropped.
“C’mon, let’s take a look in the engine room,” I said, heading for another door that I assumed would take us down to the bottom of the boat.
We walked down the small set of stairs and glanced around at the area where the engine and most of the boat’s machinery were housed. It was spotless.
“That’s odd,” I said, pointing down at the floor.
“What?” Josie said. “All I see are some bolts sticking up.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Why would a new boat need something like that?”
“Maybe they plan on adding something in later like another engine. Or maybe air conditioning?”
“Really? Air conditioning?”
“Hey, I’m just spitballing here,” Josie snapped. “We’ve already figured out that the owner is probably a little goofy. Who knows what he’s thinking about adding later?”
“No, I don’t think the bolts are there for something that’s going to be added in later. I think the bolts are all that’s left of something that’s already been removed.”
“Like what?” Josie said.
“I don’t know,” I said. “But whatever it was, I’m willing to bet that it was very heavy.”
“Should I ask why?”
“Not yet,” I said, heading up the stairs. “I’m still thinking.”
“I thought I smelled something burning,” Josie said, laughing.
Back in the galley area, I started going through the cabinets. In one of the larger ones next to the head, I found a thin cylindrical object about four feet long. I turned it over in my hands and frowned.
“What’s that thing?” Josie said.
“I have no idea,” I said, examining the label. “Have you got your phone with you?”
“Sure.”
“Can you get a wireless signal?”
Josie checked and then nodded.
“There’s the name of the manufacturer and an item number on the label. Google it and see what you get.”
Josie leaned over my shoulder and typed the information into the search bar. Seconds later, she looked at me.
“It’s a portable draft measurement device,” Josie said. “Does that make any sense to you?”
“Sadly, yes.”
“What’s going on, Suzy?”
“C’mon, let’s put everything back the way it was and get back to the party.”
“Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not even close to okay.”
Chapter 23
The party was still going strong when we got home. As we strolled across the lawn, I scanned the crowd. Chef Claire was sitting at a table with her catering crew, relaxing and enjoying a glass of wine. We stopped next to the table to say hello.
“How’s everything going?” I said, glancing around the party.
“It’s great,” Chef Claire said. “They all seemed to love the food. And the crab stuffed lobster tails just disappeared.”
Josie moaned softly, and Chef Claire laughed.
“Don’t worry,” Chef Claire said to Josie. “I saved you a couple.”
“You’re so good,” Josie said.
“Suzy, I heard about what he did to your mom,” Chef Claire said. “That’s inexcusable.”
“Yes, it is,” I said.
“As soon as I heard the news, I called Dirk and turned the job down.”
“You did?” Josie said.
She couldn’t contain her excitement, and she grabbed my forearm and squeezed it hard.
“Really?” I said, freeing myself from Josie’s death grip. “So what do you think you’ll do now?”
“I’ll probably just head south anyway,” Chef Claire said. “I hear that some good things are happening in the food scene in the Carolinas. I’m sure I’ll find something. And if worse comes to worse, maybe I’ll just reopen my food truck and start driving across the country until I land in the right spot.”
“What a great idea,” one of Chef Claire’s crew said.
“Yeah, that’s fantastic,” another crew member said. “You know, that would make a great reality TV show.”
I scowled at both of them. Chef Claire seemed to be giving the idea serious consideration.
“Actually, it’s not a bad idea,” Chef Claire said.
“Nothing ever sounds like a bad idea this late at night,” I said, glancing at Josie.
“Yes, let’s not spoil the evening with a bunch of crazy schemes,” Josie said. “We can talk about all that later.”
“I think I’ll hit the dessert table,” I said.
“Good idea,” Josie said, following me. “We need to come up with a plan soon.”
“I know. But it’s going to have to wait for now,” I said, spyin
g Jackson sitting at a table next to Alice.
“You heard her,” Josie said. “She’s already moved on to Plan B.” Then she stared at the blank expression on my face. “What on earth is wrong with you?”
“Hang on,” I said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Despite my despondent mood, I snuck a quick peek at the dessert table, and the supply seemed to be holding steady. But just to be sure, I grabbed a couple of cannoli as I walked past the table on my way toward Jackson and Alice. Josie hovered around the desserts before sitting back down next to Chef Claire.
“There you are. How did it go?” Jackson said, glancing up as I approached.
“Oh, it was fine,” I said, sitting down. “Hey, Alice.”
“Hi, Suzy,” Alice said.
“I hear you guys are finally all set to take off,” I said.
“Finally. The first thing Monday morning. I can’t wait,” she said. “Did something happen tonight?”
“Oh, Josie and I just needed to check something out,” I said, forcing myself to maintain eye contact.
“A dog?” she said.
“Absolutely,” I said, taking a bite of cannoli.
“The poor thing. Is it going to be okay?” Alice said.
“I think it’s too soon to tell, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. You aren’t overdoing it are you, Jackson?”
“No, I’m good,” he said, stretching in his chair. “Apart from being stuffed to the gills, that is.”
“Tell me about it,” Alice said. “I can’t believe how much I ate.”
“Jackson, I need to grab something from the house. Would you mind giving me a hand?”
“Sure,” he said, standing up. “Excuse me for a few minutes, Alice. I hope we can finish talking about this later.”
“That would be great,” she said. “I need to tell you a few more things.”
Alice got up and headed toward the table where my mother and John were chatting. My mother caught my eye and waved. She even managed a smile, but I knew she was still struggling with what had happened earlier. When Alice reached the table, John gestured to the seat next to him and Alice sat down. He patted her leg, let his hand rest on her thigh for a moment, and then removed it.
Josie fell in step next to us as we headed for the house.
“Are you finally ready to tell me what’s rolling around inside your head?” Josie said, holding the door open.