he wasn’t part of her life any longer. She didn’t welcome either his touch or him. “Don’t worry, Kate. You made yourself clear twice already, and the Navy has a strict policy regarding sexual harassment.”
“Good.” She moved toward the door.
“But if you ever change your mind,” he added softly, “be sure to let me know.”
A slight break in her stride was the only sign that she had heard him. “I think it would be best if we get on with our mission,” she said briskly. “What have you done so far?”
As they climbed the stairs to the second story, Sam tamped down his frustration and told her what he had related to the admiral. They reached the office he’d been assigned, and he stepped aside to let her enter first. He couldn’t help noticing that she was careful not brush against him as she went by.
It was another jab to his already bruised ego. Had what they’d shared meant so little to her? Had he deluded himself, distorted the memory of how good it had been? He wanted to grab her arm, spin her around and haul her to him so he could find out.
Instead, he closed the door behind them and watched her walk around the room. He couldn’t grab her. He couldn’t kiss her. He’d meant what he’d said about sexual harassment. It would be a serious charge, and he wasn’t about to risk his career to satisfy his urge for a woman.
No, not just a woman. Kate. His Kate. The lover who had spoiled him for anyone else.
Aw, hell.
“Have you obtained charts of the coastline?” she asked.
He pushed away from the door and walked to the large table he’d set up in the center of the room. “Right here.”
She joined him, although she was careful to keep an arm’s length away. She braced her hands on the edge of the table and leaned over to study one of the charts spread out there. “I know this coast. Even though there are many rocky stretches, there are innumerable places a small boat can pick up a passenger.”
“I take it you think she’ll try to escape by small boat?”
“It’s her best course of action. With the airports closed to her and the cruise lines and ferries on alert, she won’t be able to escape the island by any form of public transportation. She’ll likely try to obtain the use of a private boat.”
That was exactly the conclusion that he’d come to. Sam moved closer to Kate’s side and leaned over the chart with her. He couldn’t help inhaling her scent, and he was already leaning nearer to get another whiff before he caught himself. Damn, how was he supposed to keep his mind on business if she smelled like that? He exhaled hard and traced a line on the paper with his index finger. “The nearest island to Montebello is Tamir. Although relations between the two countries have thawed recently, they don’t have an extradition treaty. If Chambers makes it that far, it won’t be difficult for her to disappear.”
“A small private craft would be able to cover the distance to Tamir,” Kate said. “Even a rowboat could make it as long as the weather conditions were favorable.”
“You said you’ve been stationed here seven months. How many private boats do you figure there are on Montebello?”
Kate lifted her shoulders in a brief shrug. “This is an island. The sea is a major influence on Montebellan culture. There are fishing boats, sailboats and pleasure craft of all kinds. If you added them all up, the number would likely exceed the population itself.”
“I suspected as much. That’s going to make this challenging.”
“From what you said, the Montebellan police will be able to cover the airports, but they don’t have the resources to insure that Chambers doesn’t escape by water.” She continued to study the map. “Our navy has been doing coastguard patrols as part of the lease agreement for this base, but with the number of ships in dry dock and the number on maneuvers, we’re stretched too thin to step up the patrols to any significant extent.”
“That’s the problem I’ve been running into,” Sam said. “The admiral authorized the use of any available naval resources to assist the Montebellans, but that only means telephones, radio equipment, this office and a handful of personnel who could be pulled from their regular duties. We couldn’t justify diverting Navy vessels that are stationed in the Mediterranean into forming a blockade in order to look for one woman. That would be ludicrous, not to mention a threat to the stability of the area.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“Still working on it. For now, we’re going to concentrate on checking any suspicious watercraft during the regular patrols of the coastline. The police helicopters will provide added surveillance.”
“But that won’t necessarily stop her from escaping. The craft she’s on might not look suspicious. You would need to check out every single vessel to be certain, but considering the amount of daily boat traffic and the limited number of Navy vessels available, that would be impossible.”
“Hey, I’m open to suggestions. Do you have a better idea?”
She didn’t respond immediately. She studied the map for another minute, then straightened. “Sam, I don’t believe we should rely on the regular coastal patrol.”
He turned to face her, surprised by her comment. “Unless every soul in Montebello is a news junkie and is able to recognize Ursula Chambers from her photograph, and unless they’re completely honest and willing to turn her in, we can’t be certain she won’t be able to find some private boat to hire.”
“Of course, we can’t rely on the general public to stop her from escaping. I meant that we shouldn’t use a high-profile surveillance of the island.”
“Why not?”
“There is already massive security in place at the airports, right?”
“Right,” he confirmed. “Chambers won’t get off Montebello that way.”
“So if her only alternative is leaving by boat, a high-profile search using naval ships and police helicopters might force her underground.”
“Ah, I see your point.”
Kate nodded. “She’s already a suspect in two murders, so she has nothing to lose by killing again. For the sake of public safety, I’m positive the king would want her captured as soon as possible.”
“You’re right. He does. That’s why he’s pulling every diplomatic string he’s got to get help.”
“Which should make our job easier. We’re going to need to pull a lot of strings to organize what I have in mind.”
He crossed his arms and looked at her expectantly. “Which is?”
She lifted her chin. “I think we should use the fleet of Montebello.”
Did she know how appealing her neck looked when she angled her chin that way? She used to like the way he would run his tongue along her jaw. And he liked that low purr she made when he would suck on her earlobe….
“Sam?”
He jerked his attention to what she had said. “What fleet? The Montebellans have no fleet.”
“They have fishing boats and pleasure craft.”
“Kate…”
“Think about it, Sam. The waters around this island are usually busy with small craft, so those boats wouldn’t arouse suspicion as they cruise the coastline. They would serve to draw Chambers out. They’re maneuverable, and if coordinated properly they could systematically cover a large area.”
“If coordinated properly?”
“We could man the boats with all available Montebellan police and Navy personnel, who would remain in constant radio communication.”
He stared at her as he rapidly assessed her suggestion.