Horizons Beyond the Darkness

by Scott B. Williams

  “It doesn’t matter to me, Casey, but your dad would be happy if you go with him and Tara,” Larry said. “It really won’t take us long to sail over there and back. If Thomas and Mindy still aren’t here in the morning, we’ll leave early and get over there by afternoon. But maybe they will be here. We may not have to go looking for them at all.”

  Larry understood why Casey wanted to go. It probably had as much to do with her not wanting Grant and Jessica together and away again as much as any genuine desire on her part to sail to Darby Island. Larry wasn’t ready to tell her that he didn’t think she had to worry about that and why. She would figure it out soon enough, if things went the way Larry hoped they would. But then, things seldom did when it came to women. Larry had learned to take such things one day at a time and not worry too much about it either way. Maybe what happened between him and Jessica was just a one-time thing and she was still after Grant? Larry wanted to believe otherwise, that it was simply his charm and good looks that had won her over, but now that she was going to be on the same boat with Grant again things might be different. Whatever was going to happen, he didn’t plan to worry about it. It would be nice to have that time alone with Jessica, but this would also be an opportunity to find out if she was just playing games.

  Aside from all that though, he really needed Grant’s help in order to make a quick passage, and there was always the possibility that something unforeseen would happen. He didn’t want to put Jessica at more risk than was reasonable simply because of his desire for time alone with her though. The incident with the dinghy thieves made him realize he could easily make a fatal mistake. If something had happened to Jessica that day it would have been no one’s fault but his own. Grant was reliable and competent. Having him along would double their margin of safety.

  Ten

  THERE WAS NO SIGN of Scully’s friends or their little boat the next morning when Grant came on deck at daybreak to join Larry.

  “I guess our plan is a go then, right?”

  “Yep. There’s no use waiting any longer. If we’re going to go look for them we might as well get started. I want to be back in the Jumentos and in the new anchorage as early as possible tomorrow morning.”

  They had a short meeting aboard the catamaran to finalize their rendezvous plans and then Grant used the kayak to ferry Tara, Artie and Casey back to the Sarah J. while Larry and Jessica made ready the Casey Nicole to sail to Darby Island.

  “This sucks!” Casey said, as Grant pulled alongside Tara’s Tartan 37, grabbing the lifelines to hold the kayak close to the hull so she could climb out.

  “I know, Casey. But it’s just a couple of days at the most; and more like a day and half. We’ll make a quick trip and probably join you guys in the new anchorage before noon tomorrow.”

  “That’s what Uncle Larry says, but you know how it is with this sailing stuff now that you’ve experienced it. It never goes as smoothly as he always hopes it will. Be careful, Grant. Anything can happen out there. You know that as well as I do.”

  “You know I will.” Grant pulled himself to his feet as she climbed out, hanging on with one hand while keeping the kayak balanced so she could lean close enough to give him a hug that lasted much longer than he expected. He didn’t want to let go, but he didn’t want to flip the kayak either, as the wind had picked up and there was enough wave action to make standing in the narrow hull tricky. Casey pulled herself back through the lifelines and Grant pushed away, turning the kayak to paddle back to the catamaran.

  The Sarah J. would be without a reliable dinghy, which concerned Larry, but since she was going to be under tow by Charles and his crew on the trawler, he felt okay about taking the kayak to Darby Island. He had still insisted on transferring the sorry excuse for a dinghy he and Jessica had been left with by the thieves, despite Tara’s objections that she didn’t want it aboard her boat. It was barely usable, but better than nothing in an emergency. The Sarah J. was unlikely to run aground again or have a problem requiring a tender while being towed, but Larry liked to cover all the bases as best he could.

  Grant pulled the kayak aboard the Casey Nicole behind him as he boarded from the stern trampoline and he and Jessica quickly lashed it down. Larry already had the anchor up before they were done and then the three of them worked quickly to set the main, foresail and jib. The catamaran leapt forward as soon as the sails were sheeted in, bearing away to the north-northeast with a steady 20-knot breeze off the starboard beam pushing it along. Larry was grinning as he looked behind them at the boiling wake, and Grant and Jessica couldn’t help but do the same. They were all concerned about finding Thomas and Mindy, but looking for them was also a good excuse to go for a sail and for once it didn’t feel like a matter of life or death to reach their destination.

  As they left the Jumentos astern in the wake, the three of them kept a constant watch on the horizon, not only dead ahead but off to port and starboard too, hoping to spot the tiny Intrepida making her way back to where the Sarah J. had run aground. Intercepting Thomas and Mindy along the way would save them a lot of time, but the farther they sailed without seeing another vessel; the more Larry was convinced the couple was still in the Exumas. Something had delayed their departure, whether choice or circumstances beyond their control.

  The Casey Nicole made short work of the passage to the Exumas, but the most direct course, and the one that Larry was sailing, took them quite close to several smaller cays to the south of the one that they were seeking. They passed within sight of a native fishing vessel working near a reef, and could see people ashore on one of the cays, but without his binoculars Larry couldn’t tell what any of them were doing. He steered well clear and then around noon, their destination was in sight.

  “There it is. I suppose we’ll know something soon,” he said.

  Grant stared ahead at the low island dead ahead. Darby Island was unremarkable from this angle, indistinguishable from several other cays and small islands visible to the north and south of it. Like many of the islands in this part of the Exumas, it was undeveloped and uninhabited, or at least it had been until recently, unless someone had taken refuge there. They closed in on the west side of the island at a steady clip, the pristine white beaches taking shape as they got closer until finally they were able to discern a boat at anchor.

  “Is that it?” Grant asked.

  “I’m pretty sure it is. This is the right place. We’ll know in a few minutes.

  “It looks really small,” Jessica said, as Larry adjusted course to head directly to the boat.

  “Yep, when you compare it to the palm trees at the back of that beach, you can tell it’s not a normal-sized cruising boat. I think that’s Intrepida for sure.”

  Five minutes later there was no longer any doubt. The lone boat anchored in this cove off Darby Island was Thomas and Mindy’s Montgomery 17.

  “It doesn’t look like they’re aboard, unless they’re down below,” Grant said, as Larry tacked the Casey Nicole to bring her about for the final approach.

  “They’re probably ashore somewhere. It looks like they anchored close enough in to wade to the beach.”

  “That’s what they always do, according to Scully. Because their boat is too small to carry a dinghy.”

  “It looks too small to carry anything! I don’t see how they managed to even fit Scully on there with them,” Jessica said.

  “All boats are compromises,” Larry reminded them. “Small can be bad but it can be good too. A boat like that can go a lot of places and it’s cheap and easy to maintain.”

  “It looks like the companionway is locked from the outside,” Grant said, as Larry tacked again, passing close by the stern of Intrepida. “They must be ashore for sure then.”

  “Yeah, and they even lifted the rudder and tiller off the transom,” Larry observed. “That seems a bit extreme unless they were planning to be gone a while. Maybe they decided to hike across the island to see the ruins.”

  “Ruins?”

 
“They call it a castle, and that’s pretty much what it was. Some rich Englishman built it back in the 1930’s. It was a hell of a manor back in the day, pretty amazing really. Most of it is still standing but it’s long since been abandoned. It would be a lot easier to get there from the other side of the island though. I wonder if Thomas and Mindy knew that?”

  “How would they even know it was there? Scully said they’d never been to the Bahamas.”

  “They could have read about it in their cruising guide, assuming they have one for the islands. People used to anchor off Darby to visit the castle all the time before. Who knows now? If they did go that far, it was probably smart to put away the rudder like they did. A couple of fellows like those two we met near Staniel Cay would steal this little boat in a heartbeat. I’m going to drop an anchor. Let’s go ashore and see if there’s any sign of them. Maybe they’ll be back soon if they did go for a hike.”

  “Are we all going?” Jessica asked.

  “Sure, why not? I just want to check the beach. It looks like they had a fire there. We will be able to tell if they used it this morning or not. You and Grant can take the kayak if you like. I’ll swim over.”

  “I’m swimming too!” Jessica said. “The water here looks amazing!”

  “Yeah, why bother with the kayak at all?”

  “Because one of us needs to take a rifle, Grant. If you’d rather swim, I’ll do it, but I’m not making the same mistake twice and getting caught without one!”

  “You’ve got a point. I’ll paddle it. I’ll grab that lever carbine and a machete and be right behind you.” Grant went below to get the rifle and machete, and grabbed his hiking boots as well. That abandoned castle sounded like an interesting place to see and he was more than willing go there to look for Thomas and Mindy if they didn’t find them nearby.

  * * *

  Artie wasn’t thrilled to see his brother sail away over the horizon on the catamaran with Jessica and Grant. He understood that Scully’s new friends from Florida had been instrumental in getting them all reunited here, however briefly, but regardless of that; they weren’t part of their group. Artie was afraid that separating the two boats again could put them right back to where they were before. At least Casey had listened to him and agreed to stay with him and Tara aboard the Sarah J. Artie knew she wanted to be wherever Grant was, and that it must be bothering her to see Jessica there in her place. He had hoped up to the last minute that Thomas and Mindy’s tiny boat would appear on the horizon, but when it didn’t, he had to resign himself to the fact that Larry was going, and no amount of arguing with him would change his mind.

  “You brotha he a stubborn mon,” Scully said, as Artie changed the bandage on his leg before they got ready to haul in the Sarah J’s anchor to for the tow behind Pocket Change to the new anchorage.

  “You don’t have to tell me, Scully. He’s been that way since we were little kids. Nobody could change his mind once he set out to do something. That’s why he became a professional delivery skipper—because our dad told him he couldn’t make a living sailing. Larry just had to prove him wrong. I just hope he finds your friends quickly and they all hurry back. I don’t like this.”

  “I t’ink mehbe he gonna find dem in de same place where dem find you in de Exumas. I t’ink mehbe dat Thomas he still afraid of de sea, and mehbe waitin’ to see if de wind, she gonna lie down some more.”

  Artie laughed at that. The wind was ideal for sailing, and there wasn’t a hint of bad weather on the horizon, just as there hadn’t been for days. But he could understand why they might be nervous. Seventeen feet was small for a sailboat making crossings out of sight of land, and Artie said so to Scully.

  “Tiny boat, but good design, dat one. Not to worry ‘bout de boat, Doc.”

  “Larry said so too, but he also said it was too slow to keep up with us whenever we leave here. So, I don’t know what they’re going to do then. Larry is determined to leave before hurricane season. I can tell Tara isn’t keen on the idea though. I guess the kids are okay with whatever. I know Larry’s the one with the experience. Larry and you. What do you think, Scully?”

  “Seen a lot of hurricane in de island, Doc. Not to worry too much in dem place dat got de good harbor. But de Bahama, dem got no hurricane hole dat’s safe if de big one, she make a direct hit. An’ now we got no radio, no weathermon to warn when she gonna come and where. I an’ I agree wid Larry. Better to sail someplace safe. Nevah know wid de hurricane, Doc. Wise mon take no foolish chance.”

  Artie had already known he would answer this way. Scully was by far the most knowledgeable of their group after Larry when it came to seamanship and experience with storms. In fact, he was more experienced with hurricanes because he was a native of the Caribbean, unlike Larry. Artie knew Scully’s homeland of Dominica was rugged and mountainous, probably far safer than anywhere in the Bahamas, but its coastlines were still vulnerable as it was square in the latitudes that funneled in Atlantic cyclones formed off the coast of Africa.

  They were going to be leaving soon, no doubt, on another major voyage, probably even longer than their crossing of the Gulf of Mexico. Artie didn’t look forward to it. There would probably be more rough weather and high seas, and he knew if he sailed on Tara’s boat, which was likely, he would probably fall victim to seasickness. He still had vivid memories of the last time he’d sailed offshore on a monohull, just as this ordeal all began. That passage on the schooner Ibis had been his first real experience with bluewater sailing, and at the time, he’d sworn it would be his last. Little did he know he would soon be adapting the lifestyle of his free-spirited little brother, living aboard boats and sailing to the ends of the earth. It wasn’t by choice, of course, but at least he was with the two people he loved the most, and they were alive and safe for now. Artie figured he might as well relax and just continue trusting his little brother to make the right decisions. Things had mostly worked out this far, so he had to believe their little group would somehow manage whatever came next. But for now, his task was to help get the Sarah J. moved to the anchorage Larry had selected at the place called Flamingo Cay.

  The free tow behind Pocket Change made the whole move much less stressful for Artie and Tara, especially with Scully unable to help them navigate. They could have done it, with Casey and Rebecca aboard to assist in keeping a good lookout, but without the engine or a good dinghy, approaching an unfamiliar cay surrounded by reefs would be tricky under sail alone. Artie had seen enough of the Bahamas now to know that navigation anywhere around the cays required good light. With the sun high overhead, it was easy to pick a route through the reefs and sandbars by the color of the water, and with no GPS to pinpoint their location; this method was their only option. Artie hoped Charles and Holly were as good at it as they claimed to be. Charles said they had years of experience cruising the Bahamas, and that there was nothing to worry about. Both vessels drew approximately the same amount of water, so the Sarah J. would be safe, following in their wake. The higher flybridge of the trawler provided a better observation point for reef lookout duty, and they had Brian’s eyes as well to keep a careful watch for the entire route.

  A half hour after the Casey Nicole had disappeared to the north, Charles motored over in his inflatable dinghy to bring them the end of the tow rope, a 300-foot length of seven-eights-inch braided nylon anchor rode they carried among their spares.

  “Don’t be shy about cutting it loose if there’s a problem,” Charles said. “I don’t think there will be, but keep an eye on things. I’m going to keep our speed steady at about six knots to minimize our fuel consumption. That should put us there in four hours at the outside.”

  “Sounds perfect to me,” Artie said. “We sure do appreciate it.”

  “And we’re glad to do it. It’s worth it to us just to hear more of your stories. Holly and Brian and I can’t believe all that you folks have been through in such a short time.”

  “I wish I could say we made most of it up, but we didn’t. It’s
been enough excitement for me, to be sure. I hope we get to spend some time in peace for a while, like you guys have.”

  “Maybe you will. This Flamingo Cay sounds like a nice place to recuperate for a bit. Let’s go and see if it’s as good as your brother claims.”

  Eleven

  WHEN GRANT CAME BACK on deck to unload the kayak, Larry and Jessica were still in the water, apparently enjoying the swim as well as each other’s company. Grant had noticed a change in Jessica ever since they’d picked her and Larry up in that ratty little dinghy after the two of them had been stranded. She had been much nicer to Casey and the tension that had seemed to emanate from her when the three of them were together had vanished. No one had said anything about it, especially Jessica, but it was very noticeable to Grant and he imagined to Casey as well.

  The other thing Grant noticed about Jessica was that she was being much more nonchalant around him. He knew she was still hurt by what he’d said to Russell about her after the scuffle on Green Cay that night, but something else had changed too, and Grant suspected he knew what it was. If it were true, there was certainly no indication from Larry, at least until now. Larry had been the same old Larry while they were all sailing together to the Jumentos from where they’d met Thomas and Mindy, and throughout the operation to pull the Sarah J. off the sandbar before that.

  If what he suspected was true, then in a way it would be a relief to Grant simply because of the tension that had been building. But he still thought of that time in the water off of Andros Island, when Jessica pressed herself to him and he didn’t turn away from her kiss. He’d fantasized about what it would be like if it really were just he and Jessica alone here in the islands, without Casey in the picture. There were a lot of things about her that annoyed the hell out him, and in the real world before, he wouldn’t have put up with them for a minute. But everything was different now; reduced to the primal like the lives of the people he studied as an anthropology major. Jessica was undeniably the sexier and more beautiful of the two women when viewed through that lens. It would be easy to cave to those instinctual cues for choosing a mate, and in the same animal way it had felt good to him knowing he had the power to choose. The world as they knew it had come to an end, and he was sailing in the islands with two very desirable women, both of whom wanted him—at least then. Was it really possible that Jessica was more interested in Larry now? Grant didn’t know, but from what little he knew of Jessica he saw no reason to doubt it. Larry was indeed a lot older than her, but he was a good-looking and interesting man, and Grant didn’t think he was too old, especially in this world they were in now. He doubted Casey would agree with that though, and was sure that she would be upset about her roommate hooking up with her uncle. Artie might have something to say about it too, but Grant knew that none of that would deter Jessica and probably not Larry either. It was going to be interesting seeing how this situation developed, and as he slid the kayak into the water from the deck of the Casey Nicole, he thought of an idea that might reveal the answers before they even left this place. By the time he’d landed on the beach, Larry and Jessica had already walked to the fire pit.