Chapter 13 - The Yacht Returns
The yacht had been restored beyond recognition.
Its hull had been repainted midnight blue. The deck lights were warmer, the navigation systems newer, and the interior redesigned in pale wood and steel. Arthur had purchased it through a holding company three weeks earlier, using the original registration hidden beneath a sequence of transfers.
He renamed it The Second Tide.
Maya stood on the deck while workers installed the final equipment.
“You could have chosen any boat,” she said.
“I chose this one.”
“That is not an explanation.”
“It is the only explanation I have.”
Arthur walked to the stern. The rail had been replaced, but he remembered exactly where Victor had pushed him. He placed one hand on the metal and waited for the old panic.
It came, but it did not own him.
“We could sign the agreement in an office,” Maya said.
“Elena would lie more comfortably there.”
“And here?”
“Here she will remember the truth.”
The invitations went out under Alexander Cross’s name. Elena and Victor were told that the agreement would restore their credit, preserve a portion of the company, and prevent immediate criminal referral for financial misconduct. In reality, the offer required them to surrender control and provide sworn testimony about the company’s accounts.
Gideon was not invited.
Malcolm Vane was missing.
Ortiz had officers ready to execute warrants, but she needed Elena and Victor to make statements that connected them to the murder attempt. The yacht meeting would be monitored from a nearby vessel. Nina would receive the evidence simultaneously and publish only after the arrests began.
“No improvising,” Ortiz told Arthur.
“I am not an improviser.”
Maya gave him a look.
“Fine,” he said. “No unnecessary improvising.”
“And no physical confrontation.”
“I will not touch them.”
“You say that while staring at the anchor locker.”
Arthur turned away.
Elena arrived at sunset in a black sedan. Victor followed in another vehicle, carrying a slim briefcase. She wore a cream coat and dark gloves. He wore no tie.
When Elena stepped onto the yacht, the color drained from her face.
“You bought this?” she asked.
“I did.”
“Why this one?”
“I like vessels with history.”
Victor walked to the rail. His hand brushed the metal. He looked over the water, then back at Arthur.
“This ship was destroyed after Arthur’s death.”
“Reports can be wrong.”
“Not about a ship.”
Arthur gestured toward the salon. “Please.”
They sat around a long table. Cameras hidden in the light fixtures recorded every movement. Maya stood near the open doors, while a legal representative placed copies of the agreement before Elena and Victor.
Elena scanned the pages. “You want complete control.”
“I want the company protected from further theft.”
“You call restructuring theft?”
“I call theft theft.”
Victor watched Arthur. “Where did you get your information?”
“From records you failed to destroy.”
Victor’s gaze hardened. “You are not an investor.”
“I am.”
“You are a prosecutor.”
“No.”
“A rival sent to punish us.”
“No.”
“Then what are you?”
Arthur lifted his glass but did not drink. “You will know soon enough.”
Elena looked at him for a long time. “Your voice still bothers me.”
“Perhaps you should listen more carefully.”
The wind shifted. The yacht moved gently against its mooring.
Victor opened the briefcase. Inside was a small pistol, tucked beneath financial documents.
Maya saw it first. Her hand moved toward the emergency switch hidden under the table.
Arthur saw her and shook his head once.
Victor did not draw the weapon. He only wanted them to know it was there.
“Sign,” he said.
Elena looked at him. “You said there would be no violence.”
“I said we would leave with a deal.”
“You brought a gun.”
“Because I no longer trust anyone.”
Arthur leaned back. “That must be exhausting.”
Victor’s eyes flashed.
Elena lowered her voice. “Who sent you?”
Victor looked at Arthur.
Arthur pressed a button beneath the table. The salon lights brightened, flooding the room with clean white light.
He removed his sunglasses.
The wind moved through the open doors.
“No one sent me,” Arthur said.
Elena stared at him.
Victor’s face emptied of color.
May you like
Arthur stood.
“I came back.”
