Free Barbara Silkstone - Wendy Darlin 01 - Wendy and the Lost Boys by Barbara Silkstone

where did that leave me? Besides Kit, and possibly Mr. Annoying, she was the only friendly person on the Predator. But like everyone else in this nightmare, she seemed to have hidden motives.
    Banned from the bridge. What was Hook afraid I might learn? We were headed north – that much I could tell by the morning sun. But north encompassed a hell of a lot of water. With no landmarks and no shoreline it was hard to judge our speed.
    I finished the fruit slices and skipped the granola. The crunch was more than my aching head could bear. Croc’s vibrating cannon still had my ears ringing and my neck aching.
    The coffee was dark and rich but had a bitter edge. I laced my cup with heavy cream from the pitcher on the table as I watched Roger. His pacing was making me edgy. I was still angry at him for leaving me alone with Hook. It wasn’t funny.
    The chef came back to the table. “Can I get you anything?”
    “I’ve got a bad headache, Roscoe” I rubbed my neck.
    “I have something herbal in the kitchen. Ease the pain.” He picked up my plates. “Island cures sometimes work better than doctor remedies.” He nodded toward Roger. “Especially Doctor Shoes.”
    A weak smile was all I could muster. I picked up Tinkerbelle and wandered to the third deck, passing the helicopter pad. The chopper’s boom was fixed and looked good as new. Tink and I sat looking out at two glistening dolphin as they leaped from the water dancing on their tails, celebrating the pure joy of being together. Another old adage popped into my head, Money doesn’t buy you happiness. But it buys you a big enough yacht to sail right up to it. I was looking at dolphin happiness but I was in a funk.
    If I hadn’t married Croc, he wouldn’t have made that stupid bet with Hook. If they hadn’t bet, Hook wouldn’t have looked me up under the pretense of buying a mansion. If Hook hadn’t come to me about real estate, I wouldn’t have introduced him to Marni and she’d still be alive. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t find out who killed her.
    Tink looked me straight in the eyes as if she was trying to tell me something. What do they say on Law and Order ? Means, motive, and opportunity. I said to the dog, “I can’t see any motive at this point. That leaves means and opportunity.”
    “Hey, you,” Jaxbee slid into the chair next to me.
    She startled the questions in my mind straight to my lips. “Who do you think killed Marni and Captain Henry? Where are we headed?” I would have kept quizzing her but her firm touch on my arm told me to shut up.
    She bit her lower lip and glanced over her shoulder conspiratorially. “The secrecy of my mission keeps me from knowing what I’m doing.”
    I laughed.
    She leaned closer. “We’re headed for Savannah. Just stay near me once we get close to land. It’s going to be tricky.”
    “Why Savannah? And how will we get to shore?”
    “We’ll use the Nibs. We’re boarding it from the submarine launch. Once the tender is out from under the cloak, we’ll be visible.”
    “Then the Coast Guard can find us?”
    “Homeland Security keeps Black Hawk helicopters flying over the coastline continuously. If they spot what might be an illegal boat, everyone on board has to come out on deck. They have facial recognition software. If they recognize Hook, he may open fire. He’s wired to the max.”
    “He’d shoot at Homeland Security?”
    “And I’m sure they’ll return fire. It’ll be dangerous for all of us.”
    That got my attention. I hoped I hadn’t put Kit in even more danger. “Who’s the ‘we’ getting into the tender?”
    “His lordship hasn’t said, but I’m guessing it’s you, me, and him.”
    “What about Marni?” I whispered.
    She drew up her legs and rested her chin on her knees. “I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense. As for Captain Henry, I don’t know who killed him, but someone shut off the cloaking device and the LRAD before the hedgies