Bluewater Killer: A Serial Murder Mystery Set In Florida and the Caribbean (Bluewater Thrillers Book 1)

by Charles Dougherty

  "There is a man here, a friend of Mario's, from Miami. He's some kind of federal Marshall, and he has a warrant to arrest Michael Reilly. He'll go with us to look for Sea Serpent, so that we're covered with the local authorities if we have any trouble. My father says he is one of us, '…do not worry.' He'll be calling on your cell phone. His name is Paul Russo. You know him?"

  "Not exactly," Phillip said, and he went on to explain Paul's involvement.

  ****

  "Good morning, Sandrine," Phillip said, holding her chair as she sat down at their table. "You know Sharktooth, and this is Dani Berger."

  "Good morning, everyone," Sandrine said, picking up her napkin. "Dani, I am so happy that you are well."

  ""Thank you," Dani said. "Phillip has told me how much you have helped. Thank you for that, especially."

  Sandrine smiled and nodded.

  "Okay, my love. What's your news?" Phillip asked.

  "Yes. I have two news. First, the trap. The trap has catch the Sea Serpent. She has clear in at Marie Galante, some days ago, at the tourism office and they are not fax the form, just as we thought. I have call the police there, and he say that the Sea Serpent is not there now. Also, is small town, everyone watches. A girl leaves on the Sea Serpent. She has been staying there at a hotel. She is Liesbet Chirac, on holiday from Belgium. The police, he also tell me that Mike Reilly is cut badly on both arms, and goes to the clinic there, to be stitched. Mike Reilly tells the nurse it is from the fishing, but she does not believe him. She sees many injuries from the knife fight when she work in Pointe à Pitre, she say. She say these cuts is from the knife fight."

  "What about Michelle?" Phillip asked.

  "That is my second news. She is not on the form from the Sea Serpent coming to Guadeloupe, so, where is she? We don't know, but that is not really the second news. Really, the second news is the police here find her missing boyfriend. He is dead some days, and the other people in the building are smelling him. They call the police, who discover him. He is cut many times, and has died from bleeding. The police are want to ask questions to Michelle Devereaux. I have told them what you have told me about her, but nobody finds her, anywhere."

  Sharktooth, having put away enough food to hold him for a few hours, excused himself to go to the airport, after extracting a promise from Phillip that he wouldn't let Sharktooth miss any good fights.

  Chapter 32

  "Phillip Davis? This is Paul Russo. I hope you were expecting this call," Phillip heard, as he answered his cell phone. He was holding the front door open for Dani. "Yes. Mario told me you'd be calling. Bear with me a minute, please. Dani and I just walked in the door."

  "No problem," Paul said.

  Phillip held the phone as he and Dani opened the windows on the ground floor, letting the cool breeze blow through. They opened the doors onto the veranda, and Phillip motioned Dani to a lounge chair, taking another for himself.

  "Sorry, Paul. Thanks for holding. The place is like an oven. It's been closed up tight for a few days. J.-P. told us that you'd be in Martinique this morning."

  "Yes. I got in late last night. I'm in a funky little resort hotel -- can't figure out if it's in Anse Mitan or Trois-Îlets. There seems to be some confusion."

  "If you look out over the water, do you see anchored yachts in front of you and a ferry dock to your left?" Phillip asked.

  "Yes, that's right," Paul said.

  "Okay. I know where you are. Why don't you go ahead and check out, and I'll come pick you up as soon as I get Dani settled. I'll be coming down the street that dead ends into the dock, driving a yellow Jeep Wrangler with no top. If I don't spot you right off, I'll park and call you. It can get crowded there, this time of day."

  "Fine. See you soon," Paul said.

  Phillip put the phone down and turned to Dani. "Sandrine has a closet full of clothes in the guest room. She said you were welcome to take what you need. There's all kinds of girl stuff in the bathroom, too."

  "Yes, she told me. I'll make myself at home. You go get Paul, so we can get moving," Dani said, standing up and gesturing for him to go.

  "What about getting you to a doctor?"

  "I'm fine, Phillip. I've had enough concussions to know what's what."

  "But your stitches…" he said.

  "I'll check them before I shower. It should be about time for them to come out, I think."

  "Well, we can take you to a walk-in clinic. There's one at the hospital not too far from the marina."

  'Nonsense. I'm sure Sandrine must have nail scissors here. If the cut's closed, I'll take them out. I've had plenty of practice. Now, go." She made shooing motions at him again.

  Knowing when he was beaten, Phillip complied without further protests.

  ****

  Phillip returned with Paul about an hour later. They found Dani in the kitchen, and they could smell fresh coffee. Phillip made the introductions, and they moved out onto the shaded veranda to enjoy the cool breeze while they plotted their next move.

  "First, have you eaten breakfast, Paul, or can I get you something?" Phillip asked.

  "Yes. I've eaten. Coffee's fine for now." Paul set his mug on the glass-topped table. "So where's Reilly, these days?'

  "The last fix we have on him, he's in Guadeloupe. He's got a new girl on board; picked her up there, in Marie Galante. When he left Dominica, he had a girl from here on board, named Michelle Devereaux; at least, she was with him when he checked in at Portsmouth, and we assume she left with him." Phillip explained about the two-week in/out clearance procedure in Dominica. "She's not on the paperwork he filled out to check into Guadeloupe." He went on to tell Paul what Sandrine had learned about Michelle's old boyfriend, and about Reilly's injuries.

  "So, you figure Reilly and this Devereaux woman quarreled and she cut him, or something else?"

  "I don't know, Paul. Did Mario or J.-P. tell you about the missing women down island?"

  "No. What missing women?"

  Phillip filled Paul in on the women who had disappeared after telling their acquaintances that they were leaving on Sea Serpent.

  "There's a pattern, all right. Any firm evidence as to what happened to any of them?" Paul asked.

  "No. It's just supposition that he was involved."

  "Given what he did to Dani, I think it's a little more than supposition. Do you think he deliberately picks women who don't have any close ties?"

  'It certainly looks that way, except for me," Dani said.

  "Yeah, but you were a deviation from his pattern, and look at what happened. He called a lot of attention to himself when he got mixed up with you. We've got Andrea, Agnes, Sylvia, you, maybe Michelle. There are probably a lot more that we don't know about. I think he's deliberately picking women with no attachments. Could be conscious on his part, or it could be some unconscious result of his own background. He has a lot of the traits of a serial predator. I think if we could get into the sealed records from his time in foster care, we'd discover that he has all of them, but that's just an old cop's hunch. We've got enough without the juvenile records."

  "Back to Michelle," Phillip said. "If she carved up her boyfriend, seems to me that she likely cut Reilly before they parted company."

  "Yes," Paul said, and Dani nodded in agreement.

  "Wonder where she is?" Dani asked.

  "Don't know," Paul said, "but we should keep focused on Reilly. Sounds like there are plenty of people looking for her. If the police find her, she might be able to tell us something, but until then, I think we just treat her as another puzzle piece that fits the pattern. We have enough on Reilly to lock him up for good with your testimony, Dani. The rest of it can be sorted out once we've got him."

  "Let's stock Kayak Spirit and go to the Saints. We're not going to find him by sitting here," Dani said.

  "Okay, but what about your stitches?" Phillip asked.

  Dani pulled her hair away from the cut and turned her head toward Phillip. "All healed, Mother," she said. "I took 'em out whi
le you were gone."

  ****

  Liz had never seen as many shoe stores in her life, at least not all in the same place. "Not even in Paris," she said to Mike. "Why only shoes?"

  "No idea." Mike shrugged. He was getting tired of following her around, as she tried on one pair of shoes after another without buying any. They were shopping in Pointe-à-Pitre, having sailed up from Les Saintes the day before. Liz had told Mike that she was craving a bit of city life. Although Pointe-à-Pitre was hardly competition for Paris, by Caribbean standards it was a thriving metropolis. Liz couldn't get over the fact that there were several city blocks packed with shoe stores, one right next door to the next. It made things convenient for the shopper, she thought, but she did wonder how it came to be.

  "Okay. Enough," she said, to Mike's relief. "Let's find a café and have a cold beer before we go back to the market." They had left their dinghy tied to the seawall near the old city market, redolent with the aromas of spices, fresh fruits, and produce. They had been wandering the city's narrow streets for a couple of hours before she spotted all of the shoe stores.

  Mike paused at the next sidewalk café and pulled out a chair for her. He went inside to the counter and bought two icy cans of beer, asking for glasses as well. When he had poured a glass for each of them, he looked up at Liz and asked, "So, how's your craving for city life, now?"

  "I've had enough. It's overwhelming, after so long on the little islands, with so few people. I'm ready to go back."

  Mike looked at his wristwatch. It was one o'clock. "If you want, we could make it to Îlet du Gosier before sunset. You could fix sandwiches while I get us out of the river, and the island's about two miles to the east from the mouth. Probably won’t be crowded during the workweek. We could spend the day there tomorrow, get in a little beach time. Then, the next day, we could head back to the Saintes, just to stage ourselves for an easy run up to Deshaies the following day. If we feel like it, we could spend a day or two enjoying Deshaies. There are some good hikes there. Or, we could just go on to Antigua. Antigua is worth some time, too, especially since you haven't been there."

  "You're the captain." Liz smiled. She hadn't heard Mike talking to himself in the last day or two. He was being completely charming, and she had almost forgotten her uneasiness of a few days ago. This cruise was turning out to be something that she was sure she would remember fondly in years to come. This was a beautiful part of the world, and a boat like Sea Serpent was the perfect vehicle for exploring it. The history of the European settlement of the islands centered on the sea, so arriving in each new place under sail was like a trip back to the colonial era. She was once again glad that she had struck up an acquaintance with this somewhat odd man.

  Liz was a bit worried that he seemed excessively attached to her, though. She liked him well enough, but she wasn't looking for an extended relationship, and she was beginning to sense that he was. She needed to think about how to part gracefully at some point. She hoped that it would work out so that she could enjoy island hopping the rest of the way to the Virgin Islands with him, but she was steeling herself to leave sooner if he started acting strangely again.

  "Let's go, then. You finished with your beer?"

  "Yes," she said, as he got to his feet and came around to help her up.

  ****

  Dani and Paul had inventoried the galley stores on Kayak Spirit and gone grocery shopping. Sharktooth had put a serious dent in the stock that Phillip had laid in a few days ago. While they did the shopping, Phillip went to visit Sandrine at the customs office, to say goodbye and clear out for Guadeloupe. When he walked in, she presented him with a DHL envelope, addressed to her, care of the Douane in Marin. He lifted the torn flap, and took out a fresh, new French passport.

  "It came this morning, from Paris. How does J.-P. do these things, Phillip?"

  Phillip shrugged and finished filling out the documents, adding Dani's new information to the crew list. Sandrine stamped the form and gave him a brief, tantalizing kiss. "You will be safe, please, and hurry home to me?"

  He nodded, gave her a hug, and went back to the boat. He got back there before Dani and Paul, and he was busying himself with the minor repairs that were part of sailing a vintage vessel. He had just stopped for a glass of water when Sharktooth called.

  "Good afternoon, Phillip," Sharktooth said;

  "Hello, Sharktooth. How was the flight?"

  "Flight good, Phillip, thank you."

  "What's on your mind?" Phillip wiped the sweat from his brow with his forearm.

  "One of the guides take some people to Toucari Bay this morning to snorkel the reef, an' they find a dead lady. He call on the radio, and I take the p'lice 'round to pick she up just now. Was the lady from Sea Serpent, Michelle. She been in the water a while, but I see the tattoo."

  "I don't know about a tattoo, Sharktooth."

  "You get old, Phillip. Don't see the pretty girl any more. She got butterfly, down low on the belly. Only see if she in bikini, or not in clothes."

  "I'll trust you on that, Sharktooth. Do they know the police in Martinique are looking for her?"

  "They know now. I tell them."

  "Any idea how she died?"

  "Look like she neck bust to me. P'lice, he t'ink so, too. They take she to Rouseau for the coroner. I call when I hear more, Phillip."

  "Okay, Sharktooth. Thanks."

  "Blessing, Phillip."

  Dani and Paul had come back while Phillip was finishing his call, so he filled them in while they stowed the groceries. Within thirty minutes, they were underway. As they maneuvered away from the dock, Phillip learned that Paul was an experienced weekend sailor with some offshore races under his belt. The three of them had a quick discussion as they motored out of the channel, and they decided to go all the way to Les Saintes. It was about a hundred miles, so they would probably get there mid-morning tomorrow. It was an easy overnight trip with three experienced hands. They should arrive in time to clear in with customs and scout the anchorages around Les Saintes for their quarry. If they came up empty-handed, Dani and Phillip agreed that they should move on up the west coast of Guadeloupe to Deshaies. They reasoned that, although there were many places in Guadeloupe for Sea Serpent to spend time, she would almost certainly call at Deshaies before leaving for Antigua. Paul, new to the islands, bowed to their experience. Deshaies was a likely choke point for most vessels bound for Antigua from Guadeloupe, and Dani knew that Reilly always stopped there and in Jolly Harbour, Antigua, on his way north. Once they were under sail in open water, Paul took the first watch, and Phillip and Dani went below. Phillip stretched out to rest, as he had the next watch, and Dani set about cooking a pot of curried chicken for their dinner. She would rest while Phillip was on watch, and would probably get them to the north end of Dominica before dawn, when Paul would take over again.

  Chapter 33

  After a quiet night at Îlet du Gosier, Liz and Mike agreed that they didn't need another idle day of beachcombing. They had an ideal breeze to lay Les Saintes on one tack now, although it was forecast to clock throughout the day. If that happened, the anchorage at Îlet du Gosier would probably get a bit choppy, so after a leisurely breakfast in the cockpit, they made ready to leave. Mike hoisted the outboard from the dinghy, stowed it on the stern rail, and attached the towing bridle to the dinghy. Liz squared away the galley. They would be hard on the wind, and the water was often rough in the channel on the north side of Les Saintes. They had a short trip ahead; it was only a little over 20 miles, but if the wind clocked, they would have to beat. Depending on the sea state, it could be a relatively slow trip. They expected to arrive in Les Saintes late in the afternoon. They might be too late to have their choice of anchorage, but they were planning to leave for Deshaies early tomorrow anyway. They would take what was available for one night. It would be more comfortable than bouncing at Îlet du Gosier in a southerly wind, and if the wind held, they would have a good sail to Deshaies in the morning.

  Liz
took her time putting things away below decks, listening as Mike raised the anchor and hoisted the sails. Normally, she would have helped him, but he had seemed distant this morning, and a bit grouchy, as well. He had called her Dani, once, and when he saw her reaction, he quickly stammered an apology, but he called her Michelle when he apologized. It wasn't lost on Liz that those were the names she had heard when she thought he had been talking to swimmers at Îlet à Cabrít the other day. That reminded her of the unexplained purse. She wasn't nosy, but she was curious, especially since he kept slipping up with those two names. She listened carefully again, to be sure he was still occupied. Over the sound of the idling diesel, she could hear him working on the foredeck. He was taking the jib out of its bag, laying it out so it would be ready to hoist when he got the anchor up. She heard the anchor windlass, clanking as the chain came aboard. He would be busy for a few minutes. She had plenty of time for a quick look at that handbag.

  She opened the locker next to hers, took the bag out, closed the locker, and stepped into the head, putting the latch on the door. She set the bag on the countertop and opened the clasp. In the bag, she found a French passport and a wallet. She flipped open the passport, and began to tremble as she saw the name. Michelle Anne Devereaux. Her hands shook as she looked at the passport picture. She didn't recognize the girl, but this had to be Mike's Michelle, this beautiful young girl from Martinique. She put the passport back and opened the wallet. There was a bit of money, euros and Eastern Caribbean dollars. She didn't count it. There was a bankcard from BNP, also with Michelle's name on it. There was nothing else in the purse, except for the normal things: lipstick, nail file, tissues, a comb, a hairbrush. She closed the purse and listened again, still hearing the rumble of the anchor chain. She was amazed that no more time had passed. It only took a couple of minutes to retrieve the anchor. It seemed like a longer time had passed since she had opened that purse.