“What about Brian and his mom and dad? What are they going to do now? Are we going to help them look for their boat?”
“I don’t know, Rebecca. Let’s find out what happened first, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Tara gave Rebecca a hug and then put on one of the PFDs from the cockpit locker. She was nervous as she climbed over the lifelines and stepped down into the tiny dinghy, taking care to put her foot as close to the center as possible, so as not to tip it over. She lowered herself to the middle of the single longitudinal plank that was designed to serve as a seat for a single occupant or two sitting facing each other at either end. Then she fitted the oarlocks into their sockets and carefully pushed off from her boat. The dinghy felt like a toy, something more suitable for kids to play with in a swimming pool than a tender to a yacht, though she thought maybe it might suit a miniature one like the 17-footer that Scully had sailed here aboard with Mindy and Thomas. Thinking of her parents’ beautiful handmade dinghy that Larry Drager had so carelessly lost to thieves made her mutter a curse under her breath. She did her best to put that anger out of her mind though and think positive thoughts, so she could focus on making it to the beach without drowning.
Just as she’d expected, the wind caught her and carried her off at an angle to her desired course, no matter how hard she rowed. She was going to make it to the beach, but not to the point she was aiming for. Looking over her shoulder every few strokes to make sure, she saw Brian walking along the shore to meet her where she was going to land. Charles and Holly remained where they were, still in the shade of the rocks, but Tara could see they were both sitting up now, which was a relief. When she’d first seen them lying there, she’d feared the worst. She nearly flipped the dinghy getting out of it as soon as she reached knee-deep shallows. Brian was there waiting as she pulled it the rest of the way to the beach.
“Brian! What happened? Where is the boat?”
“Stolen! We were boarded in the middle of the night by armed men; four of them. They were inside before any of us knew they were there. I woke up with a gun to my head. They took me out to the swim platform and I saw that my mother and father were already out there with guns pointed at them as well. I thought they were going to kill us for sure. They made us wonder for a long time as two of them kept us there while the other two went and started the engines and got the anchor up. Then the boat started moving, heading out of the anchorage. They waited until they were another quarter of a mile from the island and then one of the two men guarding us pushed me overboard before I realized what he was about to do. I came up for air and saw my father struggling with them until one of them hit him with the butt of a pistol and then pushed the two of them into the water with me. My father was unconscious and Mother was frantic. I swam to where they were as fast as I could and to keep him from drowning, I rolled him onto his back to keep his face out of the water. It seemed to take forever to pull him back to the beach, swimming with one arm at a time and switching sides when I was too tired to go on. Thank God my mother was able to swim on her own, because I couldn’t have helped both of them at the same time. By the time we finally made it ashore, Mother and I were completely exhausted and my father was still unconscious, but alive. We half carried and half dragged him to the spot where he is now and that’s where the two of them have been ever since. He came to about an hour later, but he might have a concussion.”
“Oh my God, Brian! I can’t believe I didn’t hear anything! I didn’t hear the engines start up or anything!”
“It was windy all night and they steered well clear of your boat on the way out. I yelled for you several times when we were in the water, but I knew you wouldn’t be able to hear me because you were inside the cabin and the wind was carrying my voice the other way.”
“I am so sorry, Brian!”
“It’s probably best that you didn’t. There was nothing you could have done. Those men were armed to the teeth and they would have killed you if you’d tried. I’m still surprised they didn’t just kill all of us.”
“Who were they? Where did they come from, and how did they get on your boat?”
“I have no idea who they were. They all had their faces covered: bandanas and black T-shirts tied around their head with slits for their eyes like the terrorists you used to see in the news. They had a big inflatable boat with an outboard. That’s how they got aboard Pocket Change, but Tara, I’m sure that they came from that fishing boat we saw yesterday. You were right; we should have been more worried about it. There were no running lights on it, but I saw something out there, just outside the reef, following along when we were still standing on the swim platform on the way out of the harbor.”
“So it’s obvious they didn’t just want to ransack your stuff. They wanted the yacht itself.”
“Yes, apparently so. That’s why they didn’t bother you. They were only there for our boat.”
“I guess a sailboat didn’t interest them. Could you tell which way they went after you were forced overboard?”
“I couldn’t see them for long in the dark, especially with having to worry about my father. I know that they turned off to the northwest though. Whether they stayed on that course, I have no idea.”
“So they could have been headed to Andros, or even Florida.”
“I suppose. I don’t know what in the hell we’re going to do now Tara. My parents are absolutely devastated. They just lost everything they own. We have nothing but the clothes we were wearing, not even shoes!”
Tara couldn’t believe all of this had happened so fast as she stood there talking to Brian, his possessions reduced to a wet pair of khaki shorts and a faded North Face T-shirt. She was certain that if the wind had not been blowing so hard and she had not been so exhausted from so many sleepless nights prior, she would have heard the commotion outside. Like Brian said, it probably wouldn’t have mattered or done any good, and maybe it was for the best, as she and Rebecca didn’t get involved. But she was involved now. These folks were her friends, her only friends left now that Larry and his crew had sailed away. Tara had been counting on their companionship and help in the days ahead, but now, they needed her. She didn’t know exactly how she was going to do it, but she had to help them. The one thing she did know though, was that getting their yacht back was hopeless. She already knew from what Larry had told her that Charles had enough fuel in the tanks to cruise several hundred more miles. That would give the pirates that took it enough range to get to Florida, if that was where they were headed, or to any harbor in the Bahamas. With no authorities to report it to, if that were even possible, Brian and his parents would certainly never see Pocket Change again.
Tara turned and looked back out at her boat, where Rebecca stood obediently keeping watch with the rifle. She wished she could tell her what was going on and what had happened, but it was too far to shout. She waved instead and then followed Brian back along the beach to the base of the rocks where Charles and Holly were still sitting in shock and disbelief.
Twenty-seven
ARTIE FOUND HIMSELF STRUGGLING to stay awake as he manned the helm of the Casey Nicole through the transition from night to the dawn of their second day at sea. Even though this was the beginning of his third offshore passage aboard the Casey Nicole, it was still taking him some time to adapt to the motion, the wet and the lack of sleep. Larry and Jessica had relieved Grant and Casey at midnight and Artie could have stayed below for another two hours before he was due to take over, but he couldn’t sleep anyway, so he’d joined them on deck. Larry had passed the helm off to him about 0300 and Artie had fought to keep his eyes open through the last hour of darkness. Daybreak brought with it a slight rejuvenation that made him think he could last another hour or two, but he was really getting tired now, and knew he would finally sleep the next time he hit his bunk.
Mindy was in his bunk now while he was on deck, having finally given in to her own need for sleep after days and nights of pain and horror at what happened on Dar
by Island. Even Scully had finally had enough of the spray and wind and had retreated below for a break as the wind and seas built during the night. The islander amazed Artie with his resilience and ability to handle pain. Artie knew his leg had to be hurting him, but Scully never complained and insisted on taking his turn at the helm as well, saying he could steer sitting down.
In the light of morning, Artie looked across the cockpit at his brother Larry, who was sound asleep on the long seat with his back against the aft beam; Jessica snuggled up in his arms and sleeping as well. It was taking him some time to get use to the idea of his daughter’s roommate becoming romantically involved with his brother. If it had happened before, back when they were all living their normal lives in an orderly society, Artie would have had a lot more to say about it. But then too, he realized, it probably wouldn’t have happened before, even if they had both been attracted to each other, which Artie was certain they were when Jessica met him on her summer vacation to the islands with Casey.
Artie knew he would never stop thinking of Casey as his little girl, and it seemed like just yesterday that she’d been that little girl he so fondly remembered, walking between him and her mom, each of her hands in one of theirs. Unfortunately, Diane didn’t get to see that little girl grow into the beautiful woman Casey had become. Artie found himself wondering what Diane would think if she could see the two of them now, living in a lawless world aboard a sailboat with his brother, danger and potential death lurking in every harbor. If Casey’s mother had been alive when the grid went down, Artie knew he probably wouldn’t be here with Larry at all because he wouldn’t have taken that vacation alone. He and Diane would have been starting from their home in the suburbs of Birmingham, trying to reach Casey in New Orleans however they had to get there, even if it meant walking. Knowing what he knew now, Artie doubted they would have survived it. Things had worked out the way they did for a reason, he just wasn’t sure what that reason was yet.
He trusted his brother’s judgment when it came to anything to do with the boat. He just hoped this thing with Jessica didn’t somehow end badly, because no matter what happened, they were all going to have to get along and live together in close proximity. That proximity had never been closer than it was now, and with seven of them on board a 36-foot boat, there was no privacy to be had. Artie had liked their prior arrangement with Tara, splitting the crew between the two boats, because every one of them had a dedicated bunk and at least some sense of place to call their own. Now they were sharing even their sleeping spaces. Artie didn’t particularly like it, but he would deal with it like the rest of them.
Grant and Larry talked of possibly setting up a camp on land once they reached the San Blas Islands. Larry said it was the kind of place that would be suitable for that, with so many islands and so many places where they could pull the catamaran practically right up to the beach. He said that coconut palms were abundant there, and that there were even areas of jungle on some of the islands. The Kuna people controlled all the land there, but Grant was optimistic they could obtain permission when Larry told him that many of them spoke Spanish as well as their indigenous language.
Artie watched the sunrise almost dead ahead as he steered the course Larry had set since they came about on the starboard tack. They were close reaching on an easterly heading that would take them just south of Acklins Island after sailing south most of the night until they were past Ragged Island. Larry said they would need to continue on well east of Acklins before tacking again for the reach south that would carry them past the eastern tip of Cuba and into the Caribbean. There was no land in sight now at sunup, but they would pass close enough to Acklins to get a good look at it, but Larry had no intentions of stopping now that he’d made up his mind they needed to leave the Bahamas without delay. It only took another half hour until the sun was warm enough on his face to wake Larry, and he gently moved Jessica aside so he could get up without disturbing her.
“I’ll bet you’re ready for a break, huh Doc?”
“I’m okay. I feel awake again now that it’s daylight. I decided to let everybody sleep as long as they could.”
“No boats?”
“I haven’t seen a thing in any direction. It’s empty out here, as far as I can tell.”
“We’re off the main routes, that’s for sure. Not much traffic down here even before. I’ll still feel better once we’re clear of Bahamian waters though.”
“Yeah, probably by this time tomorrow, huh?”
“For sure. Sometime tonight, if we can maintain this kind of speed. We should be into the Windward Passage during the daylight hours tomorrow, which will be a good thing. Then we’ll lay a course that will take us south to the east of Jamaica, and keep on booking.”
“Changes in latitudes, eh little brother?”
“You bet. I always feel better when they get down to the single digits. We’re doing the right thing, Doc. I’m feeling good about the San Blas the more I think about it. There are places more remote, but most of them have serious drawbacks, especially the cold ones. Life on the boat or on the shore nearby is going to be much easier in a truly tropical zone.”
“I don’t doubt that. I can’t imagine living on this boat somewhere that it’s freezing. Hell, I was cold last night until the sun came up.”
“People are always surprised how cold it gets at sea during the night; even in the islands.”
“I wonder if Tara is having second thoughts about staying behind at Flamingo Cay,” Artie said, suddenly thinking about her again.
“I doubt it. She’s probably having breakfast with Brian on Pocket Change right about now, thinking how glad she is she’ll never have to see me again! I doubt they’ll stay at Flamingo Cay for long. Charles seems too restless to stay anywhere long, at least as long as he’s got fuel. I’ll bet they’ll head down to Duncan Town any day now, especially since Tara can use her engine again.”
“You’re probably right. I can’t help but worry about them, but I guess there’s no point in it. She made her choice and we had to make ours.”
“Look at it this way, Doc. At least you won’t have to sail on a monohull anymore. Remember how you puked your guts out on Ibis before all this started?”
“Who says I was planning on sailing on one anyway? I would have stuck with the Casey Nicole if we were still sailing with the Sarah J.”
“Not for this passage, you wouldn’t have, because there was no way Tara and I were going to be on the same boat again. You would have had to go with her. You and Casey and Grant.”
“Oh, I see. Was there some other reason that maybe you wanted us off your boat, little brother?” Artie glanced at Jessica, still sleeping, and smiled.
“We’d still have Mindy and Scully on board to keep us out of trouble, but yeah, I think Jessica and I would prefer to sail on the same boat. You don’t have a problem with that, do you Doc?”
“Hey, you’re both adults. Well, barely.”
Jessica opened her eyes at that. She’d heard everything they said, even though she seemed to be sleeping. “I’ll be twenty in August. Just a month after Casey.”
“I know. It’s hard for me to believe my girl’s not even going to be a teenager anymore. I feel like she ought to be turning fourteen instead of twenty this year.”
“Yeah, I can understand that, but would you really want to be stuck on this boat for God knows how long with two teenaged girls with no working iPhones?”
Artie had to laugh at that. Jessica certainly had a point. There were some situations too frightening to contemplate! His mind drifted away momentarily to that world before, where everyone was connected to everyone else twenty-four seven. Considering how much importance had been placed on that concept before, it was surprising; really, how quickly they’d all adapted to doing without. For Artie it was even less than a hardship than the rest of the crew. He had the two people who meant the most to him right here with him on the same boat. Grant was cut off and far from his parents, but had little con
cern for them because of where they were, already comfortably working off the grid at the time of the collapse. For Jessica, worry for her parents was much more valid. After all they’d seen in New Orleans and Florida, Artie couldn’t imagine how bad things must be in southern California, with that kind of population density. Jessica didn’t bring it up much, but Artie knew it had to bother her from time to time. Out of all their little crew, Jessica was certainly the one whose prior life experiences had least prepared her for the harsh reality she found herself in now. Growing up in the city, with little contact with nature and certainly no applicable survival skills or knowledge, she had been forced to learn and adapt faster than any of them. Artie was impressed at how far she’d come in such a short time, and he attributed it to her relative youth. She’d had to ditch her no longer sustainable vegetarian diet to begin with, and then she’d had to learn to handle and use firearms and confront violence. It was a long leap for her to make from where she started, but from what Larry described of the way she handled the situation on Darby Island, Jessica could be relied on in a crisis as much as anyone on board. He couldn’t blame his younger brother for falling head over heels for her. He was happy for them both, and just hoped it worked out.
In another half hour, everybody on board was on deck and sitting in the cockpit, enjoying the morning sunshine and the slightly drier ride since the wind had eased up a bit. Even Mindy appeared to appreciate the good weather and fast progress that they were making, though Artie knew she was grieving inside despite her stoic disposition. Grant was the first to yell that he’d spotted land when Acklins Island finally came into view, and an hour later they were sailing past its long, southern tip, still reaching to the east to get into position for the next long tack south. When Larry finally said it was time to come about to that heading that would take them clear of the Bahamas, it was well after noon. They passed close enough to the cays at Hogsty Reef to see them in the distance off to port before sunset, and Larry said they would pass Great Inagua, the southernmost island in the Bahamas, later in the night. Artie could tell that his brother was already feeling better knowing they would soon leave the Bahamas in the wake, but that didn’t mean there was nothing to worry about. Larry said they would have to keep a particularly sharp watch for other vessels tomorrow as they passed between Cuba and Haiti. The gap at the closest point between the two island nations was only 50 nautical miles. He wanted to split the difference and stay as close to the middle as possible for the best chance of sailing through unseen.
Horizons Beyond the Darkness Page 18