Dangerous Shores: Book Two; Hell or High Water

by Christine Conaway

  “Okay, will you be alright by yourself in here. I need to see if anyone is hungry.”

  She was reminded of the tote when she almost tripped on it getting off the v-berth. She would deal with it later.

  Ellen was at the helm, with Frank asleep on the starboard settee. Alan was engaged in conversation with Ellen and it must have been private because he stopped talking as soon as he saw her.

  “Hey, anyone up here hungry?”

  Chapter Seven

  “I am!” Alan exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “You want some help?”

  “You’re always hungry, and no I don’t need any help with lunch. What I do need help with, is re-stacking the totes in the back room and maybe figuring a way to secure them so I don’t have to pick everything up every time I want to get something.”

  “I’ll do it after we eat.”

  The new rationing of food beginning with breakfast, left them all of them wanting more. Nevertheless, it was something they all had agreed upon if they were going to make the food last. When Ellen had purchased survival her food she had only planned on groceries for one. With the addition of first Alan and then Hannah and Frank her resources were going to be stretched thin and now with the addition of Olivia they needed to do some serious food management.

  Hannah had made sandwiches using the extra corn tortillas from breakfast folded in half and filled with tuna. While they were messy to eat, everyone had to admit they were tasty. The mid-day meal was to be their big meal except for the person on night-watch or manning the helm. They would have a snack sometime during their shift.

  Olivia had spent the afternoon playing quietly in the v-berth. Had they not known she was aboard, they would never have known by the amount of noise she made; she was too quiet for even an older child.

  Hannah had put Olivia to bed with Mr. Thumper, as Olivia called the rabbit. Hannah had told her one short story, and sang a lullaby and within minutes she was asleep. After giving Olivia a kiss on her forehead, she went back to the cockpit and collapsed on the seat.

  Exhausted physically as well as emotionally, Hannah stretched her legs out in front of herself enjoying the simple act of sitting and doing nothing. She was reminded of the folded sheet of paper in her pocket when she felt the sharp corner dig in to her leg.

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” She stuck her hand in her pocket, “This was stuck under the false bottom of my music box. Well not really a false bottom but there’s a gap between the velvet lining and the bottom.”

  She had everyone’s attention as she unfolded the paper and began to read. She read in silence, moving her lips with each word. They were surprised when a tear dropped from her eyelash and a sob escaped. Never the less she kept reading. The paper she held shook so badly it was a wonder she could even read it at all. After several minutes, her hand sank to her lap still clutching the paper. She looked up in stunned silence.

  “Hannah? What is it? Is it not what you thought it was?”

  Without a word, Hannah handed the letter to Ellen. “You can read it please.”

  Ellen began to read the letter out loud, hoping this was what Hannah wanted her to do.

  ******

  My Dearest Daughter Hannah,

  I hope someday you find this little note and it makes you laugh. I thought it would be fun to write to you and put it in your music box. You always wind it up when you are sad, so this is my pitiful attempt to cheer you up, although I hope you have no reason to be sad. Your tears are always my tears; you know that.

  I am so sorry I had to disrupt our plans to go fishing, but duty calls. You know how that goes…remember when it was you who cancelled the last trip to go to a nursing seminar? Well this may be a changing point in our lives. I pray we can put a stop to the changes I see coming. I’ll know more when I get here.

  I want to apologize for Joe. I don’t know where my head was when I met him. Now that I have eradicated him from our lives I hope we can spend more quality time together.

  I can only hope you never have anything to do with someone like him. At least you have the perfect example of who not to be involved with in your own mind. I guess I can be grateful he never found the lockbox. As much as I don’t want to think you will ever need the contents of the box, please remember what I said about it. I hope we can open it together someday when we’re sitting on our secluded island somewhere in the South Pacific.

  Do you remember when we used the big globe, spinning it with our eyes closed to find where we were going to live. We had so much fun that day, but I have to admit the wine helped. It’s too bad real life has to step in and interrupt. Remember, if you don’t hear from me and can’t get me on the phone or don’t know where I am or you feel I am not here, open the box. There is a letter for you there. As much as it pains me to say this, open it when you are alone or with someone you trust, and only if I am dead and gone.

  However, this is supposed to cheer you up so I will forget I had to insert the bad parts and hopefully someday we can look back on this and laugh at my paranoia.

  I hope to be back by Friday and we will do something fun together. Maybe I will consider the roller coaster at Disney World…Hey, stop laughing. For me to go on that death trap you can see where I am only trying to make you happy. As you can see it only but a feeble attempt. I hope I live to regret saying I will go on it with you.

  When you miss me, just look up, and I will be the brightest star looking down at you. No matter what happens please remember I love you to the moon and back.

  There I am being all maudlin again. Hugs!

  I’ve got to run. The taxi is here. I love you baby girl and will see you soon, Mom

  *****

  Ellen’s throat had tightened by the time she finished reading. “I am so sorry Hannah. I’m sure this was meant for you to find in happier times. There is nothing any of us can say to make you feel better right now, but just remember you can talk to any of us at any time if you need to.”

  Hannah sniffed loudly, “I know. I’ve pretty much come to grips with her being gone. I guess it is the accumulation of everything that’s happened the past two days. I just needed to have a good cry. She used to write me letters all the time and stick them everywhere. I never knew where or when I would find them.”

  “Hannah, what lockbox is she talking about? Is it the one I put in the tote? The one you wanted me to find the key for?” Alan asked, his voice rising in excitement.

  “You got it?” Her hand went to the chain on her neck as her fingers moved down to caress the tiny key. “I didn’t know. Did you open it?”

  “No! Of course not. It belongs to you. I would never…”

  Hannah put her hand over his mouth to stop him, “Stop already. I only asked because if it was me I probably would have looked in it.”

  “No, Ellen put the key around your neck as soon as we brought your stuff over. That thing weighs like 50 pounds so whatever is in it is heavy.”

  “Oh don’t exaggerate, I just moved that tote and thirty pounds is more like it. So…anyone want to see what’s in it?”

  “You mean you really don’t know what’s in it?” Ellen asked. She had folded Hannah’s letter following the same fold marks. She handed it to Hannah who slid it back into her pocket.

  “Nope. Mom told me she would cut me out of her will and ground me forever if I ever got nosey and peeked.”

  “How long have you known about it?” Frank asked.

  Hannah thought for a few seconds, “Well, you know my Mom got really weird after she came back from a business meeting in D.C. About eight or maybe nine months ago. For a couple days she was really quiet and on the phone every minute. One time I heard her yelling at someone and when I looked in on her she said it was nothing, just a wrong number.”

  “Do you think this all had something to do with the lock box?”

  “Well one day shortly after the phone encounter She went to town and was gone most of the day. When she came back, she had the box. That’s when she told me I was never
to open it unless…”

  “Do you want to open it alone?” Ellen asked knowing how the hidden letter had affected her. “We can give you some privacy.”

  “Mom said I could open it with someone I trust. You guys are my family and I trust every one of you. Whatever is mine, is yours too and besides, look what you guys have already done for me, so let’s not even get into that.”

  Without being asked, Alan had brought the box to the cockpit. Ellen raised the cockpit table and locked it in place, so that Frank would be able see in the box too. With a thump Alan set it on the table. “Dang that’s the heaviest thirty ponds I have ever carried.”

  “Well I’m sure you didn’t build up any muscles turning book pages,” Ellen said.

  “No but I did get some pulling people’s boats to the dock!”

  “Drum roll please,” Hannah said as she fit the tiny key into the lock.

  Chapter Eight

  When Hannah opened the lid, no one was or could have been prepared for what the box held. “Oh my God…Oh man.” Hannah stepped back and sank to the settee, both hands held in front of her mouth. She stared at the box in disbelief.

  “Is that real?” Alan asked in a voice barely above a whisper. “And of course there’s another letter…”

  “Hannah read the letter. There has to be an explanation for…” Ellen couldn’t find a word to describe the contents. She plucked the letter up and held it out to Hannah. “Read!” she commanded.

  Hannah took the envelope from Ellen. She turned the envelope over in her hand. There was nothing written on it but her name. She felt every eye on her as she pulled the paper out.

  It was type written and to the point. None of the endearments of the previous note.

  *****

  September 2, 2016

  Hannah, this is the best I can do to secure your future, providing you live to open the box. I pray it is you who does. Your paternal father, Dick Callahan has a plan with others that involves eradicating most of the world population. I know how this may sound to you right now, but please trust me. I could not tell a soul or he would have had us both killed, and I would do anything to protect you. Instead I am on my way to Boston to try to stop him. I pray I am not too late.

  If he succeeds and you are reading this letter, then I am most likely gone. I beg of you to arm yourself and head for the hills. If you can find your friends take them with you. You are a smart girl and I have every bit of faith you will be a survivor.

  You will know what to do with the contents of the box. Stay safe my love. Look up once in a while and know that I am watching over you.

  Your loving Mom.

  My heart is with you!

  *****

  The paper had dried water spots covering it and smearing the ink; evidence that it had been hard to write and had shed tears as she wrote it.

  “Well, we know who is behind this then.” Frank said with finality and then almost as if he had delayed hearing he asked in disbelief, “Wait a minute, your Dad is Dick Callahan?” He shook his head, “How did a man like that end up with a daughter like you?”

  “She didn’t know him. She was raised by her step-father.” Ellen filled in. “She hasn’t seen him since she was a baby.”

  Ellen reached over, taking Hannah’s hand. “Honey, at least we know she tried. There was probably no stopping them anyhow. I’m sure he wasn’t in this alone. Even with the help from his foreign friends there had to be more than just those three. It’s too late to change it now, all we can do is survive the best way we know how.”

  “I know, but what do we do with this?” She waved her hand over the metal box. “Alan can you take the wheel for a bit and let Frank look at this.”

  On closer inspection, Frank gave a long slow whistle, “I haven’t seen that much gold in one spot since we took Hussein down. Where do you suppose she got it?” Foam in the bottom of the box had sections cut out big enough to hold a single roll of gold coins, there were six rolls. Along the end of the box, individual slots held silver dollars. Across the bottom, were another row that held rolls of dimes. He picked up one of the rolls of gold coins and inspected them. “. “These look like non-circulated five-dollar gold pieces.” He set it back and wiggled out one of the dollars, “. And look at this, these are “Morgan silver dollars and these are,” he set the dollar back in its slot and picked out a roll of dimes.…there must be a hundred of them in here.”.

  “These are dimes and I’ll bet they’re pre-1965.” He looked at the end where he could clearly see the date, “Yup, if this one is any indication, they are all made before 1965.” He looked at Hannah who was still looking in the box. “That’s some legacy for your Mom to leave you.”

  “Well crap, no wonder that box was so heavy.” Alan said, “I really hate to ask but Hannah, do you know where your Mother could have gotten these?”

  “I think most of it belonged to my Grandfather. I remember seeing the coins when I was a kid. He kept some of the dollars in big folders and told me not to play with them. He said that that when he died he was going to leave them to me, so I would never have to be poor, but I never heard any more about them until now. I guess maybe Mom has had them all this time.”

  Alan laughed, “Well now you have all this wealth and nowhere to spend it. Where is the logic in that?”

  “Eventually, gold and silver will be the only currency. Until then people will gather to trade and barter for whatever they need. But first, they need to survive. We need to survive.” Frank reminded them and went to take the helm from Alan.

  “I think it’s time for you guys to get some sleep, so someone…” he pointedly eyeballed Ellen, “is able to stand her shift.”

  “I want you all to know that I do not consider this mine,” Hannah closed the lid and turned the key. “This belongs to all of us equally. We use it for our survival.”

  They exchanged looks and nodded in agreement. They were family now and everything was to be shared equally.

  “Where do you want me to put this?” Alan had picked the lockbox up with the intention of taking it below.

  Hannah looked at Frank, “I may be being paranoid, but should we keep it all in one place?”

  “Tomorrow we’ll figure out where to keep it, for now maybe put it back where you had it.”

  Alan was already down the ladder. “Good night” floated up. Hannah followed him down.

  Ellen started to rise when Frank said, “Can we talk a minute?”

  “Sure…I wasn’t quite ready to sleep anyhow.”

  “Tomorrow afternoon we should be going past Jamaica. It is imperative, we don’t get stopped by anyone. We’ll use the motor and the sails. The sooner we put some distance between us and them the better.”

  “Do you think they could be sick too? I mean, they are pretty far from Cuba.”

  “It’s not as far as you think and who knows how many Cubans fled there when the sickness hit. However, I’m not even thinking of them being sick, I’m more worried about them being hungry. For years they have been so reliant on imported food and I don’t think they grow anything there anymore. When the shelves are empty in the stores, they will be looking for food everywhere and anywhere they can find or steal it. We do not need to have an encounter with someone out fishing.”

  “I’m trying not to think of another boat full of refugees. We have no room and not enough food for ourselves let alone taking on additional people.” She sat staring at her clasped hands, “You know we had to take Olivia. We couldn’t have left her on that boat.”

  “I know. I’m the one who went in after her…remember? We just can’t take on any more, so the less contact we have with other people, lessens the chance of finding ourselves in the same fix. As it is, we are lucky none of us has gotten sick yet.”

  “I know we are. Hannah’s going to keep Olivia on the antibiotics for the full ten days. I just hope they haven’t lost their potency. I don’t even remember when I got them, but maybe as long as a couple of months ago. They’re not
people antibiotics either.” She laughed when she remembered the look on the pet store workers face when she bought all they had in stock. “I told the guy at the pet store all my fish were sick…”

  “We probably won’t find any, but if we have the chance to look, we’ll put meds at the top of our list.”

  “Was that all?” Ellen asked, as she stood, she sank back down when he began to talk.

  “Not quite. First off, I need some clothes. Everyone else seems to be wearing yours, but me. It’s either a towel or these shorts and they have seen better days. Second, once we get to the west side, the climate is going to change considerably. So we will all need to find some warmer clothes. Third, do you realize it will be spring or late winter by the time we actually get to Washington? So we will all need some really warm clothes.”

  Ellen laughed, “Now you sound like some of my friends…all you want to do is clothes shop.”

  He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “I stand before you wearing everything I own in this world and you laugh! That’s just not right!”

  “Sorry, but I am trying to think of how many towels I own. But, you are right. I have a garbage bag somewhere in the aft cabin with my cooler weather clothes and I think there are a couple of pairs of board-shorts in it, for when I had company. I’ll drag it out and look when Alan is re-stacking the containers. As far as warmer clothes go, I only have two pair of foul weather gear, a couple of sweaters and some long pants. Back home, I have a lifetimes worth of warm clothes. I swear my Mother never threw anything out. Then there’s my Uncle Jerry’s house. It was boarded up after he passed and I never had the heart to clean it out.”

  “We have to get there first and while it seems like we’ve been out here forever, it’s only been eight weeks. Our lives are only worth the little we have. The less we have to do with land the better off we’ll be. The very idea of having to transverse the canal makes me sick.”