“Alright, I’ll be on the lookout for him.”
Mac wasn’t sure if he’d rent a boat today or at some point, but at least now if he did get a boat, he’d get the discount she’d promised.“Thanks, Jacques.”She started to walk past him and stopped.“Oh, one more thing; don’t tell anyone I went out today.”
Jacques pinched his finger and thumb together and swiped them across his lips, signaling his lips were sealed.She almost expected him to ask for more money.At least he had some scruples.
Mac loaded up her boat.It was much smaller than Burt’s boat, which would allow her to get closer to the coast without worrying about shallow rocks.It wasn’t as fast as a speedboat, but it could still get her to the coast quickly.She tied her hair back and took off.
She wasn’t an experienced boat captain like Burt, but she could drive well enough.The boat came equipped with a GPS.She followed it to the southeast coast to the area she wanted to investigate.It was the area where she used to find the sharks before Miles bought it and made it private property.
As soon as she got close to the coast, she cut the engine and let the boat drift closer to the area she wanted to explore.She didn’t know if Miles had people monitoring the coast, but she wanted to be as quiet about her presence as possible.
She hadn’t gone near the hotel; she didn’t know how close to the coast it was being built, but she assumed it would be closer to the road, so she would be out of sight of the workers.
The waves were rougher near this edge of the coast since it got the full impact of the current and winds.It was probably why sharks liked it so much.It was isolated and had an abundance of fish to feed on.
Mac dropped anchor as close as she dared get to the coast without risking pulling the boat into the current and smashing it on the ground there.Jacques would never let her hear the end of it if that happened.
Mac tossed out the flag to signal a diver in the water, then removed her clothes and stepped into her wetsuit.It was dangerous going diving alone in this area, but she didn’t dare risk her team members getting caught and going to jail because of her.
Mac put her air hose to her mouth and tested it before crossing one arm over her chest and one over her goggles, then leaning back over the side of the boat and falling into the water.
Chapter 14
There was something off about Mac this morning that Barry couldn’t quite put his finger on.It seemed like she was lying to him, but he didn’t know why she would lie about going out with her crew today.
She had told him she pretty much went out every day during this time of year due to the migration.And yet it seemed like she wasn’t planning on going out today.
Maybe he was just tired and seeing things that weren’t there.He hadn’t been getting much sleep since he arrived.Mac was definitely to blame for that, and he wasn’t sorry for it in the least.She was worth the lack of a few extra hours.
The sooner he got his investigation over with, the sooner we could enjoy his so-called vacation with Mac and catch up on that sleep.
Barry didn’t wait to see Mac leave with her crew.He had some investigating to do around the coastal area of Miles’s hotel.
He returned to his hotel for a quick shower and change of clothes.After a question to the front desk agent at his hotel, Barry made his way down the road to Jacques.It took him down the same path as Elsie’s shack.
The shack was already open with several customers so Elsie didn’t see him passing by.Her grandson did and glared him down as he passed.Barry had a feeling he wasn’t going to hear from that kid, which was a shame because Barry had a feeling the kid knew something about Miles Banks.
Barry continued down the road and turned off on another dirt trail, following a makeshift wood plank sign with a hand-painted arrow showing the way to Jacques’ Boat Services.
The small docking area was crowded with different kinds of boats for sea fishing as well as speed racing with tubes to rent.
Barry spotted a person in a chair that had seen better days tilted back on its rear legs with their bare feet propped up on a white paint bucket that was flipped over.They wore baggy cargo shorts and a cut-off dark grey shirt.A hat covered the person’s face, but Barry could easily hear loud snoring coming from under it.Barry looked around but didn’t see any one else.This must be Jacques.
Barry stopped next to Jacques and loudly cleared his throat.Jacques continued to snore.“Excuse me,” Barry said in a deep voice.
The snoring sputtered to a stop, and a tanned arm lifted to the hat and pulled it up high enough for Barry to see their face.
“What do you want?”If this was how Jacques treated all of his customers, no wonder he didn’t have any.
“I need a boat.”
Jacques stood up, pushing his hat to the top of his head and looking more presentable.“Well, you’ve come to the right place.And what are you needing a boat for?”
“Do you always question your customers?”Mac hadn’t mentioned that he would get an interrogation about his boat needs.
“As you can see, I have a fine array of boats to choose from.”Jacques made a sweeping motion with his arm toward his boats.“I want to make sure I match the driver to their uses.”
Barry looked over the boats as he did mental calculations in his head.The fishing boat was larger but wouldn’t allow him to get as close to the coast as he’d need to.The speed boat would have to do.
