Chapter 9 - The Skiff
The skiff transformed the missing-person case into something darker.
Damage along the starboard side suggested collision.
Not grounding.
Not simple sinking.
Another vessel had struck it.
Marine investigators searched historical radar records, Coast Guard AIS data, private marina transponder logs, and weather reports from the night Mara disappeared.
Most small vessels did not broadcast AIS.
The Meridian’s main tender did.
Or should have.
Its transmitter had been disabled between midnight and 2:00 a.m.
Engine telemetry showed it returned to the yacht at 1:25.
Pike had lied.
The tender had left twice.
First to Cole Key.
Then again after Mara escaped.
“You followed her,” Morales told him.
Pike requested his lawyer.
Prosecutors withdrew their preliminary cooperation offer.
Suddenly Pike faced much greater exposure.
He talked again.
Mara escaped in the skiff.
Pike called Celeste.
“What did Celeste say?” Morales asked.
Pike stared at the table.
“She said stop her.”
“Those exact words?”
“Yes.”
“Did she tell you to kill Mara?”
“No.”
“What did ‘stop her’ mean?”
“Get the evidence.”
“Then why chase her at night in open water?”
“She was heading toward shore.”
“Did you hit the skiff?”
Pike closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
Nathan later listened to the recording with Naomi.
Pike claimed the collision was accidental.
He came alongside too quickly.
Mara turned.
The boats struck.
She fell.
“Into the water?” the prosecutor asked.
“Yes.”
“Was she wearing a life jacket?”
“No.”
“Did you rescue her?”
Pike’s silence lasted too long.
“No.”
Nathan stood.
Naomi said his name.
He walked away from the speaker.
Pike continued.
“I saw her once.”
“Alive?”
“Yes.”
“She was holding the skiff.”
“What did you do?”
“I called Celeste.”
Nathan stopped.
The room became cold.
“What did she say?”
Pike’s voice broke.
“She asked whether Mara still had the blue file.”
“And?”
“I said I didn’t know.”
“What did she say next?”
Pike stared down.
“She said, ‘Then don’t bring her back until you do.’”
Nathan closed his eyes.
The prosecutor asked:
“Did you leave Mara in the water?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Maybe fifteen minutes.”
“When you returned?”
“She was gone.”
Nathan could not listen anymore.
He left the room.
Outside, he leaned against the wall.
Mara had been alive in the ocean.
Pike had left her because Celeste wanted documents.
Fifteen minutes.
Maybe less.
Maybe enough.
Maybe not.
It did not matter.
The choice mattered.
The investigation searched waters around the wreck.
No remains were immediately found.
Currents made recovery uncertain after eighteen months.
Celeste was arrested that afternoon.
Charges initially focused on conspiracy, obstruction, financial crimes, evidence tampering, and the assault-related case involving Caleb.
Homicide-related charging decisions required more review.
Her attorneys called Pike a desperate liar.
Again, they were not entirely wrong.
Pike had changed his story repeatedly.
Prosecutors needed corroboration.
Celeste was released on a high bond with travel restrictions and electronic monitoring.
Nathan watched the news coverage from home.
Caleb came downstairs.
“Is Celeste going to jail?”
“I don’t know.”
“She should.”
“Maybe.”
Caleb frowned.
“She hurt Mom.”
“We think she helped put Mom in danger.”
“You always say ‘think.’”
Nathan looked at him.
“Because knowing and proving are different.”
Caleb hated that answer too.
Nathan understood.
The following morning, the corporate board suspended Nathan.
Not because it believed Celeste.
Because lenders were panicking.
Northstar transactions.
Trust litigation.
Possible criminal investigations.
A major insurer questioned coverage.
Martin Hale, the chairman, told Nathan:
“This is temporary.”
Nathan laughed.
“My sister is accused of using company entities to steal from my son’s trust, and you suspend me.”
“You signed the guaranty.”
Nathan went silent.
Martin continued.
“You admit you did not read the schedules.”
“Yes.”
“Then regulators may ask what else you failed to read.”
Nathan looked around the boardroom.
Nobody met his eyes.
The vote passed five to two.
Nathan lost his CEO position pending investigation.
Celeste’s scheme had finally cost him something he thought defined him.
He returned to the yacht that evening.
Grace found him in the owner’s office.
“You okay?”
“No.”
She nodded.
“You’re very consistent lately.”
He smiled faintly.
Then Grace looked at the open archive cabinet.
“There’s a second slot.”
Nathan frowned.
Behind the envelope compartment was a smaller recessed lock.
The pendant fit again.
Click.
A hidden drawer opened.
Inside was a memory card.
On it was a video recorded by Mara.
The date:
The morning she disappeared.
May you like
Her first words were:
“Nathan, if you’re watching this, Celeste is going to show you your own signature and tell you that makes you part of what she did.”
