Chapter 8 Making the plan his business
Eric stared at lilac a bit. His opinion of her was changing. He knew she was a smart woman, he just never thought she could use her smart for anything except trapping him in a marriage.
Her plan was more believable. If they moved recklessly now. It would be seen that they were trying to cover up their crime. Their family was in the heavy machinery industry. They got a lot of contracts from the government. If they came under suspicion to the point of being unable to clear their name, their company would take a hit, even if they were capable of staying out of prison.
Lilac looked up at him, a curious glint in her eyes. “I’ve been thinking, Eric. If the government is already suspicious of us, there must be more to it than just a few planted pieces of evidence.”
Eric nodded, his mind racing as he considered her words. “You’re right. They have been watching us for quite some time, moving money is not enough, they would also need motive and prove that we communicating with the terrorists.”
Lilac leaned forward, her hands gripping the edge of the chair as she continued. “Do you think there’s anything we’ve done that could solidify us as communicating with them? Anything that could make the account believable that we’re working with terrorists?”
Eric frowned, racking his brain for any projects or activities that could have raised suspicion. Suddenly, his eyes widened as a thought occurred to him.
“The train project,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Lilac’s eyes widened in understanding as she realized what he was referring to. She may not have too much understanding about his work, but she was not completely naïve. They had been working on a top-secret project for months, one that was based on Middle Eastern technology. They had kept it under wraps, unsure if it was even possible to pull off. Her Father-in-law, Mr. Black, had claimed that if they were capable of building it, they would be revolutionizing the train engine space. He was so proud of it that he kept it under wraps from their competitors.
“The project,” Lilac repeated, her voice filled with urgency. “That is what my family is using to solidify our guilt. I have never told them what project it is, since we were not supposed to say anything. I only told them when you were traveling for work,”
Eric nodded grimly. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. We’ve kept it so secretive, even from our own families. If they found out about it…it would make us look bad. Even if we claim after we are blamed for the money, it could be assumed that the project is a cover up since we did not tell anyone till then.”
Lilac’s heart raced as she considered the implications of their discovery. If the government believed that they could not be trusted, it could spell disaster for them and for the Black family’s reputation.
“This is harder than we thought,” Lilac said, her voice slightly revealing her stress. “Even though I have pocked holes, if we cannot convince people of this, it would not matter.”
Eric nodded in agreement, his mind already spinning with possible solutions. “I will deal with it,”
Lilac could no more sit still as she got up and paced back and forth in the cabin, her mind racing with worry. Eric watched her, concern etched on his face.
“Lilac, relax?” he finally asked, breaking the tense silence, he felt that he needed to distract her, “Is there anything else we have not done yet?” he asked.
Lilac stopped her pacing and turned to face him, her expression grave. “Eric, we need to get rid of the gift my family gave us.”
Eric’s brow came together at her words. “I have always wanted to know how you know what is in the box,” he said and she froze.
Lilac took a deep breath, trying to calm her slight fluster at his question. “It is probably gifts from the terrorists in the Middle East. If I am right, it will be found on the ship during our party tonight.”
Eric’s eyes narrowed at her evasive statement. “How do you know that they are gifts? How did you find out that your family had accepted a gift from terrorists?”
Lilac paused, her eyes blinking rapidly, telling Eric she was looking for a lie to tell. “They’re involved in some shady dealings, it is normal for me to catch a trail of a thing or two.”
Eric fell silent, his mind weighing the options of pushing her further. Finally, he spoke up. “How did you intend to dispose of it?” he asked, and she sighed internally when he let it go.
Lilac looked at him, confusion written all over her face. “What do you mean? Throwing it overboard, obviously,” she said.
“I don’t think that would work,” he shook his head as he replied.
“Why?” she seemed even more confused.
Eric took her hand and led her out of the cabin, a placid look in his eyes. “Come with me, Lilac. Let us go ask the captain.”
“The captain?” Lilac asked in confusion.
Curious, Lilac followed him through the corridors of the ship until they reached the control room. The captain looked up as they entered, a questioning look on his face.
“Mr. Black, Mrs. Black, what can I do for you?” he asked, after a brief greeting
Eric glanced at Lilac before turning back to the captain. “Captain, are there any other ships in the area?”
The captain frowned, consulting a monitor before replying. “We’ve seen several passing ships since we began our vacation. Why do you ask?”
“Any that have been constant?” he asked, and the captain nodded.
“Several of them have been here since we got on the water,” he answered. “Fishing for blue fins, it seems.”
A sense of dread washed over Lilac as she realized the implications of Eric’s question. It means the government is already monitoring our ship. She looked at Eric in worry.
“Thank you, captain. We will leave you to it, then,” Eric thanked the captain and took away the slightly dazed Lilac. They stepped into a private sitting room before Lilac spoke again.
“They are watching us,” she said.
Eric nodded grimly, his mind racing with possibilities. “If we dispose of anything into the sea, it could be used as evidence against us.”
Lilac felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as the reality of their situation sank in. They were trapped, with no way to dispose of the incriminating evidence without drawing attention to themselves.
“We need to come up with a plan to hide it on the ship,” Eric said, his voice soft, none of them noticing that they were standing really close to each other whispering, almost. “Somewhere no one would look when searching the ship,”
Lilac took a deep breath and calmed herself as a thought crossed her mind. “I have a plan,” she said, her voice filed with mischief.
“What is it?” he asked.
Lilac leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper, “We act.”