We have a very efficient and charming young nurse there whom Karen knows very well. I’ve done it before when Julie has been away.’
‘Then talk Julie out of cancelling. It would disappoint Sue so much.’
‘I’ll do my best.’ Presently Julie came out of the house, and I asked, ‘How is she?’
‘Rebellious.’
‘You don’t have to cancel the trip. I don’t want two gloomy kids sulking about the house. Debbie has offered to look after Karen, and there’s always Kitty Symonette at the hotel.’
‘Thanks, Debbie. That’s good of you.’ Julie thought for a moment. ‘Very well – we’ll go.’ She looked at Debbie. ‘Don’t let Karen play you up; that little minx is full of tricks.’
I stood up. ‘If everything’s aboard I’ll come and see you off.’
Just then Billy came striding out of the house and beckoned me with a jerk of his head. He said, ‘There’ll be a squad of lawyers and auditors flying in to look at your books. If everything checks we have a deal.’ He laughed and put out his hand.
So it was with a light heart that I saw Julie and Sue away on Lucayan Girl. I told Julie about the deal and she was delighted, and then we went out to the lagoon where the Girl was ready to cast off, her engines already ticking over. Sue was running about taking photographs with the camera I had given her for her birthday; her teacher had set her the exercise of a photo-essay as her homework for the Christmas vacation. By the look of her both she and her stock of film would be exhausted before the voyage began.
I had a word with Pete who was coiling a rope in the bows. ‘Got a crewman?’
‘Sure.’
‘How is he?’
‘He’ll do,’ said Pete laconically. Knowing Pete that meant the young fellow was pretty good.
‘Where is he?’
‘Below – greasing the shafts.’ Pete raised his voice. ‘All right, then; all aboard that’s goin’ aboard.’
Sue scampered aboard and Julie kissed me and followed more sedately. ‘Cast off the after line, Miss Mate,’ said Pete. He cast off the forward line and quickly went to the helm on the flying bridge. The engines growled and Lucayan Girl moved slowly away.
We watched as the Girl went down the lagoon and turned into the channel which led to the open sea and so out of sight. I said to Billy, ‘I think we have work to do.’ I stooped to pick up Sue’s camera which she had left on a chair. ‘Sue will be mad enough to bust. When Julie rings tonight I’ll tell her to buy another. We mustn’t disappoint teacher.’
It was late in the day when it went bad – an hour from midnight. Billy and I had worked late, sorting out the details of the proposed merger and outlining future plans, and were having a final drink before he went back to the Royal Palm. Suddenly he broke off what he was saying in mid-sentence. ‘What’s the matter? You got ants in your pants? That’s the third time you’ve checked your watch in five minutes. I hope I’m not that unwelcome.’
‘Julie hasn’t telephoned,’ I said shortly. ‘That’s not like her.’
I picked up the telephone and rang the Fontainbleu in Miami where she usually stayed. The call took an annoyingly long time to place and Billy occupied himself with shuffling his papers together and putting them into his briefcase. Finally I got through and said, ‘I’d like to speak to Mrs Mangan.’
There was a pause. ‘Do you know the room number, sir?’
‘No.’
Another pause. ‘There’s no one of that name in the hotel, sir.’
‘Put me through to the desk clerk, please.’ Again that took a bit of time but I finally got him. I said, ‘My name is Mangan. Has my wife checked in yet?’
A rustle of papers. ‘No, sir.’
‘But she did make a reservation?’
‘Yes, sir; two rooms. Mrs Mangan and Miss Mangan, and Mr and Mrs Pascoe.’
‘Have the Pascoes checked in?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Thank you.’ I put down the telephone and said blankly, ‘She’s not there.’
‘What time was she supposed to get into Miami?’ asked Billy.
‘Before dark; say, eight o’clock. Pete has standing instructions from me to get into port in daylight if possible, especially with the family aboard. She’s a fast boat for her type and he’d have no trouble about that.’
‘She’s only three hours overdue, Tom. Anything could have happened. Engine trouble, perhaps.’
‘Boats with Pete aboard don’t have engine trouble,’ I said sharply. ‘Besides, the Girl has two engines.’
‘If one was knocked out it would slow her down.’
‘Not by a lot – not by three hours.’ I picked up the telephone again. ‘I’ll ring the marina in Miami.’ Ten minutes later I knew that Lucayan Girl had not arrived. I said to Billy, ‘I’ve got a feeling about this. I’m going over to BASRA – they can raise the US Coast Guard.’
‘How long will you be?’
‘Fifteen – twenty minutes. It’s quite close.’
‘I’ll stick around until you get back. Julie might ring.’
‘Thanks. I’ll check that Karen’s safely asleep before I go.’
BASRA headquarters on Grand Bahama are in the building which also holds the Underwater Exploration Society. Five minutes later I was climbing the stairs to the Tide’s Inn, a tavern which supports both the Society and BASRA. The place was noisy with vacationers and I found Joe Kimble of BASRA employed in his favourite occupation – chatting up a couple of nubile females. I crossed to his table. ‘Sorry to interrupt, Joe, but Lucayan Girl is overdue in Miami.’
He looked up. ‘How much overdue?’
‘Over three hours now.’ I met his eye. ‘Julie and Sue are aboard.’
‘Oh!’ He stood up. ‘Sorry, girls, but business comes first.’
We went down to the BASRA office and I said, ‘What’s the weather like in the Florida Straits?’
‘Calm – no problems there.’ He sat behind a desk and took a pen. ‘When did she leave?’
‘Dead on eleven this morning.’
‘Give me the number of the marina in Miami.’ He scribbled it down,
