by Rc Bonitz
"His wife and that's the kid. She has custody, but he took off. That's why I'm here."
He was lying. The woman had to be the wife who'd been killed in that car crash, the one Lissey had confirmed on that newspaper website. A beautiful woman. Jake looked like he adored her. If he ever looked at her that way…
She glanced at her interrogator. His eyes were not so sharp and certain anymore. "I'm sorry, I don't know them."
The guy frowned and stared at her some more. "He's never been here?"
"Not as far as I know."
"He'd be on a sailboat, movin' around a lot."
She shook her head. "I'm sorry."
The man frowned, his cold gray eyes oozing suspicion.
"Do you want those tarts now?"
He took a swig of the beer and nodded.
Turning to the display case, she set two tarts on a paper plate and brought them to the table. She had to get him out of the shop and on his way. Who knew what Louis or her parents might tell him. Or anybody else who'd seen Jake in the last couple of days. Her heart sank, there were so many people, Patti, Henri at the Sea Horse, anybody who'd seen Jake and Emma.
Lissey went into the kitchen while he finished his beer and tarts, trying to avoid talking to him any more than necessary. She watched him, then brought him a check when he finished eating.
He pulled a wad of bills from his pocket and peeled a twenty off. Clearly she was meant to see that big fat roll, meant to drool over it, meant to think she could get some of it if she told him what he wanted to hear.
"You sure you don't know this guy?" he asked with a smirk as if he could see greed gears turning in her head.
"I'm sorry, no," she said but she could not hold his gaze.
He pulled a business card from his pocket and offered it to her. "Just in case."
She glanced at it. N. M. Terrio, no first name. She slipped it behind the register and then watched as he ambled down to the dock and confronted Louis who was busy gassing up his boat
N. M. flashed his credentials and then showed Louis the picture of Jake and his young family.
Lissey held her breath, then let out a sigh of relief as Louis shook his head emphatically. The guy kept asking questions and Louis kept shaking, denying all knowledge apparently. Lissey could have kissed him if she'd been standing next to him.
Something had happened to her in the last ten minutes. Something big. What? No, it was clear, she'd taken Jake's side, protected him, tried to help. What had changed? A few hours ago he'd taken advantage of her and then disappeared. Was it that man, N. M.? Him she could do without. He'd lied and just plain looked suspicious. But why was she protecting Jake after he'd run off and left her? Emma, of course, she would do anything for Emma.
Lissey sucked in a long hard breath as the thought struck home. Emma could not lose her father. That sweet child loved him and he loved her, they had to stay together. Perhaps she'd been stupid, falling for his line the way she did, but Emma was the innocent in this and she would do anything to keep her safe. Maybe Jake had dashed her foolish dreams by leaving but that didn't matter. Well, almost.
They were gone, off somewhere on the wild blue ocean, heading for another harbor, somewhere on someone else's island. She'd never see them again but she would survive. He'd done her dirty, but she could still make a life for herself without the man. She made a promise to herself, to be stronger than him or Terrio or anyone. Tension seized her chest but she forced a wave of emotion aside. Their secret would stay safe with her.
N. M. gave up on Louis and headed back up the path. Lavinia came out of Patti's shop and smiled at the man. He returned the smile and whipped out the photograph. Lissey groaned.
"You'll never guess what I just heard," her mother cried as she burst into the shop a few minutes later.
"Oh, I think I know," Lissey muttered.
"That man? Bruce? His name is really Jake. He's a kidnapper."
"Jake Wainright and he didn't kidnap anybody."
Lavinia shook her head. "Oh yes he did. That child—"
"Is named Emma. His daughter. I told you before."
"He stole her away from her mother."
"Her mother is dead, Mama. Dead."
Lavonia's mouth gaped open. She stared at Lissey, a mix of shock and disbelief clear in her eyes. "But that man said…"
"He lied, Mama."
"How… How do you know?"
"I checked. Jake's wife died in a car wreck."
"You checked? You knew about this before?"
"Be still a minute. I have a question for you. Did you tell that man Jake was here?"
"Of course. He's searching for the little girl."
"So that makes everything he says true?" Lissey shook her head and handed her mother a mug of coffee. "Sit down and listen. You might as well get the whole story."
Her mother's naiveté made no difference in the end. Minutes later an equally unsuspecting Patti charged into the shop in her own state of high excitement, having also told the detective everything she knew about Jake and Emma.
Lissey struggled to contain her emotions. She'd never felt so helpless in her life. A knot of anger seized her stomach at the trusting simplicity of her mom and Patti, even though they couldn't have known, except she should have told them and sworn them to secrecy, but she'd promised Jake she wouldn't tell a soul, except—oh hell, what a mess.
"Where did Jake go?" Patti asked.
"I don't know. He left last night," Lissey said.
"Well at least he has a head-start on that detective. The man can't get the ferry back to Great Casque until tonight," Patti said.
"He has money to burn. He'll charter a boat when he figures that out," Lissey said.
Lavinia glanced at her watch. "Get on the radio then. Warn Jake before the man finds himself a boat."
"What difference will that make?" Patti asked.
"Right now Mr. Terrio is driving a rented golf cart to the other end of the island. He won't have access to a marine radio until he charters a boat. Mama, you're brilliant," Lissey cried.
"Am I forgiven?" Lavinia murmured.
Patti frowned. "Forgiven for what?"
"I'm not sure, but there's something going on here," Lavinia said and cocked an eyebrow at her daughter.
Lissey ignored the gesture. Ready to make the call, she turned to the radio. She hadn't expected to see Jake ever again, or to hear his voice, yet she would in a few seconds. Her mouth was suddenly quite dry, her hands trembling. How strange, she'd written him off, a transient who'd done her dirt and disappeared into the night, yet here she was, about to help him. She keyed the mic.
He didn't respond. Did he monitor the radio at all? Was he still within range? Would he even talk to her? Silly thought, that. The man had no axe to grind; he didn't care a whit about her. His heart was not involved. She gasped. Did he still have hold of hers?
Ridiculous idea. Or was it? She keyed the mic again, her hand unsteady this time.
"This is Lissey's, calling the yacht Fantasy. Come in Fantasy."
Her heart thudding just enough that she noticed the steady beating in her breast, she waited.
"Lissey, hi. Fantasy here," his voice came back to her, strong and relaxed.
Hesitation, uncertainty, stopped her for a moment. Anybody might be listening in and she had all sorts of thoughts in her head. His real name for one, she wanted to use it publicly, wanted to know where he was bound. She drew a deep breath. He was headed somewhere and not to her. She had no claim on him at all. He was just a louse who'd taken advantage of her foolish dreams and had a child she adored and worried about. Just a guy. Better not to get her heart involved any more than it was already. Business, only business, keep it to that.
"Fantasy, we had a visitor here. A man looking for one Jake Wainright."
"I'm not surprised. I had a feeling last night. Is he still there?" Jake replied.
Lissey's heart missed a beat. He'd had a feeling, a premonition of sorts? Was that why he left? Sh
e choked back the question. This was not the time to ask it. "On the island, yes. I assume he's looking for a charter."
"He knows about Jake?"
"Yes."
There was no response for a few seconds, and then his reply came softly, "Thank you, Lissey. Fantasy out."
He was gone. Forgetting to sign off, she simply dropped the mic beside the radio. Did he sound emotional at the end there? Her imagination, it had to be, but he sounded so appreciative of her help. Was he lonely? He must be, sailing all over the place with no one but his daughter, running from the likes of Terrio. And now the man was about to catch him.
A shudder ran through her body. That couldn't happen. He couldn't lose Emma. She cringed. Losing Emma would destroy him. Men were not as strong that way as women. She had to do something. But what?
Louis knew most of the charter captains at the far end of the island. Maybe he could pass the word to stonewall Terrio and make him wait for the ferry to take him off the island. She sighed. That wouldn't help. Someone would take Terrio's money. Even if they didn't, once he got to Great Casque he could charter a plane and search twice as fast as on a power boat.
She could invite Jake to return. They could take his mast down and stick his boat in the big shed they used for boat overhauls. Except someone would shoot their mouth off as they had already.
She didn't make a call, didn't invite him back. He knew how to take care of himself. He'd evaded Terrio all this time without her help. What could she do anyway? Nothing except marry him and give Emma a mother. He'd probably have a better chance of keeping custody of Emma if she had a mother and a father. Or not. Who knew if that would make a difference in the end. Not to mention she needed a marriage of convenience like a hole in her head. Except it wouldn't be that, not for her, not anymore.
****
Lissey stood on the dock at the edge of the shore, her arms hugging her body, staring vacantly at the quiet harbor. Boats had come and gone these last three days, live-aboards and charter sailors, all of them entering her world and then departing like wisps of wind. She hadn't heard word one from Jake and Emma. Had they escaped? What island were they sailing to? Had that man given up the chase? She groaned; that wasn't very likely.
She hugged herself tighter as the wind picked up and the sky darkened. Weather reports predicted a storm; the squall line was already reaching in from the sea, the wind building, rain starting just outside the breakwater. A shiver ran up her spine. Jake better have a life jacket on that child. And one on himself too, along with a safety harness in case he fell overboard. Emma could do some things for herself, but she'd die out there if he went over the side and couldn't get back on the boat. Damn it, the man should not put that child at risk like that. A frisson of fear tugged at her heart. She didn't want Jake to die either, regardless of Emma. She owed him. Just thinking about him sent her pulse up to the moon lately.
Raindrops spattered down on her as whitecaps appeared in the harbor. She hurried up the path and into the shop. Lavinia hadn't put in an appearance yet, it was still too early for her. Lissey poured herself a coffee and leaned against the door jam, staring out at the rain.
She owed him? He'd awakened her dreams, rekindled hope she'd given up when Ramon disappeared. When Caroline died. There was a time, when they first moved to the island, when she'd dreamt of a wedding at the Triniday Hotel Resort, with bridesmaids and a white gown and all the trimmings. Ramon had killed that dream forever. Then Caroline's death had left her without any hope at all.
But Jake and Emma had worked a kind of magic on her in a strange way. They'd brought her back, at least in terms of wishes. A wish for a child, a wish for a lover, a wish to be happy again. She laughed. Jake hadn't used any protection that night on the beach. His child might be growing inside her. Wouldn't that be wonderful. Scandalous on the island again but she wouldn't be around to notice. When she moved to the States she'd simply tell everyone her husband had died at sea. Or taken off and left her high and dry? Whatever, she'd come up with something juicy.
She was happier than she'd been in a long time; that much was certainly true. She sighed. Jake and Emma were gone for good though, she'd never see them again. But she could take the tiller of her life and do something with it. Get a college education in the States, meet someone like Jake and start a family. If five-year-old Emma could run that big sailboat and Jake could hide out like he was, she could make some changes to her dreary little life.
By mid-afternoon the lunch business had died down and Lavinia went off to see her friend Sandra. Lissey would normally have begun her daily round of scrubbing tables and mopping the floor but not today. The whole idea of changing her life had lit a fire in her soul. If she were going to do it she had decisions to make, steps to take, plans to set in motion. She could move back to the States and live with her sister Lydia until she got a job somewhere. A job that would let her meet people, people like Jake Wainright, sweet good-looking men a woman could fall in love with. A laugh erupted out of nowhere. She was really getting ditzy.
Practical things had to be dealt with. The biggest question was what to do about her mom and dad. If she moved to the States, who would run the business? There was the marina, the store and all the baking, the cooking, her father would have to get off his butt and start baking again. Her stomach tightened. She couldn't leave them; they were too old, they couldn't handle everything without her.
The radio crackled with static. "Lissey's, this S$&h@t. Come in plHD^*(N."
She keyed the mic. "This is Lissey's. You're breaking up."
"Need a mooring. This ^JD*(N -irlwhind. "
Her breath caught. She croaked out a response. "Take the orange ball. Closest in."
"Gotcha, thanks."
That voice! It couldn't be.
CHAPTER FIVE
Heart drumming in her breast, she hurried out the door, then deliberately slowed her pace to a sedate walk as she headed for the docks. There was no need to act like a schoolgirl; it probably wasn't him. She stopped at Patti's doorway and stood there in the shadows, scanning the harbor. A boat was coming in, little more than a speck in the distance, sails up and pulling in the breeze. As she watched, it grew larger, a white hulled sloop driving gracefully through the waves, well handled, pushing hard to reach her harbor.
Her pulse quickened, began to pound in her head, as the distance narrowed and the details of the boat took on a familiar shape.
Patti stepped out of her shop. "What's up girl?"
Heat rose to Lissey's cheeks. Brilliant, make a fool of oneself over a man who'd taken off and left her. Except he was on his way back.
"There's a boat coming in."
Patti raised an eyebrow. "So? That happens every day."
"I thought I recognized the voice on the radio."
Patti stepped back inside her bookstore and brought out binoculars. After a few seconds of studying the boat, she lowered them and grinned.
"I see two people on deck. One looks like a kid." Patti grinned. "I'll give you odds it's that guy, Bruce or Jake or whatever his name is." She paused, waiting for a response from Lissey. When none came she added, "I wonder why he's coming back,"
"I have no idea," Lissey said, and turning away, she headed back to her shop.
Why indeed. He might lose Emma by coming back. She didn't dare to think he wanted to see her, yet the idea was there, gleaming like a candle flame. It thrilled her more than she expected, more than was rational in fact. He wouldn't take a chance on losing Emma just to come back for her. The thought was nothing but delusional. Then why was she so delirious? Giddy as a schoolgirl?
Lissey put both hands up to her face and slapped her cheeks. Time to wake up. Speculation be damned, he'd do what he'd do when he reached shore, and she had to keep her head clear. He wouldn't risk Emma for her. There had to be some other reason for his return. And besides, she was going to the States to live with Lydia and get a job.
Twenty minutes later, Emma came tearing into the shop. She wore a blue j
umper with a white blouse. A little girl's clothing.
"Hi Lissey," she cried. "We came back."
Lissey's heart went out to her. "So I see."
Jake stepped through the door then, a mile wide grin on his face. "Hi there lady. You look great."
"I look like I always look," she muttered, stumbling over his compliment, suddenly unsure of herself. "Why did you come back? Aren't you afraid that detective will find you?"
Jake shrugged. "We've had enough of running. It's time to stand and fight again. And besides, I've adopted a new strategy."
"Oh? What's that?"
"I've never gone back to a place I've been before. I figure this is the last place he'll look for us."
"But what if he does come here again?"
Jake raised an eyebrow. "We may have the ace of trump by then."
Lissey blinked. "What does that mean?"
There was a twinkle in his eye and a hint of a grin on his face. He had a secret, something sinister in mind. Ace of trump? Did he expect to be married, was that what he meant? To her? OMG. Palpitations spread through her body, her stomach knotted up.
"After the interview of course," he said, looking utterly serious.
"What interview? What are you talking about?"
He frowned. "I thought I was perfectly clear."
"Not."
"Oh, I see. Well, I thought I'd marry you. After the interview of course."
This time she didn't even have a one-word reply. She simply stared at him, part of her outraged at the cocky grin on his face, another corner of her heart burbling with excitement.
"We can do the interview now if you'd like," he murmured.
She squished that nasty little outraged part. "What makes you think I'd marry you?"
He grinned. "Tut tut, I'm interviewing you at the moment. Question one. Do you consider yourself a sexy woman?"