Part 3 (1/2)
”I'm sorry, Belle. Forgive me, please... I've gotten off to an exceedingly poor start with you. I've made myself seem like a cantankerous old cow... My son would not have been proud.” Tears swam into Sara's eyes and down her powdered cheeks. She didn't bother to dab them away. ”In fact, he would have been appalled.”
Belle stared slack-jawed, then half rose from her seat. The sudden display of emotion had affected her more than she knew. She fumbled in her purse for a handkerchief, but found only a crumpled tissue. ”I don't seem to have a handkerchief, Mrs. Briephs-”
”Sara. Call me Sara.” The old lady swiped at her glistening cheeks with fingers bony and rigid with a lifetime's worth of self-discipline. For the first time Belle understood the effort required to create such an indomitable facade.
”Yes, I will...” Belle was about to walk to the old woman's side when the door flew open and a breathless Emma rushed in.
”Oh, madam, I just heard it on the radio in the butler's pantry... Those Pepper people who bought the old Drexel estate on the point... The Coast Guard says the missus's boat caught fire in Buzzards Bay... a tragedy for all of Newcastle, the radio is saying... Both women are reported lost at sea....”
5.
Rosco was leaving his office when the phone rang. He decided to let his answering machine take the call, but when he recognized Belle's shaky voice, he grabbed the receiver.
”Hi. I'm here. Are you all right?”
”Did you hear the news?”
”Two hours ago. Tom Pepper called me right after the Coast Guard notified him. He was already on board his plane, flying back from his hunting cabin. He asked me to meet him at his home.”
”It's horrible, Rosco, I... I just talked to those women Sat.u.r.day... Genie seemed so... She seemed so nice...”
”And she probably still is, Belle. Let's not a.s.sume the worst. The boat was badly burned but afloat, and the Coast Guard hasn't located the Orion Orion's inflatable tender yet. Besides, the women were known to be excellent sailors; they should have been able to handle almost any situation.”
”But what if the tender tore loose in the blaze and they couldn't escape?”
”Then the Coast Guard would have found two bodies aboard the Orion Orion-which they did not, meaning the women and the dinghy have to be somewhere... There's a full search-and-rescue operation under way, Belle. We have to give it a little time.”
Belle remained quiet for a long moment. ”Why does Pepper want to see you?”
”He's very upset... which is natural. And he's a guy who's accustomed to getting things done quickly-and calling all the shots. Obviously, the Coast Guard has no answers presently. So... he's not a happy man.”
”You mean he's hiring hiring you? To investigate this?” you? To investigate this?”
”Like I said, he's upset. I'll just have to talk to him. See what he has in mind. I've investigated maritime loss in the past. He knows that.”
”Well, he must be thinking the fire's a result of foul play.” Rosco could almost hear Belle's brain whirring with this new piece of information.
”I doubt that. Most likely, he just wants to make sure the Coast Guard is giving the situation one hundred percent... Which you can bet they are; they don't go into these things halfheartedly.”
”You really believe Genie and Jamaica are all right?”
”Absolutely.”
Another unhappy pause. ”I'd been thinking some terrible things about Jamaica... I wish I hadn't... It makes me feel so guilty...” Then Belle's practical side kicked in; she was a person addicted to finding solutions. Ambiguity and doubt were two sensations she abhorred. ”Why didn't the women radio for help-or even phone? I can't imagine Jamaica going anywhere anywhere without a cell phone.” without a cell phone.”
”I'll check with Pepper. Maybe he knows.” Rosco glanced at his watch. ”Look, I should be going. I told him I'd be there by five-thirty. Are you all right?”
”... Yes.”
”You're sure? You don't sound it.”
”I'm okay...”
”I'll stop by after I leave Pepper's, how's that?”
”Thanks.”
”I almost forgot... How was tea?”
”We're still having it... Sara says h.e.l.lo...”
Rosco smiled into the receiver. ”Sara?”
”I'll be home at six,” Belle said in answer. ”Get there when you can.”
The drive from Rosco's office to the Pepper home took about twenty minutes. It was five or six miles south of the Yacht Club on a high bluff. On a clear day the property would have had a commanding view of the coastline and the sea beyond, but a thick bank of burly gray clouds had suddenly swept in from the east, bringing with it a squally rain that stung Rosco's face as he stepped from his Jeep. He turned up his coat collar, trotted over to a broad entry portico, and rapped three swift times with the polished bra.s.s knocker. The door was opened by a short, beefy man in his sixties. He was dressed in the formal black suit of a butler, but his build was more like that of an aging bodyguard.
”You must be Mr. Polycrates.” The accent was vaguely British, although Rosco guessed England wasn't the man's country of origin.
”Yes.”
”Come in, please. Mr. Pepper is expecting you.”
From over the butler's shoulder Rosco heard Pepper call out an irritable: ”That's all, Anson. No... Wait! Take the man's coat. Hang it up.”
After Rosco had shed his soggy coat, Pepper approached. A rocks gla.s.s filled with Scotch was in his left hand. He offered his right to Rosco. ”I appreciate the h.e.l.l out of you coming here on such short notice... The weather's certainly turned foul... Scotch?”
”I think I'll pa.s.s. Thanks.”
Tom stared down at the gla.s.s. ”Yeah, you're right. It's early... Sorry, I just needed to calm myself down. I'm a wreck... Why don't we step into my office. I've set up a command post there.”
Rosco followed Pepper down a corridor whose walls were covered with oil paintings and hunting prints, and they entered a s.p.a.cious corner room lined, floor to ceiling, with bookcases. A pair of wide bay windows overlooked the bluffs, and the two men stood watching as six-foot swells pounded the rocky coast. The storm was definitely building.
”I can sit in this room and stare at the sea for hours at a time. It fascinates me. I wouldn't go out on it on a dare, mind you, but it's something to look at.” As if suddenly aware of the significance of this speech, Pepper sighed heavily.
Rosco turned to face him. ”I'm like you... I don't do well on the water.”
”It just drives me crazy thinking that my Genie could be floating around lost somewhere... I mean, look at this stuff... How long do you think it would take before-”
”I have a lot of confidence in the Coast Guard, Mr. Pepper,” Rosco interrupted gently. ”I've seen them handle similar situations in the past. If your wife is out there, they'll find her.”
Pepper's response was close to explosive. ”I don't want to hear about the d.a.m.n Coast Guard! I tried to maintain an open line to those SOBs and some 'chief petty officer' cut me off. Told me he'd call when he got something. That's why I phoned you. I don't know where to turn at this point.”