“He paid eight hundred thousand dollars in cash,” Barry said deadpan.It would be hard to forget someone who did that.Even if they weren’t the one selling the boat.
Louis’s eyes widened in recognition.“Oh yeah, him.Now I remember.Terrible with names but good with faces.I’m actually the one who sold it to him.”
Perfect, so this was the man he needed.“Do you know where Charlie went after he bought the boat?”
“No idea.”
Oh well, maybe this had been a waste of time.
“But the boat showed up two weeks later after I sold it to him.”
“Did he resell it?”
“No, the poor boat was washed up on shore.”
“Are you sure it was his?It could have been another boat.”Barry wanted to be absolutely certain it was Charlie’s before getting his hopes up.
“No, the newspaper article had the name of the ship.Cyclone.”That would make it easy to pinpoint it to Charlie.
“So, he bought a yacht here on the island and never left?”
“I didn’t say that.”Louis shook his head.“I said it washed up here.It could have been anywhere in the islands before the current brought it back.”
But no way to track where it had been.“Did you get the boat back?Was it salvageable?”
“It was.After I had to buy it at auction,” the salesman grumbled.“Almost paid what I sold it for.There wasn’t much damage to it luckily, so she’s back on market.”
“Where was Charlie?”
“Died on the boat.Police wrote it up as an accident, otherwise they would have impounded it.”
“Any idea where they took his body?”
“County morgue I’d imagine.”The salesman shrugged, not looking like he much cared.“Beyond that, I don’t know.”
“I really appreciate you answering my questions.”
“Of course.”
“One last thing.Do you mind if I take a look at the boat?”
“Why?”The salesman looked skeptical, then his eyes widened in panic.“You don’t think Charlie was murdered on it, do you?If he was, I’ll never be able to sell it.”
“I don’t think anything of the sort.”He really did.What better way to kill someone than at sea, and then let the body drift to shore?Evidence of foul play would be next to impossible to find.Even a broken neck could be explained by rough waves or debris.“I just want to look.I know someone in the market for a yacht like that.”
Louis’s eyes gleamed in eagerness, sensing a sale.“I’ll show you to it.”Louis guided Barry to the back corner of the lot where the much larger boats were.Though still calling it a boat when it was almost a hundred feet long was a bit of a stretch.Barry didn’t understand why someone would need a boat this large.But to each his own.
Louis stopped in front of a boat that was raised up on a ramp to stay upright.It was only a few inches off the ground so you could step up on the flat back end of the boat to hoist yourself up.
Barry could see straight into the boat from the small deck.The first thing he saw was the kitchen, which took up a corner with every amenity one would find in their own home including a standing fridge.
There was a large sitting area past that, with each side of the boat covered in plush chairs and a table.Small windows lined the sides to allow natural light to filter into the room.
The captain’s chair was just past and to the right of the living room space.Barry passed the living room and had to step down two steps to find a decent-sized bathroom with a standing shower, toilet, and sink.Past that was the bedroom which housed a large king-size bed with upper storage and more rows of windows.
“Pretty nice, right?”Louis remarked with pride as he looked around while staying on the deck.Barry stepped back into the living room.
“It is.”The closest to large boats Barry had ever been on were Navy carriers.And while they were big, they didn’t have all this luxury.They were designed for function and to take down enemies, not just for pleasure.
