Blue Waters by Eric Chance Stone

Author:Eric Chance Stone [Stone, Eric Chance]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781734162608
Publisher: Lost & Found Publishing LLC
Published: 2020-09-20T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Rick hated to leave Chief behind as he pulled into the birdie hotel outside of Dallas, but knew it was for the best. The paperwork and time it would take to get Chief into St. Croix was not feasible.

Chief was a big hit, as usual, with the workers in the kennel. Chief wasn’t your average cockatoo. He was animated, like most, but had a personality that was more human, and sometimes canine, than any other cockatoo Rick had ever encountered. He was a ball of joy that made everyone who met him smile.

“Ok, Chief, now you be a good boy and I’ll be back to pick you up soon,” he told him.

The bird raised his crown, jumped up and down on his perch in protest, and mimicked a crow with a loud “Caw, caw, caw” as Rick walked out of the Kookaburra Bird Shop.

At the Dallas airport, Rick sat in the boarding area and waited for his group to be called. He already missed Chief, but knowing his friend was cozy and safe at the boarding shop made him feel better.

Rick leaned back in his seat as the Airbus pushed back early from the gate at 10:15 a.m. It was a half-empty flight, and he had the row to himself. It felt weird paying for tickets, since he’d flown stand-by all the time when he worked for Delta, but this trip was full fare, and Benjamin Johnson was footing the bill.

Before the flight left, Rick had called Phillip Semenuk and asked him about Laney. Benjamin had given Rick Phillip’s name and told him he might be a good contact.

The man’s voice had sounded shaky and anxious, as if he was worried someone might overhear him talking. Phillip was the guy Darren, aka Laney, had purchased the Catalina sailboat from in St. Croix, and Rick wanted to speak with him in person. Face-to-face was always better for reading body language, and Rick could easily see if the guy was full of it or being sincere.

They planned to meet at the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino, where Rick had booked a room for two nights.

During the stopover, he grabbed coffee and a beef patty, which kind of reminded him of a kolache, but a little different and much spicier. Rick had never been to St. Croix, or to San Juan, for that matter. As he waited for his connecting flight, he familiarized himself with St. Croix from a book he’d picked up in the gift shop.

It was one of the three main U.S. Virgin Islands, the least populated, and the farthest south—about forty miles south of St. Thomas.

St. Croix had suffered a downturn, with little work available. As a result, crime had risen sharply. He was sorry he’d had to leave his gun behind.

As the plane lifted off from San Juan, it flew right over the beautiful Spanish Virgin Islands of Culebra and Vieques. The water was spectacular, and the sun brought out all its shades of blue. Blue water always amazed Rick.

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