Chapter 4 - THE GREEN JACKET
“Marshall Whitmore was supposed to be gone hours before my sister died.”
Dante pointed at the frozen image.
“And tonight, somebody entered his departure in the guest log after I ordered this yacht locked down.”
Captain Hale turned toward his security officer.
“Check the tender records.”
The officer hurried to another terminal.
Emma remained beside Dante, studying the image of the man in green.
She didn't like what she saw.
Not because of the ring.
Because something about that repaired shoulder looked familiar.
“Mr. Moretti,” she said, “may I see the crew photograph?”
The captain opened the employee directory.
Emma studied the faces.
Then she pointed to a dark-haired man in his late thirties.
“Colin Reed.”
Dante recognized him.
Colin had worked aboard the yacht for nearly four years. He had recently been promoted to first officer, responsible for coordinating deck operations and tender launches.
“What about him?”
“Three weeks ago, I collected laundry from his cabin. There was a green jacket hanging behind his door.”
“Did you notice a repair?”
“Yes.”
“Are you certain?”
Emma hesitated.
“It looked like the same kind of stitching.”
Dante turned to the captain.
“Find Colin.”
Raymond spoke into his radio.
No answer.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
The security officer looked up.
“Sir, Colin signed out a tender at 8:56 tonight.”
Dante glanced at the clock.
That was after Lily had nearly drowned.
And after Dante had ordered everyone to remain aboard.
“Why didn't anyone stop him?”
“The departure was entered under a maintenance exemption.”
“Who authorized it?”
The officer swallowed.
“Your father's access code.”
Dante felt the betrayal spreading through every part of his home.
The yacht had always been Isabella's favorite place.
Now its corridors seemed filled with strangers wearing familiar faces.
Colin's cabin was small but immaculate.
His uniform hung neatly beside the wardrobe.
His shoes stood in a straight line beneath the bed.
Emma noticed the green jacket immediately.
It hung behind a gray raincoat.
She approached it carefully.
“May I?”
Dante nodded.
Emma lifted the jacket and turned the shoulder toward the light.
A diagonal line crossed the fabric.
The stitches were uneven, but strong.
“It's the same repair.”
Captain Hale examined the label.
“Whitmore Marine Outfitters.”
Dante took the jacket.
Inside the collar were two embroidered initials.
C.R.
Colin Reed.
“So the man beside Isabella was Colin,” Dante said.
“Not necessarily,” Emma replied.
He looked at her.
“The jacket belonged to him. But someone else could have worn it.”
Dante glanced toward the screen on the captain's tablet.
The man in the recording wore a gold ring with a black stone.
Marshall Whitmore wore a ring exactly like it.
Dante had seen it countless times during business meetings.
But Colin had once received an expensive watch and several other gifts from Whitmore Marine after helping with a difficult charter.
Perhaps the ring was another gift.
Perhaps the jacket had been borrowed.
Or perhaps several people had been on that deck.
“Search the cabin,” Dante ordered.
They found three things.
A maintenance log with several pages removed.
A receipt for an expensive waterfront hotel in Fort Lauderdale.
And a photograph tucked behind Colin's identification card.
It showed Colin standing beside Marshall Whitmore.
Both men smiled at the camera.
Marshall's hand rested on Colin's shoulder.
On the back, someone had written:
For keeping the family safe. M.W.
Dante stared at the words.
The family.
Whose family?
And safe from what?
Emma examined the photograph.
“Look at Colin's expression.”
Dante frowned.
“What about it?”
“He doesn't look happy.”
Dante studied the image again.
Colin was smiling, but his eyes were tense.
His shoulders looked stiff beneath Marshall's hand.
It wasn't proof of anything.
But Dante recognized that expression.
He had seen it on men who owed favors they could never repay.
When Dante returned to his father's cabin, Vittorio was sitting alone.
Vanessa had been moved to the adjoining sitting room under guard.
Dante placed the cracked watch on the desk.
“Why did this stop at 11:14?”
Vittorio looked up.
“What?”
“The first fall happened at 10:48. You told me your watch broke when you reached for Isabella.”
The old man's eyes shifted toward the watch.
“You lied about the time.”
Vittorio lowered his head.
“Yes.”
Dante felt his stomach tighten.
“Tell me what happened.”
“After Isabella was pulled aboard, I went to find her. I wanted her to understand why I'd made those transfers.”
“Did you?”
“No. I saw her walking toward the rear corridor.”
“With Colin?”
Vittorio hesitated.
“I saw someone in a green jacket.”
“And Marshall?”
His father said nothing.
Dante stepped closer.
“Was Marshall on the yacht that night?”
“Yes.”
“Then why does the manifest say he left at nine?”
“Because that's what he wanted everyone to believe.”
Dante stared at him.
Vittorio rubbed his forehead.
“Marshall had been using the foundation accounts to cover losses connected to his shipping companies. At first, I believed the transfers were temporary.”
“Did Isabella find out?”
“She found everything.”
“Then why didn't you help her?”
The old man's voice broke.
“Because I was afraid of what would happen when she exposed him.”
“To whom?”
Vittorio looked at his son.
“To you.”
Dante went still.
“I had approved those transfers. I had trusted Marshall with money that belonged to sick children. Isabella wanted to report the fraud.”
“And you stopped her?”
“I begged her to give me time to fix it.”
Dante looked away.
He could hardly stand listening.
His sister had devoted herself to helping families.
Her own father had been stealing from them.
Even if he intended to replace the money, the betrayal was unforgivable.
“What happened at 11:14?”
Vittorio's eyes filled.
“I went back toward the aft deck. I heard shouting.”
“Whose voices?”
“Isabella's. And a man's.”
“Did you see him?”
“Only his back.”
“What happened?”
Vittorio stared at his hands.
“I heard something hit the railing. I tried to get through the security door, but it was locked from the other side.”
Dante picked up the watch.
“You broke this trying to open the door?”
Vittorio nodded.
“I hit the handle with my wrist. The glass shattered.”
“Then what?”
“When I finally reached the deck, Isabella was gone.”
Dante slowly sat down.
His father had concealed the first fall.
And now admitted there had been a second emergency.
“Why didn't you tell the investigators?”
Vittorio's voice fell to a whisper.
“Vanessa said Isabella had gone back outside alone. She said if I admitted our argument, the police would blame me.”
“And you believed her?”
“I wanted to.”
Dante looked at him.
That answer was worse than a lie.
His father had chosen the explanation that allowed him to keep living with himself.
Downstairs, Emma returned to check on Lily.
The little girl was sitting awake, staring at the silver bracelet on her blanket.
Dante had returned it to her after photographing it for the investigation.
“Miss Emma?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Was Mommy brave?”
Emma sat beside her.
“Very.”
“Like when you jumped in?”
Emma swallowed.
“Your mommy loved you more than anything.”
Lily touched the bracelet.
“Vanessa said Mommy ruined everything.”
Emma kept her voice calm.
“Your mother didn't ruin anything by telling the truth.”
Lily looked down.
“Then why did everybody get mad at her?”
Emma had no easy answer.
She simply put an arm around the child.
Sometimes the most important thing an adult could do was stay when a child asked a question that hurt.
A few minutes later, the captain's voice sounded over the intercom.
“Mr. Moretti, we've located Colin Reed.”
Colin was brought into the security office by two crew members.
His trousers were wet, and a fresh scrape marked his neck.
He had apparently returned from the tender and tried to enter the yacht through a maintenance hatch.
Dante placed the green jacket on the table.
“Explain this.”
Colin stared at it.
“That's mine.”
“Were you wearing it the night Isabella died?”
Colin looked toward the captain.
Dante stepped in front of him.
“Look at me.”
Colin swallowed.
“Yes.”
“Were you on the aft deck at 11:14?”
“I was.”
“Did you push my sister?”
“No.”
Dante leaned forward.
“Then tell me why she died.”
Colin's eyes reddened.
“I pulled her out the first time.”
The room went silent.
“You rescued her?”
“Yes. She was half-conscious when I got her onto the platform.”
“Why didn't you tell anyone?”
“Mr. Whitmore told me to keep quiet. Said the situation was already being handled.”
Dante gripped the edge of the table.
“And the second time?”
Colin stared at the floor.
“I heard Isabella screaming for Lily.”
Dante froze.
“Lily was inside. She was supposed to be asleep.”
Colin nodded.
“That's what I thought.”
“Why would Isabella be screaming for her?”
Colin looked up.
His voice shook.
“Because somebody told your sister her little girl had been thrown into the ocean.”
Dante felt all the air leave his lungs.
“Who told her that?”
May you like
Colin closed his eyes.
“Vanessa.”
