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Angel stood beside her, a hand at the small of her back, letting her know she wasn’t alone.
Leilani filled in the officer on what had occurred as the man took notes on an electronic pad.
Angel gave his account as well, describing the boat. “It was black with red-orange flames on the side.”
“Did you see the driver?” the officer asked.
Angel shook his head. It had happened so fast, and they’d had to brace for impact. “No. Whoever it was driving was riding low at the helm. As much damage as the jet boat caused to Ms. Kealoha’s boat, the crash had to have caused significant damage to the jet boat. Find a boat with a damaged starboard side, and you’ll know it was the one used to ram the Windsong I.”
The officer nodded. “We’ll release a BOLO, be on the lookout, for a jet boat matching your description,” the officer promised. “We’ll have our officers check harbors and marinas. Let us know if you think of anything else.”
Before he left, the officer spoke to a few of the passengers, then Captain Ako and Josh.
Captain Ako arranged to have the Windsong I moved to a repair shop as soon as possible. He emphasized the fact it was taking on water and needed to be moved for repair before it sank. If they didn’t move it soon, they might have to send a salvage team to recover it from the bottom of the harbor.
By then, the Windsong II had docked, and the guests had disembarked.
Leilani met with Captain Ako, Captain Dave and the deckhands.
“Up until today, the attacks have been passive, when no passengers or members of the crew were around.” Her lips pressed into a tight line. “Today’s incident changed all that. Whoever has been sabotaging our tour operation upped the stakes by attacking a boat full of people. Today’s incident could’ve ended much more tragically than it did. People could’ve been seriously injured or killed.” She shook her head. “I’m considering suspending operations until we get to the bottom of this. For now, we’ll finish out this week’s Windsong II reservations with eyes wide open to danger.”
The captains and deckhands nodded as one, the repercussions of shutting down the tours reflected in their grim expressions.
“If we do suspend operations, you know I’d like to pay you while we’re down, but I can’t,” Leilani said. “Without the money from the tours coming in, I have nothing to fund salaries. I’ll pay you up through the end of the week. As much as I hate it, I realize you have to go where you can make money. I hope I can hire you back when this is over, but I’ll understand if you’ve found a better position. I’m sorry, but I’d rather lose you to a competitor than lose you forever.”
“Well,” Captain Dave said, “we have until the end of the week to figure it out. If any of you hear anything, let me or Leilani know.”
“That’s right,” Leilani agreed. “We can’t sit on information, no matter how big or small it might appear. One little nugget of data could mean the difference between taking a month to figure this out and resolving it within days, hours or even minutes.”
“What about the Windsong II?” Dev asked. “You still need me to pull guard duty overnight?”
Leilani nodded. “More than ever. Windsong I will be in the maintenance building where they have video surveillance. I’ll still need people to guard Windsong II, twenty-four-seven.”
Dev nodded. “Between Reid and I, we can alternate night and day shifts to keep it covered.”
“Great,” Leilani said. “Then you won’t be so tired because you were up all night and the following day.”
“We’ll work it out so that neither one of us will have to work it twenty-four-seven,” Dev assured her.
One by one, she hugged each one of the captains and deckhands and asked them to give her love to their family members.
“Thank you,” Leilani said and turned to Angel. “Now, can we go home? I’m beyond exhausted, and I have some things I need to do for my cousin’s wedding.” She shook her head. “It all seems so inconsequential compared to nearly losing my crew, a boat and all its passengers.”
“Yeah, but he’s your cousin,” Angel said.
Leilani nodded. “He’s already lost so much and postponed their wedding once. My problems aren’t his. I need to keep it that way.”
“Come on,” Angel said. “I’ll get you back to the resort. After a shower and change of clothes, you’ll feel more like dealing with the wedding.”
“I hope so.” She followed him to his rental car and let him open the door for her.
Angel waited until Leilani was settled in the passenger seat before he rounded the front of the car and slid behind the wheel.
She held out her hand.
He took it in his and squeezed gently. “It’s going to be okay.”
She met his gaze. “Before or after someone’s hurt?”
