WATCHERS by Dean R. Koontz

all, and he seemed to be fit.

A freight company delivered ten large cartons containing all of Nora’s finished

canvases that had been left behind in Santa Barbara. A couple of weeks ago,

using a friend’s return address to insure that no link would exist between him

and Nora “Aimes,” Garrison Dilworth had shipped the paintings to their new

house.

Now, unpacking and unwrapping the canvases, creating piles of paper padding in

the living room, Nora was transported. Travis knew that, for many years, this

work was what she had lived for, and he could see that having the paintings with

her again was not only a great joy to her but would probably spur her to return

to her new canvases, in the spare bedroom, with greater enthusiasm.

“You want to call Garrison and thank him?” he asked.

“Yes, absolutely!” she said. “But first, let’s unpack them all and make sure

none of them is damaged.”

Posted around the harbor, posing as yacht owners and fishermen, Cliff Soames and

the other NSA agents watched Dilworth and Della Colby and eavesdropped on them

electronically as the day waned. Twilight descended without any indication that

Dilworth intended to put to sea. Soon night fell, yet the attorney and his woman

made no move.

Half an hour after dark, Cliff Soames got weary of pretending to fish off the

stern of a Cheoy Lee sixty-six-foot sport yacht docked four slips away from

Dilworth’s. He climbed the steps, went into the pilot’s cabin, and pulled the

headphones off Hank Gorner, the agent who was monitoring the old couple’s

conversation through a directional mike. He listened for himself.

“. . . the time in Acapulco when Jack hired that fishing boat. .

“. . . yes, the whole crew looked like pirates!”

“. . . we thought we’d have our throats cut, be dumped at sea. .

but then it turned out they were all divinity students . . studying to be

missionaries. . . and Jack said. .

Returning the headphones, Cliff said, “Still reminiscing!”

The other agent nodded. The cabin light was out, and Hank was illuminated only

by a small, hooded, built-in work lamp above the chart table, so his features

looked elongated and strange. “That’s the way it’s been all day. At least they

have some great stories.”

“I’m going to the john,” Cliff said wearily. “Be right back.”

“Take ten hours if you want. They’re not going anywhere.”

A few minutes later, when Cliff returned, Hank Gorner pulled off his headphones

and said, “They went below decks.”

“Something up?”

“Not what we’d hope. They’re gonna jump each other’s bones.”

“Oh.”

“Cliff, jeez, I don’t want to listen to this.”

“Listen,” Cliff insisted.

Hank put one earphone to his head. “Jeez, they’re undressing each other, and

they’re as old as my grandparents. This is embarrassing.”

Cliff sighed.

“Now they’re quiet,” Hank said, a frown of distaste creeping over his face. “Any

second they’re gonna start moaning, Cliff.”

“Listen,” Cliff insisted. He snatched a light jacket off the table and went

outside again so he wouldn’t have to listen.

He took up his position in a chair on the stern deck, lifting the fishing pole

once more.

The night was cool enough for the jacket, but otherwise it could not have been

better. The air was clear and sweet, scented with just a slight tang of the sea.

The moonless sky was full of stars. The water slapped lullingly against the dock

pilings and against the hulls of the moored boats. Somewhere across the harbor,

on another craft, someone was playing love songs from the forties. An engine

turned over—whump-whump-whump—and there was something romantic about the sound.

Cliff thought how nice it would be to own a boat and set out on a long trip

through the South Pacific, toward palm-shaded islands— Suddenly that idling

engine roared, and Cliff realized it was the Amazing

Grace. As he rose from his chair, dropping the fishing pole, he saw Dilworth’s

boat reversing out of its slip recklessly fast. It was a sailboat, and

subconsciously Cliff had not expected it to move with sails furled, but it had

auxiliary engines; they knew this, were prepared for this, but still it startled

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