Read Online The Rachel Scott Adventures, Volume 1 by Traci Hohenstein - Free Book Online
Authors: Traci Hohenstein
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at Stacy. “This is the reporter you called me about?”
Rachel could see the distrust on his face. She wasn’t sure about bringing Stacy into the mix of things, either—but something just felt right about her. Rachel made the introductions.
“Rachel says that you have information on the case?” Drake got right down to business.
“I do.”
“You understand that everything we talk about is off the record?” Drake instructed.
“Of course.”
“Let’s hear what you’ve got.”
Stacy recounted the story she’d told Rachel at lunch.
“Who are your sources?” Drake asked as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
“Ex-employees of the SeaStar and some former passengers. Obviously, I can’t give you names, but I think you’ll find that they’re reliable.”
“Stacy took a cruise on the SeaStar twice—the same itinerary as Melodie and Amber. Seven-day cruise through the Bahamas. Stop at Cabana Cay, the private resort owned by SeaScape,” Rachel explained to Drake.
“When I looked into cruise ship disappearances, I found out that fourteen people have vanished from various cruise lines in the last two years. Of those fourteen, five went missing from SeaScape cruises. The SeaStar is owned by the SeaScape corporation. All five of the disappeared were young women. I went to my boss with the story and he suggested that I take a cruise and see what I could find out.”
“When was this?” Drake asked.
“My first cruise was six months ago. While on the cruise, I befriended a couple of the employees. One was a bartender who had worked on the SeaStar for two years. I told him that I was a travel writer and working on an article about cruise ships. I didn’t think people would be open with me if they knew I was investigating missing passengers,” Stacy said.
“You’re right. They wouldn’t,” Drake said.
“The bartender and I became friends, and we exchanged phone numbers. He’s from the Miami area, too, and we have a lot in common. I didn’t get much information from him at the time, but a few weeks ago, he called me. He told me that he’d quit the SeaStar and he had information that I might be interested in.” Stacy paused and tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear.
“What kind of information?” Drake asked.
Stacy opened her file and pulled out a sheaf of papers that were stapled together. “I hit the mother lode. He wants to remain off the record for obvious reasons, but he claims that the SeaStar was smuggling drugs. He thinks that the Cabana Cay resort is a meeting place for transporting the drugs. While all the passengers are off the ship enjoying the island, some of the employees are loading or unloading cocaine and marijuana.” She tapped the stack of paper. “Here’s a copy of the transcript of the interview I did with him.”
They waited while Drake read the transcript. Then he looked at Rachel. “Cabana Cay. That’s where the ship is headed next.”
“That’s not all. The island has an interesting story. Care to hear?” Stacy asked.
“Sure,” Drake agreed.
“Cabana Cay is a tiny portion of land that is connected to a larger island called Asylum Harbor. Asylum Harbor is sixty nautical miles south of Freeport. It encompasses hundreds of acres. When the cruise line bought the island, they built the resort Cabana Cay on the southern side of the island. That’s where the cruise ships dock and let the passengers play for the day.”
“I suppose a naturally occurring deep water port would be valuable to them,” Drake said. “Makes good business sense.”
“I think so,” Stacy went on. “Asylum Harbor is a nautical term meaning to provide safe shelter from a storm. Legend has it that in the mid–sixteen hundreds the pirate ship Royal Fortune encountered a storm while sailing to the Bahamas, which was an international hub for pirates at the time. The Royal Fortune hit a coral reef and was smashed to pieces. The ship’s captain, Jack McCormac,
Rachel could see the distrust on his face. She wasn’t sure about bringing Stacy into the mix of things, either—but something just felt right about her. Rachel made the introductions.
“Rachel says that you have information on the case?” Drake got right down to business.
“I do.”
“You understand that everything we talk about is off the record?” Drake instructed.
“Of course.”
“Let’s hear what you’ve got.”
Stacy recounted the story she’d told Rachel at lunch.
“Who are your sources?” Drake asked as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
“Ex-employees of the SeaStar and some former passengers. Obviously, I can’t give you names, but I think you’ll find that they’re reliable.”
“Stacy took a cruise on the SeaStar twice—the same itinerary as Melodie and Amber. Seven-day cruise through the Bahamas. Stop at Cabana Cay, the private resort owned by SeaScape,” Rachel explained to Drake.
“When I looked into cruise ship disappearances, I found out that fourteen people have vanished from various cruise lines in the last two years. Of those fourteen, five went missing from SeaScape cruises. The SeaStar is owned by the SeaScape corporation. All five of the disappeared were young women. I went to my boss with the story and he suggested that I take a cruise and see what I could find out.”
“When was this?” Drake asked.
“My first cruise was six months ago. While on the cruise, I befriended a couple of the employees. One was a bartender who had worked on the SeaStar for two years. I told him that I was a travel writer and working on an article about cruise ships. I didn’t think people would be open with me if they knew I was investigating missing passengers,” Stacy said.
“You’re right. They wouldn’t,” Drake said.
“The bartender and I became friends, and we exchanged phone numbers. He’s from the Miami area, too, and we have a lot in common. I didn’t get much information from him at the time, but a few weeks ago, he called me. He told me that he’d quit the SeaStar and he had information that I might be interested in.” Stacy paused and tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear.
“What kind of information?” Drake asked.
Stacy opened her file and pulled out a sheaf of papers that were stapled together. “I hit the mother lode. He wants to remain off the record for obvious reasons, but he claims that the SeaStar was smuggling drugs. He thinks that the Cabana Cay resort is a meeting place for transporting the drugs. While all the passengers are off the ship enjoying the island, some of the employees are loading or unloading cocaine and marijuana.” She tapped the stack of paper. “Here’s a copy of the transcript of the interview I did with him.”
They waited while Drake read the transcript. Then he looked at Rachel. “Cabana Cay. That’s where the ship is headed next.”
“That’s not all. The island has an interesting story. Care to hear?” Stacy asked.
“Sure,” Drake agreed.
“Cabana Cay is a tiny portion of land that is connected to a larger island called Asylum Harbor. Asylum Harbor is sixty nautical miles south of Freeport. It encompasses hundreds of acres. When the cruise line bought the island, they built the resort Cabana Cay on the southern side of the island. That’s where the cruise ships dock and let the passengers play for the day.”
“I suppose a naturally occurring deep water port would be valuable to them,” Drake said. “Makes good business sense.”
“I think so,” Stacy went on. “Asylum Harbor is a nautical term meaning to provide safe shelter from a storm. Legend has it that in the mid–sixteen hundreds the pirate ship Royal Fortune encountered a storm while sailing to the Bahamas, which was an international hub for pirates at the time. The Royal Fortune hit a coral reef and was smashed to pieces. The ship’s captain, Jack McCormac,
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