Storm
Grandpa always said...
"If someone insists on watching you..."
"...give them a good show."
I never knew he'd already taught me how to deceive an enemy.
Piers never took his eyes off the night sky.
"There."
He pointed toward the darkness above the stern.
At first...
I saw nothing.
Then...
The faintest flicker.
A tiny shadow moving silently against the stars.
John smiled.
"They're curious."
Mark folded his arms.
"They're about to be disappointed."
Ward looked toward Ben.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Ben's grin appeared.
"I usually am."
Scott chuckled.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Nathan frowned.
"What are you boys planning?"
Ben looked at Storm.
"Captain..."
"May we borrow your yacht for about thirty minutes?"
Storm raised an eyebrow.
"What exactly are you going to do?"
Ward smiled.
"Nothing."
"Exactly."
Storm looked around the bridge.
"I think it's time we acted like tourists again."
Hazel immediately understood.
"Oh..."
"I like this plan."
Willow laughed.
"I know exactly where this is going."
She disappeared down the companionway.
Five minutes later...
Music drifted across the deck.
Soft.
Warm.
Frank Sinatra filled the Pacific night.
"The Way You Look Tonight."
Frank smiled.
"Now that's proper music."
Rose reached for his hand.
"I was hoping you'd ask."
He bowed dramatically.
"My pleasure."
They began dancing beneath the stars.
Willow returned carrying a tray of desserts.
Chocolate cake.
Fresh berries.
Coffee.
Hazel opened a bottle of sparkling Champagne.
Calle laughed.
"Should I be worried that we're having a party?"
Storm smiled.
"No."
"We're hosting one."
From above...
The drone circled silently.
Its camera transmitted every movement back to Mariner's Crown.
Inside the enemy's bridge...
The silver-haired man frowned.
"What are they doing?"
A technician adjusted the image.
"They're..."
He hesitated.
"Dancing."
The older man stared.
"What?"
"They're dancing, sir."
Back aboard Sea Whisper...
Ward stepped beside Storm.
"May I have this dance, Captain?"
Storm smiled.
"I thought you'd never ask."
He offered his hand.
Not as a rescuer.
Not as a SEAL.
Simply...
As a gentleman.
Storm placed her hand in his.
The music carried them slowly across the teak deck.
Neither spoke for a while.
The stars reflected across the calm Pacific.
For a brief moment...
It almost felt like the danger had disappeared.
Ben leaned casually against the rail with Scott.
Both held coffee mugs.
To anyone watching...
They looked completely absorbed in the music.
In reality...
Ben quietly counted.
"Drone's made three circles."
Scott nodded.
"Altitude's dropping."
"They're trying to read lips."
Ben smiled.
"Good."
"Think they can?"
Scott asked.
Ben chuckled.
"Not with what Frank's about to say."
Right on cue...
Frank looked toward Rose.
With theatrical enthusiasm he announced loudly...
"I've solved it!"
Everyone turned dramatically toward him.
Rose gasped.
"You have?"
Frank nodded seriously.
"The butler did it."
Rose burst into laughter.
"I knew it!"
Hazel joined in.
"I thought it was the gardener!"
Even Nathan laughed so hard he had to wipe tears from his eyes.
Storm looked at Ward.
"Our guests are wonderful."
"They are."
He smiled.
"They're also better actors than most people in Hollywood."
Storm laughed.
"I'll have to remember that."
Above them...
The drone continued recording.
Hours of video.
People laughing.
Dancing.
Sharing dessert.
Listening to music.
Frank insisting the mysterious lighthouse keeper secretly eloped with a pirate queen.
Rose arguing that pirates had much better manners.
Hazel pretending to accuse Willow of stealing the last piece of chocolate cake.
Willow denying the allegation with exaggerated innocence.
Nathan smiling for the first time in years.
Aboard Mariner's Crown...
The technician finally removed his headset.
"Sir..."
"We've got nothing."
The silver-haired man frowned.
"Nothing?"
"They're celebrating."
"Dancing."
"Telling jokes."
"Eating dessert. Drinking Champagne.”
He looked genuinely confused.
"If they found Sinclair's secret..."
"...why are they acting like this?"
The older man slowly walked to the bridge window.
Watching the tiny lights of Sea Whisper glowing peacefully in the darkness.
His instincts told him something was wrong.
Very wrong.
People being hunted didn't usually dance.
Unless...
They wanted the hunters to believe they had nothing to hide.
His smile slowly disappeared.
"They know we're watching."
The technician swallowed.
"What do we do?"
The older man's eyes remained fixed on the distant yacht.
"Keep watching."
He spoke quietly.
"Because people can fake laughter..."
He paused.
"But eventually..."
"...someone always makes a mistake."
Miles away...
Still swaying gently beneath the stars...
Ben quietly spoke without moving his lips.
"They've taken the bait."
Ward smiled without looking at him.
"Good."
Storm rested her head lightly against Ward's shoulder for just a moment as they danced.
To the enemy...
It looked like the beginning of a vacation romance.
Only the people aboard Sea Whisper knew the truth.
The real conversation...
The one that would uncover James Sinclair's killer...
Wouldn't begin...
Until everyone else had gone to bed.