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r again. I don’t know why they didn’t catch this when the boat was last serviced. I have a few more things to check and then I’ll be done.”
“Take your time. Bill’s a lot more skilled than I am when it comes to running this boat. I’d rather wait and get under way at dawn when I can see where I’m going.”
“Do you think it’s dangerous to wait?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, chances of us getting stranded on a sandbar are good if I try to go out in the dark. I got this boat with the idea in mind that I’d always have a captain. I’ve learned how to do the minimal, but I’m not a pro.”
I went below deck to finish and Hooker followed me down with two glasses and a bottle of wine.
“Do you mind if I watch?” he asked.
“Nope.”
“Do you mind if I talk?”
“Nope. I’m a multi-tasker.”
“I thought you worked for an insurance company.”
“Your use of the past tense is probably appropriate.”
“So what’s with the mechanic thing?”
“My dad owns a garage. I helped out.”
“You must have more than helped out. Bill thinks you’re a mechanical genius.”
“Bill’s my brother. He has to think things like that.”
He handed me a glass of wine. “Not true. I have two sisters and I think they’re both airheads. What did you study in college?”
“None of your business.”
“Art? American history? Mechanical engineering?”
I sipped some wine. “Engineering, but I never did anything with it. By the time I graduated I was disenchanted with job prospects.”
I finished my wine and my checklist at precisely the same time. “I think we’re good to go,” I told Hooker. “Start her up and check out the gauge.”
Hooker came back two minutes later. “We have a problem,” he said.
“The gauge?”
“The gauge isn’t in the same league as this problem. There’s a boat sitting at the mouth of the harbor. Not the Sunseeker. It’s got its lights off, but I can see the white hull reflecting in the water.”
“Could it be Flex?”
“No. It’s not nearly that big.”
Hooker and I went topside and looked at the boat.
“Maybe it’s here for the fishing or snorkeling,” I said. “Maybe it’s just an innocent pleasure boat.”
“Innocent pleasure boats don’t arrive at two in the morning and turn off all their running lights. I’m worried that someone did a flyover and picked us up and motored out here. Calflex has a bunch of smaller boats. It could be one of those.”
“Looks to me like they’re blocking our way out. If they think Maria is on board, maybe they’ll just send a couple henchmen out in the morning. Or maybe at this very moment, the henchmen are getting into scuba gear.”
“I really hate that idea,” Hooker said. “Especially since I gave Bill the gun. The RIB is tied up to the dive platform. Throw a couple bottles of water and some granola bars into it and get in. I’ll be right behind you.”
