Chapter 14
There was something off about Mac this morning that Barry couldn’t quite put his finger on. It seemed like she was lying to him, but he didn’t know why she would lie about going out with her crew today.
She had told him she pretty much went out every day during this time of year due to the migration. And yet it seemed like she wasn’t planning on going out today.
Maybe he was just tired and seeing things that weren’t there. He hadn’t been getting much sleep since he arrived. Mac was definitely to blame for that, and he wasn’t sorry for it in the least. She was worth the lack of a few extra hours.
The sooner he got his investigation over with, the sooner we could enjoy his so-called vacation with Mac and catch up on that sleep.
Barry didn’t wait to see Mac leave with her crew. He had some investigating to do around the coastal area of Miles’s hotel.
He returned to his hotel for a quick shower and change of clothes. After a question to the front desk agent at his hotel, Barry made his way down the road to Jacques. It took him down the same path as Elsie’s shack.
The shack was already open with several customers so Elsie didn’t see him passing by. Her grandson did and glared him down as he passed. Barry had a feeling he wasn’t going to hear from that kid, which was a shame because Barry had a feeling the kid knew something about Miles Banks.
Barry continued down the road and turned off on another dirt trail, following a makeshift wood plank sign with a hand-painted arrow showing the way to Jacques’ Boat Services.
The small docking area was crowded with different kinds of boats for sea fishing as well as speed racing with tubes to rent.
Barry spotted a person in a chair that had seen better days tilted back on its rear legs with their bare feet propped up on a white paint bucket that was flipped over.
They wore baggy cargo shorts and a cut-off dark grey shirt.
A hat covered the person’s face, but Barry could easily hear loud snoring coming from under it.
Barry looked around but didn’t see any one else. This must be Jacques.
Barry stopped next to Jacques and loudly cleared his throat. Jacques continued to snore. “Excuse me,” Barry said in a deep voice.
The snoring sputtered to a stop, and a tanned arm lifted to the hat and pulled it up high enough for Barry to see their face.
“What do you want?” If this was how Jacques treated all of his customers, no wonder he didn’t have any.
“I need a boat.”
Jacques stood up, pushing his hat to the top of his head and looking more presentable. “Well, you’ve come to the right place. And what are you needing a boat for?”
“Do you always question your customers?” Mac hadn’t mentioned that he would get an interrogation about his boat needs.
“As you can see, I have a fine array of boats to choose from.” Jacques made a sweeping motion with his arm toward his boats. “I want to make sure I match the driver to their uses.”
Barry looked over the boats as he did mental calculations in his head. The fishing boat was larger but wouldn’t allow him to get as close to the coast as he’d need to. The speed boat would have to do.
“I’ll take the speed boat.”
“A thrill seeker. Excellent. I’m Jacques by the way. The owner of this fine establishment.” He held his hand out then looked down at Barry’s prosthetic arm before darting his gaze back up to Barry’s face. His grin slipped. “You Gary?”
“Barry,” Barry corrected him, not sure how this person knew about him but guessing it had something to do with Mac.
“Whatever, Mac mentioned you,” the man muttered, retracting his hand and not trying to shake any longer.
The way Jacques said that didn’t sound good. “Well, she said if I mentioned her name, I’d get a discount.”
“Look, mister, I ain’t in the business of charity.
Me sign says boat rentals are a hundred dollars an hour.
” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the shack Barry hadn’t noticed when he’d first walked up with another hand-painted sign posting the services and fees.
It looked like the paint was still drying on it too.
“But since Mac asked me nicely, I’ll do ninety for an hour. ”
So, he was a money haggler. “Fine, I only need it about an hour and a half, so how about I give you a hundred and fifty? You can keep the change as a tip.”
“I don’t rent for half hours. It’s an hour at a time.”
Barry looked back out at the dock, only seeing one boat missing. “Business seems slow today. As a smart businessman, I’m sure you’d want to keep every profit you get. That’s more money in your pocket.” Barry pulled out the money from his wallet and held it out for Jacques to see.
“Fine.” Jacques stuffed the money into his pocket, went to the shack, and came back with a key. “Number five.”
“What was the boat that’s missing?”
“It’s another speed boat.”
Barry looked out at the water. He couldn’t see to the left of him since the trees reached the water’s edge and they were still several feet from the dock. “I don’t see it out there, or hear it.”
“What are you, the boat police?” Jacques scowled at Barry as if he had no right to ask about his boats. It wasn’t his business.
“Just curious since I didn’t see it.” Speed boats were loud, and as calm as the water was, the sound would carry for a while. There were only a few boats out today, and none were speed boats.
“And you won’t. Mac took it a little over an hour ago. Headed to the coast.”
That couldn’t be right. Maybe it was a different Mac. “Mac as in Mackenzie Grant?”
“Yeah.”
“She said she was going out with her team today.” He had walked her down to the dock. Well, not all the way to the dock. She’d walked away before they could get close. She had fooled him. Maybe he was right to second guess her today.
What had she done, snuck through the trees to avoid him seeing her sneak all the way over here? And why even rent a boat from Jacques when she had Burt as her boat captain?
“And she told me she was checking out corals.” Jacques laughed without humor. “Does she think I was born yesterday? I knew where she was headed. Burt did too. Even warned me.”
“Warned you about what?” Barry asked, trying not to sound alarmed that she was keeping everyone in the dark about where she was really going.
Jacques pointed his finger in a southeast direction.
“She’s going to the coast where the hotel is,” Barry guessed.
“Damn straight. Foolish woman.” Jacques shook his head.
Barry had to agree. He took a deep breath, trying to stay calm; maybe Jacques and Burt were just guessing. “How are you certain that’s where she went?” There was the odd-percent chance she was going on a day trip to look at corals, though he had a sinking feeling she was investigating on her own.
“All my boats have GPS on them—you know, in case tourists get lost and such. That way I don’t lose me boats.
” Right, who cared if the tourist came back so long as the boat did.
They were nice boats. Jacques hadn’t spared any cost on them so he could charge more for the customers to use.
“And I’ve been watching hers. It went straight for the southeast coast, and it hasn’t moved. ”
“Jacques, I need the direction of where she is.”
Jacques reared back as if Barry had slapped him. “And why would I be doing that? She knows you, I don’t. How do I know you’re not going to go after her and hurt her?”
They were wasting time arguing, and Mac already had an hour lead on him. Barry reached into his back pocket and pulled out four one-hundred-dollar bills.
Jacques eyes gleamed, and he licked his lips in eagerness as he reached for the money. Barry pulled it back before Jacques could touch it. “I need the boat and her location. Now!”
Jacques didn’t look happy about being outmaneuvered, but it was worth the money. “Fine,” Jacques grumbled and headed back to the shack. Barry waiting impatiently for him to return with the GPS tracker.
He raced to the boat and took off, following the GPS, hoping Mac hadn’t found her way into trouble.