Sea Red, Sea Blue

by Jean James

  Praise from such a man meant little to Katherine, but at least she could gain experience with her boat and still earn her living. Actually, the extra pay had restored much of her depleted savings, and if it continued, she could afford to have work done on the Miss Iris soon.

  For the next three days, she followed the same procedure. She accompanied the sales associates and their prospects on a tour of the condos, followed by dessert and coffee at the restaurant. The associate generally made a sales pitch at the restaurant, and by the time the buyer or buyers arrived back in home dock with complimentary pictures in hand, the associate could usually consummate a sale.

  Katherine understood the power that sun burnished ocean had over people who had just left a raw winter in the north, and most of their buyers did come from northern states. Tired of icy streets and heating bills, most of them came ready to buy.

  Monday’s party arrived an hour early, and with Johnny as the sales associate.

  Katherine froze when she saw him step out of his car, but by the time he boarded the boat, she had her feelings under control. After all, what could happen with four other people aboard?

  Johnny motioned her aside when he had his guests situated comfortably. “We’re going to pour some extra attention on our guests—give them a tour of Marco and a dinner at the restaurant. We may be gone longer than usual.”

  At Marco, she was surprised when the young man of her first trip met the boat. He waited, as before, to take the Miss Iris.

  “It won’t need gassed up today,” she called pleasantly and stayed at the helm.

  “Take these, Billy,” Johnny said and threw him the lines.

  Upon disembarking, Katherine noticed that Billy had a rod set there at the dock.

  “Any luck?” she asked cheerfully.

  He seemed confused at first, as if he didn’t know what she meant. “Oh, no, nothing today.”

  “Katherine, take these folks on ahead. I’ll catch up in a second,” Johnny said.

  “Of course.” She smiled at his clients. “Follow me.”

  When she glanced back, she saw Johnny hand something to Billy.

  Probably a tip. That’s something I didn’t think to do.

  Johnny caught up and began his sales pitch while she busied herself with picture taking.

  It seemed that Johnny took an unnecessarily long time to show the condos. Afterwards, they partook of an unhurried dinner followed by a van tour of Marco. When they finally prepared to board the boat, she looked at her watch and saw this would be her latest trip, so far.

  When she stepped into the Miss Iris, her foot slipped. Catching her balance, she discovered a small patch of water on the deck. She wiped it dry to prevent anyone else from taking a fall. She didn’t remember anyone spilling a drink, and the only other source of nearby water was the very calm Gulf.

  She had hardly pulled away from the dock when she noticed something else amiss—her gas gauge read higher than when she docked a few hours earlier. She always checked the gauge when she docked. At first, she reasoned that Johnny had paid Billy to add more gas, but there were no pumps nearby, and she had kept her boat keys. Bearing in mind that the gauge might have malfunctioned, she made a mental note to keep an eye on it until she ascertained its reliability. As she headed towards Naples, the sound of a speedboat drew her attention. Many such boats passed her by on that route, but this one sounded different.

  “That’s a fast one coming up on our starboard. Wonder what kind of motor it’s got,” Johnny said admiringly. “A big, old inboard of some kind.”

  “At least he’s keeping a safe distance,” Katherine replied. “Some of them cut dangerously close, though their wake seldom bothers a boat this big and sturdy.”

  She took a second look at the boat as it passed, and suddenly jerked in shock. The operator looked like Lee. Was that possible? She watched him until the boat became a speck in the distance.

  Johnny knew about motors, anyway—the boat had incredible speed.

  It took a while to convince herself that most of these tanned, shirtless sportsmen looked the same at a distance. Evidently, she saw what she wanted to see, and she wanted to see Lee.

  With no more sign of the speedboat, she arrived back in port and tended to boat chores. When she turned on the bilge pump, a ceremony she performed faithfully every evening, it surprised her when only a trickle of water came out. Concerned that her pump had quit working, she opened her hatch and found an almost dry bilge. The pump still worked fine, but she couldn’t explain the dryness of the bilge. Leaks didn’t fix themselves.

  It had certainly been a trip full of irregularities, she thought as she sat back on a deck chair and rested. After much deliberation, she put together a plausible, but not very convincing explanation for everything. She concluded that possibly Johnny didn’t trust her seamanship and paid Billy to check over the boat and add more gas from a gas can. Billy could have brought a bottle of water with him and spilled some on the deck.

  Katherine gazed, unseeing, as she thought this over. Adjusting her sight, she realized she was staring at a dark smudge by the tiny gutter of a hatch opening. She got down to examine it more closely. It looked like the crushed ashes of a cigarette, and an accumulation filled the gutter. No smokers had come on the boat that day, and she had never seen Billy with a cigarette—though it was possible he smoked. At least the ashes proved that someone had boarded the boat during her absence.

  She scooped the small accumulation of ash into an envelope and decided from its slightly sweet scent that it probably came from a pipe or a mild cigar. When she opened that hatch and examined the area below it, she found another bit of ash. She lowered her head further in to see if she had missed anything, but the hold contained nothing except a slight tobacco scent, the same sweet scent of the other ashes. For some reason, someone who smoked had opened that hatch and had leaned over it. That was an unsettling thought.

  A call from Buzzy ended her investigations for the time being.

  “Katherine, we’ve lined up a trip for tomorrow—the usual short one. Show the condo, buy them dessert, and bring them back. Plan on it starting later since they can’t leave until three, but don’t worry, you should get back before dark.”

  “Tuesday is my day in the office. Do you want me to come in and work until boat time?”

  “That won’t be necessary. You’re more valuable to the firm in this capacity. Why, Miss Katherine, we’ve had Marco residents drive here to Naples so that they can ride your boat back to Marco and view the condos.” He laughed at the absurdity.

  For the first time, she wished she could forgo the boat trip. She would rather spend a boring day in the office than miss her class that night. Now she would have to wait another week to see Lee—unless she made some kind of record time on her boat trip.

  Katherine experienced an agreeable surprise when Alice showed up the next day with two elderly couples. When they arrived in Marco to view the condos, they turned out to be slow lookers. For a short while, Katherine cherished a forlorn hope she might still make the class, but after several unsuccessful attempts to speed everyone up, she finally admitted defeat.

  While Alice and her clients enjoyed coffee at the restaurant, Katherine left the table to go to the restroom. It surprised her to see Billy, from the dock, standing in a back hallway. Dressed in a suit, he appeared older. He gave some sort of instructions to one of the waiters, and then disappeared into an office.

  When she got back to her table, Alice had an apologetic look on her face.

  “While you were gone, all four of our friends here have expressed a desire to look at the condos again. Will we have time for that?”

  When five faces turned towards her with hopeful expressions, Katherine smiled. “Of course.”

  It was almost dark as they hurried back, and it touched her to see the Fordhams, the older of the two couples, hold hands as they sat side by side to watch the last dregs of the glorious sunset. Katherine envied them. She could almost feel
Lee’s embrace, almost feel his warmth steal over her. She shook her head to remove the vision and concentrated on the job at hand.

  Alice came beside her.

  “I will remember this day for a long time, Katherine. Thank goodness, I had a chance to do this before the condos all sold. You did the right thing when you bought this boat. I’m glad I didn’t try to talk you out of it.”

  “You don’t realize how much you’ve encouraged me. You’re the only one I told before I bought it.”

  “You’ll make a success of this, I’m sure. I only wish the day had lasted longer. I’ve never had such fun showing property.” She gave Katherine’s hand an affectionate squeeze.

  Night arrived almost simultaneously with arrival back at the slip. While Alice and her clients disembarked, Katherine thought she saw Lee’s Jeep pull out of the marina parking area. If that was Lee, then he wasn’t at the class, either.

  She decided to call the store in Fort Myers. She had seen them take calls during the class, and it was almost time for it to start.

  After she said her good-byes and cleaned the boat, she dialed the number. On the second ring, a male voice that reminded her of last week’s instructor answered the call.

  “Is Lee Thorpe there?” she dared, with a lump in her throat.

  “No, not tonight. He had business in Naples.”

  “Thank you. I’ll call him later.”

  She had just hung up when her phone rang.

  “Hi, Katherine—Alice again. Bet you thought you’d gotten rid of me. Look, I have to drive back to Marco. The Yorks want another look. Are you busy right now? I hate to go out alone at night with just my clients, and my husband has to work tonight or he’d go with me.”

  “I’d love to go. I’ve never been to Marco except by boat.”

  “Well, I’m here at the office, and I need about twenty minutes more to finish my paperwork before I pick them up at their motel. The Fordhams just left. They signed a contract about fifteen minutes ago.”

  “Great work, Alice. I’ll meet you at the office in about five minutes and keep you company while you finish your work. It’ll be fun to get in on your doubleheader.”

  Katherine left her car at the office and rode with Alice to pick up the Yorks—an embarrassed couple, to say the least.

  “I bet you hate people like us who can’t make up their minds,” Mr. York apologized.

  “Not at all,” Alice assured them. “Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives. I looked at my house four times before I finally bought it. And now I’m tempted to sell it and buy one of these condos so Katherine will take me on another boat trip.”

  They all laughed and had a merry time on the ride there.

  Alice took them straight up to the condo under consideration, and the first thing they noted was the night view from its windows and balcony. The Yorks needed only ten minutes to make up their minds.

  “Do you two need to get right back, or could we go to that restaurant we stopped at earlier and buy you girls dinner? We feel like celebrating now that we’ve finally made a decision,” Mr. York ventured.

  They all went to eat at the surprisingly crowded Captain’s Cabin—clearly a popular nightspot even on a weekday night. Although the restaurant served excellent entrées, the atmosphere and quaint, nautical decor seemed the main attraction. To dine there felt like dining on board a ship. No wonder Buzzy included pictures of it in the brochure. They managed to secure a table, and the Yorks signed the contract before the waiter even arrived to take their order.

  After Alice had dropped the happy couple off at their motel, she drove Katherine back to the office where she had left her car. Only by accident did Katherine see the green Jeep parked in a large, new-car lot across from the office. At night, it could easily be mistaken for one of the cars on display, but it looked like Lee’s Jeep.

  “Alice, would you drop me at that coffee shop up ahead?” She pointed to a cafe on the right about a block from the office. “I need to see someone there, and I can walk back to the office for my car when I’m through.”

  “I don’t mind waiting. After all, you gave up your entire evening for me.”

  “No, really, I might decide to stay and chat for a while.”

  She hurried into the cafe and waited until Alice drove away before she started a cautious walk back towards the car lot. She felt silly and paranoid. Why would he park his Jeep there?

  When she came up behind the dealership, there sat Lee’s Jeep with him at the wheel. He held what looked like a fast-food coffee, and he faced the darkened real estate office with its one, lone, parked car—hers. Did he think she was in the office, or did he want to see who would bring her back to it? She couldn’t think of any other reason for his presence there.

  Hidden from his view, she made herself as comfortable as possible and grimly prepared to wait him out. A long hour passed, and he still sat there, though it looked like he had dozed off. She grew impatient and irritated. Finally, she grew bold enough to check whether he waited there because of her car.

  Katherine straightened her cramped, weary legs and circled the entire block to enter her car from the opposite side. Silently she climbed in and could see that his head still tilted sideways. Only after she started her motor did he come to attention. She drove to the marina, parked the car, and ran to a spot near the road where she could see if he followed. She had barely stepped behind cover when the Jeep came past.

  He didn’t drive into the lot, but slowed noticeably, probably to confirm that her car was there, and then drove away.

  Somehow, the incident infuriated her. He wouldn’t call her or come to see her, yet he skulked around like a criminal and watched her.

  Probably because he is a criminal.

  Anger and suspicion still played games with her mind as she worked on the boat the next afternoon, so she was in no mood to entertain guests when Johnny drove up. She acted hospitable and greeted him casually. He stumbled around in his conversation for a few minutes, and Katherine knew that something bothered him. Finally, without invitation, he stepped aboard the boat and reclined in one of her fishing chairs. The way he stretched out his legs told her he had settled in for a long stay.

  What could she do? She could tell him to leave, but not without destroying part of the safety net that she had created. Could she use his unwelcome visit as an opportunity to convince him, beyond doubt, that she knew nothing of his dealings?

  “You know, I keep wondering what made you leave Chicago and move down here. A first class looker like you must have had a load of friends up there, a lot of guy friends, I’ll bet.”

  “Thank you for the compliment.” She laughed with feigned lightness. “I’d planned the move for a long time. All my friends knew about it.”

  “Yea, but Dad said you came real sudden-like.” His eyes narrowed and never looked away from her face.

  He’s worried about that night in Chicago because he drove that speeding car that tried to kill me. His eyes give him away.

  “Guess I’m an impulsive person.” She laughed again to cover her nervousness. He still looked unconvinced, so she elaborated more. “My boss told me that your dad was hiring, and urged me to jump on the opportunity, since I was constantly going on about moving to Florida. I’d just had a bad week, so I was ready to listen. The cold weather and the drive to work on icy roads in all that traffic had gotten me down. You wouldn’t believe the work traffic up there. A couple of nights before I left Chicago, one of our typical Chicago motorists almost ran over me—someone driving too fast for the icy conditions. I guess that sort of helped me decide that I’d had enough of long, bitter winters.”

  “I guess that would do it for me. I’d sure hate to live in a place like that.” He looked down, his eyes hidden.

  If it hadn’t been so frightening, she could have laughed at how easily he followed her lead. She decided to cap off her duplicity, and then change the subject. Goose bumps traveled up her spine in spite of the hot day.r />
  “I can’t imagine a Floridian moving to Chicago. I’ll never move back now that I see what it’s like here. Wish I’d moved long ago, especially now that I have a boat.”

  Ever since the morning she eavesdropped from her plastic prison, she guessed that Johnny was the one who had tried to run her down. Now she was certain. She doubted that Buzzy or anyone else knew about it, but she figured Johnny now followed her around mainly because of that incident, not because he worried that she would cause trouble for the bank. He feared she had recognized him. She hoped her little acting job convinced him of her ignorance.

  “Yeah, I see what you mean. Speaking of boats, why’d you buy this clumsy old fishing boat?”

  She laughed. “I wanted a big boat, and it’s old and clumsy because I couldn’t afford new and sleek.”

  She glanced toward the parking lot just as Lee’s Jeep pulled up beside her car. He didn’t get out, but paused there for a second. There was no mistaking the look of disdain on his face. He backed out before she could think to wave.

  Johnny turned to see what had taken her attention away, but the Jeep had gone. He settled back again in the chair and resumed the conversation. “I understand that—”

  “Johnny, I’m sorry but I have to say goodbye now,” she interrupted and stood up. “I must get ready for church. A friend is waiting on me, and I’m already late. I’ll see you at work.”

  She smiled as she stepped into her cabin and noiselessly locked the door, though she felt upset enough to cry. When Johnny’s car left, she buried her head in her lap and did cry. Everything was wrong.

  If Lee was mixed up in all of this, then she had put herself in worse danger. Eventually, if not already, he and Buzzy would compare notes about that Saturday morning she’d cleaned the office and hid in the trash can. Worst of all—she had almost fallen in love with him!

  12

  Dawn broke as gray and dreary as her mood, which worsened when she learned that her party of the day included Johnny again. He intended to show his client a number of properties on Marco, ones that would require a drive around the island after they arrived there by boat. When she returned from the trip, she would be off work until Monday, the only redeeming factor of the day ahead.