He was in shorts and boat shoes and a flowered shirt. Jesse handed him the warrant.
“A crime has been alleged on board,” Jesse said. “That’s a warrant to search the boat.”
“Crime?”
“A young woman alleges rape.”
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R O B E R T B . P A R K E R
“Rape? For crissake, Stone, I don’t have to rape anyone.”
“We will also require that you not leave the harbor, and that you come in for a lineup.”
“Lineup?” Darnell said. “What the fuck are you talking about. A fucking lineup?”
Jesse nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes,” Jesse said, “that’s what it’s often called.”
“You have no damned jurisdiction here,” Darnell said.
“We’re at sea.”
“You’re in Paradise Harbor, Mr. Darnell,” Jesse said.
“Why don’t you sit down over there, have a nice cup of tea or something.”
“I want a lawyer.”
Jesse shrugged.
“Call one,” he said. “Officer Crane and I will search the ship. Officer Simpson will stay with you on deck.”
“I won’t allow it,” Darnell said. “It is a travesty. There has been no crime. Ask anyone.”
He stepped in front of the stairwell.
“You are not going below.”
“Of course we are, Mr. Darnell,” Jesse said. “It’s just a question of hard or easy.”
“What’s hard?” Blondie Martin asked from her seat at the table. Her eyes were wide and full of excitement as she looked at Jesse over the rim of her glass.
“Easy is Mr. Darnell goes and sits down with you,” Jesse said. “Step aside, Mr. Darnell.”
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S E A C H A N G E
There was something frantic in Darnell’s resistance.
“No,” he said. “You aren’t going below.”
Jesse took the cuffs off his belt.
“You are under arrest, Mr. Darnell, for refusing a lawful order. Face the bulkhead, please. Hands on the top.”
Darnell’s voice slid up into a high vibrato.
“No,” he said. “No.”
Jesse took hold of Darnell’s right forearm. Darnell tried to pull away, Jesse started to turn him, and Darnell swung at Jesse with his left hand. Jesse avoided the punch, used the momentum it generated to spin Darnell, slammed him against the bulkhead and pinned him there with his shoulder while he snapped the cuff on his right wrist. Darnell flailed with his left hand, but Jesse caught it, brought it down and clicked onto the left wrist. It was all so quick, Darnell had no chance to stabilize himself for a real resistance.
Blondie said, “Ooooh!”
Jesse let Darnell away from the bulkhead.
“Suit, sit him down somewhere, and keep him there,”
Jesse said.
“Boy, Chief Yokel,” Blondie said. “You’re really quick.”
“Maybe Mr. Darnell is really slow,” Jesse said.
“Any time you want to play with your handcuffs . . .”
Blondie said and giggled.
Jesse heard Molly make a small sound.
“First we’ll search the boat,” Jesse said.
He and Molly started down the stairs.
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R O B E R T B . P A R K E R
“Did I hear you snicker, Officer Crane?” Jesse said.
“You might have, Chief Yokel,” Molly said, laughter bub -
bling beneath her voice.
“Well, as long as it was a respectful snicker,” Jesse said.
