Part 60 (2/2)
Kerry nudged her sandwich with one finger. ”Does that mean...he's just going to ignore the fact that a whole boat and its crew has disappeared?”
Dar bit the edge of the gla.s.s as she looked at Kerry through it.
”I guess he figures it's just one more boat gone missing in a long list of them,” she said. ”I don't know.”
”Wow. So much for the law.” Kerry frowned.
Dar folded her hands around one knee. ”Yeah,” she said. ”Well, maybe it's for the best.”
”What?” Kerry said. ”After what happened to Bud? And the map? And DeSalliers' goons and his gun and-”
356*
Dar looked at her. ”And me choking him as we went overboard?” she interrupted in a low tone. ”And what happened with that guy spotting the raft with the searchlight, and Dad shooting holes in the boat?” She leaned over nearer to Kerry.
”They were trying to kill us!” Kerry hissed, in a mere whisper.
”What were we supposed to do, let them? Call the police?” she added with a touch of sarcasm. ”Call CNN?”
Dar touched her fingertips to Kerry's lips. ”All I'm saying is, it's over.”
Kerry stared at her for a long moment, then she let out a breath.
”What about the pirates?” She took another tack. ”We can't just leave that alone. Even if Bud and Charlie are involved, d.a.m.n it, Dar.”
”No,” Dar conceded. ”But we're not going to get any help from the cops here.” She glanced around, but the tables near them were quite empty. ”On the other hand, nothing's stopping us from contacting those insurance companies when we get back to Miami.
Kerry relaxed a little. ”That's true,” she agreed. ”If we take away their gains, maybe it'll stop.”
”Exactly.”
”Think they'll believe us?” the blonde woman asked wryly. ”It all sounds so melodramatic.” She rubbed her temples. ”How do we get ourselves into this stuff, anyway?”
”Natural talent.” Dar stood and offered Kerry a hand up. ”Let's go. I think we've overstayed our welcome.”
Kerry joined her, and they started off back toward the Dixie.
”This place's overstayed my need to be here,” she muttered, dodging a flock of pigeons. ”Next time, we hike Yosemite.”
”We'll end up being chased by a bear.”
”That's Yellowstone.”
”Whatever.”
”ARE YOU SURE this is a good idea?” Kerry whispered, as they relieved the grateful grocers of some of their perishables. ”I don't think those guys get along, Dar.”
Dar reviewed the choices in the rapidly melting ice. ”They'll be fine.” She pointed at a fish. ”Get that one. Dad likes them.”
Kerry motioned to the man behind the counter. A call to the hospital had revealed that Bud was refusing to remain in its care, and he and Charlie were more than ready to leave the place behind.
Dar had immediately offered them a ride back to their island, and casually invited them to join her, Kerry, and Andrew for dinner on board their boat.
There was, everyone had realized, no real way for them to refuse, given the circ.u.mstances, and now Kerry was gathering*357 enough food to feed them, while hoping the evening didn't turn out to be a disaster. ”I don't know, sweetie,” she sighed. ”I hope you know what you're doing.”
Dar added several loaves of local bread to Kerry's basket, and sent the grocer into raptures by taking some endangered ice cream off his hands. ”Dad agreed to it, so don't worry.” She tossed in a jar of hot fudge. ”Time to put all that c.r.a.p behind them. Besides, whatever you make's gonna be a lot better than anything we'd find out here tonight.”
Kerry accepted the compliment with a grin. ”Only because we've got power,” she reminded Dar. ”We're going to have to run the engines to charge the batteries if you want anything more than half cooked.”
”No problem,” Dar murmured. ”They've got hand pressured pumps. I was able to get them to fill the tanks this morning.” She eyed the rather pitiful looking vegetables. ”Those look nasty.”
Kerry snorted. ”Dar, if they were perfect examples of their species, presented in the best refrigerated case Publix could offer, you'd still think they were nasty.”
”Mm.”
”However, I'll need some of them, so close your eyes or go look at the cupcakes.”
Dar chuckled. ”I'll go get something for us to drink,” she said.
”Meet you at the register.”
KERRY WAS JUST finis.h.i.+ng the folds on the aluminum foil she'd wrapped around the filets when she felt the boat rock and looked up to see Andrew poking his head inside the cabin. ”Hi, Dad.”
”'Lo there, k.u.mquat.” Andrew entered and wandered over to where she was working, observing her creation curiously. ”Making us some fancy dinner?”
”It's not fancy.” Kerry dusted the fish with some finely chopped herbs, then poured a capful of cider over it before she sealed the packets. ”It just a different way of cooking it.”
Andy leaned on the counter. ”Seems a lot of trouble for a bunch of old sea dogs.”
Kerry turned her head and smiled at him. ”Nah.” She put the packet with the others on top of the steamer grill insert in the big pot on the stove, and then set a layer of vegetables on top of it.
Another pot held water for pasta, and she put a lid on it before she wiped her hands on a towel and leaned back. ”Okay, we're ready,”
she said. ”Coffee just finished. Want some?”
”Surely,” Andrew replied, taking hold of her sleeve. ”Go sit yourself down and relax. Ah'll grab it.” He tugged. ”G'wan.”
358*
Kerry decided to humor him. She eased out from the galley and walked over to one of the chairs, dropping into it and leaning back.
She watched her father-in-law setting the cups on the counter and fixing the coffee, his motions measured and precise as always. She saw Dar in that. Her partner had the same unconsciously methodical way of doing things. ”Hey, Dad?”
Andrew glanced at her and raised one grizzled eyebrow.
”Are you okay with our dinner plans, or are you just humoring your daughter?”
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