This is episode seventeen in the sixth novel of The Trace Troy Adventure Series. It is titled The Double-Cross in Paradise. Here are the links to The Double-Cross In Paradise: paperback, Kindle.
Unexpected Passenger
Paul and Tom stepped lively away from The Tramp Islander toward Port Vila’s business area. Makani left shortly after. He said he wanted to buy some new clothes. Trace and Sage opened a couple of beers and sat on the benches of the aft deck.
Trace took a swig from his beer. “I’m going to get hold of Allie tomorrow. See if we can visit another island group or return to Suva. If there’s nothing to haul back to Suva, I just might go back empty.”
“What! You don’t like it here?” Sage said.
“I like it plenty. I would like a few days between islands. The seas are nice here, but Paul and Tom work the sails and then unload and load cargo. They’ve hardly had any time behind the wheel.”
“Have they complained?”
“It’s not their nature.”
“Do you have anything in mind?”
“I’ll call Allie tomorrow. See if she can get us some long hauls; time at sea, maybe out of these islands.”
Sage sipped his beer. “What do you have in mind?”
“Don’t know,” Trace sipped his beer. “We’ve given it two months, and that’s all Allie said we’d do. So it wouldn’t be presumptuous to ask for something else.”
“You don’t like these islands, do you?”
“I’m tired of slipping money to so-called officials,” Trace said and took a swig. “We do our best to stay law-abiding. Remember that dirty uniformed policeman?”
“Yeah,” Sage said, “he not only shook the ship down, but everybody onboard. He was the worst.”
“But not the only,” Trace added. He continued, “If Allie has nothing, I’m going to sail back to Suva empty. At least the corruption there is limited and a little more discreet and negotiable.”
“Ready for another?” Sage said.
“Sure, but two’s the limit. You drink two and pee four.”
Sage stood. He grabbed the door handles to the pilothouse and hesitated. “That reminds me, you owe me twenty dollars.”
“How’s that?”
“I had our waste tank pumped. There was not only the usual fee and graft but a National Environmental Security Fee.”
“They have that?”
Sage grinned. “I think we’re the first.”
“If there’s a next time, we’ll pump it out in international waters.”
“I was warned,” Sage said, “There is an inspection fee, and if the tanks are empty, they assume we pumped it at sea. That’s where the heavy fines come in.”
“That’s what I mean,” Trace said. “They’re picking guys like us out of business. We can haul freight cheaper, but after the shakedown, money is added in…”
“I’ll get those beers,” Sage said. He walked through the pilothouse and down the companionway.
Sage returned with a beer for each. He handed a beer to Sage. “Before you take a sip, I should tell you something.”
“And that is?”
“When I was below, I heard something in the forward quarters. I went forward and peeked through the keyhole of one of the cabins.”
“And?”
“And there was Patterson.”
“The Patterson Beaushon we hoped never to see again.”
“That’s the only Patterson I know.”
Trace stood. “I suppose we should check the passenger list and if he’s not on it, we'd better find out why he’s here.
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