Blue Moon (21 page)

“The name's Tex Milland. And who might you be, little filly?”

Jeanne closed the gape of her mouth, hoping it hadn't been too obvious. He reminded her of Teddy Roosevelt, but his name bounced about in her mind like a rocket run amok.
Tex Milland!
Thank you, Jesus.

“Mr. Milland,” she said upon finding her voice. “I'm Dr. Jeanne Madison. I . . . we've been looking for you.”

Incredulous, he backed off and gave her a head to toe appraisal over the wire rims of his sunglasses. “You don't look a day over sixteen, doc.”

“I am, trust me,” she assured him. Was he here on her business or his? Surely, the cantina Milland owned had sustained some damages last night. A darting look around revealed no sign of a police vehicle, only a dusty Jeep Wrangler.

“Well . . .” He cleared his throat and spat to the side with such force that Jeanne heard it splat on the hard-packed sand. She didn't care to look for further verification that the man chewed tobacco. “Just point me in Gabe's direction. I heard he was looking for me and got into a little tumble with the locals over a good-lookin' señorita in a yellow dress. Town's still talking about it.”

Jeanne groaned inwardly at Tex's knowing wink. Thank God her brothers were miles and miles away.

“Gabe was just protecting me from an inebriated man who insisted I dance with him. He punched Gabe for asking him to leave me alone and then the whole place just . . .” She caught her breath and let it go with a hapless sigh. “It just erupted.”

“Don't think nothin' of it, ma'am. We had a bunch of folks in from outta town and the party started earlier than usual. Otherwise, it woulda been peaceful as a church service that time a'day. Akumal is usually a quiet kind of place on both sides of the highway.” He looked toward the end of the dock where Gabe wound up the hose. “Well, there's that son of a sea biscuit now.” Slapping his hat on, he nodded and tipped it. “
Dr
. Madison, it's been my honor.”

Before Jeanne could gather her wits, Tex Milland started down the dock, boot heels clicking on the warped planks.

“G'day, sir,” he said, tipping his hat upon meeting Remy coming toward them.

Pivoting to look after Milland, Remy nearly fell off the dock. Catching himself, he rushed to where Jeanne stood. “What was
that
, some Halloween leftover?”

“No,” she told him. “
That
was Tex Milland, our demolitions expert.”

“Ah.” Remy shifted his attention from the cowpoke to Jeanne. “It seems your trip rousted him after all. Did you enjoy yourself?”

The vibration of the cell phone clipped to her waistband saved Jeanne from having to answer. Feeling heat creep to her face, she flipped open the phone and hit a button.

“Jeanne Madison here.”

“Perdón
, but I was given this number to call for a hair appointment,” a heavily accented voice responded, uncertain. “Perhaps I have the wrong number, but
Capitán
Gabriel Avery left for me this message.”

“Are you Teresa?” Jeanne asked. Gabe had told her he was waiting to hear from a hairdresser, someone he knew who worked at a nearby resort.

“Sí
, I am Teresa. I try the other number he gave, but there is no answer.”

“Teresa,
un momento
.” Jeanne covered the mouthpiece of her phone. “I'll be a while, Remy. But yes, we enjoyed the day.”

Stiff with disapproval, Remy nodded and left in the direction of the guest lodges.

Jeanne released the anxious breath she'd held.
“Bueno
, Teresa,” she said into the cell phone. “Thank you so much for calling. Your timing was perfect.”

A few hours later, Jeanne reported to her brothers on the lodge office phone, while Ann laid the freshly developed pictures from the day's dive out on the dining hall table. Each one had been marked with the direction of the shot according to Pablo's written calculations on the underwater boards. One by one, she and Pablo took painstaking care to match them to a number on his chart of the reef.

Tex Milland, now on board for a share of the take, read over Jeanne's documentation with fevered eyes. By the time she'd showered, changed, and returned to the
Angel
, it was a done deal. Now she watched the amiable Texan point out something to Gabe as she covered their progress, or lack thereof, in her call with Blaine. Mark had taken off for childbirth classes.

“The site was magging like crazy, and we hit something solid under the sand with the probes,” Jeanne told her eldest brother. “We found a little more debris—some broken pottery, a belt buckle, and ballast stones. Remy said they were consistent with the time period. Of course what we found was mostly in the lagoon in the middle of the coral, which is why we need Milland.”

She saw no reason to worry everyone by revealing Gabe's assessment of the Texas misfit's character, especially since he'd been nothing but 100 percent charming in an Old West way.

“You do what you have to do, Jeanne,” Blaine told her. “I'll take care of contacting the stockholders and letting them know what we're up against.”

Filled with a renewed sense of love and support, she joined the others. She hoped they'd have a course of action when they left in the morning, since Tex, upon hearing that Gabe wanted him to do some explosive work, had brought the supplies he needed with him. Just leave it to God to take over when her best efforts fell short.

“I'm saying, sir,” Remy declared in righteous indignation as Jeanne emerged from the office, “that your dog
relieves
himself daily by my video camera and invariably knocks it off its tripod. I not only soiled my shoes when I retrieved this morning's film, but found it contained footage of the deed . . . that is, after he chased away all the birds from their early morning feed at the pond.”

“All right, Prim—” Gabe clipped his annoyance, adding an awkward, “—ston.” He looked under the table to where Nemo lazed at his feet. “Stop using the camera zone for the loo, Nemo. Got it?”

Gabe knew full well that he might as well talk to the camera for all the good it would do. Mistaking reprimand for a bid of affection, Nemo rose and rubbed his head against Gabe's leg, tail wagging.

“Got it?” Gabe's stern question exacted a short, unconvincing bark from the Lab. “Although, if I were
you”
—the captain returned his attention to Remy—“I'd continue to watch my step. The furry blackguard's been known to lie about such things.”

Jeanne swallowed a giggle.

Remy rose, incensed by the lack of concern. “I caught but a glimpse of an azure-rumped tanager. They've hardly been seen outside Chiapas. Have you any idea how rare footage is of an azure-rumped tanager?”

From the withering glare of Gabe's expression, he not only had no idea, but he didn't care.

“C'mon, Remy,” Ann called out from the Ping-Pong table where she, Nick, Mara, and Stuart had been playing. “I'm done for the night. Let's have a look in the kitchen and see if we can find some cayenne to discourage Nemo. I heard a cayenne sprinkle is the natural way to deal with troublesome animals. Then we'll take a gander at your camera to see if we can lock it in place better. Till they get their act together, you and I can't do much anyway.”

Jeanne gave her friend a grateful look. “Now, back to the wreck site. We really need to contain the blast to preserve it.”

“Which I go on record as protesting against,” Remy announced from the door.

“You hit the nail right on the head, darlin',” Milland agreed. “And judging from these pictures and the data on the chart that Pablo and your bunch collected today, I think I know exactly where to start.”

Jeanne watched as he drew a diagonal line from one point outside the reef to the shoreline where they'd put off Nick, Mara, and Ann the other day.

“Three main dive sites,” Pablo observed. “Our first hit—”

“—And the mother lode strewn in the lagoon here and here.” Gabe's eyes glowed as he met Jeanne's across the chart. “Sleep well, tonight, sweet. It will be the last time for a good while.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

It took most of the morning for Gabe and Tex to survey the reef plateau and strategically place the charges intended to remove the coral blocking the
Fallen Angel's
access to the underwater lagoon where the wreck lay buried beneath the coral bed. Pablo, Remy, Nick, and Stuart set out in the rubber launch to mark the channel beyond the natural wall enclosing the submerged lagoon. A well-defined passage guaranteed a safe retreat in the event of a sudden storm or an emergency.

Just before noon everyone regrouped aboard the
Fallen Angel
for the big bang. Jeanne held her breath as Tex counted down to zero. Nothing happened.

“Don't fret, little lady,” the explosives expert assured her. “Them acid timers aren't always to the—”

A tremendous thud struck the bottom of the boat, cutting Tex off. Even though she'd expected it, it was unnerving, as were the subsequent vibrations beneath her feet.

“Whoa . . .” Stuart trailed off as circular swell of water spread from the reef. Simultaneously, a geyser shot up from its center.

“Awesome,” Nick exclaimed, snapping pictures with a digital camera while Ann captured the spectacle on video.

“Look at the water!” Mara pointed to the muddy swirl of sediment and debris spreading toward them. “And the poor fish.”

Over the reef in the distance, fish bobbed to the surface, side up. Jeanne suppressed a pang of guilt at the damage to the marine life, but this was a last resort.

“Those close to the explosion are dead, but the others are just stunned,” Gabe told Mara.

Remy crossed his arms with a smug snort. “Thank your lucky stars that Greenpeace isn't about.”

Gabe nailed him with a dour look. “The same
stars
are shining on you, Prim, and I don't exactly hear you complaining. Although if any thanks are to be given, mine go to Pablo.”

Jeanne gave Pablo a thankful grimace of a smile for his making the right contacts in the government to obtain permission for the blast. Having a man on the inside was definitely an advantage. Not only were Isla Codo's excavation rights assigned solely to the
Angel
and her crew, but Pablo had obtained quick permission from the powers-that-be for the blasting as well.

“For now, I vote we have lunch,” Tex suggested. “It'll take a little while for the water to clear. We can eat while the predators clean up.”

Remy's head snapped up. “Predators?”

“Sharks,” Gabe said, grinning at Remy's shock.

“How long should we wait?” Jeanne asked.

“Till tomorrow, I should think,” Remy declared. “I don't think it's worth the risk to dive today.”

“Never been in the water with sharks, Prim?” Gabe challenged.

“Not if I could help it.” Remy looked from Tex to Gabe as if trying to decide which of the two was the greater fool.

Pressing his advantage, Gabe went in for the kill. “Fess up, Prim. You're no more an experienced diver than I am an expert on relics and preservation.”

“Which makes
both
of you equally valuable to me,” Jeanne declared, hoping to head off another confrontation. She glared at Gabe, hoping he'd remember his promise to avoid provoking Remy.

But it was too late. Remy's indignation shot up like a geyser at the affront. “It's been years since I've been in the water, Captain. That said, I will admit that I am more comfortable topside.”

Gabe considered Remy a moment, the challenge in his mercurial features lifting, a twinkle claiming its place. “Good,” he said, shocking the wary professor even further with a hearty clap on the back. “I respect a man who knows his limitations and isn't afraid to admit them. And we need able men above the water as well as below it, right, boss?”

The unsettling wink Gabe shot Jeanne's way penetrated her shock over his sudden shift from foe to friend. “Y-yes, exactly what I was trying to say.”

Heavenly Father! Dare I believe my eyes and ears? Has Gabe just
said something positive about Remy?

“Well,” Tex drawled. He slapped his knees with the palms of his hands and shoved up from his seat. “Now that we all know how important we are, can we get a mouthful to eat or what?”

Lord, I'm not sure what just happened, but thanks.

At the top of the steps, Jeanne turned. She didn't know why; she just did. Her eyes collided with Gabe's and caught his observation of her retreat. The knowledge worked its way through her from head to toe until Remy broke the spell with his “Did you forget something, Jeanne?”

Jeanne extracted her attention from Gabe. “No, I—I just had a second thought. But it was nothing.” She retreated down the remaining steps in a rush. When Gabe looked at her like that, the whole world went away and took her ability to think with it. All that was left was a body full of unaccustomed feelings and a mind that had no clue what to do with them.