The Mayday by Bill Eidson

Author:Bill Eidson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2005-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 27

“I know you’ve got things to say to me, but let me concentrate first,” Merchant said to Sarah when he got into the truck.

She blinked. Then said, “OK.”

“Have you got a coastal chart?”

Without a word, she reached behind his seat, felt around for her chart pack on the floor behind him, then handed it to him. He turned on the dome light and flipped through the charts before finding what he needed.

She started the truck and slowly motored out of the trailer park.

“OK.” He put his finger on the chart not too far from Block Island. “We know Coulter’s boat went down somewhere around here about three-thirty. Say they were picked up within the hour, then the boat that picked them up dumped Matt and C.C. for whatever reason and headed back here at fifteen knots. It was capable of faster, but the wind and waves were howling that night. Yeah. Just a few hours before daybreak. And about five in the morning this dark-haired woman who looks like you suddenly arrives and takes an affinity for Mr. Charm back there in the trailer.”

He told her what Doug had said. He didn’t spend any time on how he got him to cooperate.

“So this woman kept the night watchman busy while Weir got Matt’s kids off the boat.”

“That’s the way I read it.”

They drove in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Sarah said, “Is Doug going to make it through the night?”

“He’s going to be sore, but yes.”

“I’m glad. How can you be sure?”

“Just am.”

“He said he was friends with police. Don’t you think he’ll have you arrested for assault?”

“Not likely. He’s a cop wannabe. Probably been failing the exams. But he knows if he brings me in it’ll come out that he left his post on his security job. Small stuff, maybe, but it’s still enough to keep him away from the force.”

“And you figured that out before you hit him.”

“No, I didn’t know that he’d left his post, though I suspected it. I hit him because he punched me right in front of you and it pissed me off.”

This did not make her any happier.

They drove in silence a few minutes more. Finally, he said, “Look, I think Coulter’s family is still alive. Or at least there’s a good chance they were when they got off the boat.”

“But Doug had nothing to do with that.”

“He was getting in the way because he was worried about his job.”

“Or so you thought.”

“And he confirmed it.”

“After you hit him.”

More silence.

Then she said, “You know it’s possible they were just trying to get the bodies off the boat. That’s why they wanted him occupied.”

“That’s possible, but I don’t think so. If you killed someone at sea, would you bring them back to land? Wouldn’t you just weight the bodies and dump them over the rail?”

“I guess. I haven’t thought about it that much. But yes.”

“So if they were alive then, we’ve got to proceed like they are alive now.”

Merchant told her about the other woman in the boat, the redhead.

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