The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

been robbed at knife point here in paradise and after discovering that there is no air-conditioning awaiting me at my so-called luxury resort accommodations, for which I am paying a fortune, I realize I am the innocent victim of a malicious joke."

    "Don't get paranoid. You're just shaken up from your encounter with Sharp Arnie." A degree of indulgence softened his eyes. "Not surprising, really. That knife of his can be intimidating at first glance. Give yourself a little while to calm down. Just relax."

    "Sharp Arnie was merely the last straw. If it wasn't for the fact that I can't bear the thought of getting on one more airplane today, I would turn around and head back for Seattle this minute."

    "There isn't another flight out of here until tomorrow."

    "And that's another thing I don't like about these remote islands. They're too damned remote."

    "Sharp Arnie had a point. Don't you ever close your mouth?"

    "Only when I'm working, and I didn't come all this way to work. I'm supposed to be on vacation. Stress, you know."

    "Stress makes you mouthy?"

    "Among other things." Kate led the way back through quaintly twisted streets to Billy's Ruby Island Dive and Tackle shop where the remainder of her luggage was waiting. She was aware of Jared Hawthorne following behind her like a porter. His dignity did not seem offended, she noticed. He carried the heavy flight bags as if they weighed only a few ounces.

    The narrow, sun-drenched streets of the small port village were nearly empty. As Jared had noted, most people were wisely staying indoors to avoid the heat of midday.

    Port Ruby was picturesque in its own way, Kate grudgingly decided, but hardly romantic. It was hot, dusty and run-down. An array of ramshackle shops and open-air bars lined the harborfront. Here and there a few dogs of questionable pedigree flopped in the shade of scraggly palms. Everything, including the dogs, looked as though it needed a coat of paint. Kate fervently hoped that Crystal Cove Resort had a bit more to offer in the way of atmosphere.

    The door to Billy's shop hung askew on its hinges, the old screen torn and the weathered wood peeling. Kate stepped into the dark interior and breathed a small sigh of relief at the slight reduction in temperature. The now-familiar figure of Billy, who appeared to be somewhere between fifty and seventy and outfitted with skin that resembled tanned leather, stirred from the seat behind the counter. He rose ponderously to his feet, a can of beer in his hand.

    "Hey, Hawthorne." Billy's cheerful grin exposed a few missing teeth and some gold ones. "I see you found the little lady."

    "Sharp Arnie found her first." Jared dumped the flight bags onto the wooden floor. "He was up to his usual tricks with a knife."

    Billy's grin faded. "Sharp Arnie? Is he back on the island?"

    "Yeah. Better tell Sam."

    Kate glanced at each man in turn. "Everyone seems to be very familiar with Sharp Arnie. If he's such a well-known public menace, why isn't he in jail?"

    Billy shrugged. "He winds up in jail from time to time, but mostly he just gets kicked off one island and washes up on another. He makes a sort of circuit around our neck of the Pacific." Billy scowled suddenly as if a thought had just occurred to him. "You all right? He didn't hurt you or nothin', did he?"

    "No." Actually, her knees felt quite wobbly, Kate suddenly realized. Delayed shock. Or perhaps it was the heat. Whatever the cause, she wanted very much to sit down. Just wait until she told Sarah and Margaret about this little incident. "Thank you for your concern, Billy."

    "Sure, sure. Sharp Arnie usually don't go around stickin' that knife of his into anyone unless he gets real provoked. Don't worry about your wallet. Sam will get it back from him before he kicks the little punk off the island."

    "Fortunately, I am still in possession of my wallet. Thank goodness. Imagine trying to notify all those credit card companies from here!"

    Billy looked puzzled. "He didn't take your wallet? Hey, that's real lucky, huh? What happened? Hawthorne get there in time to run him off?"

    "No," said Kate.

    "Hawthorne," Jared said coolly, "got there in time to watch Ms Inskip kick the, uh, stuffing out of Sharp Arnie. The poor bastard was running for cover last I saw him. Ms Inskip was yelling at him and that seemed to be upsetting him."

    Billy swung a startled gaze back to Kate and then gave a crack of laughter. "Nice goin', Ms Inskip. Always did admire a woman