Blowout Page 10

  “Probably another twenty minutes if things go as planned,” Jace said.

  “Whoa!” Uncle Harry cried.

  The rock shifted and a thin sliver of light shone above her. She had never been so happy to see the sky. The triangular-shaped opening was largest on the side farthest from her. Judging by the angle, the rock rested on uneven ground.

  “That was a close one, Jace,” Uncle Harry said. “We better watch out.”

  “Right,” Jace said. “Harry, go find some long pieces of wood. We’ll wedge them under the rock as we dig, then pull them out when we’re ready. The rock should just roll right out with the downward momentum.”

  “Got it,” Uncle Harry said.

  Jace shoveled while Harry dragged logs and wood into place. Judging from all the grunts and curses, it was heavy, sweaty work. Kat wished she could help but instead listened guiltily.

  After what seemed like an eternity they were finally ready. Which was a good thing, since the tiny sliver of sky above the rock had changed into a deep indigo blue. Soon it would be dark, so their plan had better work the first time.

  “Let’s do this,” Jace said. “Kat, stand back just in case something else gets triggered. Harry, stand at the other side. Pull the first logs out when I say go. I’ll do the same on this side.”

  “Gotcha.”

  “Now,” Jace shouted. The rock lurched forward and exposed a larger opening. But the sides of the rock were still firmly wedged against the cave wall.

  “Kat, can you climb up and over the top?” Jace asked.

  “I don’t think so. There aren’t any footholds. I don’t know how to boost myself up.” Kat’s heart sank. So close and yet so far. She had hoped to be out before nightfall, but things didn’t look promising. In the meantime Raphael was probably robbing Gia blind and getting her to invest even more.

  “I’ve got an idea. What if we had a rope?”

  “That might work.” She had tried indoor rock climbing once. She could probably manage. She had a glimmer of hope that she might be able to sleep in a bed tonight.

  “Okay. Now we just need a rope.” He was silent for a moment. “Harry, can you take the dinghy and get back to the ship? There’s got to be rope on board.”

  “We don’t have time for that, Jace.” Raphael would purposely delay them. After all, he had intentionally trapped her in the first place. “Are you guys wearing belts?”

  “Yep,” Uncle Harry said.

  “Yes, why?” Jace asked.

  “One belt isn’t long enough, but two might be.”

  “Worth a try. But are they strong enough to hold together?”

  “Only one way to find out,” Kat said. Would it work? All she could do was hope.

  A leather belt slid down the rock. She reached up and grabbed it. She pulled and felt tension as Jace held the other end. She leaned back and stepped on the rock but couldn’t pull herself up. The end of the belt was still too high above her head, and she didn’t have the upper body strength to boost herself.

  The belts had to be longer, or else she had to be higher. She looked for a rock small enough to move. She needed to stand on something a foot or so high. That would elevate her enough to pull herself up the rock.

  But all the rocks around her were small. She gathered what she could and stacked them in a makeshift platform. She tested the stability with one foot. It was precarious even without her injuries, but it held. It was also her only option.

  Here she was again in her flip-flops, another accident waiting to happen. She cursed under her breath. There was no other way, she thought as she stepped up with her other foot.

  “Okay, I’m ready.” Kat pulled on the belts until she felt the tension on the opposite end.

  “Okay. Got it, Harry?” Jace asked.

  “Yup. Go for it, Kat,” Uncle Harry said.

  “All right, here I come.” She visualized her one and only rock-climbing experience at the indoor climbing center. She put one foot against the rock and leaned back about forty-five degrees. The belts held. She took a deep breath and stepped off the rock mound with her other foot. She focused on placing one foot in front of the other.

  “So far, so good.” Jace shouted. “Keep going.”

  She was within inches of the opening, but her muscles burned.

  Kat didn’t know whether the men held the belts or if they had tied them onto something else instead. She broke into a sweat. If it was this hard, she was probably doing it wrong. Her sweaty palms slid on the leather and her skin burned as she struggled to hang on.

  She tightened her palm around the leather but it was no use. It slipped from her grip and she fell backwards, landing on the ground with the rock pile in the small of her back. She cried out in pain.

  “What happened?” Jace asked.

  “I lost my grip.” Kat rolled onto her side and winced as spasms shot through her back, knee and ankle. “Give me a minute, then I’ll try again.”

  “Just holler when you’re ready,” Harry said.

  Pain or no pain, she was getting the hell out of this cave.

  Ten minutes later, she reached the top of the rock. She paused and inhaled air deep into her lungs. The fresh air intoxicated her as she scrambled across the top. She smiled down at Jace and Harry who stood about ten feet below.

  “You’re sure a sight for sore eyes,” Harry said.

  “You guys too.” She smiled and swiveled her legs over the edge. She almost jumped before she remembered her knee and ankle.

  “What’s wrong?” Harry asked.

  “Nothing,” she replied. Everything was wrong, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. At least not yet. She braced herself and jumped. She cried out as she hit the ground on her side. She rolled over onto her butt and held up her hand for assistance.

  Jace pulled her up. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

  She could live with that.

  15

  Kat sat on the bed, her back propped up against the headboard. Her leg was elevated with ice packs placed strategically around her swollen knee and twisted ankle. By the time they had returned to the yacht, her leg had morphed into one gigantic, swollen blob. She was exhausted from both her near-death cave experience and the hour-long limp back to the dinghy.

  “You look like a casualty of war.” Jace sat at the desk and typed on his keyboard. “How do you always manage to find trouble? We just went for a short walk in the woods.”

  More like trouble had found her. How could she broach the subject of Raphael’s deception without sounding like a lunatic? Jace already figured she had it in for the guy. She needed Pete’s confirmation of her version of events, but she wouldn’t get any proof sitting in bed.

  She swung her legs over the side of the bed and winced as she stood. She didn’t even know where to find Pete onboard. Hopefully her search wouldn’t involve a lot of walking.

  Jace glanced up from his laptop screen. “You’re not going anywhere. Tell me what you want and I’ll get it for you.”

  She shook her head. “I just wanted to test out my leg, see how it’s doing.”

  “We’ve been back for less than an hour.” Jace shook his head. “That’s not enough time to make any difference at all. It’s going to swell more if you don’t elevate it. What do you need?”

  “Some fresh air. I’ll prop my leg up once I’m outside.”

  “No you won’t.”

  “Sure I will, I promise.” She demonstrated what she hoped was a normal-looking walk. “It’ll stiffen up if I don’t move a little bit.”

  Jace raised his brows and shook his head. “I can’t help you if you won’t help yourself.”

  “Walking is good for me.” She couldn’t exactly ask him to go get Pete.

  “You’re not going to listen to me, are you?” He walked over and placed her arm over his shoulder. “You shouldn’t be walking at all, let alone without crutches. I doubt that there are any crutches on board. Can’t your walk wait till tomorrow?”

>   Her mind raced to find an excuse. “I need some air. I’m feeling a bit seasick.”

  “That’s odd. We aren’t even moving.” Jace was doubtful.

  “I still feel claustrophobic from the cave.” She slipped on her flip-flops. “Luxurious or not, this room is still pretty small.”

  “Wait a sec, I’ll grab your ice.” Jace retrieved her icepack from the bed and followed her to the door.

  He was right about one thing. She couldn’t walk well enough to track down Pete. But if she sat on deck there was a small possibility he might walk by. The odds were equally good that she would see Raphael instead. She shivered at the thought. She’d take her chances.

  She limped down the passageway and through the galley. Her swollen knee throbbed as she ascended the stairs to the deck. As she shifted her weight to the railing for support, she stifled a moan. She couldn’t let Jace see how much it hurt, or he’d insist she return to bed.

  Jace passed her and pulled the door open. A stiff breeze blew in. Refreshing, she thought as she exited outside.

  Jace walked ahead of her and quickly pulled out a chaise lounge and arranged her ice packs. “Anything else you need from below deck?”

  That was the opportunity she had been looking for. “Uh, maybe a book to read?”

  “Tell me where your book is and I’ll get it.”

  “I already finished the book I brought, but there must be other books onboard. Maybe in the living room? Just get me a good mystery or something.” That would take him a few minutes, enough time to see if Pete was anywhere nearby.

  Jace frowned. “I’m sure Raphael has books, but probably not your taste. You might not like what I pick out.”

  “I’ll take that chance.” She felt guilty for sending Jace on a made-up errand, but it bought her some time. Maybe she could just walk around the corner and see if Pete was around. She really needed her facts straight before making any accusations.

  “All right.” He disappeared below deck and Kat considered her strategy. She had ten minutes at best, so where to look first? She decided on the bridge. Even if Pete wasn’t there, another crew member would likely know where to find him.

  That turned out to be a good decision.

  Pete was inside, seated at the controls with another crew member. She saw only the other man’s back, but it was enough to know that he been chosen from a similar labor pool as Pete. He looked like a wharf rat who worked odd jobs for food, shelter, and off-the-record cash. Raphael’s rag-tag crew appeared very temporary. They were the worst-looking bunch of professional mariners she had ever laid eyes on.

  Pete stopped mid-sentence and scrutinized her. “Looks like you had an accident.”

  “You could call it that. Can I talk to you in private?”

  He nodded at the other man who rose and exited.

  A little too eagerly, Kat thought. There was one thing Raphael’s crew members excelled at: keeping a low profile.

  “I fell. But that’s not why I’m here. Why did you tell Raphael I went back to the ship with you?”

  “I never said that.” He stumbled slightly as he stood up. “What are you talking about?”

  “You let him and Jace leave me on the island. Someone trapped me in that cave.”

  “So you found the cave.” He smiled, exposing yellowed teeth.

  He reeked of alcohol. Kat’s feigned nausea quickly turned real. “That’s what I need to talk to you about.”

  Pete shouted something to his colleague who suddenly reappeared in the wheelhouse.

  “Back in five,” he said to his colleague before he turned to Kat. ““Let’s go on deck.”

  She followed him, noting that his drunken gait wasn’t much better than her limp. She had no trouble keeping up with him. She thought the crew should at least be sober while on duty, even if they were anchored.

  They headed to the main deck. Pete motioned around the corner to a small alcove Kat hadn’t noticed before. He pulled out a grimy-looking chair and motioned for her to sit down.

  He sat opposite her on a stool. “If you plan on stirring up trouble, I don’t want no part in it.”

  Drunk Pete wasn’t nearly as friendly as the sober version. “I’m not stirring up anything, but someone trapped me in that cave. I think it was Raphael.”

  “That’s between you and him.” He swayed slightly as he stood. “None of my business.”

  Kat stood and blocked his exit. “Raphael said you told him that I was staying on the island with you.”

  “That’s a lie. I never said that.” He crossed his arms as his face reddened. “We barely talked. He just told me to get back on board.”

  “How exactly did you get to the island? I didn’t see another dinghy.”

  He paused for a moment. “Same way I got here. I swam.”

  “You swam?” She raised her brows. ”Why didn’t you just come with us?”

  “Maybe I like to get my exercise.” He shrugged. “I’ve gotta go.”

  “Not so fast. Why would Raphael lie? He knew you didn’t have a boat.” There was only one dinghy. Jace obviously hadn’t overheard the conversation or he would have questioned it. Aside from her lack of swimming apparel, she was a lousy swimmer. In fact, she could barely float.

  “Beats me. Why don’t you ask him? You know him better than I do.”

  “No I don’t. I just met him today.”

  “Oh.” Pete suddenly seemed uncertain and his expression softened slightly. “Well, I haven’t known him much longer than you, and I need this job. Can’t help you.” He turned sideways to brush past her.

  “That leaves me with no other choice then.” Kat shifted on her feet and winced as her weight transferred to her sore leg. Her movement stopped Pete his tracks.

  He stepped back a few feet and frowned. “No other choice about what?”

  “I’ll have to call the police.” Kat got the feeling Pete didn’t want the police around, so she bluffed. He was definitely hiding something, and she wanted to know what it was. Knowledge of whatever arrangement Pete and Raphael had was important, since it gave her an idea of what Raphael had planned. She had no idea if there was a police detachment nearby, but their cell phones worked.

  “Call them about what, exactly?”

  “That someone purposely trapped me in a cave and tried to kill me. There were three men on the island. Any one of them could have done it. I’ll let the police figure that part out.” Of course Jace hadn’t done it, but no point in confusing the issue. No reason to mention the family, either. While she knew Raphael had trapped her, Pete didn’t. She decided to let him stew a little. It was the only way to get information out of him.

  Pete slowly shook his head. “Bad idea.”

  “You think it’s better to stay onboard with someone who’s trying to kill me?”

  “I never said that. You’ll just make things worse.”

  Kat threw her hands up in the air. ”Worse how, exactly?”

  “Just don’t do it.”

  She pulled out her phone. “Unless you tell me why I shouldn’t…”

  “Okay, fine. I’ll tell you.” He paused before continuing. “This here’s an American boat. We came up from Friday Harbor, but we never went through Canada Customs.”

  Friday Harbor was a small port in the San Juan Islands, north of Seattle. “You snuck across the border?”

  “It’s not the huge deal you’re making it out to be, but yeah, we did. We should have cleared customs in Vancouver, but since we didn’t, we’re here illegally.”

  “It’s not your fault.” She pressed some numbers on her phone and held it up to her face. “It’s connecting.”

  Pete grabbed her phone and chucked it across the deck. “I only work here, I don’t make the decisions. Raphael does. But I’m on the ship, so I’ll get in trouble too.”

  “No you won’t. Like you said, it wasn’t your decision.” Pete had reason to avoid the police, though she got the impression it was unrelated to Raphael. Maybe an outstanding warrant or
something, but her gut told her he wasn’t the problem.

  She turned, intending to retrieve her phone.

  Pete followed her gaze. “I’ll get it for you.” He walked over and picked it up. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. Just don’t call the police. We’ll be gone in a few days and it won’t matter anymore.” He handed her phone back.

  Exactly the information she was looking for. “Where exactly are you going?”

  He shrugged. “Nowhere that you need to know about.”

  “Why not sell it here?”

  “Sell what?”

  “The yacht.”

  Silence.

  “The Financier isn’t really Raphael’s boat, is it?” It was a hunch, given that Raphael didn’t seem very interested in cruising.

  Pete shrugged, but his forehead glistened with a thin sheen of sweat. “Of course it’s his. Raphael was already on the boat when I got on in Friday Harbor. He hired me and the other guys to crew.”

  “You don’t think it’s odd that he didn’t already have a crew?”

  “He said he’d been away for a few months and let his crew go. We were supposed to sail to Vancouver to meet them.”

  “What happened?”

  “The crew never showed. Raphael said there was a mix up in dates or something, and that we’d trade off in Costa Rica instead. We were supposed to leave today, but then this detour trip came up, with you and your friends.”

  “What happens in Costa Rica?” She scratched her forehead. “Let me guess. You’ll leave the boat there.” A yacht this size was hard to disguise in these parts. But no one would ask questions in Central America. The Financier would just be another one of the many foreign yachts that called at Costa Rican ports along the coast. The yacht could be transformed completely at a maritime chop shop and sold there.

  Pete shrugged. “He doesn’t tell me, and I don’t ask.”

  “How long are you staying there?” There was more to Costa Rica than sandy beaches and a laid back lifestyle. Canada had no extradition treaty with Costa Rica. Anyone hiding there was safe from Canadian authorities.

  Now Kat was more certain than ever of Raphael’s deception. But it was a lot of effort just for Gia’s money. He had something else in play. Whoever he was, he most certainly wasn’t an Italian billionaire. Once he reached Costa Rican shores, he would disappear forever.