Cold Paradise (Stone Barrington 7)

“I didn’t mean two hundred feet of it!” Stone paid out forty feet of rope, then made it fast to a stern cleat. “Okay, I’ve got it,” he yelled.

“What do I do now?”

“Go back to the bridge and steer the boat.”

“Steer it where?”

“Just keep it headed upstream behind the dinghy!”

“Okay, okay.” Dino went aft toward the bridge.

“And when we pass back under the bridge, don’t let the yacht hit it!” Stone screamed.

“Thanks,” Dino called back. “I needed to be told that!”

Stone put the engine in gear and slowly went forward until the rope was taut. For a long moment nothing happened. He applied more power and finally, the dinghy began to move forward an inch at a time, then a foot. The bows of the yacht fell into line behind him, and he aimed at the center of the bridge.

Slowly, with the outboard engine making a loud racket, the yacht moved under, then away from the bridge.

“What now?” Dino yelled from the bows.

“Go back to the wheel! I’m going to try to bring the yacht alongside where we were tied up before. Find some more ropes, and as soon as we’re by the seawall, make one end fast to the yacht and jump ashore with the other end!”

“Okay!” Dino yelled, and went aft again.

The seawall came into sight now, illuminated by a dock light and the lights on the garden paths ashore. Stone could see Juanito and the yacht’s skipper standing on the wall, looking at them. He towed the yacht past the seawall, then, very slowly, made a 180-degree turn and started back toward the yacht’s berth.

“Easy!” somebody yelled from ashore. “Cut your power, and she’ll drift in.”

Stone did as he was told. Gradually, the big yacht drifted toward the seawall, then Dino was throwing ropes to the men ashore. Five minutes later, the yacht was secure.

Stone scrambled up a ladder to shore and tied the dinghy to the ladder.

The skipper approached. “What the hell happened? Did you decide to go for a cruise?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Stone said. “I was asleep, and somebody cut our lines.”

“Untied them,” the skipper said.

Dino walked over. “Yeah, they were just hanging in the water.”

“I tried to start the engines,” Stone said, “but we couldn’t find the ignition key.”

“In my pocket,” the skipper said, holding up the key. “Well, she’s secure, now. Why don’t you go back to bed, and we’ll try to figure this out in the morning.”

“Good idea,” Stone said, and he an

d Dino trudged back aboard.

“Are you thinking Dolce?” Dino asked as he paused at his cabin door.

“Maybe. Or maybe our friend Manning.”

“Some friend.”

“Yeah.”

The two men said good night and went to bed. It took Stone a long time to get to sleep.