by Jean James
She turned on both of the bilge pumps, and with a tight hold on the wheel, she headed into the waves. The waves weren’t high, and now that she had control of the boat, she could keep more water from pouring in.
Without lights, she couldn’t get her bearings, but she knew she must be nearing the Gulf. She would have to turn the boat around. The Miss Iris might handle the conditions in the bay now that she had power, but the wild Gulf wouldn’t act so obliging. Already the waves had grown higher and more menacing, and she was afraid the boat had already entered the Gulf waters.
Preparing to make a wide circle before the waves became too high for such a maneuver, she saw the dark outline of mangrove directly ahead of her. She had gotten out of the main channel and risked running aground, but at least she was still in the bay.
At once, she made a starboard turn and managed to pull away in time. It wasn’t long until she sighted a buoy and knew she had returned to deep water. With it as a guide, she made her turn and headed back up the channel.
Now Katherine traveled towards Johnny, and had to keep careful watch ahead for pursuing boats. She scanned the port shoreline for a place to tie up. When she felt she had covered about half the distance she had traveled earlier, she eased closer to shore. The little inlet at Iris’s house lay somewhere ahead, and she had to find a place to stop before reaching it. She couldn’t risk getting that close to the marina and Johnny.
Before long, Katherine made out the dim lights of street lamps or houses along the shoreline and immediately set her course towards them. There was risk of running aground, but she had to take the chance. She saw an opening ahead of her. She cautiously entered it and discovered some pilings on one side as if a dock might have stood there once.
Cautiously she brought the Miss Iris in close and moored her as securely as possible. It wasn’t as rough there, and the boat’s fenders were still down from when she docked earlier that day. Satisfied that she had protected the boat as much as possible, she moved on to the business of protecting herself.
Katherine had to distance herself from the boat as quickly as possible. If someone traveled the bay in a boat, they might turn a light in that direction and certainly see it. The throbbing of one of her cut feet made her aware of the handicap bare feet might present if she had to run. She located her deck shoes and pulled them onto her abused feet.
The Miss Iris sat only ten feet offshore, but too far for Katharine to jump. She involuntarily shuddered and again lowered her tired, benumbed body into the rough water. Surprised at the depth, she swam the few feet to land.
The area looked unfamiliar, but she saw houses nearby and felt comforted. She turned right at the first street she came to and headed in the direction of where she hoped there might be businesses. Dogs barked constantly, giving away her whereabouts to any interested listener.
Impatient to leave that neighborhood, she saw a large vacant lot and cut across it at full run. A loud chorus of frogs and insects warned her just in time to save her another wetting. She had almost plunged into a pond. Covered with lily pads, it looked like a grassy field there in the dark. Three feet from its edge, she discovered her error and slid to a stop.
Though Katherine couldn’t possibly be any wetter, she still felt thankful to be saved the shock of another dunking. Catching her breath, she looked down at her bedraggled dress. It had become home to a couple of hundred sandspurs. She detoured around the pond and passed by a rustic bench positioned near the water’s edge. The bench jogged her memory. She had driven by that bench and pond before.
I’m not far from Iris’s, but that also puts me close to Johnny and his friend…if they’re still there. I can’t put Iris at risk, but I might tap on her window and have her call the police. That shouldn’t endanger her.
At Iris’s house, the outside lights were on at both the front and back door. The bedrooms on her side of the house were unlit, but the windows were open. She crossed cautiously to the one that should be Iris’s bedroom window and tapped gently at first, then a little louder when no one responded. When still no answer came, she put her mouth close to the screen.
“Iris,” she called as softly as possible. She thought she heard someone stirring and a chair sliding out.
Captain Dale came to the window.
“Captain Dale, I’m in danger. I need you to call the police.”
“Katherine, is that you?”
“Yes. Men are chasing me. I don’t want to endanger you and Iris, but please call the police and have them come here. I’ll hide somewhere until I see them arrive.”
“Katherine, come inside. Iris hasn’t come back from church, yet. No one will know you’re here. Come in the back door. Come on. Hurry.”
“OK, but turn off your light first.”
When she saw the back yard darken, she hurried around to the door. He held it open, and she stepped into the house. In the unlit room, she could see him across from her. She tried again to make him realize the peril of her situation. “I can’t hide here. This is too close to where I saw them last.”
“Who? Why would someone come after you?”
“They fear what I know about them.”
“What do you know about them?”
She hesitated only a second. “Enough to put them in jail. I have to go back outside now. Call the police and have them come here, please. I’ll see them.”
She reached for the door and something hard hit against her shoulder blade. An arm came around her neck.
“Turn on the light, Cap,” Johnny said menacingly.
When a small lamp came on, Johnny jerked her around roughly and held a gun against her.
“Close that door.” he rasped at Captain Dale.
The captain calmly shut the door and sat down on one of the kitchen chairs.
“Well—snoopy Katherine—where’s your boat?” Johnny asked.
“I moved it,” she choked out in shock.
“Set it adrift?”
“It’s tied.”
“Good. We’ll find it.” He directed his attention to Captain Dale. “We’ll take her in your speedboat until we locate hers. She can go down with it. Shame to waste the boat, though.”
“It’s worth a heap more than you,” Captain Dale said grimly. “But I reckon we don’t have much choice left. Did your daddy tell you to go after her?”
“I can’t find Dad.”
“So you thought this up all by your lonesome?”
“Dad and Lucas gave me this job. I’ve been watching her to see if she was on to anything.”
“And if she was, you were supposed to wait for orders, right?” He sat there calmly and never met Katherine’s astonished eyes.
“What would you know about that?” Johnny asked hotly.
“Where’d you leave Lester?” He ignored Johnny’s question.
“He’s watching back at the dock, in case she wasn’t on the boat.”
“In other words, you decided to take over your daddy’s job, and involve Lester and me in your mess.”
“I told you I couldn’t find Dad—and there wasn’t time. You’d better be glad I acted fast. It’s your neck too. Who are you, to be telling me my job, anyway? A lousy pickup man. You don’t even know what’s going on.”
Captain Dale looked at him with menace in his eyes, but when he spoke, it was with the same easygoing drawl he always used. “I know you’ve gotten yourself into a tight spot. We’ll have to go ahead now, but it’ll be rough goin’ out on the water tonight.”
“If she can, then we can. Nobody will be surprised that something like this happened to a fool woman who went boating on a night like this.”
“Get on down to the boat with her,” Dale said gruffly and slid into his slicker.
Katherine’s exhausted mind and body had received this final blow with no prior warning. She felt too tired, too stunned, to react to this new situation—but knew she must. The barrel of the gun hadn’t left her body since Johnny first grabbed her. She couldn’t risk anything while he held it tight agai
nst her, but she had to be ready. If that gun moved an inch…
Johnny impatiently grabbed her hair with the large paw that wasn’t occupied with pressing the gun against her, and brutally propelled her across the long backyard.
“You run the boat. I’ll hold her,” he barked at Captain Dale when he neared the dock.
“Katherine, would ya come up here a minute. I have somethin’ for ya,” The trembly voice somehow sounded intensely clear in spite of it quiver.
Iris had drawn everyone’s attention. She stood there in the back yard—witness to the whole, terrible scene. Her long, gray hair had come down and blew about her head. Her shining face looked beautiful in its moment of resolution.
“Get back to the house, Iris,” Captain Dale commanded.
“Not until Katherine comes,” she quavered stubbornly.
“Get in the house!” he shouted without his usual complacency.
“If I go in the house, I will call the police,” she called out.
Thoroughly angered, Captain Dale started towards her, but was checked suddenly by the sound of a shot. He turned towards Johnny, who still pointed his discharged gun in Iris’s direction. Captain Dale spun back and saw the crumpled form of his wife lying there in the wet grass. He jerked as if the bullet had entered his own body. He hesitated for a second, started across the yard towards Iris, abruptly changed his mind, and turned back to Johnny. “Y-you f-fool!” he stammered as he furiously approached. “You dirty, trouble makin’…”
Johnny shot him before he finished his sentence, but the bullet didn’t stop his approach. He leaped at Johnny and knocked the gun to the ground. Johnny tried to hold on to Katherine and ward off the old man’s fierce attack at the same time, but Captain Dale was beyond pain or caring. His impassioned assault proved more than Johnny could handle with only one hand, and he released Katherine’s hair.
Katherine dove for the gun that had done such horrifying damage. She meant to put the weapon and herself as far from Johnny as possible. When she glanced behind for a brief instant, she saw Johnny bring his huge fist down on the captain’s neck.
Captain Dale’s limp body dropped beside her even as her hand made contact with the gun.
Before her fingers could close around the wet metal, something exploded in her head. For a second she dreamed that Johnny had stuck her head in an electric socket and stood there laughing at her…and then came blackness.
****
Consciousness returned slowly to Katherine. She could hear sounds, hear a motor, and feel the vibration of it against the back of her head. Water splashed on her from somewhere as she rocked back and forth.
She tried to move, but her body felt dead. Conscious enough to know she was lying on her back, she reached her hand around to explore her surroundings. Something lay close beside her. Her hand contacted a wet slicker.
Her eyesight cleared along with her memory. She was lying in the bottom of a small boat. Captain Dale was directly beside her, and she wondered if he was gone yet. She reached for and found his hand, which felt warmer than her hand. Iris must be here, too.
Katherine was too low in the boat to ascertain their location, but she guessed they were somewhere in the bay. Above, she could see the sky clearing. The last of the clouds were blowing away, and pale moonlight glimmered through, enough for her to make out Johnny at the stern, operating a large, outboard motor. From his constant backward glances, she could tell he worried about pursuit.
All at once, he turned and reached for something. What was it? She had barely closed her eyes before the flashlight beam searched her face. Its light glowed red through her closed lids. She held her breath until it grew dark again, then opened her eyes warily.
She must vacate the boat before Johnny reached his destination. That was imperative. The water’s turbulence hadn’t lessened, but she would gladly risk that now. If only she could take a quick look to see what land lay near—even a mangrove clump would do. She must steal over the side the next time he looked behind him. Silently she slid off her shoes in preparation, and silently she prayed, Lord, I need You beside me again. I’m as desperate as I was that morning in the garbage barrel, and I know I can’t do this without Your help.
Johnny increased the boat’s speed. He turned his attention totally towards the rear now, with only brief glances ahead. She wasn’t sure, but thought she heard another motor. Johnny definitely acted like someone under pursuit.
While he looked away, she rose to a sitting position to see if a boat followed. A bright spotlight beam approached from behind. It came terrifically fast. She couldn’t risk a jump now, or she might end up in the path of the new boat.
Johnny turned back in her direction.
She huddled against the hull of the boat in alarm, but he didn’t seem to notice her, or else he didn’t care at that moment.
Only after he fired two shots at the closely approaching boat, did Katherine notice the gun in his hand. She rose to her knees and thrilled at the speed of the approaching boat. It must be Lee’s boat!
Fear for Lee helped Katherine conquer her own fear. Without hesitation, she lowered her body over the side of the boat and held on tightly with both arms. The impact of the water on her legs felt as if it would pull her in two, but she clung desperately. The next time Johnny raised his gun to fire, she used all her weight as leverage to rock the boat. The stunt worked so well she almost capsized the boat.
Johnny fell sideways, but didn’t lose his gun, and immediately righted himself. He never looked in her direction, and she realized he probably attributed his near upset to the rough seas. She also realized she must hang over the side as long as Johnny held that gun because he could shoot her.
When the other boat was almost upon him, Johnny cut his motor and tried to get off a shot. He was taking aim when the other boat plowed into him. The jolt almost caused Katherine to lose her grip. Recovering her hold, she saw Johnny again taking aim.
She jumped her weight into the air while pushing down on the side of the boat, but her right arm slipped and her chin came down hard against the edge. When she looked again, Lee had leapt onto their boat.
A frenzied fight ensued, and she climbed back aboard to give what aid she could.
Lee was a big man, but no match in size to Johnny. They punished each other terribly, and she began to fear the outcome. She seized an oar as a possible weapon, but couldn’t find opportunity to help. It was difficult enough just to keep balance on the pitching boat.
They started drifting away from Lee’s boat, so she scrambled to the bow to let down the anchor. She lost her footing when the boat shifted. When she regained her balance, Lee and Johnny were both in the water.
She rushed to the stern and grabbed Johnny’s long flashlight to use as a weapon. It was heavier and easier to handle than the oar. She turned it on and could see instantly that Lee was more at home in the rough water than Johnny.
Johnny worked so strenuously to stay afloat that he couldn’t put up much of a fight.
Lee pounded him in the face every time he surfaced.
Finally, Johnny didn’t surface.
Only Lee was there, struggling towards the boat and her outstretched hand.
“Throw me a line,” he gasped. He snatched the rope from the air as it sailed over him and tied it around Johnny, who had surfaced again. Lee dragged him and when he boarded the boat, he reeled Johnny in and tied him securely. Lee left him lying in the bottom of the boat and almost leapt at Katherine. He took the flashlight and turned it on her—searched her from head to foot before he pulled her close.
Katherine started to cry, but only for a brief instant did she lose control. Thoughts of Iris made her pull away. “He sh-shot Iris. Captain Dale too.”
“Sit here for a minute.” He lowered her to the seat. “I’ll run us over to my boat.”
It took him a minute to weigh anchor and cover the choppy distance to his boat. She hastily climbed aboard and held the two boats together while Lee gently carried Iris ov
er. He never stopped to check Johnny, or the Captain.
Carefully he laid Iris down and examined her by the light of the flashlight.
Katherine couldn’t help thinking she still looked beautiful. Her mouth had a look of satisfaction.
Lee finally looked up and gave a nod. “We need to get her to the hospital.”
Katherine felt hope soar and sent a heartfelt prayer of thanks to God. She sat down and took Iris’s hand. Cold and miserable, she was finally taking that promised boat ride with Iris.
19
The seas had calmed, but it was still precarious travel, especially with the other boat tied on behind.
When boat lights appeared ahead, Katherine started in apprehension. “Lee,” she shouted, “another boat.”
“Coast Guard.”
Two Coast Guard boats pulled close beside them. Rob rode in the larger of the two, and Lee waved to him.
“I have two customers for you back there. I don’t know their condition, or if they’re even alive,” he shouted to Rob.
Men boarded the towed speedboat and carried Johnny and Captain Dale aboard the larger Coast Guard boat. Lee carried Iris.
“We need an ambulance on shore for Iris. She’s been shot.”
Rob took her from Lee’s arms.
“Kate and I are heading to my house,” Lee shouted as he started to leave.
“Lee,” Katherine called to him. “Lee, I left my boat tied along here somewhere. I don’t want to leave it. I hope it hasn’t sunk.”
“It’s all right. I stopped at it on my way here. The key was in it, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, and my purse, too, it’s on the deck…somewhere.”
“Don’t worry,” Rob told her. “The Coast Guard will bring your boat in, and I’ll get your purse.”
“I’ll be at the hospital—with Iris.”
“We need you to stay with Lee at his place until we get there. I’ll check on Iris and give you any updates. We’ll meet you shortly.”
Katherine could see the weariness in Lee as he climbed back aboard. His knees almost buckled under him. They’d both survived a dreadful night—a night they’d never forget.
