***
“Maybe da lady she’d like a boat for the nice ride, huh lady?”
Katie turned to the youthful voice with the odd creole dialect common in these islands to see a ridiculously cute boy, about seven or eight, wearing an overly-bright smile that only young children could manage. Despite her pressing and unsolvable problems, his jubilant aura coaxed a small grin from her.
“Oh, hello. No, I don’t think so, but I certainly thank you for asking,” she said politely. Knowing the abject poverty some of these people lived under, she reached into her small purse for a dollar. “But here you go anyway,” she said, handing it over.
He accepted it with a nod, but persisted. “No, lady, no. Dis boat, it give the best ride t’ she.” He paused, biting his tongue as if trying to remember something. “Yeah! Oh yeah, lady, dis ride here, she’s da ride on da admiral’s boat.”
Katie felt a tingle radiate through her body at the boy’s last words. Trying not to scare him, she reached down to grasp his upper arm. “What did you say?”
The boy looked surprised, but he did not pull away or try to run. “I tell she dat the ride on the boat, it the admiral’s best ride and for his friends only. Yes, you come wit’ me den?”
Katie stared at him as her mind raced. The boy’s terminology was probably a nothing more than a coincidence, a phrase the boat owner assumed would convey a sense of luxury and comfort to rich tourists. Despite all that, she’d used that term to tease Carson enough times it had to – might – mean something.
But she was 1,500 miles from home. To think the man she now knew was dead could possibly be somehow involved in anything all the way down here based solely on one short phrase from the mouth of a child was preposterous. To act upon such a remote possibility was beyond the pale of sanity. To expect results from those actions was the definition of lunacy.
And yet, despite all that, there was absolutely no doubt in her mind she would follow this lead as far as it would take her.
“Yes, I will take the admiral’s ride. Thank you. What’s your name?”
“Me name Boyer.”
“Well, Boyer, can you show me to the boat?”
His smile brightened. “Yes, lady!” He grabbed her hand and, with a strength belying his trim frame, pulled her down a sandy path to a long dock, at the end of which floated a large speedboat sporting three big outboard engines. A man with facial features resembling Boyer’s stood on the dock next to it, dressed in a white shirt and shorts.
“Deh she be, the lady for de ride with de admirals!” Boyer reported proudly.
“Very good, Boyer,” the man said in much more formal English with a British accent. “You go up to the hotel and find your mother now.”
“OK, papa!” The boy scurried off.
The man watched his son disappear up a slight hill before turning his attention to Katie. “Welcome. I am Raynaud, and this is my boat, the Fair Wind.”
“Hello, Raynaud. I’m Katie.” She shook his hand. “This is quite a boat. How much is the admiral’s ride?”
Raynaud smiled. “For you, the ride is $50 US dollars for two hours, but you may only pay me after the trip is complete, and only if you are satisfied with what I have shown you.”
Katie, accustomed to islanders demanding payment up front for anything, blinked in surprise. “That’s very gracious of you. I’m sure I’ll love the ride. When do we depart?”
“Right now, Miss Katie.”
“But,” she protested, looking around the small dock, “where are your other passengers?”
“There are no other passengers, Miss Katie. The admiral’s ride is for you and you alone.”
Hope and skepticism surged through Katie, followed immediately by caution. Going on a boat alone with a strange man, despite his cultured tone and appearance, was not something smart women did. At the same time, doing so would fit the fantastic possibility she dared not admit, even to herself. She hedged.
“With all due respect, how can I be sure I will be safe alone with you out at sea?”
Reynaud laughed to himself as if he’d just heard the most humorous, most absurd question of his life. “Miss Katie,” he said, not bothering to mask his amusement, “while you are wise to have such concerns, I can assure you that you have absolutely nothing to fear – not from my boat-handling capabilities, and certainly not from me. I promise you, at the end of your time aboard the Fair Wind, both your honor and your safety will remain intact.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice, his dark eyes boring into hers with an earnest look she had rarely, if ever, seen. “This is a trip you will regret not taking.” She prayed the unspoken message she saw in them was real.
She nodded. “I understand. Please pardon me if I suggested you might not be trustworthy.”
“Tis all right, Miss Katie. Caution is wise. Now,” he extended his hand, “may I help you aboard?”
Katie accepted his assistance. Moments later, the engines were rumbling and the boat was moving out of the harbor. Upon passing the red and white sea buoy, the water turned a darker shade of blue, and Reynaud shoved the throttles all the way forward, pushing Katie back in her seat.
The boat was extremely fast, but the ride was surprisingly smooth, although occasionally she was lifted from her seat by a small wave here and there. The rush of speed was exhilarating, and she chose to enjoy it rather than dwell on the disappointment she would likely face upon the end of this excursion for entertaining such ridiculous hopes. She studied the tiny islands the Fair Wind passed. Some seemed deserted, while others had a couple of boats pulled up on the sandy beaches while tourists lounged on blankets
