Durant’s voice floated down from the bridge—and another, more familiar voice. Jim doubled his speed up the stairs. Could it be?
Sure enough, out in the sunshine on the wing of the bridge, Durant stood chatting with Jim’s oldest brother, Lt. Daniel Avery, wearing dress whites in contrast to the khakis worn by the crew of theAtwood.
“Dan!” Jim sprang forward to shake his brother’s hand. “I mean, Mr. Avery. Good to see you, Mr. Avery.”
“Good to see you too, Mr. Avery.” Dan’s hazel eyes sparkled beneath strong dark brows, and he gave Jim a hearty handshake.
“What are you doing here?”
“TheVincennesput in to Hampton Roads. I have a week’s leave. Thought I’d see how my little brother is getting along.”
Although Jim stood two inches taller than Dan, he still felt like a gangly, goofy kid next to him. Dan had a way about him, had it all his life—commanding, confident, no-nonsense.
“Your little brother is doing well for himself.” Durant nudged Dan in the arm. “Earned a medal. He’s the one who found the bomb.”
“And Gunner’s Mate Udell, sir. He alerted me to the situation. And don’t forget Mr. Banning gave the orders.”
Durant and Dan gave him matching appreciative looks—both men valued competence and disdained boasting.
Why did Jim feel like a puppy receiving a pat on the head? Ridiculous. He was a grown man. He pulled himself tall, glad of his height, and gave the report to the captain. “Sir, from Mr. Reinhardt. All four 5-inch guns are back in working order.”
“Good. Good.” Durant perused the form. “Sooner we can get this ship in shape the better.”
“We need destroyers out there,” Dan said.
“I know.” Durant nodded to Jim. “Your brother’s ship has been out on Neutrality Patrol.”
Now Jim felt like the boy being asked to sit at the grown-up table for Thanksgiving dinner. Best to keep his opinions to himself in case he sounded foolish. “What’s it like out there, Da—Mr. Avery?”
A flicker of a smile from Dan. He’d never been much of one for laughter. “Tense. As you know, we aren’t escorting convoys yet. But we patrol the Security Zone and report any German ships.”
Roosevelt had extended the Security Zone past Greenland, almost reaching Iceland, making a giant portion of the Atlantic off-limits to Axis ships.
“Anything to report?” Durant asked in a confidential tone.
Dan edged closer. “Our sonar operator made a sound contact, but it disappeared in minutes. Could have been a whale.”
Despite the heat, a chill raced up Jim’s arms. “Or it could have been a U-boat.”
Dan adjusted his white cover. “I like to think theVincennesscared it away.”
“The Nazis can’t afford another mistake after they sank theRobin Moor,” Durant said.
The Avery brothers murmured their agreement in unison. In late May, a U-boat had sunk the freighter in the South Atlantic, although she flew under the neutral American flag and was unarmed, as were all American merchant ships. The crew had survived, but only after spending two weeks in lifeboats.
A light breeze cooled Jim’s face. “The Nazis won’t provoke us—not when they’re fighting on two fronts now.”
“True,” Dan said. Germany had shocked the world the previous week by invading the Soviet Union, turning on their former ally. “Hitler may have spread himself too thin.”
“Not at sea.” Durant crossed his arms, the report from Reinhardt fluttering in his hand. “The war with Russia is a land battle. The U-boats are free to roam. England might not have to worry about invasion for a while, but she can still be starved of food and supplies. The sea’s her lifeline. Her strength—and her great weakness.”
Dan wrapped his hand around the railing. “It’s hard for Brittania to rule the waves when U-boats lurk underneath.”
“Say...” Durant glanced at his watch and then at the halyard lines stretching to the yardarm at the top of the mast. “I thought Mr. Shapiro was going to drill his flag crew at 1100 hours. Mr. Avery, please remind him.”
“Aye aye, sir.” Back to messenger boy.
“I’ll go with you.” Dan clapped the captain on the back. “Don’t forget about our dinner plans, Cal. I’m looking forward to it.”
