Terrors of the High Seas

Chapter

Twelve

KERRY RAN A brush through her damp hair, peering at her reflection in the room’s mirror. She’d showered and slipped into a pair of neatly pressed khaki shorts with a pristine, white T-shirt tucked into them. The fabric made a nice contrast with her tan, and she smiled back at the face in the mirror as she pulled out her chain and let the ring threaded on it rest against the hollow of her throat.

The sparkle caught her eye, and she studied the ring, running her fingertip lightly over its brilliant stone, pondering again whether she should remove it from the chain and wear it. The idea appealed to her but she hesitated, frowning a little at her reflection and leaving the chain where it was. She didn’t want Dar to feel pressured into doing the same thing, and she knew how much her partner disliked wearing anything on her hands.

“Ah well.” Kerry met her eyes in the mirror. “Probably better to leave it off since we’re out here. I don’t want to lose it, either.”

The sound of a key in the lock made her look around, and she stepped back from the mirror as it swung inward, admitting Dar’s tall figure. “Hey.”

Dar turned a pair of stormy blue eyes on her, then put a finger to her lips.

“Already found it,” Kerry replied in a normal tone of voice.

“It’s outside.” She stepped forward and gladly accepted the heartfelt kiss on the lips. “Hey, I had a great teacher.”

Dar gave her a hug as well. “Good work. I just prevented her slimy partner from searching the boat.”

“You look cute,” Kerry observed, flicking the hanging strap on Dar’s overalls.

“Cute wasn’t what I was going for.” Dar sighed. “They think we’ve got something of theirs.”

“Really?” Kerry took her hand and led Dar into the room, sitting on the couch and pulling Dar down with her. “What?”

“I have no idea.” Dar propped one bare foot up on the table and studied it. “I was going to just go right up to the manager’s office and start yelling at people, but I realized I don’t have enough Terrors of the High Seas 125

data to yell intelligently.”

“I hate when that happens.”

“Me too,” Dar agreed. “So I decided to come back here, and maybe between the two of us, we can start figuring this thing out.”

“All right.” Kerry felt a surge of pride at the statement. It felt good to hear the confidence in her in Dar’s voice. “I could use some coffee. You?”

“Yeah.”

Kerry got up and went to the well-stocked coffee maker on the dais near the window. She busied herself starting a pot while she assembled her thoughts. “Okay. First off, here’s what we know.”

Dar squirmed around and got comfortable, stretching one arm out along the back of the couch as she listened to Kerry.

“First, we encountered a large vessel, acting in a very rude manner, crossing the Florida Straits,” Kerry began, as she set up two cups. “Despite your giving them a friendly warning, they rejected the warning without consideration.”

“Right.”

“Second, we encountered a smaller vessel circling us after we dove that little wreck not far off Charlie and Bud’s island. The boat did not approach or contact us, but appeared to be watching what we were doing.”

“Right,” Dar agreed again.

“Third, after we get to Bud and Charlie’s island, the small boat follows us there, and two people get off and question us about where we were diving.” Kerry turned and leaned against the credenza as the coffee brewed. “But they don’t ask us specifics, they just make a claim to that area.”

“Exactly.”

“Fourth, when we are out in that same area having dinner, we get accosted by what appears to be the same large rude vessel, and the crew attempts to board us. We also get chased by them, without explanation.”

“But they don’t shoot at us,” Dar added.

“Even though they must have seen me on the stern with a loaded shotgun.” Kerry nodded. “Okay, fifth—we pick up a man from a capsized boat who just coincidentally is here apparently trying to recover something from the exact same small wreck you and I happened to dive on the day before.”

Dar’s eyebrow lifted.

“And, who just coincidentally happens to have tangled with the two people from the small boat, and probably whoever is in charge of the large boat over that spot of the ocean.”

“Yeah,” Dar murmured.

“Are these coincidences all piling up for you like they are for me?”

126 Melissa Good

“Oh yeah.”

“Sixth, now we get here, and coincidentally find the people from the small boat staying at the same resort we are, and snooping in our hotel room and trying to search our boat for some undisclosed reason.” Kerry turned and poured out two cups of coffee, stirring them and bringing them both back over to the couch.

She handed one to Dar and sat down cross-legged next to her. “So, what the hell is going on?”

Dar sipped her coffee thoughtfully. “Well, I think it’s safe to assume they think we pulled something up from that wreck,” she said. “Question is, what could we find in an old fishing trawler that would interest anyone?”

“There wasn’t much to see, Dar,” Kerry said. “Just some old crates.”

“No, there wasn’t,” Dar recalled. “It’s not a bad wreck. There’s a lot of good coral there, but why it’s of interest to a bunch of…”

She stopped speaking, her brow creasing thoughtfully. “We did bring up something.”

Kerry stared, then exhaled. “The box.” She would have slapped herself if she hadn’t been holding a cup of coffee. “But, Dar… it’s just an old wooden box, half covered in coral,” she protested. “We couldn’t even open it it’s so encrusted.”

“I know,” Dar agreed. “You and I know that, but if someone saw us bringing up the catch bag and looking at something, how would they know what it was?” She got up and paced. “So the question is—what is it they’re really after, that they think we might have found?”

What indeed? Kerry cupped her hands around her coffee and slowly drank from the cup. “First off, we need to find out more about that fishing trawler, right?”

Dar smiled at her. “Right. More about that, and more about your friend Bob’s grandfather, who ran it.” She picked up the laptop and sat down next to Kerry again. “I think we need to start collecting ducks, so we can pin them down in a nice, neat row.”

Kerry snuggled closer, putting an arm around Dar and leaning against her shoulder as the laptop booted up. Dar’s log in came up and her partner put in her information, then they both watched as the autonomic systems kicked in and started establishing a satellite cellular connection to their world-wide network.

It took less time than most people would expect. After about sixty seconds, Dar was presented with the same desktop she usually saw on her machine in the office, right down to the collection of broadcast messages sent to their local Miami group ranging from parking violations to a test of the fire alarm system. Dar started up her database parsing program and cracked her knuckles as she waited for the screen to come up. When it did, she typed in her Terrors of the High Seas 127

request.

“Is that the boat’s name?” Kerry asked.

“Lucky Lady? That’s what the dive maps have it as,” Dar answered, adding a few other details. “Did Bob say what his grandfather’s first name was?”

“No,” Kerry said. “You’re not going to ask me to go talk to him to find out, are you?” She gave her partner a mournful look.

Dar chuckled dryly. “No. Let’s see what this comes up with first.”

“Good.” Kerry rested her cheek against Dar’s shoulder. The long day on the water in the sun was starting to take its toll, and she found herself getting a little sleepy as the rattle of Dar’s keystrokes lulled her. “They were really trying to get on the boat?”

“Uh huh,” Dar murmured.

“Slimy.”

“Yeah.”

“What if they try again?” Kerry asked.

“I fixed that,” Dar said, watching the response on the screen.

“Damn. Nothing on that name.” She shook her head, then typed in another command. “Okay, we do this the hard way. Gimme all the maritime incident reports in this sector… damn.” Dar cursed, closing her eyes. “What the hell were the coordinates of that blasted wreck.”

“Oh.” Kerry stirred, then got up and trotted over to her notebook. She opened it to her dive log and studied the page. “Here you go. I logged it.” She recited the longitude and latitude.

“You rock.” Dar typed in the numbers and hit return. “That’ll take a few minutes,” she said, putting her arm around Kerry as she resumed her seat. “You know something?”

“What?” Kerry curled up against her, one hand stroking Dar’s thigh absently.

“We are one damn good team.”

Kerry’s eyes twinkled happily. “We are, aren’t we?”

“Yes, we are.” Dar kissed her on the head. “I couldn’t ask for any better.”

“Me either.” Kerry relaxed, putting her head back down on Dar’s shoulder. She watched the scanning markers on the screen, her eyelids drooping shut after a few minutes of it.

Dar heard the faint change in Kerry’s breathing and she glanced over, suppressing a grin at her dozing partner. She carefully shifted a little to a more comfortable position and rested her head against Kerry’s, content to let her well-designed program do its job.

In her sleep, Kerry seemed to sense Dar’s emotion. Her fingers curled around Dar’s arm and clasped it, creating a warm band around her forearm.

128 Melissa Good

“KER?”

DAR’S VOICE nudged her out of a very pleasant dream, one that involved her, Dar, and a bunch of grapes. Kerry let her eyes drift open slowly, complacently taking in the glistening sunset for a moment before her mind kicked in and fully woke up. “Oh.” She lifted a hand to stifle a yawn. “Sorry.”

“For what?” Dar inquired. “Sleeping’s not a punishable offense, even in our division.”

“I know, but we’re supposed to be solving a mystery here.”

Kerry peered at the laptop. “Anything?" She could see a table of information in Dar’s usual structure on the screen.

“Lots,” Dar said in a dry tone. “I managed to exclude all the non-relevant shipwrecks. That took me forever, because they’re a dime a dozen around here.” She brought the laptop closer. “The wreck has to be this one.”

“Lucky Johnny?” Kerry read the screen. “Oh, I can see where they’d confuse that with Lucky Lady.” She observed. “Wonder if they have a thing about sexual confusion around here.”

Dar eyed her, both brows lifting.

“Well, if they thought Johnny was a lady, I mean.”

Dar chuckled soundlessly.

Kerry rubbed her eyes. “Okay, so maybe I should go back to sleep,” she admitted. “Anyway, what else is there?”

“Mm.” Dar pulled up a screen. “Problem is, there’s nothing special about the damn thing. It was just a forty foot working trawler, out catching crabs.”

“Ah.” Kerry read the details. “Storm?”

“Uh huh,” Dar confirmed. “Capsized and sank. Two survivors, both mates. Captain went down with the ship.” She brought up another screen. “This is Bob’s grandpa.”

Kerry peered at the whiskered, scraggly looking man in the blue Macintosh. “Holy pooters, it’s Popeye’s Pappy!” she yelped.

“Is there a picture of Grandma? You take a bet it’s Olive Oyl?”

“That explains a lot.” Dar chuckled. “He mostly trawled the North Atlantic. I don’t know what brought him all the way down south, but the boat couldn’t take it. It was his first, and last, Carib run.” She studied the picture. “Nothing on him—just a working sailor.”

Kerry’s head cocked to one side. “Yeah? I thought Bob said his family had money, though. At least that’s the impression he gave me,” she added with a touch of droll humor. “How’d they make that from a rig like this?”

“Well.” Dar tapped a few more keys. “He didn’t lie. According to this tax filing, old Popeye left a ton of cash to Mrs. Popeye, and they’ve got a place that’s worth another small fortune up in Maine.”

She scratched her jaw. “Maybe he already had wealth and just Terrors of the High Seas 129

decided to fish for a living because he could.”

“Maybe down here, Dar.” Kerry shook her head. “I’ve spent time in Maine. No one does that if they’ve got a choice. It’s a hard, dangerous life—fishing the North Atlantic.” She moused through the results Dar had called up. “Hm. You’re right, though. I know that neighborhood. Outhouses go for a quarter mil.”

Dar glanced at her. “You’d think places that expensive wouldn’t use outhouses.”

“They’re very traditional,” Kerry replied blithely. “I think they just got three- pronged forks.”

“Huh?”

Kerry chuckled and leaned her head against Dar’s shoulder.

“Never mind,” she said. “My snobby upbringing getting the better of me.”

“Okay.” Dar sent off another probe, this one into financial databases. “We’ll see what we can come up with for Popeye in Duks’ side of the house.” She leaned back. “Still doesn’t explain why a storm wreck is stirring up all this interest, all this time later.”

“No,” Kerry agreed. “If there was something really important in that wreckage, you’d think they’d have come after it before now.”

Dar drummed her fingers lightly on the keyboard. “That’s true,” she mused. “Unless…” The screen beeped and she looked up at it. “Huh.”

Kerry peered over her shoulder. “Wow,” she murmured, running a fingertip along the data. “Those must have been incredible hauls.”

“Mm.” Dar frowned. “But it’s still not making sense, unless he took a pile of that money, converted it to gold coin, and it went down with him in the storm,” she said. “Why would they be interested in that hulk now, is the question.”

They both were quiet for a moment.

“Unless the ‘why’ behind those numbers went down with him.”

Dar spoke slowly. “And now that ‘why’ is worth something.”

“Has the family become society now?” Kerry asked suddenly.

Dar gazed at her with a droll smile. “I don’t know, hon. Where do you check for that kind of thing?” she said. “They didn’t teach that in my redneck hacking classes.”

Kerry slid her hands between Dar’s and started typing. “That’s easy.” She hit a few keys. “The local newspaper, and let’s hope they actually use public archives.”

“Let’s say they are nouveau riche,” Dar said. “You think it has something to do with the whole thing?”

“I think people will do a lot to avoid family embarrassment,”

Kerry stated in a quiet, very flat tone. “Especially if they have 130 Melissa Good something to lose by it.”

Dar put her arms around Kerry and pulled her closer, not saying anything.

Kerry pushed the laptop away a little and accepted the comfort.

“You know what I think about the most, when I think of what my father did to me last year?”

“What?” Dar asked.

“How awful it felt knowing I was such a disappointment to him,” Kerry whispered. “When I woke up in that psych hospital, how ashamed I felt.” She paused. “Before I got so ripping mad that I put that aside.”

“You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of,” Dar said.

Kerry sighed. “I know that now,” she said. “Heck, I knew that then, but it brought home to me how family and love can take second place to image and ego.” She watched the screen. “Pride does strange things to people.” Her finger traced a headline on the list that popped up. “So, maybe you’re right. Maybe what went down with that boat is information—a secret someone doesn’t want anyone to find out about.”

“Uh huh.” Dar studied the screen. “If that’s the secret they think we brought up from that wreck, we could be in a whole new ballgame right now,” she said. “And where, I wonder, does Bob fit in?”

Kerry untangled herself from Dar’s embrace, but not before giving her a healthy hug. She stood up and stretched, working a kink out of her neck. Then she walked to the window and opened it, letting the ocean breeze blow against her face. After a moment, Dar joined her, perching on the sill and gazing out over the water. “So, what’s the plan?” Kerry finally asked.

Dar folded her arms and thoughtfully nibbled the inside of her lip. “We’ve got a couple of choices,” she said. “We can just get the hell out of here and leave them to their games.”

“Mm.”

“We can call in legal, make a mess for them for the bugging and the attempted pullover.”

“Mm.”

“We can play it by ear and see if we can find out what the real story is, then decide what we want to do about it.”

Kerry grinned.

“Yeah, that was my choice too,” Dar admitted. “But we could be playing with fire, Ker.”

The blonde woman’s lips twitched into a faint grin. “We could be,” she acknowledged. “But I love a good mystery. I’d hate to just walk away from this and not know what the deal was.”

Dar leaned back against the window frame. She had no real desire to get deeply involved in what seemed like a big mess, but Terrors of the High Seas 131

she also found herself curious. “Let’s see what we find out,” she said. “Maybe it will be enough to convince them to leave us alone.”

“You think they’ll make the next move?” Kerry asked. “Or will they wait to see what we do?”

Dar considered the question. “I’m guessing they’re waiting for us,” she said. “So why don’t we get moving and go find us some calypso dance music, and see what happens?”

“You’re on.” Kerry held out a hand. “They’re not gonna know what hit ’em.”

They shut down the laptop and walked out the door hand-in-hand, heading down the path toward the casual, beachside restaurant from which they could already hear the sound of drums rising. “Hey, Dar?” Kerry suddenly asked. “Remember what I said about rum and the samba?”

Dar eyed her. “Yeeesss?”

“This could get dangerous.”

“Ker?”

“Yeees?”

“I never did tell you what happens when I get into too much rum, did I?”

There was a thoughtful pause. “No, I don’t think you ever mentioned that,” Kerry allowed. “I guess this might get really dangerous, huh?”

“Only to your reputation.”

“Wh…. Oh.” After another pause, she stammered, “You mean you…might get, um…”

“You do like the way I kiss, doncha?”

“Way too much.” Kerry grinned rakishly. “Maybe we’d better stick to beer.”

As the light faded to twilight, they joined a string of people headed in the same direction. In the shadows behind them, two other figures slipped in, trailing them with watchful eyes.

KERRY FELT DAR’S hands come to rest on her shoulders as she stood in the doorway trying to spot an open table. The tables were rough and wooden, and the atmosphere casual and very relaxed.

She’d spied a free table and started easing her way through the crowd, when Dar’s hold on her tightened and pulled her to a stop.

Curious, she turned and looked up at her. “What’s up?”

Dar pointed to a small table near the window. “Let’s sit over there.”

“There?” Kerry squinted. “Oh.” She recognized the faces at a nearby table as the people they’d seen escorted by the police that afternoon.

Dar led the way over, taking the rearmost seat against the wall 132 Melissa Good as Kerry settled in across from her. She glanced casually at the table next to them, where the five hijacking victims sat. They still looked shaken and not very happy, and as she watched, Dar realized one of them seemed familiar. She leaned back and searched her memory, trying to place the oldest man’s distinctive profile.

“Two of whatever this rum special is,” Kerry told the cute waitress who stopped by with her tray at the ready. She put down the drink menu and looked over at Dar. “Boo.”

With a start, Dar glanced back at her. “Sorry.” She rested her elbows on the table and indicated the next table with a jerk of her head. “One of those guys looks familiar.”

Kerry’s eyes shifted. The people at the next table were somber, hands clenched around nearly empty glasses, and there was a sense of tense shock still about them that she attributed to their ordeal.

One of the women was about her age, also blonde, but with tightly curled hair and wide, amber eyes. She seemed to be the most shaken, and even in the low light of the restaurant Kerry could see she’d been crying. “Those people who got hijacked, you mean?”

she asked, lowering her voice.

“Mm.” Dar turned her head slightly, studying the other table without appearing to. Kerry did the same, but none of the men looked familiar to her so she turned her attention back to Dar, lifting a brow in question. “Not to me.”

“No.” Dar shook her head. “I think…” She leaned back on her chair arm and called out to the older man, “Jacob?”

The man started a little, and then peered at her uncertainly.

“I’m sorry, I don’t…” He leaned a little closer. “Good heavens...

Dar?” He swiveled in his seat and extended a hand, an honestly pleased expression crossing his face. “Dar Roberts!”

Dar took his hand with a firm grip. “How are you, Jacob? It’s been a long time.” Very long, Dar realized. She’d last seen Jacob Wellen over six years earlier at a technical convention in Las Vegas.

“It certainly has.” Jacob smiled. He was a man of medium height and build, with wiry gray hair and a closely trimmed beard and moustache. “What a great surprise. Here.” He turned to his friends, who had turned to look at Dar. “Folks, this is an old colleague of mine, Dar Roberts,” Jacob said. “Dar, this is my wife Minnie and her brother Richard, and this is my son Todd and his fiancée Rachel.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Dar replied courteously, and then half turned. “This is my partner, Kerrison.” To Kerry, she said, “Jacob and I survived the last great reorg you’ve heard so much about.”

Kerry stood and took Jacob’s hand. “My sympathies.” She grinned. “I’ve heard.” Her eyes shifted to the rest of the table.

“Hello.” The return greetings were cordial, if a little restrained.

Kerry wasn’t sure if that was due to their circumstances or her Terrors of the High Seas 133

introduction as Dar’s partner, but she gave them the benefit of the doubt and assumed the former.

Jacob shifted his chair over. “Why don’t you pull that table over and join us, Dar,” he suggested. “We have plenty of room.”

The others shuffled their chairs to either side while Dar edged their smaller table over, then everyone sat back down again. “What a coincidence, bumping into you here, Dar,” Jacob said. “You out here on business?” He turned to the rest of his family before Dar could answer. “Dar’s the CIO of ILS now. One busy lady.”

“Nope,” Dar replied, lacing her fingers and resting her chin against them as she propped her elbows on the table. “We’re on vacation, as a matter of fact. What about you? Still working out in Australia?”

“Just got back,” he said. “Thought we’d take a tour through the islands before we settled back in the States again.” His face crumpled into a frown. “Bad idea that turned out to be.”

“Dad,” Rachel murmured.

“Why?” Dar asked. “Seems like a nice place.”

“Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving, as many folks found out about you, huh?” Jacob sighed. “Let me tell you what happened to us last night.”

“Dad!” the young man interrupted. “They said not to talk about it.”

“Thanks, kid, but I know what I can say and who I can say it to,” Jacob told Todd with a tolerant smile. “Dar here may look about your age, but she’s got more savvy up top than anybody I ever met.”

Dar snorted. “You only say that because I saved your butt in Paris.”

The waitress returned with Dar and Kerry’s drinks. She took in the table arrangement without blinking, then caught Kerry’s eye.

“Get you something to eat?”

Kerry glanced over the small menu. “Can you get us two bowls of the stew, two baked yams, and some of this?” She pointed to the bread.

“Sure.” The woman smiled at her, then took the menu and disappeared into the crowd. Kerry turned her attention back to the table, interested to hear Jacob’s version of what had happened. She noticed furtive glances from the younger pair, and she returned the looks with mild amusement. Another thing to add to her coincidence list—one of the people the pirates chose to attack just happened to be an old colleague of Dar’s. What were the odds of that, really? Certainly, ILS had a huge employee base, and they were a worldwide organization, but sheesh!

Jacob rested his arms on the table. “It was like something out of a really bad movie of the week.”

134 Melissa Good

“Been there, done that,” Kerry murmured under her breath.

“We were out off the big reef just north of here, fishing,” Jacob went on. “It was getting on to dark, so we were about to pack it in and come in to dock, when this big, racy boat came up to us.”

“Black?” Dar hazarded.

“No.” Jacob shook his head with a frown. “White with blue trim, why?”

“Just curious.”

“Anyway, I figured they needed some help, or their radio was out, you know.”

“Sure.” Kerry nodded. “You want to help people if you can.”

“Right,” Jacob said. “So I let ’em pull up and tie on, and next thing I know, the damn bastards…” He glanced up. “Pardon me, ladies.” He gave them an apologetic look and then returned his attention to Dar. “Damn bastards jumped on board and pulled out guns!”

Dar affected a surprised look. “Guns? For what? What did they want?”

“Everything,” Rachel muttered. “And boy, were they obnoxious about it.” She shook her head. “They scared Todd’s mother, pushed us around. It was awful.”

Kerry gave her a sympathetic look. “I bet it was. That’s just lousy.”

“Wouldn’t have been so tough without those guns. They were just punks,” Todd added.

His tone was sullen, and it was obvious, at least to Kerry, that his pride had taken a beating. “Did they say anything to you? Who were they?”

Jacob took up the story. “Didn’t say. Just told us they were taking the boat, and left us on a sandbar with a handheld radio and nothing else.” He shook his head in disgust. “Punks. Todd’s right.

They were just two-bit Johnnies with a couple of rifles.”

“They took your boat?” Kerry asked.

“And everything on it,” Jacob agreed wryly. “Did I feel like a jackass? You betcha.” He sighed, picking up his drink and draining it. “Good thing there was a marine patrol that came by about a half hour, forty five minutes later, and rescued us before the tide came in.” “Wow,” Kerry murmured.

“Did they say what they were doing it for, Jake?” Dar asked.

“Just for money, or what?”

The older man shook his head again. “Didn’t say a word, Dar.

Just told us to get off the boat, that they were taking it. No reason—

no ifs, ands, or buts.”

At that moment, the waitress returned with a large tray. She set down food for both tables, and the conversation ceased while Terrors of the High Seas 135

everyone got their plates.

Dar pulled her plate over and inspected the bowl nestled beside a steaming baked yam that smelled of vanilla and nutmeg.

The waitress put a basket of hot bread in the middle of their table, and then set down another round of drinks for Jacob’s party. Dar held up her own glass, and indicated Kerry’s, and the woman took them with a smile as she retreated back toward the kitchen.

“So,” Dar took a piece of the bread and dunked it into the stew, then bit a piece off and chewed, “what’d the cops say?”

“Bah.” Jacob waved a hand in disgust. “The usual. Asking us a million questions, telling us how shocked they were, that this never happens, blah, blah, blah.”

Kerry looked up and met Dar’s eyes. One of her pale brows lifted.

“They did, huh?” Dar murmured. “Let me guess. They told you to just file a claim as quickly as you can with your insurance, and they’d do their best to find the boat before it left the island, right?”

Jacob looked at her with honest surprise as Todd blurted, “Yes, that’s right. How’d you know?”

Dar’s eyes narrowed and a faintly unpleasant smile appeared on her face. “Let’s just call it a hunch,” she said. “So, what’s your plan now? You going to head back to the States?”

Jacob was cutting into a steak, and he put his knife down before he answered. “Nah. Figured as long as we were here, we might as well stick around for a few days, get some fun out of the whole damn thing.” He patted his wife’s hand. “Give Minnie here a chance to get over all the nastiness.”

“It was dreadful,” his wife agreed softly. “Ms. Roberts, you can’t imagine how awful it was. Those men were acting like it was one big game to them, like we were just toys.”

Kerry forked pieces of meat out of her stew and ate them as she listened, turning the new information over in her mind. The meal was very good, and she followed Dar’s example in dunking the hot, herb-infused bread into its broth. Jacob and his family seemed to be relaxing a little, and she guessed that after a few days, the horror of what had happened would probably fade.

The pirates, though seemingly scary, had effected their plan in a quick, efficient manner. They hadn’t risked keeping the family on board; they’d just found a convenient spot and simply taken them off, retaining possession of the boat and all its contents. She suspected they’d taken the vessel around to some sheltered cove to rummage through it at their leisure. Quick, efficient, and practiced.

It was obvious to Kerry that they’d done the deed before, and had their routine down pat. From Dar’s earlier comment, she suspected her lover had come to the same conclusion. She wondered if there was anything they could actually do about it.

136 Melissa Good

“Jake, you didn’t keep a maintenance log on your boat, did you?” Dar asked suddenly.

Everyone looked at her curiously.

Jacob finished chewing and swallowed, wiping his mouth hastily. “Well, not me, no, but my captain did, I betcha. Why?” he asked. “Hey, speaking of—you flew out here, didn’cha?”

Dar shook her head. “No. We’re docked out in the marina. Did your captain keep the log on the boat, or back at home?”

“Boy, you better be careful,” Jacob said. “Don’t you be going out far around here, Dar. I’d sure hate to have what happened to us happen to you.”

Kerry had to muffle a smile at the irony. “We’re always very careful,” she said.

Jacob shook his head. “Well, anyway, I think Rick kept the log with his gear, and I can’t be sure if he left that on shore or not,” he said. “Why, Dar?”

“If he’s got part numbers, and the pirates try to sell the boat, it can be tracked,” Dar remarked mildly. “Might take a while, but—”

“That’s a great idea,” Todd burst out enthusiastically. “Then we can find those creeps!” He turned to his father. “I bet Rick has that book. We should give it to the police.”

“Now, Todd—”

“We can’t let those guys just get away with this, Dad!” the young man protested. “That’s what they all want us to do, just go away, and lick our wounds, and forget about it. No way!” He slapped his muscular hand on the table.

“Todd!” Minnie frowned at her son.

“He’s right,” Dar interjected. She waited until all of them looked at her in surprise. “It is what they want. You’re not the first victims, and I’m betting you won’t be the last.” She rested her forearms on the table. “So, if you do have that log, it’ll help. But don’t give it to the cops.”

They stared at her in shock for a long moment after she finished speaking. “Not the first?” Jacob said hesitantly.

“No.” Kerry took up the conversational ball, giving Dar a chance to eat. “There’ve been a number of hijackings around here recently, but no one wants to talk about it because it would scare people off,” she explained. “I think that Dar thinks…” she glanced at her lover, “it may be a local gang doing it.”

Dar nodded.

“Well.” Jacob looked aghast. “Son of a bitch.”

“Look,” Todd leaned closer to Dar, “whatever you think of doing to maybe stop them, count me in. We need to do something,”

he said. “I’m gonna call Rick as soon as we’re done in here, and I’ll see if he’s got that book.”

“Do you really think…” Minnie spoke up hesitantly. “Perhaps Terrors of the High Seas 137

the authorities would be better to deal with this, wouldn’t they?”

“You heard her. They’re probably in on it.” Todd stood up.

“I’m so mad, I gotta go kick something. C’mon, Rach.” He held a hand out and assisted his fianceé to her feet. “Let’s go.”

The two young people threaded their way out of the restaurant, disappearing into the crowd.

“Damn hothead.” Minnie’s brother Richard spoke for the first time, removing his face from his beer mug. “What in hell’s got into that kid, Jacob?”

Jacob shook his head, still visibly upset. “Dar, I can’t believe the people here know this is going on and they just let people keep coming in. That’s…that’s…”

“Piracy,” Dar supplied succinctly. “Yeah, well, maybe the cops aren’t in on it, maybe they just don’t want the tourist boat rocked, but something doesn’t smell right to me about the whole thing.”

She finished up the last bit of her stew, wiping the bottom of the bowl with a bit of bread and munching it.

“We don’t want any trouble,” Richard muttered “I think we should just leave and go the hell home.” He looked around. “This place gives me the creeps anyway.”

“That’s ’cause you can’t cope with any place that doesn’t have slot machines in the bathroom,” Jacob snorted. “Just relax, would you?” He turned to Dar. “Listen, Dar, he’s right about one thing.

We’re not looking for trouble here. If the local cops don’t want to stir things up, neither do I.”

Dar leaned her chin on her fist and regarded him.

“Dar, don’t give me that look,” Jacob sighed. “I know what you’re thinking.”

Dar’s eyebrows lifted visibly.

“I’m not a crusader. Never was,” the man stated. “I’ve got my family here, and if that’s the deal and this is all a scam, then I’m willing to do my part and go file my claim and let ’em have it.

Damn thing leaked anyhow.”

“Damn right,” Richard agreed. “Minnie doesn’t need any more trouble, either.”

Minnie looked profoundly relieved.

Dar rolled her eyes toward Kerry and they exchanged looks.

“That’s okay.” Kerry gave them a gentle smile. “We understand.”

Jacob relaxed a little. “It’s not that I think it’s right,” he stated.

“Of course not,” Kerry said. “It’s better you leave it for Dar and me to handle.”

Jacob blinked at her. “Come again?”

“We’ll take care of the pirates. No need for you to get involved.

After all, you’ve been through a lot, and I’m sure you just want some time to rest.”

Minnie leaned forward a little. “Honey, those men are dangerous.”

138 Melissa Good

“Life is, sometimes.” Kerry smiled kindly at her. “But Dar and I have a knack for getting through things.” She looked up as the waitress returned. “Sometimes you just gotta go for it. Can I get two of the Island Volcano sundaes and another rum punch?”

“Sure.” The waitress beamed at her. She glanced at Dar.

“Anything for you, ma’am?”

“I think one of those sundaes is mine,” Dar replied dryly.

Kerry grinned and then returned her attention to Jacob.

“Anyway, don’t you worry about a thing. We can handle this on our own.”

“Now, wait a minute,” Jacob protested.

Kerry held up a hand. “No, no—we understand completely.”

She sucked the rest of her rum punch down to the bottom, feeling the beginnings of a mild buzz. It surprised her, and she tried to figure out how many beers were the equivalent of one of the punches. Two? Three? Yikes. That means I’ve already drunk as much alcohol as there is in six beers. Maybe I should pass on the next rum punch.

“Well, now, you listen, Dar,” Jacob was saying.

Was it six?

“I know what I said, but if you two really think we should do something…”

Or was it only four?

“You can count on us.”

“Jacob!”

Heh. Gotcha. Kerry chuckled silently to herself.

An overwhelming smell of chocolate suddenly snapped her out of her musing. Kerry blinked as a bowl was put in front of her: ice cream, fudge, more ice cream, more fudge, a brownie, maybe another brownie, covered in a chocolate shell whose top had a flame coming out of it. “Wow,” she said. “This damn thing’s as big as my head!”

Dar chuckled at her. “I want to do some more checking around, Jake, before we decide what to do,” she said. “But I’ll keep your offer in mind.”

“You do that,” Jacob said.

Kerry contentedly doused the flame of her volcano, and cracked the chocolate shell keeping her from the ice cream inside.

Casually, she glanced around the room, glad not to see the familiar faces she half expected. Maybe the goons had decided to take the night off.

The waitress set down her third rum punch and took away the empty. Kerry eyed it, wondering if chocolate possibly counteracted rum. Hm. Guess I’ll find out.

Terrors of the High Seas 139

DAR SCRUBBED HER teeth, flicking the occasional glance into the mirror as she worked. She rinsed out her mouth, then poked her head around the corner of the bathroom door and peered over at the bed. Kerry was sprawled across it on her back, looking extremely relaxed.

“Hey, Paladar,” Kerry drawled. “Get your butt over here.”

Drat. Dar sighed. The times I choose to leave my voice recorder at home. She eased around the door and entered the room, settling down on the bed next to Kerry. “Yeees?”

One green eye opened and looked at her. “You let me get drunk. Bad girl.” Kerry poked Dar in the side. “Boy, are you gonna be sorry.”

Dar grinned at her. “You’re really cute when you’re drunk, did you know that?” She touched Kerry’s cheek, and felt the pressure as Kerry leaned into her fingers. “Besides, you were due.”

“Uh huh. See if you say that when I’m sick as a three-day-dead toad tomorrow,” Kerry warned her. “Hope you like cleaning up.”

Dar slowly stretched out alongside her. “I’ll take care of you, don’t you worry,” she promised.

“I ain’t worried,” Kerry said, reaching over to play with a bit of Dar’s hair. “I got you.” She watched Dar’s face through half-closed eyes. “Y’know how cool that is?”

“How cool what is?” Dar asked.

Kerry turned her head and regarded the ceiling for a few moments. “First time I ever really got drunk was when I moved here,” she said. “I think I went nuts for a while.”

Dar wriggled a little closer and curled her arm around Kerry’s.

“After leaving home? Lots of people do that.”

“S’true,” Kerry agreed. “Nobody telling me what to do, who to talk to, where to go. Felt great.” She looked at Dar’s hand, resting casually on her shoulder. “Like I was an animal, out of my cage.”

Dar chuckled softly. “I’m sure you weren’t that bad.”

Kerry met her eyes. “Yeah, I was,” she admitted. “Then…one night...I still don’t remember it a whole lot, but I woke up in my car—half on the beach near a tree—and didn’t know how’n the hell I got there.”

Dar’s brow contracted.

“Couldn’t remember a thing,” Kerry murmured. “Scared the shit out of me.”

“I bet.” Dar moved closer.

“I remember sitting there, kinda wondering what the whole damn point was?” Kerry shook her head a little. “I felt so empty.”

She turned and looked at Dar. “I felt like...if I’d kept driving, right into the water, no one would have given a crap.”

Dar merely gazed at her compassionately.

“Just another sordid back-page story: senator’s kid, drunk off 140 Melissa Good her ass, drowns.”

“Ker.”

“S’true, and you know it.” Kerry smiled sadly. “I had no clue what it felt like to really matter to somebody.” She interlaced her fingers with Dar’s. “Didn’t know what it would be like to be a part of someone’s life.”

“Well,” Dar studied her face, “you do now.”

Kerry grinned easily. “Yeeeahh, I sure do.” She rolled onto her side unsteadily and pulled Dar’s hand close to her. “That’s what’s so cool,” she said. “I got you.”

“You got me,” Dar agreed, carefully gathering Kerry up into her arms and hugging her. There was no resistance in her lover’s body; Kerry meshed her limbs into Dar’s embrace with total abandon, humming softly in delight as Dar rocked them gently on the bed. “You got me, Ker, I got you, and that’s how that is.”

“Uumrrrmm. I love you so much,” Kerry warbled, her breath warm against Dar’s neck. “You make my life rock.”

Dar was surprised to feel tears welling up in her eyes. She blinked, and they spilled out over her cheeks, disappearing into Kerry’s pale hair as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She stroked Kerry’s head and kissed her, knowing a moment of pure joy so intense there were no words for it. True happiness was, she’d discovered somewhere in the last year, in making someone else happy. A damn simple concept, really, that somehow escaped all the laboriously written motivational manuals. All that crap about inner balance. Millions of dollars made on a bunch of bs when a single line on a cocktail napkin would do it. It’s love, stupid. Dar sniffled.

Kerry squirmed around to look up at her. “Hey, BooBoo...” She reached up and gently wiped Dar’s eyelids. “What’samatter?”

“Nothing.” Dar’s lips quirked. “Booboo? You been watching too many cartoons again, Kerrison?”

Kerry poked out her lower lip and grinned sheepishly. She hid her face in Dar’s shoulder as a giggle escaped. “I am so tanked,” she muttered, “I’m channeling an animated bear.”

Dar chuckled. “Tell you what, Yogi, let’s get your clothes off and get you into bed.”

“Is that a plan or an invitation?” Kerry giggled again, but she eased back and rolled over, covering her eyes with her arm. “Too bright in here.”

Dar started with her sneakers, untying them and tugging them off, then working Kerry’s interestingly striped socks off her feet.

“Ooo.” Kerry wiggled her toes. “Can I get drunk more often? I like being undressed.”

“You do, huh?” Dar slid back up her lover’s body and unfastened the button on her shorts, moving the zipper down.

Terrors of the High Seas 141

“Well, just so happens I enjoy undressing you, so that works out great.” She eased the shorts down, aided by a helpful wiggle of Kerry’s hips, then pulled them off and tossed them over onto the chair. “Half down, half to go.”

Kerry put her hands behind her head. “Do your worst,” she grinned.

Dar slipped her hands under Kerry’s T-shirt and slid them up, pulling the fabric with. She leaned over and gently kissed Kerry on the lips, before she bunched up the shirt and eased it over her head, returning for another kiss as she finished.

“Mmm.” Kerry had her eyes closed. “I definitely like being undressed.”

Dar tossed the shirt towards the chair. “I’ll have to remember that.” She slid her hands behind Kerry’s shoulders and rolled her over onto her side so she could undo the catches on her bra. She felt a tug at her waist, and then heard the soft sound as Kerry unbuttoned one of her overall buttons. “Hang on a minute here.”

“Hang on?” Kerry tangled her fingers in the straps and pulled.

“Okay.”

Dar chuckled as she eased her partner’s grip. “Let me get you some water.”

“Water?” Kerry folded her hands on her now bare stomach, watching amiably as Dar moved her half-clad body towards the credenza. “We never needed no water before.”

“To drink.” Dar poured from the bottle on the dresser into a glass, then returned to the bed.

“Is it warm water?”

“No. It’s cold water.”

“I’m cold. Don’t want no cold water.”

Dar set the glass down, then pulled down the covers on the bed and knelt, sliding her arms under Kerry’s knees and shoulders and shifting her over. She pulled up the covers then handed her the glass. “Sweetheart, you gotta trust me on this one. Drink.”

Kerry clasped the glass, studying it seriously. She peered at Dar over the rim, her blonde hair partially in her eyes. “Okay,” she finally said. “If you tell me how come you were crying before.”

Dar blinked, not expecting the question. “Oh.” She cleared her throat a little. “It was just...um...you said something that really touched me, I guess.”

“I did?”

Dar nodded. “Yeah.”

“In a good way, right?”

“Right.”

Kerry stuck her nose in the glass and drank its contents, lifting it up and letting the last drop drip into her mouth before she handed it back to Dar. “Now what?” she inquired. “Do I turn into a pumpkin?”

142 Melissa Good

“You turn into a beautiful sleeping princess.” Dar quickly stripped out of her own clothing and joined Kerry under the covers.

Kerry giggled. “Does that make you the frog?”

“C’mere.” Dar gathered Kerry into her arms again, and turned the light out. It was quiet for a moment.

“Hey, Dar?”

“Mm?”

“I’m gonna really regret this in the morning, ain’t I?”

“Eeerrrrmm, probably.”

“You are too, huh?”

“Eh.” Dar rubbed Kerry’s neck. “We’ll survive.”

“Dar?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

Dar smiled into the darkness. “I love you too, Ker.” She let her eyes close, hoping she could remember her father’s old hangover remedy by the next morning. Though, she wasn’t sure whether Kerry would consider it better or worse than what it was supposed to cure. Or if they had Bosco syrup on St. Johns.

DAR PROWLED THROUGH the aisles of the small grocery, one of the few customers so early in the morning. She had a small basket hanging off her arm that already had a quart of milk in it, along with a box of Oreo cookies. She spied a bottle of chocolate syrup and snagged it, studying the label. Ah well, it will have to do.

She made her way to the soda aisle and selected two bottles, then analyzed the contents of her basket and retraced her steps to the refrigerated case, swapping her quart of milk for a half gallon.

Satisfied, she walked up to the single register and set down her selections.

The cashier picked up each item and punched its price into the old-fashioned cash register. “Got you some kids, huh?” She smiled at Dar.

Dar peered at her over the top of her sunglasses. “No.” She handed the woman a twenty dollar bill and accepted her change.

“It’s my breakfast.”

The woman looked at the bag, then at Dar.

Dar pushed her sunglasses back up and took her bags, heading for the door as a young couple entered, stopping short when they recognized her and reacted.

“Hi,” Todd said. “Sorry about last night.”

In an instant, every ear in the place seemed to turn their way.

Dar suppressed a wry grin. “Don’t worry about it.”

Rachel put a hand on Todd’s arm. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”

Terrors of the High Seas 143

Erf. “I can imagine,” Dar replied. “Take it with a grain of salt.”

“Well, we just came in to get some breakfast.” Todd glanced around. “Maybe if you’re not busy later, we can sit down and talk?”

“Sure.” Dar eased around them and slipped out the door.

Rachel gazed after her. “She’s weird, Todd.”

Todd steered her towards the grocery aisles. “No, she’s not.

You’re just freaked out because she’s gay.”

“I am not,” Rachel protested, noticing the looks they were getting from the cashier. “Don’t make like I’m some white-bread JAP.”

“Oreos on the left there.” The cashier pointed helpfully. “Got lots of ’em.”

Todd and Rachel exchanged puzzled glances, then shrugged.

DAR WRAPPED THE handles of the plastic bags around her hands and started on her trek back to the room. She’d left Kerry asleep, though they’d both stirred before dawn and she’d heard the pathetic moan as Kerry regretted opening her eyes.

It was clouding over, Dar noticed, and far off she could hear a faint rumble of thunder. That was good, because a stormy morning gave her a chance to pamper her ailing sweetie and not have Kerry feel too awful about missing out on any fun.

Dar glanced up as a faint, first spattering of rain hit her shoulders. She gauged the distance back to their section of the resort, and broke into a jog. She took a tighter hold on the bags to keep them from swinging, and crossed the expansive grounds at a very fair clip. She hurdled a hedge, taking it in stride, and then turned toward the building. Halfway there, seeing someone coming in the opposite direction, she moved to one side of the path. The tall man, however, saw her shift and moved directly into her way, holding up a hand.

Dar contemplated simply running him down. He was tall, but relatively thin, and she calculated she probably outweighed him.

She studied his face as she approached, seeing a chiseled, hawk-like visage, clean-shaven, with a cap of graying dark hair. The suit he was wearing was silk, and his attitude projected the fact that he expected her to do whatever it was he wanted.

Dar grinned recklessly and didn’t slow down. She focused her gaze on the man and kept up her pace, her hands slowly curling into fists without conscious direction. She got closer, but his expression didn’t change and he didn’t so much as flinch, so Dar steeled herself for the impact, ready to twist her body to the right and lower her shoulder. Her dad had taught her to play chicken right around the time she’d gotten her first bicycle. The roadblock waited until she knew he could feel the vibration of her footsteps, 144 Melissa Good and then just as it almost became too late, he jumped aside.

Hah, Dar snorted silently, brushing past him without a word.

She almost missed seeing the quick lunge as he reached for her, but he’d misjudged his grab, and her speed, and she was already past him by the time he made the attempt. She waited until she was certain he knew he’d screwed up, and then she slowed and stopped, turning to regard him icily.

He seemed surprised. “You don’t take direction well, do you, Ms. Roberts?”

Dar just laughed. “Not in this lifetime,” she replied. “You want something, or do you just grab women for fun?”

He collected himself and put his hands behind his back. “My name is John DeSalliers,” he announced. “And I believe we need to talk.”

Dar peered at him and then glanced up. Rain spattered her sunglasses. “Maybe, but not now.” She turned. “I’ve got important stuff to do.”

“Ms. Roberts.”

Dar looked over her shoulder. “If you want to deal with me, you do it on my terms,” she told him flatly. “Have a great day.”

With that, she started off toward the building again, picking up speed as the rain started to come down harder. As she reached the door, the skies opened, and she ducked inside just in time. Turning, she looked back and saw a satisfying vision of DeSalliers bolting through the rain, running awkwardly in his silk trousers. “Jackass.”

She let the door close with a snick and hastened back to the room.

It wasn’t really the way she’d wanted to approach, or deal with DeSalliers, but sometimes, Dar had learned, you just had to take what life offered and make the best of it. She slid her key into the door lock and turned it carefully, pushing the door open and slipping inside.

It was dark. Dar had prudently closed the shutters before she’d left, leaving the room in soothing dimness. She set the bags down on the credenza and took her sandals off, then she padded silently over to the bed and knelt down.

Kerry’s eyes were still closed and she was sleeping on her side, one arm wrapped around her pillow. Her mussed hair half-obscured her face, and Dar only just kept herself from smoothing it back. Instead, she stood up and tiptoed back to the credenza, removing the items from it and trying very hard to keep the Oreo bag from making noise.

“Uugh.” A soft groan came from the bed.

“Hey, cute stuff.” Dar set down a glass and opened the milk.

“Ugh.” Kerry lifted her head a little and peered around. “S’dark in here,” she muttered. “What time is it?”

“Eight.” Dar continued mixing her potion. “I closed the blinds.”

Terrors of the High Seas 145

“You’re a goddess.” Kerry rolled onto her back, throwing her arm over her eyes. “Jesus. I feel like a horse kicked me in the head.”

Dar finished mixing and picked up the glass, crossing back over to the bed and sitting down on the edge of it. “I’ve got something to make you feel better.”

Kerry peeked at her, seeing the glass. “Noooooo.” She pulled the covers over her head. “No…no…not…stuff.”

“C’mon.” Dar gently untangled the covers. “Kerry, honest—

it’ll work.”

“Dar, if I try to put anything in my stomach, that and everything already in there is coming up into your lap. Wanna risk it?”

“Yes. Just take a sip,” Dar coaxed.

Kerry rolled onto her side, giving Dar a piteous, miserable look. “I can’t.”

Undeterred, Dar put the glass down and eased her partner into more of an upright position. Then she picked up the glass and offered Kerry the straw she’d stuck in it.

Kerry stared dubiously at the mixture. “What is it?” All she could see was foam and dark streaks. “It doesn’t have Worcestershire sauce in it, does it?”

“No.”

Kerry put a hand over her stomach. “Dar, I really don’t think I can.”

Dar studied her, seeing the pale tinge to her skin. “Give it one try,” she requested. “Just one sip. You need to get fluids into you, love.”

Kerry sighed in resignation and maneuvered the straw over.

“How can I resist when you ask me like that?” She held her breath and took the tiniest sip possible, hoping to swallow it before her system had time to analyze what it was.

It was cold and effervescent, and it slid down a lot easier than she’d imagined it would. Cautiously, she inhaled, and then licked her lips. The taste was sweet and rich and bubbly, all at the same time, not at all what she’d expected. “What is that?”

Dar was cautiously pleased with the response. “Something my daddy taught me to make.”

Kerry took another sip, swallowed it. “Have I mentioned lately how much I love your daddy?” She felt her stomach settle and she took the glass, leaning against Dar as she sucked at its contents.

“You know what? I don’t care what it is. It’s great.”

Dar grinned in satisfaction. “Glad you like it.” She set to work gently massaging Kerry’s neck and shoulders. “Looks like it’s fixing to storm out there for a while.”

“Mm?” Kerry kept drinking, peering around Dar’s body at the closed shutters. A rumble of thunder rattled them, and she settled 146 Melissa Good back against Dar with a contented grunt. The concoction really was helping, and she felt the aching nausea ease, along with the painful cramps that had almost sent her diving for the bathroom. And why wouldn’t it? she reasoned. Along with its other ingredients, the concoction had been laced with love.

Her head still hurt, though, a dull pounding that thrummed through her body and made her resolve never to experiment with rum again. “Stick to beer, Kerry,” she murmured. “Worst thing that does is make you piddle.”

Dar massaged Kerry’s neck, working out small knots she could feel with her sensitive fingertips. “Guess who I met on the way back?”

“Not those scumbucket sneaks?”

“No. Their boss,” Dar informed her. “He wanted me to stop and talk to him.”

“And?” Kerry inquired.

“I had other things to do,” Dar told her. “But I think he’ll be back.”

“Hm.” Kerry finished her drink, sucking the last drops from the bottom of it. She gazed mournfully into the empty glass for a moment, and then looked up at her solicitous partner. “Any chance of getting another one of these?”

“You bet.” Dar grinned, very pleased with her successful plan.

“Coming right up.” She took the glass. “Think you can take some aspirin for your head now?”

Kerry thought about it. “Yeah.” She curled up on her side and watched Dar work. “What’s in the bottle?”

“Chocolate syrup.”

Kerry had to smile. “That’s a chocolate milk soda you just made.”

Dar brought it back to her. “It’s an egg cream,” she corrected.

Kerry took the glass. “But there aren’t any eggs in it.”

“Or cream,” Dar agreed amiably, handing her a couple of pills.

“It’s kind of like Welsh rabbit.”

“Ah.” Kerry swallowed the aspirin and then settled back against the headboard. Rain rattled against the window, and she was more than glad to be nestled in the dim room, with Dar to keep her company. “So you think he’ll be back, huh?”

“Yep.” Dar chuckled softly. “Then maybe we’ll get closer to the truth of this.”

Kerry listened to the thunder, her fingers idly stroking the arm Dar had curled around her. Maybe we will, she agreed silently. But not right this minute.

Lightning flashed, outlining the closed shutters.