It suffices to say that because this is one novel in a series, there may be things not understood unless one knows what has taken place in previous novels from this series. Here is a link to the first novel in the series: The Big Gamble in Paradise, paperback or Kindle.
Allie's Message
It was 4:07 AM. Adam stood at the wheel. Trace stood next to him. Sage and Coyote tossed the lines onboard, jumped from the dock, and pulled in the gangplank. They waved and called out, “All clear.”
Adam started the engine and let it settle for a moment. He moved the throttle forward and made a port turn. Then he aimed The Tramp Islander toward the open sea. He switched on the spot light and checked for any obstructions.
“Like I said,” Trace grinned, “like riding a bike..”
Although they had gone over the new electronics and screens previously, Sage instructed Adam again. Adam motored for about fifteen minutes. Looking port, he sighted where the dotted lights of Suva ended and the dark sea began.
“You ready to hoist?” Trace asked.
“Yeah,” Adam said.
“I’ll go help Sage and Coyote,” Trace said.
Adam grabbed the mic. “Hoist the sails.”
The sails slowly climbed into the darkness. The Tramp Islander’s sails gripped the steady westerly breeze. Adam switched the motor off, and The Tramp Islander sailed due east.
Sage and Coyote stayed on deck. Trace went back to the pilothouse.
“How’s it feel?” Trace asked.
“I’m not used to a pilothouse,” Adam said. “The wheel used to be outside, rain or sunshine, storm or calm.”
“Whoever decided to rebuild her added all this,” Trace said, flinging his hand around.
“Even though I’m an old salt,” Adam said. “I like it.”
“I can see how it might be a little confining at times, but I don’t know another way,” Trace said. “Everything I was on in the Bering had a pilothouse.”
“How about getting us a coffee?” Adam said.
“Comin’ right up,” Trace said.
He stepped toward the companionway and stopped. Makani was coming up. He had two cups of coffee and a thermos.
“Here you go,” Makani said. “I have these here earlier, but I busy with cinnamon rolls.”
“Let’s not let that happen again,” Adam joked.
“How you like boat?” Makani asked.
“It’s a good boat,” Adam said. “I like it.”
“I go below,” Makani said. “No burn cinnamon rolls.”
Makani stepped below. Coyote and Sage came in from the outside.
“Is it okay if Dad and I get another hour of shuteye?” Sage said.
“Sure,” Adam said.
“I’m staying up,” Trace said.
“Make sure Makani wakes us for breakfast,” Coyote said.
“It will be a waste of food,” Adam grinned. “We’ll be hitting some waves before long, and you’ll be puking it overboard.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Coyote said, and he and Sage climbed below.
“We had a visitor onboard last night while everybody was asleep,” Trace said.
“Really, who?” Adam said.
“Allie,” Trace said.
“What was she doing here?” Adam said.
“She left us this,” Trace said and handed Adam a folded page from a newspaper with a note clipped to it.
Adam pulled the note from the clip and read aloud.
“Dear Adam and Trace, I thought this might be of interest to you. Read it, and if you’re uncomfortable with the trip, abort it, and I’ll understand. I don’t think anyone will object. The more publicity on the situation will be detrimental to Collins and his plans. Love, Allie.”
Adam unfolded the paper and read. When he finished, he asked, “How do you think Allie came across this?”
“She gets a couple of newspapers from the States,” Trace said. “She likes to keep informed.”
“I wonder why she didn’t show us this before?” Adam said.
“She probably just came across it,” Trace said.
“And drove out in the middle of the night,” Adam said. “She’s quite a gal.”
“What does this sound like to you?” Sage said.
“Well,” Adam said, “they’ve tried setting up a false country in the past. The purpose was to sell ambassadorships and credentials for others to pull off scams. I don’t know how diplomatic immunity works, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s all a part of it.”
“Do you think we should go on?” Trace said.
“You gave it some thought,” Adam said. “And you decided to go on through with it.”
“Yeah,” Trace said, “I did. We deliver stuff. That’s it. We don’t care what a person’s race, creed, color, nationality, or religion is. We just don’t break the law. As far as we know, they aren’t breaking the law. They may in the future, but we can say that about any of our passengers. We’re delivering four people to an island, and presumably, the cargo is their stuff. There is nothing that leads me to think it is contraband. Besides, of what use would contraband be on an island with four people?”
Adam peered over the dashboard as if trying to see beyond the bow. Trace knew the look. He had seen it often. Adam was thinking. It was the way he looked out the window of their home in Texas, the way he looked out and over the hood of his truck, the way he stared across the vacant Texas landscape.
“What do you think?” Trace said.
“If I remember correctly, it may be tomorrow or will it be the next day that we sail into some coral reefs?” Adam said.
“You have a good memory,” Trace said. “It should be tomorrow morning.”
“I want to make sure I’m up here when we do,” Adam said. “I’d like to see how the electronics work in those types of waters.”
“I’ve used electronics when I was on the Bering,” Trace said. “Never here and with this vessel. So we’ll both be rookies.”
The next morning, they passed through the coral reefs of the Lau Islands with no problems.
“Takes a lot of worry out of sailing,” Adam said, heaving a breath of relief.
“If memory serves,” Adam said, “soon we will be passing through the islands that make up Tonga?”
“Two hundred and fifty miles or so,” Trace said. “Do you know the islands well?”
“In those days, it seemed like every island was a different country,” Adam said. “I used to keep a notebook on who was who. Trade was tough in those days. You had to negotiate right on the spot. Some of those old chiefs could make you bleed. Once you earned their trust, it was easier.”
“The chiefs are more sophisticated now,” Trace grinned. “They come at you with a calculator—that seems to always figure their way.”
“We’d pick up a ton of cargo,” Adam said. “Agree on a price for a ton, they pay me, and when it was delivered, it was two tons. I had this one chief who said he was honest. ‘I only cheat you fifty percent, other chiefs much more.’ Eventually, you expect it and learn to deal with it. Always let them think they got the upper hand—at least in front of others.”
“I deal through Allie, now,” Trace said. “She makes sure we show a profit. I just drive the boat.”
Adam chuckled and shook his head. “You sure are missing a lot of fun.”
“Allie looks out for me,” Trace said.
“I can tell,” Adam said.
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