“And last night,” Dino said. “I want to make sure I get all the credit I can.”
Stone’s face scrunched up. “How long haveIbeen here?”
Dino looked at his watch. “It’s almost four p.m., so about twenty-seven hours.”
“Twenty-seven?”
“Unless you meant since you were pulled out of the water. Then we’re talking more like thirty-six hours. The Coast Guard took you to NYU’s Long Island hospital before you were transferred here.”
Stone had lost a day and a half.
“There’s an investigator here from the Coast Guard who’sbeen waiting to talk to you,” Mike said. “Do you feel up to it? Or would you like me to tell her to come back tomorrow?”
Stone shrugged. “Sure, I’ll talk to her.”
“Be right back.”
Mike stepped out and returned moments later with a woman probably in her late thirties, wearing a Coast Guard uniform. She had short black hair and did not look like someone on whose bad side you’d want to be.
“Stone, this is Commander Julie Choi.”
“Mr. Barrington, I’m glad to see you’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“Like I spent a month in a washing machine,” Stone said honestly.
“That doesn’t surprise me. You survived quite an ordeal.”
“And not one I’m anxious to repeat.”
“I’d feel the same,” she said. “I don’t know what Mr. Freeman might have mentioned, but I’m in charge of the investigation into why theAmanda Jaewent down. Do you mind if I ask a few questions?”
“Not at all. Though I’m not sure how much help I can be.”
“You’d be surprised. Sometimes even the smallest details can prove crucial. May I record our conversation?”
“Of course.”
She pulled out her phone and started her voice recording app. “This is Commander Choi, interviewing Stone Barrington, concerning the sinking of theAmanda Jae. Mr. Barrington, what do you remember from the accident?”
“Not much, I’m afraid.” He told her about waking up in his cabin to find the boat listing. “I went up to the deck but didn’t see anyone else. I was going to search for the others to make surethey got off, but the next thing I knew, I was in the water. After that everything is mostly a blur. I remember being pulled into the helicopter, but I have no idea how long I was in the ocean.”
“I’m told you were floating there for approximately two hours.”
“Please tell me I’m not the only one who made it off.”
“Three members of the crew were able to get into a lifeboat,” she said. “And we recovered one body. Seven are missing and likely went down with the yacht.”
“What about Trenton?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Barrington. The body that was found belonged to Mr. Sidney. He had a life jacket on, so it’s presumed he knew something was wrong before he died. How long were you on the yacht?”
“It was our second night. Trenton had just taken possession of it, and this was its maiden voyage.”
Choi cocked her head. “Maidenvoyage?”
“Well, maiden for Trenton. He did say the shipping company had taken it on a shakedown cruise a month earlier.”
“And the company found no problems?”
