Cradle by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee Read Free Book Online Page A

smile.
    ‘Welcome to the
Ambrosia
,’ Greta said, mimicking Captain Homer’s first remarks to Carol. ‘Our pleasure awaits
     you.’ Greta lifted her arms over her head, watching Carol again, and began to stretch.
     ‘Come with us to paradise,’ Greta said.
    Carol felt Captain Homer’s burly hand on her elbow, turning her around. She also thought
     she saw an angry glance from Homer to Greta. ‘The
Ambrosia
is the finest charter vessel in Key West,’ he said, guiding her back toward the stern
     and resuming his sales pitch. ‘It has every possible convenience and luxury. Giant
     screen cable television, compact disc player with quad speakers, automatic chef programmed
     with over a hundred gourmet dishes, robot massage. And nobody knows the Keys like
     Captain Homer. I’ve been diving and fishing these waters for fifty years.’
    They had stopped at the entrance to the cabin area in the middle of the yacht. Through
     the glass door Carol could see stairs descending to another level. ‘Would you like
     to come down and see the galley and the bedroom?’ Captain Homer said, without a trace
     of the earlier suggestiveness. He was a clever chameleon, there was no doubt about
     that. Carol revised her earlier judgment of him as a buffoon.
But what’s this business with muscle-bound Greta, whoever she is
, Carol wondered.
And just what is going on here? Why are they so strange?
    ‘No, thank you, Captain Ashford.’ Carol saw her opportunity to exit gracefully. She
     handed him what was left of the unfinished Coke. ‘I’ve seen enough. It’s a magnificent
     yacht but I can tell it’s much too expensive for a single woman wanting to spend a
     relaxing afternoon. But thanks a lot for your time and the brief tour.’
    She started to walk toward the gangplank to the jetty. Captain Homer’s eyes narrowed,
     ‘But we haven’t even discussed price, Miss Dawson. I’m certain that for someone like
     you we could make a special deal….’
    Carol could tell that he was not going to let her go without some additional discussion.
     As she started to leave the yacht, Greta came up beside Captain Homer. ‘It would give
     you something to write about for your paper,’ Greta said with a bizarre smile. ‘Something
     unusual.’
    Carol turned, startled. ‘So you recognized me?’ she said, stating the obvious. The
     strange pair grinned back at her. ‘Why didn’t you say something?’
    Captain Homer simply shrugged his huge shoulders. ‘We thought maybe you were travelling
     incognito, or were looking for some special fun, or maybe even were working on a story….’
     His voice trailed off. Carol smiled and shook her head. Then she waved goodbye, mounted
     the gangplank, and turned on the jetty toward the distant marina headquarters.
Who are those people?
she asked herself again.
I’m certain that I’ve seen them before. But where?
    Carol looked over her shoulder twice to see if Captain Homer and Greta were still
     watching her. The second time, when she was almost a hundred yards away, they were
     no longer in sight. She sighed with relief. The experience had definitely unnerved
     her.
    Carol walked on slowly. She pulled the computer listing that Julianne had given her
     from a small purple beach bag. Before she could look at it, she heard a telephone
     ring on her left and her eyes lifted naturally to follow the sound. The telephone
     was ringing on a boat just in front of her. A husky man in his early thirties was
     sitting in a folding chair on the same boat. Wearing only a red baseball cap, a pair
     of swim trunks, dark sunglasses and some thongs, the man was intently watching a small
     television propped up on a flimsy tray of some kind. He held a sandwich in one hand
     (Carol could see the white mayonnaise oozing out between the slices of bread even
     from her distance of ten yards or so) and a can of beer in the other. There was no
     sign that he had even heard the telephone.
    Carol moved closer, a little