They both watched as it burned brightly in an arc, fading far too fast to be any comfort.
“Do you think anyone saw it?” She scanned the horizon hoping to see some other boats appear.
David shrugged looking into the vast stretch of water behind them. “That’s the Intracoastal Waterway over there, and it’s pretty busy. But I don’t know if a big ship, like a liner or a cargo ship would come to look for us, even if they did notice the flare. I guess the best we could hope for would be that someone would radio to the Coast Guard.”
“Is there anything else we can do?” Claire asked hopefully.
He shook his head. “Pray. He’s going to try to run over us and he’s got the speed and power to do it. But, this little baby has maneuverability.” He patted the inflatable side as if it was a horse’s neck. “I think I can dodge him a few times and hope that gives us time to reach the shallow water. It’s like playing Russian roulette.
“Now, when he gets closer, I’m going to run in front of him as fast as we can go. Then when he’s almost on top of us, I’ll turn sharply either left or right and head around him. You hold on tight to those handles so you don’t get thrown out when I turn. It will take him longer to turn and then he’ll try again. Hopefully, we can avoid him again. Do you understand?”
Claire understood all too well.
“And if God favors us, maybe another boat will happen along to upset his little game.”
They both looked around at the empty sea, but there was still no other boat in sight.
“How will he explain this?”
“Don’t worry, he’ll find a way. He’s good at it. And remember, no one suspects him.”
David shook his head. His anger showed. “Damn it, Claire. He may get away with it.”
They both looked at the boat which seemed to be approaching even faster.
Their next glimpse of the boat was close enough for them to see Neil at the wheel. He was in control.
Claire felt numb. It just didn’t seem right that her life was ending like this. She wasn’t ready!
Then at David’s signal she grabbed the handles on either side of her and hung on. Her eyes were glued on the big yacht, which now loomed over them and just when she felt a scream emerging spontaneously from her throat, David cut the little boat sharply to the left and scuttled out of the way of the larger craft. But now the little boat bounced and heaved in the wake, almost overturning before righting itself to bob sedately on the swells, the motor idling while David waited to see which way Neil would turn back.
Claire released her grip on the handles, flexing her fingers trying to get the blood circulating again. She trembled. She hadn’t believed they would avoid the collision, but they had. Thank God for David’s skill.
They sat there silently, watching Neil slow down and go into a big turn.
“He’s enjoying this. Did you see his face when he went by?”
David shook his head. “I didn’t have time.”
“He was grinning. I wished I had a hand free and I would have used his gun.”
“Not much chance of doing any harm that way.
“Oh, oh, he’s getting ready to do it again. He’ll be watching for it this time. I’ll do my best, but Claire, remember what I said about diving deep and swimming as far as you can if you go in the water.”
The boat was pointing in their direction again and was picking up speed.
The blast was so fierce it actually shoved their boat away. Claire grabbed the handles instinctively and held on as the wave created by the explosion tossed them into the air. She ducked her head as bits of debris rained down on them.
Then it was quiet.
She stirred, brushing some debris off her lap. Then she looked at David. His face appeared frozen in shock. There was blood on his head, dripping down the side of his face and black smudges where burnt pieces had apparently hit him. She imagined she looked as bad as he did.
“David? David, are you all right?”
He nodded, still dazed.
Claire peered around them at the pieces of the boat which floated in the water and at the charred unrecognizable bits which had landed in their boat. Nearer to where the yacht exploded some larger pieces were burning in the fuel on the surface of the water. Otherwise there was no evidence of the motor-yacht, or of Neil.
Neither of them spoke. Claire’s ears were ringing and she wasn’t sure she could hear, even if David said something.
She had no idea how long they sat there watching the pieces burn and sink. The floating pieces started drifting away and finally she roused herself to check their distance to shore.
“There’s nothing we can do here, is there?” Her voice echoed in her ears. Then wondering if David had even heard her, she repeated it louder, almost a shout. That got his attention.
He shook his head and turned the little boat toward the shore once more.
Later he said, “Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“Did you know Neil was involved with the bomb on the plane in London?”
She shook her head.
“So how did you know the boat was going to explode?” He watched her carefully, as if her face could tell him what he wanted to know.
She shook her head. “I didn’t know really. It’s just that when we were on the boat I suddenly remembered what he said about blowing up the boat. Call it intuition. Call it having a good Guardian Angel. I just felt crawly and I knew we had to get off that boat immediately.
“That’s what happened on the plane. And that time in San Francisco when I woke up in the warehouse. I don’t try to analyze it. When my hair stands on end, and my stomach drops down to my feet, I just follow my instinct.”
She stared back at the spot where the boat had been. “I didn’t even guess about Neil. I didn’t like him for some reason. And I thought I had seen him somewhere, but I’m still not sure where that was. He made me uneasy. Yet everyone thought so highly of him, I just thought it was me. Then Amy told me you were going out with him and for some reason I was alarmed. I didn’t stop to figure it out. I tried to get you to wait by lying about Jack coming to talk to us.” She saw David’s surprise but just continued. “When it was clear you were going out anyway, I told JoJo that MiMi wanted her at the house so she wouldn’t come. Then I came. As if I could make everything okay...”
“Thank you for that. And for the presence of mind to bean him with that bottle...” He gave a faint smile, “You sure pack a wallop.”
“It’s the cartons of books I heave around at the store. It builds lots of muscle.”
They both fell silent. There didn’t seem to be anything else to say.
* * *
Jack hung up his cell phone. His boss was going to notify the English authorities of the new development in this case. The wheels were turning. Solving these cases often seemed to be slow work, but he knew they wouldn’t stop until they had the guilty persons apprehended.
Wiley came back in the room after visiting with Neil’s secretary, reporting, “Neil is expected in this afternoon. She said she talked to him this morning and he told her he was checking out a new boat and was going out on the Bay with David for a test cruise. She knew the name of the yacht broker, so Guy is contacting him now. Hopefully, we will get the description of the yacht as well as the radio call letters.”
“Good work. My office is in contact with the Coast Guard. They are standing by with a couple of search choppers if we need them.”
“I feel so useless.” Wiley burst out. “We don’t really know if anything is wrong, but my gut tells me to do something.”
The other two men looked at him sympathetically; they too were sure that the length of time the boat had been gone was an ominous sign.
“Well, one thing I’d better do is call MiMi.” His face showed how reluctant he was to make the call.
Jack and Marcus discretely went next door to grab a cup of coffee, giving Wiley privacy to talk to MiMi. When they returned, Wiley was m
opping his brow with a big white hanky while listening intently to Guy.
“Okay, Guy’s got the information. Neil’s been talking to this man about yachts for the past year. Last week he told him he might want to try it out. Sunday, he called him at home and asked if he could take it for a test run on Tuesday. Of course, the salesman was thrilled. He’s sure he’s got this sale.”
Marcus’ cell phone rang. He stepped out into the hall to talk and when he returned Jack and Wiley paled at the grim look on his face. “I guess getting the name and call frequency came too late. That was the Coast Guard. A boat responding to an emergency flare found some drifting debris. The Coast Guard is sending their choppers to search the area.”
They all stood as if frozen.
“I think we should get out there and see what they bring in. My office is sending a helicopter for us. I assume you both want to go?”
Jack was already on his way to the door.
Wiley ordered tersely, “Guy, stay close to your phone and don’t let one word of this out. We don’t want panic before we know if there is a reason for it.” The big man was out the door on Jack’s heels while Marcus grabbed his briefcase, jammed his papers in it and hurried after them.
They were still in the elevator when Marcus’ phone rang again. He turned it on and barked, “Hold on,” until the door opened in the lobby and he could hear his caller.
“Okay, they’ve had a call from another yacht reporting they picked up two survivors,” he informed them. “They’re on their way to the Coast Guard Station. We’ll meet them there.” He led them to a dark four-door sedan waiting at the curb, the driver ignoring the heavy traffic which had to swerve around him.
“We’re going to the heliport, Bill. I think you’d better join us, so find a parking place.”
Jack got into the front seat with Bill, nodding in recognition. Bill had been at the meeting at the Lickmans’ and had taken the detailed notes for the meeting. Wiley and Marcus no sooner closed the back doors when Bill pulled out into traffic, reaching out to stick a red light on the top of the car and then hitting his siren.
Wiley said what Jack was thinking. “Did they say who the survivors were?”
Marcus shook his head. “The Coast Guard got the call. The yacht said they were bringing in two survivors in an inflatable raft, who reported their boat exploded.”
“The boat exploded and two of them had time to launch the life boat?”
Wiley looked at Jack. “It’s got to be them. What are the chances of another boat exploding out there today just when we’re looking for them?”
Jack agreed. He tasted bitter acid roiling up from his stomach. No matter how controlled he looked, his nerves played havoc with his body. He just prayed Claire was all right. He cursed himself for not thinking to review all the evidence from London again. Maybe he would have noticed Neil in that picture. Damn, he was getting sloppy! And he hoped Claire wasn’t paying the price for his omission.
He braced himself against the dashboard; Bill was using all his skill to maneuver through the heavy traffic, which very reluctantly gave way to their siren and flashing light. He wanted him to go faster but knew he was going faster than was really safe already. He thought about Claire. He really liked her, maybe more than liked her. Even though he knew it was impossible for him to have a relationship and still honor his commitment to the Company, he hadn’t completely let go last spring. He thought about the postcards he had sent her. And when he found out she would be in D.C. while he was here, he wasted no time looking her up. Thankfully, as that had probably saved her life.
Still, he thought, she’s a survivor. And she’s gutsy. He hoped she was using those attributes right now. God, he prayed she was one of the survivors.
Bill pulled into the heliport and they all ran for the chopper, ducking under the rotating blades as they sorted out who would sit where. They fastened their seatbelts, and while they clamped on the headsets that would allow them to have a conversation, the chopper had already lifted off.
Jack felt his stomach lurch and glanced at the others. Bill and Marcus didn’t seem to be fazed by their sudden rise in the air, but Wiley looked a little green, making Jack feel better about his own queasiness.
Bill gave the pilot the coordinates where the explosion had been reported, and he skimmed the craft over the bay until he hovered near the area, careful to stay out of the path of the two Coast Guard Choppers searching the surface of the water. They all strained to see something, but there was nothing ominous about the spot at all.
“How far is this from the Lickmans’ house?” Jack asked.
The pilot and Bill discussed it and then agreed it might be fifty miles.
“How long would it take them to get here?”
Wiley was more knowledgeable about that. “Well, full out maybe a couple of hours, but just cruising along more likely three or four hours. Why would they be clear down here?”
“I’d hate to even speculate until we get some facts. We know Claire didn’t like the idea and that’s why she had Charlie call to tell me. And I know from past experience that Claire has good instincts. That makes me think the worse.”
Their helicopter had turned and was heading for the Coast Guard Station. They passed a variety of boats on Bay. Any one of them could be the one which picked up the survivors and was transporting them to the Coast Guard Station.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Claire and David stood back and watched Billy John throw the lines to the sailors, who then tied the Emma Louise to the dock.
This yacht had looked big to them when it suddenly loomed over their little boat out on the Bay. But here, tied up next to a Coast Guard Cutter, it was dwarfed. Rhea had called out to them, asking if they needed help. And when they gratefully accepted, she and Billy John had tied their little boat off the stern and helped them onboard. When David explained about their boat sinking and their missing friend, the captain, Rhea’s husband Jerry, wasted no time in using his radio to notify the Coast Guard. Then they immediately headed for the Coast Guard Station as instructed.
Rhea had lavishly slopped a rich moisturizer on both of them as soon as they were onboard and had kept plying them with big glasses of cold water until Claire now felt as if she was sloshing every time she moved.
“You all are going to peel, but this will take the sting out of your sunburn and help your skin heal,” she explained, overseeing the application of the cream as if they were her children.
Both Claire and David were grateful to be rescued, but neither was inclined to answer the many questions about the fate of their boat. Jerry and Rhea were quick to catch on, concentrating instead on getting them to the Coast Guard as fast as they could.
“Lordy, the poor things. What an awful experience. I told you, Jerry. Didn’t I just say that something wasn’t right about that kind of boat being out so far on the Bay. Aren’t you glad we went over to see if they needed help? They’re just about cooked. And they had no water with them.” Rhea loved to talk. Fortunately her husband was content to listen and nod. “You know you said you thought you saw a flare a while ago. It must have been them. David said he shot one off.”
“Must have been, but I thought it was just leftover fireworks from the holiday.”
“Well, anyway, we did see them. I’m sure they would have eventually made it to shore, even if they had to row, which they probably would have, because they didn’t have much fuel left. But they would have been in poor shape with all that sun and no water. And even after they made shore there isn’t much there. They would have had to look for help.” She shook her head vigorously. “No, it was lucky we came by.”
David and Claire relaxed in the sumptuous lounge, sitting on towels draped over the chairs to prevent the lotion from staining the upholstery. Billy John laid out some crackers, cheese and cold cuts for them to munch on while he kept them company, entertaining them with tales of his travels with Jerry and Rhea. He had been friends with them for years and frequently joined them o
nboard where an extra hand was always welcome. The couple spent half of the year traveling by boat between Florida and Newport. And he loved the life on the water almost as much as they did.
“And besides,” he said, “they have to have someone around they can beat at Hearts.”
Claire had been grateful for his lighthearted chatter, which prevented her from dwelling on the memories of those awful hours on the Bay.
Now, with the boat secured and locked, Jerry and Rhea climbed the ladder to the top of the dock with David following right behind them. Now it was her turn with Billy John bringing up the rear.
When Claire got on the dock she saw that Jerry, Rhea and David had been swallowed up in a crowd waiting for them. She saw Wiley’s beaming expression and understood his relief at finding his boss was safe.
Billy John muttered behind her, “Wow, this is some welcoming party.”
But Claire had been swept into Jack’s embrace and was holding onto him for dear life. For a moment she just rested her head in the crook of his shoulder, breathing deep, trying to clear her mind.
“It was Neil,” she whispered as soon as she felt the words could squeeze past the lump in her throat. “He did it. Everything! He was behind the bomb on the plane. He hired the man to attack me in the park. It was his plan to poison the spinach at the Lickmans’.”
“We know.”
“You know?” She pulled back looking at him with surprise. “How did you know? When did you know?”
“As soon as we started to look closely at the pictures Liz took.”
Her eyes opened wide.
”I don’t know how you remembered, but Neil was right there. Two of Liz’s pictures showed him with Rosa at the Camden Market. They must have had a meeting.”
She trembled, leaning on Jack heavily. “That’s why I kept dreaming about Liz. That’s why I kept thinking Neil looked familiar. I had studied those pictures for hours while I was sequestered in London. Every face must have been burned into my brain. But of course, then, I didn’t know Neil. I didn’t ever expect to meet him. So when I did, it’s no wonder I didn’t recognize him.”
Claire Gulliver #02 - Washington Weirdos Page 19