On the deck, she paused, acknowledging her territorial reaction over the boat. It wasn’t as if they had anything truly valuable on board—or even that personal, but she regarded this vessel as part of 122 Melissa Good their private space and the thought of anyone invading it made her hackles stand right up.
With a slight snort, she stepped up onto the side of the boat, then leaped to the dock, landing lightly and padding barefoot back up to the gate. Hearing voices on the other side, she slowed as she approached it, then stopped when she recognized one of the speakers as Juan Carlos. He was standing with a security guard on the other side of the gate, and they both stopped speaking when they looked through the bars and spotted Dar.
Dar leaned on the gate and stared steadily at them from behind her sunglasses. “Something I can do for you?” she asked in a tone usually reserved for budget meetings.
The security guard looked, if anything, relieved. “Ma’am, this gentleman was asking to be let into your slip.”
Dar kept her stare on Juan Carlos, who was stone faced.
“Why?”
The security guard turned to him questioningly. “Sir?”
“I have reason to believe some of my property is there,” Juan Carlos said smoothly. “I wish to look.”
“Then call the cops,” Dar replied calmly. “File charges, and let them get a search warrant instead of trying to bully the staff into doing something you, and they…” she gave the guard a look,
“know is illegal.”
“This does not have to get nasty,” the detective said.
“It already is,” Dar said. “And it’s going to get a lot nastier when I get over to this resort’s corporate offices and file a complaint, not only for this, but because they let your little partner into our hotel room.”
Imperceptibly, the security guard edged closer to Dar and farther away from Juan Carlos.
“Ms. Roberts, I do not think you know who you are dealing with.”
Dar smiled, then she pulled off her glasses and pinned him with a stare. “No,” her voice dropped to a low rumble, “I don’t think you know who you’re dealing with.” She pulled the gate open and emerged onto the dock. “So take your slimy boss, your stinky partner, and whatever idiotic business you’re involved with, and get all of it out of my sight unless you want more trouble than you know what to do with landing right on your ass.” She pointed at Juan Carlos’ chest. “Now move it.”
“If you force us to take this to the authorities, you will regret it,” he said, apparently not intimidated. “I can get a search warrant, and I will.” He turned and walked away slowly, assuming an air of casual disinterest.
Dar shook her head. “What a moron.” She turned and wrapped the chain around the gate. “How much was he offering you to let Terrors of the High Seas 123
him in?” she asked suddenly, turning to the guard who was still standing there watching her.
The guard had the grace to look embarrassed.
“C’mon.” Dar leaned on the gate. “Pencil neck like him wouldn’t scare someone like you.”
The guard shifted his brawny shoulders, responding to the compliment with a sheepish grin. “Twenty dollars,” he admitted.
“He was about to go to fifty when you walked up.”
“Cheapskate.” Dar finished putting the lock on the gate, closing it with a distinct click. She opened the pouch she was carrying and removed two bills, reached over, and slid them into the guard’s khaki shirt pocket. His eyes widened at the amount. “I can buy his boss for petty cash,” Dar said. “So you tell everyone if they get an offer from them, look me up first. I’ll do better.”
“Yes, ma’am!” the guard responded enthusiastically. “I’ll make sure everyone knows!” He gave her a little wave, then trotted off down the dock, taking a moment to examine the contents of his pocket as he ran.
Dar dusted off her hands, then followed him. “When you care enough to buy the very best,” she muttered, shaking her head. Now things were getting to the point where she knew she had to do something about them. The question was, what?
Well. Dar considered as she walked. Usually she solved problems by cutting to the chase and going to the very top. She didn’t know where John DeSalliers was, but she bet if she went high enough at this resort, someone did. And she bet she could make them tell her.
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.