Free Dawn Patrol by Jeff Ross

“He helped drag you to shore.”
    â€œSo where was he when I was rammed into the reef?”
    â€œHe was surfing. He was…” Kevin looked up at the perfectly blue sky. “No, he was on the other side of the break.”
    â€œNo, he dropped in, cut me off and then shot to the other side. Who got to me first?”
    â€œI did,” Kevin said. “I was on the beach. I was hoping you would call it a day so I could go back out.”
    â€œAnd you didn’t notice who blasted me into the reef?”
    â€œNo, I must have been in the jungle. Answering the call of nature.”
    â€œWell, it was Jose who drove me into those rocks. I almost died out there,” I said.
    â€œNo. Jose wouldn’t do that,” Kevin said, shaking his head.
    â€œKevin, who are you going to believe? We’ve known each another all our lives.” I ate a bit of lobster and a square of mango and tried to contain my anger.
    â€œIt must have been a mistake,” said Kevin. He nodded, agreeing with himself. “It had to be.” He looked out at the dock. The empty lanterns swung in the breeze. “He’ll be here, and he’ll have Esme with him. You’ll see. Everything is going to be good.”
    Alana was silent. Eventually she got up and sat at the end of the dock. I followed her out.
    â€œHe really believes his parents are here, doesn’t he?” she said.
    â€œWouldn’t you?”
    â€œI would want to. Sure. But…” She kicked her feet in the water. “What do you think?”
    â€œI don’t know,” I said. “I guess it’s possible.”
    â€œYeah, kind of, in that ‘anything is possible’ way.”
    â€œMaybe.”
    â€œShouldn’t we be out there looking for Esme?”
    I thought about this for a minute. “Even if this whole parents being hidden thing is bogus, I don’t see Delgado as some kind of crazy killer or anything. I’m sure if he has Esme, she’s fine.”
    â€œSure?” Alana asked.
    â€œAs sure as I can be.”
    We waited until the afternoon sun descended, and then we walked back up to the hotel.
    â€œI guess they aren’t coming,” Kevin said. “Okay, you’re right, Luca.”
    I put a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know. Maybe your parents are alive. Delgado might not be lying. But it doesn’t look good. We’ve waited long enough. We have to do something. We have to find Esme and make sure she is all right. Can you think of anywhere else Delgado and Jose might have taken her? Did he ever tell you where your parents were hiding?”
    â€œNo. He said it wasn’t safe for me to know. Just in case agents came to talk to me,” Kevin said.
    â€œBut do you have any idea? Any idea at all?” I asked.
    Kevin stared at the water. “Yeah, maybe.”
    â€œWhere?” Alana asked.
    â€œAnother island. It’s over on the other side. Maybe twenty minutes by boat,” Kevin said.
    â€œWhat’s so special about this particular island?” I asked.
    â€œI was at Delgado’s once, and he had a map up on his computer screen. It was zeroed in on that island. That’s all I know.”
    Alana looked at me. “It’s all we have to go on,” she said.
    â€œSo,” I said, “we call the Panamanian police and…”
    â€œNo,” Kevin said, “we can’t call the police. They’re all friends with Delgado. Haven’t you noticed them hanging out on the beach? They protect Delgado for some reason.”
    â€œOkay, then we go out to the island,” I said. “Alana, do you still have the Jet Ski?”
    Alana nodded. “I rented it for three days.”
    â€œWe’ll need a trailer on it,” I said.
    â€œYeah, there is a trailer for it,” she said.
    I patted Kevin on the back. “Come on, bro. Let’s go find Esme. And clear all this up.”
    Kevin nodded. I