Colt Crawford - Chapter 15 (Wednesday)

“So what do we do now?” Colt asked the captain above the roar of the engine.

“We follow her,” the captain replied. “This boat has enough fuel to go 250 miles without stopping. I am going to guess that she didn’t bother topping off her tanks before leaving, so we can out last them.”

“Can’t you just lay down a spike strip or try a PIT maneuver?” Colt joked.

“That would be nice.” The captain kept his eyes fixed on Destiny’s boat and chuckled as he responded. “Tell me more about this girl,” he added.

Colt was standing on the deck of the utility boat next to the captain. He glanced toward My Destiny which was about 100 yards ahead of them and then began to describe what he knew about the woman. “Her name is Destiny Godinez. She also goes by the alias Jailene Arroyo. Grew up rich and spoiled. Her dad actually led us to her when he realized that all his doting had created a monster.”

“And her crime?” the captain asked.

“She got hooked up with a bookie in town. She financed his operation, but took it very personally when someone didn’t pay up. Her MO was to cozy up to young college boys and hire them to do her dirty work. She’s been MIA for the last couple of days, but we caught a break when one of the girls at the university told us that her dad had worked with Jailene’s,” Colt stopped and corrected himself, “Destiny’s dad.”

“Captain” one of the crew members on the coast guard boat said, “The fuel dock just confirmed that My Destiny has not fueled up in the last six months. I checked with the harbor master and he has no records of anything more than day cruises during that time, so the odds are high that she is low on fuel.”

The captain thanked the crewman for the information and added, “I’m guessing this won’t last long.” By now the two boats had left the channel that served as a breakwater separating the harbor from the open sea. The swells were mild, but the ride was definitely rougher. Colt realized why he had not spent much time on the sea as he watched as the bow of the 45 footer bounce up and down with clock-like precision as the pursuit continued. Speeds were around 15 knots, but Colt’s stomach was in 50.

“You don’t look so good.” It was Krissy this time.

“It’s that obvious?” Colt replied, his face a pasty white.

“This boat is new,” the captain said. “If you’re going to lose it, aim overboard.”

Colt thought for a second and then realized it was actually good advice. Three seconds later his head was hanging over the side of the coast guard’s newest toy trying his best not to let the wind blow anything back on his own shirt.

Krissy didn’t laugh at the moment, Colt looked too pathetic, but she relished the thought of the conversations that would come up once they were back on dry land. “Feel better?”

“Actually, yes,” Colt said straightening up. “But my breath is awful.”

“Here,” the captain said handing him a tin of Altoids breath mints. “Since you got it all overboard you can have a prize.” Colt chuckled and took three of the mints all at once.

Another report came from one of the crewmen. He had been using binoculars to study Destiny’s boat. How he kept anything in focus with the rocking and rolling of the boats was beyond Colt’s imagination. “We have only seen the two people on the boat. No sign of anyone below deck.”

“Have your weapons ready, but don’t fire,” the captain ordered.

Minutes later My Destiny began to sputter and slow. “I can’t believe Daddy just gave her that boat and didn’t teach her how to put fuel in it,” the captain said shaking his head. “Some people have no business in the ocean.”