Silas and I both notice Cassie’s reaction to meeting Nico. We read the expression on her face and decide it’s time to back away from him for now, until Armand is found and captured.
The four of us (myself, Silas, Cassie, and Lindy) thank Nico for talking to us, describing his work, and we quickly move back toward the bridge. I hang back, remaining a bit removed from the others. I linger alone in the hallway.
I’ve seen a lot of Lindy this morning (frankly, the discussion at breakfast was more than enough) but being in this situation with him now … well, I need a break to clear my head.
I find a small niche off the upper deck hallway near the bridge, a place where I can sit and think for a few minutes. A group of police officers swarms past me urgently with guns drawn.
Pay dirt.
I follow the officers down, keeping my distance and letting them work.
There’s a scuffle. Words are exchanged.
Then, finally, an awkward silence.
There, sitting behind a stash of fresh vegetables inside a food storage locker, sits Armand, bound at the wrists and ankles, lying in a fetal position.
I turn and run to the bridge.
“They got him!” I yell toward Silas, Cassie, and Lindy.
Silas confirms via radio, then nods in my direction.
“Where’s Nico?”
I shake my head. “Not sure … I just saw him …”
Silas speaks into the radio. “Sheriff, do you have eyes on Nico?”
“Negative,” is the response. The radio crackles loudly. “We’re on it.”
The sound of feet pounding the boards permeated the bridge. Lindy leans over the railing.
“God, what are they doing to my boat?”
Of course, I think to myself. This is only happening to him.
“Silas!”
The Sheriff yells in our direction and startles my partner.
“No Nico,” he continues, in our general direction. “Just some tools and bedsheets.”
Lindy suggests the cops check the crew’s quarters on the lowest deck. “The exit from the ship is blocked, so Nico may still be onboard,” he says.
Silas nods. “Keep it that way. In the meantime, our best approach to finding him at this point is to start over at the bridge on the top level and search the entire ship in an orderly manner, front to back, top to bottom. Nico is very familiar with the ship, so he probably knows plenty of hiding spaces.
“Above all, be careful,” Silas says. “Armand has several guns to his name. It’s possible Nico got hold of one of them and is lying in wait for one of us.”
I turn and head down the steps, my hand on my gun. I had not considered the possibility that Nico could be armed, but I don’t suppose that’s a far cry from smuggling a wanted fugitive out of the country.