Dangerous Depths (18 page)

The people on the boat thanked us profusely,
relieved that they and the boat were safe and undamaged. They were
ready to continue their vacation and were pulling out the champagne
when we left.

O’Brien climbed aboard our boat and Louis
turned toward the dock at the Bitter End in North Sound, towing
Jergens’s boat behind. Jergens was sitting at the wheel, arms
crossed and working hard to maintain his dignity. He was out and
stomping off the second the boat touched the dock leaving William
to take care of things without a word. William jumped out and tied
Jergens’s boat to a cleat while O’Brien did the same with his. Then
Louis and O’Brien headed toward the restaurant for a beer.

“Will you order for me, O’Brien?” I asked. I
wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass. Right now, Jergens was a
captive audience. He’d be heading to the marina repair shop.

O’Brien hesitated.

“It will be fine, O’Brien. I’ll get more out
of him if you’re not around. Me he doesn’t like, you he would like
to kill.” It was pretty obvious that Jergens hated the fact that
O’Brien had shown him up and rescued him to boot.

“Well, watch it with him, Hannah.”

He and Louis settled at a patio table where
they could keep an eye on the repair shop door.

When I got to the shop, Jergens was already
gone.

“Da man was real angry when I tole him I
couldn’t get a new engine from Spanish Town till tomorrow, noon
earliest,” the mechanic said. “He tole me to just get da damned
thing and stormed outta here. I’m pretty sure he be heading to da
bar just down the way a bit.”

I caught up with Jergens at a sidewalk bar
down the quay. He’d already downed half a beer, and an empty shot
glass sat on the table. I hoped the drink had taken the edge off of
his anger. Just in case, I stopped at the bar and picked up another
round for him along with a beer for me. It definitely worked. He
took one look at the drinks, turned his mouth up in what I thought
was the best imitation of a smile he ever managed, and nodded to
the other chair at the table.

He tossed the shot down before I even had a
chance to get comfortable and shouted to bartender for another, a
double. “Hear you paid a visit to BVI Sail yesterday asking William
a lot of questions. You want to know something, you ask me.”

“That’s why I’m here. When did you get back
on the island?”

“Last week. Been over in Puerto Rico for six
months.”

“Why Puerto Rico?”

“That’s where I have my home. This venture
down here is strictly on the side. Thought it was about time to get
back here and check up on things.”

“What were you doing up on Paraquita Bay Road
yesterday?” I asked.

“Just a pleasant drive out of the heat,” he
smirked.

“You know my wheel almost sheared off up
there,” I said, watching closely for his reaction.

“Well, ain’t that too bad. You should take
better care of your vehicle,” he said, never flinching.

“Seems pretty coincidental—you just happening
to be up on the road right before my car went out of control. I’m
surprised you didn’t hang around for the show.” I was taunting him
now, pushing for a mistake.

“That would imply I knew what was going to
happen.”

I let it drop. I needed to get to the real
point before he passed out. “Hear you’ve given Elyse Henry a lot of
trouble,” I said.

“I’d say it was more the other way around. If
that bitch keeps interfering in my business, I’ll...”

“You’ll what?”

“I’ll be coming after her.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’ll have my lawyer filing
restraining orders.”

Right, I thought. I was sure that Jergens
never settled his problems through the law. It was too costly,
time-consuming, and for him, probably unsatisfying.

“Where were you Sunday night?” I asked
him.

“Guess I was over at the Doubloon. Like to
settle down there come evening. What’s the interest in Sunday?”

“That’s the night Elyse’s boat blew up.”

“Hell, everyone knows that was her own
doing,” he said, smirking. “Except you, I guess. Hear Dunn
suspended you over it.”

I ignored the comment. “Someone saw a man
down on the beach that night, a white man. That wouldn’t have been
you, would it?”

“Hell, you’re not pinning that on me.”

“I hear you like fires,” I said, continuing
to badger, hoping he’d slip up. I’d caught him off guard. I could
see by the look on his face that he knew I was referring to the
fires on the boat at Blue Water Charters and at Carmichael’s dive
shop.

“No one has ever proven those fires were
anything more than accidents.”

“Like the explosion on Elyse’s boat?”

“Yeah, just like.”

“That’s what I figure too. I’ll be watching
you, Jergens.”

He stood abruptly, fists tight. “You harass
me, that boat a yours might accidently catch on fire too.”

“You mean you aren’t going to call your
lawyer?” I asked.

He took a swing at me, neither my gender nor
my sweet nature giving him a moment of pause. But he was a bit too
slow to connect. I simply stepped to the side and let his weight
carry him past me. He ended up sprawled on the floor, tangled in
chair legs. As I walked out the door, he was spewing profanities
that even I never used.

***

Louis was at the helm as we motored past the
Dogs on our way back to Road Town. Suddenly a boat was on our tail
and gaining fast. Then it shot past us and cut across our bow,
drenching us in salt water and forcing Louis to veer off
course.

It was the
Libation
, the grocery boat.
Jergens stood in the stern section, his middle finger raised. He’d
obviously found a ride back and left William to wait for the new
motor.

“Damnation!” Louis hollered shaking his fist
as they disappeared around the point.

O’Brien just shook his head and threw me a
towel. “Jergens is one spiteful and unreasonable son of a bitch.
It’s amazing that he hasn’t ended up in jail by now.”

“Yeah, well, if I have anything to do with
it, he will,” I said.

“Or you’ll die trying to put him there,”
O’Brien said. “You need to watch out for him, Hannah.”

The second Louis touched the bow to the dock,
I jumped out, did a quick rope wrap around a cleat and headed to
the Rambler.

“Got something I need to do. I’ll see you
guys later,” I called over my shoulder.

Jergens and the two people from the
Libation
had already secured their boat and were climbing
into a beige minivan in the lot. I intended to follow.

“Wait a minute, Hannah,” O’Brien called. “I’m
coming with you.”

I could tell from the determination in his
voice that I wasn’t going to get away without him. He got into the
passenger side as I watched the van turn out of the marina lot and
head east on Waterfront. I pulled out behind them and kept a couple
of cars between my vehicle and theirs. I loved the Rambler—a black
box with a white convertible top—but it was the only one like it on
the island, and very hard to miss.

“Jergens was on his way to complete alcohol
saturation when he left North Sound. They’re probably going to the
Doubloon to continue the party,” O’Brien said.

“Yeah, but what’s he doing with those two?
We’ve been trying to track them down to question them about the
boat thefts. If they are friendly with Jergens, I’d put them in the
same category as I put the scum of the earth.”

“So what are you implying? That all three of
them are involved in those burglaries? More than likely Jergens
just hitched a ride on their boat back to Road Town,” O’Brien
said.

“Could be. But maybe he’s the one behind all
the robberies—Jergens could be scoping out his own charterers for
viable boats to rob. Damned if I can figure out what it all has to
do with Elyse though.”

“Maybe nothing,” O’Brien said.

He was right about where they were headed.
The van turned into the parking lot at the Doubloon.

“Want a beer?” I asked.

We waited a few minutes for Jergens and the
other two to get settled in the bar, then went in. It was dark
inside and smelled of stale beer and cigarettes. Bob Marley blared
from the jukebox and one couple was up on the floor engaged in what
could be called dancing but looked more like sex. The pirate theme
in the Doubloon had long ago lost its luster; sabers and pirate
hats that hung on the walls were covered in dust. O’Brien and I
found a table in the back. Jergens was too busy, flirting with the
bartender to notice us.

“Hey guys. Surprised to see you in here this
time of da day.” Mona had worked at the Doubloon as a waitress for
years. She wore her makeup layered, mascara so heavy that her eyes
sagged. She did more than just wait tables. She called herself a
masseuse, but her only clients were males with an extra hundred in
their pockets.

“Hi, Mona,” I said. “Guess we’ll have a
couple of beers.” It was either that, flat soda, or the stale
coffee that sat on the burner for hours thickening to sludge. No
one ever came in here for anything that didn’t dull the senses.

“Sure thing, honey.” She winked at O’Brien on
her way back to the bar.

The couple from the
Libation
were
young, maybe late twenties. She was laden with jewelry—ear cuffs,
dangling orange earrings, a couple dozen bangles on each wrist, and
a tangle of silver chains around her neck. She wore flip-flops,
shorts, and a frilly shirt, and obviously spent all day in the sun.
Her mate looked hungry—thin, a T-shirt hanging from bony shoulders,
tan shorts, and bare feet.

“Businesses like theirs are becoming more and
more common in the Caribbean,” O’Brien said, referring to the
couple. “People selling crafts, jewelry, and clothing from their
boats, motoring from one tourist vessel to the next. Some are young
and from places like Britain, Australia, France and the U.S. Some
of the charterers don’t like it at all. Others really enjoy talking
to these vendors and looking at their products.”

“The island versions of Colorado ski bums,
enjoying the environment and barely getting by,” I said.

“Yeah, though many are islanders trying to
make a living though tourism. Those two had a good idea—selling
groceries. I’ve see them a couple of times recently tied alongside
a sailboat and handing up supplies.”

O’Brien pulled out his wallet when Mona
returned to the table and set overflowing glasses of beer in front
of us.

“Have you ever seen that couple in here with
that guy before?” I asked her.

“You mean Jergens and the couple from the
Libation
? Sure, all the time. Usually they’re arguing. Guess
they’re having too much fun for that today.”

So Jergens did not just encounter the two
over at North Sound and talk them into a ride back. He knew
them.

“You ever heard what they argue about?” I
knew that Mona didn’t miss much of went on in the bar.

“Whenever I get within shouting distance of
those three, they clam up. But I’ve heard them fighting about who
deserves the biggest share. Jergens always seems to think it’s him.
Heard him say more than once that he’s the brains.”

Right now, all three of them seemed to be
best buddies. They were drinking heavily, Jergens and the guy
matching each other shot for shot. They stumbled back to the pool
room, grabbed pool sticks, and racked up the balls.

“Let’s go, O’Brien. We’ve learned all we’re
going to. They’ll be passing out in another hour and sleeping it
off for the rest of the day.

***

I dropped O’Brien off at SeaSail and went to
see Elyse. Mary was pulling into the lot just as I got out of the
Rambler. She swung her Miata into the space next to mine.

“Hannah, you’re looking a bit
bedraggled.”

My shirt was salt stained and still damp from
the spray that the
Libation
had sent gushing over our boat
on the way back into Road Town. I told her about Jergens.

“I’ve encountered that man a couple of times.
He’s got no conscience, feels no remorse, and thinks the world owes
him. He’s very dangerous.” Nothing like a psychiatrist’s
perspective.

“Yeah, that’s what everyone keeps telling me.
But if he’s the one who hurt Elyse, well...”

“You’re still out to find a bad guy to blame
this on?”

“I don’t know, Mary. I’m not sure what to
believe right now, but Jergens is up to something, and I still have
plenty of questions about the explosion on Elyse’s boat.”

“Come on, let’s go see how she’s doing,” Mary
said.

Alex Reidman was in the corridor talking with
Dr. Hall when we walked in. I was surprised that Reidman had been
concerned enough about Elyse to keep visiting. Elyse had told me
that their relationship was not serious. But then, that was her
take on it. Reidman had been visiting often. Maybe I’d misjudged
the guy.

“Dr. Marks was here this morning,” Hall said.
“He was very encouraged. The last CT scan shows no enlargement of
the hematoma, and less edema. She’s responding to stimuli and loud
noises. It looks like she’ll pull through.”

“Thank God.” I sat down, rested my head on
the back of the lounge couch, and fought to control the tears that
threatened. Mary sat down beside me, her face washed with
relief.

“What about brain damage?” I asked, realizing
for the first time that even though Elyse might live, she might not
be fine.

“It’s too soon to know that. Nothing is
certain, but Marks has a lot of experience with these injuries. He
is guardedly optimistic that she’ll be okay.”

“Do you think she’ll remember what happened?”
I asked.

“It’s hard to say. It could take a while for
things to start falling into place. She’ll be pretty confused at
first.”

I wondered if she’d know who sabotaged the
Caribbe
.