Chapter 29
Barry didn’t want to have to deal with Jacques and being overcharged, so he drove to the north coast and chartered a boat for a reasonable price from a fisherman name Danny to take him to Nassau.
It also gave him a chance to probe the fisherman about Charlie and fishing in the area, but once again, Mac had been right.
Danny knew him to be an outsider and stayed tight-lipped.
The other fisherman’s warning came to mind as well.
About asking the wrong questions to the wrong people.
Needless to say, it was a pretty quiet boat trip to Nassau.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“No worries,” Danny said, laying back in his captain’s seat with his feet propped up next to the wheel, looking like he was about to take a nap.
Nassau was a fairly large island that mainly catered to tourists either flying in or coming in via cruise lines. Where Charlie had bought the boat was on the west coast, near Clifton, away from the tourist hotspots.
Barry followed the directions from his phone to the boatyard. It was a mile up from the marina he had docked at. There was a large array of boats to choose from. Barry could see why Charlie had been drawn to this seller.
It was a much larger selection than could be found on Mac’s Island, which was mostly charter boats and speed boats. But this was the big money island where people came to be wined and dined. Not just jet down the waters.
Barry was used to seeing this lifestyle in Vegas on the strip. People showed off their Lamborghinis and other expensive cars. These boats were different.
A salesman saw him walk in and immediately made a B-line for him.
A smile plastered on his face even though he was halfway across the lot.
The man wore an expensive-looking navy blue suit and tan shoes.
Barry caught the gleaming of his gold Rolex watch.
Either the man made a considerable wage or was just trying to look the part.
“Welcome to Paradise Boats, I’m Louis, and you are? ”
“Roger Crane.” Barry offered his hand. The salesman had a forceful handshake that almost ripped his arm out of the socket. Good thing it was his good arm, or the man could have risked ripping it out.
“Well, what kind of boat are you interested in, Roger? A large luxury yacht.” He waved his hand to the left of them. “Or we have speed boats, charters. Just about every kind of boat you could imagine on the waters.” His arms fanned out.
Barry had to take a step back so he didn’t get hit. The man was very animated. He reminded Barry of those used car salesman ads. “I’m not here for a boat, per se, but a boat owner.”
“Oh.” Louis’s shoulders deflated like a week-old balloon until he looked weary. “An owner. Has there been a complaint?”
“No, I work for Inner Coastal Investigation. We’re looking into Charlie Boudreaux. He purchased a forty-foot yacht from here two months ago.”
“I don’t remember everyone we sell to.” Louis chuckled nervously. Whether because he thought Barry was a cop or he knew something about Charlie, Barry didn’t know yet.
“He paid eight hundred thousand dollars in cash,” Barry said deadpan. It would be hard to forget someone who did that. Even if they weren’t the one selling the boat.
Louis’s eyes widened in recognition. “Oh yeah, him. Now I remember. Terrible with names but good with faces. I’m actually the one who sold it to him.”
Perfect, so this was the man he needed. “Do you know where Charlie went after he bought the boat?”
“No idea.”
Oh well, maybe this had been a waste of time.
“But the boat showed up two weeks later after I sold it to him.”
“Did he resell it?”
“No, the poor boat was washed up on shore.”
“Are you sure it was his? It could have been another boat.” Barry wanted to be absolutely certain it was Charlie’s before getting his hopes up.
“No, the newspaper article had the name of the ship. Cyclone.” That would make it easy to pinpoint it to Charlie.
“So, he bought a yacht here on the island and never left?”
“I didn’t say that.” Louis shook his head. “I said it washed up here. It could have been anywhere in the islands before the current brought it back.”
But no way to track where it had been. “Did you get the boat back? Was it salvageable?”
“It was. After I had to buy it at auction,” the salesman grumbled. “Almost paid what I sold it for. There wasn’t much damage to it luckily, so she’s back on market.”
“Where was Charlie?”
“Died on the boat. Police wrote it up as an accident, otherwise they would have impounded it.”
“Any idea where they took his body?”
“County morgue I’d imagine.” The salesman shrugged, not looking like he much cared. “Beyond that, I don’t know.”
“I really appreciate you answering my questions.”
“Of course.”
“One last thing. Do you mind if I take a look at the boat?”
“Why?” The salesman looked skeptical, then his eyes widened in panic. “You don’t think Charlie was murdered on it, do you? If he was, I’ll never be able to sell it.”
“I don’t think anything of the sort.” He really did.
What better way to kill someone than at sea, and then let the body drift to shore?
Evidence of foul play would be next to impossible to find.
Even a broken neck could be explained by rough waves or debris.
“I just want to look. I know someone in the market for a yacht like that.”
Louis’s eyes gleamed in eagerness, sensing a sale.
“I’ll show you to it.” Louis guided Barry to the back corner of the lot where the much larger boats were.
Though still calling it a boat when it was almost a hundred feet long was a bit of a stretch.
Barry didn’t understand why someone would need a boat this large. But to each his own.
Louis stopped in front of a boat that was raised up on a ramp to stay upright. It was only a few inches off the ground so you could step up on the flat back end of the boat to hoist yourself up.
Barry could see straight into the boat from the small deck. The first thing he saw was the kitchen, which took up a corner with every amenity one would find in their own home including a standing fridge.
There was a large sitting area past that, with each side of the boat covered in plush chairs and a table. Small windows lined the sides to allow natural light to filter into the room.
The captain’s chair was just past and to the right of the living room space.
Barry passed the living room and had to step down two steps to find a decent-sized bathroom with a standing shower, toilet, and sink.
Past that was the bedroom which housed a large king-size bed with upper storage and more rows of windows.
“Pretty nice, right?” Louis remarked with pride as he looked around while staying on the deck. Barry stepped back into the living room.
“It is.” The closest to large boats Barry had ever been on were Navy carriers. And while they were big, they didn’t have all this luxury. They were designed for function and to take down enemies, not just for pleasure.
Barry looked it over with a critical eye, searching for any clues as to what might have happened to Charlie before his sudden death, but the boat was clean. Probably Louis or the sea had wiped it all clean.
“Did you find anything out of place when you bought the boat back? Broken glass, something missing?”
“At least one glass got broken. I found several pieces in the kitchen area. Took forever to get them all, but it’s not at all surprising.”
“Why is that?”
“These are party boats. People get a little drunk, lose their balance, and glasses break. There had also been a storm a day or two before the boat washed up on shore. That’s probably why it did—” He blinked as if that thought had just occurred to him.
“Anyway, things could have fallen out of the boat if the rocking was bad enough.”
“Did Charlie happen to mention why he was buying the boat?”
Louis looked thoughtful. “I don’t remember. He was eager to get the boat, I remember that. Said something about having a small one and wanting to upgrade.”
This would be a huge upgrade from his small fishing boat. None of the boats on the other island were near as large unless it was a commercial fisherman, and Barry was sure even then that they didn’t have plush furniture and full bathrooms.
Why would a broke fisherman get this boat? One would think he would want to give up a life on water and seek dry land.
“Can you tell me what kind of impression he gave you?”
Louis looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“Did he seem like a man of wealth or like someone who had just won the lottery and was out to spend it?”
“Definitely not wealthy. He actually showed up in a t-shirt and shorts and sandals.” Louis chuckled as he shook his head in disbelief. “I’d say more the lottery winner. He looked like he had just come running from somewhere. He was all too happy to flash his money.”
That would put a target on anyone’s back. Anyone would have tried to kill him for the money, but not necessarily the person who gave him the money to begin with.
“And you didn’t find it odd he paid in cash for this boat?”
Louis looked sheepish but shrugged. “It’s not like I could prove the money was stolen. He knew what he was looking for and paid. It was a quick sale.”
Louis wouldn’t question a guaranteed sale. Especially at that price. So once Charlie got the money, he immediately spent it. Barry wondered about the others.
“Have you sold any other yachts about this size or in cash over the past two months?”
“No.”
So either the other fishermen had just moved on to other fishing grounds, or they hadn’t bought from here? “Is this the only place in the islands to get yachts?”
Louis stood up a little taller, looking prideful. “It’s the best place to find yachts in these waters.”
“I can see that. What about smaller boats?”
“It’s the Caribbean.” Louis barked with laughter. “You can find a boat anywhere, but yachts are only found here.”
“Are there a lot of fishing boats around here?”
“Not the big commercial ones, only a few smaller ones who bring fish to the island for the restaurants or the boats for tourists who want a big catch.”
“Have you heard of any fishing issues here? A decline in fishing?”
Louis looked thoughtful again, his lips pursing out before shaking his head. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“I really appreciate it.” Barry started to walk past him.
“What about your friend? Do you think this is the type of boat he would want?”
Leave it to a salesman to keep pushing the sale. “I’ll talk to him and get back to you. I thank you again for your help.”
Louis let him pass, and Barry pulled out his phone to look up the address of the county morgue. If the boat couldn’t tell what happened to Charlie, maybe Charlie himself could.