Fatal Tide - Iris Johansen [52]
“I believe you did like him. Is that when you decided you wanted a yacht like his?”
He nodded. “Only bigger and better.”
“You certainly got it. Why did you name it the Trina?”
“I named it after my mother.”
She gazed at him in surprise. “But I thought—”
“That I had no great fondness for my mother? Thanks to the media, I guess everyone in the world knows that we haven't been on speaking terms since I was a kid.”
“Then why name your ship after her?”
“My mother was a great manipulator and very ambitious. She married my father because she wanted to be the premier social hostess on two continents. She got pregnant with me because it was the only way she could retain control of my father. He was a little fickle and had already been divorced once.”
“How do you know that?”
“I was present during one of the screaming fits she had with my grandmother. Neither of them was overly careful of my tender feelings.” He shrugged. “Actually, I was glad I was there in the room. Before that day she had me fooled. After my father was killed in an accident, the custody suits started. He left me everything and she was furious. But whoever controlled me controlled the money, and she was quick to jump into battle. Every kid wants to think well of his mother, and she was very talented at playing the weak, helpless victim. She was a true Southern belle. All tears and accusations against my grandmother. I guess she was practicing for her time on the witness stand and trying to influence me to testify for her.”
“What about your grandmother?”
“She cared about my father and she cared about the money. She hated Trina, and I was an impediment and a weapon in Trina's hands.”
“Pleasant.”
“I survived. It wasn't as if I was in Kafas, like you. Most of the time I was in boarding schools or on my uncle Ralph's yacht. The only really nasty episodes were when I was pulled into court or forced to go home and have Trina fawn over me for the press. I kept that at a minimum by being a wild little son of a bitch whenever I was around her.”
“But you still named your ship after her.”
“A little hidden joke on my sweet mama. It cost a bloody fortune and she's living on a budget these days. A generous budget, but not on the scale she'd like.” He smiled. “And I'm in complete control of the Trina. I call the shots just as I do with her budget. There's definitely a malicious satisfaction in that.”
“You must hate her.”
“I did, for a while. I've mellowed with time. That pretense of weakness and fragility really fooled me. I was an idealistic kid and I wanted to go and tilt at windmills to protect her. Until the day I found out that I had to protect myself from her. It was an enlightening experience.” He stood up. “I'm going to go back and get some more ice for the tanks. You said that they had to keep cool, and Pete was moving his tail around quite a bit.”
She nodded. “I'll check on Susie.” She got to her feet and headed for the tank. A sudden thought occurred to her. “Kelby.”
He glanced back over his shoulder.
“I look— Most men think I look . . . breakable. Do I remind you of your mother?”
“At first, the way you look aroused a certain resentment.” His lips twitched. “But I guarantee you never reminded me of my mother.”
LAS PALMAS
“They're so beautiful.” Rosa Valdez gazed down in admiration at Pete and Susie in the seventy-foot tank. “And they're truly a magnificent species, aren't they, Melis?”
“They're fascinating, all right,” Melis said absently. Susie had been freed of the sling after being lowered into the tank, but she was just lying on the floor of the enclosure. She'd seemed in good shape when they'd reached the dock. Why wasn't she moving? Pete was wondering too. He was worriedly swimming around her.
“It's a true honor for you to let us help you with them,” Rosa said solemnly. “We students help at the aquarium, but this is different. This is the real thing.”
“I appreciate the help.” If Susie didn't start moving, she'd have to jump in and see what—
Pete was gently nudging Susie.
Susie's tail switched