The Poseidon Project, page 6
“So does that mean you don’t need us?” Linda asked. “Because I, for one, am packed and ready to go.”
Molly replied, “It’s up to you all. It will be expensive to book tickets at the last minute. Can you call Betty and Donna? I can make woodfired pizzas tonight. Talk to you later.”
Molly appeared a bit more buoyant. Her posture returned, and her eyes reflected the clarity of regaining control. She had decided, and she would stick to her decision, even though she had no idea how they would get there or what they would do.
“I hope we can find flights this late,” she said.
In the back of his mind, Lukas remembered what Taylor told him about the potential pilot strike. Being unable to fly out of the United States was one thing, but not being able to fly back home was what concerned him the most. That gave him an idea.
“Mom,” he asked Molly. “Would you mind if I had someone over for dinner with you and the ladies? I know it’s kind of an odd question, considering what’s going on.”
“Do I know this person? Of course, you can, Lukas. We all need our friends around us at such a difficult time.”
Lukas rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t say he’s quite a friend. More like a nice guy I met on the flight out here who is kind of stuck here for the next couple of days. I ran into him out at Catalina yesterday morning. He likes running there, too.”
“Honey, you’ve uprooted your life to be out here with me. I can imagine it would be fun to hang out with someone other than a bunch of old ladies.”
“I love hanging out with all of you. It’s more like, I kind of feel sorry for him, Mom. His name is Taylor. It’s kind of my fault he’s stuck in Tucson.”
Molly looked perplexed. “Your fault? May I ask why?”
He didn’t share a lot with her, especially about his business life, and on the rare occasion he had one, his love life.
“He flew me here.”
Chapter 8
Molly, her friends, plus Taylor and Lukas dug into the woodfired pizzas they made together. Taylor blended in quickly, charming everyone with his flying stories and overall wit. Lukas had obviously never seen him in a social setting, and considering this was a tense time for everyone, he knew how to be appropriately engaging. “Mrs. Halloran, your pizza tastes like it was flown in from Naples,” Taylor complimented.
“Please call me Molly, and thank you, Taylor.”
Linda chimed in, “How long have you and Taylor known each other, Lukas?” She winked at him, signaling her approval—for what he could only imagine.
“We just met a few days ago. Taylor lives near DC, but we met on the flight out here.”
“Here on business?” she asked.
“I’m a pilot, ma’am,” Taylor explained.
“Interesting. How long have you been flying?” Donna inquired.
“More than twenty years. I was in the Air Force, Special Operations Command, mostly deployed throughout the Middle East. Spent time in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.” Lukas was learning things about Taylor he didn’t know.
“Thank you for your service,” Donna interjected. “I was in the Army.”
“Thank you for yours.”
Donna smiled at the acknowledgment. “People are nice to military folks, but I wish they would say thank you to teachers, doctors, nurses, and social workers, as well. My mom was a teacher. I know it’s a thankless job,” Taylor noted.
Taylor instantly won over the crowd with four very grateful teachers. “Okay, I love him, Lukas,” Betty interjected, not aware that he and Taylor were not an item he was showing off to his mom and her friends.
Lukas just shrugged and raised his eyebrows. Taylor acknowledged the awkwardness by smiling back at him.
Hoping to change the subject to get Lukas off the hot seat, Molly asked, “So, ladies, who is going to Dubai with me? No pressure, but I’ve just got to get this damned trip booked already.”
Linda and Betty immediately raised their hands. Donna slowly did the same, a bit hesitant and perhaps submitting to peer pressure.
“I’m going to call the embassy tomorrow morning early,” Molly informed them. “It’s been two days since they called last, and they didn’t have any news about John anyway. I get more worried each day.”
“If I may offer a perspective,” Taylor interjected, “the fact that they have not found his body could be a positive sign.” Lukas, Molly, and their friends were taken aback. “I do not mean to sound gruesome, but if your husband had…you know. They would have probably found his body in the water by now. It’s a very busy area. Lukas told me only a little of the story. I’m sorry if that was an insensitive thing to say.”
Molly was stunned. “No, no please. You’ve told me more in two minutes than the embassy has told me in almost a week.”
“You can take the boy out of Special Ops, but you can’t…well, you know the saying. One of my duties in the Air Force was search, rescue, and recovery.” Taylor stumbled. He looked nervously at Lukas, who nodded, signaling it was all good.
Linda spoke up. “So you think John is alive?”
Taylor suddenly wished he’d never opened his mouth. “Linda, I have no idea. It’s just experience, and odds are if a body hasn’t been found in the water, on the beach, a hospital, a morgue, or somewhere else, there’s a pretty good chance he’s alive out there.”
“But it’s the open ocean,” Betty mentioned. “I mean there’s fish, sharks…”
“The detective in Dubai confirmed with the hotel that John was wearing a life vest,” Molly reminded them. “Even if, God forbid, he did drown, wouldn’t that still float?”
“Theoretically yes, Ma,” Lukas answered. “So would his paddle, and they never found that either.”
“How long has the search been going on?” Taylor inquired.
“About five days, assuming it’s still on,” Molly responded.
“Lukas, do you have a laptop I could borrow?” Taylor asked him, and he walked past and returned with his laptop. Taylor fired it up. “Password?”
Lukas entered the password and several biometric checks—fingerprints, facial recognition, and speaking voice. “I’ve got government data on here, so it’s protected like Fort Knox.”
“In that case, I’m not touching it.” Taylor searched on his cell phone for some information.
He handed his phone to Lukas, who entered the identical URL to be able to pull up the map on his larger screen. It was a map of currents in the Persian Gulf. Taylor studied the map and asked everyone to move closer so they could see the screen. “Okay, so this is the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. There’s Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and up here toward the point is Dubai,” Taylor explained.
“That’s the Strait of Hormuz, right?” Donna asked.
“Yep, and right next door is Oman. Dubai is closer to Oman than it is to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE,” Lukas pointed out.
“So what does this have to do with John?” Linda asked. “Other than showing us where Dubai is located, what are you suggesting?”
“Not suggesting anything right now, but wanted to show you something,” Taylor replied. “Lukas, can you click the animation on this map?”
Suddenly, the arrows within the map started to move as Taylor studied it. “See how the currents churn counterclockwise? That’s pretty consistent from what I remember. The current is affected by salinity and water temperature, so as it churns, it creates a system of lower pressure in the middle…more or less a gyre.”
Lukas pointed his finger to follow the current. “So if Dad’s boat was found off the coast of Palm Jumeirah, his paddle and life vest would have likely circled this gyre and ended up right back where they started.” Taylor nodded.
Molly jumped in. “The search is supposedly focused on where they found the kayak, but Taylor, you’re saying the boat had probably traveled a bit. John would have only been missing hours by this point, not days. How could his kayak still be relatively close to Dubai?”
“I’m going to take a stab here,” Taylor jumped in. “If currents were relatively predictable and there were no storms, which I don’t imagine there were since John probably wouldn’t have ventured out. But let’s assume it was normal, in thirty-six hours, John’s boat would have been closer to the coast of Iran than to Dubai.”
“The search was focused on the waters off Dubai. That’s what the embassy told me,” Molly responded.
“Mom, add that question to your list when you call the embassy. Ask them where the search has been conducted and where it will go next.”
Molly jotted that down. A question had been on her mind. “Isn’t the Persian Gulf pretty crowded with ships? I read there are traffic jams going through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Taylor nodded. “You have hundreds of oil tankers from the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia going in and out of the gulf every day. It’s a prime target for terrorists and also disputes between Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Iran. Iran has threatened to shut off the Strait due to sanctions imposed by the Americans.”
“So it’s a pretty busy place,” Molly confirmed.
“And a disaster waiting to happen,” Donna commented.
“Which is why it’s so heavily patrolled,” Lukas added. “I read that about twenty-five percent of the world’s oil passes through the Strait and Persian Gulf every day.”
“Molly,” Taylor asked, “Lukas said the kayak was found by a pleasure boat out on a fishing trip, correct?”
Molly nodded. “That’s what the embassy told me.”
“Fishing areas usually begin about forty miles offshore. I wonder why the boat that found the kayak was closer to shore…five miles, wasn’t it?” Taylor asked.
“Maybe it was more like a booze cruise,” Linda commented.
“Mom, I think that could be another question for your call tomorrow,” Lukas added.
It was already ten p.m., and Molly and her guests were fading. “I’ve got my alarm set for three a.m. tomorrow so I can speak with the embassy during their business day. We spent so much time talking we didn’t have time to check flights.”
“We can do that tomorrow,” Linda answered. “I’m way past my bedtime.”
After cleaning up, Linda and Betty boarded Donna’s golf cart. “No way I’m walking home tonight,” Betty said. “Too many coyotes out. We’ll see you tomorrow, Molly. I hope the embassy has some good news.”
Lukas walked Taylor to the door. Molly gave him a big hug. “Thank you for talking to us tonight. You sure know a lot about the world. I feel more informed, but there is something that doesn’t add up. You touched on it, Taylor, and it’s been nagging at me.”
“And what part was that?” Taylor asked.
“The paddle and the life vest. Why wouldn’t everything be in roughly the same place; the kayak, paddle, and the life vest, regardless of whether John’s body was in it?” Molly pointed out. “I can’t understand why search and rescue has not turned up anything else.
“I don’t know, Molly. I thought about that, too. The search and rescue part of me is wired into my DNA.”
“Well, good night, and I hope to see you again, Taylor.” Molly returned back into the house, leaving Lukas and Taylor alone on the front porch.
“Well, you are a bountiful supply of information,” Lukas thanked him. “Thanks for engaging my mom and her friends. That was sweet of you. I think you gave my mom a bit of hope.”
“Look, Lukas, I didn’t want to say this in front of your mom, but I think it’s strange that the embassy hasn’t been calling you around the clock with updates. Your dad is a big executive, and he’s missing. A lot of what I’m hearing sounds…odd. I wonder how much they really know or are actively looking for your dad.”
“I hope we can learn more tomorrow. I really appreciate you giving her information. She’s a scientist and a detective at heart. I can already see her wheels turning.”
“I only told her what I can see from the information provided,” Taylor responded.
Lukas reached his hands to massage his neck. “Let’s hope we get some clarity soon.”
Taylor nodded. “So, meet up tomorrow morning at Catalina? Seven a.m. I’ll bring the espresso.”
“Seriously?” Lukas laughed. “I’m fucked up on sleep, have a stiff neck and jet lag.”
“Best way to cure that is to keep moving,” Taylor answered.
“Are you my personal trainer now?”
Taylor shrugged. “Maybe. Thanks for inviting me over tonight. It was nice to hang out with some fun people…even in this shitty situation.” Before Lukas could respond, Taylor embraced him in a bear hug that left him surprised. “See you tomorrow morning. Sleep well.” Lukas felt engulfed by Taylor’s muscles and had never been this close to him.
Lukas smiled back and nodded. He couldn’t even remember the last time a man hugged him.
Chapter 9
Lukas and Molly were up at three a.m., as planned. It was dark outside, and the sun had another two hours before it would begin to turn the sky orange. They sat at the kitchen table with Molly’s phone on speaker as they tried to connect to Abu Dhabi. Finally, someone picked up and transferred to their case manager, Officer Humphries. “Good morning, Mrs. Halloran,” Humphries answered with little to no inflection in his voice. “What can I answer for you today? I have no updates, unfortunately.”
Molly flipped him off and silently told him to fuck off while she composed herself. “My husband has been missing for over a week. Have you confirmed that there has been a search of area hospitals, morgues, or other cities in the UAE? Also, can you confirm whether the sea search is still going on and approximately where?”
Officer Humphries cleared his throat. “Mrs. Halloran, I will confirm those things for you and call you sometime next week.”
“I’d like a call back today, Officer,” Molly said pointedly. “If I do not hear back from you by this afternoon, Arizona time, I’m calling my congressman, senators, and the FBI. I need to know what is going on with my husband, and I’m not waiting until next week. My patience is at its end.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone while Lukas high-fived his mom. “Mrs. Halloran, I will get whatever answers to your questions within the next four hours. If I don’t have answers, I’ll tell you that, too. I apologize, as I know this must be very difficult for you.”
“I appreciate that, Officer Humphries. I will speak with you later, and I have this phone with me at all times.”
“I got flashbacks to my childhood just now,” Lukas replied. “You still terrify me, Ma.”
“Let’s hope I terrified Officer Humphries. Thanks for your help preparing me. Thank your friend Taylor, too.”
“I’m meeting up with him at Catalina in a couple of hours.”
“Well he’s a nice man, Lukas. Smart and handsome, too.”
“Mom…I don't even know if he’s gay, or married, or a…witch doctor…we literally just met a couple of days ago.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s into you, Lukas. What straight man would come spend an evening with a bunch of old ladies?” Molly pointed out.
Lukas smiled. “Mom, the guys that are into me are usually sociopathic party boys, unavailable, or have googled my net worth because they’re gold diggers.”
“Honey, I have a sense about people. I think he’s a good guy.”
Lukas rubbed his temples. “Honestly, I do, too, Ma. That’s what worries me. I never seem to attract the good guys, so I’m not getting my hopes up. I’m gonna grab a quick shower, some breakfast, and then head out.”
“You’re taking a shower before your run?” Molly smirked. “Whatever you say, dear.”
Lukas hugged his mom. “You’re impossible.”
He pulled the Wrangler into the parking space a few away from Taylor, who was doing calf stretches against the wheel of his Hyundai Tucson rental car, while talking on the phone. Lukas threw on his sunglasses quickly so that Taylor didn’t see him staring at his muscular legs and butt, nicely accented by the running shorts. Holy shit, Lukas thought. Taylor hung up and waved to Lukas, who had been sitting in his Jeep until Taylor was off the phone. Taylor walked over and hugged Lukas again. He must be a hugger, Lukas thought, enjoying the embrace.
****
“My daughter called, and I had to help her through a financial and personal crisis.” Taylor laughed.
Another piece of the Taylor puzzle revealed. He has a daughter? “No problem. I didn’t want to disturb you,” Lukas replied.
“You wouldn’t have. We talk a couple of times a day. She’s a pilot, like her dad.” Now Lukas was perplexed. Taylor’s daughter is a pilot? He assumed his daughter was about ten, not old enough to be a pilot. What other surprises did he have? Lukas’ heart sank a bit, the air let out of the balloon. He chided himself for this stupid crush he had.
“I can see you doing mental math,” Taylor joked.
“Hmm? Sorry, what do you mean?” Lukas asked, playing it cool.
“Hey, do you mind if we don’t run today?” Taylor asked. “We can walk and talk if that’s okay. I got to spend so much time with you and your family last night at a really difficult time in your lives. I thought about it last night that you don’t know much about me, other than I fly airplanes.”
Lukas was not feeling like a run, so he didn’t protest the suggestion. “Okay, this is what I know about you. I got to personally witness the pilot part. You were in the Air Force Special Ops, Iraq, and Afghanistan…and some other country I can’t remember. You own Nimbus Aviation, live in the DC area, apparently like Hyundai rental cars, and you have a daughter who is a pilot. Oh, and you like woodfired pizza. Other than that, you’re a mystery to me, Taylor Pastore.”
“Very good, Dr. Halloran.”
Lukas flipped the question back at Taylor. “Tell me what you know about me, although I’m not nearly as complex as you?” Lukas asked.
“I know you’ve been a customer of Nimbus for the last couple of years. Your mom is a lovely lady with lovely friends. You like hiking and running. You live in Arlington and do something with computers.” Taylor laughed. “And I can tell you have a good soul.”
Molly replied, “It’s up to you all. It will be expensive to book tickets at the last minute. Can you call Betty and Donna? I can make woodfired pizzas tonight. Talk to you later.”
Molly appeared a bit more buoyant. Her posture returned, and her eyes reflected the clarity of regaining control. She had decided, and she would stick to her decision, even though she had no idea how they would get there or what they would do.
“I hope we can find flights this late,” she said.
In the back of his mind, Lukas remembered what Taylor told him about the potential pilot strike. Being unable to fly out of the United States was one thing, but not being able to fly back home was what concerned him the most. That gave him an idea.
“Mom,” he asked Molly. “Would you mind if I had someone over for dinner with you and the ladies? I know it’s kind of an odd question, considering what’s going on.”
“Do I know this person? Of course, you can, Lukas. We all need our friends around us at such a difficult time.”
Lukas rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t say he’s quite a friend. More like a nice guy I met on the flight out here who is kind of stuck here for the next couple of days. I ran into him out at Catalina yesterday morning. He likes running there, too.”
“Honey, you’ve uprooted your life to be out here with me. I can imagine it would be fun to hang out with someone other than a bunch of old ladies.”
“I love hanging out with all of you. It’s more like, I kind of feel sorry for him, Mom. His name is Taylor. It’s kind of my fault he’s stuck in Tucson.”
Molly looked perplexed. “Your fault? May I ask why?”
He didn’t share a lot with her, especially about his business life, and on the rare occasion he had one, his love life.
“He flew me here.”
Chapter 8
Molly, her friends, plus Taylor and Lukas dug into the woodfired pizzas they made together. Taylor blended in quickly, charming everyone with his flying stories and overall wit. Lukas had obviously never seen him in a social setting, and considering this was a tense time for everyone, he knew how to be appropriately engaging. “Mrs. Halloran, your pizza tastes like it was flown in from Naples,” Taylor complimented.
“Please call me Molly, and thank you, Taylor.”
Linda chimed in, “How long have you and Taylor known each other, Lukas?” She winked at him, signaling her approval—for what he could only imagine.
“We just met a few days ago. Taylor lives near DC, but we met on the flight out here.”
“Here on business?” she asked.
“I’m a pilot, ma’am,” Taylor explained.
“Interesting. How long have you been flying?” Donna inquired.
“More than twenty years. I was in the Air Force, Special Operations Command, mostly deployed throughout the Middle East. Spent time in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.” Lukas was learning things about Taylor he didn’t know.
“Thank you for your service,” Donna interjected. “I was in the Army.”
“Thank you for yours.”
Donna smiled at the acknowledgment. “People are nice to military folks, but I wish they would say thank you to teachers, doctors, nurses, and social workers, as well. My mom was a teacher. I know it’s a thankless job,” Taylor noted.
Taylor instantly won over the crowd with four very grateful teachers. “Okay, I love him, Lukas,” Betty interjected, not aware that he and Taylor were not an item he was showing off to his mom and her friends.
Lukas just shrugged and raised his eyebrows. Taylor acknowledged the awkwardness by smiling back at him.
Hoping to change the subject to get Lukas off the hot seat, Molly asked, “So, ladies, who is going to Dubai with me? No pressure, but I’ve just got to get this damned trip booked already.”
Linda and Betty immediately raised their hands. Donna slowly did the same, a bit hesitant and perhaps submitting to peer pressure.
“I’m going to call the embassy tomorrow morning early,” Molly informed them. “It’s been two days since they called last, and they didn’t have any news about John anyway. I get more worried each day.”
“If I may offer a perspective,” Taylor interjected, “the fact that they have not found his body could be a positive sign.” Lukas, Molly, and their friends were taken aback. “I do not mean to sound gruesome, but if your husband had…you know. They would have probably found his body in the water by now. It’s a very busy area. Lukas told me only a little of the story. I’m sorry if that was an insensitive thing to say.”
Molly was stunned. “No, no please. You’ve told me more in two minutes than the embassy has told me in almost a week.”
“You can take the boy out of Special Ops, but you can’t…well, you know the saying. One of my duties in the Air Force was search, rescue, and recovery.” Taylor stumbled. He looked nervously at Lukas, who nodded, signaling it was all good.
Linda spoke up. “So you think John is alive?”
Taylor suddenly wished he’d never opened his mouth. “Linda, I have no idea. It’s just experience, and odds are if a body hasn’t been found in the water, on the beach, a hospital, a morgue, or somewhere else, there’s a pretty good chance he’s alive out there.”
“But it’s the open ocean,” Betty mentioned. “I mean there’s fish, sharks…”
“The detective in Dubai confirmed with the hotel that John was wearing a life vest,” Molly reminded them. “Even if, God forbid, he did drown, wouldn’t that still float?”
“Theoretically yes, Ma,” Lukas answered. “So would his paddle, and they never found that either.”
“How long has the search been going on?” Taylor inquired.
“About five days, assuming it’s still on,” Molly responded.
“Lukas, do you have a laptop I could borrow?” Taylor asked him, and he walked past and returned with his laptop. Taylor fired it up. “Password?”
Lukas entered the password and several biometric checks—fingerprints, facial recognition, and speaking voice. “I’ve got government data on here, so it’s protected like Fort Knox.”
“In that case, I’m not touching it.” Taylor searched on his cell phone for some information.
He handed his phone to Lukas, who entered the identical URL to be able to pull up the map on his larger screen. It was a map of currents in the Persian Gulf. Taylor studied the map and asked everyone to move closer so they could see the screen. “Okay, so this is the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. There’s Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and up here toward the point is Dubai,” Taylor explained.
“That’s the Strait of Hormuz, right?” Donna asked.
“Yep, and right next door is Oman. Dubai is closer to Oman than it is to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE,” Lukas pointed out.
“So what does this have to do with John?” Linda asked. “Other than showing us where Dubai is located, what are you suggesting?”
“Not suggesting anything right now, but wanted to show you something,” Taylor replied. “Lukas, can you click the animation on this map?”
Suddenly, the arrows within the map started to move as Taylor studied it. “See how the currents churn counterclockwise? That’s pretty consistent from what I remember. The current is affected by salinity and water temperature, so as it churns, it creates a system of lower pressure in the middle…more or less a gyre.”
Lukas pointed his finger to follow the current. “So if Dad’s boat was found off the coast of Palm Jumeirah, his paddle and life vest would have likely circled this gyre and ended up right back where they started.” Taylor nodded.
Molly jumped in. “The search is supposedly focused on where they found the kayak, but Taylor, you’re saying the boat had probably traveled a bit. John would have only been missing hours by this point, not days. How could his kayak still be relatively close to Dubai?”
“I’m going to take a stab here,” Taylor jumped in. “If currents were relatively predictable and there were no storms, which I don’t imagine there were since John probably wouldn’t have ventured out. But let’s assume it was normal, in thirty-six hours, John’s boat would have been closer to the coast of Iran than to Dubai.”
“The search was focused on the waters off Dubai. That’s what the embassy told me,” Molly responded.
“Mom, add that question to your list when you call the embassy. Ask them where the search has been conducted and where it will go next.”
Molly jotted that down. A question had been on her mind. “Isn’t the Persian Gulf pretty crowded with ships? I read there are traffic jams going through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Taylor nodded. “You have hundreds of oil tankers from the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia going in and out of the gulf every day. It’s a prime target for terrorists and also disputes between Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Iran. Iran has threatened to shut off the Strait due to sanctions imposed by the Americans.”
“So it’s a pretty busy place,” Molly confirmed.
“And a disaster waiting to happen,” Donna commented.
“Which is why it’s so heavily patrolled,” Lukas added. “I read that about twenty-five percent of the world’s oil passes through the Strait and Persian Gulf every day.”
“Molly,” Taylor asked, “Lukas said the kayak was found by a pleasure boat out on a fishing trip, correct?”
Molly nodded. “That’s what the embassy told me.”
“Fishing areas usually begin about forty miles offshore. I wonder why the boat that found the kayak was closer to shore…five miles, wasn’t it?” Taylor asked.
“Maybe it was more like a booze cruise,” Linda commented.
“Mom, I think that could be another question for your call tomorrow,” Lukas added.
It was already ten p.m., and Molly and her guests were fading. “I’ve got my alarm set for three a.m. tomorrow so I can speak with the embassy during their business day. We spent so much time talking we didn’t have time to check flights.”
“We can do that tomorrow,” Linda answered. “I’m way past my bedtime.”
After cleaning up, Linda and Betty boarded Donna’s golf cart. “No way I’m walking home tonight,” Betty said. “Too many coyotes out. We’ll see you tomorrow, Molly. I hope the embassy has some good news.”
Lukas walked Taylor to the door. Molly gave him a big hug. “Thank you for talking to us tonight. You sure know a lot about the world. I feel more informed, but there is something that doesn’t add up. You touched on it, Taylor, and it’s been nagging at me.”
“And what part was that?” Taylor asked.
“The paddle and the life vest. Why wouldn’t everything be in roughly the same place; the kayak, paddle, and the life vest, regardless of whether John’s body was in it?” Molly pointed out. “I can’t understand why search and rescue has not turned up anything else.
“I don’t know, Molly. I thought about that, too. The search and rescue part of me is wired into my DNA.”
“Well, good night, and I hope to see you again, Taylor.” Molly returned back into the house, leaving Lukas and Taylor alone on the front porch.
“Well, you are a bountiful supply of information,” Lukas thanked him. “Thanks for engaging my mom and her friends. That was sweet of you. I think you gave my mom a bit of hope.”
“Look, Lukas, I didn’t want to say this in front of your mom, but I think it’s strange that the embassy hasn’t been calling you around the clock with updates. Your dad is a big executive, and he’s missing. A lot of what I’m hearing sounds…odd. I wonder how much they really know or are actively looking for your dad.”
“I hope we can learn more tomorrow. I really appreciate you giving her information. She’s a scientist and a detective at heart. I can already see her wheels turning.”
“I only told her what I can see from the information provided,” Taylor responded.
Lukas reached his hands to massage his neck. “Let’s hope we get some clarity soon.”
Taylor nodded. “So, meet up tomorrow morning at Catalina? Seven a.m. I’ll bring the espresso.”
“Seriously?” Lukas laughed. “I’m fucked up on sleep, have a stiff neck and jet lag.”
“Best way to cure that is to keep moving,” Taylor answered.
“Are you my personal trainer now?”
Taylor shrugged. “Maybe. Thanks for inviting me over tonight. It was nice to hang out with some fun people…even in this shitty situation.” Before Lukas could respond, Taylor embraced him in a bear hug that left him surprised. “See you tomorrow morning. Sleep well.” Lukas felt engulfed by Taylor’s muscles and had never been this close to him.
Lukas smiled back and nodded. He couldn’t even remember the last time a man hugged him.
Chapter 9
Lukas and Molly were up at three a.m., as planned. It was dark outside, and the sun had another two hours before it would begin to turn the sky orange. They sat at the kitchen table with Molly’s phone on speaker as they tried to connect to Abu Dhabi. Finally, someone picked up and transferred to their case manager, Officer Humphries. “Good morning, Mrs. Halloran,” Humphries answered with little to no inflection in his voice. “What can I answer for you today? I have no updates, unfortunately.”
Molly flipped him off and silently told him to fuck off while she composed herself. “My husband has been missing for over a week. Have you confirmed that there has been a search of area hospitals, morgues, or other cities in the UAE? Also, can you confirm whether the sea search is still going on and approximately where?”
Officer Humphries cleared his throat. “Mrs. Halloran, I will confirm those things for you and call you sometime next week.”
“I’d like a call back today, Officer,” Molly said pointedly. “If I do not hear back from you by this afternoon, Arizona time, I’m calling my congressman, senators, and the FBI. I need to know what is going on with my husband, and I’m not waiting until next week. My patience is at its end.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone while Lukas high-fived his mom. “Mrs. Halloran, I will get whatever answers to your questions within the next four hours. If I don’t have answers, I’ll tell you that, too. I apologize, as I know this must be very difficult for you.”
“I appreciate that, Officer Humphries. I will speak with you later, and I have this phone with me at all times.”
“I got flashbacks to my childhood just now,” Lukas replied. “You still terrify me, Ma.”
“Let’s hope I terrified Officer Humphries. Thanks for your help preparing me. Thank your friend Taylor, too.”
“I’m meeting up with him at Catalina in a couple of hours.”
“Well he’s a nice man, Lukas. Smart and handsome, too.”
“Mom…I don't even know if he’s gay, or married, or a…witch doctor…we literally just met a couple of days ago.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s into you, Lukas. What straight man would come spend an evening with a bunch of old ladies?” Molly pointed out.
Lukas smiled. “Mom, the guys that are into me are usually sociopathic party boys, unavailable, or have googled my net worth because they’re gold diggers.”
“Honey, I have a sense about people. I think he’s a good guy.”
Lukas rubbed his temples. “Honestly, I do, too, Ma. That’s what worries me. I never seem to attract the good guys, so I’m not getting my hopes up. I’m gonna grab a quick shower, some breakfast, and then head out.”
“You’re taking a shower before your run?” Molly smirked. “Whatever you say, dear.”
Lukas hugged his mom. “You’re impossible.”
He pulled the Wrangler into the parking space a few away from Taylor, who was doing calf stretches against the wheel of his Hyundai Tucson rental car, while talking on the phone. Lukas threw on his sunglasses quickly so that Taylor didn’t see him staring at his muscular legs and butt, nicely accented by the running shorts. Holy shit, Lukas thought. Taylor hung up and waved to Lukas, who had been sitting in his Jeep until Taylor was off the phone. Taylor walked over and hugged Lukas again. He must be a hugger, Lukas thought, enjoying the embrace.
****
“My daughter called, and I had to help her through a financial and personal crisis.” Taylor laughed.
Another piece of the Taylor puzzle revealed. He has a daughter? “No problem. I didn’t want to disturb you,” Lukas replied.
“You wouldn’t have. We talk a couple of times a day. She’s a pilot, like her dad.” Now Lukas was perplexed. Taylor’s daughter is a pilot? He assumed his daughter was about ten, not old enough to be a pilot. What other surprises did he have? Lukas’ heart sank a bit, the air let out of the balloon. He chided himself for this stupid crush he had.
“I can see you doing mental math,” Taylor joked.
“Hmm? Sorry, what do you mean?” Lukas asked, playing it cool.
“Hey, do you mind if we don’t run today?” Taylor asked. “We can walk and talk if that’s okay. I got to spend so much time with you and your family last night at a really difficult time in your lives. I thought about it last night that you don’t know much about me, other than I fly airplanes.”
Lukas was not feeling like a run, so he didn’t protest the suggestion. “Okay, this is what I know about you. I got to personally witness the pilot part. You were in the Air Force Special Ops, Iraq, and Afghanistan…and some other country I can’t remember. You own Nimbus Aviation, live in the DC area, apparently like Hyundai rental cars, and you have a daughter who is a pilot. Oh, and you like woodfired pizza. Other than that, you’re a mystery to me, Taylor Pastore.”
“Very good, Dr. Halloran.”
Lukas flipped the question back at Taylor. “Tell me what you know about me, although I’m not nearly as complex as you?” Lukas asked.
“I know you’ve been a customer of Nimbus for the last couple of years. Your mom is a lovely lady with lovely friends. You like hiking and running. You live in Arlington and do something with computers.” Taylor laughed. “And I can tell you have a good soul.”
