Beth looked at Steve uncertainly.
“Go ahead, if you’d like,” he reassured her, thinking it best to humor David. He was also aware that his self control was waning rapidly. Too much longer in this tiny boat and things were going to end badly! “I can take the Pearl in, no problem. You two go enjoy the afternoon.”
Beth nodded in agreement, a pleased smile on her face, but Steve got the impression that this was not the sort of surprise that she was accustomed to when it came to her relationship with David. Still wearing a bemused expression, she went into David’s arms and kissed him. Steve looked away, studying the other boat. The Mardi Gras III. Quite a party boat.
“Nice,” he acknowledged to David with a nod. “Where’d you get that?”
David looked at Steve with a cool smile. “Friend of my father’s let me borrow it today.”
“Good friend,” Steve said.
David didn’t bother to reply. “Let’s go, then,” he told Beth. We’re wasting daylight.”
Awkwardly Beth glanced at Steve. “Thanks, Steve, for taking back the cruiser. Just give the key to George when you get back, and if I don’t make it to Bible Study tomorrow, good luck and be safe.”
Steve nodded. “Thanks, Beth. You too.”
Beth and David lowered themselves over the side of the cruiser and swam to the Mardi Gras III. Steve watched and waved as David started the motor and took a northerly heading. As the boat disappeared, Steve relaxed slightly, but not entirely. It was true they had avoided an ugly scene, but there was something fishy about the whole picnic story, Steve thought. Why would David have followed them all the way out here, unless he suspected them of sneaking out behind his back…but surely the fact that they were making an innocent diving trip was self evident?
Still, Steve mused, David would not be pleased to find Beth with him under any circumstances. Therefore, his calm demeanor today was almost more unnerving. Steve supposed there was another possibility…Perhaps David had decided that staying in touch with Gracie was more important than continuing his war with Steve? What a relief that would be!
The Mardi Gras III was only a tiny spec in the distance when Steve shook himself out of his contemplation and licked his lips, thirsty after so much time in the salt water. He needed a drink! Steve dropped down the hatch to the tiny galley where Beth’s even tinier refrigerator was stocked with water bottles. His eyes widened suddenly, taking in the condition of the cabin as David would have seen it when he came below earlier.
George’s bed was a mess of tangled sheets. Steve hadn’t paid any attention when he’d come down earlier to get Beth a bottle of water, but someone like David, someone who didn’t know that George often slept on the cruiser, would look at that bed and think…Steve walked over and picked a little black bra up from the floor. George didn’t always sleep alone, apparently.
Steve felt sick. He recalled David’s offhand comment about cleaning up the cabin…he’d been down here, but he hadn’t cleaned up anything! David had seen all of this, and David would believe the worst.
Beth! Beth was alone with David. Water bottle forgotten, Steve hurried topside, determined to follow them. He didn’t know what he would do when he caught up to them, but in his gut he knew he could not leave Beth alone with David!
He reached for the ignition key under the seat cushion where Beth always placed it when they dove alone, and swore in thwarted frustration. The key was missing! He searched under all the seat cushions and on the deck of the little cruiser, but he did not expect to find it. If he hadn’t thrown them overboard, they were undoubtedly in David’s pocket, effectively stranding Steve until somebody came along to tow him to shore.
Steve threw a life preserver across the deck in frustration. There must be something he could do..! Maybe he could raise somebody on the radio….he dropped back down the hatch to the cabin, but he was not particularly surprised to find that the mike chord had been ripped from the radio. Still, he might be able to splice the chords together…a minute later he discovered the mike in a corner of the cabin, crushed by a determined boot heel. The bare wires dangled mockingly before him. It would be hours now before he could hope to be rescued, let alone find Beth.
At a loss as to what to do next, Steve stared numbly at the huge blue expanse of the Atlantic Oce an. He wasn’t particularly worried for his own safety for now. Odds were good that he’d be discovered by the coast guard eventually. If nothing else, George would sound the alarm when they didn’t return his bed this evening – assuming he hadn’t gone home with the owner of the lacy black bra.
His real concern was for Beth. What would David do, if he truly thought that he and Beth were lovers? Steve remembered how roughly David had manhandled Deborah in the presence of three fellow rangers – who would be there to protect Beth?
Steve ground his teeth in frustration, a habit he had given up months before. David knew perfectly well that Steve would be sitting on the dead boat worrying about Beth. Steve knew it was all part of David’s revenge for a perceived wrong, but that did not make the helplessness of his situation any easier to take. Would David control his temper? Or would he strike out at Beth in a cold rage, as he had at Steve at Hanging Rock?
Defeated, Steve slumped onto the deck. He leaned his head against the cabin door and squinted at the sky. The sun was directly overhead. Steve groaned. It was only noon, This was going to be an endless day.
Ch 31
Nowhere To Go
“Steve! Steve, wake up!”
Someone was shaking him. Steve squinted up at his rescuer with some surprise. “George?” He asked dubiously, unable to understand how the kid had gotten on board the Pearl. Steve shook himself to clear away the cobwebs, and then he blinked a couple of times at his surroundings. It hadn’t been a dream. He was still in the middle of the vast empty sea.
Steve accepted George’s hand, and got stiffly to his feet, flexing his muscles. He must have been asleep for sometime. “How’d you get here?” he asked, rubbing his sore neck, and wincing in pain as he realized he was sunburned on most of the exposed parts of his body.
George jerked his head toward the lea ward side of the cruiser. “Borrowed a skiff from one of the weekenders, figured they wouldn’t miss it until Friday."
Steve grinned tiredly. “You don’t know how glad I am to see you. How’d you know to come?”
“Well, you weren’t back by two, so I started to get worried. I couldn’t raise anybody on the radio, and I didn’t like how that boyfriend of hers was acting when I told him you two were out on a dive. He kind of worries me.”
George peered around. “Where’s Beth? Is she sleeping in the cabin?”
Steve’s temporary smile of relief faded abruptly. He sighed gloomily. “I don’t know where she is,” he told George. “David showed up out here just as we were finishing up the dive, and told her he’d packed a picnic lunch and wanted to spend the afternoon swimming and hanging out. I was supposed to bring the cruiser back to the marina. They took off on a fancy party boat, heading north.”
“So why are you still here? Engine trouble?” George asked with a frown that had gotten blacker as Steve told his tale.
Steve shrugged and held out his hands. “No keys. I think David took them, or maybe threw them overboard so I wouldn’t follow them. He tore up the radio too.”
George’s frown deepened even further. “Why would he do that, though? Beth is gonna be furious when she finds out what he did!”
Steve cocked his head at George. “Did David know that you sleep on the Pearl?”
George shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably not unless Beth told him. I’ve been keeping my distance since he’s been staying at the house.”
Steve raised an eyebrow at this new piece of information. If it was true, then David would be even more incensed by what he ad seen in the cabin. He nodded gloomily. “I think while he was waiting for us to surface, he saw your bed, and some rather racy underwear tossed on the floor. I’m pretty sure he thinks Beth and
I were exploring more than old wrecks today. I’m kind of worried for her, George.”
George’s face paled. “Got any idea where he took her?”
Steve shook his head. “They headed north, that’s all I know.”
George nodded. “Okay then.” He dropped through the hatch and reappeared a couple minutes later. He tossed Steven a jar of aloe gel and a couple of bottles of water. “Drink ‘em both,” he instructed Steve. “You’ve got a pretty good sunburn from sleeping out here, and you’re dehydrated.”
George had a third bottle for himself, and something else in his hand.
“What’s that?” Steve asked frowning.
George held up his hand. “Spare key.” George grinned at Steve’s dumbfounded expression. “Don’t worry, you could have looked for two hours and never have found it. I keep it down in the bilge.” He inserted the key in the ignition. “Let’s hope that David’s mischief making didn’t extend to messing with the engine, too,” George muttered. He turned the key and the motor rumbled to life. George’s face relaxed.
"Can you secure the skiff to the Pearl for me?" He asked Steve.
Steve found a tow rope and attached it to both boats. He pulled up the anchor, and jumped back aboard the Pearl.
"All set," he confirmed to George, who gently pushed up the throttle and took the boat in a slow arc, the skiff bobbing behind.
As they set off, Steve rubbed handfuls of the cooling gel onto his arms and face, but he paused suddenly and frowned as he saw their new heading. “Where are you going?” He asked.
“Back to the marina,” George replied shortly.
“But we need to go after them!” Steve protested.
George gave him an incredulous stare. “We don’t have any idea where to start, Steve. ‘North’ is a pretty huge hunk of ocean! We don’t even have a radio. Best thing that we can do is to head back and alert the authorities. Did you catch the name of the craft they were in?”
Steve felt the helpless frustration flood through him again. He wanted to argue with George, but he knew the young man was right. “Mardi Gras III,” he replied glumly.
“He said he borrowed it from a friend of his father’s.”
“Mardi Gras III?” George’s eyebrow lifted in rye amusement. “Stole it, more likely. The owner is on his annual ‘Paris in the fall’ European tour.” He gave Steve a grim half smile. “At least he cared enough to steal the very best,” he quipped.
George pushed up the throttle, and the Pearl skipped across the waves like a tiny stone. Steve had to clutch the gunwale to keep his balance. George had more sense than he’d given him credit for, Steve admitted to himself. Even if they had managed to catch up with David out there, what could they have really done? They had no radio to call for help, and Steve had no idea if David was carrying a weapon.
Thirty minutes later, George slowed the Pearl as they neared the marina, and idled toward a large cabin cruiser at the end of the third dock. “She’s back, Steve,” he said, pointing. “You sure it was this boat?”
“Steve studied the Mardi Gras for a moment. “Yeah, that’s it,” he confirmed, but he did not feel any relief at the sight of it. “Let’s tie the Pearl up and head over to Beth’s house.”
George nodded in agreement. Steve picked up Beth’s personal gear that she had left behind and the two men drove silently to her house. Steve saw the black Viper parked in the rear of the house. He hadn’t noticed it this morning…had David been there when he’d come by to get Beth? Steve had assumed that David had moved back into bachelor’s quarters on base, but apparently he was actually staying with Beth. No wonder Beth was acting so strangely lately...
“Pull over here!” George said suddenly. Steve pulled over to the curb and looked questioningly at George. They were still a couple of houses away from Beth’s driveway. George reached for Beth’s canvas tote and opened the passenger door. “I think I’d better go to the door by myself,” he cautioned Steve. “If David thought you two hooked up, seeing you will only make things worse. I’ll be able to tell if she’s all right.”
Reluctantly, Steve nodded in agreement. As much as he wanted to see for himself that Beth was okay, knocking on her door would just be adding more fuel to the fire if David was already thinking the worst about them.
George crossed the street and knocked sharply on the front door. He knocked again as the silence stretched on too long. At last, he heard footsteps and Beth appeared, wearing a terry cloth robe and not much else. She opened the door a few inches and peaked out through the slit. “What do you want, George?” She asked in an impersonal tone of voice.
This is wrong, George thought apprehensively. Normally, Beth simply hollered down the hall for him to let himself in. Her face, what he could see of it, seemed pale and blotchy. Not what you’d expect after a day of lazing on the Mardi Gras III.
George cleared his throat and spoke quietly. “Steve had a little trouble getting back,” he began. “Seems he couldn’t find the key.”
“But it was right under the…” The note of exasperation drained away as she glanced up the stairs. “Oh,” she finished lamely. “But he’s back now and the Pearl’s okay?”
“Yeah, except there’s a problem with the radio.” George told her.
“Problem?” Beth asked softly, with a note of dread in her voice.
“Yeah,” George confirmed. “It doesn’t work anymore. The mike’s been ripped out of the set.” Beth looked at the floor, but she didn’t respond.
George studied her for a moment. “You wanna go get something to eat, Beth?” He asked softly.
Beth shook her head slightly. “N-no, I really can’t…”
A crash from the top of the stairs startled them both. Instinctively, Beth turned her head toward the sound and George’s eyes widened in shock. The bruise covered most of her cheek and had caused her eye to swell almost shut. Already it had taken on a purple shade that made George wince to even look at it.
“Oh my God, Beth!” He hissed at her.
Beth touched her cheek gingerly and forced a pained smile. “Does it look pretty bad?” she asked. “I tripped over my flippers this afternoon, and crashed right into the guard rail.”
George stared at her silently for a long moment before he spoke. “Beth, you don’t have to stay,” George pleaded quietly, so only she would hear him. “Walk out with me now. We’ll take care of you.”
Beth’s eyes darted back toward the stairs, then to the tote bag in George’s hand. She snatched it from him. “Thanks for bringing my stuff by and letting me know the Pearl’s back safely,” she said loudly, as if he had never spoken. “I’ll be over to the Marina in a day or two to check on everything. G’night, George.”
Even as he lunged to grab her hand, Beth shut the door firmly in his face. He heard the bolt slide into place, and Beth’s feet ascending the stairs. This was not cool, not cool at all.
Abruptly he turned and walked back to Steve’s SUV. “This is messed up!” He announced angrily, slamming the door hard enough to rock the entire vehicle.
“Was she okay?” Steve asked anxiously.
George glared angrily. “She wouldn’t come out. She slammed the door in my face! I think the jerk was listening at the top of the stairs, too.”
Steve took a deep calming breath. “That’s possible. He is the jealous type,” he cautioned George.
“Enough to hit her, kind of jealous?” George spat angrily.
“Hit her?” Steve asked sharply.
George touched his cheek. “It’s bruised, the entire left side of her face. She said she fell and hit it on the boat this afternoon.” George laughed mockingly. “Right! Like she really thought I’d believe that story with a father like mine.” He looked up at Steve, worry etching his young features. “We need to call the police.”
Steve ground his teeth in frustration. “George, did she ask for help?” He asked in a flat voice
“No, but she was acting like she was scared.” George replied stubbornly.
<
br /> “She was right there at the door with you. Could she have come out of the house if she wanted to?” Steve pursued.
George shook his head in dismay. “I asked her to come out!” He told Steve. “She acted like I hadn’t even spoken! She just grabbed her bag out of my hand and slammed the door in my face!” Anger, hurt and worry echoed in every word George said.
Steve slumped in the seat, his eyes dark with concern and again felt overwhelmed with helplessness. “If we call the police, they’ll come out, George, but they won’t do anything unless she wants to file a report. If she does, he’ll be out tomorrow on bail and he’ll want to pay her back for getting him in trouble. If she doesn’t, he’ll be twice as mad that someone called the police and he may really hurt her. If she won’t ask for help, they are kind of limited in what they can do.” He turned the ignition and pulled away from the curb.
“So that’s it?” George asked incredulously. “He’s beating on her, and we’re just gonna drive away?”
“Just a little way,” Steve replied. “If he’s watching, we need to be leaving.”
Steve pulled off on a side street and parked in the driveway of a house with a ‘For Sale’ sign on the lawn. He pulled out his cell phone and started punching keys.
A little over an hour passed. At last, a black Toyota pulled up in the driveway beside Steve’s SUV. Pastor Graham rolled down the window.
“Any luck?” Steve asked him anxiously.
Reverend Graham grinned, hi blue eyes twinkling. “Turns out, I served with David’s C.O. a few years back while he was still wet behind the ears. He owes me some favors still for my discretion in handling his youthful indiscretions. God is good!”
“So he’s willing to help us?” Steve prodded.
Reverend Graham checked his wrist watch. “Yep. David ought to be getting a phone call right about now. Some snafu with their gear shipment. Paperwork so tangled it will take all night to clean up.”
Steve closed his eyes in thankfulness. “That’s a start, at least. If we can just get to her and convince her that we can keep her safe here…”
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