When I open my eyes, it’s dusk. I look around the small space as my memory of climbing the mast comes back to me in a terrifying blur. Beth sits across from me at the table, reading her novel in thedim light. I sit up. A throbbing pain still stabs at my temple, but my dizziness is gone.
Beneath us, the waves feel calmer. I wonder how much closer we are now to the coast.
Beth lowers her paperback. “How are you feeling?”
Looking at Beth, I suddenly remember our plan to winch Emma up to fix the dish after I got some rest.
“What time is it?” I ask. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
Beth glances at her watch. “It’s eight thirty.”
I get up unsteadily.
Beth comes toward me as I sway on my feet, easing me back onto the couch.
“I’m ready to help winch Emma up. We need to hurry,” I tell her. “We don’t have much daylight left.”
“We don’t have power, Palmer. Both fuel tanks are empty.”
I remember the power cutting out a second time before I fell asleep. “But isn’t there another way to charge the batteries? Like a generator?” Surely, a boat like this would have one.
Beth shakes her head. “It’s a brand-new boat. We don’t even have solar. Gigi told me the yacht company in San Diego is going to install solar panels, and she was glad the boat didn’t have them yet because she thinks they’re ugly and that it would look better on social media without them. It’s probably the same with the generator.”
With a sickening feeling, my eyes dart toward Gigi’s cabin at the sound of her name, and I envision her lying dead on the floor of her stateroom.How did this even happen?
“Where’s Emma?” I ask Beth.
“She’s asleep in her cabin. We decided to take shifts keeping watch. Russell’s taking the first shift, and she’s going to relieve him at ten. Then, I’m going to take over at two in the morning.” Beth crosses the room and retrieves a bottle of water from a kitchen cabinet. “The weather has calmed down a lot,” she adds. “We’ve changed our course and are heading southeast. Hopefully, we’ll be south of the storm. If werun into worse weather, we’ll have to turn around again.” Beth hands me the bottle. “Drink this.”
I sit up and twist open the cap. “Is the mainsail still jammed?”
“No, we got it fixed.”
I take a drink. At least one thing’s going right. I glance at the closed companionway door and lower my voice.
“It had to be Russell who killed the captain. He lied about who he was. He planned this. Plus, how did he get the power on so easily before? Like he knew exactly what the problem was.” I grab Beth’s arm as an idea enters my foggy head. I should’ve thought of it before. “Wait. What if we can fix it? We took Russell’s word for it when he fixed the power. Has anyone checked the engine room? What if he just unplugged something?”
Beth frowns. “After Emma went with him to confirm the fuel tanks were empty, she went into the engine room to make sure nothing was tampered with. But like Russell said, both battery banks were dead.”
“But how can we trust them? What if they’re teaming up, and lying about the batteries, like you said before?” I take another drink of water, my gaze drifting in the direction of Russell’s empty cabin. “How do we even know he’s telling the truth about Courtney’s diary?”
“We don’t,” Beth agrees. “More likely, he’s been stewing over his sister’s death for the last twenty years and is here to get revenge.”
“How long was he in Iraq for?”
Beth shrugs. “I have no idea.”
I shift in my seat to face her. “What if he has severe PTSD or some other mental health issue from the war trauma? I saw a documentary recently about an ex–war veteran who came home and killed his neighbors, believing they were a hostile enemy he needed to protect his family from.”
Before Beth can respond, the companionway door flaps open, making me jump.
Russell meets my gaze as he tromps down the steps. “Hey, Palmer. Feeling better?”
My mouth feels suddenly dry. “Yeah,” I croak.
He nods, but from his expression I can’t tell whether he’s relieved or disappointed. He opens the bathroom door. “Just using the head.”
Beth and I stare at each other in silence until Russell emerges and retreats up the companionway. I wait until he closes the door before getting up.
