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| " "Yes, but Ham and eggs?" "Sounds good, Steve "Mr I never really thought about it at the time, but why then? Why not earlier? He said not to open it until we were at sea, because it was something to enjoy The blast must have distorted the door Jensen, and then get a cab back "I'll have another try at getting the radio in the morning, it's getting too late now " He smiled, the shark re-surfacing, as he passed me the carryall "Everything is fine," she replied, eyes sparkling ?" "Grant, Jack Grant I liked the 'we' "The marriage is on the rocks It might take a little longer if I have to heave-to, but I don't really see a major problem We ate breakfast together in companionable silence I'm sure all will be well Comment and constructive criticism welcomed "Helen," I said gently, "was there trouble between you and your husband?" She looked at me silently for a moment, and then nodded I managed to detach the stove from its gimbals and to get it and a fuel bottle out and into the dinghy where Helen waited Grant, and we'll sort out the paperwork "The reef's there " He smiled again " She frowned It's only three nights, after all " On Tuesday morning the Grants arrived at the slip at nine-thirty "No, Steve Helen and I have said our goodbyes and I've never been very good at waiting and waving Once we've done that, we'll see what we can do The tank means I can do the job without having to keep coming up for air The locker where Jack's carryall had been stowed had just about disappeared Lead on Will you be able to manage?" he asked anxiously " "OK, then "Not that Jack really cares " "We don't know it was Jack, do we? When did he find out he needed to stay?" I asked Five minutes later I moored the dinghy to a coral head showing above the water Helen had a healthy appetite, which almost surprised me, as she was slender in build With a piece of line for a belt they'll probably do, those and a t-shirt, maybe?" "Oh, yes," said Helen, "that will do just fine!" I was slightly out in my estimate, because it was almost one when I dropped the anchor in the little bay I sometimes think I'm just there for decoration I turned my attention back to her husband I piled some flat rocks to act as a reflector, so as not to waste the heat Jack's not happy in the water A telephone call," said Helen The cockpit was in splinters, the main cabin even worse and the galley was a mess "What?" "What are our chances?" "Pretty good if I can get the radio out and get it working, not so good otherwise," I said wryly I shrugged mentally I held out my arms and she collapsed against me, her face buried against my shoulder The Harbor office tells me you do charter work " She made a little gesture of distaste That's me, Steve Jensen, owner and skipper of the Nora, a 38-foot ketch that's older than me To those three, the credit "We'll be passing fairly close to an island tomorrow morning I spun around just as the after-shock hit us and threw us against the dinghy "Something has come up and I'll have to see to it, but Helen would still like to go ahead "There was something else," she said slowly She woke me at two, with a cup of hot coffee and then took herself off to her bunk with a quiet goodnight Blonde hair cut stylishly short " He smiled, all teeth and no eyes "Aye, aye, captain Helen Grant had a big carryall with her and I took it and showed her to her berth in the fore-cabin "OK, Steve What have we got?" she asked "There could be a reason," she said slowly "Are you interested in diving?" "Oh, yes, but I haven't done any since I got married " "Fine, fine " "I realize that, Mr By the time we'd done that, my air tank was almost empty and Helen's was down to a quarter It's small and uninhabited, but there's a bay where I can anchor "The marriage is over, but we're not enemies; anything but She looked at me and flushed " "Would he try to kill you?" I flinched at the look of pain on her face, but she answered readily enough He left everything else *************************** This is a work of fiction, written for enjoyment and amusement; hopefully yours as well as mine My father left me twelve million dollars and the company "There's the island, just showing on the horizon To Wida my grateful thanks for editorial comment " "Oh, great!" said Helen, and then frowned "I noticed you had some scuba gear, Steve "I think his name is Guzman," said Helen "What?" I asked " I smiled at her " She started below, and then turned It was about ten to ten when Helen Grant came back on deck I had salvaged some waterproof matches in an aluminum container and soon had a comforting little fire going I paused, gathering my scattered wits She was bright, witty, interested in learning Nora's foibles "I usually expect whoever charters my boat to give a hand with her "Breakfast?" I asked "Please The wind was fresh and I hoisted the big genoa She must have caught my curiosity because she paused, swallowed and said, "I play a lot of tennis and I go to the gym twice a week I can get by on two hours a night I'll just work out the course alteration, then you can start your shift It can't be petrol, because the engine's diesel We eat out more often than not, usually some business associate of Jack's "I'm surprised your husband let you, I mean going off with a man in a boat She came on deck after a few minutes dressed again in her jeans and sweater and took the helm while I tried to grab a couple of hours sleep "I'm sorry?" "Galley "I can't sleep when it's daylight "I don't know I tried a few times, using anything available as a lever but I couldn't get it open I made a rude gesture - mentally, I'm no fool - and busied myself with the last minute tidying that accompanies departure A few minutes later we'd sorted out the revised details and I was ready to go Jensen," he said, "my wife and I want to get back home to Georgetown, and I've persuaded her that it would be good to sail back "The marriage hadn't gone sour then "Call me Helen *************************** The first time I met Helen she never said a word I don't know what else she was wearing in her narrow bunk, but she certainly filled the shirt very nicely "Jack and I made wills eighteen months ago, with each other as beneficiaries " "Well, if it was him, how on earth did he expect to get away with it?" I asked bitterly Still silent, I noted "What do we do," Helen asked, dragging me from my self-absorption We'll just go down for ten minutes at first, then come up and check everything's OK "It burns the calories off "Steve, what are you planning to do tonight? I mean, about keeping watch or whatever it's called " She grimaced "The main cabin is in splinters, but as far as I can tell, the explosion seems to have been in the locker where I put Jack's carryall "I'll take my leave of you, then "We'll have to salvage what we can and camp on the island It's only about twenty feet down Away from her husband, Helen Grant seemed much more human "What happened?" she whispered " A moment later we were lost in the wonderland that is a coral reef "So we are," she said "It wasn't anything to do with the company, so I stayed away from their meetings We could go down and look at the reef There was nothing wrong with her appetite either, and we made short work of the beef and mustard "Suppose I pay you for two weeks?" Jack Grant said, reaching for his wallet I went to my cabin and donned my faded pair of swim shorts She was startled for a moment when I woke her at six, but smiled and took the coffee I handed her "No," she said positively If you're sure?" "I can always wake you if anything happens, or I'm unsure, can't I?" she said "Ready?" I asked, then catching Helen's nod, "OK, let's go!" We let ourselves fall over backwards out of the dinghy and into the water We were going to arrange a divorce once we were home Not gas, because the stove is alcohol and the lamps are either electric or oil " I glanced at his wife " She stared at me, then began shaking her head " Helen Grant never said a word, just got in the car, passed her husband his briefcase, and then drove away without a backward glance It's not a kitchen, it's a galley Most of the freeze-dried stuff anyway, and some from the refrigerator I decided we'd keep that for emergencies I handed her a pair of fins and a mask She flushed slightly when she saw me looking but said nothing Day-sailers I always keep them ready " She smiled at me; a good, honest, open smile and I think it was then that I began to fall in love with Helen Grant "Wouldn't it make more sense if I did say ten until two, then relieve you at six, when it will be light again?" "It would, if you're confident She looked at the garish orange and fluorescent yellow color scheme and raised an amused eyebrow Can you remember who gave your husband the present?" I asked We trod water and I pointed "It doesn't sound like he was planning a bomb, then, does it?" I asked, thinking 'unless he arranged the call' " "I think that might have been the bomb I learned that she'd been married to Jack Grant for four years, that she was thirty, my own age, a Computer Science graduate and was thoroughly enjoying her little voyage It's only twenty feet down, so we'll be fine " She began to cry, soundlessly, the tears spilling unheeded down her cheeks Jack Grant took me to one side We've been here on business, but now we want to relax " "He didn't care about you, Steve, you were just the instrument he used to carry the bomb," Helen said sadly, squeezing my fingers The mistakes are all mine "Is there anything I can do," she asked politely It's up to you " I definitely needed the money "I thought you were sleeping," Helen said, surprised I stowed the carryall in a waterproof locker just inside the main cabin Other emergencies " I looked over her shoulder, and then pointed " I smiled at her " "Sounds like fun," she said immediately, "I'd love to I saw the flash reflected in her eyes but I'll never know what else she said because the noise of the explosion was too great You can reach me at the email address in my profile "Will you take this for me?" he asked "Mr "It should be OK I think we're better friends now that we've acknowledged we made a mistake than we were before "We're stuck here," Helen said hopelessly, "how on earth can we do anything?" "We're alive, and while we're alive, there is always hope," I said gently, squeezing her hand It will mean we don't reach Georgetown until Friday evening, probably late "I didn't like him " I flushed and she grinned at me My own quarters were aft "Actually, I was going to ask you to take the helm from ten until midnight, if you think you can manage, then I'll take over until morning Dinner turned out to be pork chops in an onion gravy, and she'd managed to make a side salad with the inadequate provisions I'd supplied her with "We should never have gotten married, at least not to each other I laughed Ten minutes "One of my many accomplishments," she said dryly " I paused " I was in shock, watching my home and my livelihood sink before my eyes I put my arms around her and just held her Won't you, honey?" His wife smiled politely "I don't know what Jack needed to do that couldn't be done from Georgetown "Helen," I interrupted her, squeezing her fingers We'll be there by noon Here, you take the helm and I'll get breakfast " I grinned at her and was rewarded with an almost whole smile in return Jensen," he said Grant, just sit over there until we're clear of the harbor, then we'll see about translating your dinghy knowledge into something bigger " He smiled "OK," I said, "let's go aboard and sort this out She'd gone down in about thirty feet of water and the mast still showed above the disturbed waves, a marker for her grave Jack wouldn't try to kill me "Of course I'm the only crew I touched her hand when the ten minutes were up and pointed to the surface "Dinghies Right?" Helen nodded, eager "One of Jack's business associates gave him a present, just before the 'phone call I took a deep breath and asked the question I had to ask And you're Steve, right?" "Sure am, ma'am," I quipped and she smiled " "Steve?" asked Helen A black t-shirt was snug on her upper body, the absence of her bra manifesting itself by the perceptible protrusion of her nipples Jensen," he said Jack Grant brought a carryall from the car "It looks like a kitchen," she said, and disappeared before I could form an adequate response She was intelligent and a quick learner and when I left her at the helm while I made some sandwiches for our lunch she showed no anxiety " She smiled wryly The locker where the emergency radio was stored was in the saloon, near the companionway I hung an air tank on each shoulder, managed to pick up two sets of fins, two masks and two weight belts and staggered back on deck She looked at me, her face strained " She shook her head, curious but apparently unworried It might be a silent passage, but I needed the money I just don't know There's also an emergency radio which might be OK, and we can make shelter from the sails " "But no-one knows we're here," said Helen, panic starting to show in her tone " She looked at me quizzically "I guess it's only a four day trip, but I'd be happy to pay you for the full week Like a shark Helen helped me lower the dinghy overboard and then went below to change, my old shorts in her hand "There's some ham in the refrigerator and there should still be some eggs " "Your money?" I asked, confused "There are no fashion police out here, Mrs "Let's get the dinghy and see what we can salvage I looked at him while I gave the matter some thought I turned to Helen I liked her Helen was waiting for me, barefoot, my old shorts dragged in at her slim waist, long, lightly tanned legs, lovely legs "Come on," I said "We're alive," I said gently The chops were cooked superbly and I told her so " She raised an interrogative eyebrow Tall, slim, expensive clothes With a casual wave he turned on his heel and walked back to his car I had to clear some rope from the propeller only last week When do you want to leave?" "Tomorrow morning, that OK?" "About ten and we'll catch the tide In fact, consider it an order, first mate We weren't in any hurry "You made lunch, I'll do dinner," she said " Quite a lot, actually We sat together on the beach and stared at the mast showing above the water Jack put it into the carryall and I forgot all about it until now " She looked at me quizzically I grinned "I have a problem, Mr " She grinned, looking incredibly young suddenly Are the tanks charged?" "Yeah "On it, yes, but not in it " " And very decorative you are too, Helen Grant, I thought, but I didn't say anything like that out loud "Of course That, drinking water and some food " "Of course " That broke the last of the ice "I didn't pack a swimsuit " She laughed in turn, surprising me as she shrugged into the jacket She had changed out of her tailored suit of shore clothes and was wearing jeans and a cotton sweater, deck shoes on her feet Nora was butting into the waves now, and some spray was reaching us in the cockpit No problem "I'll be the instrument of his destruction, if I ever get the chance," I said morosely "But Georgetown is off the main shipping routes from here "It will save me on excess baggage when I fly back "Everything OK?" I asked her once we had surfaced She stared at me for a moment, and then smiled weakly You go and fetch the line we brought ashore and we'll see if we can dry ourselves some other clothes I have some sailing experience and I'm looking forward to it I don't sleep well when it's daylight regardless of who's at the helm, and I gave up after forty minutes, dressed and went back on deck "But there's food and clothing on the boat, if we can salvage it She nodded and we went up " "Aye, aye, skipper," she said, throwing me a mock salute " "Tell you what," I said I'll sort out the details with Mr " 'Swim naked' I thought, my prick twitching " She grimaced I reckoned we had better get a camp set up before it got dark I always sleep well at night when someone I trust is at the helm, and for some reason I trusted Helen Grant I'll just get my briefcase Helen shook her head I turned to Jack Grant "No," I said, then gripped her hand "I go and cut some poles "That explosion was a bomb, wasn't it?" "I think so," I said "Try those for size," I said Both the fore cabin and my own quarters were substantially undamaged and we managed to salvage our clothing, after I succeeded in opening the forward hatch to get at Helen's clothing " He turned to his wife We'll be clear of the shipping lanes by eight, so you should be all right "If we'd kept to our course, instead of diverting, the bomb would have probably killed us After that, we see if we can find fresh water, otherwise we'll be out in a day I left her to unpack whatever she needed and went back on deck My thanks go to Paul C and Cockatoo, for commenting on the original draft of this story, which has been rather amended Helen Grant turned out to be damned good company "He just took a few clothes out of the carryall, and his razor and toilet bag " Helen paused, a faraway look on her face "What now?" asked Helen " "Well, if you don't mind, Mrs She calmed, and pushed away from me, sniffing and dashing tears from her eyes "Barely an hour before we were due at the dock "Although if we'd been on deck, we'd probably just have been blown into the water I got two waterproof jackets out of the locker and handed her one Either way, we were dead " She grimaced Thanks too to Cockatoo for the title Jack left it in the bag Jensen "I get sick of flying," she told me, "when Jack spotted your charter sign and suggested that we sail home, I didn't need much persuasion "It's my money, and he inherits " "Oh," she said The island was a mixture of trees and scrub and we soon had enough fuel gathered She looked stunned, her eyes staring, her mouth moving soundlessly We'd be clear of the main shipping lanes by nightfall, I could lock the tiller or heave-to " We both donned damp shoes, and then I led the way off the beach "Do you mind if I rummage in your kitchen?" "Galley," I said It was getting late by then and I'd been free-diving, Helen waiting anxiously in the dinghy She surprised me again " she began " "That's right, Mr "Come aboard, Mr I'm sure Helen will help out, too "Right," she said, taking a deep breath, "Let's go find some firewood Her husband did all of the talking Aloud I said, "There's an old pair of shorts of mine, they've shrunk so much they'll never fit me again Slowly she turned to me "Steve, I'm your original little rich girl Instead I changed the subject and that led us into a conversation about books, art, boats, islands, and lagoons and then onto diving, where she surprised me again " I smiled to show her I was joking, but her face closed and she shook her head Nothing this big I kept a careful eye on Helen at first, but relaxed when she proved herself a competent diver The Nora was just beginning to settle, her back broken and as I watched appalled, she slipped gently beneath the surface until just the mainmast showed "Helen, honey, why don't you take the car and see about packing Grant I have a compressor connected to the diesel By the time we'd gotten everything ashore and above the high-water mark it was almost six in the early evening Follow me "Have you sailed before?" I asked I shook my head, stunned, staring at the mast, all I could see of my beloved Nora Oh, well It was surprisingly heavy |
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