Bluewater Ganja: The Ninth Novel in the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Bluewater Thrillers Book 9)

by Charles Dougherty

  She keyed the intercom. "Put him through, Veralyn."

  ****

  "I don't know who was behind it," Sharktooth said, "but they asked about Lightning Bolt and they asked about you."

  "By name?" Dani asked. She and Sharktooth stood on Vengeance's foredeck, gazing at the other yachts anchored between Vengeance and Baradel, the easternmost of the Tobago Cays.

  "Mm-hmm. You an' some big Rasta." He grinned. "But they don' have his name. Jus' yours."

  "It has to be Wong or Chen, then," Dani said.

  "Mm-hmm, 'cause you left the business card for Wong," Sharktooth said.

  "I can't think of any good reason for them to be asking about us," Dani said.

  "No," Sharktooth said. "Ver' suspicious they do that."

  "Any specifics on what they asked?"

  "First they ask about the boat, and did you have any connection to it. Lomax tell them he don't know Danielle Berger. Then they ask did anybody see a lady look like you aroun' the boat, an' then they ask 'bout the big Rasta."

  "What did Lomax tell them?"

  "That the boat stay there sometimes. That he didn't know 'bout you or the big Rasta, but sometimes French-speaking men from Martinique aroun' the boat, mostly at night."

  "Was this a phone call to Lomax?"

  "No. Two p'licemen he don't recognize come aroun' and ask. Say they heard boat mebbe runnin' drugs."

  "So," Dani said, "if Wong and Chen were behind this, they have some pull with the police in St. Lucia."

  "Tha's no surprise, Dani. Mebbe they pay some p'lice, mebbe not. I ask Lomax if he t'ink Madame Chen behind the questions, an' he say he don' see a reason why a rich lady like her be interested."

  "Why'd you ask about her?"

  Sharktooth grinned. "Same reason you t'ink she ask the questions. Logical, once they use your name. Probably only one place that come from."

  "Why does Lomax know of her?"

  Sharktooth shrugged. "Rich lady, high profile. Lomax know 'bout mos' people that spend money in St. Lucia. She probably give money to some church, mebbe, or to the school."

  "Did he get their names? The policemen?"

  Sharktooth grinned. "Of course. I email to Phillip already."

  "That's good. I'll ask him to call that friend of his."

  "Cedric," Sharktooth said, "The Deputy Commissioner. I did that, too. Asked Phillip to call us on your satellite phone later."

  "Good," Dani said. "We should probably go below and give Liz a break."

  "A break?"

  "Yes. She's trying to keep Ed distracted and get our dinner together."

  "Mm. We bes' go, is right. Don' want that mon to interfere with deenah."

  Chapter 21

  Dani clambered down the companionway ladder, Sharktooth following her as he sniffed at the distinctive aroma of West Indian curry wafting up from the galley.

  "How's dinner coming?" Dani asked. She noticed as she got far enough below to see into the galley that Liz and Ed stood side by side in front of the stove. Ed jumped at the sound of Dani's voice, dropping his left arm, which had been draped casually around Liz's waist as she moved her hip against his to the rhythm of soft steel pan music that came from the stereo.

  "Smells awesome, doesn't it," Ed asked, looking back over his shoulder at Dani.

  Liz had her strawberry blonde hair twisted up into a tight bun on the back of her head. Dani watched, amused, as a tell-tale flush climbed from Liz's collar to her hairline.

  "Sorry," Dani said, suppressing a laugh. "Did we interrupt something?"

  "Uh," Ed said, turning and stepping away from Liz as she set her wooden spoon in a drip tray on the counter and turned to face her friends, blushing.

  "Of course not, Dani," Liz said, a sharp tone in her voice.

  Sharktooth looked back and forth from Dani to Liz, puzzled. Dani wondered whether Liz was angry or just embarrassed, and whether she was flustered by Ed's attention or by the interruption.

  The ringing of the satellite phone on the chart table defused the awkward moment. Sharktooth picked it up and handed it to Dani. Glancing at the caller i.d. screen, she raised the phone to her ear.

  "Hello, Phillip," she said. "Can I put you on the speaker?"

  She set the phone back on the chart table and switched it to speakerphone mode. "That was quick," she said.

  "What?" Phillip asked, confusion in his voice.

  "Sharktooth just told me he had asked — "

  "Oh. That's not why I'm calling. I haven't gotten in touch with Cedric yet."

  "What's up, then?" Dani asked. She glanced at Liz and smiled when she saw that Liz still looked off balance.

  "I just got a call from Rupert Mason."

  "The Chief Superintendent in St. Vincent? What was on his mind?" Dani asked, amused by the way Ed was looking at Liz, who was avoiding eye contact with him.

  "He learned from some kind of routine internal report that the department had received a request for information about J.-P."

  "From whom?"

  "He couldn't tell, for sure. It came through channels from somebody on a South Florida drug interdiction task force. The person making the request was some kind of administrative assistant and had no idea who asked, or why. Mason thought we should know."

  "What did they do with the request?"

  "They have no records on J.-P. in their files. But you know that."

  "Did the Chief think anybody talked out of turn?"

  "He said the people in records are all kids; none of them would remember J.-P., so they sent back a 'nothing to report.' You have any idea what's going on?"

  "Only what Sharktooth emailed you about," Dani said. "Can you think of anything, Sharktooth?"

  "No," Sharktooth said.

  "Liz?"

  Liz, still avoiding Ed's eye, shook her head. "No, no idea."

  "Okay," Phillip said. "If you think of anything, I'll be here. I'll give you a shout as soon as I talk with Cedric."

  "Right. Thanks, Phillip," Dani said, pressing the disconnect button.

  "What was all that about?" Ed asked. "Who's J.-P.? And Cedric?"

  "J.-P. is my father," Dani said.

  "Why would this Mason think you should know someone was asking about your father? And who's Mason?"

  "You don't miss much," Dani said. "Rupert Mason is the Chief Superintendent of Police in St. Vincent."

  "It's my background as a trial lawyer," Ed said. "I'm conditioned to catch small irrelevancies. It's one way to trip up a hostile witness."

  "I'm not hostile."

  "No." He smiled. "No, I didn't mean it that way. You mentioned the Chief Super earlier, but I didn't have a name — just the title."

  Dani nodded. "He and my father and Phillip go back to when I was a child. They look out for one another — always have. That was a strange request; my father wouldn't be the subject of a request from a U.S. drug interdiction task force. Why that's so doesn't matter right now, but Mason knew it. That's why he passed it on to us."

  "So he thought it might have something to do with Cynthia?"

  "In a situation like this, you look for any facts that touch on any of the people involved. Mr. Mason's too good a cop to jump to conclusions about what it might mean. It's just a data point he thought we should have. It may mean nothing."

  "Okay, I get that. Now, back to Cedric — who's he?"

  "He's the Deputy Commissioner of Police in St. Lucia; the highest ranking person who's not a political hack. He's another old friend of theirs. We need some information from him."

  "What kind of information?"

  "Can you bring Ed up to speed, Sharktooth? You two go up on deck and I'll give Liz a hand with some cocktails and snacks. Then we can get out of her way and let her finish cooking dinner."

  ****

  "You told me your father did a lot of business in the islands, but you never really told me what he did," Ed said, settled in the cockpit with Dani and Sharktooth.

  Dani passed him a rum punch from the tray that she b
rought from below. "No, I didn't, I guess. He and Sharktooth are partners." She took a sip from her own glass and reached for a cube of cheese and a water cracker.

  Ed turned to face Sharktooth. "How about it, Sharktooth? What do you and Dani's dad do that keeps you so well connected to the governments down here?"

  Sharktooth grinned and shrugged his massive shoulders. "We jus' buy an' sell stuff. Mos'ly we sell fo' mo' than we pay, see. Tha's how we make money."

  Dani saw a flicker of irritation cross Ed's face. "Papa sources goods in Europe, and they sell them down here. He helps the suppliers arrange financing to make the purchases possible. A lot of the time, the governments of small countries can't afford the things they need for modernizing infrastructure."

  "What kind of things do you guys sell, then, Sharktooth?"

  "Jus' about whatever the customer wants," Sharktooth said, another foolish grin on his face.

  Dani sent him a warning glance. In spite of his education, he could pass for an imbecile, and she knew he enjoyed doing it. She could see that Ed's patience was wearing thin; she didn't want him to provoke Sharktooth. The Rasta giant could shift his demeanor from amiable dunce to menacing lunatic in the blink of an eye. She knew he wouldn't really hurt Ed, but she didn't want him to frighten the man, either.

  "Sharktooth has a number of businesses that keep him connected to the local politicians besides his trading with my father. Their partnership's only a small part of Sharktooth's activity. A lot of what he does is related to enhancing the tourist appeal of the different islands, and helping local businesses organize to take advantage of tourism. So that's why he has all the local connections."

  "I see. Sounds like you're a real entrepreneur, Sharktooth."

  "I try," Sharktooth said.

  "But the thing I find most amazing about him is his artistic talent," Dani said, hoping Ed might pursue a less dangerous line of questioning.

  "Artistic talent?" Ed asked, taking a sip of his drink and raising his eyebrows in a skeptical look. "What sort of artist are you, Sharktooth?"

  The big man looked down at his hands. "Um, I, ah ... my wife and I, we have a small gallery. She runs it."

  "I see. Where is it?"

  "Dominica. In Portsmouth. Ver' small business."

  "And do you specialize in local artists?"

  "Mm-hmm."

  "Paintings? Or sculpture, or what?"

  "A little of everything."

  "Don't be so reticent," Dani said. "Tell him. It's not something you should be ashamed of, Sharktooth."

  The giant appeared to shrink several sizes. He squirmed in his seat and fingered his dreadlocks. Ed studied his evasive behavior for several seconds.

  "I'm not a judgmental person, Sharktooth. Dani's right. Tell me what's going on."

  "I paint a little bit," Sharktooth mumbled, giving Dani a glare that could melt ice.

  "You paint? That's great! Cynthia's talented that way. What sort of painting do you do?"

  "My wife an' Liz call it primitive impressionist."

  "Did you study art in school?"

  Sharktooth shook his head. "International finance."

  "Really?" Ed studied the hulking, rough-looking man in front of him. "Where'd you go to school?"

  "University of the West Indies."

  "And," Dani said, kicking Sharktooth under the table. She was relieved that Ed's interest had shifted to the puzzle of Sharktooth.

  "I went to graduate school in the U.S.," Sharktooth mumbled.

  "Where?" Ed asked.

  "Wharton," Sharktooth said, almost whispering.

  Ed said, "You're the only person I've met who went to Wharton who didn't tell me about it in the first ten seconds."

  "Sorry," Sharktooth said. "Not important," he added, in a soft voice.

  "His doctoral dissertation dealt with a strategy for developing an economy based on ecotourism and using it as a transition to high technology manufacturing."

  "How do you find time to paint?" Ed asked.

  "Painting keep me from goin' crazy. I jus' smear the colors on the canvas, but Liz an' Dani see stuff in there I don' know 'bout 'til they tell me."

  "Not just us, Sharktooth," Dani said. "His paintings are in juried collections in quite a few galleries, but he doesn't want his local pals to know. He's afraid they'll think he's a sissy."

  "Well, I'm amazed. I'd like to see some of your work. I just found out that most of the paintings below deck are Liz's work."

  "She paint like a photograph, only look more real," Sharktooth said. "Liz is the real artist, not me."

  "Some of her stuff was definitely impressionism," Ed said. "There's one of a sunset over the sea that's absolutely dazzling."

  "Liz didn't paint that," Dani said, watching Sharktooth cringe. "Did she claim that was hers?"

  "No. I just assumed it was. Who did that?"

  Sharktooth looked away and pinched Dani's leg under the table.

  "I'd better go see if Liz needs a hand," Dani said.

  "Sharktooth? You painted that sunset?" Ed asked, as Dani stood up.

  Sharktooth dipped his head the least bit, an embarrassed look on his face. "Mm-hmm."

  "You really are a man of many talents," Ed said. "That's a gift, to do that with color and light."

  "But it don' look like a picture," Sharktooth said. "I can't make the paint do like Liz does."

  "That's the very thing that makes it special," Ed said. "Anybody who looks at it feels like they're watching the sun go down over the water. It's way more evocative than a photographic image could ever be."

  "That's what his wife and I keep telling him," Liz said, passing a steaming tray through the companionway to Dani. "While you put that on the table, I'll get the wine."

  Chapter 22

  "Yes, that's correct," the Dragon Lady said, in response to a question from the man in Miami. "We do have his daughter. What difference does that make to our arrangement?"

  "I'm not sure, just yet," the man said. "I need to talk to some people, now that I know for sure. It's possible that having the girl might put you in a position to do us a favor."

  "I don't expect to hold her very long. I have my own plans — "

  "Don't be hasty, Marissa," the man said.

  She fought back her visceral reaction to his presumption. Nobody but her parents and her brother had ever called her by her given name without paying a severe price.

  "We may have a use for her, babe. I'll have to get back to you, but in the meantime, take good care of her."

  "Oh, I'll do that. Don't you worry."

  "If you value our relationship, you'll keep her alive, and keep her captive until you hear from us," the man said, his tone hard. "We know about the ransom demand. We may wish to up the ante, so to speak."

  "I'm not acknowledging that we're holding her for ransom," she said, glad of the encrypted satellite phones they were using. "But if, for the sake of discussion, we were, you should be aware that there could be more at stake than just $10 million."

  "I'm not sure what you mean."

  "You cannot know what I mean, but understand that $10 million is just the beginning."

  "As I said, Marissa, I need to talk to some people, but I think we'd be prepared to meet any price you might set. I'll have to call you back, but don't worry, we'll be ahead of your deadline for the ransom."

  "Do what you wish, but do not assume that I'm amenable to letting you have her, at any price."

  "Don't forget who you're dealing with, woman."

  "I shan't, young fellow. Nor should you."

  "I'll be in touch, hon. You'd best hope it's by telephone," the man said, disconnecting the call.

  The Dragon Lady sat for a moment, thinking. She buzzed her secretary on the intercom.

  "Yes, Madame?"

  "Get Wong in here, right now."

  "Yes, Madame."

  ****

  "Are you angry?" Liz asked, in a whisper. She and Dani were alone at last, in the cabin they shared when guests were
aboard. There was a narrow space separating their bunks, and they could hear Ed's soft snoring from the aft stateroom.

  "Angry? No. Why?"

  "About me and Ed?"

  Dani chuckled. "No. Is it you and Ed, now?"

  "Well, like a friend of mine said, 'he's hot and he's here,' so I haven't done anything to discourage him."

  "Just remember Cynthia's advice," Dani said.

  Liz laughed at that. "He's definitely into 'love the one you're with.'"

  "No doubt about that," Dani agreed.

  "You're sure you're not upset?"

  "Oh, come off it, Liz. You knew from the start he wasn't my type. He's a twit."

  "That's true, but he's a good-looking twit. A girl can dream."

  "It looked like you were doing more than dreaming."

  "Oh, I'll flirt with him, but I won't let it go too far. He's not my type, either, and it could turn awkward with all that's going on."

  "Okay, but now I'm confused."

  "About what?"

  "Well, you know about me and men. You helped me figure out that I was on the verge of making a fool of myself with Ed because of my disappointment over Ralph."

  "I didn't say that," Liz protested.

  "No, and thanks for that. You didn't have to say it; you just gave me some perspective so that I could see it myself."

  "I'm glad if I helped."

  "You did, but I'm still puzzled."

  "Ask, then. Liz-the-love-expert is waiting for your calls."

  "What are you up to with Ed?"

  "Oops. I guess I assumed a certain basic level of knowledge on your part. I — " Liz let out a muffled grunt as Dani's fist connected with her shoulder. "Ouch! That's your one free punch, woman. Next one will cost you."

  "Any time you think you're ready to swim with the sharks, sucker."

  "Quiet, or we'll wake up Ed," Liz said. "I'll kick your butt another time."

  "Chicken," Dani taunted, under her breath. "Now, answer me. Why are you leading him on if you aren't interested?"

  "Just to keep in practice, I guess. Besides, it's distracting him a little bit."

  "More than a little bit, I'd say. How do you think you can keep him in check?"

  "That's where skill and experience come into play. It's so intuitive that I'm not sure I can explain it to you, but if you watch carefully, you'll get the basics in no time."