wrath of the Sea Queen (59 page)

Although he
had seen
her resilience firsthand, Sam knew it would not be enough to s
ave
her this time.  He would make sure of it.  His involvement, although arranged by his ex-brother-in-law for other reasons, included his revenge against the
two
people
responsible for taking away his career and sending
him to prison.  Now that he was free, Sam intended to see that mission completed.  The former chief
of police
walked out of the room
, down the stairs,
and left the house
in a hurry
, a
prized
bundle tucked securely under his arm.

CHAPTER
16

"
Did you get through to your
friend
?  Or is she your girlfriend?
"
  Dr. Jacobs asked of Scott as h
is nephew
walked into the infirmary.

"
Yes.  I got through, and no
,
she is not my girlfriend.  She is a means to an end
;
nothing more than a pleasant stepping stone. 
Lorrie
will make sure that Dr. Erickson gets her fifteen minutes of fame.  But, is it really necessary?
I planted the tracking device o
n her
at the airport
and verified that it was still in
side
her bag on the second plane
.  We can use the signal to find
her whenever we want
.  What's the point of following her right now?
"
  Scott did not fully understand his uncle's plan.

"
It's not about knowing where she is so much as it is about letting others know
her location
.  Dr. Erickson needs to
get a taste of the
un
rest
and controversy
that her work has stirred up
,
"
Neal began.

"
Don't you mean that Lorrie stir
red
up?
"
  Scott interrupted to correct his uncle.

"
Of course that's what I mean.  Try to keep up Scott.  My point is that Dr. Erickson
needs to feel vulnerable
so that she will
be willing to
accept assistance from a trusted colleague
when the time is
right
.  I
ha
ve already
planted the seed
for that trust. 
All it
needs
is
an opportunity to grow.  I've got a
n idea or two
for that
as well
, but that will come later
.
  After so much planning, I'm not about to waste our chance of success by limiting myself to
a single attempt
.  When is Sam arriving?
"

"
He
wi
ll
be here
tomorrow
.  I didn't want him to show up
before we
set everything in motion
.  He would only want to hang around and put his hands into our plans,
"
Scott informed Neal.

"
That's good.  It will give us time to
make arrangements for his welcoming party.  Afterward, perhaps
Dr. Erickson
can
test our theory
about
the book.  If it works with her, then the donor's blood will
be invaluable.
"

The ship finally settled in port.  Passengers and guardsmen
began
moving toward the ramp.  Vin retrieved
both his and Ben's
duffle bags
,
and C
a
eli picked up Salma's and her own
carryon
bags.  Salma and Vin each held Ben on one side, though Vin also support
ed
him by more inconspicuous means.  Ben laughed
like a kid at the fair
when his feet left the ground on Vin's first attempt to adjust the wind correctly so that there would be no pressure on Ben's injured back
. 
After a
small tweak, Vin found the correct balance, and
they walked
toward t
he ramp.

A
s they were about to step off the ship, one of the
crew
men called out to them.  They stopped to wait as the man ran to catch up.

"
I'm sorry to stop you, but we just got word that the
local police
are
on their way
.  They want to talk to you before you leave.  They have some questions about the shooting.  You
a
re
supposed to wait on board. 
It s
houldn't take more than an hour.
"

"
I'm sorry,
son,
but my husband needs medical attention
as soon as possible
.
"
  The look on Salma's face told the young s
ailor
that the messenger was about to take the brunt of her irritation at such a suggestion. 

"
We do not have any idea what that shooting was about, and we will not spend an hour sitting on this ship
waiting to tell some officer looking for a career nudge
the same thing when he
finally decides to
grace us with his presence.  I am taking my patient to a hospital.  If the
sheriff
or anyone else would like to talk
to
us, they are welcome to meet us there.  I would appreciate it if you relay that message to
whoever arrives after we
'
re gone
.
"

At that, Salma returned her attention to Ben and started walking.  Vin and C
a
eli joined her without hesitation.  They were certainly not going to question Salma's motives and had no desire to stay on board any longer.
  Salma made her intention
abundantly
clear.  The poor young man
,
who got
caught
b
etween Salma and the
request of the local police
,
merely stood there, speechless, watching them walk away.

When the four reached the end of the
pier
, they found the black van waiting for them
beneath a bright lamp
, as the captain
had promised
.  Vin opened the front passenger's door and was motioned inside by the driver.  First, Vin helped Salma, Ben, and C
a
eli get situated in the back seats
.

"Vin,"
C
a
eli
caught his attention quietly as he
began to
close the back door.

"Yes?"

"
I need a minute to talk to you about…"

"Hey, are we about ready to go?  I think the crowd has figured out where you went Dr. Erickson.  They are getting a little too
close
for my taste," Private Burks unknowingly interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Honey.  I
think i
t's going to have to wait a little bit.  We need to get moving."

"It's ok.  I understand."

Vin squeezed her hand supportively
and then joined the driver up front.

They were underway within minutes
, following
a clear path to the left of the dock and around the buildings.  The driver turned off the main road and made his way into a park area with a single, two lane road that
ran
its length.

"I'm Vin
Harding
, and this is my wife, C
a
eli," Vin began to introduce everyone, but as he looked back at C
a
eli, he stopped
short
.  She had her feet pulled up in her seat and her arms drawn across her stomach.  She was sweating profusely, her face was red, and her eyes
were
squeezed shut as if she could force her condition to improve.

"C
a
eli, are you all right?"  Vin turned in his seat and reached back to place his hand gently on her arm.  Her skin was hot to the touch.

"I
don't
feel well," she whispered without opening her eyes or moving, except to cover his hand with her own, acknowledging his
concern
.

Salma leaned forward and placed her hand on C
a
eli's shoulder.  She closed her eyes and tried to discover the nature of C
a
eli's problem.  To her surprise, she was not able to read anything from C
a
eli.  It was as if someone was blocking her efforts.

"
C
a
eli, are you trying to prevent me from using my gift on you?
"  Salma inquired silently.

"
No
.  Of course not; i
f you can help
me
, I would
greatly
appreciate it.
"