brother, naturally.”
She nodded, lowering her eyes, smiling. Then she was jolted, her coffee stingingly warm and yet reassuring as a drop bounced onto her hand. The boat with the Emersons on board was suddenly brought alongside the
Jem had Joey Emerson’s little gun in his hands. He dumped the remaining ammunition from the weapon and slid it into the waistband of his pants before he lifted Sue, setting her flatly on board the
“I don’t know what the hell you all think you’re doing,” Joey protested.
“I imagine Miss Carlyle intends to press charges against you for assault and battery, kidnapping, and maybe even attempted murder,” Adam advised him dryly.
“Oh, don’t be silly. I was just trying to scare her,” Joey protested. “And you’re not a cop anymore.”
“Think of this as a citizen’s arrest,” Adam said. “We can probably also charge you with another case of kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment—and murder.”
“Murder!” Joey said, furious, standing his ground against Adam. “I didn’t murder anybody. I just wanted the truth. Nothing but the damned truth. My mother has been sick all these years, wanting to know what’s going on.”
“Your mother?” Jem queried skeptically.
“Yes, my mother. I’ve been working for my mother, trying to find out exactly what happened to my father! Damn! Everyone keeps saying that Sam’s father was so wonderful. Well, all right, mine wasn’t a saint, but he was murdered. By Sam’s father. And I deserve some answers just like everyone else here.”
“Sam’s father didn’t kill Marcus Shapiro,” Jerry North said suddenly, her voice soft, yet somehow filling the silence that had risen after Joey’s words.
“The hell he didn’t!” Joey said. “He followed Justin because he had heard that Justin was about to make a deal with James Jay Astin, which meant Justin was pretty sure he had discovered where the ship lay. He knew your father, too, Sam, because SeaLink had been tentatively negotiating with Robert Santino about splitting both the expenses and rewards in bringing up the treasures of the ship.”
“Yes, Justin knew where the ship was, but he didn’t kill your father, Joey,” Jerry said.
“How can you know that?” Joey demanded.
Jerry stared at Adam. Sam frowned, watching the strange cry for help that seemed to be in Jerry’s gaze.
“How can you know that?” Joey repeated furiously.
“Because she killed him, kid. Jerry killed your old man,” Liam offered suddenly, chuckling.
“That’s enough,” Adam said quietly. “We’ll get back to the explanations in a minute, Joey. Sam, Jerry, come down to the end of the boat for a minute’s privacy, will you?”
“Oh, that will help!” Liam exclaimed dryly.
“You shut up,” Jem warned Liam.
“Or else…?”
Adam had Sam’s arm, and Jerry’s. Sam had never been more confused. Adam was insisting she needed a private moment with Jerry in the midst of Liam casting murder accusations Jerry’s way.
“Wait—” Sam protested.
“This can’t wait,” Adam said.
He led them both to the aft of the
“Adam, what’s going on?” Sam demanded. “Jerry, did something happen to you?”
“I—” Jerry began.
“Jerry, everything is coming out now. Matters are going to get worse before they get better. This isn’t exactly the right way to do this, either, but the best I can do under the circumstances is buy you both a few seconds here.”
“Please, what is going on?” Sam persisted.
Adam walked two steps away, his back to the women. He stood like a bulldog, guarding them from the others.
“I’m—” Jerry began.
“Yes?”
“I’m—your mother, Sam.”
“Mother? My mother’s been gone. I don’t even remember her. I think she’s dead. I—”
“No, Sam. I’m not dead.”
“This can’t be.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Oh, God!” Sam felt as if she’d been hit.
“I’m so sorry, you deserved so much better. I mean, you deserve to be told in a better way. And you deserved more noble relations. Like your father.”
Sam felt as if she was going to fall. The information was numbing. Jerry, her mother? It explained Jerry’s interest in her. Jerry’s quiet longing to be with her. It explained the pain in the woman’s eyes, and her discomfort now.
Seconds that seemed like hours passed before Sam could feel, think or speak. Then she saw the slow trickle of tears falling silently down Jerry’s cheeks. A strange surge of emotion welled within her. Love? She hadn’t even known she had a living mother. Love could take time. And understanding. But she realized that Jerry had been hurt. Whatever her actions, she had known pain as well. And Sam realized that she wanted to protect the woman.
“Oh, Sam, I am so sorry—”
“Don’t you be sorry!” Sam said fiercely, catching Jerry’s hand, squeezing it.
“But—”
“Don’t be sorry. Don’t you be down on yourself. I don’t understand anything anymore—”
“This friggin’ family reunion has got to stop!” Liam bellowed.
“Go to hell!” Jerry cried, pulling from Sam and brushing past Adam to come and stand in front of Liam. “You go to hell!” she cried furiously again.
“Tell the Emerson kid—the Shapiro kid!—and your daughter the truth. Tell them that you murdered Shapiro’s old man.”
“I don’t believe it!” Joey snapped.
“Tell him, Jerry,” Liam insisted.
“Liam, you leave her the hell alone and let her talk in her own time,” Adam warned, stepping forward again.
“Please!” Sam insisted, following him.
Jerry swung back to look sadly at Sam, speaking softly, her words for the two of them alone. “What I’ve told you is the truth. God forgive me. I left your father right after you were born. I was young and stupid and didn’t think that I could bear life on his island. But he was a good man, the best man in the world. He still wrote to me on occasion. When he could find me. He sent me pictures. Years later I had become involved with—with Mr. Santino’s father. Oddly enough, I discovered that he was in the process of some business that had to do with Justin. I saw Justin again. We began to talk. I thought that maybe after all that time…But I was just being used against him.” She turned from Sam then and stared at Joey, her voice rising on a strong note. “Your sainted father tricked me. We followed Justin—to the ship. To ‘celebrate’ with Justin, so your father told me, Joey. I was there when he slit Justin Carlyle’s throat.” She raised her hands, staring at them. “When I saw what he had done to Justin, I stabbed him.”
She looked at Sam. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
Sam stared at her, stunned. She felt numb again. Cold. Colder than she had felt in the sea, fearing death.
“I’m sorry about your father,” Jerry whispered painfully. “He was the only truly good person I ever knew. And I’m so sorry that now you know you’re related to me.” The last was barely a whisper.
Her father was dead. Definitely dead. She had known it. Of course, Justin wouldn’t have left her. The finality hurt. But the pain had been with her for so many years now that this finality was a bearable anguish.
