Chapter 3

We spent most of the trip naked. We even played slap-ass and kissy-face a few times. We never had full-out sex but still, it was a nice view. It was so nice that I remembered I had bought a camera. So, of course, I had to try it out. The girls had decided to lie out in the sun. So, I started to take pictures of them.

“You remembered your camera?” Lilly exclaimed.

Alice looked over and groaned. “Great now he has more blackmail material on me.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing.”

Lilly said, “She thinks you’re going to black mail her with the pictures.”

“Why would I do that?”

Alice looked at me, “Because you blackmailed me into coming with you.”

I frowned. “No, I said you would have to come with us to find out what the big deal with the Dolphin is.”

“But you told my boss I was going on vacation with you.”

“Ok, I blackmailed your boss into letting you go. I didn’t mean to make you think you had to.”

“Oh” then “Oh”

“If you want you can get off any time you want. Of course, I recommend waiting till we get to port.”

She looked at me and Lilly again, “Nope, you still have to explain the Dolphin to me.”

I grinned, “I think we should show her.”

“I think you are right.”

“Show me what. You said the Dolphin was a violin.”

I handed her the camera and said, “take lots of pictures.” I went below and brought up Matilda and Gertrude.

Lilly asked, “How did you know I would know The rising sun?”

“The way you played the first time I heard you. I figured you couldn’t play that way if all you knew was the classics.”

She smiled and she tuned her violin. “Ready she announced. Let’s do it again.”

I nodded and started in.

We played and Alice was the one with her moth hanging open. It was a good thing we were out on the lake, or a fly would have found its way in there. When we finished Alice recovered and started to clap. She never did take any pictures.

“So, if you have a violin why do you need another one?” That caused Lilly to tell her the whole story.

Alice then asked, “So the old man gifted you the violin then?”

‘Two actually.” Lilly said.

“Amazing. Well, play something else for me. I haven’t played since high school.”

“You play?” I asked.

“Not like the two of you. I am not that good, really.” We smiled.

It turned out she was right, she wasn’t any good. Oh well, it was fun watching her try on Matilda.

“So really, you have a great-sounding violin there. Why do you need the Dolphin now?”

Lilly spoke, “Well to quote Mr. Gutenberg, violins are like women, you can never have too many.”

Alice didn’t get it right away. I guess I should have been the one to say it.

“Alice, imagine that it was a man saying it.”

The light came on then. “So, you’re collecting a harem then?”

“Probably not. Don’t get me wrong I would be happy with just Lilly, however, if you were to join us, well I wouldn’t object.”

Lilly chimed in, “I wouldn’t either. I like girls too.”

Alice looked over at her, “say that again dear, that is music to my ears.”

“Did I miss something?” I asked.

They giggled, “We will show you later.” Alice said and they both started to laugh.

It was approaching dinnertime when the autopilot beeped announcing we were at the destination point. “Time to get dressed and topside. We are about to enter the straits.”

The girls moaned about having to get dressed. However, they got moving.

Lilly called out, “Why not just lay anchor and spend the night on the water?”

“Is that what you would like?”

“Sure.” Both girls chimed in.

“Okay, I will have to find the best spot to do that. Sure, you don’t want dinner on the island?”

“No, I don’t feel like making waves at the Grand today,” Lilly said.

“How about downtown somewhere?” I offered.

“What you have in mind?” Alice called up to me.

“There are some good bars and clubs on the main strip. They have good food as well.”

Lilly called up, “You forget I am underage to drink.”

“Sounds like a good reason to party on board the boat Tim.”

“Yep, sure does. But we can go eat and come back to the boat to party.”

“Is there someplace you want to go?” Lilly asked.

“The Pink Poodle.”

“Okay, we eat and then party on the boat,” Alice called out.

And that’s what we did. The slip fee for a few hours was not as outrageous as spending the night. Besides, the food was really good. We decided to walk around town for a bit before heading back to the boat. Then we eased off about half an hour before sunset.

“Would you look at that?” Alice said and pointed at the sun between the towers on the Mackinaw Bridge.

I looked and it gave me an idea. “Lilly, get the fiddles, Alice, get the camera. Lilly and I are going to get on the bow and play, you take pictures of us with the sun setting in the background. I set the autopilot to trolling speed and under the bridge. Lilly and I got up on the bow back to back and started to play. It was an unusually calm evening. The waves were such a gentle roll that they almost were not there. Alice started to take pictures of us as the sun was setting in the background. The sun finally set, and I had to tell her to keep taking pictures as the lights from the bridge came on and twilight was coming into full brightness.

Lilly and I started just to play what the violins wanted. It was a lovely sound, and it must have carried for miles over the water. When we finally finished the melody, the violins played out. We were startled by the applause that broke out. About a dozen other boaters had come in close to us to hear the music better.

“Well, I will be... “ I exclaimed.

“We do make great music together,” Lilly said as we passed under the bridge onto lake Michigan. “Ah, we made it to Lake Michigan,” she added.

“Lilly, would you go get Eddy’s urn. I have one solo to play yet this evening.”

“Sure, at least we have him this time.” She returned a few minutes later with a Dixie cup full of eddy’s ashes.

“Please scatter him overboard for me when I start to play.”

“Okay,” was all she said.

I whispered, “Okay it’s time for another funeral Matilda.” Then I drew the bow across the strings. The haunting melody of loss flowed from Matilda. It was the same sound that she’d played for my parents’ funeral. It was a sad and lonely sound. I whispered again, “Don’t worry old girl, you will not be neglected this time.” With that, the sound changed to a more upbeat melody. It is said that a master can bring out the best from any violin. The truth is that a good violin can bring out the master in a good man. And so, I played for Eddy. When I was done, I set a course for Goose Island back on Lake Huron. I also ran up the speed to full. It should only take two hours to get there from here.

Okay, I admit I was in a funk. The girls consoled me and hugged me.

“Where are we going now?” Alice asked. I told her that Matilda wanted me to hurry. It didn’t make any sense to her. However, it did to Lilly, and she tried to explain it to Alice. We arrived two hours later. We laid anchor off Eddy’s favorite fishing spot. Then a feeling came over me that Gertrude wanted to play this set for Eddy. We spread his ashes on the wind and the waves. Then Gertrude played for Eddy.

I whispered, “Eddy this is Gertrude, Matilda’s younger sister. I am sure you will approve of meeting her. We played for an hour. The music was somehow lighter and held the promise of something better. When I was done, I felt like a weight had been lifted from me. I guess with my parents’ death I had held the grief inside myself. With Eddy’s death, I wanted to do the same. It was the music of the two sisters that convinced me to let it out.

That night we smoked up most of the rest of the Mary-wow-wow. There couldn’t have been more than a joint left in the bag when we climbed into the bed. I had confessed to the girls my failure. Well, what I had done to myself all these years. I should have let Eddy help me out. He was my brother and I had blocked even him out so I wouldn’t be hurt like that again. It took Eddy’s death to make me see my error and now even my best friend was gone. I looked at the girls. I was older than both of them. I would probably pass away long before they did but when that day finally came at least they would have each other and maybe more. A voice that sounded like Eddy’s spoke into my head. Make love to them.

So that is what I did and when I woke up in the morning I did it again. It was like I was driven to create a new life in the face of death. Mom and dad’s death was sad but they did leave me to carry on. Eddy’s death on the other hand was tragic. Well maybe not. Certainly, for all the women he’d had, one or two of them must have become pregnant. How sad that he never knew his own kids.

The girls fell back to sleep in each other’s arms as I raised the anchor and started off that morning. There was this place along Lake Superior that Eddy and I had backpacked with our Boy Scout troop when we were younger. It was around Picture Rock somewhere, if I could just find it. The girls were fixing breakfast as we pulled into the American side of the Sue Locks. We ate as the boat rose up to the level of Lake Superior. I don’t think I have ever had quite as good a meal in my life.

I think I passed the spot we had camped on the shore. We decided to go on to Marquette and meet Lilly’s parents. Lilly informed us that it would be nice to spend her birthday with the four of us. That’s when we discovered she was only 17. Thank God, she was legal at least. Alice kind of chewed her out for keeping that fact from us. Then she went through the camera and deleted a few pictures she said could be considered child porn. That was a shame as I had really liked some of those nude sunbathing pictures. She left a few of them saying they didn’t qualify as child porn. I guess if you can’t see the genitals, it isn’t porn. Oh well!

Lilly called her parents a half-hour away from Marquette and asked them to meet us at the marina. If we’d had an inkling or even a clue as to what was waiting for us, we would have turned around.

You see Gutenberg Jr the lawyer had managed to learn a lot about us. The problem with that is trial lawyers are very good at twisting the facts. He was not able to file theft charges against us. The police wouldn’t give him the time of day. He did however track me down to the marina. There he was able to learn more about Lilly the violinist. Well, it’s not like we hid anything. He managed to track down her parents and by use of innuendo convinced them that I was a thief and that they should contact him immediately when we got in touch with them. You see, he alone could keep their daughter out of trouble if he could recover the violins and return them to their rightful owner. He also inferred that I had stolen a dead man’s boat and could be facing the death penalty as a pirate.

Unfortunately, Lilly’s mother was too gullible. She convinced herself her daughter was in mortal danger and contacted the local police when Lilly called. I am sure the story was convoluted, to say the least. However, the swat team that descended on the boat was very real. Lilly’s parents were in shock when Lilly was led off in handcuffs with Alice and me. If the local police had even bothered to tell us what charges were filed against us, I am sure we could have cleared everything up. However, swat teams are not investigators. Of course, the joint of Mary-wow-wow they found didn’t help. Alice told us all to be quiet until we got Milton to take care of everything. Of course, in a rural area like Marquette refusing to talk without a lawyer present was an admission of guilt as far as the police were concerned. Lilly’s parents waived her rights in the interest of getting her out of the county jail. The only problem was Lilly refused to talk without a real lawyer. Now we should have been allowed to call our lawyer. But I guess the police decided they could sweat us and get us to break under questioning. Lilly’s parents found themselves out in the cold the next day. Lilly was now 18 and the police were at least smart enough to know that ploy would not work again.

On day three I found myself in an interview room facing two burly-looking cops. I kept asking for my phone call and they kept telling me I could have it after I confessed. They still wouldn’t tell me what I was charged with. Well other than the marijuana that was. I was kind of guilty of that one. Thank God we had smoked most of it up. The best I figured they could do was a misdemeanor. Of course, it was made out to be a felony. They rambled on trying to get me to talk. They were accusing me of piracy, smuggling kidnapping, and possession of some kind of designer drug they hadn’t even identified as of yet. Also possession of child pornography. I kept asking for my lawyer and kept my mouth shut otherwise. I was hoping Alice knew what she was talking about. Especially when they were talking about extradition to Canada for smuggling.

A cop walked in and announced, “The redhead gave him up. She is giving her statement right now. Looks like you’re facing the death penalty son.”

I couldn’t help it. I started to laugh my ass off.

“I don’t think you understand the trouble you’re in here son.” He really did look confused by my laughter. I couldn’t take it anymore.

“You idiot, the redhead is one of my attorneys. I bet she is laughing her ass off at you too if you pulled the same stunt on her.”

“One of your attorneys?” One of the other cops asked. “How many attorneys do you have the second cop asked.”

“I am more interested in why he needs so many attorneys the one that walked in the room said. “He must be a really bad boy.”

“An entire law firm, I am not sure how many there are. All I know is I have been asking now for three days for my phone call and you have denied it.”

They looked a little sheepish at that statement.

“Not that it’s going to help you all that much but give him the phone call. We have him dead to rights on several of the counts.”

They brought me a phone. I called Milton of course. He was livid. He said he would be here as soon as he could get his plane off the ground. He didn’t even ask if I was guilty of anything. He seemed more pissed that Alice was in jail. I didn’t know it at the time, but Milton was actually Alice’s God Father. No blood but he was watching out for her. He asked to speak to the officers. I just told him they are all listening. He went off about violation of attorney-client privilege and he was bringing a team with him. He ordered them not to question any of his clients again without him being present.

“I have one question I have to ask,” the one that was showing me back to my cell said.

“Really? what’s that,” I asked.

“Why do you really have so many lawyers working for you?”

I laughed.

“Ok ... ok ... I was just curious.” For some reason, I took pity on him. Oh, hell you’re just doing your job I said, “You know who the musician Star was right?”

“Yes, that’s who’s boat you stole.”

I looked at him and shook my head. “No, he was my best friend, Guess who he left his millions to?”

“Oh, that makes sense.” Then he turned white as a ghost.

“Yep, someone screwed the pooch big time, and guess what?”

“Err what?”

“I can afford to set things right with more lawsuits than this county can afford. And even if I lose them all I will still have millions and the county will be in bankruptcy before I am done.”

He locked the door, we still have you on the drug and grand theft charge. I wouldn’t get too cocky if I were you.”

I didn’t know he was talking about the violins. I thought he was talking about the boat.

“Tell me something has anyone of you, or your friends even looked up whose name is on the title to that boat?”

“Eddy Star’s, but you already know that.”

“Wrong, I didn’t think any of you had even bothered to look it up. Be a good cop now and run along, if you find my name on that title, I expect a steak dinner. I am getting tired of egg salad sandwiches.”

He looked at me and shook his head. “If your name is on the title, I’ll buy you that steak. But why didn’t you tell us that three days ago?”

“As I understand it I am entitled to a lawyer and a phone call. Since you arrested one of my attorneys with me, I figured I was still owed a phone call.”

He turned and walked away.

Two hours later I had an inch-thick T-bone steak smothered in mushrooms and onions brought to me.

“Enjoy,” he said, “but if you had just told us this stuff two days ago...”

I shrugged “If I had been allowed my phone call...” And left it at that.

Milton showed up a few minutes before five. I was taken to a room that wasn’t wired to talk to him.

“Tim you sure know how to make Eddy proud. Designer drugs?”

“It’s probably Eddy’s ashes for all I know. Come on Milton, Eddy liked his pot, hell that charge is real the rest of it is lunacy.”

“Yea I know. Okay, let’s start at the beginning.”

“Piracy is the worst charge.”

“The boat’s in my name, has been since the beginning. How do you pirate your own boat?”

“I admit it is a strange one. We probably won’t find out till the pre-trial what their evidence actually is? So, grand theft?”

“Other than the boat I have no clue.”

“Kidnaping?”

‘Must be Lilly’s parents making that charge.”

“Will Lilly clear that up?”

“I am sure she will. You will be talking to her I assume.”

“One of my associates will be. It would be better if each of you have your own attorney for this. What is the smuggling charge about?”

“No clue Milt, they have been asking a lot of questions but have been treating me like a mushroom.”

“A mushroom?”

“Yes, keeping me in the dark and feeding me shit.”

Milt laughed. “At least you still have a sense of humor.”

“Just get us out of here Milton, just get us out of here.”