“Is she okay?” Theodosia called out.
“I’m okay,” Haley said as soon as she caught sight of them. She was soaked to the bone and her teeth chattered like castanets. “I’m wet and freezing to death, but I’m okay.” She seemed fairly calm, in spite of the fact that she’d just been hauled out of the water like a wounded sea turtle.
“Can somebody please wrap a towel around her?” Theodosia asked. “For goodness’ sakes, we don’t want her to get hypothermia.”
One of the Coast Guardsmen quickly shook open a Mylar thermal blanket and wrapped it tightly around Haley’s shoulders. “This is better,” he said. “It’s reflective so it’ll trap her body heat.”
“Look at this,” Drayton cried out. He was pointing at the other figure who was being hauled in roughly. “Look what got dragged up in the nets.”
Theodosia leaned over the railing and strained to make out the struggling figure. In the dark mist, it was hard to see just who it was. But whoever they were, they were angry as hell. She could see legs churning and arms waving. Was it Luke Andros? Was he the one who’d tried to spirit Haley away and then planned to drop her overboard without a second thought? Probably. Well, she’d have a few choice words for him. And if they made anyone’s ears turn red, then too bad.
“Here they come!” Drayton yelled.
Theodosia pushed her way closer to where two Coast Guardsmen struggled to pull a body over the railing.
“That’s it,” one of them yelled. “Get under his arms.”
Theodosia waited, teeth practically bared, ready to unleash her anger on Luke Andros. She’d take care of Sabrina, too, once they’d finally corralled that runaway boat.
“Here we go!” the second Coast Guardsman called out.
“Like a lunker on a hook!” Drayton cried. He flung his arms up in the air, like a referee signaling a touchdown.
A body tumbled over the side of the boat and fell, kersplat, onto the heaving, wet deck of the Coast Guard ship.
Theodosia lurched forward angrily. This was the jerk who’d kidnapped Haley in order to steal the ruby-and-diamond brooch. Probably the same mastermind who’d engineered the robbery at Heart’s Desire, and then run like a weasel in the night as Kaitlin lay dying.
“Let me through!” Theodosia cried. Three Coast Guardsmen stepped back as she kicked the pointy toe of her high heel at the person who lay heaving on the deck.
“Uhh,” moaned the figure. An arm raised up and Theodosia could see a faint tattoo mark on the wrist.
“How dare you,” Theodosia began. “How dare you . . .” Before she could say one more word, the pathetic figure spit out a glut of water and turned its weary head to stare at her.
Theodosia rocked back on her heels, her mind reeling in disbelief. All she managed to blurt out was, “Grace? Is that you?”
30
They all huddled on the deck of the Coast Guard ship. Theodosia with an arm around Haley, Drayton on her other side, Billy Grainger standing right behind Haley, gently kneading her shoulders.
Grace Dawson had been tied up and was being guarded belowdecks. Two of her minions had also been captured and a Coast Guardsman had taken the wheel of Grace’s yacht and was guiding it back to the harbor.
“It was Grace all along,” Theodosia said. “She was the one who had the gang. Pity we only caught two of them when we stopped their ship.”
“I suppose the others got away,” Drayton said.
Tidwell stepped out of the wheelhouse. “Not to worry. I already sent a SWAT team to Grace Dawson’s house. And I’m pleased to say three others have been apprehended.”
“Wait a minute.” Drayton looked totally befuddled. “Grace had a gang?”
“I told you one of the robbers might have been a woman,” Theodosia said. “It looks as though Grace was the leader.”
“She was their leader,” Tidwell said.
“So who are the other guys?” Drayton asked.
“Paid thugs,” Tidwell said. “Recruited to help her carry out the Heart’s Desire robbery.”
“And then they were going to go after the Fabergé egg,” Theodosia said. “But they chickened out.”
“Probably scared off by too much security,” Tidwell said. “Which is why their fallback was to steal your ruby-and-diamond pin.” He opened his hand and there it was, glimmering and elegant, looking none the worse for wear.
“Thank you,” Theodosia said as she accepted the pin. “I can’t wait to return this to Brooke.”
“And tell her that the mystery’s been solved,” Haley said.
“That Kaitlin’s murder has been solved,” Theodosia said in a quiet tone.
Drayton still looked puzzled. “I was under the impression that Grace Dawson was an extremely wealthy woman. That her late husband owned a Mercedes dealership.”