Landfall: Islands in the Aftermath

by Scott B. Williams

  The last evening before they set sail from the southern tip of the island for the crossing to the Jumentos, Thomas told Scully he’d been thinking about the guns and that he wanted to learn how to shoot them. They were cooking fish on a barren little cay close to the boat, and Scully felt quite sure they were alone, so he agreed that it was a good idea. He took stock of what little ammo they had. He’d fired three rounds from the AK, so he knew he had 27 more in the single magazine that was the only one he’d been carrying when he got separated from the Casey Nicole. The two men who’d attacked Thomas and Mindy had even less between them, and their weapons were in rough condition. But since Thomas was genuinely interested in learning, Scully cleaned them as best he could. The pistol was a 9mm semi-automatic with the name Hi-Point etched on the slide. Scully had never heard of the make but it looked and felt cheap and was certainly no Glock or Colt. The magazine held only 10 rounds, but it was full, as he had killed the owner before he had a chance to use it on his intended victims. The other gun that had fallen into the water when he shot the second man was a lever-action hunting rifle made by Marlin. Unlike the pistol-caliber Winchester that Grant had used so effectively on Cat Island, this one used a rifle cartridge in the .30-.30 caliber. Scully knew it was an old and effective round, but because of the longer cartridges the built-in magazine’s capacity was only five rounds. Both of the weapons were rusty due to exposure to salt air. The complete dunking of the Marlin in seawater made it worse than the pistol, but they would both still function, at least for a while. Scully didn’t have much use for either of them as long as he had the AK, so he eventually planned to give them both to Thomas and Mindy anyway, especially if he found his friends. There were plenty of weapons and ammo aboard the Casey Nicole.

  Scully first showed the young couple how to load all three weapons and how the safety mechanisms for each worked. Then he instructed them on how to hold and aim each of the rifles and the pistol. With so little ammunition available, they of course could not learn and practice shooting skills through the use of live fire. He compromised by allowing Thomas one shot with the 9mm pistol and then one round for each of them from the AK.

  “That’s awesome!” Thomas exclaimed when he saw what the rifle round did to a chunk of driftwood that he was able to hit on his first try. “I wish we had two more of these,” he said, handing the AK back to Scully.

  “Dat Thirty-thirty hit de same, mon. Just can’t waste de shot. Only five, but if you aim true, dat’s five bad guy givin’ you no mo’ problem!”

  “Thank you for showing us,” Scully. “I hope we’ll never need to shoot anybody where we’re going. I hope we’ve seen the last of the bad guys,” Mindy said.

  Scully said nothing. He would give them the guns when he left them, and that was all he could do. Maybe they would be of help in their survival, or maybe they would not. The guns might even get them killed sooner, but that was out of his hands.

  They left early the next day, after Scully worked out a course and planned the passage so they could avoid bashing hard into the wind the whole way. His course took them far to the south in the direction of Cuba, and once they’d reached the latitude of the northern end of the Jumentos, they came about to the starboard tack and sailed that course directly to landfall. This route nearly doubled their total passage distance, but Intrepida was close-winded enough to make it possible. After 30 hours at sea, Scully heard the sound of breaking surf in the dark and knew they were near land once again. He sailed away to the north a bit and hove-to until dawn, then they returned to a long line of reefs through which he found a pass a few miles northeast of a tiny cay they could barely see in the distance.

  “There’s nothing here, is there?” Thomas observed as they turned to the southwest to sail in the direction of the deserted cay.

  From what he could tell on the chart, Scully figured they were looking at one of the many little cays in the Jumentos that were only a few feet above sea level. There were bigger ones that were more what Larry had in mind when he described them, but even more of these little ones spaced here and there in between. Most, like this first one they’d come to, would have nowhere that a normal-sized cruising boat could anchor, but even so might provide enough protection for them to drop Intrepida’s hook and get a few hours of rest. After they caught up on their sleep, they would explore more of the island chain, checking all of the possible hideouts where the Sarah J. and the Casey Nicole might be holed up. Scully was sure they would find them. It had only been a little over a week since he’d been stranded on Cape Sable, so he wasn’t really that long overdue and maybe not that far behind the Casey Nicole, if Artie and Grant and Jessica had managed to find their way all the way out here. And if they hadn’t, Larry would be waiting for them as well, and surely they would find him. Scully knew his friend had to be stressed because of the separation of the two boats. He was the one who’d made the decision to sail with the woman and her daughter on the monohull, so he had to feel that it was his fault. But things were going to be better soon. If Scully found Larry before Artie did, he could tell him what happened and they would at least know where to start looking if the Casey Nicole didn’t show up soon. But he was confident that wasn’t the case. As soon as he and Thomas and Mindy got a little rest, they would set sail again and soon find all of his friends. Scully was sure of it.

  Twenty-one

  ARTIE WAS SURPRISED THAT his brother would consider splitting up yet again, but when he explained his reasoning, he had to admit it made sense. Larry didn’t want to go boldly sailing into the crowded anchorages of the Exumas for two reasons: One, there was no telling what kind of reaction they’d get from the people on the other boats already there. And two, if he were indeed anchored in one of those places, Russell would easily recognize the unusual Wharram catamaran approaching, even from a distance. What he had in mind would be a lot stealthier, but it would take a little more time to implement.

  They had dropped the anchor close to a gorgeous deserted beach at a place called Bitter Guana Cay. It was not really an anchorage, especially in bad weather, nor was it deep enough for most cruising boats to approach. But it was a secluded spot to secure the catamaran and allow them to keep a low profile while they worked. And it was still close enough to Staniel Cay to make the next part of the plan feasible.

  What Larry had in mind involved Tara’s beautiful, handmade wooden sailing dinghy—the same one they used in their unsuccessful attempt to catch up to the Sarah J. when they discovered Russell leaving. When Artie reminded him that the sail and other parts of the rig for it were still aboard Tara’s yacht, which of course was why they couldn’t use them when they tried to catch Russell, Larry said it didn’t matter.

  “The dinghy already has a built-in centerboard. That’s the hardest part to improvise. An oar lashed to the gunwale for steering can replace the rudder, and I’ll step the Casey Nicole’s spinnaker pole for a mast and use the storm jib for a sail. It should sail just fine like that.”

  “But won’t it still be just as risky as sailing into those anchorages in the big boat? What’s the point?” Tara asked.

  “No. For one, a dinghy won’t attract as much attention as a new cruising boat coming into a harbor. People who see it may think it’s just someone off another boat that’s already there or maybe someone who lives on the island or one of the nearby cays. The main thing is that if Russell is there and sees it approach, he won’t recognize it until it’s too late, especially since it will be coming in under sail.”

  “You’re going to need someone to go with you then, in case he is there. You know he’s armed. It’s not worth trying to take him alone,” Grant said. “I’ll go.”

  “No, you need to stay here with Artie and help him look out for the Casey Nicole. This boat is all we have left until we find the Sarah J. All of you need to stay here. There’s no room in the dinghy anyway, especially trying to sail it. I’ll need to move my weight around for ballast. It’ll be better if I go alone. I’ll be well armed. Don�
�t worry.”

  “You’re not going without me,” Tara said. “It’s my dinghy, my boat and my daughter. Everything that matters to me in my life is at stake. I’m going!”

  Artie didn’t see how Larry could argue with that if he insisted on going through with this plan. He hated to see the two of them leave, but he could certainly understand why Tara wouldn’t want to stay here on the catamaran when Larry might be so close to finding Rebecca and her parents’ boat.

  “Look, I’m not talking about taking on this guy from the dinghy. I just want to do some scouting around and see if he’s even here. The dinghy can skim over the sandbars and take shortcuts. I can cover a lot of ground and find out if he stopped here or not. If he did, I’ll come back immediately and then we’ll make a plan to take him out before he knows we’re here. Maybe we’ll sail up onto him where he’s anchored in the middle of the night and take him totally off guard. I don’t know yet. All I know is that it’s essential to do some scouting first.

  “And Tara, it is precisely because it is your daughter and your boat at stake that I don’t want you to go. I know that if we see him, you’re not going to want to wait or to come back for help. Please! Just let me do this my way. I won’t be gone long, and if am gone longer than a few hours, then you all can do what you like and come look for yourself.”

  “In that case then, take me,” Jessica said. “I’ll do whatever you say if we see him. I just don’t want to be stuck here waiting. You might need some help, even if you think you don’t.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Jessica! Why would you get to go instead of me? If you think it’s hard for you to sit here waiting, imagine what it’s like for me. That’s my daughter with that lunatic!”

  “And like I was trying to say,” Larry interrupted, “it’s precisely because it’s your daughter that I’d rather you wait here. It’s too emotional for you and there’s no way you’re going to be able to keep your cool. Especially with me in the same boat with you. We already know how that worked out before.”

  “It wasn’t because I was the asshole,” Tara glared back at him in disgust.

  “We’re wasting time arguing about this. I’ve got to get the rig set up if I’m gonna do this. But you’re right. It is your dinghy. If you don’t want me to take it I won’t. And you can come up with your own plan. But that’s the best I’ve got. Now please, let’s just work together on this, okay?”

  “He’s right, Tara,” Artie said. “Let’s just help him make it happen and we’ll find Rebecca. You can count on it.” Artie could feel her pain just by looking at her. He knew exactly what she was going through, although he knew it was probably even worse for her than it had been for him. He would do all he could to help her through it. All of them would. But he knew too that if they failed to find her daughter in time there would be little any of them could do for her. He couldn’t let himself think about that though. He agreed with Artie that it would be better if she waited on the catamaran with them. He and Casey would help her through the anxiety somehow, and hopefully, Larry would return soon with good news and they could move into action.

  Finally, she relented; persuaded by all of them that Larry’s plan was the best anyone could come up with. Larry also stressed that anything could happen out there and that her chances of getting Rebecca back were better if she stayed on the boat with the rest of the group. With Scully missing, she was also the most experienced sailor among them after Larry, and would be her daughter’s best hope if something happened to him.

  Larry set to work and as always, Artie was amazed at his brother’s knowledge of all things nautical and his ingenuity when it came to repairing, rigging and sailing boats. With just what he had on board, he converted the 10-foot dinghy to a simple sloop, with a steering oar lashed to the stern quarter, Viking style. Artie knew the boat was already designed to sail, and that the centerboard that was already there made the job easier, but still… his brother had put all this together in little over an hour. When he was ready to go, Tara still expressed her doubts.

  “Look, it’s not like I’m going to be gone long. I’ll be back this afternoon. The dinghy should be pretty fast when the breeze picks up later this morning. I can cover a lot of ground and find out quick if he’s here or not.”

  “If you’re not back this afternoon, I’m not waiting,” she said. “If I stay here on the Casey Nicole, I want it understood that if you’re not aboard, I say when and where she sails.”

  Artie nodded when she looked at him, and so did Casey, Grant and Jessica.

  “Fine by me,” Larry said. “That’s exactly why I want you to wait. You’ll be the skipper if I don’t come back. But don’t get any ideas that’s going to happen, because I will be back. And way before dark too!”

  “What about me?” Jessica asked. “There’s no reason for every single one of us to stay here. Let me go with you. Then you’ll have another set of eyes to look for him. Please?”

  “He said there wasn’t enough room,” Grant said.

  “I don’t need a lot of room. I’ll stay in the front out of the way when you have to tack. I’m not going to be doing anything but looking for Tara’s boat.”

  “Okay, fine,” Larry said. “Fill up a couple of water bottles and I’ll grab my binoculars and the shotgun. We need to get going though. The morning’s already half over.”

  Tara didn’t try to argue anymore and Artie figured it was because she was satisfied knowing that if Larry and Jessica weren’t back soon, she would be able to make the call as to when they would go on without them in the catamaran. Artie was a little surprised that Larry agreed to let Jessica go, but he was also glad his brother wasn’t going alone and he figured it would probably do Jessica good to get off the boat for a while. Everyone aboard could sense the tension over the Jessica and Grant situation, and Artie began to get the feeling Jessica didn’t want to be around Casey or Grant any more than she had to right now. He didn’t know exactly what happened on the beach that night when Grant shoved Russell, but something was said that caused a visible change in Jessica’s mood.

  They stepped down into the dinghy and Artie held the bow painter while Larry fiddled around making final adjustments to his improvised rigging; then he cast them off. The storm jib for the Casey Nicole was cut from heavier material than what would be ideal for a dinghy sail, but the wind had picked up again to better than 10 knots so the little boat moved away at a good clip even with the overweight canvas. Larry and Jessica waved back to them as the breeze carried them north, skirting along the edge of the rocks close to the shore of the desolate island.

  “It looks like it’s working pretty good,” Grant said, as they watched the dinghy sail away.

  “Of course it is. Uncle Larry is an expert when it comes to sailboats. But you know that by now.”

  “I think that once again, he had the right idea. No one is going to pay much attention to a small boat like that, and if Russell is there he’ll never make the connection if he sees it sailing instead of being rowed. He’s going to find her, Tara. We’re going to get Rebecca back and your boat too, I’m sure of it. Russell won’t dream that we could have followed him here so soon. He’ll be totally off guard for at least another day or two.”

  “Maybe so,” Tara said. “But what if he isn’t even here? What if he went somewhere else instead? The guy was crazy. That was obvious from talking to him just the little I did. Somebody like that is capable of doing anything.”

  “Yeah, but like Larry said, the wind has a lot to do with his choices, and from where he started, he didn’t have many. The Exumas were the logical destination,” Grant offered.

  Tara didn’t look convinced. Artie and Casey put their arms around her. They all watched until Larry and Jessica disappeared around the north end of the island and were gone from sight.

  “Let’s cook something and eat,” Artie said. “We have to keep our energy up. When they get back we’re probably going to be getting underway immediately.”

  “Sounds lik
e a plan to me,” Casey said. “I’ll make some coffee too. We’re getting low, but I could use some this morning after staying up all night.”

  Twenty-two

  RUSSELL WENT BELOW AND made his way forward to the forepeak cabin in which the girl was secured. He untied the multiple half-hitches in the Dacron line he’d passed through the latch, keeping his weight against the outward opening door until he was finished.

  “Okay, I’m going to open this door. You can use the head, and you can even come up on deck if you want. But I’m warning you; if you try anything stupid you will wish you hadn’t. I don’t care if you are a girl. I’ll knock the crap out of you if you test me. Do you understand what I’m saying? I’m not playing games!”

  “I understand,” the girl answered through the door. “I’m not going to try anything. I’ve just got to get out of here.”

  Russell stepped back and opened the door halfway. Rebecca was sitting on the edge of the V-berth, glaring back at him as soon as she saw his face in the darkened cabin. It was natural that she was unhappy with him right now, but he was sure she would get over it and be in a better mood eventually.

  “I’ll be waiting right out here until you’re done in there,” he said, indicting the head. “Then, if you want to come up on deck, you can come. If you don’t, you can go back to your cabin again. I’ve got my hands full with sailing this boat and you’re going to have to stay where I can see you or stay locked up, your choice.”

  “I already told you, I’m not stupid! I’m not going to do anything! Just let me go to the bathroom and I’ll come up on deck.”