Sunday Night
Blue Line
The scream had not yet died away by the time Mindy had jumped up and run for the nearest exit.
She had her pistol out but held behind her leg, where it was hidden from the other passengers. Chloe was running down the carriage towards the scream. Mindy flew out of the open door and looked up and down the station platform, but she saw nothing but panicking people. After a couple of minutes, she swore to herself and gave up trying to spot a fleeing murderer, holstered the pistol and headed back into the train. She found Murphy with Chloe and both were standing beside a dead woman, who had a few inches of metal handle sticking out of her neck. It was the sleek, steel, handle of a professional throwing knife. Around the body a pool of fresh blood was spreading across the floor of the carriage.
"We had been so goddamned close, but this killer was careful – almost as careful as me! The precision and skill required was towards my level, which meant a killer that could also be very skilled in other aspects of being an assassin," Mindy thought to herself dejectedly.
So far, the hunt had been an abject failure! A woman had been murdered only feet from the three of them as they watched. Mindy thought hard, trying to probe her mind for anything that she might have seen, just before the attack. But nothing came to mind – nothing.
..._...
"Mindy – we need a break!" Chloe admitted on the drive home.
Summer Vacation was starting and it was time to take a break and enjoy the sun and work out a strategy to find this killer, Mindy decided.
"Now, what could be better than enjoying the sun on Lake Michigan?" Mindy suggested.
The following weekend
Saturday
"Mindy, you cannot call it that!" Dave insisted. "I'd rather sink and drown, than put out a Mayday with that name!"
"Too late – she's already registered and painted!" Mindy said with a smug look and a laugh.
"Marcus won't go near the boat," Dave added. "You know that, don't you?"
"That's the idea!"
"Damon – your daughter is fucking warped!" Dave yelled, looking to the ceiling.
"It's why you love me!" Mindy said with a laugh.
That afternoon
Burnham Harbor
"She's gorgeous!" Chloe squealed, with barely contained excitement.
"She's fucking huge!" Josh added.
"I give you the 'Salty Swallow'!" Mindy said with a grin and a flourish.
Josh's eyes almost popped out of his head, when he heard the name and Chloe blushed with obvious embarrassment.
"That name was one of the better ones that she came up with – believe me!" Dave groaned.
"Somehow, I can believe that!" Chloe laughed.
"Yeah, that filthy mind of hers is bottomless and obviously needs a damn good clean!" Josh commented and he received a happy smile from Mindy who was proud of her filthy mind!
..._...
The 'Salty Swallow' was a sixty-five foot Sea Ray L650 Fly yacht in white and light grey, fitted with twin eleven-hundred and fifty horsepower Cat C-18A Diesel engines, which together could push the forty-five tonne yacht to a little over thirty knots. The yacht was fitted with a hardtop over the flying bridge that had a retractable sunroof.
Down below, the yacht had two double staterooms, one forward and one amidships, plus a pair of twin guest cabins in between, on either beam. The yacht could carry around sixteen people, with eight sleeping. There was also a large sun pad and seating on the forward deck for sunbathing, which Chloe liked the look of! The flying bridge also had another sun pad for sunbathing and seating for around a dozen people.
The 'Salty Swallow' was currently moored stern in, requiring the four of them to come aboard down a gangway and onto the teak-planked swim platform and then up three steps to the cockpit which had a large table with plenty of seating and stairs up to the flying bridge, on the port side.
..._...
Chloe stopped in front of a set of aluminium framed, tinted glass, sliding doors. Mindy slid them open, stepped back and allowed Chloe to step through the doors and then smiled as Chloe gasped.
"Oh, Mindy – it's beautiful!"
To the left, along the port side was a cream coloured couch that could seat three people and opposite it was a corner seat that could seat another five. In front of each couch was a square, leather stool that could double as a table. Just inside the doors that Chloe had come in by, on the port side, was a fifty-inch flat screen TV, with AV and gaming centre.
"Bloody hell!" Josh commented, looking at everything and trying to take it all in.
Dave and Mindy had already seen over the yacht, so they moved further forward and waited for the two kids to examine everything and calm down!
Forward of the seating area and up one step was the dining area, to starboard. The dining area had a table for six. To port was an enormous galley and just beyond the dining area was the lower helm, or control station, to starboard. The galley had an electric hob, a microwave and a large fridge, plus a freezer and ice maker. There was also a counter with two bar stools facing forward and into the galley. The whole deck was open plan and the ample tinted glazing allowed plenty of natural light to enter the yacht.
Opposite the galley, at the lower helm, there were twin leather Stidd captain's chairs, which faced the control station that held a pair of wide screen displays for navigation, throttle controls and a joystick for the engines and manoeuvring thrusters, plus switches for the lighting and other electrical functions onboard. Beside the wheel was the obligatory VHF radio. The position looked out through three sharply sloping windows, over the bow.
"Cool!" Josh commented as he examined the computer equipment.
Between the galley and the lower helm, were some steps going below to the staterooms.
"Carry on down, Chloe!" Dave suggested.
..._...
At the bottom of the steps was a small lobby with several doors leading off.
"Chloe and Josh, your den of iniquity is to port!" Mindy said with a chuckle, indicating the door to the cabin.
"What is it, hammocks?" Josh quipped.
Inside the cabin were twin beds and there were two large sloping windows allowing a great view to port. There was also a large, flat screen TV mounted on the bulkhead.
"The beds will push together!" Dave said with a smirk.
"You're trusting us with a bed we can share?" Josh asked with a little doubt in his voice.
"Can we trust you?" Mindy asked meaningfully.
"Of course!" Chloe responded, glaring at Josh who just shrugged his shoulders.
..._...
Opposite their cabin was an identical, but mirror-image, cabin on the starboard side. Next came a pair of doors to port and starboard that led to identical bathrooms with showers. Then Chloe headed forward.
"Fuck me!" Chloe exclaimed, when she pushed the door open.
Inside the forward VIP stateroom was a queen sized bed, with a skylight directly above it. To the left of the door was a twenty-four inch flat screen TV and AV system. Either side of the stateroom, thin hull side windows ran almost the length of the cabin.
..._...
Next, the kids followed Dave aft, down two steps and through the door to the master stateroom.
"It's fucking enormous!" Josh exclaimed.
"So this is where Hit Girl and Kick-Ass fuck!" Chloe said with a smirk.
"Funny, bitch!" I replied and Dave laughed.
The bed was just as big as that in the forward stateroom, but there was much more floor space and more storage, as the cabin was the full width of the yacht and not governed by the shape of the hull. To the starboard side, two comfortable seats facing each other with a table in between and beside them, four sloping windows, which allowed in plenty of natural light to the Stateroom. Again there was a large flat screen TV and AV system. There was also an ensuite bathroom with a large shower that could easily cope with two people.
..._...
Mindy then led the kids back up the steps and aft, to the steps that led up to the flying bridge.
"Hey, hell of a view!" Josh commented, once he had had climbed the steps on the port side, from the cockpit.
"Nice isn't it!" Mindy said with a smile that showed the pride she had for her new command.
Directly ahead of Josh, on the port side, was the upper helm or control station, with a single seat, behind which was a decent sized refrigerator. To starboard and aft was a large seating area with a table, grill and a TV. Directly across from the helm was another table with bench seats. Forward of the helm and the full width of the bridge deck, was a large sun pad that could convert into chaise loungers – the one to starboard was suitable for two, something which Chloe had noticed quite quickly!
All necessary personal gear, along with plenty of supplies, were loaded before the 'Salty Swallow' left the dock mid-afternoon and headed east into the lake.
Almost immediately Chloe headed below and returned in a two piece bikini that did not leave much to the imagination! Josh seemed pleased though, as they both snuggled down on the flying bridge sun pad together.
Mindy pulled off her shirt, but stayed in her shorts and a sports bra. The breeze was warm as the yacht cruised over the waves at a sedate sixteen knots. Dave stood behind Mindy, gently rubbing his hands over her shoulders and edging closer to his intended targets!
"Hey, Chloe! This boat is new – I don't want bodily fluids staining the seating!" Mindy called over to the sun pad.
"No problem, Mindy; I swallow – no matter how salty!"