Deep Wild Blue

by Michael Maguire

  ‘A woman!’ Archie whooped. ‘So we were fooled by the shortened name on Stark’s badge.’

  ‘And his name’s not Stark,’ Jacob added, ‘It’s Max Twig.’

  Jacob went on to explain how he’d sent Lucy’s screenshot to the Council’s computer with the full story of Twig’s false arrival at Gull Cottage.

  ‘They recognised him,’ Jacob went on. ‘He works in the Council car park, clearing up and emptying the trash bins.’

  ‘So you reckon Samantha Stark dropped her badge in the car park?’ Troy questioned.

  Jacob nodded. ‘She lost it about a year ago. My guess is Twig found it and hung onto it until it would be useful.’

  ‘Impersonating someone is an offence.’

  ‘That’s very true, my boy. It’s certainly a crime if someone is play-acting as a public official.’

  ‘Twig should be sent to prison,’ Archie said, with feeling.

  ‘I ran a check on him,’ Jacob agreed. ‘He was in prison with one of the Riddle brothers a few years ago.’

  ‘I knew it!’ Archie exclaimed. ‘Trust the piddle Riddles to be involved in dirty tricks.’

  Lucy had been fussing Oscar and unlike Archie remained calm. She had been thinking about how this news would affect Lord Braxton and Scarlett.

  ‘So is Gull Cottage still up for sale?’

  Jacob shook his head. ‘No, Lucy, it’s now being bought by Lord Braxton. I phoned him earlier and told him the full story about Twig. He immediately contacted the Milford Estate agency and paid the full asking price.’

  ‘So it can’t be compulsory purchased?’ Troy asked.

  ‘Not now Lord Braxton owns the property. He will do everything in the Coastal Engineer’s report. The land area will be extended out to sea and an artificial defence system will be built. The seawater will be blocked from doing anymore damage… so the local Council will drop the compulsory threat.’

  ‘Good news for Scarlett,’ Archie said, trying to force a smile.

  Troy and Archie looked at each other. They both knew that Jacob would eventually have to move out and that their holidays in Cornwall would come to an end.

  Lucy broke the stressed silence. ‘At least the Riddles will never get their hands on Gull Cottage,’ she stated.

  ‘Uncle could never afford the defence system,’ Troy added. ‘So the result has to be the best we could have hoped for.’

  Jacob, Lucy and Archie all nodded.

  ‘I hope I can rent a small flat near Milford,’ Troy reasoned. ‘It would be nice to still be close to Scarlett.’

  ‘Will we all be invited to the wedding?’ Archie murmured, putting a hand over his mouth to prevent a burst of amusement.

  ‘Very funny, little Bro. Scarlett and I are just good friends.’

  ‘Where will you live, Uncle?’ Lucy interrupted.

  Jacob removed his spectacles and rubbed his eyelids. He suddenly looked very tired, worn down by all the happenings of late. He tucked a stray piece of hair inside his turban and turned to focus on Lucy.

  ‘I shall find a little bungalow that’s not too far away… Please don’t worry about me.’

  ‘What about Kristo?’ Archie jumped in with the question. ‘Nobody’s mentioned him.’

  ‘Probably because we haven’t got an answer,’ Troy responded. ‘We can’t leave him here.’

  ‘All we can do is release him back into the sea,’ Jacob said, heaving a sigh. ‘We have no choice. He’ll be empty and the journey he takes will be his and his alone. His self-aware system will keep him from danger.’

  ‘No!’ Lucy protested loudly, causing Oscar to jump and run under the desk. ‘Without us inside you’ll be slowly killing him. Kristo will drain his power and drown as he sinks to the sea floor.’

  ‘None of this will happen immediately,’ Troy said, trying to calm Lucy. ‘It can take ages before Uncle has to move out… all the paperwork, solicitors and stuff…’

  ‘Lord Braxton is a cash buyer,’ Jacob explained. ‘He doesn’t need a mortgage, has nowhere to sell, so the sale could go through very quickly.’

  ‘A few weeks?’

  ‘It’s possible.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘We have to talk to Lord Braxton,’ Lucy pleaded, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. ‘We have to tell him about Kristo before he’s destroyed.’

  ‘Uncle never talks about his inventions,’ Archie reminded her.

  ‘But he must.’

  ‘Over the years he’s had so many of his ideas stolen or copied,’ Troy cut in. ‘I know you won’t budge him. We’re the only people who Uncle trusts.’

  Jacob stared at the three unhappy faces looking at him for answers.

  ‘I could speak to Scarlett,’ Troy said, racking his brains. ‘Maybe she could ask her father for more time.’

  Lucy scooped up Oscar from behind the desk and held him close. ‘I couldn’t go back to London without knowing what’s happened to Kristo,’ she declared.

  ‘I think you could have problems, Uncle,’ Troy said looking from Lucy to Jacob.

  ‘Please speak to Scarlett,’ Archie butted in. ‘Take her out for dinner again. You know she fancies you.’ He paused, smirking slightly before adding, ‘You always got the girls when you were a student, so work that flirty stuff on Scarlett and get her to give Uncle more time.’

  ‘No promises, but I’ll try,’ Troy said.

  They left it at that.

  *

  Cornish Destiny reversed its way clear of Milford Marina and turned in the direction of Gull Cottage.

  Lord Braxton was seated on the foredeck sorting through rods, reels, lures, and various pieces of fishing tackle.

  Troy had been below with Scarlett. They’d talked about the sale of the cottage and how Jacob hoped the buying process could be slowed down. He mentioned his Uncle’s inventions, but avoided talking about Kristo.

  Troy had his arm around Scarlett’s waist as they made their way up to the foredeck.

  ‘Well, well, the lovebirds have come up for some air,’ Braxton grinned and swept a hand through his iron grey hair. ‘And what have you two been up to?’

  ‘Just chatting, Daddy,’

  ‘You’re forgetting, young lady that not so long ago I was a student too. I know exactly what goes on when teens are left alone.’

  Troy looked at Scarlett and lifted his shoulders in an exaggerated fake shrug.

  ‘And wipe that lipstick off your neck,’ Lord Braxton added with a wink.

  Troy nearly missed the joke as his hand moved towards his face.

  ‘Daddy’s trying to be funny,’ Scarlett defended. ‘Take no notice, Troy. He’s in a silly mood today.’

  Scarlett walked past her father to the very front of Cornish Destiny. The wind rippled through her long hair as she grasped the chrome safety rail. She was wearing a self-tie wrap top and a belted plaid skirt.

  ‘Your naked middle is extremely tanned,’ Troy said, joining her. ‘It’s a scorcher of a day… hope you’re using sunscreen.’

  ‘Of course,’ Scarlett replied, kissing a finger tip and touching it to Troy’s lips.

  Troy pretended to bite the finger then paused as Lord Braxton joined them. He lifted the deck-phone from its cradle and told the skipper to slow the yacht to a crawl as he would soon start fishing.

  ‘What spool do you reckon, Troy?’ he asked. ‘Twenty pound or forty pound?’

  Troy was lost by Braxton’s words as he’d never fished in his life… but he decided to bluff it.

  ‘Bit of a strong current today, sir,’ he responded. ‘The forty pound might be the best choice.’

  ‘My thought exactly,’ Braxton agreed. ‘That’s ideal for cod, bass, or bream.’

  Scarlett interrupted the “fishy” conversation by turning it onto Gull Cottage and Jacob’s fears.


  ‘Troy’s Uncle is worried, Daddy,’ she chimed in. ‘Now that you own his cottage, Jacob thinks you’ll immediately want him out.’

  ‘You know that the property is an 18th birthday gift for Scarlett,’ Braxton reminded Troy. ‘There isn’t any hurry… that’s two months away. I will need all of that time to get a team working on the cliff slippage problems.’

  ‘So Uncle can stay for a while?’

  ‘The entire Scott family can stay… no newcomers will be moving into Gull Cottage. I don’t want the place left empty.’

  Relief showed on Troy’s face. ‘Jacob will be very grateful,’ he said. ‘I’m sure he’ll repay the favour.’

  ‘I wish he’d show me some of his inventions.’

  ‘He won’t. He’s become very suspicious of people since he had some of his best ideas stolen when he was younger.’

  ‘That’s a great pity, Troy. I have a section in one of my companies that are always ready to develop new devices or gadgets. They work on a top secret principle and everything goes through a patent attorney and has full legal protection.’

  ‘Sounds ideal,’ Troy nodded his approval.

  ‘Has anyone seen Jacob’s latest invention?’ Braxton queried.

  ‘The Riddle brothers and Twig have seen it from the outside, but they have no idea of the interior workings.’

  ‘Is it a complicated machine?’

  Troy kept his mouth shut about Kristo, ‘Very’, he said.

  ‘Troy can be a tease,’ Scarlett cut in. ‘I’m sure he’ll speak to his Uncle… things will work out.’

  ‘I know Jacob spent many years at the UK Space Agency before retiring,’ Braxton continued. ‘He’s a man with creativity and vision.’

  ‘He should work for you, Daddy,’ Scarlett hinted.

  ‘If only, sweet girl.’

  Lord Braxton reached for a rod and fixed-spool reel, and then looked at Troy. ‘I’d like to treat the pair of you to a first class meal tonight. I’ve never seen my daughter looking happier than when you are around.’

  Scarlett squeezed Troy’s arm and he squeezed her back.

  ‘Right, let’s do some fishing,’ he said.

  *

  The workforce, a building team of six men and women, organised by Lord Braxton arrived two days later. The team would carry out the lifting work required at the base of the cliff surrounding Gull Cottage. They would work under the guidance of several highly trained people from the National Flood and Coastal Defence Agency.

  Half of the beach was covered by machinery and vehicles loaded with barrier slabs. The first operation was to map out exactly where the waves were doing the damage. High winds, wave currents, and tidal currents all played a part in harmful erosion, so new breakwaters would also form part of the plan. As the sea hit the coastline the breakwaters were designed to act as a barrier to take the force out of the waves. The present ones had been there for many years and had suffered badly. They would have to be replaced.

  The second operation was to allow pile drivers to hammer deep into the sand ready to hold the barriers into position. The slabs would be layered from the sea edge and lift up towards the cliff.

  Lucy and Archie had walked from the boathouse and were standing on the beach at the point where Kristo’s running rails ended.

  ‘Uncle showed me the plan and we’re about thirty meters from where the barrier wall will end,’ Archie remarked. ‘That’s far enough away from the workers for Kristo’s next launch.’

  ‘We’ll have to get our timings right,’ Lucy said. ‘Or someone will see him.’

  The twins had visited the beach each day and noted that all work stopped around 1pm. A mini-bus would arrive to collect the workforce for lunch, and then return an hour and a half later.

  ‘Our holiday is almost over,’ Lucy said. ‘I’d like us to have one more trip in Kristo before we leave.’

  ‘You’ll have to get the okay from Troy.’

  ‘He seems to spend most days and nights on Lord Braxton’s yacht.’

  ‘He wants to be near Scarlett, that’s why.’

  ‘Young lovers,’ Archie quipped.

  ‘I guess so…’ Lucy began, and then stopped as the noise of an engine and loud horn sound rose above the whoosh of the waves.

  ‘It’s the Jet Ski,’ Archie said, pointing a finger. ‘Scarlett’s driving and Troy is the passenger.’

  ‘It’s going very fast,’ Lucy replied.

  ‘Too fast,’ Archie agreed.

  The workforce had seen the Jet Ski and a few of them waved. Scarlett had slowed the craft so she and Troy could get a good look at where the breakwaters and barrier wall would be positioned.

  Archie glanced at his wristwatch and turned to see the lunchtime mini-bus parking at the rear of the boathouse. The workforce gradually made their way towards it leaving the beach under the cliff clear of labour workers.

  ‘The 1pm time will be perfect,’ Archie suggested. ‘Let’s stick to it and take Kristo out for a final trip tomorrow.’

  The Jet Ski had spun round and was heading back to the Marina. It was skimming through deep water and a long way out from the shore.

  ‘What speed can a Jet Ski reach?’ Lucy asked.

  ‘I’ve read that in calm water they can reach 60mph… Maybe more,’ Archie told her.

  ‘The afternoon Scarlett gave me a ride she kept it around 25mph.’

  ‘That’s sweet, we have a lot of currents around here and I’m glad she didn’t put you at risk. You know she can be a bit of an air-head.’

  ‘She’s good fun, though. I like her.’

  ‘So does Troy.’

  ‘Troy likes what?’ asked Jacob, sneaking up on them.

  Her Uncle’s sudden voice spooked Lucy. She turned to look up into his dark eyes. He laughed and released Oscar who was clutching a ball.

  ‘We were talking about Troy and Scarlett,’ Archie said. ‘They were whizzing around on the Jet Ski.’

  ‘I’m pleased that Troy has found a friend of a similar age,’ Jacob pointed out. ‘She’s leaving college at eighteen.’

  ‘Will they both be living at Gull Cottage?’ Lucy asked, throwing the ball for Oscar.

  Jacob nodded. ‘That would seem an obvious solution. Otherwise Troy would have to find a rental flat.’

  ‘And what about you, Uncle?’ Archie raised the question.

  ‘A small bungalow with a garden. Richard Mason from the Estate Agency tells me there are always a couple for sale.’

  ‘You’ll miss the sea.’

  ‘I know, young man… almost as much as you’ll miss Kristo.’

  ‘Do you still plan to release him using only his self-aware system?’

  Jacob paused and took a breath. ‘You think I’m being very cruel, don’t you?’

  ‘There is another way,’ Archie put in.

  Jacob raised his bushy eyebrows.

  ‘The boathouse,’ Archie added. ‘If Troy will be living here with Scarlett then Kristo will be safe. Troy will be the only one who can operate the recognition locks.’

  ‘Your invention will be protected, Uncle,’ Lucy said quickly.

  Jacob’s face seemed to soften. His deep worry lines slid up to his forehead and almost vanished under the front band of his turban.

  ‘Thank you both for caring. Maybe Kristo will be safe in Troy’s hands,’ Jacob paused. ‘Sometimes I think I worry too much.’

  ‘Troy would never let you down,’ Archie declared. ‘Please, please, trust him.’

  ‘I will and I do… I’m just being a silly old man.’

  Lucy took hold of her Uncle’s hand and squeezed it.

  ‘Let’s look at the work that’s being done,’ Jacob suggested. ‘It’s all going to take a very long time, but Lord Braxton isn’t worried about the cost. He wants Scarlett to be kept safe, and that’s
the way it should be.’

  Oscar had been playing with some tiny crabs in a beach rock-pool so Archie whistled for the Jack Russell to join them. They all headed towards a safe viewing spot which would allow them to see the area where the workforce would start renewing the breakwaters.

  Archie’s mind was elsewhere. He was thinking of tomorrow’s plan and smiling inwardly at the thought of taking Kristo for a final swim before the holidays ended.

  *

  ‘Troy didn’t come home again last night,’ Lucy said to Archie.’

  ‘He seems to spend most nights aboard Cornish Destiny,’ Archie agreed. ‘I guess he wants to be close to Scarlett.’

  It was the following morning and the twins had carefully made their way to the boathouse to avoid being seen. Lucy was holding herself upright as the automatic locking system matched her face to the database and clicked the boathouse front door open.

  Archie gave Kristo a friendly slap as he crossed to the rear doors. Using all his strength he gripped the chain, lifted his legs and put all his bodyweight into pulling the mechanism that would lift the doors to the roof.

  ‘Do you want me to wait for you and Kristo at the sea edge?’ Lucy asked, adding, ‘I can signal when it’s all clear.’

  Archie nodded and glanced at his wristwatch. The lunchtime mini-bus had arrived and the workforce began to drift towards it as they left for lunch.

  There was the usual humming sound as Archie switched on the cradle that held Kristo in position. He heard the low hiss as his palm-pressure sprung the front hatch.

  ‘I’ll wait for your signal,’ he said, heaving himself into the cockpit.

  Lucy nodded as the hatch was closed.

  Archie slipped into his safety harness, turned on the oxygen generator and tapped the “cameras” icon. He could see Lucy heading towards the sea edge and could feel the air pumping out of the tiny holes by his feet.

  He nodded to himself as he glimpsed his wristwatch showing 1pm. The dorsal fin camera beamed pictures of Lucy reaching the rim of the sea. A minute went by and then she lifted her hands to signal the all clear.

  Archie wasted no time in tapping the icon to activate the turbine engines. The sudden thrust jerked him back in his seat as the cradle covered the short distance along the rails to the shoreline.