Finding Purpose Read online

  Dan Fairview

  Copyright © 2018 by Dan Fairview

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Thank you. I would like to give you a free story.

  FREE STORY

  ESCAPE

  Dan Fairview is an author of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Thanks for reading

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  Prologue

  Joy Walker dropped the heavy anchor over the side, shattering the morning silence. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, tied her hair into a ponytail, then paused to make sure the boat had stopped drifting.

  It hadn't.

  The rope was rolling over the side of the boat. She inhaled sharply and scrambled to catch the end, but it slipped through her fingers. Her four guests hadn’t witnessed her idiocy, so she raised a seat and grabbed the spare anchor. This time she tied it off before heaving it over the side. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the moist salty air, then shook her arms to release the tension.

  The two couples with her today seemed eager, so she set out the tackle and started baiting.

  The older man came over. "Can I help? I'm not sure what to do, but I'm a quick learner."

  "Thanks. Since my help quit I've had to do it all myself."

  She instructed him and his female companion on how to bait their rigs, while the younger couple watched. The young couple had to be newlyweds; they couldn’t keep their hands off one another.

  The older man’s face was familiar, but Joy couldn't put a name with it. He spoke like a politician, so she decided to let it go.

  A rare Toika tree stood proudly from the water. Its yellow-green leaves danced in the breeze. Off in the distance, a single wisp of cloud floated over the snow-capped mountains.

  "Beautiful spot," the older man said as he stepped up beside her.

  "One of my favorites,” Joy said. “Good memories and good fishing."

  A small boat came creeping around the shoreline toward them, stopping a few hundred yards away. She didn't recognize the boat or the owner. He either wore a ridiculously large hat, or he was tiny. She really didn't care, as long as he didn't come any closer.

  She went about her work, but it was impossible to ignore him. He kept looking at something in his hand. He made her uneasy, so it surprised her when he waved.

  She raised her hand to wave back when a blinding flash engulfed her and tore the flesh from her bones.

  1

  The sky turned from orange to pinkish blue and finally to dark purple. Viata's first moon, Krenor, cleared the horizon. The second and smaller moon, Banta, wouldn't be up for another hour.

  John Finder sat at his usual table, next to the kitchen in Barnacle Bill's bar, watching the lights of the boats crisscrossing the bay. The day was ending for some, but just beginning for others. A breeze blew in the scent of salt and brine.

  John tossed back a shot of rum. He enjoyed the slow burn as the liquid slid down his throat. He had acquired a taste for it after arriving here on Viata.

  Bill's bar had become his favorite place to hang out. Mostly because of the friends he had made with the staff, but partly because he could leave his cabin cruiser docked here and drive his roamer to work.

  Sabrina, the young new bartender, dressed in a size too small Barnacle Bill tee shirt, brought him another shot while he waited for his to-go order, then returned to the bar to wait on customers. John wondered what his daughter Clarissa would be like when she reached Sabrina's age.

  A whiff of rotting fish floated on the breeze making John’s nose wrinkle. Three men walked in and John could tell they were tourists by the clothes they wore. One was tall, one was short, and one was stocky. The loud-mouthed stocky one was clearly the leader. They ordered drinks at the bar, while loud mouth flirted with Sabrina. He tried to ignore the obnoxious banter that loud mouth flung at Sabrina. He supposed she would have to deal with people like that while working in a bar.

  A loud smack caught his attention.

  Loud mouth was stretched across the bar trying to grab Sabrina, while his buddies laughed.

  John rose and immediately closed the distance between them. "Leave her alone.”

  They turned to face him.

  "Are you okay?" John asked Sabrina.

  "This jerk grabbed my boob."

  Loud mouth puffed his chest out and got in John’s face. "It's none of your business. You her daddy?"

  John appraised the situation. Short round wasn't going to engage, he was already backing away. Stretch looked too drunk to be a problem, but loud mouth might be if it turned into a wrestling match.

  "You need to leave," John said. People began clearing a space around them.

  "You going to make us old man? What you grinning at? I'll knock that damn grin off your face."

  John couldn’t help but smile bigger.

  Loud mouth took a swing at him. John stepped aside and grabbed loud mouth's arm, using his momentum to toss him to the floor, knocking over empty tables.

  Stretch stepped forward, and John met him halfway with a crushing blow to the mid-section; he doubled over into a fetal position at John's feet. Short round held up his hands, and backed further away.

  When John turned his attention back to loud mouth, he got a fist to the face. It sent him sprawling. John jumped back to his feet and the wound in his side flared in pain. It was still healing from a blaster shot from a previous case. He needed to end this quick.

  Loud mouth came at him like a charging bull. John timed it perfectly with a knee to the face and he went down. He put a foot on his back to keep him down, but it wasn't necessary. He wasn’t getting up anytime soon.

  Warin, the short Hawaiian cook, came from the kitchen carrying a stun weapon in one hand and a meat cleaver in the other. "Security is coming, they'll be here in a minute. Anybody who needs to leave better go now." He waved the cleaver at short round. "Except you tubby, get over there with your friends. You okay John?"

  John rubbed his side as some of the regular customers slipped quietly out. "I'm fine."

  Sabrina started picking up overturned tables. "Thanks John.”

  A jumper hovered overhead for a moment and then landed in the sand. Bright lights radiated from its sides, illuminating the beach area. After a pause, a ramp dropped from the rear and Victoria Sidewell with two of her deputies stepped out. She tugged the hem of her blue security uniform and surveyed the area, then headed up the beach into the bar with stun weapons in hand.

  Victoria smiled and slid her stun baton back into its holster when she saw John. "Should've known you'd be involved."

  "Good to see you too.”

  "What happened here?"

  Sabrina spoke up. "That one grabbed me. John asked them to leave but they wouldn't."

  Warin spoke up. "I heard him ask them to go, but by the time I called you and got out here it was over."

  Victoria motioned for her deputies. "Put them in the jumper."

  John pointed to short round. "He wasn't involved. He just came i
n with them."

  Victoria paused, looking from John to short round.

  "You're free to go," she said, and he shuffled away.

  As the men were being carried away, Victoria turned to John. "How's Clarissa?"

  "She's good. You should come and see her. She would like that."

  "If I can ever get out from under that pile of work on my desk. Well, better get going. Stay out of trouble."

  John laughed. "Not likely."

  2

  Next morning, John headed to his office on Windy Palm Street. It was located in the heart of the business district.

  True to their name, the palms lining the street swayed gently in the breeze. Their shadows played across the hood, as John drove from the roamer path into the parking area. A courtesy bus deposited its passengers and pulled away.

  John's storefront glistened with dark glass. He could make it transparent if he wanted, but he preferred the privacy. His sign, third from the right, read 'Finder's Private Investigator Service'. Not the most original he supposed, but it got the point across. A palm partially covered his sign. He never understood why landlords insisted on blocking their storefronts with trees. Putting them to the side of the buildings was okay, but when you want to be seen, clogging up the front with trees made zero sense.

  The man who ran the cabin rental next door, dressed in his usual white suit that matched his hair, ambushed him when he approached. A young woman in her twenties wearing a tight red dress was with him.

  "Here he is ma'am," the man said with a hint of exasperation.

  John turned to greet her. "Can I help you?"

  "I have a problem I need you to look into.”

  John could tell his neighbor wanted to say something privately, so he unlocked his door, turned on the lights and held the door for the woman. "Have a seat inside and I'll be with you in a moment." She stepped inside and John let the door close behind her.

  "Mr. Finder if you're going to have an office here, you need to be in it. People are constantly asking where you are and how to get in touch with you."

  "I'm sorry my customers are bothering you, but I can't be here all the time."

  "Then you should get yourself a receptionist."

  "I'll look into that." John smiled and went inside.

  The woman sat on one of the leather couches in his waiting area, talking to someone on her comm unit.

  John enjoyed the inside of his office. He and Clarissa had picked out two saddle-brown leather couches for the waiting area and a wagon wheel table to go between them. The rustic theme was completed with rough-cut wood paneling, lanterns for light fixtures, and a stone floor. He felt comfortable here.

  The woman was attractive by John's standards, and his standards were high. He could tell she had been crying recently.

  She ended her call as he approached. "This is an interesting place you have here. I'm quite transported."

  "Thanks." She was twirling a huge wedding ring on her finger. "Are you having relationship troubles?" John asked.

  She gave him a pained look. "Is it that obvious?"

  "Only to me," he reassured her.

  "Well, you're right." She pulled a tissue from the dispenser on the table and dried a tear that rolled down her cheek.

  John sat down. "Take a moment, then tell me what's happened."

  She patted her eyes to avoid smearing her makeup. "I'm fine. I shouldn't be crying at all. If what I fear is true, then he isn't worth it. Forgive my manners, my name is Hana Hudson. Call me Hana please."

  "Nice to meet you Hana."

  She went on to explain that she had come to Viata on her honeymoon.

  "I expected two weeks of marital bliss, but he seems more interested in gambling than me," she said. "I know men have their little vices, but when he started returning exhausted and smelling of perfume…"

  "I see."

  "Will you help me?"

  This private eye business wasn't what he had envisioned at all. At least this would be better than tracking missing animals. John rose. "I'm a little busy, but I can help you."

  She jumped up and flung her arms around him. He felt the shape of her breasts against him. She lingered a moment, and then released him.

  John cleared his throat and took a step back. "My fee is one thousand credits, plus expenses. I require half up front to start.”

  "That is not a problem." She pulled her comm from her purse and transferred the money.

  John used his comm to confirm payment. "Thank you. Just call me when he starts off a gambling trip."

  "I will."

  She flipped her hair and left.

  Later that evening his comm chirped, it was Clarissa's nanny, Mrs. Engle.

  "Mr. Finder, you were supposed to be here an hour ago. This is not acceptable. I am turning in my notice."

  "I'm sorry Mrs. Engle. I was held up by a client."

  "I'm not interested in your constant excuses. Get here immediately, so I can leave this god-forsaken island. You will have to make other arrangements by the end of the week."

  The call cut off.

  He stuffed his comm unit into his cargo shorts and left.

  3

  John drove toward Bill's place in his new roamer. It wasn't anything fancy: two seats, with a storage area where the back seat normally was, and a convertible top. It didn't have all kinds of accessories like some; he only needed something to get him back and forth.

  The breeze cooled him as he wound his way along the roamer-only path. The smell of the ocean filled his lungs. He had come to love that smell. For a moment he managed to forget his troubles.

  A loud pop came from the right front wheel, and the roamer jerked onto the shell-covered edge. John fought the controls and brought it to a stop. He took a deep breath, and then got out to look at the damage. The tire had a big rip in the sidewall. He couldn’t recall scraping it against anything. The roamer was off the path, so he removed the key and started walking.

  He ducked under the palm fronds that lined the roof of Bill's open-air bar and found his usual table against the wall next to the kitchen door. Kian, with his lean frame and beak nose, brought him his usual evening shot of rum. Kian was a great guy who had a way with the ladies, but he reminded John of a raven.

  "It looks like you might need another one of these." Kian sat the drink in front of him, looked around to make sure the customers were okay, and then sat down with him.

  "Thanks. But I better pass. I'm supposed to be picking up the nanny and I wouldn't want her to smell it on me." He started to push the drink away, then just slammed it back anyway.

  Kian chuckled. "You wanna tell me about it?"

  "I have to find a new nanny. What I need is somebody willing to live on the island."

  Kian rubbed his chin. "I see." He pointed to the empty glass. "Need another?"

  "No, better not.”

  Kian checked the customers again. There were only a few people here at the moment and they were locked in their own conversations. "I might be able to help with your nanny problem. I know a girl…"

  "Bet you do."

  "I'm serious.”

  John sighed. "Have her get in touch. I need somebody before the end of the week."

  Kian smiled. "Leave it to me."

  "Thanks. I don't mean to be so grumpy. Would you do me one more favor?"

  "Sure."

  John tossed his key to him. "My roamer is up the path with a flat tire. I'll call and have somebody repair it, but I'll need somebody to pull it into the lot for me."

  Kian stuffed the key into his pocket. "No problem."

  "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

  John stuck his head into the kitchen and waved to Warin, then made his way down to the dock where his boat was tied up.

  4

  Next morning at sea.

  The waves crashed into the bow of John's boat. A storm must be brewing somewhere. He made a mental note to check the weather report.

  His right leg twitched. At first, he thought
it was a muscle spasm, but then he realized it was his comm unit. He fumbled around his deep pocket until he found it.

  "Mr. Finder, he just left again," Hana said.

  "Ok. I'll see what he's up to."

  He ended the call, and turned the boat for New Monte Carlo.

  John docked and took up position next to a palm tree, within sight of the ferry exit. The man in question arrived on the second ferry, and made his way toward the casinos on foot. John followed him to an outdoor cafe in the cluster of shops between the casinos and sat on a bench to watch.

  The man sat at a small table under an umbrella, stroking his shoulder-length blonde hair. John couldn't see from this distance, but he would bet money he had blue eyes too. Something about the man, made John instantly dislike him.

  A waiter in a crisp white apron, took the man's order, brought him back a drink, and left. The man perked up when a woman approached. He began licking his lips and bouncing his leg.

  John supposed the woman was attractive, but he could tell she was a professional.

  She pulled a chair close to the man and sat down. John took pictures. When the man turned and called for the waiter, she smoothly deposited something in his drink. They finished their drinks, and then she led him toward the Star Watch Casino.

  John followed them through the game floor, weaving around the crowd and the clamoring machines until they stepped into an elevator to the rooms above. John made note of the level they had stopped at, and followed.

  When he arrived, he stepped into the plush carpeted hallway and listened. There was movement down the left hallway, so he went that direction. When he reached the corner, he caught sight of the man stepping into a room. He followed, and stood outside the door listening; silence, followed by moans of passion.