The weekend arrived faster than I had expected, and with it, the trip to the Keys loomed ahead of me. I had kept my distance from Mr. Taylor as much as possible, and I was thankful the only thing I really ever got from him was a stray look.

Lugging my weekend bag over my shoulder, I moved towards the ramp of the boat and boarded the white two-hundred-seventy-foot-yacht that was a mansion on the water. Its multi-tier level was equipped with a helicopter pad and a pool.

It was a new venture for ...