The Double-Cross In Paradise; Episode 48, The Double-Crosser

This is episode forty-seven in the sixth novel of The Troy Adventure Series. It is titled The Double-Cross in Paradise. Here are the links to  The Double-Cross In Paradise: paperback, Kindle. 

The Double-Crosser

Trace stepped quietly up the companionway steps.

“I haven’t run into an iceberg or anything,” Kelsey said.

“You’re coming along nicely,” Trace quipped. “You may have a second career in the Australian Navy.”

“I’m through with the ocean,” Kelsey said. “I feel like I’m perpetually about to chunder.”

“Some people are made for the sea, and others fill the sea with chum,” Trace said.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Kelsey asked. 

“I did.”

“And…?” Kelsey said.

Trace lifted up on his toes and looked down at the instrument panel. “…And we drop our sails and wait. We are at the coordinates sent to the Navy.”

Trace grabbed the phone and called Sage’s and Tom’s cabin to get up and drop the sails.

He asked Kelsey to contact the Royal Australian frigate for an ETA. It was two hours. 

He called Makani and told him to have breakfast ready in an hour.

Sage unchained Franks and Paul and led them to the salon. They had plenty of questions, but nobody answered them.

The Tramp Islander sat quietly on a calm sea. The crew sat at the table eating breakfast. Makani sat on a stool in the galley. Idle chatter bounced around the table. 

“There’s been something that has troubled me the last couple of days,” Trace said. 

There were a couple of curious responses.

“We kind of outdid the plane,” Trace said. “We changed course, and if the plane was sent up, it didn’t find us.”

“What troubles me is how they found us?” Trace said. “ It is a very big ocean. Dumb luck? Maybe they figured us out and knew what we would do? Then I wondered, is there any way for them to track us?”

The consensus between Sage and Tom was luck.

“Makani!” Trace said back toward the galley. “You want to get in on this?”

“I go with Sage and Tom,” Makan said. “It luck.”

“Yeah,” Trace said, “that’s what I settled on.”

“What about you, Kelsey?” Sage said. 

“It’s like they say, mate, it’s better to be lucky than good.”

“Kelsey will attest to this,” Trace said. “If you settle on one reason, you owe it to yourself to eliminate the others. If you don’t, they will nag at you and keep you awake at night. There’s something about the sea: because there’s so much nothing, your mind isn’t cluttered, and you can really think. You can solve about any problem. You can even figure yourself out, not to mention figuring others out as well.”

“He’s right,” Kelsey said.

“I began to wonder,” Trace said, “to qualify being found by luck, the other ways would have to be eliminated, and it might mean we had to be tracked somehow. But how?”

“Some sort of tracking device?” Tom asked. 

“And it would have to be hidden, right?” Sage said.

“Exactly,” Trace said. “So I looked. And guess what I found? A tracking device.”

“Where?” Kelsey asked. 

“Sage,” Trace said, “Scoot over, and Tom open the seat.”

Sage moved over, and Tom lifted the seat.

“Go ahead, take it out,” Trace told Tom.

Tom held up a small black box slightly larger than a pack of cigarettes. A D cell battery was attached to it.

“I’m no expert,” Trace said, “but my money is on it being some sort of tracking device.”

“Where did you find it?” Sage asked.

“That’s where I found it,” Trace said.

“Not a good place to hide it,” Sage said. “That doesn’t even qualify as a hiding place for anything.”

“You’re right, Sage,” Trace said. “It was hidden and in a pretty clever place. I’ll get to that in a minute.”

“So,” Trace continued, “it wasn’t luck. I toyed with the idea that it may have been planted. But as you said, Sage, who would plant something that could be easily found? It didn’t square with me.”

“It’s one of the crew,” Sage said.

“That’s right,” Trace said. “I examined everybody. I hate to say this, but it could have been anybody. Doesn’t everybody have a price? At least, that’s what they say. And I kinda went under that assumption, no matter how uncomfortable it made me feel.”

“Which one?” Kelsey said.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect crime,” Trace said. “There are always clues. If a crime is never solved, it’s not for the lack of clues. They are there. It’s just not finding the ones that are there.”

“And what clues did you find?” Sage said.

“You look for things that are out of place,” Trace said. “But if somebody is intent on hiding their intent, they make sure things are not out of place. My dad told me that people try to lie, but always slip up. I tried to recall things that were said and seemed strange, but you know, it just didn’t register at the time.”

Sage leaned back in his seat. “Trace, ole buddy, you’re hopin’ somebody will say it’s me, and jump overboard and start swimming for New Caledonia.”

Makani walked out of the galley. He leaned against the doorway to the mess.

“Have a seat, Makani,” Trace said. 

Makani sat next to Trace.

“It’s you, Makani,” Trace said. “It crushes my heart. I’m sick in the pit of my stomach.”

Makani’s face tightened. He stared at Trace. 

Trace stared back and said. “I not staying here much longer. I was going to give, give The Tramp Islander to you.”

“It mean nothing,” Makani said. 

“A few weeks ago,” Trace said, “somebody said, ‘How do you make instant mashed potatoes taste like real potatoes?’ And Makani, you said you never use instant potatoes. And somebody said they had to be instant because there are no lumps. You replied that you really take the time to make them creamy.”

“I remember that conversation,” Sage said.

“This morning, I dug through our food invoices,” Trace said, still staring at Makani. “We order a lot of instant mashed potatoes in cans. This morning we had a case with six cans. Over the last three months, we’ve ordered eighteen cases of instant mashed potatoes. The funny thing is that our bills don’t reflect it. We were only charged for a can, but we got a whole case. So what happens to all the cases? We leave you alone on the boat a lot. I think you use that time to get rid of whatever is in the cans labeled instant potatoes.”

Makani looked away. He stared out the porthole.

Trace continued. “A couple of hours ago, I went to our food supply room. There, I found a case of instant potatoes. I didn’t open them in the galley. I didn’t want to wake anyone, so they were taken to the engine room. I opened them there. Guess what I found? Instant powdered mashed potatoes! I emptied one can, and guess what? A sealed plastic bag of white powder. Who guesses baby powder?” Trace looked around the table. “Nobody.”

Everyone moved uncomfortably in their seats.

Trace moved forward and attempted to look into Makani’s eyes. Makani turned his head further away.

“You’re smuggling drugs, Makani,” Trace said quietly. “You put your crew, your friends, and yourself at risk.”

Makani turned his head to face Trace.

“I’m not done,” Trace said. “When Sage needed an empty beer can to make an explosive device, you insisted on getting it for him. You wanted to make sure Sage didn’t go into the galley and grab the first beer can he saw. That can had been sitting on a shelf for several days. Nobody goes in the galley but you, so you felt comfortable with where it was sitting. It had the tracking device that was under Sage’s seat. When you removed it from the can, you didn’t have time to find a proper hiding place. How am I doing so far?”

Makani lifted his head. He stared above the portholes.

“I pulled back the curtain to the porthole in the galley. On each side was a sticky, glue-like substance. I looked in the drawers and cabinets. And guess what I found?’ A mirror with a sticky glue-like substance, matching what I found on the porthole. The tracking device will get you in the right neighborhood during the night, but finding the right house, that’s the trick, and if there’s no light on, the next best thing is a mirror. A ship with a spotlight from a distance could be missed, but if it had something to reflect, it would stand out.”

“You not prove nothing,” Makani said.

“I don’t care if I can or not,” Trace said. “I know, and now we all know. Go over there and sit with Franks and Paul.”

The Double-Cross In Paradise, Episode 47, Solved

This is episode forty-seven in the sixth novel of The Troy Adventure Series. It is titled The Double-Cross in Paradise. Here are the links to  The Double-Cross In Paradise: paperback, Kindle. 

Solved

Trace could have sailed The Tramp Islander over Niagara Falls and never noticed, because of all the thought and attention he was giving to his suspicions. His head suddenly jerked. A thought pressed against his mind like a hot poker. His hand lazily lay on the wheel. The index finger lifted and moved side to side—one thought and then another, a missing letter to a crossword puzzle, or like a melody needing one more note to leave the world with a masterpiece.

He checked the heading and confirmed he was true. He slid from his chair and sat in the chair at the chart desk. He slid a drawer open, pulled out a thick folder. He perused them one by one, running his finger down each line. Occasionally, he stopped and mentally collected the information. Another file was removed, and he compared one with the other.

Trace slid the files forward on the desk and leaned back in the seat. He laced his fingers behind his head. His head shook from side to side. “Of all people,” he murmured. 

He returned to the wheel. At times, he thought his heart would stop beating. He had heard about heavy hearts, but now he knew what it really meant. “Now, what to do?” He whispered.

“The sea is calm,” he thought. “It’s trying to remind me of something: be calm. There are seven deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. They can all be beautifully hidden by deception.”

Trace picked up the ship’s phone. He punched the number to Kelsey’s room and waited for him to answer.

“Yeah,” Kelsey said.

“I want to see you in the pilothouse right away,” Trace said.

“Let me get my pants on.”

It didn’t take long for Kelsey to come up the companionway steps.

“What’s crackin’?” Kelsey said. “Sounds important.”

“It is,” Trace confirmed. 

“I’ve been very cautious with you,” Trace began.

“As you should be,” Kelsey said. “I understand. I live in a world of deception and double-crosses.”

“And apparently so do I,” Trace said. 

“You look like a man who has found the secret to life,” Kelsey said. “You know something, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, if you do, you’re a step ahead of me. I’ve been puzzled,” Kelsey confessed.

“Puzzled over what?”

“How did that trawler find us?” Kelsey said. “It was incredible logistics or tactics, dumb luck, or they traced us. And my money is on number two. And yours?”

“Number two,” Trace answered. 

“Who, right?” Kelsey said curiously.

“Indeed.”

“And you brought me up here to question me?” Kelsey said. “How am I doing so far?”

“Ehhh, not really,” Trace said. 

“Then it’s to pronounce my guilt,” Kelsey grinned.

Trace chuckled. “Please, give me some credit. However, I did run you through my thoughts. You’re a genuine cop. And I recalled that, although I could not hear the code, you did change an E to an I, which is a common mistake. If you were trying to fool me, you would have done it perfectly.”

“How long are we going to dance to this tune?” Kelsey asked.

“We’re done dancing.”

“So, I’m in the clear?” Kelsey asked.

“Yep.”

“Why am I here?” Kelsey asked. 

“I have to have you look me square in the eye,” Trace said resolutely, “and tell me that you don’t have proof or that you even suspect I’m involved in drug trafficking.” 

“After all we’ve been through?” Kelsey said. “I’ve put my life in your hands.”

There was a pause, and only the swishing of the sea could be heard.

“Let’s have it, mate,” Kelsey said.

“I think there are drugs on this boat,” Trace said. 

“And you want me to assure you that you are not mixed up in it?” Kelsey asked.

“Yeah, I do.”

“I can do that,” Kelsey assured. “Because I believe it.”

“Thanks,” Trace said and shook Kelsey’s hand.

“What’s next?” Kelsey asked.

“Watch the wheel and heading,” Trace said. “I’m going below for a few minutes.”

“You trust me at the wheel?” Kelsey asked, grinning.

“I’m trusting you with a lot more than that,” Trace grinned. “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” 

Trace tiptoed down the companionway steps.

The Double-Cross In Paradise; Episode 46, Suspicious Mind

This is episode forty-six in the sixth novel of The Troy Adventure Series. It is titled The Double-Cross in Paradise. Here are the links to  The Double-Cross In Paradise: paperback, Kindle. 

Suspicious Mind

Franks and Paul were chained to the mast in the forward hold. Little attention was given to their comfort. Sage manned the wheel while Trace, Makani, Tom, and Kelsey slept in their cabins. 

Early morning squawking seagulls woke Trace. He slipped his clothing on and climbed up to the pilothouse. 

“Mornin’!” Sage said, cheerfully.

“It’s still dark, but back at ya,” Trace replied. He nodded toward the clock hanging on the pilothouse wall. “According to Kelsey, the Australian Navy should be meeting up with us in a couple of hours.”

Trace breathed deeply through his nostrils. He stepped out of the pilothouse and stood aft. He watched the dark seas wash away in the wake of The Tramp Islander. After a few minutes, he returned to the pilothouse.

“You want to get some sleep?” Trace asked Sage.

“Tom came up a few hours ago and relieved me,” Sage said. “I’m fine.”

Trace bobbed his head. Although answering the question, his mind was elsewhere. 

“Texas?” Sage asked.

“Yeah,” Trace said, “how did you guess?”

“I didn’t,” Sage said, “I could have said, Pea Pod, Kentucky, and you’d have said, how did you guess. So what’s rubbin’ your backside raw?”

“It’s best I keep it to myself for now.”

“Well, don’t let it rub ya raw and get infected,” Sage said. He stood, and just before stepping below, he said. “I’m getting some shuteye. Wake me when the Navy gets here.”

Trace gave him an informal two-finger salute.

Trace tossed around in his mind some troubling thoughts. ‘Someone on this boat, and close to me, has been deceiving me. It leaves me empty, like a hollow barrel. The Tin Man—nothing inside, only an echo. It lessens your value in yourself. You question who you really are. You feel you must have done something to deserve deception. Jesus expected someone, Judas. Who is my Judas?’

“Think, Trace, think!” He murmured. 

‘How did the trawler find us? And it felt strange to me that Franks was so sure I would be accepted in his operation. It takes months and even years to be trusted with what they wanted me to do. I was promised almost immediate contact with kingpins. And I fell for it. The only way I could get access that quickly is if I were being set up. Franks is obvious, but how was he able to let the trawler find us?’  

‘What about Tom? He and Paul may have been holding out on me. Maybe he’s mixed up with them and is waiting for an opportune time to act. He and Paul worked together and had a bond of courage and trust from their time on Flint Island. Is he somehow mixed up in this whole thing? For what? Money, of course.’

‘Kelsey, how could he figure into deceiving me? Maybe he’s not who I think he is. I never heard the transmissions over his headset. Maybe the whole thing is made up. Maybe he’s a thug, and we’re really meeting his thugs. Maybe this whole thing is to discredit and ruin Franks. Perhaps he and Franks were in on it to begin with, and now Kelsey is double-crossing Franks. That’s crazy.’ 

‘And then there is Makani. He’s been with me from the start. He’s been loyal beyond question. He could have left me long ago. He stayed with me even though he had enough money to leave me long ago, risking his life. He’s helped with problems. Beyond Sage, he’s been my closest confidant.’

‘Sage, no, never. He knows me better than anyone. He’s had my back, and I’ve had his all our lives. He lied for me to keep me out of trouble in the first grade, because I lied for him the week before. Our fathers are best friends. He would never allow anything to come between us.’

‘Let’s review. What would each one gain? With Franks, it’s revenge. That is a powerful motive. And men will go to incredible lengths to exact it. If Kelsey is a crook, it’s control and power of drug operations. If he’s a cop, for sure, there’s nothing to worry about unless he wants to round up as many convictions as possible, and he’d frame me along with his grandmother. Makani, I’ve treated him fair. Why could he possibly betray me? He has a lot of money, but maybe he wants more. And Sage is out of the question, but if it is him, why? Maybe it’s jealousy. His family does alright, and he’s done alright, but our family has always done better. He’s never even hinted at anything like that. And that may be it—jealousy.’

‘There is one thing I’m certain of: there is a clue to who it is. I’ve overlooked it. It did not appear as a clue then. Think, Trace, think. It’s there. Think, Trace, think.’