Madison Westin 02-Deception in Paradise (9 page)

“I’ve asked Joseph to ask around about Pavel,” I said. “I told him to call immediately if he finds him. Can Anoui run a check on Pavel, too? I’d at least like to know what he looks like. A picture would be nice.”

“Where’s Jax now?”

“He’s out looking for Pavel. He wasn’t around for several days before the accident, and I haven’t seen him since.”

“I’ll help in any way I can. I’d rather you call and tell me these things than hearing from Big Louie on the docks.”

I wrapped my fingers in his hair, pulled his face to mine, and kissed him. “Thank you.”

“You know, if we shower together, we can take care of two things at once.”

I rolled over and jumped off the bed. “I’ll race you to the bathroom.”

* * *

Zach and I came down the stairs together, and I could smell the coffee and hear Fab talking to Jazz. I was surprised she could work the coffee machine.

“I thought we had a talk about you feeding Jazz on the counter,” I said.

“He’s old, and he likes it up here. Besides, as his Auntie Fab, it’s my right to spoil him.”

“Auntie Fab.” Zach snorted and shook his head.

“I’m cooking,” I told Fab.

She raised her eyebrows. “You are? What are you cooking?”

“Frozen waffles,” Zach said.

“I’m fine with coffee,” Fab said.

“Me, too,” Zach added.

“We could all go to the Bakery Café,” I suggested.

“In that case, I’ll have an artichoke soufflé, fresh squeezed orange juice, and a latte.” Fab smiled.

“And you?” I asked Zach.

“I’ll have the new French toast thing with the egg and bacon in it, orange juice, and coffee.”

“Both of you are turning down my home cooking for all that yummy food. You’re both spoiled.”

“What about you?” Fab asked.

“I’ll make up my mind before we get there. Separate cars and we’ll meet there?”

“Ride with me,” Fab said. “I’ll bring you back.”

* * *

“They forgot the kibble for your yogurt,” Zach pointed out.

“They’re bringing me my granola,” I said. “I’m having lunch with my mother later; I need to save room. When Anoui runs the check on Jax, have her find out the issue date on his driver’s license.”

“It would be better if you let me take care of the investigation, since that’s what I’m good at. The best thing would be for you to stop asking questions.” Zach glared at me.

“I can be helpful.”

“If you want my help, you’ll stay out of it.”

“Lower your voices. People are looking over here,” Fab told us.

“What happens if Pavel floats up?” I asked.

“Things get worse for Dickhead,” Zach replied. “He could be charged with manslaughter or worse. Who’s the boat registered to?”

I lost my appetite. “Me and Brad.”

“Brace yourself for a lawsuit from Pavel’s family. Do you have insurance?”

“I’m sure we do. I’ll have to talk to Brad. I don’t know how I can face him.”

“I’d talk to him for you,” Zach offered, “but that would make it worse.”

“When are they releasing the boat?” Fab asked.

“I’m supposed to call,” I said.

“Go over to the Coast Guard station and ask to see the boat,” Zach said. “Take pictures and inspect for damage. Any chance asshole had an accident out there on the water?”

“It’s Dickhead,” I reminded him. “When I think back to our conversation, it had been light on details.”

“I can get a copy of the accident report faster than you can,” Fab said. “I have a friend at the local Coast Guard station. He’ll know the latest on the investigation.”

Zach put his arm around me. “Don’t worry.”

My phone rang. “Hi, Mother.”

“Honey, we’re running behind schedule. I won’t be able to make lunch. How about I call you when we dock?”

She sounded as though she was having a good time. “Sure, that’ll be fine.” I tried not to sound disappointed. “Are you still in Islamorada?”

“We’re just getting ready to leave.”

“Have a safe trip.”

“I’ll call as soon as I get back.” She hung up.

I put my hands over my face and banged my head on the table. “She’s lost her mind.”

Zach rubbed the back of my neck. “Is your mother okay?”

“What’s going on?” Fab asked.

“I’ve got a question for the two of you. Would either of you want your mother to date Spoon?”

Fab threw back her head and laughed.

Zach blew his coffee back in his cup. “She’s with Spoon?”

“Worse than that. They sailed to Islamorada yesterday, and they’re just heading back now.”

“She’s sleeping with him!” Zach announced.

“Do you have to say it like that? If you don’t stop laughing, Fab, I’m going to kick you out of your chair.”

“Sorry,” Fab muttered.

“The whole prison thing bothers me. Is he or isn’t he legitimate now? More importantly, is he totally legitimate? People whisper about his auto body place, not to mention him in general, of course, when he’s nowhere around because people are afraid of him.”

“Very few people in this town are one hundred percent legit,” Zach pointed out.

“It’s hard enough thinking about her having sex with Spoon, but I don’t want her to end up in jail or worse.”

“Sex with Spoon,” Fab said. “I bet that’s all hot and messy.”

“That’s not helpful,” I said.

“Have a talk with her,” Zach suggested. “I can talk to Spoon and tell him under no circumstances does he involve her in anything illegal.”

“You leave Spoon to me,” I told him. “You know how Brad hated you when he met you and now you’re in the tolerable category?”

“Yes.” Zach’s eyes narrowed.

“When he hears this, I bet he actually starts to like you.”

Zach shook his head and laughed. He didn’t care what anyone thought of him. “Thanks, I think. I have a meeting back at the office,” Zach stood up. “Keep me up to speed.” He pulled me out of my chair. “She’ll be back in a minute,” he told Fab.

We walked to his Escalade. He pushed me up against the driver’s side door and kissed me until my mind went blank. “How about a real date this weekend?”

“Dinner, then sex?”

“Or sex, dinner, and more sex.”

“I’d love that.” I kissed his lips.

“Call you later.”

I turned around, and Fab handed me my purse. “It looked like you two were finished. Let’s go to the Coast Guard office and see what we can find out.”

“How was bodyguarding Israel?” I asked. “He’s got that Latin sizzle thing going for him.”

“I haven’t noticed.”

I laughed. “Sure.”

“The whole gig was uneventful, which is the way I like it. What’s up with you and Zach?”

“I’m trying to be grownup, but I’d like more time for fun. That means I limit the urge to whine.”

“I know what you mean. A weekend in Key West would be fun… or anywhere, for that matter.”

“Did you woman up and tell Marco what you want?”

She shook her head. “Nope.”

“Me neither. We should do that before we get bored with being neglected and move on.”

“I’m pretty much there.”

I sighed. “What if they turn out to be the loves of our lives and we never said anything?”

CHAPTER 12

Fab jerked the wheel of her Thunderbird hard, skidded sideways into the driveway of the Coast Guard building, and screeched to a halt. She hated the brake pedal and never used it until the last second.

We walked into the office, and Fab went to the counter. “Is Lieutenant Patrick in? Tell him Fab Merceau is here to see him.”

We didn’t have to wait long before he appeared in his white Coast Guard shorts and shirt. He towered over the two of us. Why wouldn’t Fab go for him? Probably too normal.

He looked her up and down, a boyish grin on his face. “Hey, trouble.” He swung Fab into a hug.

“This is my friend Madison Westin,” Fab introduced.

I wanted a hug like hers, but wasn’t going to ask. “Nice to meet you.” I nodded at him, unsure of what else to say.

“I need some information,” Fab told him.

“Come back to my office.” He motioned for us to follow him down the hall. “What’s up? Please tell me you’re not in some kind of trouble with the Coast Guard.”

I chuckled. He obviously knew her well. He had a nice office, no pictures of a woman or children, just one of him and his Akita. His nameplate read Dan Patrick.

“There was a guy overboard the other night, a Pavel Klaus, and I wondered if you knew anything about the case,” Fab said. “Madison and her brother are the owners of the boat, although she wasn’t on it that night.”

“I know we stopped looking for him. We have two reports on file regarding incidents of him jumping overboard and swimming back to shore. The latest was two months ago over on Decker Island. Klaus went with a group of people. They were all drunk, got into a fight, so he snuck off and swam back to the mainland. The friends called and reported him missing. We searched, and the whole time, he was sitting at the Croc, laughing it up.”

“You think he’s alive?” Fab asked.

“You’d think he would’ve shown up by now,” Dan said. “No one’s seen him, as far I know.”

“Can we get a copy of the report? And is it possible for us to look at the boat?” Fab asked.

Dan stood up. “I’ll be right back. I know the report is done; I’ll get you a copy. One question: did Devereaux have your permission to take the boat out that night?”

“No, he didn’t,” I said.

“We’ll note that in the report, and it will help you in dealing with the insurance company.” Dan left the office, shutting the door behind him.

“He’s very nice,” I said.

“And funny and smart.”

“Have you…?”

“No. What am I going to do with a nice guy?”

“How do you know him?”

“Friend of a friend. Dan and I have swapped favors a few times. He’s one of those people you can ask for help who always says yes.”

Dan opened the door. “Here you go.” He handed some papers to Fab.

“We appreciate this,” Fab said.

“Thank you.” I smiled.

“Come on, ladies. I’ll take you down to the boat. We have it parked in a holding area down in storage. The captain says you can pick it up tomorrow.”

It took several minutes to maneuver the maze of the docks to where the boat sat in the water by itself.

“Is there any damage?” I asked.

“There’s minimal damage to the starboard side. We ran a couple of tests and took some wood scrapings. We cleaned out the contents of the boat and bagged it for evidence in case this goes to court.”

“Do you mind if I take a couple of pictures?” I asked.

“Go ahead.”

I took out my phone, walked around the boat, and took several pictures. I had to look hard to see the damage and there was no evidence of a crash.

Fab and Dan stood on the main dock, laughing and talking.

“What’s a good time to send someone to pick up the boat?” I asked. “I’m having it towed back to the Cove.”

“I’ll have the guys pull it out of the water today, so it will be ready to go anytime tomorrow. I was going to tell you if you were going to drive it back, the waterways can be tricky if you’re not familiar with the area. Come back to the office and sign the release form and you won’t have to come back tomorrow.”

“My aunt used to love to collect favors from people. Her theory was you just never knew. I owe you one,” I told Dan.

“That’s how Fab and I became such good friends, swapping favors.” He smiled at Fab. There was no doubt he liked her.

“Thank you for your help, Dan,” Fab said.

We waved to him and walked back to the car.

“What’s in the report?” I asked.

“The five of them were drinking, and a couple of them were smoking pot.”

I shook my head. “That’s a shock.”

“When the Coast Guard showed up, they were all drunk off their asses. So far, they only have theories and no real evidence. Pavel sat on the port side, and their theory is that, based on the damage, Jax hit something, possibly a mile marker, and it threw Pavel from the boat. Of course, the other theory is that Pavel decided to jump overboard and swim back to shore. Not a good idea, since he was drunk. However, the shore wasn’t far. The fact that he hasn’t shown up yet isn’t good for Jax.”

“If he’s alive, now would be a good time for Pavel to walk into a bar and order a beer. If he’s dead, the nightmare begins.”

“This next part is interesting,” Fab said.

“What now?”

“It says here that Jax told the Coast Guard and the sheriff he borrowed your boat, thinking you wouldn’t mind.”

I shook my head. “In Jax land, he probably thought that was the truth.”

“At least you can tell Brad the boat looks okay.”

“Did you see the inside? The entire interior and new white upholstery was covered in black marks, and one of the cushions has a large cut. There was actual garbage in it.”

“The inside was pretty filthy,” Fab conceded.

“Jax likes nice things, but he never seems to know how to take care of them. I’m going to do what I can to get it cleaned and repaired before Brad comes back from fishing. Thank goodness I know everyone who worked on the boat. I can have it looking like new.”

“Brad won’t blame you.”

“He’ll blame me and Jax. What if I have to tell him that in addition to his boat being trashed, it gets worse? Pavel could be dead. I’d like to shuffle it off on my mother and bury my head in the sand.”

“What’s your mother going to say?” Fab asked.

“About the boat, Jax, or Spoon?”

“You probably won’t have to call Spoon
Daddy
.”

“What?”

“You know… the stepfather thing.”

“Eww. Do me a favor and don’t ever say that again.”

“You can’t shoot your way out of this, so you need to find the humor, or you’ll go crazy.”

“That’s my second smile today. The first, I was ogling your friend Dan.”

“He thought you were cute, too. I told him I’d let him know when you kick Zach to the curb.”

“You’re so funny.”

CHAPTER 13

“You’re back.” I was happy to see that Jax hadn’t done anything stupid, like disappear.