Читать книгу Hidden Agendas - Paul Boardman - Страница 10

Iron Pyrate slid into the harbor in Guadeloupe. If the two couples had sported quality tans in Florida, they were all, now, four shades darker. The trip had been magnificent. They had stopped only once, in Puerto Rico, to top up their supplies and spend a few nights wining and dining. This would hopefully reinforce their cover as cruising tourists. They would do the same in Guadeloupe, expanding on the theme by diving in the Jacques Cousteau Marine Reserve and climbing the volcano, La Soufriere.

Phil had been in seventh heaven during the entire voyage and his enthusiasm was infectious amongst his crewmates. On land, he was often willing to let Michael make the decisions, but once at sea even Farris deferred to Phil’s role as Captain. Phil, who could sleep like a log on shore, never slept for more than three hours at a time, at sea. All four people accepted their time at the helm, usually in pairs with one person watching while the other did odd jobs or read, however it was Phil who would intermittently poke his head into the nav station to check the course or arrive in the wheel house with fresh coffee and snacks. If a more difficult task were to be required, it was always Phil who managed to accomplish it. Michael was always right behind lending whatever assistance might be required. When the job was done there were always big grins and hand slaps. Linda and Judy teamed up together sailing the boat magnificently. When the men came on shift, a change that occurred every four hours, everything was always in order. There never seemed to be any task left undone.

During the day, the men and women alternated but at eight o’clock at night someone drew a short shift. That way, at night, there was always a man and a woman on duty, with the assistant changing half way through the regular shift. The change made the nights go by more quickly and had one extra advantage. Everyone was forced by the routine to spend two hours alone with only one other person for company. Though all were best of friends to begin with, the two hours that Phil spent with Linda, or Judy spent with Michael proved to cement their already solid bond. Phil had insisted on that arrangement, stating it was the best way to avoid “cabin fever”. Although the others had balked at first, they soon saw the wisdom of the rule as the long nights slipped by easily and no one had time to get bored.

Other than a couple of quick storms lasting only for an hour or two, the sail to Guadeloupe had been perfect, with both the weather and the boat cooperating as they should. Today, however, was a day to do nothing. There was still loads of food in the freezer, and enough booze and beer to supply the US navy. No one had to stand watch or get up a four o’clock in the morning. The chores on the boat could wait for twenty-four hours. Today was designated a “Nothing Day”.

Phil and Judy lounged on the stern deck, soaking up sun and drinking fruit juice.

“I’ve never seen a volcano, before,” stated Judy, looking toward La Soufriere..

“Me neither. Certainly not looking down, that is,” corrected Phil. “We’ll rent a car tomorrow, drive up as far as we can on the mountain and then hike up to the top, just like real tourists.

“Like tourists! I bet you never pictured yourself as a tourist. You better buy me a Tee shirt! I bet you never pictured yourself, lounging on an eighty-foot boat with a gorgeous creature like me, either. Did you, Sailor?”

Phil looked over at Judy. “No. I can’t say I ever did. I also never pictured myself importing drugs for the DEA.” Phil was no longer smiling.

“How bad do you think this is going to get?” asked Judy.

“The entire key is to never let Fernandez know we are setting him up. No matter what happens, we can’t ever let him know that we plan to burn him. As long as we maintain our covers, everything will be just fine. Blow our covers, and things could get very nasty. You know we don’t have to do this. There’s still time to back out.”

“If I said I wanted to back out you and Michael would figure out some way to go ahead with the operation anyway, so what good would that do? Besides, somewhere along the way, you are going to need the kind of technical support that only I can provide. Now, how about rubbing a bit of that coconut oil on me?”

Phil grinned. “With pleasure.”