“Maybe for you, Eric, yeah. That’s something you should have done a long time ago. But Lynn is gone, and I don’t have a daughter like you do.”
“We’re all your family though, and we’re lucky to still have our dad. You know that if you stay here, Bart’s going to insist on staying with you. He’s been saying that since we got here. But he needs to get out. We all do.”
Keith wasn’t ready to commit to that idea and Eric had known it as soon as he got back. His brother also argued that there wasn’t enough room for all of them aboard Dreamtime, and Eric couldn’t deny that he had a point. It would be tight, but the boat could indeed carry them all. The crowding wouldn’t be so bad while they were underway, because there was little to do at sea but eat and sleep and keep watch, but once they got to wherever they were going, that many people living aboard would certainly be an inconvenience. But Eric also knew that if they reached the kind of place he had in mind, they wouldn’t necessarily be confined to the boat. They could spread out and perhaps establish a base camp on the beach near the anchorage.
Keith wasn’t the only one resisting the idea of sailing away with them, however, and Eric wasn’t surprised. He already felt awkward about facing him and Shauna when Keith and Bart pulled up to the dock after first picking him up, but when Eric met Daniel’s gaze, he knew Daniel was aware that things had changed. Shauna showed some restraint when she hugged him in greeting, but Eric could feel her relief and joy for his safe return. Megan and Vicky hugged him too, but Daniel barely acknowledged him when Eric offered his hand after shaking Jonathan’s and slapping him on the back. Eric acted like it was no big deal at the time, but it was obvious that Daniel wasn’t happy to see him back. He didn’t get a chance to talk to Shauna alone that first day, but he and Megan took a walk up the road and she filled him in.
“My stepdad has lost it, I think,” Megan said. “Uncle Keith and Grandpa said he was already acting that way before we got here, but now it’s even worse. It’s like he hates my mom for leaving and coming to look for me. I know it’s mainly that he’s jealous of you, but he’s saying there’s no way he and Andrew are going on the boat with us.”
“And what does your mom say about all this?”
“She’s been trying to talk some sense into him, but he’s dead set on going to Texas. Grandpa said he’s been talking about it ever since he found out about those new refugee centers. They’ve been trying to tell him that he might as well check himself into a prison, because it’ll be the same, but he won’t listen to anyone. And he’s really pissed now that you’re here. He’s convinced the only reason you came back to the states to begin with was to try and get Mom back. Look, I know what’s going on, and I understand. I don’t want Daniel to be hurt, but I want my mom to be happy, and I want you to be happy too, Dad. You both deserve that.”
“We are both happy, Megan. And not because of each other, but because you’re safe now. That’s all either of us wanted, and it’s why I came back. I didn’t come back to break up your mom’s marriage to Daniel. And I don’t think that’s what she wants either.”
“Well, all they’ve been doing is fighting since we got here. She’s been staying on the Miss Anita with me and Jonathan and Vicky and Uncle Keith, and he’s been sleeping aboard Dreamtime with Andrew and Bart. I don’t know where that leaves you, Dad; between a rock and a hard place I guess.”
“What else is new?” Eric laughed. “I’ll bivouac in Keith’s patrol boat if I have to. It’s no big deal.”
Eric didn’t really care if Daniel bailed out and went to Texas or not. Eric hadn’t expected Shauna to dump him and come running back to him so they could be a happy family again, and in fact, he’d figured the opposite would happen when she got back here, and that Daniel would give in again and agree to go wherever she wanted to go. Maybe it would be different this time, but Eric figured it was none of his business as long as the idiot didn’t try to prevent Shauna and Megan from doing the smart thing. Eric would let them sort it out without his input. He had more important things to do, like inspecting the bottom of the schooner again after the hard grounding she took in the marsh that day and making any repairs that were necessary. And he had his buddy Jonathan at his side again, full of enthusiasm and eager to help.
“Have you figured out where you want to go yet?” Jonathan asked, a couple of days later when they were working together on inspecting the fittings on all the standing rigging while the two masts were down and it was easy to access. “Have you been thinking about that cartel dude’s offer or those islands the pilot was telling you about?”
“The islands are more appealing, for sure. They are farther away from here and they are only accessible by boat or seaplane, but we wouldn’t have the protection of Los Nuevos, for whatever that’s worth.”
“You said you didn’t really trust them anyway though, right?”
“I don’t really trust anyone, Jonathan. When I do it usually bites me on the ass. This last time it cost the lives of three good men.”
“That’s not really your fault though, man. They trusted Major Langley and those C.R.I. dudes too. It’s a damned shame though. It really blows that Wolf died that way. That dude was so awesome! I learned more about the woods from him in just a few days than I’ve learned in a lifetime fishing and stuff on my own.”
“Yeah, they were all great men, and without their help, we wouldn’t all be here together today. But to answer your question, I’d still rather go farther than either of those places. It makes little sense to leave here and sail smack into the middle of a major narcotrafficking corridor. I’d rather be in the South Pacific somewhere, but that’s not really doable because of the slight problem of having to transit the Panama Canal. But we’ll figure something out. Anywhere will be better than here. I’ve just got to convince my brother and my Dad of that and get them on board too. I understand Keith’s duty to serve the people here in his jurisdiction, but they are all going to have to make a choice. Some will try to resist or move elsewhere, and many others will give in and submit to the camps, but Keith’s got to understand it won’t much matter whether he stays or goes, because unless there’s some serious military force in place here before it happens, those cartel-backed contractors are going to move in here. That’s one thing I know for sure after my trip to Mexico.”
Eric got his chance to talk to Keith and Greg about it when he went with Keith on one of his runs to Greg’s house to check in and bring him supplies. If nothing else, Eric hoped to convince them they needed to move their base of operations. It wasn’t safe for Greg to stay where he was and even though it was more remote, Keith’s place could be reached by road too.
“You’ve got the Miss Anita, which will be more than enough room for now if you’re dead set on staying. You’ve also got nearly a million acres of swamp and woods right at your doorstep. I suggest moving the trawler to the most remote hole you can find and run your patrols from your boat. Those guys are going to secure the roads first thing when they move in here, and I-10 will be at the top of the list, along with any exits and side roads readily accessible from it. If I were you, I would relocate well to the south, maybe halfway to Morgan City. It doesn’t even matter if you’re in the parish or not, because the lines mean nothing now, and you know that as well as I do. As soon as we get the schooner ready, we’ll go there with you, and help you get set up. We don’t have to leave immediately, so there’ll be some time to change your mind if you come to your senses.”
Keith and Greg talked it over and spread the maps out on Greg’s table. It really did make sense to get away from the roads, because two deputies couldn’t keep them safe anyway and those residents remaining were mostly staying close to home or using the waterways themselves. They could keep the vehicles at Keith’s place in case they needed them for some specific task, and it would be a simple matter to run up the bayou in the patrol boat to get them. Once that was decided, Greg began packing what he needed and the three of them headed back down to Keith’s to tell
the others. Living aboard the two boats at anchor in the swamp would be an inconvenience, but Eric’s argument for it was convincing.
“Daniel will bitch about it, I’m sure, but I think everyone else will understand,” Eric said. “We’ll be living on the hook for the foreseeable future anyway, at least when we’re not on a passage.”
Eric called a meeting on Keith’s dock when they returned and laid out the plan. The hideaway Keith and Greg had selected was about twelve miles to the south, on a dead lake that Keith knew they could access with both vessels. They would move the Miss Anita there first while work was being completed on Dreamtime.
“There’s no access by road or even on foot unless someone is willing to wade and swim through the swamp. It’ll give us the isolation we need to finish making our plans and will become Keith’s new base of operations for the time being. I believe this is necessary because those C.R.I. operators could show up anytime. We can’t risk having the boats confiscated, and that’s exactly what’ll happen when they start securing the area. If we’re going to do this, we need to get started now. We’re going to run down there in the morning and check to make sure that the lake is still deserted. Keith is pretty sure it will be, but if it’s not, we’ll have time to scout some of the other options nearby. I suggest we go ahead and move the trawler tomorrow afternoon. Most of you can go with us and settle in aboard it. You’ll have Greg and Keith to provide security while Jonathan and Bart and I stay here aboard the schooner until we’re finished with our work. In the meantime, you’ll have Keith’s boat and we’ll have the skiff for running back and forth and the vehicles will be parked here if there’s something we need from elsewhere.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Daniel said. “Andrew and I are sleeping aboard the trawler! We’re not going way off somewhere in the middle of the swamp where there’s no place to even get off the boat!”
“It’ll be awesome, Dad!” Andrew said. “I think it’s a great idea because I’ll bet we’ll be able to catch fish right off the boat in a place like that!”
Daniel got up and walked away, distancing himself from the group by heading out to the end of Keith’s driveway, where he paced about in the middle of the road. Eric just shrugged and told Andrew he’d probably come around, whether he was happy about the idea right now or not. Everyone else was in agreement, and that was the important thing. Greg stayed with them on the trawler that night, and the next morning, he and Eric and Bart piled into the patrol boat with Keith and the four of them set out downriver to check out the lake. They found it deserted, as they’d hoped, and using the depth sounder to double check the charts, they located a suitable anchorage for both big boats in six feet of water.
“It’s not tidal here, so we should be good,” Keith said. “Nobody’s getting in here in anything bigger than a pirogue unless they come in through the mouth like we did.”
He was right, but to Eric’s mind, it was still a potential trap they were putting themselves into. With only one way in and one way out, an enemy could block their exit, but that had been true of the bayou behind Keith’s house too, of course. And it was true virtually anywhere on the river basin. The only way Eric was going to feel free of that danger while on a boat was in the open water of the coast and beyond. To that end, he intended to wrap up the work on Dreamtime and get underway as soon as possible.
“If they are coming in anything bigger than a pirogue, we’ll probably hear them coming before they see that we’re in here,” Bart said. “Since we don’t have to worry about currents in here, we can anchor that trawler by the bow and the stern and turn it perpendicular to the entrance. The steel plate will give a little cover for our first line of defense, and we can raft up the schooner to the inside, to give it a little shelter too when we bring it down here.”
Eric agreed. They could set multiple anchors and there were handy cypress trees lining the banks for additional mooring points if needed. The lake was as good as any place they’d likely find, and Eric was anxious to move all their assets here and away from that road.
“Let’s do it then. After we get the Miss Anita in here this afternoon, I figure three days tops working up there at the dock and then we can bring Dreamtime here too. But once we do, we won’t be hanging around forever. I want to figure out a destination and after that, get going.”
The next morning, they untied the Miss Anita as planned. Bart and Eric were in the pilothouse, while Jonathan, Shauna and Andrew took up positions as deckhands. The extra help wasn’t necessary, of course, as this was a fairly short hop downriver, but everybody wanted to pitch in, including Vicky and Megan, who would ride along in Keith’s boat with him and Greg as he escorted the trawler out of the bayou. The only one who didn’t help was Daniel, who said he was feeling kind of sick that morning. Daniel had gotten his personal things off the trawler first thing that morning, and his bag was still on the dock next to where the other boat was tied up when Eric and everyone else was ready to leave.
“I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the schooner,” he offered. “Somebody needs to, right? Besides, the Miss Anita’s going to be too crowded now. I’ll move my stuff to Dreamtime and stay aboard her while she’s still here. I just don’t feel up to boating today.”
“Suit yourself, but just so you know, we’ll be moving this one soon too, probably in a couple of days.”
Daniel shrugged and Eric said nothing else about it. It suited him fine not to have to listen to his complaining or to see the sour look that was always on his face. When Eric joined Bart at the helm of the Miss Anita, Andrew was standing by the rail on the upper deck calling down to his father to tell him good-bye. But Daniel didn’t answer because he had already boarded the schooner and disappeared below.
“What an asshole,” Bart muttered under his breath.
“He’s mad at me because I don’t want to go to that stupid place in Texas,” Andrew said, when he stepped inside to join them. “He tried to talk me into staying here with him this morning, but I knew that if I did, all he would talk about was going over there.”
“You’re not gonna have to go there,” Bart said. “Your dad has made his case for it, but he’s been outvoted. He’ll get over it soon enough, and then he’ll be thanking Eric for getting all of you away from here. You’ll see.”
This seemed to satisfy Andrew for now, but Eric had his doubts about Daniel getting over any of this. In fact, the way he’d been acting since they made the decision to move the boats led Eric to wonder if he might just leave anyway, with or without Andrew. Eric had seen men at their breaking point before, and he was pretty sure that was exactly where Daniel Hartfield was.
Sixteen
ERIC’S DECISION TO MOVE the boats was the last straw for Daniel. It was bad enough being anywhere in this godforsaken swamp, even with access to Keith’s yard to walk around in and the gravel road out front that led to the highway. But to leave that to go sit at anchor in some stagnant, muddy lake, completely cut off from everything while confined to the 45-foot trawler both day and night? Daniel found it unthinkable, yet his objections had been shot down immediately when Eric first brought it up in their meeting yesterday, and now they were going ahead with it! Even Andrew had voted with the rest of them, making Daniel the sole dissenter, and lone bad guy in their minds. Daniel didn’t give a damned what any of them thought though, because he knew his was the only voice of reason.
He’d never expected to change Eric’s mind, of course, and he’d practically given up on Shauna too, but he’d hoped Megan and Vicky would listen, and maybe even Jonathan and Keith. Daniel knew Keith and Greg didn’t want to sail away and abandon their duties, and he had pulled both deputies aside that afternoon, trying to convince them that they couldn’t very well do their job while hiding out that far in the boonies, with no access to the roads. But it had proven useless. That know-it-all bastard, Eric Branson, had sold them on his way of doing things, and Daniel hated him all the more for how he’d come back here and messed up everything. Daniel had bee
n so hoping that Eric wouldn’t return at all after Shauna said he’d gone on a combat mission out west, but of course, he did, ruining Daniel’s chances of talking any sense into her or anyone else here. The whole situation was infuriating, and now it was absolutely unbearable.
Daniel had been staying aboard the shrimp trawler with Andrew, Bart and Eric precisely because Shauna wasn’t. He and Eric had avoided each other as much as possible since he’d been back, and Daniel figured Eric would move over to the other boat where Shauna was staying soon enough anyway, and probably already would have if the schooner were not so crowded already with Jonathan, Vicky, Megan and Keith sleeping there. Now it was all changing again, with Shauna, Megan, Vicky and Andrew moving to the trawler thanks to Eric’s outrageous plan to move it to that damned lake. Daniel didn’t know what he was going to do, but he did know he wasn’t going with them. What he really wanted to do was to leave immediately for the refugee center in Texas, but now that even Andrew was refusing to go with him, Daniel felt like it was him against the world. While some parents would have forced a kid that age to go despite his protests, Daniel wouldn’t go that far, not unless Shauna had been on his side. As it was, Shauna was no help at all, and was in fact enabling and encouraging the boy to defy his father’s wishes.
“It’s for his own good, Daniel! I’m not doing it to spite you, and you should know that. No one is making Andrew go with us. I wouldn’t do that, and neither would Eric or Bart. The truth is that he’s free to choose, and he’s made his choice!”
“He’s not old enough to choose!” Daniel said. “He’s only twelve! His place is with his parents—or I should say parent—because you’re not being much of a stepmom to him right now, Shauna!”
“Andrew may only be twelve, but he’s acting more rationally than you, Daniel! And he’s for sure doing a better job of coping with a difficult situation than you are.”
Feral Nation Series (Book 7): Feral Nation [Sabotage] Page 15