Fatal Tide - Iris Johansen [62]
She was leaning. She felt enveloped, absorbed in his strength. It probably wasn't good for her. She should push him away.
Not now. She needed to recover a little of her own strength. Tomorrow would be soon enough. “Thank you. You're being very kind. I'm . . . grateful.”
“Don't worry. I'll find a way to collect.”
“Marinth?”
His lips gently brushed her temple. “No, not Marinth.”
“Coffee?”
Melis opened drowsy eyes to see Kelby standing by the bed with a cup and saucer in his hand. He was fully dressed and looked as if he'd been up for hours. “Thank you.” She sat up and reached for the cup. “What time is it?”
“A little after ten.” He dropped down into the chair with his own cup of coffee. “You slept like a rock. You must have needed it.”
“I guess.” She didn't remember anything after the moment she had drifted off. “How long have you been up?”
“A few hours. I had some arrangements to make.”
“What kind of arrangements? Departure?”
“There were a few other preparations to take care of.” He took a drink of coffee. “I talked to Cal in the hospital and got the name of Gary's next of kin. He has a sister in Key West. I called her and broke the news. She wants his body shipped to her for the funeral. Wilson's on his way here to take care of the details.”
“I was going to do that.”
“I thought you were. But Wilson excels at details.”
“Gary was my friend, Kelby.”
“Exactly. So I can't see him wanting to cause you any more stress. God knows you have enough.” He went on, “I called Lieutenant Lorenzo, and he's going to send a police car for you at eleven. He said you should be finished by two and he'll give you a police escort back to the ship.” He sipped his coffee. “We should be ready to leave by five. How do we set the dolphins free?”
“You anchor out to sea and I take the tender close to the tank. We open the sea door and let the dolphins out. They'll be confused, but I'll talk to them and hopefully they'll follow the tender back to the ship. Dolphins usually love to jump and swim in a ship's wake.”
“Hopefully?”
“They could just take off. I've attached radio tags, so if they do, I'll probably be able to find them again.”
“Hopefully. Probably.” His gaze fastened on her face. “You're scared you'll lose them.”
“You're damn right I'm scared. I'm scared they'll become disoriented and end up in some fisherman's net. I'm scared they'll know they're home and go to wherever their family is. I'm scared Archer is out there somewhere ready to stick a harpoon in them. I need them to keep close to the ship, and I'm not sure I can make them understand.”
“But you think you can.”
“If I didn't think I could, I wouldn't have brought them. I'm relying more on their instinct than any communication. I told you that sometimes I think they read my mind. I hope this will be one of those times.” She set her cup on the nightstand. “I want to go check on the dolphins before I go to the police station.” She swung her legs to the floor. “They're going to have another high-stress day, and I have to make sure they're up to it.” She headed for the bathroom but hesitated at the door and looked back at him. “Thanks for calling Gary's sister. It would have been very difficult for me.”
“It wasn't easy for me either. But it had to be done and I didn't want you doing it.” His lips tightened. “I hope that's the last of that kind of duty either one of us will be faced with.” He stood up. “I've got a few orders to give the crew and then I'll meet you at the gangplank.”
“You're going with me?”
“Everywhere. Every minute. Unless you're with the police, you're not going to be out of my sight. I learned my lesson last night. Never delegate.”
“But then it might have been you with the bullet between your eyes.” She went rigid as the thought hit home.
“I'm more guerrilla savvy than Gary. I'd have been on the watch. I'll see you on deck.”
She still stood there after the door closed behind him. She was suddenly ice cold with panic. She had never imagined that Kelby could be harmed. He was too confident,