Dar leaned against the cabin and watched him for a moment. A few more puzzle pieces seemed to have been delivered to her, and now she took them, juggling them mentally as she went back inside the cabin to collect a few more. “Now,” she eyed the spare bedroom, “let’s put two and two together and see if we get something other than zero.” With a determined look, she headed for Bob’s hiding place.

THE SUN WAS setting, slices of reddish gold light peeking through the hatches and splashing across the hardwood floor.

Kerry gazed fuzzily at them, then blinked her eyes open wider and stifled a yawn. Hearing low voices nearby, she cocked her head to listen, recognizing them after a moment as Dar’s and Bob’s.

Her head seemed clearer, and it hurt less. Kerry stretched, grateful for that. She could still feel a little chill and there was an ache in her bones, but she found her curiosity prodding her past the discomfort and urging her to get up and go find out what was going on.

Accordingly, she eased out of bed and padded over to the dresser, removing a sweatshirt from the bottom drawer and tugging it on over her head. She paused a moment, sniffing the distinctive smell of home in its folds, then pulled it down into place. She stopped by the dresser and peeked at her reflection. “Uck.” She picked up Dar’s brush and ran it through her hair, settling it into some kind of order. Then she eased out the door and into the main cabin. Dar was sitting in one of the easy chairs, facing Bob. Dar’s eyes lifted as Kerry entered and her face shifted into a warm smile, which Kerry returned. “Hey.”

Bob turned around. “Oh. Hi.”

“How’re you feeling?” Dar asked.

“Eh.” Kerry cleared her throat. “What’s going on out here?”

She went into the galley and retrieved a bottle of juice, pulling off the top as she trudged over to where Dar was seated and plopped into the chair next to her. She tucked her feet up under her and leaned on the arm, sipping her juice quietly.

“I was…um…just kind of getting into why I’m here,” Bob said.

“But first, I’d kinda like to apologize for getting you both mixed up in all this,” he went on. “When I came out here, I thought I could get in and get out, and no one would be the wiser.”

Dar reached over and scratched Kerry’s back lightly. “All right, let me get this straight,” she said. “Your grandfather was the captain of that fishing trawler that went down just west of here.”


Terrors of the High Seas 183

Bob nodded. “Right.”

“He left a fortune.”

“Right.”

“The fortune went to his eldest son, your uncle,” Dar continued.

“Right.”

“Nobody else got anything.”

Bob nodded. “My uncle is tighter than a ten-year-old girdle.”

“I knew money had to be at the root of this,” Kerry muttered in disgust, getting a startled look from Bob. “Let me guess—grandpa took a treasure chest with him, and you’re trying to find a few pieces of eight to raise a family on, right?”

“Um. No.” Bob exhaled. “Actually, I’m trying to prove my uncle killed my grandfather, and get him charged with murder.”

Two perfectly still faces with identical expressions of startlement faced him for a long beat, then Dar and Kerry looked at each other. “O…okay,” Dar said. “You have reason to think he did it?”

Bob nodded. “If I can prove it, the will’s broken and the rest of the family will take over the inheritance,” he said. “Oh, I won’t pretend to altruism. I’m due for about a tenth of it. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life behind a desk, and that’ll keep me in style.”

Kerry sipped on her juice to keep herself from commenting.

“What the hell are you looking for?” Dar asked.

Bob gave her a wary look. “I can’t say,” he said. “It’s very confidential.”

Kerry rolled her eyes.

“It’s something of my grandfather’s,” Bob said hastily. “We thought it had been destroyed in a fire at his house, but just recently we found out it hadn’t.” He ran a hand through his hair.

“So, I decided to try and find it. I figured the wreck was the only place left to look.”

“You weren’t the only one, I guess,” Kerry finally commented.

“And, I guess you won’t be needing those scuba lessons, huh?”

Having been caught in his earlier lie, the young man cleared his throat and looked away. “DeSalliers boasted he was the best in the business, and my uncle hired him to salvage every speck of the wreck. He’s paying him a king’s ransom,” Bob admitted. “And his reputation is at stake.”

“That’s what he meant,” Kerry murmured, “about being hoisted on his own reputation.”

Bob stared at her. “You talked to him?”

“Long story,” Dar cut him off. “Your plan sucks. He almost caught you today, and if he’s got a few more days to get a salvage barge in place, you’re sunk.”


184 Melissa Good Bob blinked. “Um…well, yeah,” he confessed. “I thought I’d have more time. He surprised me.” He sighed. “I don’t know. It was probably a bad idea to begin with.”

Kerry scratched her jaw, her green eyes in wry agreement with him. “Even if you could find whatever this is, do you really think you can make a case against your uncle?” she asked skeptically.

“People with lots of power and money don’t give it up that easily.”

Bob sat up. “I’m sure the police will help us, once they see the evidence,” he told her. “That’s their job.”

Dar snorted. “Well,” she got up and walked to the door, “good luck.” Her eyes searched the dimming horizon, streaked with gentle orange light. “You’re gonna need it.”

Bob stood up and peered out the window toward the west. “I know I can do it,” he said. “I just need the time to look. If I could only get that bastard DeSalliers off my back for a few days.” He straightened up and turned. “Well, anyway, thanks again. I know you didn’t mean to rescue me for the second time, but boy, I appreciate it.”

Dar remained staring out at the sunset.

“I’m glad we were in the right place at the right time.” Kerry gracefully picked up the ball. “Where are you going now? You can’t try the wreck again. He’ll get you next time.”

Bob sighed. “Yeah,” he said. “I don’t know. Maybe I can check out the drift shops on the islands. Maybe what I’m looking for has already been picked up, and it’s there.”

“Hm.” Kerry made a noncommittal sound.

“Hey, maybe I’ll ask those buddies of yours. They’re pretty savvy,” Bob suddenly added. “Bet they’ve been around…a while, haven’t they?”

Kerry frowned. “Well, I guess. I just met them. They’re old friends of Dar’s, really. Probably they know where to start looking, though.”

“Yeah,” Bob answered briefly.

“Don’t you think DeSalliers has thought of that?” Dar asked from the doorway. “I bet his little gumshoes are looking right now.”

Bob smiled. “He would, if he knew what he was looking for.”

He eased past Dar, then turned with a faint, half-crooked smile.

“But he doesn’t.” He picked up his gear and stepped off the boat onto the dock. “Thanks again,” he said to Dar. “Hope Kerry feels better soon.”

He turned and started walking up the dock, slinging his gear over one shoulder as he carried his tanks in the other.

Dar turned and went back inside the cabin. She found Kerry waiting, one leg slung over the arm of her chair as she finished her juice. “He’ll never find it,” she said. “Whatever it is.”


Terrors of the High Seas 185

Kerry wiggled her toes. “Probably not,” she agreed. “You think there’s anything to his story?”

Dar sat down on the couch and extended a hand out to her.

“C’mere.” She wrapped her arms around Kerry when she complied, pulling her down into her lap and leaning back on the couch. “I don’t know,” she answered. “Right now, I don’t really care.”

Kerry put her arms around Dar’s neck and nuzzled her cheek.

“What a mess.” She found Dar’s ear invitingly close by, and despite the fact that she still felt like heck, she gently suckled the tasty looking earlobe. Dar’s arms tightened around her and she laughed softly.

“Mmm,” Dar hummed. “Feeling better?”

Kerry gave her a kiss on the cheek. “How could I not feel better?” Her lashes brushed Dar’s skin, tickling it and making the dark-haired woman smile. “How about you?” she whispered into Dar’s ear. “You sounded kinda torked before.”

Dar hesitated, then sighed. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she said. “Just too much going on at once, I guess,” she admitted.

Kerry nuzzled her cheek again. “I think we’re due a vacation from our vacation, Dixiecup.”

“Mm.” Dar thought about the trials of the day, then decided dismissing them and simply immersing herself in Kerry’s presence was a much better idea. There was really no point in dwelling on it all anyway. It was over, and in the past. Things had worked out all right. Kerry was okay. She was okay. They knew what was going on. Now they could take off and leave it all behind. They were out of it. Kerry suckled on her earlobe again, blowing gently into her ear. Dar closed her eyes and smiled. Yeah. Everything is all right.


Chapter

Sixteen

DAR WOKE TO the soft clang of the buoy sea bell at the edge of the harbor. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and looked around in slight confusion, taking a moment to recognize the dim interior of the boat around her. She and Kerry were lying together on the small couch, limbs entangled. Dar had no idea what time it was or how long they’d been sleeping, and she found herself quite willing to let her eyes close and drift back into peaceful oblivion.