The Bouncing Buns Gentleman's Club

Chapter 17

Tom had been gone a couple of hours when she decided to move into the cooler interior of Heather and Kevin's yacht. Beverly had been inside the boat long enough to relax and cool down when she heard it the first time.

She had just poured herself a glass of wine and wasn't sure what it was until it happened again. The sound was almost imperceptible given the distance and the two hull thicknesses that stood between Beverly and its origin, but she was almost certain she'd heard a scream from aboard the Azimut.

With her heart racing and adrenaline flowing, Beverly grabbed the phone and called, "Tom, Tom, are you there?"

"I'm here, Beverly, what's happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm OK, but something is going on over at the boat. I believe I heard a scream come from over there."

"Have you seen any activity outside the boat?"

"No, but I've been inside quite awhile and could've missed something. I'm sorry, Tom. I should've stayed out there where I could keep watch."

Beverly was angry with herself for abandoning the outdoor area where she had a full view and going into the comfort of the yacht, even if for awhile to cool off.

"Is there a safe way you could observe them from higher up without being seen if they were outside the Azimut? Tom asked assuming what she heard might be a prelude to activity he would need to know about.

"I think so. Kevin and Heather's boat has its bow pointed in that direction and all the access to the interior is from the rear. I could go outside without being seen and climb up to the helm as long as I stay behind the structure of the boat. If I can't see what I need from the there, I could go up the tuna tower to the elevated helm. Its ladders are on the sides at the rear of the cabin. They could see me then, but they wouldn't be able to recognize me with the ladder between us."

"You're forgetting they probably have binoculars. Like I said, they're very cautious and will check out everything, including you. They could be spooked by seeing someone up there, or they could recognize you. Either way, they'll take off. I think it best that you just go up to the helm area where you'll be behind cover and check things out from there, no higher. I'll be back as quick as I can. I had to run over to the Galveston PD and I'm a little farther away than I would've liked. I have agents posted, though, so if something goes down before I get back, they can move in. Just be careful and don't take any chances, Beverly."

"You can certainly count on that! I'll stay out of sight until you get back, Tom. Hurry, will you?"

Beverly closed the cell phone and clipped it to her belt, then quietly went out the door at the rear of the cabin and up the ladder to the helm area just above. From there she had an incredible view of the whole area including Pelican Cut, the Coast Guard Station and, much farther away, the entrance to the Houston Ship Channel. Most importantly, she could see down into the Azimut's cockpit, an area that had been hidden from view from the sitting area on the pier.

Thinking she was fortunate not to need to climb up the tuna tower, Beverly felt secure in the fact that she was adequately concealed and settled in to focus her attention on the boat.

She was struck by the sheer size and beauty of the Azimut. The enormous expanse of teak that covered the cockpit; the chrome stanchions holding the lifeline cables around the perimeter; the two large white radar domes; everything about it would be magnificent, were it not tainted by her knowledge of what likely went on inside.

It didn't take long for events to disturb her view of the superficial beauty of the boat. She hadn't been at her station long when she heard another scream, without a doubt this time, and saw one of the doors open onto the cockpit. A tall man dressed in a black shirt and slacks emerged pulling someone out the door. Whoever he had was definitely putting up a fight and wasn't coming out easily.