Ethics of a Thief (16 page)

“As long as I’m alive, you and the children are safe. I promise you that.”

“Matt, I’m sure you’re sincere, but I’m not convinced our safety is completely in your hands. There are four of you. And, we know everything.”

“You are right,” he said. “I think we’ll kill the three of you and dump your bodies overboard. That will solve our problems permanently.”

“Funny.”

“Well, that’s exactly what you were insinuating,” he said.

“You make me feel like an idiot.”

“That isn’t my intent. I only want you and the children to know you’re safe. We are not going to harm any of you. Far from it; I want to protect you.” Slowly, he sat.

Her face turned red once she realized he cared about her. It was the first time she allowed herself to believe him.

“I’m sorry, Matt. I’ve treated you with such disdain while you have done nothing to deserve that attitude. Right now, I don’t know who the good guys are or the bad. I thought the Kilgores were nice people, but found out they were smugglers who had cheated other criminals. So, right now, my perspective is a little warped.”

“You’re so cute,” he said. “I love your openness, it’s so refreshing. Someday I would love for us to reevaluate the events of the past two days -- see what insight we might have.”

Soon, Jack came in and sat next to Matt. “Has anyone touched the bodies or the bed area?”

“No, why?”

“I want to make sure no one left any evidence pointing to any of us.”

“No. But, that might be true of the assassin, too. If the person wore gloves, and disposed of the weapon at sea, it’ll be difficult, at best, to find the real killer.”

“If there’s no evidence pointing to any of us, they can’t very well bring criminal charges, right?” Jack asked. He turned to Abigail. “If you point to us, we’ll do the same to you. We know the murders took place before we arrived. So, you, young lady, like it or not, are the main suspect.”

She grinned at him. “Right now, Jack, I don’t care who did it. I just want to get the children home safely. That’s my only concern. After that, I might start being concerned about who the murderer might be, okay?”

Matt stood, placed his hands on her shoulders and stared at his best friend. “You heard the lady. Enough talk already. Let’s chill out for a while. We’ll be needing our strength soon enough.”

After Wayne Dryer ended his phone call with his wife, he became weary. Once again, she was blaming him for their son’s school suspension for fighting. When he heard the door open, he glanced up.

When Officer Joe Martin entered the room, he was wearing his hat and uniform, and as always, was clean shaven. His left eyebrow was raised, which was a dead giveaway something important had come up.

While Dryer sat at his desk, his chin was high to better see around his droopy eyelids, half-covering his eyes, which gave him a sleepy look. Some accused him of being arrogant because it seemed as if he was always looking down at people. “What’s up?” he asked.

After Martin came closer, he leaned forward and placed both hands on the desk saying, “I need you to head a mission. A woman and two children are missing, and presumed to be on a ninety-foot yacht called the
Great Discoverer
.”

“Who reported them missing?”

“The brother of the missing woman called saying he thinks there’s a chance of foul play. But, in any case, he needs to find them.” “Why? What’s the urgency?”

“A family crisis -- two family members were in a car accident, which resulted in the death of a man and put a woman in a coma. The two accident victims are the parents of the missing children.”

“Wow, how sad for the family.”

“You’ll need to get a move on it.”

“Who’s on my team?”

“You decide.”

“How many?”

“Four.”

“Has the helicopter gone out?”

“No. They won’t be used this time.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure, didn’t ask.”

Dryer waved for him to sit and walked from behind his desk with a tablet and pen in hand. While resting his body on the desk, he asked, “What else can you tell me about the case?”

“The missing woman had a parked car at the yacht club with her cellphone in sight. She must have left in a hurry. Earlier today, we hailed the vessel, but no one responded. To me, that’s suspicious.”

“Did they file a float plan?”

“Matter of fact, they did. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll get it.”

Officer Martin stood and walked until he was out of sight.

Thirty minutes later, Dryer had his team in place and they were moving northeast on a Coast Guard cutter. He figured the missing yacht was someplace between San Diego and San Clemente Island, it was the most likely location for an overnight stay.

Once on their way, Dryer asked his captain to hail the
Great Discoverer
. To his surprise, this time, someone quickly responded.

“Switch to channel sixty-eight,” Dryer said. “What’s your longitude and latitude?”

Robert gave their precise location.

“After hailing your vessel earlier, no one responded, why was that?”

“We have a situation,” Robert said. “The yacht owners were murdered, and our captain abandoned ship.”

“Murdered?”

“Yes. And, our captain took off on a smaller boat, so we’re heading back to the harbor.”

Quickly, Dryer’s expression changed. His jaw and lips tightened while he stiffly stood. “We’re on our way, over.” Immediately, he contacted the FBI and spoke with Special Agent Roger Weatherman.

Once Weatherman understood the situation, he said, “Bring the yacht to the FBI docking area. We’ll notify you later as to which slot. I’ll have a team ready to conduct interviews. Don’t let anyone off the vessel, including the woman and kids! Everyone must be questioned before disembarking, understand?”

“Yes. I know the routine.”

The Coast Guard Cutter was on its way. Once it reaches the
Great Discoverer
, the men can easily gain access to the vessel. Matt was the first to greet them and offered his hand. “We’re glad you found us so soon.”

Dryer glanced around. “Where are the woman and kids?

“They’re waiting inside.”

After he and his men took a quick scan of the exterior, Dryer asked Matt, “Where’s a good place to talk with Miss Wilson?”

“Follow me.” Everyone quietly walked into the main salon. When he saw her with the children, he walked over, extended his hand and said, “You must be Abigail Wilson.”

“Yes. But, how did you know my name?”

“Steven Wilson, your brother, called to report you missing.”

“He phoned you? But, how did he know we were in trouble?”

“When no one heard from you for several days, he became concerned. Normally, he said, you communicate with family and friends several times a day.”

“How did you know where we were?”

“From what I understand, he found your car at the yacht club, and a woman said she saw you and the children getting things out of your trunk.”

“I see. He’s right, I do call Mom several times a day.”

“Are you and the children okay?”

“Yes. We’re okay. But I’m sickened about what happened to Sandra and Larry.”

“I can understand why.” He turned to face Matt. “Where’s Robert? Was that him at the wheel?”

“Yes. Do you want him?”

“No. Not now. When I’m finished speaking with Miss Wilson, I’ll find him. But, first I need to instruct my men.” After turning his back to her, he said, “Please give me the names of each man on the vessel. She pointed to each man as she said his name.

Once Dryer knew the name of each man, he walked over to Officer Clint Hale. “Stay with Matt and search the lower deck.” As he looked over his shoulder to Matt, Hale nodded.

As the man moved toward him, Matt noticed his bright red hair against his light skin. Even with his tan, he was pale.

After Officer Hale extended his hand and introduced himself, he asked. “Are the bodies on the lower level?”

Matt nodded.

“I’ll need for you to take me there.” When Matt didn’t quickly respond, he said, “Let’s go now.”

“Sure,” Matt said. “Follow me.” They headed toward the ladder and went down to the lower level.

Abigail and the children silently listened to Dryer give instructions to Officer Butch Smith, telling him to bring two chairs into the galley, and interview Jack. When he finished, he was told to interview Brent. “And, for God’s sake, Smith, take good notes.”

While Officer Smith and Jack were on their way to the galley, Dryer told Brent, “Go join Robert. When Officer Smith is finished, he’ll come for you.”

From a distance Abigail could hear Jack’s abrasively loud voice responding to his interrogation. Then, Smith quickly closed the hatch.

When Danny turned to his aunt, he asked, “What’s going on?”

“Don’t worry. They need to talk to everyone separately, that’s all.”

“Can we go home now?”

“Soon we’ll all be heading home.”

Lisa tugged on Abigail’s arm. “Will you stay, if they talk to me?”

“Sure, if it’s allowed.”

“When can we call Mommy?”

Abigail took Lisa’s chin in her hand. “You can call her as soon as we get to a phone. Perhaps one of the men can loan us theirs.”

While looking down, Danny said, “I miss her and Dad.”

“I know.”

Lisa blinked while inspecting the tabletop, and then stared up at her aunt. “What questions will they ask?”

“I’m not sure. But, please, only tell the truth.”

After Agent Butch Smith completed his interview with Jack, he told him to wait outside and not to talk to anyone.

After finding Brent, Officer Smith and he went directly into the galley. While asking some basic questions, he neglected to record his answers. Smith noticed the similarities between him and Brent. They were both stocky, had sandy blond hair and were in their mid-thirties. Something about Brent reminded him of his kid brother.

Little time was wasted on small talk. Instead, he started with some direct questions.

“What do you know about the murders?”

“Not much. I know they were shot, and the bodies were found on their bed. That’s pretty much it.”

“Who found them?” he asked.

“Matt.”

“Do you know who killed them?”

“No.”

“Any suspect?”

“Not sure.”

“Come on; now, don’t tell me you have no suspicion.”

“No one on the vessel right now,” he said, while adjusting his legs.

“What do you mean by, right now?”

“Our captain jumped ship, so that makes me wonder -- why?”

“I see.”

“What’s the name of your captain?”

“Forelli, Anthony Forelli.”

“How long had he worked for the Kilgores?”

“A few days.”

“Why such a short time?”

“He’s just filling in a while.”

“How can we find this Forelli guy?”

“Contact the T.D. Harbor Cruise Ship’s administration. He is one of their captains. Their company gives harbor tours.”

“How do you know Forelli?”

“We work for the same company.”

“How did you end up on this yacht?”

“He invited us, in case he needed help.”

“What kind of help?”

“Deck hands, cooks, whatever was needed. We agreed, so we could spend time on this beautiful yacht.”

After Officer Smith ended his interview, reviewed his notes and asked, “Can I get your last name?”

“I already told you,” Brent said, and then spelled it.

“Where can we reach you?”

After Brent stated his home and work addresses and phone numbers, he stood and turned. “Can I leave now?”

“Yes. But, you’ll be questioned again by the FBI.”

“I understand.”

Abigail and the children held hands and listened to Officer Dryer.

“They’ll be okay,” Dryer said. “This interview won’t take long.”

He asked for general information, wrote it down and asked, “Did the three of you come on this yacht on your own accord?”

“Yes. The Kilgores were family friends. We had a meal with them at the yacht club. They showed us their new vessel. Lisa asked to go out sometime, and they insisted we stay and go on an overnight venture.”

Abigail was uncomfortable when Dryer glared at her through his half-covered eyelids.

“What happened to the Kilgores?”

“I think you know what happened. It’s not something I’m willing to talk about in front of the children. Can’t it wait?”

“What else would you like to say about your experience, Miss Wilson?”

After pulling away from the children slightly, she said, “Everything was fine until we were at the wheelhouse. Larry wanted to talk to his wife, so he left me in charge of the wheelhouse. The children and I were at the helm for a few hours and needed to leave.”

“I’m sorry, miss, but did you say you were at the helm for several hours?”

“Yes, until we needed a break. So, I shut down the engine, and the three of us used the head and found some refreshments. When we searched for Larry, we couldn’t find him anywhere.”

“When did you discover what happened to them?”

“Please. Not now.”

“Sorry, it can wait,” he said and turned his attention to his paperwork. He reviewed a few things and asked, “Is there anything you would like to add?”

“The men were looking for something valuable. Matt offered us five thousand dollars if we found the thing and said we could then go home. We wanted to leave so we decided to help. However, the item was never found. Danny discovered a jeweled egg, but the men determined it didn’t have the value of what they were seeking.

“What were you told to find?”

“That was vague. All we knew was that it was smaller than a breadbox and worth a fortune.”

“Thank you, Miss Wilson, that information might shed some light on things.” He stood. “That will be all for now.” He walked away in the direction of the wheelhouse.

After her interview, she entered the galley for water and to get something for the children. When she returned, Agent Smith was talking to Danny and Lisa. Nearby Jack stared out the porthole.

It didn’t take too long before Dryer returned and waved for Officer Smith to come to him. Dryer walked over to the children and smiled. “Okay, you two. I’ll need to talk to you next.”