“Tell us how you knew Bobby,” Shannon said.
She felt the intensity of Jake’s eyes on her and tried not to look at him. Why did he have to pay so much attention to her? She was a reporter and knew how to question a man.
“I’m a single-hander, so I tend to sail with other single-handers. We get each other’s issues.”
“Did you spend a lot of time with him?” Debi asked.
Darren downed half his beer in one gulp. He wiped his lips on the back of his hand, and Shannon expected him to burp, but he didn’t.
“Are you trying to find his boat?”
Jake put his hand on the cockpit table and gave Darren a hard look.
“Why would you ask that?”
“After his body was found, BASRA issued a boat watch report every morning for a couple of months.”
“What’s BASRA?” Shannon asked.
“Bahamas Air Sea Rescue,” Debi said. “I told you they searched for his boat.”
“I don’t know why, but I thought it was the coast guard.”
“They searched, too,” Debi said.
Shannon’s phone buzzed. She checked the display and pressed the delete button.
Jake said to Darren, “Don’t mind her. She gets a lot of texts. It’s how she communicates.”
Darren smiled. “I have a nephew who likes to text.”
Jake sipped his beer and watched Darren. “Did anyone ever report seeing Waterfall?”
“The last place Bobby was seen with Waterfall was in George Town.”
“What condition was the boat in when you were with him?” Jake asked.
“You mean was he having any boat troubles? His single sideband radio wasn’t working. He decided to wait until he reached Puerto Rico to order a part for it.”
“So, he had no long distance radio to communicate with?” Jake asked.
“We talked on the VHF. With the amount of boat traffic going south, he didn’t think he needed the SSB.”
“Anything else that wasn’t working?”
“Not that I know of.”
Shannon followed the conversation flow back and forth as if she were watching the tide ebb and flow. “Did you ever see Bobby with a younger woman?”
Darren’s eyes darted in Debi’s direction.
“It’s okay. You can talk about it,” Debi said.
“You mean like the bartender said. No. I never saw him with anyone else. He talked about being unsure about his wife joining him, but he didn’t talk about other women.”
“I don’t understand what you mean,” Debi said.
“He thought she might not come. He wanted her to, but said she had other ideas.”
“Is that true?” Shannon asked Debi.
“Of course not. You know I was going to meet him in Puerto Rico.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jake
Norman’s Cay, Bahamas
Jake stood on the stern of A Cat’s Paw and watched Darren motor his dinghy back to Orion.
“I’m going to the bar.”
Shannon collected the empty beer cans from the cockpit table and tossed them into the garbage.
“Why?”
Jake stuffed cash into the back pocket of his shorts. “I want to talk to the bartender.”
“I already did that.”
“Are you trained in interviewing techniques?”
“Wow. Sarcasm. And yes. I am a reporter.”
“Good to know. But I’m going anyway.” Jake grabbed a flashlight and a leash. “Come on, Piddles. Let’s go for a walk.”
“Stop calling her Piddles. And for a guy who claims not to like dogs, you sure spend time with her.”
“I just don’t want to have to take her to shore later.” He jumped into the dinghy and waited for Piddles to follow.
“I should come with you,” Shannon said.
“I don’t want the bartender distracted.”
“’Cause you think I’m so pretty he wouldn’t be able to think?”
Jake shook his head and lowered his chin, hiding his smile. “Yeah, that’s it.” Except she was so pretty that he’d be the one distracted.
The decrepit dock made him choose landing on the beach and getting sandy over climbing up a rickety ladder then falling twelve feet through rotted planks. He tilted the engine and drifted to the beach. With the anchor tossed and buried, he tugged at Piddles’ leash and led her through the sand.
He walked along the dark road, shining the flashlight ahead of him. On the windless night, their footsteps created the only noise. He crossed the island’s aircraft runway and shone the beam of light in a zigzag pattern, looking for a sign to the bar. After a minute of searching, he found a gate and entered.
When he reached the bar, he sat at one end, far enough away from others to indicate he wasn’t looking to make friends. Piddles sat at his feet. He ordered a beer and settled into his stool.
He led the bartender into a conversation and let him know he was with Debi and Shannon. “You know how women are. They don’t want to believe anything bad about a guy. I never met Bobby Hall, so I can’t judge.”
“Funny thing is, I liked the man,” the bartender said. “After the ladies left, I remembered the boat watch. I never connected his name to the boat until tonight. Too much time had passed for me to link the two. I never told BASRA he had crew.”
“Do you think they were a couple?”
“Hang on a sec. I have to serve that guy.” The bartender moved to the other end of the bar, grabbing a menu on his way. He served the man a rum and coke and returned to Jake.
“Do you think they were a couple?” Jake picked at the label on his beer, more interested in talking than drinking.
“Hard to say. She certainly was into him.”
“Can you remember what they talked about?”
The bartender chewed his bottom lip and made a sucking noise. “One night he told her he had crew joining him in George Town and she’d have to get off his boat by then. She was pretty upset.”
“Did he mean his wife?”
“Not a clue. He didn’t say, but I think that’s what the woman thought by the amount of pouting she did that night.”
“I met a guy named Darren, from a Hunter that’s anchored on the east side of the cay.”
“Don’t listen to a word he says. He was in here earlier. It wouldn’t surprise me if he followed the ladies back to the boat. Did he work his way on board?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Is anything missing?”
Jake hadn’t let Darren further than the cockpit, and there wasn’t really anything worth stealing that hadn’t been put away. Besides, he’d watched Darren carefully, trying to determine if he was lying about anything.
“I don’t think so.”
“He’s been accused of stealing from boats. Nothing’s been proven, but we never leave him alone in the bar.”
“I’ll keep an eye on him. Thanks for the heads-up.” Jake sipped his beer.
“Your friend Shannon single?”
Not a chance, dude. “Aren’t you a little young for her?”
“Who’s to say? Anything can happen in the islands, man.”
“We’re leaving tomorrow, but I’ll let her know you’re interested.”
Right after I tell her what an idiot you are.
* * *
The tension of the night before had dissipated. Jake spent the afternoon snorkeling with Debi and Shannon on the downed plane. The pilot, long dead, still created a presence in the cockpit. There was something eerie about diving where a person had died, but as a cop, Jake thought the drug dealer deserved death.
He waited until happy hour. To him, that meant four in the afternoon. He grabbed a six-pack and headed for the dinghy.
“Where are you going?” Shannon asked.
“I don’t think I report to you.”
“Could you two play nice?” Debi asked. “And where are you going?”
Jake jutted his chin in the direction of Orion. “To visit Darren.”
“I’ll come,” Shannon said.
“No thanks. I want to talk to him alone.”
Piddles ran to the back step and looked expectantly at Jake. Her tail wagged, and she gave him a cute stare. He curbed a smile and nudged her away from the edge.
Shannon grabbed Piddles’ collar. “You mean man to man.”
“Whatever. There’s something not right about him.” Jake hopped into the dinghy and untied the line. He started the engine before Shannon had a chance to follow him.
He motored to Orion. Not a very original name for a Hunter. He knocked on the side of the hull.
“How ‘bout a drink?”
Jake held the six-pack high enough for Darren to see. When Darren hesitated, Jake put the beer on the deck and tied his dinghy to the cleat near the gate in the lifelines. Before Darren could stop him, Jake was aboard and heading for the cockpit.
“I need to get away from the women. They’re driving me crazy.”
“I hear ya. Can’t be fun cooped up with ‘em. That’s why I single-hand. Like my own space with no one to boss me around.”
Jake shot the breeze and belted back two beer. “Gotta use the head.”
He hopped down the companionway, turned to port and into the hallway to the main berth. Nautical charts, several books, and a pair of dirty socks covered the salon table. Two laptops lay open on the navigation station, and Jake wondered why Darren needed two computers. He found the door to the head on the port side. He closed it behind himself before Darren had time to object to him being below.
The grime made Jake decide not to use the head. The towels were embroidered with Orion and darkened from use. The room felt as if it had been decorated by a woman and then abandoned. Jake quietly opened the mirror door and searched the contents. Nothing interesting except the usual bathroom stuff.
He opened the door in front of the head and found plumbing hoses. A piece of plastic caught his eye, and he pulled a baggie from behind a hose. He unsealed the bag and pulled out a Tag Heuer. He figured the watch was worth around seventeen hundred. Expensive watch to keep in a baggie. He turned the watch over and read the inscription.
Bobby, I’ll sail with you anywhere. Debi.
Why did Darren have Bobby’s watch? Jake slid the watch into the pocket of his shorts, flushed the toilet by stepping on a lever and pumping with his right hand. He washed his hands and dried them on the bottom of his t-shirt. He wanted to search the rest of the boat. Maybe he could sneak on when Darren was somewhere else.
He returned to the cockpit and sat with Darren, stretching his legs across the companionway, so Darren couldn’t get by him and into the boat.
“Nice computers you have below.”
“Yeah. They’re my hobby. One connects to the nav system, and the other is for Internet access. I don’t want my navigation software invaded by a virus.”
Jake crossed his legs and wished he’d taken the time to piss. “Smart. So tell me more about Bobby.”
“He sailed his boat. That sounds odd, but lots of cruisers bring their boats down here and use the motor. Bobby liked to have the sails up and engines off.”
“Did you ever meet a woman named Nicole?”
“I’ve met lots of Nicoles.”
“This one’s in her early twenties, gorgeous, blonde, and was in Nassau a week ago.”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.”
Jake glanced in the direction of A Dog’s Cat. “Uh oh. It looks like the ladies are trying to light the barbecue. I’d better go if I don’t want the boat lit on fire.”
Darren showed his distaste for women by laughing at the remark. Debi and Shannon were capable of lighting the barbecue, but Jake needed an excuse to get off Orion.
As soon as Jake was in the cockpit of A Dog’s Cat, he said, “Come inside. I need to show you something.”
Debi and Shannon followed, and all three sat at the dinette.
“What’s going on?” Debi asked. “You look serious.”
Jake made sure Darren couldn’t see into the salon, then pulled the watch from his pocket.
“This look familiar?”
Shannon touched the watch, then Debi’s wrist. Debi turned the watch over and read the inscription. “Where did you get this?” Her eyes were bright with tears, or anger, or some other strong emotion Jake couldn’t identify.
“It’s Bobby’s. Isn’t it?” Jake asked.
Debi nodded.
“I gave it to him before…”
“Before?”
Debi shook her head. “Nothing. It’s his.”
“What’s going on?” Shannon asked. “Why do you have Uncle Bobby’s watch?”
Jake told them where he found it.
“You stole it?” Shannon asked.
“I didn’t steal it. It clearly belonged to Bobby, and I’m returning it to Debi. I assume she inherited his estate, so it’s not stealing.”
“But what’s Darren going to do when he finds out it’s missing?”
Jake rubbed the sole of his bare foot against Piddles. He could be affectionate with the dog without the women, especially Shannon, noticing.
“That’s a good question.”
“Why were you snooping, anyway?” Shannon asked.
Jake repeated the conversation he’d had with the bartender. “I wanted to check out Darren. I didn’t really think I’d find anything. It’s the cop in me.”
Debi held the watch close to her chest. “Darren must have been on Waterfall. Bobby wouldn’t have left the watch somewhere. The watch was my promise I’d join him. He was worried I wouldn’t quit working.”
“I thought you said he wasn’t worried about whether you’d join him,” Shannon said.
Debi shifted her gaze to Piddles and rubbed the dog’s ears. “Oh, you know how men are.”
“Why would he worry about you not coming?” Shannon asked.
Debi got up and filled Piddles’ water bowl, and Jake had the feeling she didn’t want to look Shannon in the eye.
“Peanut, come have some water.” Debi pulled her toward the bowl. “Bobby just thought I loved my career too much. It was silly really.”
“Darren doesn’t seem like the kind of guy Uncle Bobby would hang out with. Do you think Darren made friends with him just so he could steal from him?”
“That’s possible,” Jake said.
“What if Darren knows something about Uncle Bobby’s death?”
Debi grabbed Shannon’s elbow.
“Like what?”
“All we know is Uncle Bobby died in the Bahamas, and the Bahamian police said it was an accident. What if Darren knows something he’s not telling? Or what if he…”
“One thing we know for sure is you ladies need to stay away from him. If he notices the watch missing, he’ll figure out I took it. He’s going to be pissed.”
“Is he capable of violence?” Debi asked.
“Anyone is…under the right circumstances,” Jake said.
“You know what she means.” Shannon scrunched her pretty nose at him. “Use your police spidey senses and tell us what your gut says.”
“Maybe.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sixteen-Year-Old Boy
Somewhere in Canada
Twelve Years Ago
Time for another talk with his so called family. Last night his sister celebrated her eighteenth birthday. Maybe she was going to move out, and that’s what this talk was about. He could only hope. Two more years, and he would leave here, too.
His guardians call him and his sister into the living room, and that meant this was a serious talk.
He flops on the couch. All he has to do is look at the old piece of furniture, and he can bring back every memory of sitting here.
The best—last week with Susan, kissing her for the first time.
The worst—the day after his parents died. His guardians sat where they were sitting now and explained that he and his sister would live with them. Like that was supposed to make him feel better. His sister
had sobbed. He’d sat stone-faced. He’d wanted to go home. He’d wanted his parents. He hadn’t wanted to live with these people. He’d known them all his life, but they weren’t his parents.
It still frustrates him that his recall memory started the day his parents died. Their faces are fading, and he needs to look at photos to remember the details. It’s so unfair. His guardians’ faces are etched in his mind, but his parents’ faces are turning all fuzzy at the edges.
He hates his guardians for taking up brain space that should belong to his parents. He’s been trying a new memory technique. He studies photos of his parents and forces every detail into his mind. Then he tries to remember what happened before or after the photo. So far, he’s remembered a few extra moments, but not as much as he would like.
“So what’s up now?” he asks.
His guardian looks from his sister to him. She’s nervous about something. “I know you don’t like to talk about your parents, but we need to have a discussion.”
The word parents triggers two simultaneous videos in his head. In the first, he’s at his parents’ funeral. His guardians are in the front row. Both are crying. In the second, he’s moving into his new bedroom. He feels angry when he places a photo of his parents on the bedside table. He’s only eight, but he thinks he’s old enough to live alone. He doesn’t need these people. He knows the videos are not happening in the now, but it feels as if they are. The emotions churn in his gut, burning a hole that will never be filled with happiness.
“Your parents left instructions in their will,” his guardian says.
The video in the boy’s head jumps to the day he cleaned out his real home. He stands in his bedroom doorway. The pajamas he wore the night his parents died are scrunched in a ball on the floor. He knows he’ll never wear them again. He kicks them underneath the bed and out of sight. He picks up Sheba’s blanket and buries his face in it. At least he still has her. He collects everything important to him, which isn’t much. He’s already learned things don’t matter.
“My parents had money?”
Things might not matter, but money could mean his freedom. If he gets away from these people, maybe he can get over his parents’ death. Something has to break his link from the past and stop the videos.
Look the Other Way Page 8