Chapter 18
"I don't know what you are thinking, Mr. Hart, but you had better slow down a minute," Captain Paul suggested. "We'd be in a mess of trouble if not for these men here."
"I understand that," Jonathan agreed. "However, that doesn't mean they need to get away with illegally hunting an endangered animal."
"I would suggest, sir, you have proof before you go running your mouth like that." Captain Paul was becoming more agitated as the conversation continued.
"Are you telling me they aren't doing something illegal?"
"I'm not telling you anything except these men might just have saved the life of your young wife, and you would be well advised to keep that in mind."
"Duly noted."
The Captain turned on his heels and stormed out in a huff, leaving Jonathan and Paul standing over the table of divers like a couple of guard dogs.
The warmth of the coffee finally took the edge off of the chill Jennifer felt, or rather allowed her to handle it. She was beginning to feel like a fog was lifting from her mind. "If I w-w-wasn't already c-c-cold, I would s-s-say Captain Paul left a c-c-chill in the room," she managed to smile softly at Jonathan. He smiled back, but the slight slur in her speech concerned him. He leaned down, kissed her cheek, and pulled the blanket back over her shoulders.
"How do you intend to prove anything?" Paul asked him.
"Without climbing around the boat, I am not sure we can," Jonathan answered, his brows in a deep furrow. "From where we are, I don't see anything that would be a sure bet to their behavior. And with the rain, it's not like we can go anywhere else and not look like we are snooping around."
"C-c-can we j-j-just get off th-th-this b-b-boat?" Jennifer shivered in her frustration, voicing the feelings of the entire group. Paul began to pace the length of the table.
"You know what I don't like?" Hazel spoke up, breaking the group's silent stewing. "I am not comfortable with how chummy our Captain is with a group of Russian fishermen."
Jonathan slowly turned towards her. Paul stopped pacing and turned to look at his wife. It was clear neither man had considered that fact. Jonathan turned to look out the window. The boat was moving through the channel, allowing them into the islands. Their trip would be over soon. He found himself both relieved and frustrated. "I don't think we are going to be able to get our evidence. We will be docking soon."
"I c-c-can still research, D-D-Darling." Jennifer tried to comfort him.
"Let's just get you fully warm first."
Hazel reached out and touched Jennifer's arm and then her head. "Get her something else warm to drink… milk, decaffeinated tea, broth. You need to make sure she's not dehydrated. I think she's warm enough she could get into a warm - not hot - shower. She should eat warm soup for dinner. And make sure no alcohol tonight, as that causes the body to lose heat."
"Got it. Thank you, Hazel," Jonathan said.
As quickly as the boat pulled into the dock, the diving passengers grabbed their gear and disembarked. They thanked Captain Viktor for the safe passage, choosing not to acknowledge their suspicions. The winds had finally settled some, and the group could tell the storm was slowing down.
Jonathan thanked Paul and Hazel for their help with Jennifer, and they made their way to the warm comfort of their bungalow. While Jennifer prepared to jump in the shower, Jonathan ordered room service for them.
About 20 minutes later, Jennifer walked into the living room. Jonathan looked up from the newspaper he was skimming to see his wife in his sweatpants and jacket. It was the item wrapped around her neck that caught his eye. "Don't you look cute?"
"I hope you don't mind. It seems I failed to pack any sweats at all."
Jonathan set the newspaper down as he was now unable to take his eyes from the scarf, laughed, "It is your honeymoon, sweatpants optional."
"Something like that." She snuggled in beside him on the couch, her back to his chest, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. "How much longer until room service arrives?"
"It shouldn't be long now," he answered. "I have a question for you."
"Oh, yeah? What's that, Darling?"
He reached over and touched the scarf, allowing the tassels to run through his fingers. "When we were on the boat, you had some rather… suggestive things to say…"
"Did I?"
"Uh-huh."
"My mind," she turned her face to his. "It seems to be a little hazy still. You may have to remind me what was said…"
He leaned over to kiss her, but the rapping of knuckles against their door put a haul to his action. "Huh. I guess your soup is here." He shifted her over, "Don't go away."
Jennifer grinned at him. "I'm not going anywhere."
Opening the door, Jonathan stood face to face with Nico.
