“Excuse us. Sorry to disturb you,” Steven said.
“Oh, hi. It’s you. Find your sister yet?”
“No. That’s why we’re here.” He introduced Carry. The man nodded. “Did you learn anything new?”
“No. But I’ve been thinking, if her car is in the lot, she must be at sea with someone.”
“At this time, we’re very concerned,” Steven said. “I have to take some action soon. Can you think of anyone they might be with?”
“Only Larry and Sandra, they were last seen with her.”
“We called, but they weren’t home. Have either Sandra or Larry come in since they were with Abigail and the kids?”
“No, I haven’t seen them, which is unusual. They eat here daily when in town.”
“Let’s try again.” Mr. Jester grabbed his phone, dialed and let it ring. “It’s ringing.” He glanced up. “But, no one’s answering.”
“I’m going to call the authorities,” Steven said.
“You might be overreacting, Steven. If Alisa wasn’t in a coma, would you still be this concerned over Abigail?”
He had to think for a minute. “Yes. Actually I would be. Abigail is the type of person who calls several times a day. She keeps Mom posted on what she’s doing and where she’s going. And, no one has heard from her in two days. Besides that, something caused her to leave so quickly she didn’t grab her cellphone. So, yes, I’m very concerned.
Carry said, “Do you think we need to call the police, harbor patrol or the Coast Guard? What do you think?”
“That’s your decision, not mine.” Mr. Jester had a degree of annoyance in his tone.
“Will it be a problem for you? Having an investigation at the yacht club -- I guess it would -- sorry, but we have no other options here.”
As they walked toward the car, they decided to speak with other yacht owners. Perhaps someone saw something. While walking on the dock, they saw a gray-haired man in his sixties wearing blue shorts and a white t-shirt.
After Steven introduced himself and Carry, he said, “I’m looking for my sister. She was traveling with two school-aged children, a boy and girl. The three of them were here a few days ago.”
“Why are you looking for them?”
“We’re having a family crisis, and we need to let them know. Have you seen them?”
“It’s not often I see children around, so I would have noticed. But, to answer your question, no, I haven’t seen them. Would you like for me to check around for you?”
“Yes. Thank you,” Steven said, while shaking his hand. “I’m very grateful that you want to help, that’s wonderful. Here’s my card. If you can’t reach me, you can call Mr. Jester.”
“Have you called the Coast Guard?” the man asked.
“No. We didn’t know who to call, the police, harbor patrol or the Coast Guard. What’s your opinion?
“If it was my family, I’d call the Coast Guard. Their authority extends beyond the harbor. And, the police can’t help if they’re out at sea.”
“I see. That makes sense,” Steven said. “I’m glad we talked with you. Again, thank you.”
They walked back to the car and discussed if they should go directly to the Coast Guard office or phone.
“Let’s go back to my place,” Carry said. “We’ll call and make an appointment.” At home, we can relax for a few minutes.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
As they drove, Steven’s mind was preoccupied with the thoughts of the day. When he glanced at Carry, her eyes were closed, her seat was pushed back and her head was resting.
After turning on the CD player, he chose a song with piano music. It soothed him and let her rest. While in deep thought, he almost ran a red light, so he quickly stopped. He was glad it didn’t disturb Carry’s rest. When he reached her house, he pulled up and turned off the engine. He decided to sit in the car while she slept. He, too, was weary, so he closed his eyes.
After Carry awoke, she opened the door to let in fresh air. When she looked over at him, he was shaking his head. He said, “I must have fallen asleep.”
“I think I’m a hopeless optimist,” Carry said. “I can’t wait to go inside to see if she called, yet, deep inside, I know better. I’m starting to worry that she’s in some kind of trouble. Oh, Steven, what will we do if she isn’t okay?”
When Carry walked through her front door, immediately she moved toward the answering machine. But, to her disappointment, the few messages she retrieved were not from her friend. After motioning for Steven to be seated, she went into the kitchen, and poured two glasses of iced tea. When she brought them into the living room, she handed one to him.
“I need a city phonebook; do you have one?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s in the other room, I’ll get it.”
When she returned, she gave it to him. “Do you need a pen and paper?”
He nodded. While she was walking away, he called out, “Just paper, I have a pen.”
Steven called Mr. Kilgore’s number and was disappointed when no one answered.
Carry returned with paper, and he wrote down the number of the Coast Guard.
While smiling at her, he said, “The air conditioning sure feels good, it’s nice in here. I thought I would die of heat in the car.”
“Tell me about it!” she said, while grinning.
Once she settled down on the couch, he dialed the Coast Guard’s phone number. The operator transferred him to a man named Mark Lane. Steven introduced himself, explained the situation, and expressed his concern.
“Do you suspect foul play?” Lane asked.
“I’m not really sure what to think, but it’s possible. We haven’t heard from her in days, which is out of character for her. She contacts us several times a day, no matter where she might be.”
“I see.”
“We must let the children know about their parents.”
“It must be difficult for you. I’m sure you’re very concerned. Can you tell me why you think your sister and the children are at sea?”
“Because her car is still at the yacht club, and she was seen dining with family friends who are yacht owners. When we first started looking for them, we questioned some people. We spoke with a Mrs. Harding, another yacht owner. She saw a woman with a boy and girl taking bags or luggage from her trunk. Later, she identified the car as Abigail’s. From what I gathered, she was the last person to see them. We’re not sure what happened after that. But, things don’t feel right. She would have called us by now, that we’re sure of. But, wherever they are, we must find them.”
“What vessel might they be on?”
“Likely, they’re with Mr. and Mrs. Larry Kilgore, on their vessel. Someone overheard them talking. Larry wanted to show them his new yacht. We phoned their residence three times, but they haven’t been home, and they don’t have an answering machine. When we spoke with Mr. Jester, the dock master, he said the Kilgores had been planning on staying ashore. But, who knows, they may have changed their minds.”
“What’s the name of their vessel?”
Steven put the phone on speaker. “I don’t know. But, I’m sure Mr. Jester would know.”
“I need the names of each person missing.”
“Abigail Wilson is my sister. Danny Glover is my nephew and Lisa Glover is my niece.”
“I need the children’s ages.”
“Danny’s twelve. Lisa’s ten.”
After his call, Mark Lane started an official report. He grabbed the phonebook and searched for the yacht club’s number and called. He asked to speak with Mr. Jester and was soon connected. He stated the reason for the call.
Defensively, Mr. Jester said, “I was going to call you.”
“About three missing people?”
“Yep. What can I do for you?” Jester asked.
“Can you give me the name of the Kilgores’ vessel?”
“Of course, it’s called the
Great Discoverer
. Do you need the length and color?”
“Sure.”
After he had given the information, Jester asked, “Is there anything else you need?”
“Is the vessel in its slot?
“No. But, I’m not sure if the captain took it out by himself or if the Kilgores were with him.”
“Was a float plan filed?”
“You mean by Larry? If he’s on the yacht, I’m sure he did.”
“What’s their captain’s name?”
“Don’t know. Their regular guy’s on vacation. They hired someone to help temporarily, but I haven’t met the man.”
After the conversation ended, Mark hung up and quickly grabbed the VHF radio, turned it to channel sixteen, and hailed the yacht. “Calling the
Great Discoverer
, this is the Coast Guard, come in please. Calling the
Great Discoverer
, this is the Coast Guard, come in please. Switch to channel sixty-eight, if you read me.” No response.
After waiting for a few minutes, he tried to hail the vessel again, but still no answer. After phoning his department head, he requested permission to get a search team together.
*
When Matt heard a motorboat, he peered out the porthole in time to see Forelli leave in a rush. “Great! What now?” He turned to Robert. “You need to take over. Our captain just abandoned ship.”
Jack turned to the others, and said, “If Forelli left, something’s up. We need to leave, too. Now!”
While Matt continued to look out the porthole, Forelli and the boat got smaller until it was next to the touring vessel. Then, the touring vessel changed course.
“For God’s sake, let’s get out of here.” Jack paced, the lines on his forehead deepened.
After Matt stepped closer, he said, “Hey, for us to panic now is the worst thing we can do. We need to stay calm and decide what to say when the authorities get involved.”
“Let’s say that the Kilgores invited us. They’re dead, so they can’t dispute it. Or, we could say Forelli invited us.” Jack continued to pace with his hands folded behind his back. “If we stay, we will be murder suspects, guaranteed.”
“But think for a minute! Wouldn’t it look more suspicious if we ran off? Believe me, it’s going to seem bad for Forelli, especially with his federal criminal record.”
“What will the woman say?”
“What do you mean?”
“Whatever story we give, she can dispute it,” Jack said.
“We already told her Forelli invited us, so let’s stick to that,” Matt responded.
Jack abruptly stopped. “She knows we’re looking for something valuable. That alone would be a motive for murder.”
“You’re right, she does know. But, I would rather take my chances with a good attorney than run away. If we leave, it will give the authorities something to sink their teeth into. Let’s decide what to say and stick to it. Okay? So, if anyone wants to leave, do it now.”
Brent stood and stared without any verbal response.
“Okay. We’re in this together, right?” No response. “None of us are murderers, right? It was Forelli and the Top Dogs who fled, correct? So, pointing the finger at them will be easy, agreed?”
“But, what will the woman say?” Jack asked. “Once she tells her story, we might be in big trouble. She might even accuse us of kidnapping. That means that the FBI will get involved.”
“The FBI? They’ll be called, anyway.”
“Why?”
“Because the murders took place at sea, that’s why,” Matt said.
“Hey, let’s not sweat it too much. It’s our word against hers,” Brent said, calmly.
“Hopefully, when she tells her side, it won’t sound like a kidnapping,” Matt said. “I’m sure we’ll be questioned on why we didn’t return, once the bodies were found.”
“Tell the truth. We were trying to find the murderer.”
“I’m not sure if anyone will buy that,” Jack said, while crossing his arms. “We should have notified the authorities the moment the bodies were found.”
“Don’t forget, those bodies were dead when we arrived. We’ll say the woman may have done it.”
“The woman’s name is Abigail. Besides, what would be her motive?”
“That’s for the authorities to discover,” Brent said.
“If we say we suspect her, it might protect us from being accused of kidnapping.”
“Okay, let’s stay on the yacht and head back to the dock, all in agreement?” Everyone stayed silent, so Matt pivoted. “I’m going to the helm. I need to tell Robert what’s going on.”
After he reached the wheelhouse, he gave Robert the rundown, and he agreed to stay on the yacht and take his chances. Quickly he, too, altered his course toward the dock.
“It will look bad for Forelli, him running off,” Matt said.
“The same holds true for the Top Dogs,” Robert said, with alert eyes.
“Matt, will you convince the woman to say we were invited?”
“No, I don’t want to involve her. I don’t think she’ll hurt us too badly, anyway.”
“Hope you’re right, Matt.”
“Besides, if I ask her to lie and she tells them that, it’ll make us look worse, as if we’re hiding something.”
“When we’re questioned, what should I say?”
“That Forelli asked us to help out, and to have some pleasurable sea time. Saying we’re deck hands might work. We all work together, and our jobs are on a vessel. The Top Dogs have no choice, but to back up our story.”
“Okay, that sounds good.”
Abigail and the children sensed something was going on, but had no idea what, except that the vessel had changed course, and, earlier, they heard a motorboat leave. She hoped that the ordeal would soon be over.
Okay, stay calm and keep the children safe,
she told herself.
Your only task right now is to stay out of the men’s way.
While trying to decide what to do, she heard Matt calling her from the main salon. While climbing the ladder, she decided to keep her distance from Jack. She still had no use for him and would never trust the man. When she stepped into the main salon, she saw Brent. He said, “We’re heading back.”
As she listened to those words, she felt both joy and fear. She was glad they were returning, yet feared they may not make it back alive.
The children ran to the porthole while pushing each other, trying to peer through the glass.
“Look.” Danny pointed. “That big boat’s leaving.”
Soon, Matt came up behind Abigail, grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. “We’re heading back. Forelli jumped ship. We think he knows something.”
“Are we safe? Will we get home okay?” She told herself,
I’m actually expecting an honest answer from him.