“She works for you?”
“She works for anyone in the office who needs her help.”
“So she isn’t one of your girlfriends.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Tabby? No. We have a business relationship. Besides, Tabby has a boyfriend.”
It was ridiculous to feel relieved. Hat in hand, Harper headed out the door and they took the elevator down to the first floor. The hotel was modern, with rattan and teakwood furniture in the lobby, and turquoise accents the color of the sea.
This time of year it wouldn’t be long before sunset. As they walked down the sidewalk, a warm, dry breeze toyed with strands of her hair beneath the brim of her wide straw hat. Chase was wearing a straw hat, too, a flat-brimmed panama that made him look way too sexy, and more like a local than a tourist, which she figured was his intent.
But the hard jaw and dark eyes, the close-cropped, edgy beard along his jaw hinted at the man he had become, one capable of taking on a bar full of dangerous criminals and coming out on top, as he had done to save the teenage girl.
The marina, a U-shaped enclosure that opened directly into the sea, wasn’t full, but Harper counted forty yachts of various shapes and sizes, mostly sailboats but a few powerboats as well, bobbing at their tethers along the dock. Chase headed for the marina office, a small, flat-roofed, freestanding structure. A bell chimed as he opened the door and led her inside.
A slightly built, cocoa-skinned man with neatly trimmed black hair slicked back from a high forehead stood behind the counter.
He smiled, flashing very white teeth. “May I help you?” A name plaque reading Len Wadadli sat on the counter next to a computer screen. Probably an Arawak name or some other indigenous island surname.
“We’re looking for Michael Winston,” Chase said. “His boat,BUZZ Word, was moored here last week.”
“Yes, I remember the boat. It was very nice. I handled the paperwork for the mooring.” The little man turned to study the computer screen and began clicking through pages of information. “I was off for a while after the boat arrived. I came back the day it sailed.”
“How long ago was that?” Chase asked.
“Four days, counting today.”
So he had actually been missing only four days. It should have relieved her. But she hadn’t heard from Michael in six days. He wouldn’t have gone that long without contacting her. He was in trouble, or else she would have heard from him.
“I’m Michael’s sister,” Harper said. “Do you have any idea where my brother might have been going when he sailed?”
“No, I am sorry. But before he left, he told me he would be back. He said he planned to do some island-hopping. He was not sure how long he would be gone.”
“Was he alone?” Chase asked.
“I do not believe so. I remember seeing two people aboard asBUZZ Wordsailed out of the harbor.”
Harper’s worry cranked up. He was with someone. He didn’t have friends in Aruba, so who was it? Her head began to throb, a slight ache forming behind her eyes.
“Man or woman?” Chase asked.
“I am sorry. I could not say. I only noticed there were two aboard the yacht as it sailed.”
“What about the weather?” Chase asked. “Any unexpected storms in the area? Anything that could account for a boat having unforeseen problems?”
“The weather has been very good. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Chase gave a brief nod. “Thank you, Len. You’ve been very helpful.”
They left the marina office, Harper even more convinced the problem wasn’t boat trouble, but in a different way, more worried than she had been before.
“We need to find out who was with him.” She looked up at Chase, her headache building. She didn’t have them often, but today had been long, tiring and filled with worry she fought not to show. “Mikey was always so trusting. Anything could have happened out there if he was with someone he didn’t know.”
“You need to stay positive. We have no reason to suspect foul play. Not yet. He may have just sailed off somewhere with someone he met and his communications went out. Now we know he was here four days ago. We’ll know more when we hear from Tabby. Which should be very soon.”
Chase was right. Michael was an adult, not a reckless kid anymore, and there was no point in worrying until they had more information. Michael had warned her unexpected things could happen. There was nothing foolproof when you went on an adventure like the one he was undertaking.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Michael told me not to panic if I couldn’t reach him, but—”
