Page 19 of Claimed
“Yes. Which means he’d encountered someone else first, before going to the dealer. Whether he did that intentionally to dress down for the sale of his goods or not, I don’t know.” Stefan paused. “According to his own testimony, the dealer suspected that something was wrong with the scenario, but took the deal. He sat on the watch for about six months before our fisherman visited him, saw the watch, and bought it from him. The dealer kept the flask. He gave it to me today.”
Stefan reached into his bag and pulled the flask free, holding it up to the camera. “Seal was here.” He said, pointing. “Looks maybe burned, then defaced. But it’s Ari’s.”
“A year ago. Directly after he crashed.” Cyril blew out a breath. “No sightings since?”
“None. The Turkish mainland is populated all along that coast, but there is a significant coastal park due east of here. If that was Ari’s target, he could potentially survive there for a short time. That park is also known for smugglers and merchant bands, however, so it makes his whereabouts thereafter more problematic.
“You can go there?”
“We can. Nicki has taken enough footage to add veracity to her story of an adventure reporter. But the trail grows more complicated from here. We can dispatch the men to follow up on leads, but our time in Alaçati is short. We can’t draw too much attention.”
“Then we create a foothold and continue the search another way.” Cyril nodded. “Go—go to where you most think Ari would have landed, if he wanted to avoid people. We’ll send another team to follow up if you think there’s a possibility.”
“We’ll be there in a few hours, and drop anchor overnight,” Stefan said. “We’ll enter the city tomorrow morning.”
He and Cyril spoke on for a few more minutes, while Nicki’s mind churned with possibilities. As usual, Stefan’s report had been bland, matter of fact. But there’d been nothing ordinary about the information he’d dropped.
Prince Ari hadn’t died in the fiery wreck as everyone had feared. He had—at least for a little while—survived and had had the wherewithal to get himself a boat and food. Where had he gone from there, though? Eventually, someone would have recognized him, or at least recognized his value. Why hadn’t anyone notified the royal family? Whether for ransom or out of goodwill?
Nicki stared at the small, unassuming flask.
If Ari was alive…where was he?
Twelve
Stefan cut communications with Cyril, then swiveled toward Nicki. Her gaze lifted from the flask.
“Do you think it’s possible he’s out there, somewhere?” she asked. “Still alive after all this time?”
He realized with a start that he didn’t have to lie to her or couch his words in any way, and the awareness was remarkably…refreshing. Nicki didn’t want an answer she could use as a shield or a tool. She simply wanted information to act more intelligently. Information to her was power, but not for playing diplomatic games.
“No,” he said, honestly. “It’s most likely that he made it to the mainland and was ambushed in his weakened state, robbed and killed, his body dumped or buried. The fact that he survived the crash is a victory for the royal family. The fact that his mind was probably damaged will be a source of endless despair for Queen Catherine. So, it’s a trade-off, and not necessarily a good trade-off.”
Nicki nodded. “She’ll want to know though.”
“She’ll want to know. And then she’ll be furious that she knows and isn’t doing more to get all the other answers she so desperately desires. So Cyril will hold off on telling King Jasenfor as long as possible, at least that part of it. Once the king knows, it’s inevitable that Catherine will find out.”
Nicki’s expression was wry, and he found himself wondering about her parents, back in the US. The dossier on them had been scant—they were both alive, and there was a brother, too, he was almost certain.
He decided to press the point. “You smile as if you know the type,” he said. “Do your parents have a similar relationship?”
“My parents?” she blinked at him. “Ah—no. They’re good people, but they’re both a little too wrapped up in their own separate worlds to pay too much attention to each other’s.”
She spoke the words without heat, or even much sadness. When she noted his surprise, she shrugged. “That’s probably unfair. I haven’t been home for months, between work and the travel for work. But either way, for Mom to see through Dad would involve them talking, and they don’t do a lot of that—or they didn’t used to. With my brother out of the house finally, maybe they do.”
So he’d been right about the brother. “He’s graduated college?”
“Not yet, but he’s at least in the dorm building there.” She grimaced. “He couldn’t imagine leaving home to go to school, while I couldn’t wait to get out. I guess it’s part of being a girl.”
“A girl who likes to climb mountains and enter windsurfing competitions.”
“A very specialized girl, then.” Nicki laughed, and Stefan felt a surge of awareness shiver through him. He stood. Tomorrow they’d be in Alaçati, no matter what the stopover at the coastal park would net them. They’d be surrounded by people. Today remained bright and full, filled with possibility, and there was the smallest chance that a man the whole country had mourned was alive and healthy. For this moment, the entire ocean was at their feet.
“Come,” he said. “We’ll be setting off soon, but there’s time for another swim.”
“Can’t,” she said ruefully. She pointed to the camera. “I need to cut that video into some vlogs and prepare posts with the images from the camera.” She hesitated. “You could—help, if you wanted?” she asked. “If you’re not too busy?”
He let his own smile break open wide, the expression still foreign on his face. “I’d like that very much.”