Chapter Twelve Turning Tides #2
“I’ll pick up something to eat at the Waterwitch,” Madison said. “Let’s meet at the marina around six thirty. The place should be shut down by then. We’ll take one of the clam boats.”
“Aye-aye.” Viggo saluted her. “See you tomorrow. Meanwhile, don’t talk to strangers.”
“I won’t.” Madison walked him to the front door.
Would he kiss her? She stroked his arm. He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips. It was better than nothing, although not as good as the one the night before.
Mikey locked up the boat and headed to the dockmaster’s office. “Is Riley Shields in?”
“May I ask what this is in reference to?” a woman with overprocessed hair asked.
“I need to settle an overdue bill.”
“I can help you with that,” she said.
“I have something else I’d like to discuss with him.
Please.” Mikey wanted to move this situation along as quickly as possible.
If they could solve this problem, that would leave them with only two more: bankruptcy and the mystery man.
Mikey wasn’t sure which was more severe, although he got the impression that the mystery man would be the worst of the two.
But for the moment, he had to handle this one.
Riley came out from a rear office. “Come to pay the bill?” he asked with a hint of skepticism.
“Yes, as a matter of fact,” Mikey replied confidently.
“I didn’t think I was going to see you so soon,” Riley remarked.
“Me either, but we have the cash. Three thousand. Correct?”
“Correct. And we do like cash,” Riley replied.
“There’s something else I’d like to discuss with you.” Mikey glanced over at the permed, bleached blonde.
“Come inside.” Riley turned and walked into the back room. Mikey and Arlo followed. Riley sat behind his desk. “What can I do for you fellas?” He was in a much more congenial mood than earlier. Money can do that to people.
“It’s about the houseboat,” Mikey began.
“What about it?”
“We want to sell it. Can you help us out with that?” Mikey asked plainly.
“You want me to buy it?” Riley’s eyes went from Mikey to Arlo and back to Mikey.
“Not necessarily. Unless you want to buy it. If not, can you help us sell it? Like, quick?” Mikey asked.
“What are you asking?” Riley queried.
“Fifty.” Mikey knew Dennis paid 40,000, but if he could get 50,000, he could pay off the mystery dude.
Riley leaned back into his office chair and placed his laced fingers across his chest. “Is that negotiable?”
Mikey wasn’t anticipating the question, at least not this soon. He didn’t want to seem desperate, even though he was.
“It’s possible.” He waited for the burly man to respond.
“I may have someone in mind. Retiring to Florida but wants a little flexibility.”
Not far from Cuba, Mikey thought to himself. He was still reeling from the discovery of his brother’s betrayal.
“How soon can you get in touch with him?” Mikey asked.
“I can call him now.” Riley opened his cell phone and hit the button. A few rings, and someone answered. Riley described the boat and the price. From the expression on his face, the man on the other end of the call seemed interested.
Riley continued, “Yeah, it’s in great shape. Been keeping it here at my place.” Riley put his hand over the phone, and whispered to Mikey, “You got the bill of sale, right?”
Mikey nodded as if his head was going to bounce off his shoulders. Then Riley said, “Okay. Give me a call later.” He paused. “I think there are a few other prospective buyers, so don’t wait too long. Yeah. Thanks.” Riley ended the call.
Mikey looked confused. As far as he knew, there were no other prospects.
Riley read his mind and grunted. “It’s called ‘salesmanship.’ Speaking of which, you do plan on giving me a commission, right?”
Mikey froze. It hadn’t occurred to him, but he realized he still had 7,000 left after he paid the late fees for the slip.
“Sure.” He quickly did the math in his head. He could pay Riley ten percent and still have 2,000 left over, provided he got the fifty grand he was asking for. “Does ten percent work for you?”
Riley sat upright, held out his baseball glove–sized hand, and said, “You got a deal, kid.”
Mikey let out the breath he had been holding for what seemed like an eternity. Not all his luck had turned around, but it was moving in the right direction.
Even Riley was relieved that the matter was readily solved.
He really didn’t want to go through the hassle of filing a lawsuit.
He stood up and said, “I’ll be in touch as soon as I hear back.
If it’s a no-go, I’ll post something on the website.
You picked a good time of year. Lots of people want to head south before winter sets in. ”
Mikey stood and shook Riley’s hand. He had to kick Arlo on the foot to snap him out of his daydream.
“Oh, yeah. Thanks.”
The two brothers walked out into the reception area and said their farewells to the woman with the scary hair and way too much blush.
As they walked back to their truck, Mikey gave Arlo a backhanded slap on his arm. Arlo still appeared to be in la-la land.
“What’s up with you?”
Arlo trudged along. “I was thinkin’ we shoulda taken the boat and split town.”
Mikey stopped him in his tracks. “I cannot be the only responsible adult in the family. We have creditors, and I don’t want to ruin my reputation any worse than it is. Plus, we got that guy we gotta get rid of.”
Then it occurred to him that Arlo hadn’t filled him in on the details at Crusty’s. All Arlo had to say was that, too, was a dead end.
“Whaddya suppose that guy is after?” Arlo asked.
“Besides the money?” Mikey replied. “I have no idea. But he sure seems hell-bent.”