“Will you draw with me some time when we go home?”
“That will be fun.” Jen had smiled at the pleasure on the little girl’s face.
When the rain stopped, the whole family ate lunch on the deck and then, David and Rick having apparently declared a firm yet wary suspension of hostilities, the men went off for their tennis game. If there were to be a round two, it would be on the court with the rules of the game clearly defined.
After a few hours working with Colleen in the study, Jen changed into swimsuit, shorts and a shirt, slipping on sunglasses against the bright sun as she left the house. The sailboat was moored at the dock, rising and falling on the swell of the incoming tide. True to his word, Rick had put up the mast, the boat was ready to go, and she was glad because she wasn’t sure she would have been able to do everything that needed to be done correctly. She knew she could sail, but she couldn’t remember ever having sailed this particular type of craft.
Without untying the line, she climbed aboard to check everything out and get the feel of the boat. There was a built-in locker at the stern to the left. She lifted the lid expecting to find life jackets, but the locker held only a cooler with drinks and a couple of sandwiches wrapped in waxed paper. As she opened the door to the tiny cabin, an unpleasantly fishy smell escaped from the dark within and she closely the door quickly. If there was a jacket in there, it wouldn’t be wearable. Climbing out, she went into the boathouse and searched until she found one. She was not going sailing without a jacket, trophy or no trophy. She put it on, shrugged it comfortably across her shoulders and tied the tabs securely.
Once back in the boat, she set the sail and casting off the line, pushed gently away from the dock. At first, there seemed too much to do all at once and she felt like a rank beginner but taking a deep breath, she got her nerves under control, laughing at herself as the boat started to move backward toward the shore.
“No, you don’t, darling, you are not going to hit that dock one more time.” She pushed off again, brought the tiller over and released the boom, slowly playing out the line to let the sail catch the wind. The ride was rather bumpy heading out against the tide but when she’d cleared the shallows and the boat was moving smoothly through the water, she tied off the line, settling back with her arm across the tiller.
It was a beautiful day for sailing with an onshore breeze just strong enough to fill the sail well. She began on a starboard tack and let the little boat do all the work. The sun was shining brightly on the water, but it was low in the sky and she saw that clouds were building on the horizon. An hour or so would be enough for this first time. She would tack out against the wind for a while, then turn to run back to shore.
She had just finished the swing to port and was thinking about a cold drink when the door to the tiny cabin opened part way and a sad little face appeared.
“Anna!” Jen cried. “What are you doing here?”
“Mommy, if you’re very angry I’ll stay in here, but can I come out, please? My tummy doesn’t feel too good.”
“Of course, you can come out, sweetheart,” Jen smiled. “I’m not angry, just surprised. Come and sit here with me.” She patted the bench to her left. “You’ll soon feel better with the wind in your face. Wait a minute, before you close that door. Is there another life jacket in there?”
“You mean that orange thing? I looked all around there when I climbed in and there isn’t anything but a long wooden bench and a really, smelly bucket. I brought a flashlight with me. but the battery ran out. It was dark.”
“Never mind. Come here and I’ll get you fixed up.” Jen locked down the tiller and taking off her jacket, she held it out for Anna to put on. “It’s miles too big for you, but we’ll wrap it around and pull these tabs as tight as we can before we tie them.” When she had finished threading the long tapes through the armholes behind the little girl’s back and tying them securely in front, she sat back to examine her work, then shook her head. “It’s not great, but it will have to do.”
Anna hopped up onto the seat. “I feel all lumpy.”
“And you look like a pumpkin.” Jen released the tiller and sat back with an arm around the child. Smiling, she gave her a hug. “A lumpy pumpkin. Try saying that three times very fast.”
“Lumpy pumpkin – lumky pumkin – klumpy punkin.” Anna giggled.
“Okay, Punkin,” Jen chuckled, “you’re obviously feeling better, so now perhaps would be an excellent time to explain yourself. I distinctly remember Daddy saying at lunch that you were to take a nap this afternoon.”
Anna looked down wiggling the toes of her sneakers. “I know I shouldn’t have hidden in the boat but last summer you said that soon I’d be big enough to come with you and you promised that I could and I wanted to so much. I thought you’d catch me when you opened the door and it wasn’t nice in the dark waiting for you especially when everything started to go up and down and sideways even, but out here with you it’s fun and I like it a lot.” Then she sighed. “I guess Daddy’s going to be really mad at me.” She looked so woebegone that Jen had to struggle to keep from smiling.
“It was a naughty thing to do and we shall have to think up some sort of punishment. Let me see … is there something that you really enjoy watching on television?”
“Well,” she said very seriously, “I have a show I like that’s on Saturday mornings.”
“All right, then. No Saturday morning TV for two weeks.”
“But I missed it this morning. Two whole shows more?”
“What do you think Daddy would say?” Jen spoke as sternly as she could.
And in a small voice, Anna admitted, “He’d say for a month.”
Jen nodded. “I’ll talk to him. I think two whole shows more will be enough to miss, but he will have to decide, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good. Now on this boat, I’m the captain and you’re my mate and the mate has to obey the captain’s orders at all times and my first order is for you to climb down carefully and get us something cold to drink from the locker.” Jen grinned at her. “You’re supposed to say Aye, aye, Cap’n. That’s sailor-talk for Yes, Mommy.”
Anna grinned back. “Aye, aye, Cap’n.”
When they were settled again with drinks and chewing on sandwiches, Anna asked, “Mommy, I mean Captain, how does the boat go without an engine?”
“That’s a very good question because a sailboat’s different than a motorboat. In a sailboat, the wind is your motor. If you want to go from here to there, sometimes you can’t do it in a straight line like you can with an engine. If the wind is wrong to go straight ahead, you have to tack to port and to starboard.” She saw the confusion on the little girl’s face and laughed. “You have to go left for a way, and then right for a way, and then back left again. In a zigzag.” She waggled her hand. “Left is port and right is starboard. Can you feel where the wind is coming from?”
Anna lifted her face, then pointed. “From there?”
“That’s right. And see how full of air the sail is? As I steer into the wind – see? – it’s not so full. When it starts to flap a little, watch out. And when it begins to really flap then we both duck down quick. The boom is going to swing across to the other side – ”
“The starboard side.”
“That’s right, well done. When it swings across, we don’t want to be in the way, so keep a sharp lookout, Mate. Ready? Okay, here we go.” The air continued to spill out of the sail as Jen steered slowly into the wind. The boom began to move toward them, and they ducked down together as it passed over their heads. While they were sitting, there was plenty of clearance, but it was an essential point of safety for the little girl to learn. Jen pushed the tiller steadily to starboard and the sail filled again. “Put your hand under mine and help me keep the boat steady.”
“Can I?”
“Certainly. You’re too little to do it all by yourself, but I’ll help. Can you feel how alive the boat seems?”
Anna looke
d up at her. “You mean how it kind of jiggles and dances?”
“Yep, but just a little if you’re doing it right.” It was a well-balanced craft, and Jen was pleased to see the enjoyment on Anna’s face as she looked out at the billowing sail. They did two more tacks for practice, then Jen moved the tiller to starboard bringing the boat around in a wide arc. “Time to head for home. We’ve had enough for one day.”
They were running with the wind but had covered very little distance when the tiller suddenly bucked under her hand and the feeling of life was gone. The bow dipped deeply into a wave, didn’t come up, and as the boat began to roll to port with the blade of the tiller out of the water, Jen saw the boom swinging toward them.
“Mommy, what’s happening?” Anna’s eyes were wide with fear and Jen’s were grim.
“I’m sorry, Punkin, but we’re going to get wet.”
She picked the child up and jumped over the side just before the mast and sail hit the water with a sickening slap. They came up sputtering. Jen’s glasses had washed off her face, but she still had a firm grip on Anna’s jacket. Kicking frantically away, she felt a tug through the cold water as the little boat sank, dragging the sail with it. Then the waves closed over it and they were floating free, gasping for breath.
“It’s gone, Mommy.” The shock on her face was too big for such a small child.
“Something was wrong, Anna, sailboats aren’t supposed to do that, but you’re safe with me and we’ll soon be back at the house drinking hot chocolate. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Anna tried to nod but the front of the jacket was in the way. “I’m scared.”
“So am I, honey, but only just a little, and it’s okay to be scared. Hang on a sec.” Jen reached down and pulled off her sneakers. One by one, she let them go, trying not to picture them sinking down and down. Her shoulder was aching, but at least the tide was going in. If she’d have had to struggle against it … “Put your arms around my neck as best you can, sweetheart, and hold on tight.” When she had the child settled with her head well out of the water, she rolled onto her back and started kicking. “Are we moving toward the dock?”
“Yes, Mommy.” Her fear had lessened, and Jen could see her face relax a bit.
“Good, rest your head on my cheek, but don’t let the water get into your mouth.” Anna snuggled closer, the smell of salt and sun in her hair. While Jen swam backward through the water as smoothly as she could, she hummed a little tune, crooned a lullaby, softly sang every childhood song she could remember in order to comfort Anna and to keep her own fear under control. They had covered much of the distance, but Jen was almost at the end of her strength when she heard a shout behind her.
“Jennette!”
Anna’s head came up. “Daddy! Uncle Rick!”
Jen looked quickly over her shoulder to see the two men run the length of the dock and plunge into the water. She floated, exhausted, as they swam side by side with powerful, rhythmic strokes. David came up beside her and reached to take Anna. Rick put his arm around Jen’s waist. In no time, they were all standing on the beach dripping wet and shivering. David knelt down to yank at the ties of the life jacket, loosening them enough to pull it over Anna’s head. He picked her up, then turned on Jen.
“How could you take her with you? I knew you wouldn’t be strong enough to hold that boat. How could you be so irresponsible?”
“David, I …” The sky wheeled above her, and she fainted into Rick’s arms.
They had all been watching anxiously from the deck, but she hadn’t wakened until Rick laid her gently on her bed and left her with Danni.
“Anna’s fine, Jennette, don’t worry. Thelma is giving her a bath and David will see that she has a hot drink and something to eat. He said he’d stay with her until she falls asleep.”
Jen struggled to sit up. “I promised her hot chocolate. She was so frightened. I promised her …”
“Sam’s making it, it was the first thing I thought of, and David will take care of her. Just lie back and relax.” Jen was shivering. Danni wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, pushing the pillows up for her to lean against.
“What went wrong out there?”
“It just sank, Danni. One minute it was there and the next it was gone. Your beautiful boat! Everything was fine and we were running for home, then the tiller felt wrong and the next thing I knew, we were in the water. It happened so fast!”
“Easy, take it easy.”
“I’ll replace it. Please tell Roger.”
But Danni smiled. “It was insured, and we can sort it out later. Right now, all that matters is that you’re both safe. Do you feel strong enough to stand? If you don’t get out of those wet things and into the shower, you’ll be sick by morning. Are you hungry?” When Jen shook her head, she stood up and moved to the door. “While you’re getting warm and dry, I’ll bring up a cup of chocolate and a sandwich just in case.”
At midnight, Jen slipped out to check on Anna, but the little girl was deeply asleep. She was lying relaxed and comfortable, one arm across the coverlet and the other curled under her cheek. With a smile, Jen tiptoed out and walked quietly back to her room.
Standing by her window, looking out over the sea, she sighed and allowed the unpleasant thoughts that she had been pushing away all evening to crowd in on her. It hadn’t been an accident, she was certain of that, and this time Anna had almost died as well. Everyone had been there last night toasting Tony and Colleen’s engagement when she’d decided to take the boat out. Brad had announced it to the room, the details had been discussed, and someone had taken swift advantage of the opportunity presented.
There’d been plenty of time before she sailed to sabotage the little boat. How? She didn’t know and would never know short of insisting that the craft be salvaged from the ocean floor. Should she do that? She had no idea what had made it sink. If it had been cleverly done and there was no evidence left, she would have caused an uproar that the family wouldn’t be able to keep from the press. And if the cabin and the Jaguar were any indication, it had been done with a deadly skill that terrified her. She was suddenly cold again and moved back to the bed, trying not to think of David’s fury when faced with Rick’s opposition to his plans.
Chapter Eleven
He was standing in the hallway when she came out of her room the next morning. It appeared to her that he’d been about to knock, but he was turning away as she opened the door.
“Good morning, David.”
“Good morning.” His jaw was tight, and she thought that he was still angry.
She moved to walk with him. “How’s Anna this morning?”
“She seems to be fine.” In a flatly controlled voice, he added, “She told me that you didn’t know she was hiding on the boat. I’m glad that you are both all right.”
They walked on, side by side, in silence. It was as if there were a transparent curtain hanging around him. She could see him, but she couldn’t reach through his cool reserve. Should she tell him about her suspicions? Could she trust him? She didn’t know how he would react, and she was afraid that neither the wildest of accusations nor the most desperate of pleas for help would affect him. They were at the foot of the stairs and she had decided that she must try to break down the wall between them when he stepped away, not to the dining room but toward the front door.
“I’ve told Roger and Danni that we will, of course, replace the boat. Brad and I have a few things that must be taken care of in town before we go back to Kenting. Please be ready to leave at two.”
“David, wait.”
He turned back to her, impatient to be gone. “What is it?”
She couldn’t tell him. The time was wrong, and he was still angry. Thinking quickly, she said instead, “I’d like to have a birthday party for Anna this Friday. An early dinner, I thought, and presents and cake after. Will you be home by five-thirty?”
“Five-thirty shouldn’t be a problem.”
With a sigh, she watch
ed him leave. Was this all that they had left to share? Polite trivia and the commonplace events of daily life? Perhaps he didn’t even want that much from her. Perhaps it was merely her stock he wanted … and his freedom.
She looked into the dining room but finding no sign of activity, she headed for the deck.
Danni had just served herself and waved to Jen from the long table. “Good morning, how are you feeling? Food’s over there, coffee’s here. The kids have finished, and Roger and Rick are playing tennis, so it’s just the two of us.” Jen got breakfast from the makeshift buffet near the door and sat next to Danni. As they ate, they looked out over the water and down at the children playing in the sand. “No after-effects of your dunking?” Danni asked through a mouthful of pancakes.
“I’m fine – just very sore, especially my legs. How’s Anna this morning?”
“She was rather quiet at first but the kids made a big fuss over her and Trey, bless his heart, told her she was one up on him now because he’s never been in the water that far out and he’s years older than she is. By the end of the meal, she was smiling and telling Beth all about port and starboard and tacking against the wind when you don’t have a motor to go straight. For a child who’d never been in a sailboat until yesterday, she sure seemed to know her way around a tiller!”
Jen laughed. “It was fun teaching her a little and watching her enjoyment. I hope she’ll be all right if … when she goes out again.”
“Lots of time for that. The whole family is boat-crazy,” Danni grinned. “Except for me, that is, and even I like to sail with Roger as long as I don’t have to do anything more than hand him a sandwich.”
“David told me that he’s talked to you about replacing the boat.”
“You don’t have to do that, you know. It was an accident and the insurance will cover it.”
“No, it’s better this way. I’d rather not have Anna questioned. Even I wouldn’t enjoy going through it all again with an adjustor.” And if I have to explain it to the police? She was sure that after the cabin, Lieutenant Talbot would be suspicious of a lie and it was too soon for the truth. What do I know after all? Practically nothing. “David and I have decided to have a birthday party for Anna on Friday afternoon. Is five-thirty too soon for you all? If we have an early dinner, say at six, there should be plenty of time for the festivities before the kids’ bedtime. Can you stay over until Saturday?”
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