Deceived (7 page)

Before she could scream, his hand closed over her mouth. “I'm not going to hurt you, Jennie,” he whispered hoarsely. With his free hand he opened her camera, extracted the memory card, and slipped it into his pocket. In the same movement, he pulled her against him, pinning her arms against her sides.

How did he know her name? Had he been following her? She struggled to get free, but he held her firm, his muscles like granite. That surprised her. From his outward appearance she'd expected him to be flabby. The balding head and sloppy clothes didn't match the strength in his arms or the fluid moves she'd just witnessed. And something else. He had a gun. She could feel the holster pressing against her back.

Let me go!
Jennie tried to scream. All that escaped was a muffled, “Mmmmph.” She tried kicking his shins, but all she hit was air.

“I said I wouldn't hurt you, Jennie. I meant that. I just need to talk to you.”

Yeah, right. People who aren't going to hurt you don't grab you from behind—or try to fry you in a sauna.
Jennie went limp, hoping to catch him off guard. Maybe he'd loosen his grip and she could escape. It might have worked if it hadn't been for his next words.

“I have a message for you from your father,” he said. Jennie stiffened. Had she heard him right
? This is crazy. Dad's dead. This can't be happening. It's just a trick.

As if hearing her thoughts he added, “It's true, Jennie. I'm going to let go of you now. But I need your promise that you won't scream or tell anyone I've spoken with you.”

“Mmmm-hmm.” Jennie nodded in agreement. Maybe she'd comply, maybe not. One thing for certain, she wouldn't make the mistake of turning her back on him again.

He let go of her. “Sorry I had to do that. I don't like having my picture taken.” The hint of a smile cracked his rigid jaw. Jennie wished she could see his eyes. They told a lot about people. Unfortunately, his sunglasses blocked her view. In sizing him up, Jennie decided he was either a criminal or a cop. Her intuition told her it was the latter.
That's nuts, McGrady. A cop wouldn't have locked you in the sauna.
On the other hand, if he wanted her out of the way while he searched her room, he might have.

“Who are you?” she asked with more confidence than she felt. “And why should I believe you? Gram and J.B. said Dad was dead.”

“To them he is.”

“I don't understand.”

“I'm a friend of your father's.” He reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out a wallet, and flipped it open, revealing an official-looking badge. “Agent Brett Roberts, DEA.”

“I still don't understand. What—”

“Jennie!” Dominic called from farther down the main trail.

Roberts put a hand out to silence her. “We can't talk here,” he whispered. “Meet me at midnight behind the fitness center—alone.”

“Jennie?” Dominic called again. She turned toward the sound of his voice.

“I'll be right there,” she yelled, then swung back to tell Roberts she had no intention of meeting him or any other stranger on deck alone at midnight—even if he did work for the government.

But the mysterious agent had disappeared. Jennie stared down at the useless digital camera
. “I have a message from your father,”
Roberts had said. Did that mean Dad was alive after all? Hope began to swell in her heart like a rose coming into bloom.
No, McGrady, the practical side of her objected. Don't do this toyourself. Don't even think it. Roberts hadn't actually said that Dad was alive. He only said he had a message.

What was it Roberts had said when she'd mentioned Gram and J.B.? “To them he is.” What exactly did that mean?

“There you are. We thought you had deserted us.” Dominic's grin slid away when he reached her. “You are troubled, Jennie. Something has happened, no?”

Jennie glanced at the camera again. Should she mention her encounter with Roberts? Maybe Dominic and Matt could go after him. If he had a message from Dad he could give it to her in front of her friends. No. That wasn't the answer. If he really was an agent and really did have a message from her father, Jennie couldn't afford to let anything interfere. “Just upset.” She held up the film. “The memory card for my camera is gone.”

“That is too bad.” He slipped a comforting arm around her shoulder. “You can get another one, no?”

Jennie nodded. “Yeah, it's just that I had some good shots on this one.” She shrugged and stuffed it into her camera case, giving Dominic what she hoped was a casual smile. “Oh well, I guess I need to look at the bright side. It only had about ten pictures on it. I can always get more.”

“I know the ideal place to take photographs.” He led her down the path to an old dock where Lisa lay in the sun and Matt dangled his long tan legs over the side.

Jennie found an extra memory card in her camera case and inserted it, then took a dozen or so shots of Matt, Dominic, and Lisa and had Lisa take a few of her and Dominic. One of those captured Dominic carrying her to the end of the dock and dropping her in the water.

Jennie came up sputtering. She pushed her hair outof her face, then sent a wall of water flying in Dominic's direction. He dove in and Jennie raced away from the dock. They played, swam, and snorkeled for about an hour, then headed back to the picnic area for lunch.

On the walk back, Jennie felt as though someone had recharged her battery. Part of her excitement had to do with her growing feelings for Dominic. She'd never met anyone quite like him. They were alike in some ways—both had lost a father and were nursing wounds that would never heal.

Jennie glanced up at Dominic and smiled. He squeezed her hand. Yes, she definitely liked being with Dominic. But that didn't account for the almost raw energy surging through her that afternoon. She was excited about meeting Roberts again and hearing about Dad.

They joined Gram and J.B. at one of the many picnic tables for an informal buffet lunch of hamburgers, salads, and fruit; then Matt and Dominic invited the girls to play volleyball.

“No way,” Lisa informed them as she dumped her paper plate into a trash can and began walking toward the beach. “I'm ready for some good old-fashioned sunbathing.”

“Why don't you guys play for a while and check back with us in about an hour,” Jennie suggested. They agreed. “J.B. and I are going to do a little exploring along the beach,” Gram announced. “If you girls plan on lying in the sun, remember to use sunscreen. There's a bottle in my beach bag.”

Jennie watched them go, suddenly feeling sad.

“You feel it too, don't you, Jennie?” Lisa asked when they began walking again.

“Feel what?”

“Like we're losing Gram.” Lisa lifted her long hair off her neck and held it in a ponytail.

Jennie shrugged. “Maybe that's because we are losing her. She won't be visiting us as much.”

“Or taking us with her on trips.”

“Or letting us stay with her because she's lonely.”

The cousins looked at each other. “Listen to us.” Lisa dropped her hair and adjusted her shoulder bag. “We should be happy for her and here we are complaining. Maybe we shouldn't worry about it. Gram won't just stop being Gram because she's married. I mean…she and J.B. did ask us to come on this trip.”

“You're right,” Jennie agreed. “Gram will always be Gram. And I think J.B. is good for her.”

“Yeah. Like Mom said, ‘The important thing is for Gram to be happy.'”

A few minutes later, lathered in sunscreen and stretched out on towels, Jennie and Lisa closed their eyes and gave themselves up to the task of improving their tans. Lying still proved harder work than playing volleyball, and after a few minutes of sun soaking, Jennie bounced to her feet, raced into the water, and swam for about thirty minutes. Returning to their towels, she accidently on purpose dripped all over Lisa's back.

Lisa shrieked, then settled back onto the towel. “If you're trying to get me to move, it won't work.”

“I'm going to do some snorkeling out by those rocks.” Jennie pointed to two haystack-shaped mounds that rose out of the turquoise water about halfway between the ship and the beach. “Want to come along?”

“Oh, do go along, Lisa,” Gram said as she and J.B. seated themselves in their chairs under an umbrella. “We saw some stingrays out there this morning.”

Lisa wrinkled her nose. “Thanks, but if it's all the same to you, I'll stay closer to shore. The little fish I can handle, but I'd just as soon stay away from the big guys. Besides, aren't they dangerous?”

“They're quite friendly, dear. Unless you step on them. With so many tourists feeding them, they've almost become domesticated. In fact, they seem to enjoy being petted and admired. They remind me of the dolphins we swam with at the research center.”

“C'mon, Lisa,” Jennie urged. “If they're anything like the dolphins, you'll love them.”

“Maybe…”

Jennie retrieved the snorkeling gear from their bags and handed Lisa a set of fins.

“Okay, you win.”

After buying a package of squid for the stingrays at the dive shack, Jennie and Lisa swam out toward the rocks, playing peekaboo with parrotfish, needlefish, angels, and a variety of other sea life Jennie had learned about during her trip to Florida with Gram. They snorkeled for half an hour before coming across a stingray. The ray wove between them, gliding through the water like a kite in the wind.

After a few minutes of swimming, Jenny retrieved some squid from the bag and held it out, letting go as the ray opened its mouth. Lisa tapped Jennie on the shoulder and signaled her to surface. “I'm going in,” she panted. “Matt and Dominic are back. They'll want to see this guy.” She shook the water from her mask. “I'll let them know where you are.”

“Okay,” Jennie said, taking out her mouthpiece. “You coming back out?”

“I don't think so. Much more of this and I'll start growing webs between my fingers.”

Chuckling, Jennie took a big gulp of air and dove under the surface, turning her attention back to the stingray and offering it more food. She mimicked its fluid movements, feeling wonderfully graceful, as though she'd been cast in an underwater ballet.

Jennie could have gone on playing with this winged creature for hours, but curiosity was getting the best of her. Matt and Dominic should have been there by now. She surfaced and swam to the side of the rock to rest and see if she could get a better view of the beach, but she didn't spot the guys. Most likely they were out in the middle somewhere with the twenty or so other snorkelers.

“Oh well,” she said aloud. “It's their loss.”

Jennie resumed her water ballet and swam with the ray until her legs tired. She surfaced to get her breath.

Alarmed at how far from shore she'd gone, Jennie started back. Something whipped by her right leg. The quick movement startled her.
Probably just a fish. Don't be so jumpy.

She looked around for her playmate and found him just a few feet to her left. Something brushed past her again.
Thud.
A spear pierced the ray's underside. Its frenzied attempt to escape turned the water around them a sickening shade of red. Jennie whipped around, fully intending to disarm the creep who'd shot the gentle animal. Well, maybe not disarm, but she'd certainly turn him in. Spear fishing wasn't legal in this area.

Jennie looked around again. No one. Whoever it was had vanished, probably behind one of the many rock formations poking up through the sea floor.
And you'd better vanish too,
an inner voice warned.
That wounded ray is going to attract sharks.

Jennie's lungs ached; her arms and legs felt like lead. She stopped swimming and paused to look around. Good, no sharks yet—at least none with fins showing. Most of the people had gone back to the ship and only a few dozen remained on the beach. The other snorkelers had gone in. Had someone warned them?

Jennie took a deep breath and leaned her head back.

She should have climbed onto the rocks and stayed there until the danger had passed, but no, she had to try and make it to shore so she could warn the others.

She started swimming again, her heart taking up a rhythm that reminded her of the theme song from
Jaws
. The opening scene of the movie played itself out in the theater of her mind. The shark, circling its prey. Any second now she'd feel its cool, slick skin as he brushed against her legs. He'd make two, maybe three passes. Then…
Stop it, McGrady ..Just stop it.

The beach still lay about fifty yards ahead. Jennie didn't think she had the strength to swim that far, but maybe she could reach the dock. A short distance to her left the dock stretched about thirty yards into the bay, like a long arm reaching out to help her. Not only was it closer but two familiar figures motioned for her to come in. The third was already swimming toward her.

When Jennie and Dominic reached the dock, Matt lifted her out and reached down to assist Dominic. “We noticed you were having some trouble out there,” Matt said. “Thought you might need some help.”

Jennie glanced back to where she'd been swimming. “I did, thanks,” she panted, pulling off her mask and snorkel.

“Are you all right?” Lisa wrapped a towel around Jennie's shoulders.

“Your leg. It is bleeding.” Dominic knelt beside her.

Jennie shifted her gaze from Dominic's concerned expression to her thigh. No wonder it burned. Watered­down blood streamed from an inch-long gash.

“You must have cut it on the rocks.” Lisa grimaced. “Does it hurt?”

Jennie dabbed at the cut with a corner of the towel. “Burns mostly. But it wasn't the rocks. Some idiot out there speared a stingray. He missed the first time. That must have been when I got this. I didn't notice. I was so upset about the ray—and the blood in the water.” She reached up and shoved a mass of wet hair back from her face.

“Where were you guys, anyway? I thought Lisa was going to send you out to see the ray.”

“I found a couple on this side of the dock,” Matt said. “I looked for you near the rocks but did not find you.” “Probably because I'd gone so far out. I'm sorry.”

Jennie glanced from one to the other. “Did you see any sharks?”

“Not in close,” Matt answered. “A few minutes ago, though, I spotted a ruckus out near the ship. That's why I came in. Must have been twenty fins slashing the water out there. I warned the other swimmers.”

“I, too, saw the sharks,” Dominic said. “Your ray may have saved your life, Jennie. He headed out to sea instead of inland.”

“Thank God for that. If those sharks had come in close, someone might have been killed.” Jennie shivered and wrapped the towel tighter. “I don't understand how people can be so cruel.”

Lisa frowned and chewed on her lower lip. “I hate to say this, but what if the person with the speargun wasn't after the ray? What if he was after you?”

“Me?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but after the sauna thing, I can't help but wonder.”

Jennie shook her head. She hadn't even considered the possibility that the two incidents could be related­ until now.

“But that is impossible,” Dominic countered angrily, taking hold of Jennie's hand. “Is it not? Who would want to hurt you, querida?”

Jennie glanced back at her wound and pressed the towel against it to stop the bleeding. “I can't think of anyone.” Actually, that wasn't quite true. She'd made a number of enemies lately—she just couldn't imagine any of them coming after her with a speargun.

A shuttle approached the shore, signaling its arrival with a long piercing horn.

“Hey, guys.” Matt nodded toward the boat. “I think they're trying to tell us something.”

Lisa glanced at her watch. “It's three-thirty. That's the last boat back to the ship. We'd better hurry.”

Jennie yanked off her fins and ran with the others back to their beach spot to retrieve their gear, dismissing the possibility that the spear had been meant for her. Ridiculous. Or was it? Again, the balding man in dark glasses and colorful shirt invaded her thoughts
. No way. You're way off base. He works for the government—at least he said he did. Come to think of it, the only enemies you've made lately have been with the federal government. You didn't exactly endear yourself to them by doing that television show.

Could the government want her out of the way? Don't be ridiculous.
The government doesn't go around killing kids—even if we do stupid things to jeopardize their investigations. Do they?

Jennie dismissed the absurd direction her imagination had taken and thought instead about what Roberts had said.
A message from Dad.
He'd asked to meet her at midnight. If he had wanted her dead, he could have killed her that morning near the lighthouse.

She pushed her head through the neckhole of an oversized fuchsia T-shirt and nudged Lisa. “Where are Gram and J.B.?”

“They took the boat before this one.” Lisa stuffed her towel in her bag and donned a white cotton cover-up.

For some odd reason the news hit Jennie like a punch in the stomach. Unwanted tears sprang into her eyes and she wiped them away, hoping no one would notice. Gram's absence shouldn't have bothered her so much, but it did. Gram should have been there for her—to reassure her that it was all a coincidence—to put a comforting arm around her shoulder, clean up her wound—and tell her that she wouldn't let anyone hurt her.

Gram has her own life now
, Jennie reminded herself.
Anyway, you don't need her help. You're practically an adult. You can take care of yourself.

The boat deposited them on the
Caribbean Dreamer
, and after getting her wound sutured and bandaged by the ship's doctor, Jennie opted for a nap. Lisa woke her up at six, and they spent the next two hours showering, fixing their hair, putting on makeup, and getting into their dresses for the first formal dinner on board. Lisa's off­the-shoulder green satin gown came to a “V” in the front. At the “V” she wore a rhinestone and simulated-emerald pin. The freckles on her face and thick head of copper curls reminded Jennie of the pictures she'd seen of a model for shampoo. Only Lisa was prettier.

Actually, Jennie realized she didn't look all that bad herself. She eyed her reflection in the full-length mirror just before heading out the door. Lisa had swept Jennie's hair up on one side and secured it with a rhinestone and pearl barrette. The short-sleeved, simple-cut black sequined gown glittered as she moved, showing off her slender figure and long legs. Her blue eyes looked larger and darker than usual. For once she decided not to listen to the voice inside that was doing its best to make her feel unattractive, too tall, and awkward.

“Dominic is going to flip when he sees you.”

Jennie smiled and reached for her matching black evening bag. “Let's go knock 'em dead.”

They met the boys in the lobby in front of the dining room and Jennie wasn't sure who knocked who dead. The guys looked gorgeous in black tuxedos and white shirts with bow ties.

“Wow!” Matt's eyes glistened with appreciation. “I feel like I should bow or something.”

Dominic did—and then he kissed Jennie's hand. A bubble of nervous laughter worked its way into her throat. She swallowed it back. He straightened and wrapped her in a warm flow of Spanish words she was certain would have embarrassed her if she'd known what they meant. Maybe someday she'd ask him.

“Shall we?” Matt offered Lisa his arm and they walked into the dining room.

They met Gram and J.B. at the table, and had to pose while J.B. took a dozen or so pictures and Gram told them all how wonderful they looked. While they studied their menus, Jennie and Lisa filled them in on the speargun incident.

“Oh, Jennie, I'm so sorry I wasn't there.” Gram peered at her over her reading glasses. “Are you sure you're okay?”

“I'm fine.” Jennie dismissed Gram's concern with a wave. “You and J.B. don't need to worry about me.”

Off and on during the elegant meal she caught Dominic looking at her—not like he admired her exactly—more like he was trying to sort things out. Sometimes he looked sad, other times annoyed. Jennie wondered if maybe he had a girl friend at home and he, too, might be struggling with the bond developing between them.

On the other hand, he could have been feeling guilty. Had he been the person with the speargun? Both he and Matt, and of course Roberts, had the opportunity. But why? Jennie caught Dominic's gaze and felt a twinge of guilt herself for suspecting a friend
. A friend who had risked swimming in shark—infested water to help you get to shore.

After dinner they all headed for the ship's largest and most elegant lounge to watch the musical ship's singers and dancers perform songs from popular musicals. At the program's end they drifted to another lounge to listen to music from the fifties and sixties and watch limbo and dance contests. Jennie couldn't concentrate on any of it.

All she could think about was how she was going to break away from them and keep her rendezvous with Roberts.

She needn't have worried. At eleven-thirty, Dominic and Matt excused themselves, saying they were too tired to stay up for the midnight buffet. “Maybe you two better turn in as well,” Gram suggested. “A few more minutes and I'm afraid we're going to have to carry Lisa upstairs.” Lisa shifted her glazed look from the musicians to Gram. “What do you mean?” She blinked and stifled a yawn. “I'm not tired.” For emphasis she slumped over and dropped her head to the table. “Okay, maybe just a little. But I'd still like to stay up and see what the buffet is like.”

Twenty minutes later, they headed for the lobby area, where the chefs had prepared a long table of the most elegantly prepared foods Jennie had ever seen. Meats, seafood, and every kind of fruit and vegetable imaginable. In the center stood a dolphin ice sculpture. The sight brought Lisa fully awake.

Jennie was too nervous to eat, and at five till midnight, she made her excuses and said goodnight. The buffet would keep them occupied for at least an hour.

As she climbed the steps from deck five to deck nine, she thought of a dozen reasons why she shouldn't meet Roberts, but none of them were as compelling as the reason she chose to go. She'd been through all the arguments. What if he were a stalker, a murderer, a rapist? He could have made up the stuff about having a message from Dad. He could be planning to kidnap her—or worse.

Or he could be for real. Her intuition told her she could trust him. And that's what Jennie clung to. “God,” she whispered as she made her way down the corridor and up the stairs to the pool deck. “You've always taken care of me before. Please do it now. I know I'm taking a chance, but he said he had a message from Dad. I have to go.”

At two minutes before midnight Jennie reached the fitness center, where she'd been trapped in the sauna. That eerie reminder didn't help the gnawing ache in her stomach. Strong winds caused by the ship's speed whipped through her cotton shorts and blouse, impeding her progress as she neared the bow. She passed under the last light and pressed on into the darkness, stopping only when she reached the area directly behind the driving range.

Roberts had chosen the windiest, darkest, and most deserted part of the ship. Why?

Perfect place for spies,
she reasoned.
And the perfect place for a murder.
If you wanted to waste someone, all you had to do was toss them over the side of the ship. No one would ever know. Jennie groaned. Where had that macabre thought come from?
You can still leave, McGrady
, her rational self suggested.
Maybe you should
. “I can't,” she whispered, setting any objection aside.

Hearing footsteps, she tightened her grip on the railing, took a deep breath, and waited.