Suspicion of Betrayal by Barbara Parker Read Free Book Online Page A

or offered the boat for charter excursions. Gail suspected that the message for her was: See, Gail, how much fun I'm having without you? He rarely called Karen, but when he did, the calls usually closed with Karen saying, "Love you too, Daddy. I miss you."
    It was never clear to Gail what had happened, but Dave returned to Miami, leaving the Princess with a yacht broker in Puerto Rico. He had apparently made enough on the sale for a down payment on the restaurant. He had not offered any details, and Gail had not asked.
    At first she had welcomed him back. It was better for Karen, having her father nearby. Gail had been generous with visitation, never a complaint. And then this demand for custody. Gail planned to take Charlene Marks's advice and find out what was really behind it.
    She drove through the wide gate in a chain-link fence surrounding the boat yard, then parked under a palm tree. Gathering her purse, she told Karen she needed to talk to her father for a few minutes, and suggested she find some crackers in the kitchen to throw to the fish.
    The Old Island Club faced the water, and they followed the landscaped path around the side. There was an indoor area with big windows, but most of the tables were outdoors. A new wood deck still smelled of pine resin, and two dozen striped umbrellas fluttered in the late afternoon breeze. Karen dropped her racquet and backpack on one of them and ran through a double set of screen doors. The kitchen was beyond, and Gail heard the clatter of dishes. She found a stool at the outdoor bar, which looked like a Disney version of a bar from the islands. The colors were hot pastel, ceiling fans spun overhead, and reggae played on speakers disguised as coconuts.
    A waitress in a brightly flowered shirt came to ask what she would like.
    "Thanks, but I won't be here long. Is Mr. Metzger around?"
    "Yes, I saw him a few minutes ago." She leaned into a cooler to fill a glass with ice. Her eyes were on Gail. "You're Karen's mother, right?"
    Gail said that she was, and made a polite smile in return. The woman was in her early twenties, athletic build, short brown hair without much style to it. Not Dave's type, Gail thought. Then she wondered what Dave had told people about his ex-wife. What a cold fish she is.
    Gail scanned the menu, which listed conch fritters, pigeon peas, and rice. Jerk chicken and pork. Captain Dave's soup of the day, $3.95. The clock over the bar was set into the mouth of a leaping swordfish: 6:10. Gail tapped her nails on the counter, which was plastic resin poured over shells and sand and fake gold treasure coins. Cute, she decided.
    Her companions were a mixed bag—a leathery old man in a yachting cap, reading the sports section. A group of office workers squeezing lime wedges into their Coronas. The table nearest the water was occupied by three darkly tanned men in shorts and T-shirts, wearing enough gold jewelry to make a thief or a DEA agent pay close attention. Gail guessed that they owned the monster speedboat tied to the dock.
    Karen ran along the seawall, dropping crackers to whatever darted just under the surface. Farther along, a dog lay asleep in the grass under a newly planted coconut palm still propped up on stakes. A row of banana trees had been added for ambiance, and there was a turquoise picket fence draped with bougainvillea. Across the inlet, and behind city hall, the marina was slowing down for the evening. The sailboat rigging clanged softly against the masts.
    When Gail looked back at Karen, she saw that Dave was there too. Karen said something, then Dave turned toward the bar. Even at this distance she could see the color of his eyes. He stood still for a moment, then wove his way through the umbrella tables, the light flickering on his Island Club shirt. The sun had browned his skin and turned the hair on his arms and legs golden. He had put on some weight, but his shorts still fit.
    "Captain Dave."
    "Hi," he said warily. "What's up? Karen said