“I’ll take the speed boat.”
“A thrill seeker.Excellent.I’m Jacques by the way.The owner of this fine establishment.”He held his hand out then looked down at Barry’s prosthetic arm before darting his gaze back up to Barry’s face.His grin slipped.“You Gary?”
“Barry,” Barry corrected him, not sure how this person knew about him but guessing it had something to do with Mac.
“Whatever, Mac mentioned you,” the man muttered, retracting his hand and not trying to shake any longer.
The way Jacques said that didn’t sound good.“Well, she said if I mentioned her name, I’d get a discount.”
“Look, mister, I ain’t in the business of charity.Me sign says boat rentals are a hundred dollars an hour.”He pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the shack Barry hadn’t noticed when he’d first walked up with another hand-painted sign posting the services and fees.It looked like the paint was still drying on it too.“But since Mac asked me nicely, I’ll do ninety for an hour.”
So, he was a money haggler.“Fine, I only need it about an hour and a half, so how about I give you a hundred and fifty?You can keep the change as a tip.”
“I don’t rent for half hours.It’s an hour at a time.”
Barry looked back out at the dock, only seeing one boat missing.“Business seems slow today.As a smart businessman, I’m sure you’d want to keep every profit you get.That’s more money in your pocket.”Barry pulled out the money from his wallet and held it out for Jacques to see.
“Fine.”Jacques stuffed the money into his pocket, went to the shack, and came back with a key.“Number five.”
“What was the boat that’s missing?”
“It’s another speed boat.”
Barry looked out at the water.He couldn’t see to the left of him since the trees reached the water’s edge and they were still several feet from the dock.“I don’t see it out there, or hear it.”
“What are you, the boat police?”Jacques scowled at Barry as if he had no right to ask about his boats.It wasn’t his business.
“Just curious since I didn’t see it.”Speed boats were loud, and as calm as the water was, the sound would carry for a while.There were only a few boats out today, and none were speed boats.
“And you won’t.Mac took it a little over an hour ago.Headed to the coast.”
That couldn’t be right.Maybe it was a different Mac.“Mac as in Mackenzie Grant?”
“Yeah.”
“She said she was going out with her team today.”He had walked her down to the dock.Well, not all the way to the dock.She’d walked away before they could get close.She had fooled him.Maybe he was right to second guess her today.
What had she done, snuck through the trees to avoid him seeing her sneak all the way over here?And why even rent a boat from Jacques when she had Burt as her boat captain?
“And she told me she was checking out corals.”Jacques laughed without humor.“Does she think I was born yesterday?I knew where she was headed.Burt did too.Even warned me.”
“Warned you about what?”Barry asked, trying not to sound alarmed that she was keeping everyone in the dark about where she was really going.
Jacques pointed his finger in a southeast direction.
“She’s going to the coast where the hotel is,” Barry guessed.
“Damn straight.Foolish woman.”Jacques shook his head.
Barry had to agree.He took a deep breath, trying to stay calm; maybe Jacques and Burt were just guessing.“How are you certain that’s where she went?”There was the odd-percent chance she was going on a day trip to look at corals, though he had a sinking feeling she was investigating on her own.
“All my boats have GPS on them—you know, in case tourists get lost and such.That way I don’t lose me boats.”Right, who cared if the tourist came back so long as the boat did.They were nice boats.Jacques hadn’t spared any cost on them so he could charge more for the customers to use.“And I’ve been watching hers.It went straight for the southeast coast, and it hasn’t moved.”
“Jacques, I need the direction of where she is.”
Jacques reared back as if Barry had slapped him.“And why would I be doing that?She knows you, I don’t.How do I know you’re not going to go after her and hurt her?”
They were wasting time arguing, and Mac already had an hour lead on him.Barry reached into his back pocket and pulled out four one-hundred-dollar bills.
