Chapter 16
Vengeance ghosted into the anchorage off the village of Ste. Anne under her staysail and mizzen, Dani and Liz having rolled up the big Yankee jib and dropped the mainsail as they approached the entrance to Cul-de-Sac du Marin a few minutes ago. As they got closer to the row of buoys that delineated the 'no anchoring' area off the beach, the wind dropped precipitously; they were in the wind shadow of the ridge line behind Ste. Anne.
Bill was steering; he was developing into a skilled helmsman. Dani watched as he imparted just the slightest movement to the helm; she knew well how relaxing it could be to surrender to the harmony of the natural forces that propelled a sailing vessel, and she was sure the distraction was therapeutic for him.
"You'll want to bring her bow into the wind pretty soon, so that we coast to a stop about 25 meters outside that row of buoys. When we've lost way, Liz will drop the anchor."
"Okay," he said. "Then we'll roll up the staysail?"
"Not just yet. As Vengeance starts to make way astern, you turn the helm clockwise all the way. That will cause the bow to fall off the wind enough for the staysail to fill and put some tension on the chain to set the anchor. Once it digs the anchor into the sand, the chain's weight will pull us back around with the bow to the wind. Then we'll dowse the sails."
"Got it," he said, raising his voice to be heard over the rattle of the anchor chain Liz had just released.
As soon as the sails were stowed, they heard the chirping of the satellite phone from below. Dani scurried down the companionway and answered it, returning to the cockpit as she pressed the button for the speaker phone. She set the phone on the cockpit seat and announced, "It's Phillip."
"Beautiful job of anchoring under sail." His voice sounded tinny coming from the phone's small speaker. "Once you're settled, launch the dinghy and I'll pick you up at the dock."
"I'll need to go clear us in," Dani said.
"No need. I just called Sandrine; she gets off in an hour and a half. She's going to bring the paperwork and you can fill it out here. She's going to hold it until you leave — keep you out of the computer system for a while, just in case someone's looking."
"Okay, that's great. Thanks," Dani said.
"No problem. Dinner's here tonight. We've got some nice steaks from a tuna I caught early this morning, if that will suit your guests."
"Sounds great; we'll look forward to it, and thanks," Jane said.
"See you soon, then," Dani said, reaching for the phone.
Liz reached out, intercepting Dani's hand before she could disconnect them. "Phillip?"
"Yes, Liz?"
"I don't know about everybody else, but I could use time to freshen up if we're making an evening of it. You said Sandrine would be an hour and a half?"
"Sure. Sorry. I didn't mean to rush you; I forgot you'd been out in the salt spray all morning. Give me a call when you're ready to leave the boat."
"Thanks. See you in a bit." She nodded and Dani pressed the disconnect button.
"So he could see us sailing in?" Jane asked.
"Right. That's their house, about halfway up the slope over to the right," Dani said raising an arm in the general direction of the villa.
"How can his wife delay the paperwork like that?" Bill asked.
"You need to read Bluewater Killer," Jane said. "She works for French customs, I think. Right?"
"Yes. She runs the office in Marin," Dani said.
****
A few hours later, they were all relaxing on the veranda overlooking the anchorage, enjoying a round of after-dinner drinks. During a lull in the conversation, Bill asked if they had wireless Internet access.
"Mais oui!" Sandrine said. "But of course. We are not thinking. We should have offer you this already. You wish to go to the online, yes? For maybe your email?"
"Exactly," Bill said.
"Come. I take you to the computer. Is in the study; you can have some loneliness there."
"Actually, my laptop is in Jane's bag."
"So, okay, then. You bring the laptop, and I hook you up with the Wi-Fi."
Jane handed Bill the computer and he and Sandrine left the room. She returned alone after a couple of minutes.
"I am so happy that you have come to see us, Jane. Always, we like to meet Dani's and Liz's friends."
"It's gracious of you to have us."
"I am so sad that your trip, it is being dis … what is that word, Phillip? We are just talking about it when you tell me Vengeance comes."
"Disrupted?"
"Yes. It is bad that your trip is disrupted because of this killing, but at least we are meeting you. You were not planning to come to Martinique, I think. That is right?"
"Right. Bill's interested in learning as much as he can about the Caribs and the Arawaks, so he was focused on the islands where they have some history."
"Ah! I see. But in Martinique, they were living also, the Indians. We have in Fort-de-France La Musée Départemental de la Martinique, and also Musée Régionale d'Histoire et d'Ethnographie. In both, there are many things from the Carib and the Arawak. He must see them. We are not so well known for this as the smaller islands, like Dominica, where they make some business for the tourisme based on the Indians, but we are having many important places for this. I will arrange; you stay for some days, yes?"
"I'm not at all sure of our plans, now, but that's very kind of you. I'm sure Bill would be interested in …"
"Interested in what?" Bill asked, taking a seat on the sofa next to his wife and putting the laptop on the floor against his ankle.
"Staying a few days so that I can make the arrangements with les musées to show you all the, ah, …"
"Exhibits?" Phillip offered.
"No, not exhibits. I mean yes, of course, exhibits, but there is a word for the old things left by people. I would say artéfact."
"Sure. Artifact," Dani said.
"What is the English?"
"Artifact."
"Ah! Is too easy. Anyway, I will arrange with the curator to show you all of these, if you wish."
"That would be great, Sandrine. Thank you," Bill said.
"You are welcome. And did you get your emails okay? The Wi-Fi, it worked for you?"
"Yes, thanks."
"Anything interesting?" Jane asked.
"Well, yes, in a way. I got an email from David. The guy who runs that bar where we met him in Bequia told him that I'd been arrested."
"Word gets around," Jane said.
"We call it the coconut telegraph down here," Liz said.
"I guess he thought I was still under arrest, because he wrote the email to you, offering to come and help you." Bill looked at Jane, his brow wrinkled.
Jane's face went pale under her recent tan. Liz noticed she grasped her drink in both hands as she set it on the coffee table.
"He wanted to know if he should come to St. Lucia, or if we, er …, you would be somewhere else."
"Did you answer him?" Jane asked.
"Not yet. I didn't …"
"Excuse me," Phillip interjected. "I don't mean to be rude, but who is this man? Do you know him well?"
"Sorry. Dani and Liz met him; I forgot you and Sandrine didn't know. He's an English prof at the college where I teach. We ran into him in Bequia — complete surprise."
Phillip raised his eyebrows as Bill continued, explaining about the book and David's agent. He noticed Jane still looked unsettled.
Bill, reading the tension in the sudden silence, looked from Jane to Phillip. "You don't think …"
Phillip shrugged. "I don't think anything in particular. I don't have enough information to draw any conclusions, but I've learned the hard way never to accept coincidence as an explanation for anything."
"You think I shouldn't answer him?"
"I think if you want to stay invisible for a few days, you shouldn't tell him where you are. He might inadvertently give away your whereabouts to the killer. Bequia is the quintessential small town; everybody
there will know that you two know one another, just like the bartender did."
"Maybe it would make sense if I responded, anyway. He wrote to me, you said." Jane had recovered her composure. "I could send him a noncommittal email, not tell him anything. You know, kind of stall him."
"And let him think I'm still in jail?" Bill's face indicated what he thought of that. "The man's my friend, damn it."
"Dani, Liz, you're both awfully quiet," Jane said. "You met David. Any impression?"
"Not really. I'm off on a different tangent entirely," Dani said.
"Uh-oh," Liz remarked.
"Well? Tell us," Bill prompted.
"What was the next stop you listed on your blog after Rodney Bay?"
"St. Pierre, Martinique. Why?"
"Well, I haven't factored in David … Cardile … was that his name?"
"Yes, that's right."
"I was thinking Liz and I could take Vengeance to St. Pierre while you and Jane tour the Fort-de-France area. That way, you would have an ironclad alibi if something happened."
"And what might happen? A body turns up in St. Pierre?"
"I had in mind taking steps to ensure that nobody got killed."
"How would you do that? Surely after what you've told us about the cops in the islands you aren't thinking they'd, like, stake out the town," Bill said.
"I didn't have in mind cops." Dani turned a steady gaze on Phillip.
"Clarence?" he asked after a moment.
She nodded. "Anything that happens would probably be close to where Vengeance is anchored. Figure about six men could close off the area of town near the anchorage."
"But wait," Bill said. "Who's this Clarence? This guy's a killer; you could get Clarence and his men hurt."
"It could work," Phillip said, ignoring Bill's worry. "The question is do we tell this David Cardile you're going there or not?"
"Let's say we don't; if there's no attempt, we won't know any more than we do now," Dani said.
"But …" Bill started to protest. Phillip raised a hand and silenced him, saying, "If we do tell him, and there's an attack, we still won't know if the information came from him, accidentally or otherwise."
"The only way we'll learn anything is if we catch the killer. So I don't think it matters. Tell him or don't, as you wish," Dani concluded.
"I'll call Clarence and see what he thinks," Phillip said, "but I'd like to come with you to St. Pierre if it's okay."
"Sure," Dani said. "You've been wanting to sail Vengeance for a while."
"There's that," Phillip agreed, "but if the killer's expecting to see a man aboard and it's just you and Liz, it might put him off. If he's really trying to set Bill up, then he needs to think Bill's there. Think I'll pass inspection — at a distance, anyway?"
"You're about the same build," Liz said.
"Hair's all wrong, though. You'll need to keep a hat on during daytime," Jane added.
"I can do that. Figure I'm not going ashore, so nobody will get too close a look at me."
"Okay," Dani said. "What next?"
"Come on back to the study, Dani. Let's make a call."
****
When Dani and Phillip were alone, she said, "Before we call Clarence, there's one other thing."
Phillip waited.
"This Cardile — there's something odd there. Liz thinks he and Jane are having an affair, maybe, or had one."
"So what are you getting at?"
"I'm not sure about the affair; I'd bow to Liz's judgment on that, but there's something about him that doesn't fit with my notion of an English prof. And then there's the coincidence factor."
"Yeah. Should we get Paul Russo to check him out?"
"I thought he and Connie were off sailing by now."
"They had planned to be, but things are moving more slowly than they expected. He's tied up in Miami, helping the DEA finish up some case he was involved in before he retired, and she's up on the Chesapeake, getting their boat squared away. Last I heard from them, she may pick up crew and sail to the Virgins in a couple of months, before winter closes her in up there. Paul might have to stay in the States and meet her there."
"Well, yes, if he's stuck in Miami with time on his hands, why not see what he can find out about this Cardile character?"
"Where's this college anyhow?"
"It's called Ryan University. From what they said, it's a private liberal arts school in some small town south of Atlanta called Shoals, Georgia."
Phillip scribbled on a notepad. "Never heard of either one."
"No. Cardile and Fitzgerald both said the school wasn't widely known. It's apparently been there forever, though, since long before the Civil War."
"Okay. You don't need to call Clarence with me. I just wanted a chance to talk out of earshot of the Fitzgeralds. Nice folks, by the way. Sandrine will enjoy having them here. I'll square it all away after you leave this evening."
"Give Paul and Clarence my best."
"Will do," Phillip said, standing and walking to the door. He opened it for Dani and followed her down the hall to the great room that opened onto the veranda, where Jane and Bill were still discussing what to tell David Cardile while Liz and Sandrine were cleaning up after dinner.
Chapter 17
Dani and Phillip were in the cockpit enjoying a glorious sail in 20 knots of wind and a light chop. Vengeance was rail down on a beam reach, flying past the entrance to Grande Anse d'Arlets at nine knots. Liz was below with their new crew member, Marie Lacroix, one of Clarence's people who had joined them to serve as a decoy by taking Jane Fitzgerald's place. Liz was helping her dye her hair; otherwise, she was a close enough match in stature to pass for Jane at a distance. Bill had updated his blog this morning to reflect an unplanned trip from Rodney Bay to Marigot, St. Lucia, to explain their absence from Rodney Bay last night. They would be in St. Pierre this evening, putting them back in accord with Bill's original itinerary. They had considered staying another night in Ste. Anne and decided against it, thinking a prolonged disappearance might send a warning of sorts to the killer.
"How come I've not met Marie before?" Dani asked as Phillip trimmed the sails for the fresh blast of wind coming from Cap Salomon, the headland just to their west. They would ride the wind shift to the east, up into the Baie de Fort-de-France.
"She's new. She just started working with Clarence a few months ago."
"She doesn't come across like she's from Martinique. She French?"
Phillip shrugged. "Who knows? She'd just finished a year's active duty in the Israeli army when she came here; Clarence said she had a special-ops background. I met her the same time you did — just this morning. Why? You nervous about her?"
"No. Just curious. It's not like we're expecting to get into any trouble, anyway."
"Right. Do you …"
"Ta-da!" Liz interrupted, stepping into the cockpit and bowing, arm extended toward the companionway. "Behold your lovely wife, Mr. Fitzgerald."
As Marie stepped from the shadows below, Dani was shocked at how much she resembled Jane. "Unbelievable. Great job, you two."
"How do I look, really?" Marie tried to twirl for their perusal, but the motion of the boat knocked her off balance.
"You might not fool Bill Fitzgerald, but I think you'll do," Phillip said.
"Yes," Dani agreed. "Your skin tone is different, but the hair's perfect, and your build and height are very close. How'd you do it?"
"The pictures of Jane made it simple enough. I've always wondered what it would be like not to be blond, but I never considered auburn hair. Liz could have a second career; she cuts hair like a pro. I think I like it. Can't do much about the tan, though. I guess I could use powder or something."
"It'll be fine," Liz said. "Jane's been sunbathing every day; her tan's …"
They were interrupted by the ringing of the satellite phone. Dani picked it up and glanced at the display as she pressed the connect button.
"Paul," she said, as she raised the instrum
ent to her ear. "Hi, Paul." She listened for a moment. "Yes, he's here. Hang on." She started to hand the phone to Phillip, but hesitated at something Paul said. "Sure. No problem." She put the phone on the cockpit seat and pressed the speaker button. "Okay, we're all here, Paul. Meet Marie Lacroix, by the way."
"Hi, everybody. Marie, Phillip told me about you last night when he called. I'm Paul Russo; I'll let Dani and Phillip tell lies about me after we hang up, if they haven't already."
"Okay. Nice to meet you; I won't believe a word they say about you, don't worry."
Paul chuckled. "Your boy David Cardile comes up pretty clean, Phillip. No police record, never in the military. He lives well. Expensive house, $100,000 Porsche. He's 35 years old, been living in Shoals, Georgia, wherever the hell that is, for eight years. Looks like he moved there when he took the teaching job. Previous address was in Charlottesville, Virginia. That's all I've got so far, but I'll have more in a day or two, probably. I can get somebody to hack his finances if you want; looks like he spends more than I thought a junior professor would make. I'm waiting on a callback from a friend in Virginia. We'll see where Cardile lived before that. I've got a meeting with my Federal buddies this afternoon about this case I'm working on. I'll see if they can help us on the quiet. I'll call when I know more."
"Thanks, Paul," Phillip said.
"No problem. You having a good sail?"
"Fabulous," Marie said.
"Where are you guys?"
"We just rounded Cap Salomon, headed up toward Fort-de-France, then on to St. Pierre," Phillip said.
"Must be nice. Can't wait 'til we get back down there."
"How's Connie?" Dani asked.
"She's fine. I talked with her just before I called. She said to tell all of you hello; she misses you."
"We miss her," Liz said. "How's Diamantista coming along?"
"Oh, you know boats. Connie's got her hands full; the boat's out of the water for a bottom job, so Connie's staying in some dumpy motel near the boatyard. She can hardly wait to get her back in the water so she can live aboard. She tried staying aboard with the boat out of the water, but it just didn't work. There's no ventilation, and it's hot up there in Maryland."
"Besides, the plumbing doesn't work when you're out of the water," Liz said. "When are you two planning to set out for the islands?"
Bluewater Stalker: The Sixth Novel in the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Bluewater Thrillers Book 6) Page 11