Free Off Kilter by Glen Robins

Collin asked his next question, “How’d you get through it? I mean, how long were you out there, and how’d you, you know, make it?”
    The perceptive Captain went on and told the story. His voice was soft, and it reminded Collin of the way his dad often told stories, slowly and deliberately, making a point. Captain Sewell explained that they spent one very long day and an even longer night bobbing at sea before they were spotted and picked up by a fishing boat. Luckily for them, the seas were calm that day.
    He put in a claim with the insurance company and got this boat, like new, paid for mostly by insurance money. Now, business was better than it had ever been. This boat was larger, more stylish, faster, and much, much prettier to look at. This, he was sure, helped him attract the rich American and European clients.
    “So, I guess, them pirates helped me. That day sucked, but better days came because of it.” Captain Sewell stopped, letting the last sentence sink in, then turned and studied Collin’s face before asking a question of his own. “What brings you here? Why Cayman?”
    Collin was slow to respond, his mind still caught on what the Captain had said about his life being better since his run-in with the pirates. His life going forward, Collin had come to believe, would amount to nothing more than running from unknown people. Survival in a game of hide-and-seek. That was it. That was all he could see. Finally, he worked out an answer to the Captain’s question.
    “I don’t know. I just like it. Always have, ever since I first heard about it when I was a kid.” Collin looked back at the man who was obviously waiting for more. “Well, you know, they advertise it a lot in the dive shops, and when my buddies and I were getting certified for SCUBA, the Cayman Islands were talked about as ‘the place’ to dive. So I decided that one day when I had the money, I’d come here.”
    “That’s rubbish, man. Pure rubbish. You know what I mean. What are you doing here?”
    Collin struggled with what he should tell a stranger. But he needed an ally, and this guy was reaching out. He looked up from his shoes and met the Captain’s eyes. They were not harsh, critical eyes. The man was curious and seemed to genuinely want to know more. “I find myself unexpectedly single and with enough money to travel in style. So here I am. Seeing the world.”
    Captain Sewell nodded his head knowingly and winked an eye. “Okay. Let me show you a little bit of our world. It’s beautiful, no?” He swept his hand in an arc and smiled proudly.
    Collin smiled, too. A new relationship was forming. The first new relationship in a year.
    It felt good.
    The sense of safety and peace returned. If only for a short time.

Chapter Seven
     
    London, England
    May 3
     
    Nic Lancaster hustled into Alastair Montgomery’s cramped office. At twenty-eight, Nic was the youngest and most ambitious investigator on Alastair’s handpicked team of corporate crime geniuses, but that was only part of the reason he was chosen for this special, potentially high profile task. Always eager to further his career, Nic had caught his boss working around the rules, taking advantage of his position, and had threatened to hold it over him. Alastair knew the kid was bright. Bright enough, perhaps, to make them both look good fulfilling what seemed like a dreadful assignment. He decided last night, after his third drink, to give the kid the chance he was looking for. Maybe then Lancaster would stop hounding him.
    “Nic, I have a special assignment for you,” he said as he waved his hand in the direction of a chair on the other side of the desk. “There’s an American on the loose in Europe that may have ties to the Komodos – the group from Southeast Asia that blindsided RBS last week. I need you to find him and bring him in. What do you say?”
    “Right, boss. Finding an American in Europe is a special assignment?” said Nic.
    “Well, yes, in fact, it