Bluewater Rendezvous: The Eighth Novel in the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Bluewater Thrillers Book 8) Page 4

  "She's not a bad sort," Liz said.

  "No. Better than I thought at first."

  "You were pretty horrible to her, Dani. I've never seen you like that. You okay?"

  "Better, thanks. I can't believe I bit her head off like that. Thanks for smoothing things over."

  "All in a day's work. I still sense that something about her is troubling you."

  "Yes. Well, I just don't think it's 'all out in the open' yet, as she put it."

  "Probably not," Liz agreed. "But I think there's something specific bothering you."

  "You know me too well. You're right; it's the Ralph Suarez thing."

  "He must be the cousin, don't you think?" Liz asked.

  "Yes. He even mentioned a first cousin on his mother's side in Florida. Said they had been really close up through college. But Carlotta doesn't sound right. I can't remember his cousin's name, but I don't think that's it. It'll come, though, sooner or later."

  "Is that all?"

  "No. There was some stress in his mother's family about the girl's father, but I don't think he said what it was. Maybe he did. We covered a lot of ground in a few hours, and his family wasn't what I was interested in."

  Liz giggled.

  "Neither was that!" Dani said, her cheeks burning. "Wipe that smarmy look off your face."

  ****

  Guido Cappelletti cradled the telephone on his shoulder, his feet on his desk. He was fiddling with an unlit cigar as he listened to his wife prattling on about not being able to reach Angela. Lucy was in New York on one of her frequent shopping trips.

  "Did you call the villa, Lucy?" he asked, during a lull.

  "Sí. Marta, she said she was not there," she protested.

  "So leave a message," he said, exasperated.

  "No. She is not there; she does not come there last night."

  "What?" Guido was more interested now. "The boys met her plane."

  "Sí, but no. Marta, she says they go to airport, but they come back without Angela."

  "Did they take her somewhere else?"

  "Marta does not know."

  "Didn't you talk to Willy? Or Fats?"

  "No. They are not there. Not either one of them."

  "Where the hell are they?"

  "Marta does not know. She thinks they look for Angela."

  "Okay. I'll check on it. That dumb broad's probably been into the mojitos again. She sound sober?"

  "Marta, she always is sober. The mojitos, she drink for the pain in the hands. You know this. Do not try to blame this on poor Marta."

  Poor Marta, he thought. He only kept the worthless, nosy old woman on his payroll because of Lucy's affection for her. She'd been Lucy's nursemaid; now she was old and feeble, and too confused to do more than cause just this sort of trouble.

  "Is your fault," Lucy squawked in his ear. "You and that, that, animal. Es un bestia. You are make our daughter to marry this pervertido. I am disgust with you."

  "Get a grip, Lucy. Now I need to get off the phone if you want me to find her, okay?"

  "Sí, sí. Hasta luego. You call me quick when you find her, yes?"

  "Yes, Lucy. Don't worry."

  He hung up the phone and shook his head. The damned girl had probably slipped out on them. It wasn't the first time. He smiled; it pleased him that she had the gumption to go her own way. He would never let her know that, of course. Joe Bones was going to have his hands full with Angela. He chuckled as he picked up his iPhone and scrolled through the directory looking for Willy's cellphone number in St. Thomas.

  Chapter 6

  "Have a nice nap?" Dani asked, as Carlotta rejoined them in the cockpit.

  Carlotta smiled. "You're going to think I sleep all the time, but yes, thanks, I did."

  "Nothing wrong with napping when it's like this," Liz said. "You must be catching up on that lost sleep by now, though."

  "How long did I nap?"

  "About an hour," Dani said.

  "It's so peaceful. Now that I'm used to it, the motion just lulls me right to sleep."

  "Need anything?" Liz asked. "Drinks? A snack?"

  "No way, Liz. Not after that wonderful lunch."

  A few minutes passed in silence as they watched a frigate bird swooping past the mast, circling, returning. When the big bird flew away, Carlotta broke the silence.

  "I've been thinking about what you asked, Dani."

  Dani nodded, raising her eyebrows. "What's that?"

  "Oh, about what happens after the charter. I'm not sure I can go back."

  "Can't? Or don't want to?" Liz asked.

  "Well, both, I guess. I can smooth things over with my father about skipping out on his goons. I've had plenty of practice at that. But I don't think I can deal with getting married just so he can pass on the reins to his empire to somebody of his choosing."

  "So your dad's thinking of retiring and letting your husband-to-be take over his business?" Dani asked.

  "Something like that, I think."

  "What sort of business is your father in?" Liz asked.

  "Oh, you know. No one thing. He's an active investor in a lot of entertainment-related businesses. He's into clubs, restaurants, that kind of thing. But he's also got his fingers in a lot of other things. I don't know — seafood, shipping ... "

  "You an only child?" Dani asked.

  "Yes. I had an older brother. Half-brother, actually, from my father's first marriage. He was almost the same age as my mom, so I didn't know him too well. I think the plan was that he'd take over from Papa when the time came, but he died in some kind of accident when I was little."

  "And you never got interested in taking over?" Dani asked.

  "Oh, that's not an option. I mean, all these macho old men run things. They'd never consent to a woman being in charge."

  "I see," Dani said, grimacing.

  "Liz said your mother wanted you to work in the family business. What kind of business is it?" Carlotta asked.

  "A private investment bank. I worked there for a couple of years, but I didn't fit."

  "Was it tough being a woman in that business?"

  "Not that I noticed," Dani said. "Some of the men had problems with it, but I coped. Better than they did, for the most part." Her grimace faded to a wry grin.

  "So why did you leave?"

  "Because I'd rather do this."

  "I can't say I blame you for that. How did you learn about sailing charters, anyway?"

  "My father always had a few charter yachts. I crewed on them between school terms from the time I was twelve; I guess it just grew on me."

  "Nice. How long have you guys had Vengeance?"

  "This is our third season," Liz said.

  "Bet you've met some interesting people," Carlotta said.

  "Everybody has an interesting story, once you get beneath the surface," Dani said.

  "Except for me," Carlotta said.

  "I don't believe your life's that boring. From what I got from Ralph, your family's intriguing."

  "Ralph?" Carlotta's eyes went wide. "Ralph who?"

  "Suarez," Dani said, watching Carlotta's reaction. Her hand went to her throat, fingering a tiny gold cross that hung from a fine chain around her neck.

  "I'm not sure what you ... I mean ... how ... "

  "Well, Elaine, our charter broker, told us he booked this for you."

  "But why would she tell you that? I thought it would be confidential, or something."

  "I don't know about that," Dani said. "She might not have mentioned it, except that he specifically asked to be remembered to me."

  "To you? How do you know Ralph?" Carlotta swallowed hard, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Dani. "He hasn't lived in the States for years. He's ... um ... I'm not ... "

  "I met him in St. Lucia a few years ago."

  "St. Lucia? What was he doing there? I mean, he was never supposed to tell any of us where he ... "

  "He was the commander of a small detachment of Venezuelan Marines. They were working on a bunch of i
nfrastructure improvement projects there. I think it was part of Chavez's campaign to curry favor with his Caribbean neighbors."

  "Venezuelan? He was in the Venezuelan Marines? I didn't ... so have you spoken with him lately? Did you, um, call him after you got that message, or anything?"

  "No. I don't know how to reach him; I hadn't thought of him in a while, until I got his message. Is he still in St. Lucia?"

  "I don't know. He has this kind of strange email set up that we use to keep in touch. I don't know if he's even still in the Venezuelan military."

  "He was no great fan of their government," Dani said. "It wouldn't surprise me if he's doing something else now."

  "Well, if you'll excuse me, I think I'd like to read for a while," Carlotta said. She stepped through the companionway and went below.

  ****

  "Well," Liz said, after Carlotta had been gone for a few minutes, "that got an interesting reaction."

  "Yes," Dani agreed. "Why, do you suppose?"

  "It surprised her that you knew Ralph Suarez; that's for sure."

  "Which in itself is a little odd," Dani said. "Wouldn't you have thought he would have told her he was booking the charter with us because he knew me?"

  "Unless he didn't think you'd tell her, but that doesn't make any sense, either."

  "We can't know the why of it," Dani said. "But he didn't tell her about us. And there's still something that's off, here." She thought for a moment, her brow creased. "The more I pick at my recollections of his story, the more sure I am that the cousin he mentioned wasn't named Carlotta."

  "What else can you remember? Did she have the same last name as Ralph?" Liz asked.

  "No, I do remember that. Their mothers were sisters, so their married names would have been different." Dani chewed her lower lip as she adjusted their course a bit. "Wind's backing, just like the forecast said it would," she remarked.

  After watching the sails for a minute, she continued. "She lived in Miami, and she was our age. That was part of why he went to the University of Florida; there was his aunt nearby to keep an eye on him."

  "Did he mention his roommate?"

  "No, I don't think so. We didn't have a lengthy conversation about all this. It came up because both of us had U.S. passports, even though we weren't what most people would call 'real' Americans."

  "He had a U.S. passport?" Liz asked.

  "He said he did, yes. He didn't show it to me, but why would he have said so, otherwise?"

  Liz shrugged. "I don't know. But when I looked into getting a green card one time, I read that U.S. citizens couldn't serve in the armed forces of another nation."

  "Whoa! You're right. I think there are some exceptions, but I'd bet that Venezuela's not one of them. Or wasn't, at least while Chavez was alive."

  "So maybe he lost it when he went in the service," Liz said.

  "Could be, I guess. It doesn't really matter."

  "No, but it's one more piece that doesn't fit in this whole puzzle," Liz said. "Looks like you were right when you told her that her life didn't sound that boring."

  Dani nodded, her forehead wrinkled with concentration. "Did you notice that she seemed surprised when I mentioned that he was in the Venezuelan Marines?"

  "Yes! I thought that was strange. I suppose we don't need to know any more about her. She's off on a tryst with this guy, who's a friend of Ralph's, and Ralph set it up. End of story," Liz said.

  "Except he wanted to make sure that I knew he was involved," Dani said.

  Liz smirked. "He probably saw a chance to get back in your, um — "

  "I'm going to smack you if you keep that up, Liz!"

  "What? I was going to say he wanted to get back in your good graces," Liz said, her voice rising in mock surprise. "What did you think I — "

  "Yeah, right. Based on the way we left it in St. Lucia, I don't think that's his motivation."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, after he told me what he knew about that Martinez character, he said, "You owe me big time for this," and I agreed. I think he's calling in the debt, but I'm not sure what he wants me to do."

  "Is there any way to get in touch with him?"

  "Not that I know of. I guess I could ask Carlotta at some point. Or just wait. He'll know how to reach me, since she's aboard now."

  "Waiting sounds good. You really spooked her when you dropped his name."

  "I saw that. My bet is that she's not through telling us her story yet. She needs to think through her options first. It may make a difference that she knows Ralph told us he was part of this, you know? Once she thinks about it, that's sort of like he's telling her she can trust us."

  "You people!" Liz said.

  "What people?"

  "With your devious minds. You and Phillip, mostly. I never know where you're going next with your convoluted thoughts. You're like some kind of secret agent. Once you start in on this kind of thing, you look for hidden meanings in everything that happens."

  ****

  Willy Napolitano was sitting in the kitchen of the villa in St. Thomas, drinking coffee with Marta. He snapped to attention when he heard the distinctive ring tone coming from his iPhone. He took it from the breast pocket of his guayabera shirt like it might explode in his hand. This was the call he had been dreading ever since last night, when Angela had failed to show up. "The boss," he muttered to Marta as he touched the connect button on the screen.

  "Good afternoon, Don Guido," he said.

  "Willy?"

  "Yeah, boss. I was just gonna call you."

  "Angela there?"

  "She didn't get off the plane last night, Don Guido."

  "Why the hell haven't you called me already?"

  "I didn't wanna worry you for nothin'. Figured she was just up to her usual shit. Me an' Fats are shakin' all the bushes. We'll find her."

  "You're fuckin' well right you'll find her. What've you done so far?"

  "We got the island sealed up. Fats's got pictures out everywhere, to all his contacts. You know — through the cops. She can't get off this friggin' rock without we know about it."

  "She can get in plenty enough trouble right there on the island. You better get off your ass and go lookin' for her."

  "Doin' that, boss. Fats and his boys are out checkin' with all the taxis that were workin' the airport last night. I'm waitin' for the calls to come in. We just need to find whoever picked her up, an' then we got her. She probably got herself a date somewhere, like last time."

  "You better hope so, Willy. There's a new twist you need to know about this time."

  "Tell me, Don Guido."

  "She's gonna marry Joe Bones, and she ain't exactly thrilled about it."

  "Joe Bones?" Willy asked, his tone betraying what he thought of the man, in spite of his normal, feral secretiveness.

  "Yeah. You don't want to be the one lost Joe Bones's fiancée, do you Willy?"

  "No, Don Guido."

  "Because you'll answer to him, not just me, if anything's happened to her."

  Willy's face scrunched up, weasel-like, and he felt a bead of cold sweat run down his spine. "We'll find her, Don Guido."

  "I just hope you find her before Joe Bones decides to come help you look — for your sake, Willy. We go back a way, you and me. I'd hate to see you finish up with Joe Bones takin' out his disappointment on you."

  "Thank you, Don Guido. I appreciate that."

  "Good. Now go find my daughter."

  "Yes, Don Guido."

  The silence in the kitchen was palpable after Willy disconnected the call. He thought for a few seconds and looked over at Marta. "How much could you hear?" he asked the old woman.

  "Enough," she said. She shook her head. "He gives our baby to that evil one. The Lord above will strike him dead for such a thought. Poor Angela. No wonder she does not come. Poor Lucy."

  Chapter 7

  "Yeah, I told her," Guido Cappelletti said, looking at Joe Bones over the rim of his espresso cup. They were sitting in the
shade of the veranda of Guido's Star Island mansion. Guido was watching the late afternoon boat traffic out on the bay.

  "She excited?" Joe Bones asked.

  "That's one way of putting it, I guess. Excited. Not especially happy, but definitely excited."

  Joe Bones laughed, a raucous, braying sound that was at odds with his refined appearance. Wiping a tear of mirth from his eye, he said, "You spoiled her, Don Guido. Rotten."

  "Of course. That's the pleasure of having a daughter. I'm sure you're going to help her get over it."

  "I'm looking forward to that, but you'll have to be ready for some whining from her."

  "No doubt," Guido said, finishing his coffee and putting the cup down on the table. He stared at the cup and saucer, a distant look on his face.

  "You got a problem with that?" Joe Bones asked.

  "With what?"

  "Me disciplining her."

  "What happens between a man and his wife is nobody else's business," Guido said, locking eyes with the younger man.

  "I agree, Don Guido. She got a man in her life now?"

  "Humph," Guido said. "A boy, more like. Some chickenshit kid she met in college. Friend of Lucy's nephew."

  "Lucy's nephew? That tough kid from Venezuela used to be around here?"

  "Yeah, him."

  "I liked him. I had him figured for joining up with us. What happened to him?"

  "He joined the Navy out of college. He was gonna be one of them SEALS, but part way through the training, he just kinda disappeared. They said he went AWOL; had a big manhunt goin' for him for a while. They bugged the shit out of us, askin' about him. Then it just kinda went quiet. Nobody knows where he is, but I think his folks get word from him every so often."

  "Strange. He didn't seem like the type to run out like that."

  "No. I had some guys checkin', to keep Lucy off my ass. Nothin' turned up. Don't matter. He's gone. Woulda been a hell of a street soldier, but he was a fuckin' Boy Scout, you know?"

  "Straight arrow, huh?"

  "Gimme all kinds of shit about the 'ethics' of what I was doin'. Hadn't been for Lucy and Angela, I woulda kicked his ass good. Why are you so interested in him?"

  Joe Bones shrugged. "No reason. Just seemed strange when you said his friend was chickenshit. Didn't seem like he'd hang around with somebody like that."