Fallout, page 3
The three siblings had agreed one of them needed to be leader, and that was to be Rafi. They also wanted Ted and Annabelle to feel free to ask them to do any jobs that needed doing, so Rafi laid it out, “Yes we own the yacht, but we are not so much your bosses as your co-workers. You have experience in this and we don’t, so if there is anything that needs done, just ask us to do it, and that means scrubbing the floors, washing dishes and anything else.” He also said they wanted to be called by their names, not Mr. or Ms. Harrington. These ground rules established, they all went to bed.
The three children slept well and woke ready to go, except perhaps for Suzi who woke to the realization she would have to get breakfast for everyone.
She needn’t have worried because Annabelle had laid out cereal, fruit and yoghurt, with coffee already on to brew.
Ted took them on a tour so they could familiarize themselves with the side of the boat they had never really seen, or noticed, the workings.
In the battle to wrestle the yacht from the creditors, no one had remembered the useful two jet skis, small outboard dinghy on the yacht, and three old scooters, so these were there waiting for the kids and would make their life much easier. They could nip into town on a jet ski, or rent them out. The same was not true of the scooters because they were old and that made them fragile and too easily damaged, but they would help for doing shopping and perhaps taking passengers sightseeing, for a fee, naturally.
Ted was to work with one of the boys at a time, showing him how to run the boat, while the other learnt everything else; where the wine was stored, how the generator worked, where linen was kept and how to clean the rooms most effectively. Rafi let Jasper learn how to drive the cruiser first.
Suzy made intricate dishes, and tasty economical ones, perfecting her skills in the kitchen, along with some housekeeping duties.
Their first clients, old family friends, were arriving in five days, and they would have to learn a great deal as they went, but each felt reasonably confident that they could bluff their way through the trip.
Ted and Annabelle were amazing and kept coming up with ideas to save money, such as candlelight dinners on deck, to save using the costly generator. Cocktails that were long drinks rather than short ones, as the mixers that made them long were the cheapest ingredient.
The day their business officially opened dawned, and Shelia and John Danbury arrived. They had borrowed the boat for years and had supposedly been friends with Alexander and Samantha although Rafi, Jasper and Suzi couldn’t remember them amongst all the family friends.
Ted had said he would collect them from the port and bring them on-board, but would one of the boys go with him to stay with the luggage.
The guest notebook said ‘Shelia and John Danbury, 10 – 15 pieces of luggage’.
How anyone could need that much for a week was beyond the five people on the yacht, but it seemed this was the Danbury’s average travelling quantity.
‘A vodka martini with an olive, immediately on board’ the book also said, so a pitcher was prepared and chilled, ready to pour.
The book didn’t say, ‘rude, demanding, selfish and horrible’, but it should have.
It started the minute Shelia had one foot on the boat, literally. The other was still on the gangway.
“Where is my drink?” She demanded in an unpleasant, shrill voice.
“Welcome on-board. A pitcher of Martinis is waiting for you just there, smiled Rafi, indicating the table.
“You don’t intend to make me drink from a pitcher I hope? I won’t do it.”
“Naturally we will pour it into a Martini glass for you,” said a still smiling Rafi, although his eyes belied the expression of his mouth...
“I’m used to having it here,” replied the nasty woman, by now standing with both feet on the deck while her husband waited behind her, unable to get past.
“Well now we serve drinks over there,” responded Rafi, again indicating the table.
“So you expect me to walk over there to get it?”
“If you have trouble walking I would be glad to assist you,” and Rafi offered his arm.
“I didn’t pay for self-service. Get me my Martini!”
“First, you didn’t pay to insult us, and secondly you didn’t pay, your husband did. Now, you are blocking the gangway, and the person who paid is still not even on the yacht, so please move away.”
She would have continued the argument, but her long suffering husband said quietly, “Shelia, go and sit down,” and she did.
When both the Danbury’s were seated, Rafi poured two Martini’s, explained what each small delicate snack was, and asked if there was anything else they needed.
“Where are my cigarettes?”
“I’m not sure madam. Perhaps in your bag?” Rafi tried.
“Don’t be facetious.”
‘Keep it together, Rafi said to himself. “Are they in your luggage?”
“Perhaps Rafferty does not know you smoke, pumpkin,” said the mild mannered John.
“Well he should. It is his business to cater to my every need”, this to her husband. “Get them!” to Rafi.
It took a few more insults before Rafi was able to figure out he was supposed to provide the missing cigarettes, not that she had mislaid them, and even longer to establish the make. Despite much quizzing, he was unable to establish how many packets were needed, so dispatched Jasper to shore to buy two or three.
Things didn’t get better with Shelia. She became more demanding and ruder as the afternoon went on.
Finally the Danburys retired for a nap before dinner and the crew had a few minutes peace.
The siblings sat with Ted and Annabelle for a coffee break. Rafi expressed the thought that Shelia was doing it because she was now in a higher position than the Harringtons, whereas before she was only on the boat as a favor.
“No, she is always like that, sometimes worse” said Annabelle.
That caused Rafi, Jasper and Suzi thought. We don’t remember them and find it hard to believe mum and dad would have been friends with someone like that.
“They weren’t,” Ted said.
He explained that the Danbury’s got to use the yacht every year as a favor the children’s father owed to someone. A debt he could not get out of. He always apologized to the staff and paid them extra as well as giving them a week’s holiday on the boat when Shelia left. They could use all the facilities and eat and drink whatever they wanted. He paid for a chef and waiter for a week to serve them too.
This was strange in so many ways. Their father never had debts, and how had this woman come to be on the boat now? Who had sent her? Checking the bookings showed it was Bob who booked her in.
Finding it just as hard to think Bob and Imelda were friends with this viper, Rafi emailed Bob to ask about the couple.
Bob phoned his answer, and it wasn’t what Rafi had expected. Bob had had an affair years ago and Shelia found out. She threatened to tell Imelda. A week on the yacht was her payment, and Bob was paying for it this year. It was the real payment for the wager he had had with Rafi’s father. The ‘running naked’ story was just something he had invented for Imelda's sake. He asked Rafi to put up with Shelia, and offered to pay double. Rafi accepted the extra payment for Ted and Annabelle, but not for him or his brother and sister.
Well, that explained a lot, but didn’t help in dealing with the woman.
That evening they all took it in turns to wait on Shelia, so no one was exposed to her vicious tongue for too long. Ted came back from his turn and said he had never experienced her quite so bad, as he reached for a glass of whisky to calm him down.
After dinner it was Rafi’s turn again. As he stood waiting for the next “I need another, boy” or “are you blind, can’t you see my glass in empty?” he began to wonder - was he right and part of this behavior was because she now felt able to treat someone who had been wealthier than her badly? He also wondered if they could really stand this for another week. Had it only been for the money, he would have asked her to leave, but Bob had helped them so much, he didn’t want to let him down.
As the evening wore on, Shelia demanded so many drinks, mainly just to keep Rafi running after her, that she started to get a bit tipsy. Sometime after midnight John suggested they go to bed, but Shelia said she had no intention of letting Rafi get away with doing nothing and intended to stay up all night to keep him busy.
By this point her words were quite slurred and Rafi suddenly had visions of her being sick and someone had to clean that, probably him. He said he would stay all night and make her coffee or carry water, but would not provide any more alcohol.
She exploded. “No wonder your father’s silent partner stayed silent and didn’t admit anything. You are so horrible he probably didn’t want you to get the money!”
John went pale and tried to shut her up, at the same time as trying to drag her away.
“What do you mean?” Rafi’s voice was icy.
“You didn’t know. How great – you didn’t know your father had a partner? Oh yes, there were others involved, well one mainly. They are now living the high life on your money while you stand there and serve me. Isn’t that brilliant? Your father thought he was so clever, but it was great to watch someone he trusted rip him off. A real comeuppance. Ha, ha.”
“Shelia, SHUT UP!” John yelled.
It was John’s panic as much as Shelia’s words that left Rafi feeling ill. There was obviously some sort of truth in her statement, but try as he might, Rafi got no more information from her, and John managed to spirit her away before she let more escape.
As the five crew sat with a calming drink that evening, (they had all waited up to give Rafi a break), Rafi related her words to them all. He had thought about waiting to talk to his brother and sister quietly, but decided he needed the others to know in case she let slip any other information that might be useful.
Jasper thought it was only the drink talking, but Ted and Annabelle agreed with Rafi that John’s behavior indicated there was at least some truth in what she said, or something he was afraid she might add.
“We need to tell Dorsey,” Suzi said.
Rafi pointed out the part about ‘someone their father trusted’, and that included Dorsey.
“But he helped us so much, and Bob too,” said Jasper.
“I know, and I don’t think it is them, but someone has all father’s money and stayed quiet about it. They stole from us, and we are talking over one billion, so what would someone do to keep that much? No one must know we suspect anything until we know more or have some sort leverage.”
Maybe there really is nothing, and we are chasing air, like the computer,” Suzi said.
That comment meant they had to explain everything to Ted and Annabelle, from the beginning and once they knew the whole story, they both agreed there had to be a partner or at least an accomplice.
That was something they had not thought of – an accomplice.
Now they only had to figure out what a team of top experts couldn’t; what did ‘they’ think was on the computer, and who were ‘they’?
If you liked this book, check out the next book in the series!
Conspiracy – Book 2 of The Yacht Available now on Amazon!
Also available on Apple, Barns & Noble and other major retailers.
K.C. Hunter, Fallout
