Page 35

Chapter 35

Watch

Zane

I’m walking through the main salon when Easton yells something from inside the cigar humidor. I have no idea what, because the thing must be designed to be soundproof.

“What’s going on?” I say as I yank the door open.

“We found my father’s agenda.” Easton inclines his head at Haley.

Haley holds up a little black book.

“And did he miss his dentist appointment or tee time?”

Haley scrunches up her forehead, but her blue eyes sparkle with excitement. “Zane... no. We found... we found lots of things, actually. The Pink Phoenix and?—”

“You found the diamond? That’s amazing! So the saboteur wasn’t trying to steal it. It’s still on board.” I’m both excited and confused. Do I like the idea of someone trying to off us all? Hell no. But it’s 55 million dollars. That’s a hell of a lot of money. Not that I would sink a boat for it.

“I don’t know about that. We found it in the bottom of Candy’s wedding dress garment bag, and then we found a note that seems really suspicious in the pocket of Rocky’s tuxedo. Which is why we wanted to know where he was the night before they got on the plane.”

I nod. Because while this part doesn’t make sense to me yet, I’m sure it will.

Haley hands the agenda to Easton, and I have to admit I want to know what sorts of things a billionaire writes in his little book. Like, does he have phone numbers for famous athletes or the direct line to get him into a Michelin-star restaurant? Not that I care, I’m just curious.

I move behind Easton, and he opens the book up. My heart sinks. It’s a generic calendar. Like the ones my mum gets for free for sending money to the children’s home or one you could buy at the chemist. “Well, what does it say? Was he at the Met Gala the night before?” I lean over Easton’s shoulder. Mr. Rockwell has loopy cursive handwriting that reminds me of my grandmother’s.

“Met Gala?” Little Bird laughs. “Why would you ask that?”

“Isn’t that what everyone does in New York City?” I straighten up.

“How did you know he was in New York?” Easton puts the book down and twists his neck to see me. And I don’t like the look on his face, or the accusing tone.

“Because his luggage tags said he started in JFK and I’m the one who carried all five thousand pieces of Candy’s luggage down to their cabin.”

“Oh, right, of course. Sorry.”

I want to punch Easton in the neck. And unlike Green, I haven’t had that desire before. “I noticed because last year his bags came straight from Florida. I like reading luggage tags. They’re in code. When I was a kid, I memorized two hundred airport codes.”

“That would have come in handy for my roommate; she once booked a trip to Manchester, New Hampshire instead of Manchester, England,” Haley says.

“That’s funny. But better to be in New Hampshire. Manchester City is an overrated football team. So, what did you discover about your dad?” I ask.

“He and Candy were in New York for the week before they came to the port. The night before is just labeled ‘gala.’ Not that helpful. In the front, he has notes. But then, he never writes anything out all the way.” Easton holds up a section in the front where there’s just two letters in a series, page after page, dates and letters.

Haley shakes her head. “I’m not sure you’re going to be able to figure much out of that. It looks like gibberish.”

“I don’t know. There’s an awful lot of repetition going on. The letters R H.”

“Rockwell-Harding,” Easton says.

“And R T—that’s Rockwell Tire. Look, here there’s R C. That’s either the boat or he’s referring to himself and Candy. Right? And this here? May I?” I motion to the book, and Easton hands it to me. I move over to the sofa and sit next to Little Bird. “This here, see this sequence of numbers? It’s on page number ten and then on page twelve...” I cock my head, but the two of them are looking at me like I’m nuts. “You don’t see it?”

“No. I have no idea what you’re getting at,” Easton says.

“He’s numbered the pages in the top right-hand corner.” They look at me blankly. “But on the other pages he’s numbered them on the bottom right-hand corner. But if this is page ten, this one should be page fourteen. These aren’t page numbers; they’re what you need to multiply this number by. If you multiply this number by ten”—I flip to the other page in question—“and this number by twelve, they’re the same number.”

“How in the world are you doing that math in your head?” Haley’s eyes are wide.

Easton has found a pen and is doing multiplication on the back of the printout. “He’s right.”

“Of course I’m right. This whole thing is a code.”

“Maybe it has something to do with this?” Easton hands me a ripped index card. On it, in Mr. Rockwell’s loopy handwriting, is R H 5.2 b .

“There must be something in here. I’m sure. Do you want me to keep at it?”

“Hell yes. There’s no way I would have ever made the connections you already have.” Easton taps at his math on the paper in front of him.

I’m deep into the agenda when it occurs to me that I haven’t asked about the safe. “Did you find the key?”

“Not yet. But it’s got to be around here somewhere. I’ve got a feeling there’s something in the safe.” Easton glances away.

“He definitely didn’t take it with him on the night we abandoned ship,” Haley says.

“It’s weird how he told you about the safe but didn’t tell you where to find the key. Do you think he thought you would know where it was?” I ask.

Easton freezes, and his eyes go wide. “No, how... I’m fucking stupid.” Easton races out of the room, and we charge after him. The fresh air from the main salon hits me across the face. “Back to the primary suite.” He’s taking the stairs two at a time.

Dante comes out of the kitchen. He only had a few things to clean up when I left him. “What’s going on?”

I glance at him because there’s too much to tell him. I don’t slow down to explain to Dante, but Haley does. “We found the...”

I skid around the corner to where Calvin is snoring like my old man. Easton is already on his knees, opening the compartment in the bottom cupboard. “I want to see if I’m right,” he says, “but where’s Haley?”

“I’m here. I was just filling Dante in.”

“Right, well, Dad had... I suppose it doesn’t matter. Dad had this safe built for the house in Maine. It looks like this complicated thing, but it’s not even locked. You just have to know where to press. At his house, it’s not a real safe but a bar. Susan didn’t like him drinking, so he had the room installed. What if this is like that? There’s no key needed.”

My stomach flips. Rich people make no sense. “No key for something that costs 55 million?”

“Sometimes you just have to look tough, not be tough. You don’t always have to be the best, but you have to make others think you are,” Easton says.

“That’s some motto.” I’ve got my own rules that I live by. Things my dad said to me before he passed. Rules I’ve made after I’ve been hurt by something, someone.

“It’s one of the many things my dad likes to say.” Easton’s hands hover over the dark wood.

“What are you going to try?” Haley drops to her knees next to him.

“What do you think?” Easton cocks his head at Haley.

“The lock is flush, almost like a button,” Haley says.

I’m still gripping the planner. “Did your dad have a favorite number?”

“Yes.” Easton’s blue eyes flash up at me. He pushes the lock. And it clicks open. “Holy hell,” he says. The lid swings open, but we can’t see what’s in it.

“How is the diamond in there?” Haley glances back at me.

Easton stands and opens the top drawer, from which he pulls out a bag and unwraps a pink diamond the size of a small egg. It matches the one that is sitting in the safe. “They’re identical.” Easton takes out the one in the safe and the one from the bag and sets them on the dresser side by side.

“Identical, but one’s a fake,” Dante says.

“But which one is the fake?” I ask. I might be able to see patterns in numbers, but the two pink blobs in front of me look like the same damn thing.

Dante reaches around me. He takes the one sitting on top of the bag. “This is the real one. Look at the depth of color in the inclusions. This other one’s good, but lab grown. It’s a good fake, though. I could use the real one to scratch the fake if you want? But it’s pretty enough on its own.”

“That’s okay, I believe you,” Easton says.

“Candy was stealing her own diamond?” Haley pushes at the one on the dresser.

Dante puts the diamond back and sits on the end of the bed next to Calvin. His snoring stops. We all stop and stare, first at Calvin and then at Dante. “What? He’s not going to wake up.”

“Candy caused the sabotage?” Haley shakes her head. “That doesn’t fit. I don’t think she could fake how upset she was that night. And if she knew, why wouldn’t she have had the diamond ready to go? As it was, she didn’t take either of them. That doesn’t fit. It really doesn’t fit with someone who would go to the effort of making a fake diamond. This must have cost a lot to make as it was.”

“That’s worth at least twenty thousand,” Dante says, crossing his ankle over his knee.

“How do you know so much?”

“My uncle. He owned a little bit of everything in town. A construction company, a restaurant, and a jewelry store. That was my favorite summer job. The jeweler who ran it liked to teach. While I wasn’t there long, he did teach me the basics, but I might be wrong. If I didn’t know one of them was a fake, it’s not as obvious.” Dante yanks his shirt off. “All the time on the raft and then in the treehouse... I really was looking forward to sleeping in a bed. But it’s stuffy as hell down here. It’s better than the crew cabins, but damn, I’m glad we’re not going to normally stay here. Where on the bed are you going to sleep, Sassy?”

We’ve got a little schedule. It’s not official, but it’s becoming, well, official. But then, we’ve got to throw Sam in the mix.

And just like that, Sam appears at the door. “How are things going down here?” Penny’s at his side. She trots into the room and jumps on the bed. In all the seasons I’ve been with her, I’ve never seen her jump on a bed. She puts her head on Calvin’s back and sighs. “Get down, Penny.” But Calvin wakes up enough to put his hand over her head. She turns and looks at Sam. “Fine. You can stay for now.” The sigh that comes out of the dog is longer and louder. “I haven’t been keeping watch on the horizon for a while. But now that we have more people, we could.” It’s more of a suggestion than an order, and I’m put off guard.

“Sure, I can take first watch,” I say. As much as I want time in bed with Haley, the energy in the room is off. The awkwardness is more palpable than the dog’s sighs.

“Thanks. Wake me in four.” Sam hands me the binoculars.

“I’m going to go get cleaned up.” Haley eases around the group of us, into the hall.

“I’ve got a flashlight, Haley, if you’re going to get things in your crew cabin. I’ll come along.” Sam leaves with her.

“I’m not giving up my turn,” Dante says.

Yeah, awkward as fuck. I follow Haley and Sam out, then head to the back deck when they turn down the crew stairs. But then I remember I haven’t told Haley her story for tonight, so I pivot back to the cabin.