Jake scanned the ocean, marveling at the sheer number of vessels seemingly crowded around the same area. The vast ocean suddenly felt tiny and cramped. There were pleasure craft, fishing boats, sailing yachts, mid-sized commercial vessels, and even a small party cruise ship. Everyone either came out for the slim hope of finding treasure or, in the party ship's case, they came out to have a good time and watch everyone hunt.
Looking down, he rechecked his phone. He officially didn't have a cell signal any longer. Jake knew he'd need to wait until they went closer to shore again to see what his partner thought of the sudden request that came to the stocky detective's phone while stuck in line leaving the marina. The call had been a pleasant surprise, one that Jake wished he'd be able to follow up on personally. Phineas would likely take action on the offer by the time they returned. Unable to worry about it any longer, Jake sat back to enjoy the view while Luke moved the
Rid-Rod
around the large floating parking lot to find a spot to observe most of the action.
It was a perfect late Sunday morning. The stifling heat onshore felt tolerable out on the water, thanks to a gentle breeze. After being stuck in an impatient, loud line in the marina, the small fishing boat made swift progress once Luke could operate on the open water. With noon not too far off, the scene around the approximate map location had been in the swing of it for hours. Reaching over, Jake used the binoculars to appraise the happenings.
Scuba divers regularly submerged and emerged near the various vessels. One decent-sized commercial ship appeared to have a small submersible, while a couple of expensive-looking yachts had recreational undersea drones. Unfortunately for their owners, every remote-controlled object appeared to suffer one malfunction or another.
Suddenly, Jake stood up from his seat on the triple-person helm. He grabbed the long-lens camera he'd brought with him and zoomed in on a crusty, rusty vessel. Indeed, it was the
Catchkeeper
, Edgar Fowle's undying bucket of bolts. Jake knew the ship well, having snuck onto it several years before during one of their cases. Moving the camera, he found the salty sea captain barking out orders to Wheezy Norris while they worked on a broken winch. It appeared as if Fowle had at least one, if not two divers, in the water.
After snapping off several pictures, Jake turned to watch as Luke maneuvered the
Rid-Rod
by sight and with the GPS. Eventually, he found a spot far enough away from the others to shut the motor down without much risk of immediately floating into another ship. As Luke explained, his dad's smaller boat had an anchor, but not one for this far out with such a deep bottom. Still, he assured the concerned Andre it wasn't a big deal.
The three guys all sat at the helm's trio of seats. It wasn't a large vessel compared with the Ridley family's other sportfishing yacht, but the relatively narrow thirty-eight-foot vessel was a pretty nice boat. The hardtop above them provided protection from any rain, wind, or sun. A ladder could access it through a hatch.
Behind them, an aft-facing mezzanine bench could slide away to reveal a countertop, bait rigging station with removable cutting board, and molded sink. Storage supply drawers, a pull-out cooler, and a motorized slide-out cooler could also be stored in the area. A flip-out bench at the bottom could also turn the countertop into an extra seat. The section also contained a trash can, fire extinguisher, and paper towel locker. Several flip-down seats along the side and back provided plenty of space for a decent-sized group to sit together. A platform provided easy access to and from the water for swimming.
As first-time visitors, the trio of girls had been impressed with the various hidden storage compartments around the boat. Even the dour Michelle seemed taken aback when Trina squealed as Luke revealed a cabin in the middle of the vessel. For most people looking at the boat, it seemed impossible for there to be one. But it was neatly packed under the console's helm and part of the bow.
Accessible through a portside console door, three steps led down to a cabin with about six and a half feet of headroom. Down below, one could find a leather U-shaped lounge, a tiny table, a nice-sized high-definition TV, a galley with cabinets, a concealed sink with cover, a stainless pull-out fridge, and a microwave. Two openable portlights provided additional light and air. The girls were surprised and relieved that the boat even had a private head compartment with portlight, pressurized fresh water, a countertop vanity, a sink, a shower, and a head.
Back on deck, if the aft section provided an entertainment area for eating and drinking, the open bow allowed for more of a lazy experience. The centerpiece of the bow came in a pair of raised forward-facing sun chairs with a center flip-up armrest and drink holders. The very front of the bow included another U-shaped leather row of bench seats. A power-adjustable table could rise from the deck. A leather cushion could also be placed on the table to create a large mattress for laying out in the sun.
That configuration remained in place as the three girls sat scattered around the bow. While Indigo stretched out on the cushion-topped table, Trina and Michelle lounged on the side-by-side chairs. After disrobing, all three had already spread sunblock on their abundant skin.
Once Indigo dropped her sundress to the deck to reveal her skimpy metallic bikini, the other pair of girls joined her in order of their personalities. Trina had pulled off her top and shimmied her tight shorts down while the boat waited in line at the marina. Her and Indigo's tight, buxom bodies had cooled some tempers around on the other ships. Michelle held off because of the catcalls until they reached the open waters.
The first thing the guys did was compare the girl's bodies. Michelle hid the most skin in her orange sports-top bikini with boy-shorts bottoms. Under other circumstances, Michelle wouldn't have felt as inadequate as she had a nice slim figure with decent medium-sized breasts and a toned ass. However, the other two girls had curves and knew how to flaunt them.
After discarding her clothes, Trina revealed a classic white triangle bikini. While it only covered a small portion of her curves, it paled in comparison to her future roommate's skin display. Still, Jake thought his current summer flame looked incredibly sexy in the tiny bikini. Despite having already seen what lay hidden beneath the fabric, Jake gawked at her every angle while blood started to flow to his cock. He knew he'd get another shot at her naked body today, even if it meant squeezing into the small galley for a quickie.
Since she'd started the show, Indigo continued to tease her goodies. Andre's whispered remark about her having a banging body had swiftly been agreed upon by his friends. Around medium height, the skinny girl showed off her taut stomach and her pert ass, but it was her pair of Double Ds that drew a man's attention every time. Indigo had a body built for fucking, and the guys would soon learn the nearly nineteen-year-old absolutely loved to do so.
Feeling the boat come to a halt, the platinum blonde turned on her side to look in the direction of the helm through her oversized sunglasses. With her lips turning up into a slight smirk, she yelled, "Let's get some tunes going!"
"You can play DJ," Luke told Andre, who gladly reached for the radio's controls.
None of the guys had thought to bring any particular music during the rushed planning. Unable to get any signal this far out, they'd have to settle for songs already downloaded onto their phones or the radio. Their last resort might be an old iPod Luke's parents had with a ton of popular classics. However, Trina and Indigo appeared to be girls who preferred their current favorites, which the platinum blonde immediately indicated upon criticizing Andre's first radio station selection.
While Andre complied, Luke picked up a pair of binoculars and joined Jake in scanning the assortment of vessels. He started to rattle off the names of several boats he recognized, commenting on their owners.
"The
Reel Equity
. That's the Crockett family's boat."
"As in Colt Crockett?" Jake questioned, referring to the star quarterback at South High.
"Damn, I nearly sacked him last year. I'm definitely getting him at least once this year," Andre proclaimed after Luke nodded at Jake's question. "Fuck it. I'm taking that bitch down at least twice this season."
"We'd better slaughter the Sea Wolves this time. I'm so sick of them making fun of our name," Luke added.
"Yeah, the Puffers might not strike fear in the hearts of others, but we're gonna make sure our name isn't a joke after we win state," Jake declared, taking a picture once he spotted Colt on the other boat.
"Over there on the
Fishrupt
is Yasmine Greco's dad," Luke pointed out.
