Real Mermaids Don't Sell Seashells (10 page)

I got out of bed on Thursday morning hoping this was the day everything would finally come together. Good news on the wedding front, less weirdness on the Luke front, and some kind of cease-fire on the Cori and Trey front would have been pretty darn awesome just about then.

The night before had been a dud. Cori, Trey, Luke, and I had hung out at the arcade, speaking in one-word sentences until our parents got there, and everyone went to bed early. Talk about partying it up in the Bahamas!

The only silver lining was that Cori spotted Taylor 'n Tyler getting into a limo when we were on our way back to the Asylum, and she convinced me to get an autograph for Macy's little brother, Nick, as a souvenir of his Sparkle Wish trip while she hid behind a plant at the front entry so the bodyguards wouldn't recognize her as the crazy, cell-phone-waving beach stalker.

I listened to see if Mom and Dad were up in the room next door. I could hear them talking, so I hopped in our shower before Cori woke up, beating her to the punch for once on this trip.

“Yeowch!” Only problem was that the scalp between my braids was tender and sunburned, and the spray of the shower stung so badly that I had to keep jumping in and out of the water. I was half tempted to take out the braids just to give my scalp a break, but I knew Cori would kill me because she'd wanted to get braids together ever since she found out we were coming to the Bahamas.

Plus, Kiki's braids really were works of art and I wanted to make sure I still had them when we got back to Port Toulouse so everyone, including the rude ladies at Dooley's Drugstore, would remember where we'd gone and why we'd been there. Just the thought of their smug faces made me hope everything worked out for the wedding so we could come back to Port Toulouse and rub the “scandal” in their faces.

I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror smearing aloe vera gel on my scalp after my shower when my phone buzzed on the counter with an email alert. Yes, I'd gotten stuck in the Elevator of Doom and it was like a twenty-four-hour frat party at the Asylum, but thank goodness for hotel Wi-Fi. Odds were, Luke had Internet at the Eutopia too. Was he emailing to smooth things over after he'd pretty much abandoned me on the beach the night before?

I picked up my phone, hoping it was him, but it was Rayelle.

“Oh.” She was probably emailing about Dillon.

Hi Jade,

Sorry for taking so long but I wanted to check out a few things before I got back to you. Apparently, Dillon hasn't been around for three days but his mom thinks he's crashing at Kiki's boyfriend's house—not that she usually cares where he is as long as he brings home money, but that's another story. If he's not there and actually doing something stupid, I'm afraid he's going to get into a lot of trouble. He doesn't have the best track record but I owe him so I really need help. Problem is, I have school and I can't get hold of Kiki. Could you please see if you can find Kiki on the beach and ask if her boyfriend has seen Dillon?

—Rayelle

I did the mental math. Three days meant Dillon had been missing since we had that run-in about the Wonderment cruise ship on Monday. He hadn't been at the Straw Market on Tuesday when I went looking for him either, but Rayelle had seen Officer Ensel talking with the guy from the cruise ship, hadn't she? The police were obviously on the case. So what was Dillon's deal?

One way or another, Rayelle had been super nice to me and Cori. The least I could do was go check things out with Kiki. I looked at the time on my phone, and it was 8:02 a.m. If we hurried, we could scoot down the beach, talk to Kiki, and make it back for breakfast before Teen Club.

Hi Rayelle,

I'll see what I can find out and get back to you as soon as I can. My email only works in the hotel, though, so it might take me a while to reply. Try not to worry. I'm sure Dillon is okay.

—Jade

I finished getting dressed and went back into the room. Cori was sitting up in her bed staring at her phone.

“Up and at 'em,” I said, combing my wet hair before it turned into a bird's nest.

Cori hadn't moved and was still staring at her phone.

“What's going on?” I asked.

“My phone is dead,” Cori said. Without the charger, there was no way of recharging her phone.

“Too many shark videos, huh?” I joked.

“What if Trey tried to email or Video Gab with me?” she asked.

“Do you want him to?” I asked. “I mean, things got a little tense last night on the beach.”

“Argh!” Cori sighed in frustration. “If he could just act like a normal boyfriend instead of being so goofy all the time. Last night on the beach I told him the moon reminded me of how we roasted marshmallows at your gran's cottage this summer then hung out under the stars at the end of the pier, and
he
told me how he once stuffed twelve marshmallows in his mouth.”

I laughed out loud, visualizing Trey with his cheeks all puffed up like a chipmunk getting ready for winter.

“Yeah, but that's Trey, though, right?” I asked.

“That's the problem! He's so…so…Trey-ish!” Cori said. “Anyway, how am I supposed to survive without my phone?” she asked, looking up at me like a puppy who'd lost its mommy.

“I'm sure you'll live. Get dressed!” I said. “We're going on a quest.”

“Not the shipyard again!” Cori protested.

“No, nothing like that. Look, I'll even tell my parents where we're going if it makes you feel better.” I knocked on the adjoining door to Mom and Dad's room. Their catamaran ride didn't start until a little later, so they didn't have to rush out the door at the crack of dawn like the day before. “Hey, guys?” I called out.

“Good morning!” Mom opened the door and popped her head into our room.

“Is it okay if Cori and I go for a walk on the beach before breakfast?” I asked. “Rayelle wants us to get a message to her cousin Kiki. The girl who did our braids.”

“Just stay together and don't go in the water,” Mom said with a wink.

Go in the water? Yeah. No fear of that.

•••

Cori and I saw a few couples walking along the beach during our half-mile walk from the Asylum to the Eutopia, but the gray skies and a cool morning wind were keeping most people inside.

By the time we reached the cabana where Kiki worked, I could see her huddled inside, wrapped up in a blanket with no customers in sight.

“Slow morning?” I asked as we walked up to her booth.

“Ah, Rayelle's friends.” Kiki greeted us with a beaming smile. “Come back for more braids?”

“Not exactly,” I said sheepishly. “Rayelle's been trying to get hold of you.”

“That girl,” Kiki said, shaking her head. “I've been ignoring her. I keep telling her to forget about that guy Dillon.”

“So you've been getting her texts?” I asked. But apparently not answering them.

“It won't do her no good to keep messing with him,” Kiki said, waving her hand through the air.

“She just wants to know if your boyfriend has seen Dillon or not. He's been missing since Monday,” I replied.

“Missing or messing around?” Kiki shook her head. “Listen. I know Dillon ain't got it very good with his dad out of the picture and his mom trying to make ends meet and all. Heck, Dillon is the best conch diver on the island, and he's keeping that family afloat. He's just been losing his way lately. Rayelle is a good girl. I just don't want to see her get mixed up with someone like him.”

Cori nudged my arm and whispered in my ear, “Come on. This isn't getting us anywhere.”

“No wait, Cori,” I whispered back. I turned to Kiki. “So you're saying your boyfriend hasn't seen him?”

“Ask him yourself. He should be at Dolphin Lagoon getting ready for the first show. His name is John.”

•••

“John, as in the dolphin trainer John?” Cori asked as we cut through the glittering lobby of the Eutopia to get to the other end of the resort where Dolphin Lagoon was.

“I guess,” I replied.

We spotted John by the equipment shed, handing out wet suits and life jackets to the guests.

“Do you think we should bother him?” I asked, checking my phone. It was already eight-thirty, and we were cutting it close if we wanted breakfast before Teen Club. I internally scolded myself for thinking about food at a time like this. Rayelle had asked me for help and I planned on doing everything I could to put her mind at ease. I had to admit that I was kind of worried about Dillon too, even though I didn't know him very well.

“John?” I asked as we approached.

John turned our way and smiled. “Ah Jade, right? And Cori?”

“Good memory,” Cori said.

“Can we ask you something?” I asked.

“Sure, but I only have a few seconds,” he said, nodding to the waiting dolphins in the lagoon.

“Our friend Rayelle wanted to know if you've seen Dillon. His mom thinks he's staying with you,” I said.

“Dillon?” John scratched his chin. “I haven't seen him since Monday night.”

I knew didn't have much time so I had to work fast.

“What did he say to you when he asked you to sneak onto the cruise ship?” I asked.

John looked around to make sure no one was listening.

“Look, I'm not sure what Dillon was up to, but whatever it was, it wasn't to steal anything if that's what you're thinking,” John said as the other trainer waved him over to start the show. “Sorry, I gotta go.”

“Thanks,” I said as he walked away.

The dolphin trainers all grouped together for a pre-show powwow, and one of the dolphins swam up to where they were standing and splashed John.

Hello!

My eyes popped open in surprise. It was the dolphin talking again. Meanwhile, John had turned to smile and wave the dolphin away.

Could John understand what the dolphin was saying? I wondered. No…that was just a coincidence.

“So, where the heck is Dillon, then?” Cori asked as we headed back to the Asylum, hoping they hadn't packed up breakfast yet.

“I'm not sure,” I said. But something on the horizon of the lagoon caught my eye. It was a large, white ship with a big W on the top. The Wonderment Cruiselines ship.

It was back.

•••

We grabbed a couple bananas and yogurt cups from the Asylum's buffet table and headed back up the elevator to our room. I threw my stuff on the bed and grabbed my phone to search for Rayelle's email so I could reply.

Hi Rayelle,

We talked to Kiki's boyfriend, John, and he hasn't seen Dillon since Monday night. I don't know what that means exactly, but I'm sorry I don't have better news. What do you think we should do now?

—Jade

Cori was reading over my shoulder and sighed.

“What?” I asked.

“You did what she asked. Now just let it go. Your parents are supposed to get married Saturday. Don't you think you have better things to do with your time than getting dragged into the local teen drama?” Cori asked.

“Yeah, like our own teen drama isn't enough to deal with, right?” I muttered. I thought back to what Cori had said earlier about Trey being too Trey-ish.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Cori asked.

Should I say something? Or was Luke right when he said we should just stay out of it?

“Nothing. Forget it,” I said.

My email alert sound went off.

Hi Jade,

Can't write now because I'm in school and will get killed if they catch me texting. I just don't know what to do.

—Rayelle

My heart went out to her, but I really didn't know what to do either.

Let me talk to my mom and dad. Maybe they'll have an idea.

—Jade

I knocked on Mom and Dad's door and explained everything to them while they finished getting ready for their catamaran excursion.

“I think we should call that Officer Ensel guy,” Dad said.

“But Rayelle doesn't want to get Dillon in trouble,” I said. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to tell my parents.

“Yes, but if he's already in trouble, isn't it better if someone he knows helps him?” Mom asked.

“I guess,” I said, going through my bag for Officer Ensel's card. I gave Dad Faye's card by mistake then found the right one and handed it to him. He dialed the number and gave the card back to me.

“Rayelle's not going to like this,” I whispered to Cori while Dad was on the phone.

“It's better to let someone else deal with it,” Cori said. “What do we really know about this guy anyway?”

“I hope you're right,” I said.

Dad chatted on the phone for a few minutes,then hung up and grabbed his floppy, straw sun hat. “Okay, everyone. That's done. Officer Ensel is going to look into it and has assured me they will do everything they can—and he said he'd try to be discreet about it.”