Suspicious Inquiries of Ghostrider: Book Iii

By Glenn Brunet

G and Ghostriders crew recently returned from a near-death voyage and are ready for rest and tranquility of the beautiful Florida Panhandle. G and his three sensuous ladies just want things to get back to normal, but no good deed goes unpunished. They find themselves being mysteriously sought out by two different factionsone for retaliation of recent past events and the second for reasons they are unaware of. Both have high stakes and cant be ignored. They learn that the government has a hand in the second factions quest, and G resists the effort to be pulled into the government plans. The consequences are just too high because he knows that the lives of his ladies are at stake, and to him, money cant buy the life of anyone he loves. But the long arm of the government does pull them into the perils of yet another life-threatening situation, and this time, someone has to pay the price.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984523419

Glenn Brunet

Glenn Brunet grew up running bare foot through the woods, coastal swamps and marshes of South Louisiana and loves the outdoors. He's a family man and a retired law enforcement officer who lives for his next little adventure. He enjoys the tranquility of the water,sailing, scuba diving, kayaking, bicycling, motorcycles and camping. He believes God lives at the beach because that is where he feels His presence more than anywhere else.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Good to be Home

G sat back at the helm of Ghostrider, his 60-foot ketch rigged sailing vessel with one foot propped up on the steering wheel. He sipped on a fresh cup of coffee with vanilla creamer that Mary had just brought up from the galley. He had been at the helm since midnight. His view of the night sky was in transition to morning. The eastern horizon was beginning to glow as the sun seemed to be rising from the depths of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. He could feel the air was a bit cooler than it had been down in the Florida Keys. The last couple of weeks he and his crew, made up of family and friends left his home in Gulf Breeze, Florida and sailed to Key West and beyond.

The crew had sailed his majestic vessel without him on board around the northwest end of Cuba almost into Grand Cayman waters. He had gotten off Ghostrider just north of Cuban waters and kayaked undetected to a secluded beach on the northwestern coast of that island nation. G slipped into a drug cartel’s compound to rescue a teenage girl who had been abducted from her home in south Louisiana a month earlier.

He was not a mercenary. G was not a soldier for hire. He was just a simple man with an adventurous soul and a deep love for his family. He had a really big problem with innocent people being confined against their will. He had taken an early forced retirement from his life’s career as a deputy sheriff after he was falsely accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a teenage girl at the high school to which he was assigned as the School Resource Officer (SRO).

In the good old U.S. of A. he learned that sexual accusations of misconduct were the modern ‘Salem Witch Hunts’ of our times. And so, with the mere contradicting testimony of an emotionally disturbed teenage girl, he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to ten years in a Louisiana prison. Now, that should make anyone afraid to live in Louisiana, especially in the corrupt south.

After several years of appeals he was exonerated. After his civil law suit he was awarded a large financial settlement. After his release from the ‘Hells of Prison,’ he spent most of his time alone. His priorities had changed and his core beliefs had been rattled and shaken to his bones. Not much mattered too him right after his exoneration except breathing free, standing on his own healthy two feet and the people who supported him and believed in his innocence during that horrible nightmare when he was incarcerated.

When he crawled out of that cage, all he had were his big ol’ family and a handful of dear friends. He went off for months at a time alone, trying to heal his heart and soul. The damages caused by the injustices of the corrupt legal system of Louisiana had broken his spirit. He was a broken man. Even after he was worth millions of dollars he roamed around aimlessly on his bicycle, motorcycle or the wind in his sails for months at a time.

He was done trying to save the world. The only reason he went into Cuba and rescued the girl was simply because his nephew’s youngest daughter, Daphne asked him to. Daphne was his Godchild. He was her Parrain. Most of G’s nieces and nephews called him Uncle Ghost, but Daphne held the distinction she was very proud of to call him Parrain Ghost. The girl G rescued from Cuba was Daphne’s best friend, Amanda Cruz.

Ghostrider’s crew for the rescue mission consisted of G’s older brother, four adult nephews and his two best friends. They all experienced a life-threatening adventure. The men of the crew all lived in south Louisiana. His two best friends Mary and Jennifer, the two beautiful athletic ladies both lived in Gulf Breeze with G and his fiancé, Lee.

Lee was G’s reason for living. She was his dreams and fantasies all rolled up into one hot passionate lady. She was a lady in every sense of the word. They had almost everything in common. Unlike the women with whom G had been in committed relationships in his past, Lee loved and appreciated the beauty and touch of other women. In a unique turn of events G and Lee’s souls bonded as one. Soon afterward, Jennifer and Mary joined their bond. They were all best friends and genuinely loved each other emotionally. It was only natural for their bond to become physical and very sexual.

They all lived in the same home in their four-way love affair right on the water near the junction of Santa Rosa Sound and Pensacola Bay. Lee was a makeup artist and was away working on a SyFy movie set in Los Angeles and did not accompany the crew of Ghostrider on their rescue adventure.

Amanda had been reunited with her parents, the mission was done and by noon on this day they would sail Ghostrider back into her home berth and secure her mooring. G was getting anxious to be home. He missed Lee’s smile, her laugh and the vanilla scent of her warm soft skin. She used vanilla scented moisturizing lotion daily so that scent made him miss her more every time he smelled it.

Lee still had a couple more weeks left on the current movie she was on but G was going to visit her in Los Angeles and stay with her until the movie was in the can. They spoke almost every day. She missed him as badly as he missed her. They were anxious to be together soon.

As he sailed toward Caucus Pass at Pensacola he sipped his coffee deep in his thoughts. He was thinking about all that had happened in the last two weeks and all the little things he needed to do before he headed out west to reunite with Lee.

His concentration was broken when Mary commented, Sure was a hell of a couple of weeks, wasn’t it?

He turned to see Mary snuggled up in a blanket next to him in the dimly lit cockpit of Ghostrider. The sleepy glow from her big bright blue eyes warmed him to his bones. He had tried to convince her at about 1:00 am to join Jennifer in their queen size berth in their master stateroom. She would sleep much more soundly and comfortably but she insisted on staying with him on deck.

My place is by your side, she repeated to him even though she looked exhausted.

Yeah, my dear friend, it sure has been a hell of a couple of weeks, he answered her. You know Mary, we never talked about what you had to do last week.

What did I do? she asked with the innocence of the genuine sweet soul that she was.

About what you did when I was not on board when those pirates boarded Ghostrider. Everyone on board told me what you did, Mary. How you saved them all without thinking and your quick reactions. You shot and killed six or seven men…those pirates as they boarded your deck.

She stood up next to him and nestled her face in his chest as he pulled her into his consoling embrace. She tenderly kissed him and told him as she looked him in the eyes, I reacted to their threat with equal force. I have thanked God that I was a second faster than that trash that came on board uninvited with evil intention. I don’t have any problems with what I did. If I hadn’t done what I did I know what the consequences would have been. I’m happy it turned out like it did. Just like you instructed us all before you disembarked on your kayak. Anyone who boards our deck uninvited will have evil intentions. They were not people; they became targets.

Mary, you are really remarkable. You know that? he told her.

She smiled uncontrollably as she asked, Is that why you love me so much, G? Because I’m remarkable?

Oh sweetie, I love you because you stole my heart the moment we met. You are simply adorable. He held her close for a moment then said, You know the sun is rising, and we’ll be through the pass in a couple of hours. That means we’ll be home before noon.

Are we really that close? she asked. Why haven’t I seen the Pensacola lighthouse?

My guess would be there’s fog between us and the light, but it will be daylight when we get there. Hopefully the fog will have burned off.

By noon Ghostrider rested in her slip between her piers at their home in Gulf Breeze. The men of the crew were backing their truck out of the driveway. The men still had a four-hour ride to get home. Mary, Jennifer and G were home but still had to clean up and wash things on Ghostrider.

The ladies proposed a deal to G. They would wash all the linens and clean all the interior of Ghostrider. That would give him his afternoon to do anything he needed to do to prepare his pearl white BMW touring motorcycle he called Gypsy for his ride to visit Lee in Los Angeles. Then he could take them out to dinner down on Santa Rosa Island, maybe a slow stroll on the beach afterward in the moonlight and then take them to bed and make love to them without the distractions or stress of the mission from which they had just returned.

Ladies, that deal seems to have everything in it for me. How can I turn down a deal like that?

A couple of hours later Gypsy was ready for the pending trip and the ladies were nearly completed cleaning up their boat. He stood at the window of his large backyard shed with the two bedroom apartments on top and watched Jennifer walk out of their house onto the rear patio deck. She carried the clean linens as she walked across the yard to their boat. He marveled at her womanly curves, her bright red hair pulled back in a ponytail and her clear big and bright green eyes. He thought about how he truly loved that woman. Like Mary and Lee, he loved each one with all his heart and soul but each one unique to their personalities. After he watched Jennifer walk into Ghostrider’s cabin he went inside their house and took a shower. Afterward he lay naked on his bed. He had been up all night and was really feeling his lack of sleep. He was sleeping in an instant.

He woke to the smell of the fire Mary and Jennifer lit in the living room fireplace. His bedroom windows were open and he could see it was dark outside. He could feel the chill in the night air and that he was now covered with a blanket. He sat up and checked the time to see it was after 7:00 pm. He remembered that they were planning to go out to dinner. He thought, So why haven’t they woke me up? He was a little confused and his head was still filled with sleepy cobwebs. He put on his jeans and went to the living room calling to his ladies.

Both ladies were sitting near the fire on an oversized beanbag chair. Jennifer got up immediately asking if their laughing woke him. She kissed his cheek asking if he wanted a cup of coffee.

"No, you didn’t wake me and I would love coffee. Why didn’t you wake me up?"

Mary patted the beanbag chair where Jennifer had been sitting. She said, Come sit with me G. Jenn will bring you coffee.

As he sat next to her he asked again, Why didn’t you wake me up so we can go out to dinner? Then maybe unwind with a stroll on the beach and then definitely come back home and go to bed early and stay up and play.

You were so tired, Mary told him. We would have let you sleep until tomorrow morning but since you’re up we can still go out to dinner."

Jennifer returned from the kitchen and handed G a cup of steamy brew with vanilla creamer. She sat opposite Mary next to G on the beanbag chair and asked, Are we still going out to dinner? You know, if you would prefer we can take a rain check on the dinner and the stroll on the beach but I would be disappointed if we missed out on making love tonight. You’re leaving in the morning for God only knows how long. It will be a while before we’ll be together again.

He sipped his coffee and said, Oh my dear sweet ladies, you’ll get it all. Just give me a minute to wake up. Then we’ll go on our date and we’ll definitely top off this last night together right.

Two hours later they were standing shoulder to shoulder on Casino Beach of Santa Rosa Island with a blanket wrapped around their shoulders. The sea breeze was cold. The temperature was in the 40s now and the fog was starting to roll in. They stood about 30 feet from the water for a couple of minutes looking out toward the dark Gulf of Mexico.

G told them, It’s too cold and damp to have you two out here tonight. Why don’t we go on back to the car?

Jennifer’s voice shuttered when she spoke. I was going to suggest we go home and warm our naked bodies in front of the fireplace.

Mary said with a chuckle, Jenn, you are such a pussy.

Jennifer smiled and said, But Mary, you say that like that’s a bad thing.

Mary told her, Good. So now I don’t feel so bad, ‘cuz I am too. Let’s go home where it’s warm.

G stood between his ladies with his arms around their waists. Without a word, they spun around and walked back to Lee’s pearl white BMW X5 SUV in the parking lot. Then with the heater on high G drove to the traffic light. He asked, Do you mind if I stop at the big white cross just up the road for just a minute? You know when I return from a voyage I like to go there to pray and give thanks for protection and good fortune. And on our last voyage our guardian angels had to work overtime. I know you two are cold so just stay in the car. I’ll just be a minute, okay?

They acknowledged that was fine and G drove the quarter of a mile down Fort Pickens Road and parked in the sand just off the pavement at the foot of the large sand dune where the big white cross stood. Jennifer and Mary were out of the car before G. He looked at them as if to ask why didn’t they stay in the car where it was warm? They took his hand and told him, We go where you go. No matter what we face, we face it together. Where we go one, we go all.

They stood before the large white cross freestanding halfway up the side of the large white sand dune on the gulf side of the two-lane roadway. That large crucifix at this spot was supposed to mark the location of the first Christian church service believed to have ever been held in the new world by European maritime explorers several hundred years earlier.

In the years G roamed around aimlessly after his release from prison he found himself standing before that cross more times than he could remember. But those times he stood there alone. Now he had three living, breathing angels who took care of him and watched out for him and each had actually saved him from certain death on several occasions. The ladies who now shared G’s life made it a point that he would never be alone unless he chose to be. His ladies decided he had spent way too much time alone in his life.

They stood against each other as the cold breeze blew in from off the water and they prayed. They were in silent prayer for a moment then G spoke aloud with his prayer. Lord God in heaven above, we thank you for bringing us together and bonding our souls as one. Thank you for your blessing and gifts we’ve received while on our last voyage. Thank you for allowing me to reunite Amanda safely with her parents. Please continue to watch over my ladies and our families. Please protect Mary and Jenn while I’m away to be with Lee. Please watch over Lee while she is away from us. We know the blessings you bestow are because you love us. We pray to never misuse them, and all we do is done in your name. Then they said Amen and turned and silently hurried back to the warmth of the car. As they drove home G told his ladies, Thank you for being my friends, standing by me and for coming with me to get Amanda out of Cuba. You know you two are part of Lee’s and my souls. I’ll miss you both while I’m gone.

Mary said, Don’t worry about us. You’re going to be with Lee. She needs you right now. We’ll be waiting for both of you when you get home. Now can we hurry and get home so we can all get naked in front of the fireplace?

They laughed as Jennifer said, I love the way you just say what you’re thinking. But just so you know, I was thinking the same thing.

G smiled and said, Well, I see we all had the same idea about spending the night naked in front of the fireplace. We could take a mattress off one of our beds and throw it on the floor in the living room.

When they got home G told the ladies, Why don’t you go throw some wood on the embers in the fireplace while I drag my mattress to the living room?

A few minutes later as G slid his mattress into the living room, there was barely a flame going under a stack of fresh logs in the fireplace. The lights were out and the little bit of flickering light of the small fire set the mood for their evening. The ladies stood in the middle of the room and were kissing tenderly and undressing each other.

He laid the mattress down on the floor and his ladies lay on it still caressing each other. They knew G really enjoyed seeing them with each other. Tonight, they wanted to give him memories he would remember even when he was with Lee. He put on his favorite Dean Martin CD of Italian love songs. He went to his lovers and they tenderly and slowly enjoyed their loving experience. As the flames in the fireplace grew higher so did their passion. They fueled each other’s loving lustful desires for a couple of hours. Eventually G got up to put more wood on the fire before they snuggled up together and fell sound asleep. G loved these ladies and they loved him as deeply. The shining blond and the bright redhead who held him contently as he slept were two of the three ladies who shared his heart’s pulse.

G woke the next morning to the smell of hot fresh-baked cinnamon rolls coming from the kitchen. There was a cup of coffee with vanilla creamer on the couch end table next to their mattress. He could feel warm enthusiastic full lips wrapped tightly around his fully aroused erection. At first, he thought he was having a really good dream. After a moment, he opened his eyes to see long bright red hair draping down the sides of Jennifer’s face and her lips had a tight loving seal around and sliding up and down the length of his standing manhood.

He could feel that he was close to climax. She sensed the impending overflow of his intense passionate pleasure. She intensified the expression of her love until he erupted into her mouth with all his morning glory.

Mary’s head rested on one side of his chest as she lay on her side next to him with her long silky blond hair laid on him as well. She watched as Jennifer contained all his eruption in her mouth. Eventually he opened his eyes again. Mary was watching his face closely. She said softly, Good morning, sunshine.

He squeezed her closer against him and said, Oh yeah, it is sweetie, quite possibly the very best kind.

Jennifer moved from between his legs and lay beside him opposite Mary. She asked with a content tone, Now G, how about some coffee and cinnamon rolls?

They shared a plate full of cinnamon rolls, coffee and a morning shower and then got dressed. He kissed his lovers, good-bye and he got on Gypsy and began his cross-country journey from the Florida panhandle to the California coast to join Lee in Los Angeles.

Mary and Jennifer went for a run not long after G left their home. They ran down on the island at the water’s edge. They skipped lunch and took a two-hour nap. They were scheduled to be at work at 5:00 pm that evening at Hemingway’s Restaurant. They enjoyed waiting tables there and had done so for about ten years.

Mary and Jennifer met as children. They lived next door to each other in Fort Kent, Maine, and they had been inseparable ever since. They were each like the sister the other never had. They shared everything since they were eight or nine years old. They were best friends and they were lovers. Even when they were in relationships with men in their past they still stayed close to each other.

They left Fort Kent, Maine more than ten years earlier after they both divorced their husbands. They moved to the Pensacola area with business degrees from The University of Maine at Fort Kent. But they chose to wait tables at the fine dining island atmosphere of Hemingway’s Restaurant in their paradise community on Santa Rosa Island.

They dated a lot of men in the last ten years hoping for a true and passionate love but no one measured up until they met G and Lee. They found the best of both worlds in their four-way relationship. They were all best friends and lovers. They forged a unique deep and passionate bond and love for each other.

They knew not many people would or could understand their arrangement and lifestyle. Mary and Jennifer were lifelong friends and when the four of them got together they instantly became more than casual friends. It was as though an unseen force drew them together. They all seemed to want the same unique things out of life. They wanted those unique things with a loving romance being the glue that held it all together. No one planned it and none of them ever imagined that they could be so head over heels in love with three people at the same time but it really did happen just that way. Their relationship was based on devoted friendship. Soon it became passionate and then sexual. G considered himself the luckiest man alive. He was in love with and loved by, the three most beautiful passionate big hearted and loyal women on the planet. These women not only loved him, they were in love with each other as well. His ladies loved and desired each other as much as they loved and desired him.

For public viewing and respect for those who could not understand, G and Lee were engaged to be married. They had their own bedroom while Mary and Jennifer had their own separate bedrooms as well. But in the privacy of their home they generally all shared the same bed. They were all free-spirited souls who loved without demands or rules. Each was grateful that the others loved and pleased them so completely. They encouraged each other to never miss out or decline any opportunity to achieve or engage in any pleasure or joy because they were in this relationship with each other. Instead, they encouraged each other to engage in or achieve the opportunity of that joy and pleasure because they were in their unique love affair relationship with each other. They would be together until death do they part. They were connected in a spiritual sense and that made their physical pleasure explode with so much raw passion and lust when their bodies came together.

The ladies jokingly questioned if they considered themselves to be bisexual and G always clarified his label on their sexuality. He’d tell them, You’re not bisexual. You are my try-sexual ladies. You three will try anything sexual if you think it will feel good or you think it will be soothing or pleasing. They would all agree with his comment. They were all try-sexual but they wouldn’t have it any other way. Their lives were as they believed they should be. They were content and the happiest any of them had ever been in all their lives. Not only did they have the most thoughtful and caring lovers imaginable, each wanted to make the others happier today than they were yesterday, nurturing and caring for their spiritual and emotional wellbeing and physical pleasures. They each had their three lovers and mates doing just that at the same time, all the time.

Lee left to go do her current job almost three weeks earlier. Mary, Jennifer and G had been without her for that time. Even though they were busy with the life-threatening rescue from Cuba, they missed her terribly. Now G would be with his fiancé in a couple of days. Lee had been worried about G and Ghosrider’s crew while they were in harm’s way. She followed their movement, locations and the progress of the mission with G’s satellite phone and GPS tracking and monitoring systems.

The wristwatch computer Lee gave G as a gift was a GPS tracking transceiver which afforded Lee the capability of knowing his exact location and monitoring his movements anywhere in the world. Ghostrider was equipped with similar technology, so Lee could also monitor where her boatload of loved ones were.

While Lee worked her job in southern California she almost constantly monitored Ghostrider’s crew and her captain. She knew the moment G disembarked from Ghostrider onto his kayak in open water. She knew when he reached dry land and when he reached his target destination. She held her breath waiting for him to begin his reciprocating course away from the imminent and immediate danger. She followed the position of Ghostrider and knew when G was back on board at their rendezvous point.

Lee had the capability of monitoring real time when and where G, Ghostrider, and her crew were, at all times. She knew he left Gulf Breeze on Gypsy at about 8:00 am and was coming out west to be with her for the remaining couple of weeks of her job.

She wasn’t sure if being able to track his movements eased her mind and settled her heart or just made her miss him even more but that didn’t matter to her now. He was on his way to be with her. They would be in each other’s arms and in her bed in a couple of days.

G rode Gypsy peacefully along the open interstate highway. He thought back about when he had taken Lee to dinner at Hemingway’s on New Year’s Eve on Santa Rose Island. That night she admitted for the first time to anyone that she was attracted to women, although there had only been the one time that she acted on her desires. She wanted G to know that she desired to experiment with him about her attraction to women.

That night, Lee seduced their stunning sexy redheaded waitress. That waitress was Jennifer and she knew what she was in for that night when she went back to G’s and Lee’s room. They shared intimate pleasures until sunrise. The women loved what they could do for each other. They loved having G watch and participate as well. And they loved what they could do when they worked together to please G.

Not long afterward Jennifer introduced her best friend, roommate and sometime lover into the mix. Mary and Jennifer became dear friends to Lee and G. Then the whole thing turned passionately romantic. In less than six months they were all in love with each other. They lived and loved as though they were all G’s wives and wives to each other. He was their man and they were his women. They gave themselves willingly and lovingly to each other in their special and unique romantic and free-spirited life.

Yeah, he knew he was the luckiest man alive. Then his thoughts jumped to present day. It was late afternoon and the sun would be setting soon. He had made good time so far. He hoped to be in Los Angeles by day’s end the next day. He knew the temperature would start dropping with the setting sun. He figured he would just ride until he became uncomfortably cold.

Chapter 2

Suspicious Inquiries of Ghostrider

Back on Pensacola Beach down on the island Jennifer and Mary got to Hemingway’s to work their evening shift. When they walked in they were greeted by Lauren, the hostess with a barrage of questions about the two-week vacation from which they had just returned. As far as anyone knew they had just been sailing with G and some of his family for a couple of weeks. No one knew of the rescue mission they had accomplished except for Joe, their close friend who was the head bartender at the restaurant. Now that it was done and they had been successful, no one else needed to know any differently. Just about everyone who worked there were very close, like extended family and most of their coworkers knew of their living arrangement and the relationship Jennifer and Mary had with G and Lee.

Lauren was excited to see them and asked, So where did you go sailing? My gosh, two weeks of relaxing on his big ol’ boat in the Keys. I sure could get used to that.

Jennifer smiled. Yeah Lauren, it was great. It would have been better if Lee could have come with us. She had to work but she’ll be with us next time. She’s even going to get her scuba certification before we go back.

You mean you two had G all to yourselves? I know G is twice my age but that is one man I would love a chance to share his bed. Every time he has spoken to me he looks me in the eyes with those deep blue eyes of his. My gosh, he makes me wet every time. Then she blushed a little and they all giggled like schoolgirls.

Mary got serious and grabbed Lauren’s forearm as she put her face near hers. She said with intensity, I know, Lauren. He does that to me, too. Let me tell you he’s not just good to look at. He can please a woman like no man Jenn and I have ever known.

Jennifer smiled in agreement and said, Three at a time, girl! She paused a moment then added, Hey Lauren, if you want to why not come home with us one night? I’m sure G would love it.

You say that like it’s just that simple, Lauren commented.

But it is, Mary added. None of us would have a problem with you in our bed. Look at yourself girl, you’re smokin’ hot.

Not with all of you, she whispered to Mary and Jennifer. I would want just him for the night. No offense ladies, but I don’t do women. Although if ever I was to have sex with a woman it would be Lee. Now she is smokin’ hot.

They told her simultaneously, Oh yeah. She’s hot. She could make a gay man straight.

You don’t know what you’re missing, Jennifer assured her. But if you want to Lauren, we can set it up so you can have your night in his bed alone.

Mary smile saying, I’d at least like to watch you and G…Don’t say it. I know, I’m a freaky ho.

Jennifer nudged her lower back and said, That’s why we all love you. Come on my freaky love ho, we better go clock in and get to work. They walked toward the kitchen arm in arm.

Before they walked too far Lauren said, Oh, I almost forgot. Joe asked me to tell you two when you came in tonight to go see him at the bar. There’s something he needs to tell you, something about G’s boat. Mary and Jennifer acknowledged that they heard as they continued into the kitchen.

They were busy all night and if they had remembered they didn’t have the time to talk with Joe in the bar area. Much later in the evening Jennifer saw Joe behind the bar mixing a colorful drink and remembered that he needed to talk to her. She walked to the bar and told him hello. He finished mixing the colorful concoction and then he looked up at her and said half-jokingly in his normal overdramatic tone, I don’t know if I should be talking to you. I’m so upset with you, girlfriend.

Believing that he might be serious she said with some humility and disappointment, Why are you upset with me, Joe? I brought you back a T-shirt from Key West. You’ll love it.

He rolled his eyes as to discard her mention of the gift. Lauren told me you and Mary offered her a night of lustful bliss with G all by herself. She said you two even bragged about how he could please his lovers. You know I have begged you for that ever since you two try-sexual little hos got hold of him. It seemed as though he was trying to assure himself when he told her, I know I could get G to come over to my world if I got half the chance.

Then he laughed as he hugged her and said, Oh, I just hate you. You bitch. You know that. And that bubbly blond with the big tits, too. He released her from his warm loving embrace and asked, So how was your trip? And where is Mary? I haven’t seen her yet tonight.

She’s working tables with me; we’ve been busy. In spite of the business we had to take care of down there we still had an awesome time. Key West is unbelievable. That place is so beautiful and the water is just so clear. You should come by the house after we close tonight and see the pictures we took on our trip. She paused a moment then asked, So Joe, Lauren said you needed to talk to me about Ghostrider?

Oh yeah, I was so upset that you offered G’s services to Lauren I just…

Jennifer stopped him in mid-sentence. Oh, get over it girlfriend. G’s out of your league anyway. So, what about Ghostrider? Does someone want to charter a trip?

Oh yeah, your boat Ghostrider…no, not that Ghostrider; not the one you and Mary just sailed to Key West. The wreck on the bottom of the gulf, the sunk one.

Jennifer’s posture became serious and rigid. What about the wreck of Ghostrider? she asked.

It’s probably nothing Jenn, but there were these guys here yesterday who were asking me if I was Joe the bartender who helped to rescue G and Lee the night they sank. I thought they were hot for me. I figured they heard the story with all the media coverage that incident had. I figured that they wanted a piece of my big celebrity status, if you know what I mean? You know that story made me very popular with the men around here. I scored a lot of action. I even had a few women who wanted to do all sorts of disgusting things with me.

Okay, okay Joe. You’re making me sick. Stop bragging. What about the wreck on the sea floor? What about Ghostrider?

Like I said, I thought they wanted me not the wreck’s location. They were big good-looking hunky men. I thought nothing of them asking me if I was that Joe. So, I told them yes I was that Joe. Then they started asking me if I knew the coordinates where she lay on the seabed. For no apparent reason, the hair on the back of my neck stood up when they wanted the exact location of the wreck. I remembered G asking me to not give anyone the exact location of the wreck. He said that there were some things he needed to retrieve from her. He even said I could go with him when he dove on her to get those things.

Jennifer looked him in the face and asked, Joe, did you tell them anything that would help them find the wreck?

I only said that she was ten miles out of Caucus Pass when she went down. But it’s a big gulf, Jenn and I didn’t give them a heading.

Did they say why they wanted to find the wreck? Did they say who they were or where they were from?

"No Jenn, I asked them that. They said that was their business but they would pay handsomely for the coordinates. Really, Jenn? I thought to myself, who says that anymore? Handsomely? They would pay handsomely? It sounded like a poorly written novel. Anyway, I told them the wreck exploded and burned, that there wasn’t much left of her out there, trying to discourage them. But then they offered to pay me $10,000 for the exact coordinates.

"I knew then, this was not a good thing. I knew G had something of value still down there, and I believe those guys wanted it real bad. When they said they would pay me $10,000 for the coordinates, I pretended to be upset that I really didn’t know. I explained to them how that night we saw the explosion and flames from the pass when we entered the gulf. I told them I didn’t even take a compass heading, that there was just too much excitement going on to notice and we just followed the beacon from the lighthouse to get back in.

I don’t think he believed me. He said he would be back in a couple of days to see if I remembered anything that could help them. Joe moved in close to Jennifer and whispered with a serious look on his face and asked, So what does G have down there? What’s down there that could be so valuable that someone would pay that kind of money just for its location?

I don’t know Joe but we’ll talk more about this later. I have to go and check on my tables.

After her conversation with Joe, Jennifer kept trying to convince herself that it was nothing to worry about, that it must be a couple of men who heard the story of a recent sinking of a big sailboat and they simply wanted to dive the wreck for the fun of it. But the large finder’s fee they offered Joe bothered her. She knew no one would pay that much money unless they knew or believed they would gain a lot more. She thought about how she knew no one did anything unless they at least believed they stood to gain.

Later in the evening Jennifer and Mary were talking in the kitchen. Mary told Jennifer that she had invited Lauren and a few other coworkers to their house after they closed. They could light a fire, have a glass of wine and show the pictures they took on their trip to Key West. As they were going back to check on their respective tables Mary asked, So why do you think those guys want to find Ghostrider?

Jennifer was going to tell Mary about her conversation with Joe on their way home later but apparently Mary had spoken to Joe already. Not wanting to get into that conversation at that moment she simply answered, I don’t know Mary but I’m sure it’s no big deal.

They were very busy all the way to closing. They had cleaned up and were about to walk out to their cars when Mary called G on his phone before walking out of the building. G insisted that every night before either Mary or Jennifer left the building after closing one of them call him to say that they were together and they were walking out to their car. Most nights they stayed on the phone with him until they were secured in their home about 5 minutes away but always at least until they were secured in their car with the engine running.

Mary got his voicemail and left a message. It was 11:30 pm and they hoped he was sleeping. They assumed that he rode long and hard for most of the day and that he was sound asleep. They went to their car accompanied by Lauren, Joe and three other female coworkers who were joining them for wine and to see the pictures of their recent trip. When they were secured in their home they called G’s phone again and left another message telling him that they were home and safe.

Jennifer had all their photographs on a slideshow presentation on her computer and displayed them on their large television over the fireplace. They were gathered around the TV and fire with glasses of wine as they watched the presentation. As each picture was seen, Mary and Jennifer gave the story behind it. They had exciting stories that went with each picture that was burned into Mary’s and Jennifer’s souls. When they had run through all the pictures on the slideshow they sat for a while talking about the experiences and how awesome it was to sail off on an unknown adventure. Eventually