The Stronger Chase

by Cap Daniels

  Kip looked back into the room and licked his lips. “Well, the doctor said it could’ve been a whole lot worse. Most of what I thought were severe burns were actually remnants of her shirt and soot. She’s still burnt pretty badly, but thanks to you guys pulling us out and getting her wrapped up and hydrated, she’s gonna be all right. I really appreciate what you did for us—especially for her. You may have saved her life.”

  “Thanks, Kip, but we did what anyone would’ve done. We happened to have a good med kit onboard and someone who knew how to use it. We’re glad she’s going to be okay. How about you and Penny?”

  “Oh, we’re fine. Our blood pressure was up, but whose wouldn’t be? They checked us over and said we had no injuries. We were lucky. Teri was down in the aft stateroom when the engine blew. It must’ve knocked her out and trapped her in the fire and smoke. They say she got quite a bit of smoke in her lungs, but they won’t be able to tell how bad it is for a few days.”

  “The engine blew?” Clark said. “Were you running the engines?”

  “No, that’s the weird thing. We hadn’t started the engines since we’d turned north at the jetties. What a stupid idea that was, huh?”

  “It would’ve been a fine plan in a powerboat, but it wasn’t the best line for sailing.”

  “No, I guess not. You had us beat from the minute I made that decision.”

  Clark chuckled. “We had you beat the minute you agreed to race.”

  “Yeah, I guess you did. But seriously, we owe you guys more than dinner. I really appreciate what you did.”

  I brought the conversation back to where we needed it to be. “So, if you weren’t running the engines, what do you think caused the fire?”

  Kip scratched his head and frowned. “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about that since we got into the life raft when I knew we weren’t going to die. I can’t come up with an answer. We have—or we had—sniffers and automatic blowers to keep the bilge and engine rooms ventilated if they detected vapor. We’re an all-diesel boat, so we didn’t have any gas onboard. Diesel don’t just blow up unless you mix it with fertilizer and hit it with a blasting cap. I’ve run boats all my life. It’s all I’ve ever done, and it doesn’t make sense.”

  “Could it have been electrical?” I asked.

  “Maybe, but it sounded like a quarter stick of dynamite or something. It was pretty loud, and then the fire started fast. We had automatic Halon fire suppression systems in both engine rooms, but whatever it was must’ve been too much for the Halon. I don’t know, and I guess we’ll never know. The boat broke up a few seconds after we got Teri out of the cabin and jumped into the raft. It was like it just crumbled apart. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  I couldn’t decide if I should voice my suspicions about Crude Awakening being the victim of sabotage intended for Aegis.

  “So, Teri’s your girlfriend?” Clark asked, probably to keep me from saying what he feared I was going to say.

  “No, heck no. She’s my wife.”

  “Your wife?” Clark and I said in unison.

  “Yeah, man. We went to high school together, and I whipped her daddy’s ass one night when he went to beatin’ on her for staying out too late.”

  “What?” I was anxious to hear the rest of that story.

  “Yeah, she’d been at her papaw’s house taking care of him, and he’d been really sick. She couldn’t stand to leave him by himself, so she’d been taking the beatings from her daddy instead of telling him she’d been with her momma’s daddy. Her momma’s been dead since Teri was eleven, and her daddy hated the old man. Anyway, I’d been working on a construction barge for the guy who lived next door to Teri, and he owed me some money, so I’d gone to collect what he owed me. That’s when I saw her daddy beatin’ on her on the front porch, and I couldn’t stand for that.”

  “You’re all right, Kip,” said Clark.

  “Aw, it’s like you said a while ago. I did what anybody would’ve done. But Teri said I was the only person to stick up for her since her momma passed, and we just kinda hit it off, I guess you’d say. She kept taking care of the old man, and I kept coming around, making sure her drunk ass daddy kept his hands off her.”

  “So, when did you get married?” I asked.

  “That’s the cool part about all of this that let me know she really loved me, you know? Her daddy hit a tree driving home drunk one night and killed himself, so Teri moved in with her papaw and took care of him full time until he died. The day after she found out how much oil was under that old rotten piece of dirt he left her, she came running to me saying we had to get married. She figured she was going to be rich, and since I’d loved her when she was dirt poor, she thought nobody else was ever going to love her that way. I know it sounds corny, but that makes an old Texas boy pretty proud when a woman tells him something like that.”

  “I’m sure it did,” said Clark.

  “Yeah, well, anyway. I better get back in there. Is that all you wanted to know?”

  I said, “Yes, that’s all we wanted to know, but there’s a Coast Guard lieutenant out there who’ll be coming in to talk to you. He’s going to want to know every detail you can remember. I recommend you answer his questions directly and don’t give any opinions. Tell him what you know and nothing more.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “That’s good advice, and that’s what I’ll do. I was the first mate on a crew boat that hit a big fancy yacht one time, and the investigation was a mess. I know how it goes.”

  Kip hurried back into Teri’s room, and Clark and I stayed in the hall.

  “Sabotage,” we whispered.

  “What do we do now?” I said.

  “I guess we’d better talk to my dad. We’ve got to tell somebody, and it can’t be Lieutenant Dover.”

  We headed back into the room. Kip was holding Teri’s hand and sitting on the edge of her bed while Penny furiously scribbled on a yellow legal pad.

  I leaned down and kissed Penny on the cheek. “I’m glad you’re all right. I was worried about you. I’m sorry about Teri, but it sounds like she’s going to be okay.”

  Surprisingly, she didn’t say a word. She just smiled at me with the most sincere smile I’d ever seen. I was in no condition to have a woman in my life, but if I were, Penny might’ve been my choice. At least I’d never have to fear that she’d tell some SVR colonel my every move, or that she would take my life at any moment.

  17

  What’s in a Name?

  We left the hospital and headed back to the boat. Clark called Dominic, his father, and told him every detail of the day’s events. I called Fred and explained what was going on and told him we’d never make it to Oriental, North Carolina, on time.

  “That’s perfectly fine, Chase. The exact time isn’t the point of this. It’s just that you . . . well, never mind. Are your friends from the other boat okay?”

  I gave Fred a status report on Kip, Penny, and Teri, and he asked if I was taking the medication he’d prescribed.

  “Yes, I’m taking it like you said. I think it’s helping. I’m sleeping better. I really appreciate you doing that.”

  “It’s nothing. That’s why I’m here. I’ll see you soon, and we’ll have a nice chat. Keep me posted on your arrival in Virginia Beach. May I talk with Clark?”

  “He’s on the phone with Dominic Fontana, but I can have him call you back if you really need to talk with him.”

  “Yes, yes, I do. Please have him call me as soon as possible, and definitely before you leave Charleston again.”

  “Okay, Fred. Whatever you say.”

  The line went dead.

  What a strange character he is.

  “What did your dad have to say?”

  Clark cleared his throat. “We’ve got to get out of Charleston right away. He says it has to be Tornovich, and that he has to be alive. He was surprised that whoever planted the bomb picked the wrong boat, but he’s confident it had to be Tornovich’s men.”

  “Did he
say anything about any chatter from the Kremlin?”

  “Yeah, he said it’s been deathly silent. They have no idea if Tornovich is still in good graces or if he’s on the run. My guess is that he’s on the run. I don’t think he’d be in the States otherwise.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably true, and if this were a Kremlin-sanctioned op, they would’ve sent tier-one operators—not the bumbling bunch of idiots who are here. Since when does the SVR sabotage the wrong boat?”

  “I tend to agree with you, but we can’t know for sure. What did Fred have to say?”

  “Fred’s an odd bird,” I said.

  “Yeah, he is, but he’s good at what he does.”

  “He sure is. He wants to talk to you as soon as possible. I have no idea why, but he’s adamant that he speaks to you before we leave Charleston.”

  Clark started dialing his phone. Three minutes later, he hung up after saying less than a dozen words.

  “So, what was that about?” I asked.

  “Oh, nothing. He wanted to make sure I was watching out for you. He’s worried about you.”

  I wasn’t buying that story, but I wasn’t going to get any more out of him, so I let it go.

  “Let’s go tell Kip and Teri goodbye.”

  Tell Kip and Teri goodbye? Why not Kip, Teri, and Penny?

  I set the boarding detection system, and we headed back toward the hospital.

  “Any news while we were gone?” asked Clark.

  Kip said, “We talked to that Coast Guard lieutenant, and I did what you said. I told him what happened. I got the impression that he suspected some sort of foul play until he asked about a lien against the boat and insurance.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Well, it was almost like he suspected we torched the boat for the insurance money until he found out we owned the boat outright. I don’t know. It felt like he was accusing us of something.”

  “He was doing his job,” I said. “He’s an investigator. He’s trying to sort everything out.”

  “Sure,” Kip said. “I just didn’t care for his tone.”

  “How’s Teri doing? Any change?” asked Clark.

  Kip gently touched his wife’s bandages as she slept. “She’s doing okay. We won’t know anything more until we see the doctor again this afternoon. She’s sleeping, so I guess that’s good.”

  “As much as we’d love to stay, Chase and I have to get headed north. We have to be in Virginia. Is there anything you need, or can we do anything for you before we go?”

  “I understand. There’s nothing you can do here.” Kip put his arm around my shoulder and patted my back. “You’ve already done more for us than we could ask. We really appreciate everything.”

  “Forget about it,” I said. “You’d have done the same for us. Do you have a place to stay?”

  “Yeah, the nurse said I could stay here with Teri. They’re moving us to a private room this evening, and there will be a bed for me. We’re going to have to find someplace for Penny, though. She’ll go crazy sitting in a hospital room.”

  Without looking my way, Clark said, “She can come with us.”

  What?

  He turned to Penny. “Why don’t you come with us? There’s plenty of room on the boat, and it’ll give you something to do. When you’re ready to come back, we’ll stick you on a plane wherever we are.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” she said almost timidly. “It does sound like fun, though. And I can cook and stand a watch. I’m a pretty good sailor. I don’t want to leave Teri, but Kip’s right—I’d go crazy sitting here. Are you sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble?”

  Inviting Penny to come along was the last thing I expected Clark to do, but it was too late. We were committed, but I was afraid I’d need to be committed to a psych ward if Penny talked nonstop for the next week.

  I looked at Clark, unsure of what he was scheming.

  “Sure, Penny,” I said. “It would be great to have you aboard. Clark loves the pullout bunk.”

  “Okay, cool.”

  What? A two-word answer from Penny?

  We said our goodbyes and headed back for the marina. I didn’t want to spend any more time than absolutely necessary ashore. We had a tiny temporary advantage if Tornovich thought his guys had actually succeeded in sinking Aegis. If we could get out of Charleston and back into the North Atlantic without the Russians spotting us, we could extend that advantage a little longer.

  The wind was still blowing hard out of the east, so we could sail faster than we could motor. The forecast called for the wind to shift to the south, and I was hoping the weather-guessers were right. I was pleased with Penny’s seamanship. She handled the boat with remarkable skill and confidence.

  “I don’t see any reason we can’t make Oriental in twenty-four hours if we stand four-hour watches.”

  “You’re the captain, Chase, but I’d really like to duck into Wilmington for an overnighter. There’s no reason to push ourselves too aggressively. We still have some time to get to Virginia Beach.”

  “What’s in Virginia Beach that’s so important?” asked Penny.

  “Work,” I answered quickly.

  “Work? That sounds exciting. Is it a writing assignment? Like a journalism thing?”

  I laughed. “No, it’s nothing like that. I’m meeting an old friend who’s going to help me with a little problem I’ve been having. It’s not an assignment, but it’s related to what I do.”

  “Ooh, that sounds mysterious. Oh, and I’m with Clark. I’d really like to see Wilmington. I’ve never been there, and it’s on my list.”

  I gave in. “Sure, that’s fine with me. We can duck into Georgetown for the night and then make Wilmington tomorrow afternoon. There’s no need to sail through the night. We’d arrive before sunup, and I’m not brave enough to motor into Wilmington in the dark.”

  Penny smiled. “Something tells me you’re brave enough to do almost anything, but it’s kinda sexy that you’re cautious, too.”

  Clark laughed, “Yep . . . sexy. That’s what Chase is . . . sexy.”

  The sea was unhappy about something. The waves kept growing, and the wind picked up to thirty, gusting to thirty-eight knots. We were on a broad reach with the wind on our starboard stern quarter and doing more surfing than sailing. The six- to eight-footers lifted Aegis’s stern and sent her careening down their faces like a roller coaster. It wasn’t the most comfortable ride I’d ever had, but I had to admit there was something fun about it.

  Penny’s prowess at the helm continued to impress me. She shut down the autopilot that was working itself to death each time a new wave thrust us skyward. Relaxed, she sat in the captain’s chair with one bare foot on the wheel, letting Aegis squirm and surf beneath her. There was no reason to fight it. The waves were going to win. All we could do was make the best of tough conditions.

  “Listen,” I said. “Do you hear that howling sound?”

  Clark and Penny focused on the horizon and listened intently.

  “Yeah, I hear it,” said Penny. “What is that? It sounds spooky.”

  “That’s a whistle buoy. It has a big horn mounted upright inside the frame, so every time it rises and falls on a wave, it whistles. I love that sound.”

  I was surprised when Penny didn’t speak. She listened and smiled.

  When we passed the buoy and entered the South Island Channel into Georgetown, she started the engines and ordered, “Furl the jib.”

  I didn’t argue. I hauled in on the furling line and watched the big genoa sail up front disappear neatly around the forestay.

  “Where did you learn to sail?”

  “Kip’s been teaching me. Teri likes to sail, but only when conditions are perfect. I like when it gets weird. I think it’s fun when the wind picks up and the ocean doesn’t behave.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at her.

  “What’s that smile for?”

  “You’re something else, Penny from Texas. Hey, I don’t know your last
name.”

  “You don’t know my first name yet, either.”

  “So, Penny isn’t your first name?”

  “Nope. It’s not even my middle name. In fact, it’s not my name at all.”

  With Aegis back on autopilot, she put her hands firmly on her hips. “My real name is Nicole Bethany Thomas.”

  “So where’d Penny come from?”

  She twirled her hair and peered over the bow, making sure there were no other boats in our way. “When I was a little girl—and I mean really little—when anyone would ask me what my name was, I’d say ‘Nickel’ ’cause I couldn’t say Nicole. People would always say, ‘You’re not big enough to be a nickel. You must be a penny.’ So it stuck, and everybody started calling me Penny.”

  “What a great story.”

  “Yeah, it’s kinda fun spending your whole life pretending to be someone you’re not.”

  I thought about what she said, letting her words do somersaults through my head.

  She checked again for other boat traffic. “Or maybe how you’re born has nothing to do with who you really are. Maybe we become who and what we are by the choices we make and the wild, ridiculous things that happen to us along the way. Maybe we are what we become . . . or we become what we are. Heck, I don’t know, and I also don’t know where we’re going. Do you want to drive?”

  “No,” I said,” I think you’re doing fine. We’ll poke our nose in behind North Island there, out of the wind, and see if we can find seven or eight feet of water to drop the hook.”

  She returned her focus to the wheel. “I think I can do that.”

  In typical fashion, Clark had been sitting silently and listening. I caught him staring at Penny, and I had a fleeting moment of jealousy. That wasn’t an emotion I was familiar with and it stung a little.

  I threw an empty water bottle at him. “Hey, get your eyes back in your head, and get your own.”

  “Huh?” he stammered. “No, I wasn’t . . . I mean, did you hear what she just said?”

  I nodded, still digesting the wisdom she’d let fall out of her mouth.

  “Maybe we become what we are. That’s pretty deep,” he said.