Chapter 13

 

Not long had passed before I got the call that I had been waiting for.

“Do you remember me?” Dean asked.

I remembered way more than he realized.

“How are you?” I asked in an overly bubbly voice.

“I wondered if you would have time to go out on the boat with me tonight?”

What perfect timing.

“Yes, I have time,” I said.

“Great. Should I pick you up?” he asked.

I wanted to have my car in case I needed to get away. “I can meet you,” I said. “I’ll be out anyway. Where should I come to?”

“At the boat dock. My boat is there. You can park right beside it.”

He told me to write down the address. I already knew the area well. There was no need to give me that information.

“How about in an hour?” he asked. “We’ll be able to see the sunset.”

“That sounds great.” Was this his idea of romance? As Dorothy would say, gross.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said.

As soon as I clicked off the call the anxiety set in. This would be a difficult trip. I had to get the information I needed. Time was running out to find Cora.

I’d barely reached the closet to pick out something to wear when my phone rang again. Was it Jake? What would I tell him? I rushed over to answer the call.

“Maggie, I have a date with Morton tonight. Do you need me for anything?” Dorothy asked.

“Nothing tonight, Dorothy. I have a date with the doctor.”

My announcement was met with silence.

“Are you still there, Dorothy?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m here. Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked.

“I have to do it,” I said.

She sighed. “I suppose it would be awkward if I went on the date with you?”

“Yes, that would be weird. I promise I’ll be fine. I’ll call you as soon as I find out anything.”

More silence on the line. I knew she was trying to think of a way that she could come along on this date.

“You’d better call me as soon as you can. Text me and check in with me because you know that I’ll be worried.”

“I promise I will,” I said.

I hung up with Dorothy and went back to the closet. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Jake would say if he knew what I was doing. With any luck he would never find out. Though if I found any good information I would have to tell him how I’d figured it out. I stood in front of my closet and tried to decide what the best outfit would be. It couldn’t be a dress or anything too nice. It had to be something that I could move in quickly in case I needed to run.

I pulled out a nice pair of blue shorts and a dressier t-shirt. Yes, I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, which was pretty much what I wore all the time. This was a boat trip though and not a cocktail party. After dressing in the clothing, I slipped into my flip-flops and dabbed on a bit of lip gloss. I spritzed perfume and headed out the door. Maybe I shouldn’t have put on any makeup at all, but I didn’t like being a complete slob.

I had no idea what to expect when I got there. My nerves were on edge. I reminded myself that I had a job to do. I inhaled and released a deep breath several times. That did little to settle my anxiety though.

I grabbed my purse and headed out the door. The breeze carried across the wind and the sun was easing down in the bright blue sky. I hoped that we didn’t stay out on the water for too long. I would tell him that I had something else to do. That was after I’d gotten the information that I needed.

Jake would frown upon the fact that I was going out on the boat with this man. Sure it was dangerous, but what other option did I have? I had my gun in my purse so if he tried any funny business I would have defense. After being shot at before it always was safer to have my weapon. Being a private eye was scary work.

I climbed behind the wheel and headed over to the boat docks. It felt weird being in the car without Dorothy. I knew that she would be texting me soon. I glanced down and spotted a peppermint candy in the middle of the console. I grabbed the candy and popped it into my mouth. I wasn’t sure if what Dorothy said about the mints calming nerves was true, but I was willing to give it a shot now.

The ride there seemed to take longer than I remembered. It was probably a mix of traffic and me being nervous about the visit.

Finally, I reached the parking lot and whipped into a spot. After getting out of the car, I scanned the parking lot looking for the Rolls-Royce that had almost hit me. I didn’t see the car, which was a relief. Maybe it was just a man who looked like the doctor who had been behind the wheel.

I strolled along the boardwalk toward the dock. I made sure to watch my surroundings and look for anyone suspicious. There was a special reason for that right now. I had the creepy feeling that someone was watching me. I kept glancing over my shoulder. No one was back there and anyone walking ahead of me didn’t seem to realize that I was even back there. I told myself that it was all in my head, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. I would feel better once I got this visit over with.

I was taking my time even though I knew I had to get this over with. Stalling would get me nowhere. I pushed my shoulders back and held my head high. I gave myself a mental pep talk. I’d been through more than this with other cases, so I knew I could handle it. I smiled at a man and woman as they walked by.

I reached the dock. Now I had to find his boat. The sun was getting lower in the sky. A million thoughts raced through my mind. What if he knew who I was and had asked me to come to the boat so that he could take me out on the water and toss me overboard? The thought sent a chill down my spine. Nevertheless, I had to go through with this. I glanced back, still feeling as if I was being watched. There was a man back there, but he stepped onto a boat. He wasn’t following me.

I counted down the numbers. A house boat? Was he living on this thing? I’d figured he would have some big boat. So basically he’d invited me to his place? I hadn’t signed up for that. If he tried anything funny he’d get a taste of my fighting skills.

I’d located the boat, but I didn’t see the doctor around. “Hello?” I called out.

I wasn’t sure if he would be able to hear me over the sound of the waves lapping against the boat. Seagulls circled the sky above me. There were a lot of them up there. Why were there so many?

“There you are,” the male voice called out.

I spun around and spotted him stepping off the boat. What if my wig came off with all the wind? This was seeming more and more like a bad idea with every passing minute.

I forced a smile on my face. “Here I am.”

“Well, what do you think of it?” he asked with a wave of his arm.

“Do you live on this boat?” I asked.

I knew I sounded a bit suspicious.

“No, but maybe someday. Come on. We should get going before we miss the sunset.”

I hoped that he didn’t notice my hesitation. I stepped onto the boat. I wasn’t about to go below with him. So far he hadn’t asked.

“Can I get you something to drink?” he asked.

Oh, sure, he wanted to get me drunk so that I would be easier to push overboard. “No, thank you, I’m good.”

“Okay, if you’re sure. Let me know if you change your mind.”

We set off into the water. The sunset was gorgeous and I tried to keep up with his chitchat. I was worried that my wig would come off and blow my cover. Not to mention that I was nervous about what else might happen. So far he didn’t act too strangely though. How far did he plan on taking me? I had to ask questions so that I could get back on dry land. Dorothy was texting me. I had to answer. He probably could tell that I wasn’t really into this date.

What is happening there? Don’t let him sit too close to you. Oh and don’t let him try to hold your hand.

Did she think I was a rookie at this? I felt confident that I could protect myself. He started telling me that I had pretty eyes and hair. He paused as if he was waiting for me to compliment him in return. After a while I moved the conversation to where I wanted it to be.

“You know, I was out here on the water recently when something tragic happened.”

“Oh, yeah?” He studied my face. “What happened?”

“There was an explosion. A boat blew up.” I watched his face for a reaction, but before I had a chance to read it something caught my attention.

“Please stop the boat.” The loud voice came over the speaker.

I looked back and spotted the boat behind us. It was marked POLICE on the side.

Dean stopped the boat as he was told.

“What is all of this about?” I asked. My anxiety was even higher now.

“I have no idea,” he said.

I had a feeling he knew exactly why he was being stopped by the police. The boat came closer to us. At least now I felt a little better. I really was nervous being out here with him. I had started to question whether it was really worth the trip just to try to get him to confess. It would have been a better idea to meet him in a public place. It was too late for that now though.

Now that the boat was near I saw who was on it. What was Jake doing here? How had he known that I was out here? I swore I’d thought Jake was following me. Maybe that was why I’d felt as if I was being followed.

Jake made eye contact with me. He didn’t look happy. That was when I remembered I was wearing my disguise again. Being stopped by the police on the water was strange. It wasn’t as if Dean had been speeding. This had to be something serious. Did they have evidence that led them to believe that he had killed Robert? Maybe they were going to arrest him for the murder right now. Dean looked as if he wanted to jump off the boat. He had nowhere to go.

Jake stepped onto the boat. “Please turn around and place your hands behind your back.”

I did as I was told. “Not you, Maggie, I mean, ma’am,” Jake said.

At least he hadn’t revealed my true identity. Jake placed the handcuffs on the doctor. Another officer came on board and took the doctor off.

“What is going on here?” I asked.

“I could ask you the same question,” Jake said.

“I think you know what I’m doing without me even having to answer.”

He studied my face. “You got that right. Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?”

“I have some idea, yes. It comes with my job,” I said. “So are you going to tell me why you re arresting him?”

“We’re taking him in on suspicion of selling drugs.”

“What? How did you find that out?” I asked.

“We have our ways,” Jake said. “Why don’t you get on the boat with us?”

I was glad to get off this houseboat. It was giving me the creeps. The sun had set now and darkness had almost taken over. I was glad I wouldn’t be out here in the dark. The endless dark sky made me feel vulnerable. I didn’t like that feeling in the least. The more I thought about the fact that I’d been alone on that boat with Dean in the dark the more fear took over. What if Jake hadn’t come alone when he had? The thought sent a shiver down my spine. That was all over now though and I shouldn’t worry about it.