“I just wanted you to be aware of their presence,” the captain said. “They’re coming aboard now from a rigid inflatable. Please excuse me.” He went to receive the boarding party.
A moment later, a young woman in uniform appeared in the dining room. “Good afternoon,” she said. “I’m Lieutenant Graves of the United States Coast Guard. We’ve come aboard to conduct an investigation.”
“An investigation?” Macher said. “I thought this was an equipment check.”
“That, too,” she replied. “Now, I’ll need the names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of everyone aboard, crew and guests, and I’ll need photo IDs for everyone. Please fill out these forms individually.” She distributed documents and pens.
“We’re in the middle of lunch,” Macher said, outraged.
“Not anymore,” she replied. “Please bring the completed forms, one at a time, to the afterdeck. In the meantime, members of my crew will be conducting a search belowdecks for contraband.”
“Contraband? What sort of contraband.”
“We’ll know it when we see it,” she said. “Now please fill out the forms, then come to the afterdeck, one at a time.”
“I’m terribly sorry about this,” Macher said to his guests, “but I suppose we’ll have to permit it.” Everyone began filling out the forms.
Macher brought up the rear of the procession to the afterdeck and handed the lieutenant his completed form. The yacht’s captain was there, watching as she inspected the yacht’s paperwork.
“Mr. Macher, you’re the owner here?”
“The owner, as you will have seen in our registration documents, is a Delaware corporation,” he replied stiffly.
“Do you represent the owner?”
“I am the president and chief executive officer of St. Clair Enterprises, which owns all of the stock in the corporation.”
“Then you are the owner, for the purposes of our investigation.”
“I suppose so.”
“Who, may I ask, occupies the large cabin and sitting room forward in the yacht?”
“That is the owner’s cabin, and I and my companion occupy it.”
“Then,” she said, holding up a zippered plastic bag half-filled with a white powder, “this belongs to you?”
“It does not,” Macher said. “What is it?”
“I suspect it of being cocaine. I would think that there was more in the bag recently.”
“I have never seen that before.”
“Who occupied the cabin before you?”
“That would be Mr. Christian St. Clair, who is deceased. This is the first time I have been aboard the yacht, and I did not bring that powder, whatever it is, aboard.”
“Were you personally acquainted with Mr. St. Clair?”
“I was. I was his principal colleague in the company.”
“And did you know him well enough to suspect that he was an abuser of illegal substances?”
“We were not close personally,” Macher replied.
“Very well, Mr. Macher. We will confiscate the powder and have it analyzed.” She consulted his form. “This is your correct business and personal address?”
“It is.”
“Then we will be in touch following the completion of the lab work. In the meantime, you may wish to consult an attorney with maritime experience.”
“I shall certainly do so,” Macher replied.
The coastguardsmen and their captain returned to their vessel and departed the yacht, and Macher was left to explain to his guests why they had been disturbed.
He was so furious he forgot about his planned afternoon tryst.
20
Jake Herman stood at a loose parade rest before Erik Macher’s desk in Christian St. Clair’s old library. He noticed that Macher seemed to have acquired a slight facial tic, the sudden lifting of his left eyebrow for no apparent reason.
“Good morning, sir,” Jake said.
“Not so,” Macher replied. “I have just had a long weekend of cruising aboard my yacht interrupted by a visit from the Coast Guard.”
“Ah, yes, that happens, sir. They like to check to see if a boat has all the required emergency equipment.”
“This was something more than that,” Macher replied. “They did an investigatory search of the yacht, going through the guest cabins and the owner’s cabin.”
“Did they find anything of consequence?”
“They came up with a plastic bag containing a white powder.”
“Uh-oh.”
“It wasn’t my white powder!” Macher yelled, losing it for a moment, then regaining control of himself.
“Of course not, sir.”
“St. Clair must have left it there.”
“Most probably, sir. Were there any consequences of this discovery?”
“A stern lecture from the captain of the Coast Guard vessel — a woman, for God’s sake! She’s having it tested in their laboratory, said she’d get back to me.”
“I don’t believe the Coast Guard has a laboratory, sir, so it probably went to the FBI lab for analysis. Have you taken any defensive steps?”
“The woman advised me to hire an attorney with maritime experience.”
“That’s probably good advice.”
“I have a call in to Tommy Berenson, our corporate counsel.”
“A good move.”
“What happens if the powder is cocaine?” Macher demanded.
“Well, conceivably, charges for possession could be brought, or if there is a substantial quantity, a charge for intent to sell might be added.”
“It was the first time I’d ever set foot on the yacht! I hadn’t even unpacked my bags!”
“In that case, a good attorney might be able to persuade them not to bring charges, since it was clearly left there by a previous occupant — one now deceased, I might add, and that should stand in your stead.”
“Jake, I smell a rat here, one named Stone Barrington. Do you think he might have been able to instigate these events?”
“Well, sir, anyone could call the Coast Guard and report that a yacht carrying drugs is sailing in Penobscot Bay, and the Coast Guard would be obliged to investigate such a report.”
“Even if the report were anonymous? I can’t imagine Barrington giving them his name.”
“Yes, sir, even an anonymous report. Of course, any person making such a report that was false and malicious would be subject to arrest for making a false report.”
“Aha!”
“However, if the substance found aboard turns out to be cocaine or heroin or some other illegal drug, the report would not have been false. In some circumstances he might even be financially rewarded, if the drugs were of sufficient value.”
Macher made a groaning noise.
“Sir, I would suggest that this incident is unlikely to result in a prosecution because of insufficient evidence. I think the best thing would be to consult your attorney to see if any legal moves were indicated, then to just be patient and wait for the lab to issue its report.”
“I am a little short of patience,” Macher said.
“Sir, I originally came in to report on yesterday’s incident in Central Park.”
“Oh, yes, I had forgotten. What happened?”
“We found Barrington and the Carlsson woman in a rowboat on the Central Park lake. One of my men very carefully fired a silenced round into the boat, causing it to spring a serious leak.”
“Heh, heh,” Macher said.
“Barrington managed to get the boat to the dock before it could sink, but he was seen to recover the spent round from it, so he knows that he has received a warning.”
“Now that’s what I like to hear!” Macher said, brightening visibly. “Now he knows where we stand.”
“Sir, this event took place early Saturday afternoon. When did your brush with the Coast Guard happen?”