Fatal Tide

by Iris Johansen

  “He probably didn’t consider it important enough to tell me.”

  “Or maybe he knows how weak you are. Only good for one thing.”

  “He doesn’t think of me that way.”

  “Your voice is shaking. I could tell you were crying last night before I hung up. Why don’t you give me the plans and let me go my way?”

  She was silent a moment. Let him think she was trying to recover her composure. “I wasn’t crying. You were imagining it. I don’t cry.”

  “Close enough. You’ve been near the breaking point several times in the last few days. It’s not going to end, you know. I’ll be waiting for you in Las Palmas.”

  “Good.” She didn’t try to keep the trembling from her voice. He would think it was caused by fear instead of anger. “I’ll tell the police you’re on your way. Maybe they’ll arrest you and put you away for the rest of your life.”

  “I have too many contacts to let that happen. You’re not talking to an amateur. And there’s a very influential leader in the Middle East who can pull strings to get me whatever I need. He loves the idea of a sonic gun.”

  “He’s not going to get it.”

  “He will. You’re coming along quite nicely. Now I’m going to put on tape two and you’re going to listen. It may be my favorite of all of them. When it’s finished, there’s going to be a quiz, so don’t try to block it out.”

  Then she could hear her own voice on the tape.

  She could see Kelby’s gaze on her face and feel the fury that electrified every muscle of his body. She turned her back on him and walked to the edge of the lanai.

  “Son of a bitch!” She heard the slamming of the glass door behind him as he left the lanai.

  She was barely conscious of him leaving. She could see why this tape was Archer’s favorite. It was full of pain, torment, and graphic detail, destined to bring back hideous memories.

  Hold on. She wasn’t that girl any longer. Don’t let him win.

  Kelby was in the kitchen furiously chopping up carrots on the butcher block when she came in from the lanai. He didn’t look up. “Finished?”

  “Yes, he knows we’re going to Las Palmas. He’s been having the Trina watched. He’s been having you watched too. He knows we’re taking the dolphins.”

  “I never tried to hide it.” His butcher knife bit deep into the wood. “I was hoping he’d step up to the plate so I could take him out.”

  “You’re not supposed to use a butcher knife for chopping carrots. You’ll cut off a finger.”

  “No, I won’t. Archer isn’t the only one who knows how to use a knife.”

  “I thought Nicholas was supposed to cook tonight.”

  “He needed help and I need the therapy. I wanted to feel a weapon in my hand.” He still wasn’t looking at her. “Nice call?”

  “Not too bad.”

  “Don’t lie to me. I saw your face.”

  “Okay, it wasn’t my best moment. Why didn’t you tell me about Cobb and Dansk?”

  “Why worry you? I didn’t get Archer.”

  “Because I don’t want to be kept in the dark. Because Archer used it against me.”

  “Okay, next time I’ll tell you when I take out one of those bastards. What else did you talk about?”

  “He played one of Carolyn’s tapes.”

  “She should have burned them.”

  “How could she know?”

  “We know now. I’ll burn them. And after I catch Archer, maybe I’ll burn him too. Over a slow-roasting fire like the pig he is. At the moment I’m thinking a knife is too clean for him.”

  She tried to smile. “May I stick the apple in his mouth?”

  He glanced up, and she took a step back at the ferocity in his expression. “I’m not being funny, Melis. You may be able to put up with Archer’s sadistic bullshit, but I can’t take much more of this crap. I can’t stand seeing you take it.”

  “It’s my choice.”

  “Until I get a line on Archer. Then all bets are off. You wanted help taking him down. You’ll get it.”

  “You listen to me, Kelby. I want help, not protection. You’re not closing me out. I’m the one who— Oh, shit.” Blood was pouring out of Kelby’s thumb. “I told you to get another knife.” She ripped off some paper towels, wrapped them around his thumb, applied pressure, and raised his hand over his heart to stop the bleeding. “Oh, sure, you know about knives. I’m surprised you didn’t cut it to the bone.”

  “It wasn’t the knife.” His tone was surly. “I was distracted.”

  “And making threats. It serves you right.” After the bleeding stopped, she rinsed and dried off his hand, squirted some Neosporin on the cut, and then applied a Band-Aid to his thumb. “Now tell Nicholas to finish making dinner. He’s got to do a better job than you.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  She glanced up at the curious note in his voice. He was looking down at her and a ripple of shock went through her. She was suddenly aware of their closeness, the heat of his body, the hardness of the hand she still held. She took a step back and released his hand.

  “That’s right, Melis.” He turned back to the cutting board. “It’s much better not to touch me.”

  She stood there uncertainly for a moment and then turned to leave.

  “Or maybe I’m wrong.” His soft voice followed her. “At least you’re not thinking about that damn tape anymore, are you?”

  Chapter Ten

  “Be careful.” Melis watched in agony as the dolphins were lowered in their slings into the tanks on the jet. “For God’s sake, don’t let them fall.”

  “It’s okay, Melis,” Kelby said. “We’ve got them.”

  “Then let’s get the hell out of here.” She wiped the sweat from her forehead. “It’s seven hours until we get to Las Palmas and they’re stressed already.”

  “It’s not only the dolphins that are stressed,” Kelby said. “Tell that pilot to get in the air, Nicholas.”

  “I’m on my way.” Lyons headed for the cockpit. “It’s going to be fine, Melis. We’ve got it covered.”

  “It’s not fine.” Melis climbed the three steps of the ladder to Pete’s tank and gently touched his nose. He felt silky smooth beneath her palm. “I’m sorry, boy. I know this isn’t fair to you. I’ll get it over with as quick as I can.”

  “Susie seems to be taking it okay,” Kelby said as he came back from looking at the female in the second tank. “She’s got her eyes open now. She had them closed all the while we were loading her.”

  “She was scared.” She hadn’t realized Kelby had noticed. He had been running to and fro, talking to the pilot, and supervising the loading of the dolphins for the past forty-five minutes. “Pete’s just mad.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “I know him. They react differently to almost everything.”

  “Sit down and buckle up. We have to take off.”

  She climbed down, sat in the seat, and fastened the belt. “How long will it take to get the guys to the tank at the dock in Las Palmas?”

  “Twenty minutes tops.” He fastened his own belt. “I’ve arranged for some marine-biology students to help release them into the tank. They’re eager as hell to help, and they’ll be glad to watch them for you. The tank’s seventy feet long and should be okay for the short time they’ll be in it before we turn them loose.”

  “Did you make sure the sides of the tank have bumps and protrusions?”

  “As per your instructions. But why?”

  “The sound has to be deflected. Their auditory system is so highly developed that it would be very disturbing to have their clicks and whistles bouncing off a smooth surface.” The plane was taking off, thank heaven. The ascent was smooth and gradual as she’d instructed, but Melis could still hear Susie’s worried clicking. As soon as they leveled off, she was releasing her seat belt.

  “I’ll check Pete.” Kelby was already climbing the ladder. “You see if you can quiet Susie.”

 
“Be careful. He might snap at you.”

  “Yeah, you told me. He’s mad.” He looked down at Pete. “He seems fine. What else can we do?”

  “Just check them frequently to make sure they’re wet and try to keep them calm. Jesus, I hope this is a smooth flight.”

  “The pilot said that the weather should be quiet. No reason for any turbulence.”

  “Thank God.” She stroked Susie’s bottle nose. “Hang in there, baby. It’s not going to be so strange. You’re going back to the womb.”

  Susie clicked mournfully.

  “I know. You don’t believe me. But I promise nothing bad is going to happen to you.” She glanced at Kelby. “And I’d better be telling the truth.”

  “I promised you nothing would happen.”

  She shook her head wearily. “And I don’t have the right to blame you if it does. I’m the one responsible for the dolphins.” She gave Susie a final stroke and climbed down from the tank. “And I’m the one who came to you and offered a bargain.” She sat down in the seat. Lord, she was tired. She hadn’t been able to sleep last night worrying about Pete and Susie. “And you’ve done a good job with the transport.”

  “Damn right.” He sat down across from her. “But I believe I won’t make it a habit. Too traumatic. After I get the dolphins home to your island, that’s the end of it.” He paused. “If you want them back. You might decide to set them free.”

  “I don’t think so. If it was a pristine world uncontaminated by man, there’s a possibility. But there are too many hazards we’ve created for them: Pollution. Fishnets that entangle and kill them. Even tourists in their boats getting too close to bands of dolphins.”

  “I’m guilty there.” He smiled. “I remember when I was a boy on my uncle’s yacht, I’d beg him to let me go out and touch them whenever we saw a large band.”

  “Did he let you?”

  “Sure, he let me do anything I wanted to do. My trust fund was paying for his yacht. He wanted to keep on my good side.”

  “Maybe he just wanted to be kind.”

  “Maybe. But I still got the bills for the yacht after I reached my majority.”

  “Did you pay them?”

  He looked out the window. “Yes, I paid them. Why not?”

  “Because you liked him?”

  “Because those trips on the yacht were my salvation. And salvation isn’t free. Nothing is free.”

  “I believe you did like him. Is that when you decided you wanted a yacht like his?”

  He nodded. “Only bigger and better.”

  “You certainly got it. Why did you name it the Trina?”

  “I named it after my mother.”

  She gazed at him in surprise. “But I thought—”

  “That I had no great fondness for my mother? Thanks to the media, I guess everyone in the world knows that we haven’t been on speaking terms since I was a kid.”

  “Then why name your ship after her?”

  “My mother was a great manipulator and very ambitious. She married my father because she wanted to be the premier social hostess on two continents. She got pregnant with me because it was the only way she could retain control of my father. He was a little fickle and had already been divorced once.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I was present during one of the screaming fits she had with my grandmother. Neither of them was overly careful of my tender feelings.” He shrugged. “Actually, I was glad I was there in the room. Before that day she had me fooled. After my father was killed in an accident, the custody suits started. He left me everything and she was furious. But whoever controlled me controlled the money, and she was quick to jump into battle. Every kid wants to think well of his mother, and she was very talented at playing the weak, helpless victim. She was a true Southern belle. All tears and accusations against my grandmother. I guess she was practicing for her time on the witness stand and trying to influence me to testify for her.”

  “What about your grandmother?”

  “She cared about my father and she cared about the money. She hated Trina, and I was an impediment and a weapon in Trina’s hands.”

  “Pleasant.”

  “I survived. It wasn’t as if I was in Kafas, like you. Most of the time I was in boarding schools or on my uncle Ralph’s yacht. The only really nasty episodes were when I was pulled into court or forced to go home and have Trina fawn over me for the press. I kept that at a minimum by being a wild little son of a bitch whenever I was around her.”

  “But you still named your ship after her.”

  “A little hidden joke on my sweet mama. It cost a bloody fortune and she’s living on a budget these days. A generous budget, but not on the scale she’d like.” He smiled. “And I’m in complete control of the Trina. I call the shots just as I do with her budget. There’s definitely a malicious satisfaction in that.”

  “You must hate her.”

  “I did, for a while. I’ve mellowed with time. That pretense of weakness and fragility really fooled me. I was an idealistic kid and I wanted to go and tilt at windmills to protect her. Until the day I found out that I had to protect myself from her. It was an enlightening experience.” He stood up. “I’m going to go back and get some more ice for the tanks. You said that they had to keep cool, and Pete was moving his tail around quite a bit.”

  She nodded. “I’ll check on Susie.” She got to her feet and headed for the tank. A sudden thought occurred to her. “Kelby.”

  He glanced back over his shoulder.

  “I look— Most men think I look . . . breakable. Do I remind you of your mother?”

  “At first, the way you look aroused a certain resentment.” His lips twitched. “But I guarantee you never reminded me of my mother.”

  LAS PALMAS

  “They’re so beautiful.” Rosa Valdez gazed down in admiration at Pete and Susie in the seventy-foot tank. “And they’re truly a magnificent species, aren’t they, Melis?”

  “They’re fascinating, all right,” Melis said absently. Susie had been freed of the sling after being lowered into the tank, but she was just lying on the floor of the enclosure. She’d seemed in good shape when they’d reached the dock. Why wasn’t she moving? Pete was wondering too. He was worriedly swimming around her.

  “It’s a true honor for you to let us help you with them,” Rosa said solemnly. “We students help at the aquarium, but this is different. This is the real thing.”

  “I appreciate the help.” If Susie didn’t start moving, she’d have to jump in and see what—

  Pete was gently nudging Susie.

  Susie’s tail switched back and forth.

  Pete gave her a shove with his nose that was far from gentle.

  Susie hit him with her tail and then swam up to the surface and started clicking indignantly at him.

  Melis breathed a sigh of relief. No trauma. Susie was just being a drama queen. She turned to Rosa. “Thanks. I couldn’t have gotten them settled without you and Manuel.”

  “It was our privilege,” Rosa said. “My professor was very excited that we’re going to be permitted to take care of the dolphins until you’re ready to release them. We’re going to keep journals for extra credit.”

  She was so serious, Melis thought with amusement. Serious and eager and young. What was it like to feel that young? “You say there are other students coming to help tomorrow?”

  “Marco Benetiz and Jennifer Montero. They both wanted to be here tonight, but we didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

  “I believe I would have been able to take it.” Melis turned to the ice chest beside the tank. “They have to be fed. I purposely didn’t feed them before or during the trip because I didn’t want to deal with sickness or fecal material in those close quarters. Would you and Manuel like to do it?”

  “Could we?” Rosa was opening the ice chest before Melis could do it. “How much? Do we hand-feed or do we just toss it into the tank?”

  “I’ll show you.” She hesitated. Migh
t as well teach them to protect the dolphins while they were helping out. “But you must make sure that nothing is fed to the dolphins that isn’t in the ice chest. Sometimes people like to toss human food to the dolphins, but that mustn’t happen. Do you understand?”

  Rosa nodded. “Of course.”

  “And since this is a new environment, Pete and Susie have to be monitored twenty-four hours a day. Someone has to be here watching them every minute.”

  “We would do that anyway. We’ve already set up shifts of two so that we can complete our journals.”

  “Good.” She bent over the ice chest. “They like whole fish. I only serve them cuts in emergencies. You can toss it to them. Later I’ll show you how to hand-feed. It’s quite an experience to feel . . .”

  “Satisfied?” Kelby was standing at the end of the pier when she left the tank an hour later. “The kids are eager enough anyway.”

  “That’s an understatement. They’ll have their eyes glued on the dolphins every minute of the day.”

  “And that’s a good thing,” Kelby said. “You won’t have to worry about any interference with them on the job. I’ve had every student on the roster checked out with the university to make sure they’re bona fide, but I’m still having Cal stand sentry duty.”

  He meant interference from Archer. Who else? He seemed to dominate every thought these days. “Any sign of Archer?”

  “No. I’m having Nicholas scout the taverns and hotels around the docks to see if he can come up with any info. But Archer may be using his ship, the Jolie Fille.”

  “He’ll want to know what we’re doing here in town. He can’t do that sitting out at sea.” She stared out at the twilight-cloaked horizon. Was he there, waiting? They had arrived in Las Palmas four hours ago and he still hadn’t phoned her. “How long do we have to stay here?”

  “Probably another two days. The Trina hasn’t finished being outfitted yet. Wilson had to arrange the loan of a navy underwater sonic imager, and it’s not due to get here until tomorrow.”

  “Very fancy.”

  “I have great hopes. The technology didn’t work so well when scientists used it to try to find the Greek lost city of Helike, but this imager is worlds ahead of the one they used there.”