“We were arguing?”

  “Yeah, and if my hands hadn’t been tied up, I’d have had to belt her one,” Johnny said with a grin.

  “Sounds like somebody has steamer-trunk fever,” Sherman joked.

  Jaime was still working feverishly to saw through the chain lock on the other trunk. “Where did you get that saw?” Johnny asked.

  “We stole it from the maintenance closet,” Sherman said.

  Jaime finished cutting the thick chain and threw open the trunk lid. Roberta’s head popped up. Jaime grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, then carefully removed the packing tape from her mouth.

  “Jaime, I thought I was going to die in there!”

  Jaime wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a hug, kissing her on the neck. “It’s all right. Don’t worry.”

  “Whoa!” Sherman said. “Talk about your rescue tactics.”

  Mollie looked at Johnny and raised one eyebrow.

  “Were you guys ever going to tell us, or is this one of those Romeo and Juliet deals?” Johnny said.

  Jaime took the tape off Roberta’s hands. “We were going to tell you.”

  “Yeah, we just haven’t had a chance,” Roberta said.

  “I want to hear all about it later,” Mollie said. “Right now we need to find Meredith and Hilary. I think they’re in the third trunk, which is gone.”

  “Let’s go,” Jaime said. He grabbed Roberta’s hand as they left the room.

  The lobby was deserted by the time they got downstairs. Everyone was in the ballroom watching the fashion show and eating dinner. Mollie quickly glanced inside to look for DeDario or Moeller, but they seemed to be long gone. She didn’t see Eleanor Whistler anywhere, either, which seemed strange.

  “I bet they took off in DeDario’s boat,” Mollie said. “I’m going to check with the front desk.”

  She went up to the desk marked INTERNATIONAL FACE SHOW INFORMATION. “Hello, I’m trying to find some people I came with. Eleanor Whistler, Aaron DeDario—”

  “That whole crowd is going out on a cruise tonight. They may have left early since the opening ceremonies can get a bit tedious.” The woman pretended to yawn. “The real judging doesn’t start until tomorrow. This is just a flashy preview.”

  “Really? You know, they mentioned that cruise to me, but I forgot to write down the information about it,” Mollie said.

  “A local bigwig invited everyone out on his yacht,” the woman said. “I think his name is Hughes. Anyway, all the yachts belonging to people at the show are moored at Pier Six, which is practically right out the door. If you head down that way, you’ll catch up with them.”

  Mollie was already out the door.

  “Let’s face it, if that boat was still here, we could see it from the hotel,” Roberta said. “That’s how big it is.”

  “I guess it slipped away,” Sherman said. “Get it?”

  “Yeah, I got it, and I’m ignoring it,” Johnny said.

  Mollie spotted a man working on one of the smaller boats, polishing the brass plates on the cabin exterior. “Have you seen a large yacht—about seventy feet long—leave in the last fifteen minutes or so?”

  “Lots of boats have been in and out of the harbor,” he replied.

  “This one’s called the Golden State,” Mollie said. “It’s white, but the upper deck is a yellow color—”

  “And there’s a California flag flying from the top of it,” Roberta added.

  “Would a bunch of people who were dressed to the nines be on it?” the man asked them. “And a dwarf dressed in black?”

  “Yes!”

  “Then it took off about twenty minutes ago,” he said. “They looked like they were in a hurry, too.”

  “Did you guys hear that?” Mollie asked.

  Johnny nodded. “We missed them. Now what?”

  “Does everybody know how to swim?” Sherman asked.

  “Not really,” Mollie said.

  “Really?” Johnny asked.

  “I can dog paddle for about two minutes, but that’s it.”

  Mollie walked along the pier, trying to get a look out at the bay, only all the yachts blocked her view. She was hoping that Hughes hadn’t gotten too far away. Suddenly she came to a break in the wall of yachts. She glanced at the small boat that was letting her see the bay. It wasn’t that small, just a speedboat instead of a yacht. Then she noticed the name on the back of it.

  “You guys! Come here!”

  When they ran up, she pointed to the boat. “Wow, DeDario’s Daredevil,” Roberta said.

  “I wonder why he didn’t take it,” Jaime said.

  “Maybe Moeller wouldn’t let him. I think they have some unfinished business,” Mollie said.

  “Yeah, and so do we.” Johnny hopped into the boat and started fiddling with the instrument panel. He pried off the protective cover.

  “Are you going to hot-wire it?” Sherman asked.

  “What does it look like I’m doing?” Johnny muttered as he pulled a panel from underneath the steering wheel.

  “The man’s talents are limitless,” Sherman said, shaking his head.

  Roberta, Jaime, and Sherman climbed into the back of the boat.

  “Mollie? What are you waiting for?” asked Roberta.

  Mollie scuffed her shoe against the wooden dock. “I’m really not a good swimmer.”

  “We’re not going to capsize,” Johnny said. “I’ll be careful—well, as careful as I can be in a top-speed chase.”

  “Oh, great. That makes me feel better.”

  “Look at it this way—it’s better than crawling into a pitch black tunnel filled with rats and spiders,” Sherman said.

  Jaime rummaged in a bench locker on the side of the boat and pulled out a puffy orange life preserver. “Here. It’s your size and everything.” He tossed it to Mollie, who slipped it over her head and jumped into the Daredevil just as the motor started with a roar.

  Johnny maneuvered the boat out of the harbor slowly, then picked up more speed as they hit the open water. Mollie gripped Johnny’s arm with both hands as they bounced through the choppy bay. She hoped they wouldn’t be too late.

  CHAPTER 20

  “I think I see it.”

  “That looks like it, but I’m not sure.”

  “We’d better go check it out, anyway. It looks close enough.”

  Johnny put the boat in full throttle and headed in the direction Mollie was pointing.

  “If we weren’t hunting down a killer, this would be a fun cruise,” Sherman said, looking around. “Maybe we should just keep this boat. We can move the Truth Club here.”

  Mollie’s hair was whipping all around her face. She had to agree with Sherman—being out on the bay was wonderful. Having spent most of her life in the Midwest, Mollie had been out on the ocean only once or twice in her life. She just wished she was doing it under better circumstances.

  “That’s definitely it,” Mollie cried when they were close enough to read the name on the yacht’s bow. “Floor it!”

  Johnny glanced over at her for a second. “You want to go faster?”

  “I like my face the way it is,” Roberta yelled above the noise of the boat’s prow crashing on the waves. “Any faster and it’s going to come off!”

  Minutes later they caught up to the Golden State. Johnny slowed the motor, and they drifted up beside the boat. Mollie yanked the life preserver from around her neck.

  “Bitsy?”

  Mollie smiled at Jackie, Rahel’s sister, who was sitting on the deck. The rest of the boat seemed deserted. “Hi! Are you the only one here?”

  “No, everyone’s inside drinking. I wanted to catch some rays,” Jackie said. “Who are all your friends?”

  Jackie took the ropes Mollie tossed to her and knotted them around the boat’s railing. “Hey, you’re pretty good at that,” Sherman commented, climbing aboard the Golden State.

  Jackie shrugged. “Girl Scouts.”

  “Be prepared,” Sherman said. “I’m Sherman, by the way.”

  “I’m Jackie. So, Bitsy, do you always show up at parties fashionably late?”

  “Actually, my name’s Mollie. It’s a long story, but have you seen Meredith on this boat, or her sister, Hilary?”

  “No, they’re not here,” Jackie said.

  “What about Moeller and T.C.?” Mollie asked.

  Jackie nodded. “And as obnoxious as always. Actually, they seemed kind of uptight when they got on board.”

  “I bet,” Johnny said under his breath.

  “I see we have more guests.” Dayton Hughes strolled out of the main cabin, holding a martini glass. “Come out, everyone, and meet our new guests,” he said in a phony, cheerful voice.

  Eleanor Whistler, Moeller, and Rahel walked out, followed by Derek Hughes. Mollie was surprised to see him on board. She hoped he was just along for the ride to check out his brother’s activities—or perhaps he was just escorting Rahel. DeDario came out of the cabin, carrying a can of beer, and T.C. was right behind him.

  “What a lovely crew,” Johnny muttered.

  He pulled Sherman aside. “Have you ever driven a boat?”

  Sherman nodded.

  “I think you’d better circle us in the speedboat and be ready to collect everyone for a quick getaway. If anything goes wrong, call the coast guard,” Johnny said. “I left the motor running.”

  Sherman hopped into the boat, and Johnny quickly untied the ropes, setting him free.

  “Hey—that’s my boat!” DeDario cried. “You stole my boat!”

  “We needed a lift,” Mollie said.

  “And the rest of the boats were all tied up,” Roberta said, rubbing her wrists. “You understand.”

  “We didn’t want to miss the party,” Mollie said. “Before it gets started, though, I was wondering if I could have a few words with you in private, Mr. Hughes—Dayton, that is.”

  Dayton sat down in a deck chair. “There’s nothing you can’t say to me in front of my friends.”

  Mollie glanced around at the other people. If those were his friends, he was in some serious trouble. Jackie was looking at Mollie with a confused expression. Rahel was staring out at sea.

  “Bring that back!” DeDario shouted at Sherman as he circled the boat. Sherman waved to him.

  “Okay, have it your way,” Mollie said. “Why did you all leave the convention so soon?”

  “We needed to talk about some business in private.” Dayton made a sweeping gesture with his arm. “What could be more private than the middle of the Pacific Ocean?”

  Mollie knew what he was trying to say: out on the water, Hughes could do whatever he wanted and get away with it.

  “You see, I’m considering buying the Whistler Agency,” Dayton continued. “Eleanor and I were trying to hammer out a partnership deal.”

  Eleanor looked nervous, and Mollie wondered if she had any choice in the matter. “Eleanor, I’d watch it if I were you. Ask Dayton what happened to his last partner, Martin Longherin.”

  Dayton cleared his throat. “He died in a tragic boating accident. Very tragic. He’d had too much to drink, and he fell overboard.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Mollie saw Eleanor set her drink down on the deck table.

  “Now, what are you doing here?” Dayton asked. “Not only are you crashing this party, but you’ve stolen my friend’s boat. I find your behavior reprehensible.”

  “We’re looking for your nieces, actually,” Johnny said, stepping toward Hughes. “We heard they were on this boat.”

  “Meredith and Hilary?” Derek asked, looking concerned. “No, they’re not here.”

  “No one has come aboard since we left—except you.” Moeller sneered at Mollie.

  “They weren’t on the boat when we left the pier,” Dayton said calmly.

  “You might not have recognized them. I think they were in a steamer trunk,” Mollie said.

  “What?” Derek cried.

  “Stowaways?” said Eleanor. “How charming.”

  “Yeah, something like that.” Jaime walked toward the cabin.

  “Young man, if you go any farther, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.” Dayton stood up and straightened his jacket. “I am perfectly capable of searching this boat myself.”

  “Are you sure?” Roberta asked. “It’s a big boat.”

  “Moeller and I can take care of it.”

  “I’d like to help. After all, they are my daughters,” Derek said, heading back to the cabin.

  While they were gone, Jackie came up to Mollie. “Is Meredith in danger?”

  Mollie nodded.

  “Can I do anything?”

  “No, but you might want to leave with us,” Mollie said.

  Mollie looked over at DeDario and T.C. They were tossing their drinks down, apparently in anticipation of something bad happening to them. They’d blown it—Mollie, Johnny, and Roberta had escaped—and Moeller was not going to take their mistake lightly.

  “I’m going to find that trunk,” Jaime said. “I still have the saw. I think I can manage to avoid them.”

  Johnny nodded. “I’ll come after you if you’re not back in five minutes.”

  As Jaime slipped into the cabin, Derek, Dayton, and Moeller came out the other side. “There are no steamer trunks on this yacht,” Dayton declared. “I suppose that was just a ruse to get rid of us.”

  “No, not at all,” Johnny said. “If we wanted to get rid of you, we could just shove you overboard. You’ve heard of that tactic, haven’t you?”

  “Accidental drownings happen like that all the time,” Roberta added.

  Dayton held his hand up in the air and snapped his fingers twice.

  “I thought we only had one magician on board,” Roberta said, glancing at DeDario.

  A man in a tall chefs hat came out of the cabin, carrying a tray of appetizers. “Alain, see if our guests would like some hors d’oeuvres.”

  Mollie stared at Alain as he approached her. She had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach—and it wasn’t hunger. The Chinese cook, Han Wu, was gone.

  “Voulez-vous un canapé de …”

  Mollie hesitated. She wouldn’t be surprised if Dayton tried to poison them.

  “Miss Fox, please help yourself. Alain does wonderful things with canapés. I always say, when you’re out in international waters, it’s best to eat international foods.” Dayton looked around at everyone and smiled. “Don’t you agree?”

  Mollie knew what he was really saying. If they were in international waters, the law had no jurisdiction. Not only could he do whatever he wanted, but he could just stay out there, floating, and never be arrested.

  “What happened to your old cook, the Chinese man?” Roberta asked. “He was so nice.”

  “It’s very interesting, actually.” Dayton shook his head and laughed. “Immigration and Naturalization Services came to pick him up yesterday. All those years he’d been working for me, I never knew he was an illegal alien. I think he’ll be on his way back to China after a short detainment.”

  “If he’s not lying on the bottom of the ocean with concrete blocks around his feet,” Mollie murmured to Roberta.

  CHAPTER 21

  Jaime walked out of the main cabin, the hacksaw plainly in his hand.

  Dayton’s face turned red with anger. “I told you not to go in there—”

  Meredith and Hilary came out right after him. “Hi, Daddy,” Meredith said. She and Hilary both gave Derek quick hugs.

  “Bring that boat over here!” DeDario shouted to Sherman, who was still puttering around the Golden State in the Daredevil.

  “Where were you?” Derek asked his daughters, confused. He and Rahel were sitting at the deck table together. He seemed slightly embarrassed to be seen with her.

  Before they could answer, Mollie walked over to them. “How silly of you two to stow away like that,” she said, winking at them.

  “I guess it was a stupid prank, stowing away in a trunk,” Meredith said with a shrug.

  “A dangerous prank is more like it,” Moeller said. “You could have gotten stuck in there.”

  “Moeller, be quiet.” Dayton glared at him. “There’s no sense rubbing it in. I’m sure my niece knows she made a mistake.” In more ways than one, his look seemed to imply.

  “You can’t blame Meredith for wanting to have a little fun,” Johnny said. “After all, she has a reason to celebrate. Maybe you haven’t heard yet, but it turns out someone was setting her up with that cocaine.”

  “But she confessed,” Dayton said. “Case closed.”

  “Not quite,” Roberta said. “Detective Benjamin’s been arrested for planting evidence. No telling where the police investigation will lead.”

  Mollie walked over and stood behind Rahel. She felt in her jacket pocket for the small sewing scissors she had gotten at the hotel.

  “Actually, my office got a call from Detective Benjamin asking us to defend him,” Dayton said. “I’ll probably take the case. You see, evidence gets misplaced and rearranged all the time.”

  “No law firm of mine will defend that scoundrel,” Derek said. “What evidence are you talking about, Johnny? What was planted?”

  “The drugs, for one thing,” Johnny told him.

  “And the hair, too,” Mollie said. “It couldn’t have come from Meredith’s head, because Meredith doesn’t do drugs, and it was saturated with cocaine.”

  “Then whose hair was it?” scoffed Dayton. “Rapunzel’s?”

  “Close.” Mollie took the scissors out of her hand and clipped off a clump of Rahel’s hair.

  “Hey! What are you doing you little—”

  “I think these strands will match perfectly with the ones in the police evidence room,” Mollie said, shoving Rahel’s hair in her pocket.

  “Give that back!” Rahel shouted, as she started to struggle with Mollie.

  “Sit down, Rahel, and shut up,” Dayton said.

  “We’ll have to be going now,” Mollie said. “Sherman!”

  “What’s going on?” Derek wanted to know.

  Behind him Roberta and Jaime clambered into the DareDevil. DeDario ran over, but Johnny held him back.

  “Now, you know you’re too drunk to drive, Dario,” Johnny said. “Sherman’s the designated driver tonight.”

 

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