* * *
They found the Hermit face-down on the deck, peering into an access panel.
“What’s up?” Owen asked as they climbed aboard.
“Nothing too serious,” the Hermit answered without looking up. “I just noticed your automatic bilge pump isn’t.”
“Isn’t what?” Martina asked, smiling a little.
“Isn’t automatic.” He pulled his head out of the hole and looked at Owen. “Did you know about that?”
Owen bobbed his head. “Yeah. I meant to do something about it, but I haven’t gotten around to it. It still works, you just have to push the button.”
The Hermit snorted, which Owen thought lacked authority when he was lying on his belly. “Suppose you weren’t here and she sprang herself a leak?”
“My first guess?” Owen asked. “I think the boat would sink.” Aaron, who had been standing by and listening, laughed and went inside. Probably after another Coke. Owen hoped it was true that caffeine stunted growth. The kid was too tall already.
“So you think that’s okay?” the Hermit asked. “Because I swear it’s a fifteen-minute job to replace that pump.”
Owen grinned at him. “Or I could get a separate floating switch and wire it that way. If I wanted to go to the trouble.”
The Hermit glared.
Owen laughed. “Okay, you’re right. And they have the same model of pump right down the street,” he admitted. “Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal. I have a phone call to make. If you go get the pump, I’ll pay for it and we can fix it this afternoon.”
“What part of this deal is good for me?” the Hermit asked sourly.
“The part where the party you decided to have on my boat won’t be called off for lack of scuba gear?”
Martina laughed. “Can you describe this pump well enough for me to recognize it? I can go.”
The Hermit eyed her. “I’ll go, too. Otherwise you might forget the proper refreshments, which we’ll need once we prevent this tub from filling with seawater when the young snot’s back is turned.” He stood and wiped his hands on his swimsuit. “How’s Carl?”
“Dunno,” Owen said. “He’s burned, he’s unconscious, he’s got an oxygen mask. The nurse said he was awake for a little bit earlier. I guess we’ll find out more as things develop.”
The Hermit nodded, but said nothing. He and Martina left for the hardware store. Aaron lounged outside. He said he wanted to work on his tan. Owen eyed him. Looked like the kid was probably going to keep coming around for a while. He seemed to be enjoying himself. Owen decided that was okay with him, and went inside to make his call.
A young lady answered. She said Viktor was out, but promised to give him a message. Owen gave his number at the boat and hung up. Did she actually work in Viktor’s house? The old guy seemed to enjoy operating out of it…and the idea might appeal to a certain type of girl.
Owen dismissed the thought as unworthy and went outside to join Aaron and wait for the bilge pump to arrive. Besides. She couldn’t possibly be as pretty as her voice.
He sat on the deck and looked over the water. Putting the current crises aside for the moment, maybe it was time to evaluate the life he’d been living lately. Shawna and the Hermit had both been openly scornful of his aspiration to be a private detective, and he had to admit it was mostly a game he’d been playing to alleviate boredom.
He’d discovered that there was magic in the world, or at least more going on out there than he’d known to be possible, and he was thrilled by the discovery. He deeply regretted what had happened to Shawna, Carl, Leon, Junior, the kidnapped girl, and whoever else had been hurt by recent events. But at the same time, he was looking forward to whatever came next, eager to see more of the strange new world that had apparently been around him all the time.
Shiver on the Sky Page 61
