The Mind Man

Chapter nine

"Yippee!" the twins cried in unison.

"We're going to the beach on vacation...hooray!" Caitlin continued. "When are we going Dad?"

"Soon, guys, soon...I want to talk to your mom first." Ted made the announcement the morning after he had discovered the Ardlethan - Cook Island link. He particularly chose breakfast knowing all the family would be present.

"Cool," added Robbie, "Can we go snorkeling and look at fish and shipwrecks and stuff?"

"Yep, sure thing Robbie...the lagoons are filled with tropical fish. I don't know if there are any shipwrecks but I'm sure there will be plenty of fun things to do."

"Why are you doing this Ted?" Sally intervened frostily.

Ted sensed an argument so he ushered the children out of the kitchen. "Go on now get ready for school."

"I can't wait to tell my friends." Lily skipped from the room and down the hall to the stairs with the other two not far behind.

"Where is this coming from?" Once the children were out of earshot Sally continued. "We can't afford to go on a vacation to these islands. What's wrong with the all-inclusive deals to Mexico we normally do? It's cheaper and the kids have fun there. Where are these Cook Islands anyway?"

Ted waited for a pause before offering his defense, "They're in the Pacific Ocean, just south of Hawaii. I thought they'd be more fun. Our trips to Mexico are starting to wear thin with me, and they're always too overcrowded. These islands are a slice of south sea paradise," he recalled text from the web pages. "Just imagine swaying coconut palms, blue lagoons and white sandy beaches. You can even find your own deserted island, you know, like Robinson Crusoe. I think it will be more of an adventure for the kids to go there instead of Mexico."

"You're not fooling me by bringing the kids into this. How did you hear about this place?"

"On the Internet, I was reading about it last night. They sounded great, that's all."

"One minute you're quitting your job to fulfill some fantasy about growing grapes and now you're taking your family halfway round the world for a vacation. What's gotten into you lately? You're starting to worry me."

"There's nothing to worry about. I need to check something out there and I thought we could all go there instead...it would be something different. Also, I need some space to think about the winery idea. I thought it would be good for us to get away from here for a while and spend some time together. We could hire a nanny and spend some time by ourselves. Swimming and lying on the beach, having long relaxing lunches, maybe..."

"I'm not in the mood Ted, and I don't like the idea."

"Come on, it will be fun."

"This has got nothing to do with that car accident, has it?"

"Well...yes..."

"Ted, why can't you leave it alone? Let Jack worry about it."

"I need to do this Sal...I've been a lousy cop all my career and I want to do something to prove that I can do it well. And if I do leave the Department then I want to leave on a high so that they remember me for accomplishing something worthwhile, not as a lackluster kind of guy. Anyhow, what can it hurt - a few days in a tropical paradise...hey?"

"But I don't see what a car crash on the Interstate has to do with the Cook Islands?"

"Well, I found out that an investment company made it big time at the exact same time the guy died in the crash. They have an office in the Cook Islands for tax purposes. I want to check it out. I have a feeling something big is going on. I don't know what it is but I just have a hunch that's all. You're going to have to trust me on this one, Sal. And besides, all flights to the islands are routed through New Zealand so we could catch up with your sister as well. We haven't seen them since their wedding. So what do you say?"