Sea of Greed

After five minutes, he was approaching the lighted bay. Here, he angled to one side, avoiding the aircraft. Once inside the bay, he went straight for the stairs, climbed out of the water and took a seat on the second step.

He sat there as if he hadn’t a care in the world, calmly taking the fins off, removing a towel from the waterproof pack and drying his hair and face and body.

That done, he tossed the towel aside, shouldered the pack once more and began to climb the stairs.

If he wasn’t on camera now, Tessa needed to fire her security team.

• • •

INSIDE THE COMPOUND, Tessa was exactly where Kurt predicted she’d be, sitting at a mirror, half dressed, applying makeup. A stunning evening gown waited for her a few feet away.

She had a mascara brush in her hand when the intercom buzzed and the voice of her security chief spoke. “Sorry to interrupt you, Ms. Franco, but we have a breach.”

She finished her lashes and put the brush down. Pressing a button on the intercom beside her, she spoke aloud. “What kind of breach?”

“A swimmer just came out of the water. He’s coming up the stairs toward the main house now.”

“What do you mean, a swimmer?” she replied. “Are we being attacked?”

“Not exactly, ma’am.” The chief seemed confused. “Honestly, I’m not sure what to make of it. It’s one man, on his own. He’s made no effort to conceal himself. Maybe he thinks this is public property.”

“Is he trying to get a look at the plane?” she asked. “We’ve had that before.”

“No,” the chief said. “He’s heading for the patio.”

“Put it on the screen,” she said. “I want to see for myself.”

A screen lit up inside the mirror in front of her. It was bright enough that she could see a figure walking calmly across her patio like he owned the place. He wore colorful swim trunks. He was admirably fit and carrying a pack, but there was no sense that he posed any danger. If anything, he seemed to be admiring the grounds or looking for a spot to relax.

As Tessa watched, one of the security guards rushed toward the new arrival, attempting to tackle the swimmer. The guard was immediately flipped and subdued on the ground.

“Zoom in,” Tessa ordered.

As the camera closed in on the man in the swim trunks, a second guard arrived with his weapon drawn and Tessa exhaled in frustration.

“Order your men to back off,” she said. “I’m coming down.”

Tessa stood up, slipped into her dress and stopped to look in the full-length mirror. Satisfied, she glanced at the screen once more and then left the room.

26

CENTRAL BERMUDA

WHILE KURT was successfully getting captured at Tessa’s compound, Joe was on the road, driving a small van toward a tricky intersection near the estate where Oliver Warren was staying.

“How do I let Kurt talk me into this stuff,” he mumbled.

“What was that?” Priya replied over the phone.

Joe had almost forgotten they were on an open line. “Nothing, just wondering if my olfactory senses will ever recover.”

He drove with the windows down, the fan on and the A/C running full blast, but nothing — and he meant nothing — seemed to reduce the smell of rotting fish coming from the rear of the van.

Piles of dead fish filled the back, packed with just enough ice to make it look like they were being shipped somewhere.

“Catch of the day,” Joe said. “But which day?”

All he knew for sure was that the load of fish had been destined for a compost pile until Kurt’s bright idea had put them in the back of Joe’s rental van.

“You’re coming up on the roundabout,” Priya said. “You sure you know how to handle that?”

Joe was just fine remembering to stay on the left-hand side of the road. With a bit of traffic, all he had to do was follow the car in front of him. “I’ll do my best,” Joe said. “But what do the English have against traffic lights and cold beer?”

“Roundabouts are fun,” Priya said, defending the country she’d grown up in. “And you can’t really taste ice-cold beer.”

She had a point. “Any sign of Warren?”

“I’m still tapped into the limo company’s server,” Priya said. “The driver just reported picking him up. They’re leaving the manor house now.”

“Thanks,” Joe said. “I’ll keep circling this roundabout like a vulture, just hope I can drive straight when I get back on the road.”