Barbara Silkstone - Wendy Darlin 01 - Wendy and the Lost Boys (17 page)

What if I don’t see the yacht with the cloaking device in place? I might crash right into it.

The boat heaved to the left. I fought to stay on my feet. The wind was grabbing the giant sails. The sound of a helicopter closing in sent my mind racing. If it was a Black Hawk they might shoot first like Jaxbee said, and then…

“Drop your sails!” a voice called from a loud speaker. It repeated the message. I ran out on the deck. It was the Coast Guard.

Jumping up and down, I waved what I thought was the international signal for a lady in distress. One of the guys saluted and they buzzed off.

“Thanks for nothing guys.”

The wind was coming up fast. I had to drop those silly sails; they were causing the boat to founder. It felt as if it would tip over.

I ran below deck to the temporary sick bay, a canopied bed covered in red velvet with gold tassels. Jaxbee lay with her head on four pillows. A black velvet blanket covered her tiny body. She was out cold. I had to wake her.

Mary grabbed my hand as I shook her patient. “I have to ask her something important.” I pinched Jaxbee’s cheeks and slapped her face until she came around.

“How do we pull down the fake sails?”

She focused on me. “The winch toggle,” she whispered and then passed out.

“Right. The winch toggle. Got it.”

I raced back up the steep ladder to the bridge. “The winch toggle. Which one is the winch toggle?”

The toggle switches flipped up and down. If I threw the wrong switch in the wrong direction what would happen? I saw the headlines –
Miami Real Estate Broker Lost at Sea
. If I were putting in toggles, I’d put the winch toggle right… here.

I gave the switch a push in the down direction. For an instant it sounded as if the roof were coming off, and then slowly the sails settled to the deck. The boat stopped keeling over and we were lulled to a halt.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Two minutes later, we were moving again.
The tractor beam
! It was pulling the
Mermaid
to the
Predator.
I crossed my fingers and made a wish that nothing came between us and the mother ship. I stood at the wheel peering into the darkness.

I guess I made my wish a few minutes too late. A yacht half the size of Hook’s slid into view. Its white nose trimmed in red and gold, the smaller vessel was set to intersect with the
Mermaid
trapped in the
Predator’s
tractor beam. I scrambled to find a horn to honk or a whistle to blow. Nothing. The other ship motored toward us as if expecting us to yield the right of way. It couldn’t know that somewhere ahead of us an invisible monster yacht was sucking us into its path.

Where were the brakes? Grabbing the wheel, I braced my feet and looked over my shoulder to gauge where I might be plunged into the ocean. I imagined quartermaster Dale at the helm of the
Predator
enjoying my moment of terror. Hook’s treasure was on the ship with us; the logical part of my mind told me Dale wouldn’t let us get rammed and risk losing the van of antiquities. Because he was a slimy little kiss-ass, I decided we were safe. I glanced at Hook who appeared at the railing with this UpUGo obscenely extended under his jogging pants. His face was blank. If he wasn’t concerned, I’d take my cue from him.

Mary stood at my side blinking against the salt spray, her white hair in a perfect knot at the back of her head. Her clothes spotless and tidy.

“Why aren’t you with Jaxbee?” I asked.

She shook her head. “The girl’s taken a turn for the worse. Dr. Jolley is with her.”

The rest of the Georgia clan, Joseph, Chick, Granddaddy Earl, and Annie gathered around me like Weebles.

The smaller yacht drew closer blowing its horn three times.

Despite my resolve to remain calm like Hook, I panicked. “Grab the animals!” I yelled. “We’re about to be broadsided.”

“What animals?”

“The dog and the pig!” I screamed. “Milton and Stillpork.”

“They’re in the honeymoon suite. Can’t be disturbed,” Mary said.

I was surrounded by lunatics.

“That boat is coming directly at us!” Chick said. “Do something evasive.”

I looked at his dull blue eyes and shook my head. “Thanks for the advice.”

The vessel chugged on. Aiming for a direct hit to our left side. The old
Mermaid
would become toothpicks upon impact.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

I closed my eyes. When I opened them the
Mermaid
was still. “We’ve stopped moving!”

“How’d you do that?” Joseph asked me.

Hook was grinning like an ape. The old pirate must have had Dale shut off the tractor beam at the very last minute.

The small yacht went motoring by close enough for me to read the name on her stern.
Black Beard.

In the next instant we were being pulled again and coming out of the mist about thirty yards away, like a nightmare, was a massive white wall of steel – the hull of
the
Predator,
with its cloaking shield down. Fearsome, but it was safety for us. We stopped our glide ten feet from the yacht.

Just as I was beginning to relax, our cargo bay opened with a horrid sounding crunch. The deck flexed beneath my feet. A monstrous mechanical arm wielding a huge metal claw swung from the
Predator
over the
Mermaid
and reached into her exposed belly. It plucked the van as if it were a toy and moved it slowly up from the cargo hold, just short of level with the
Mermaid’s
deck.

I turned at the sound of voices. Joseph flew at his brother waving his fist in the air. “You own that there floating continent?” He pointed to the
Predator.
“What have you been up to? Nobody makes that much money, legally.” He shoved his younger brother.

Mary stepped next to Joseph and pointed her finger at Hook. “You’ve always been a disgrace to the family.”

“You’re not coming back are you?” Joseph said. “You never planned on buying back that land, did you?”

“You should know that Cherokee will never sell his land, no matter what I offer.” Hook backhanded Joseph into Mary and Chick. “If I ever sell any of my treasure, I’ll be sure and send you some money. You can try to buy it back.”

“You ain’t taking this treasure!” Joseph yelled. He ran and leaped into the open hatch throwing himself on roof of the van that was about a foot below the deck. He landed with a thud and the snap of a broken bone.

Hook waved at the
Predator
and made a cutting motion running his hand across his throat.

The crane stopped with a lurch.

“Joseph! Are you alright?” Mary screamed.

I raced to the edge of the opening and pulled her back. Joseph was splayed face down on top of the van, one leg twisted in an unnatural position. As Mary started to weep, Joseph waved a hand a couple of inches.

“Don’t move, Joseph. You might slide off,” Granddaddy Earl yelled.

“Help us!” I screamed at Hook.

He buried his face in his hands and slowly shook. He banged his head on the railing, and turned to our group with a why-me-lord expression. “You have two minutes to get that old fart off my treasure.”

I shot him my most questioning look. Was Mr. UpUGo trying to be funny?

The van was centered in the opening about eight feet from any of the sides. I looked around for something we could use to get him, then said, “Grab the best piece of the broken wood you can find.”

Mary, Annie, Chick, and Granddaddy Earl swung into action like a geriatric softball team. They ran to the shattered mast and broken boards and bickered over which was best – the longest, the thickest, the prettiest, or the one that had the scrape that looked like Elvis.

Before I started hyperventilating, I screamed, “I need it today, folks.”

They snatched up a splintery piece with Annie saying, “I’m glad we picked the one that looked like Elvis,” as she tried to take off her clothes with her free hand.

I called to Joseph. “Lie still. We’re making a bridge; then I’m coming to get you.”

“Chick, Granddaddy Earl, hold this end. Mary and I will turn it out over the opening.”

Mary nodded as we picked up our end and started to swing it around toward Joseph.

“I want to help!” Naked Annie grabbed the wood bumping it just enough to clobber Joseph. He slipped. I held my breath. He didn’t fall.

I prepared to slither across on my stomach. What was I thinking, crossing this chasm on a rotten scrap of wood? I stared at the giant claw suspending the van three stories above the floor of the cargo hold. I didn’t look down.

“Find some rope! Fast!” I yelled.

A few feet of thick rope dropped into my hand. I looped it around my waist and gave the other end to Chick and Granddaddy Earl. I dropped to my stomach and inched out onto the makeshift bridge that did look a bit like Elvis’ face. It took two caterpillar-like, knee-to-head scrunches to put me on the van roof next to Joseph. Only then did I dare look down into the darkened cargo hold. Shit, big mistake. I took a deep breath and focused on what I had to do next.

“Joseph, I’m going to tie a rope around you. I’ll try not to hurt you.”

His voice was weak. “Wendy, this ain’t a woman’s job.”

“Maybe not, but you’re stuck with me.” I squiggled one end under his stomach and pulled on the other side. Before he could moan, I had him tied securely.

“I’m going to spin you so you’re headed in the right direction. You inch across the wood like a worm.” He groaned as I moved him into position.

“Woman… this ain’t no bridge. It’s a piece of soggy cardboard. I ain’t moving.”

“It’ll hold you. You’re harnessed with rope.”

“Who’s got the other end?”

“Chick and Granddaddy Earl,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster.

“Mary…”

“She’s with them.”

“Swap out Chick for Mary…” he said. “She’s stronger.”

I signaled Team Joseph and called his instructions. Mary stood with Granddaddy Earl holding the rope as I eased Joseph onto the rotted board. The wood creaked and Joseph appeared to follow the noise. As he turned his head he lost his grip, his arms flailing. He slipped and almost fell. His recovery would have made a terrific audition for Cirque de Soleil. Having regained his balance, he inch-wormed his way across and into his wife’s waiting arms.

It was my turn. I looked up at the moonlight reflecting off the giant claw, and fresh off Joseph’s almost tumble into the hold, I indulged myself in a mild case of the shakes.

Chapter Forty

Hook leaned against the rail smiling at my predicament. “Hey! Jerk!” I yelled. “How about lowering this contraption? Slowly.”

His smile broadened. “You want to take the chance?”

As if on cue, the van teetered and the end of the board slid against the pincher. I grabbed the claw to steady myself. Lowering was suddenly not such a good idea. It was way too dicey.

“Hey, blondie!” Granddaddy Earl called. “Catch the end of the rope!” He pitched it to me with dead-on accuracy. Unfortunately I missed it. My foot slipped, almost sending me over the side of the van. I wedged my shoe into the half-inch of rusty trim at the top of the vehicle and caught myself. Whoa! That could have been a long, dark fall.

“Try again!” Granddaddy Earl threw it underhand, and I caught the knotted end, tied it around my waist, inadvertently glanced into the abyss, and made a mental sign of the cross, wishing I were twelve years old getting my knuckles whacked by a nun in a nice safe classroom. Dropping to my knees, I inched to the plank, now held down by Chick and Annie on the other end, and began my crawl-to-live.

“Look at me, girl,” Granddaddy Earl said. “Pretend I’m your sweetheart and you’re coming home to me. Focus on my eyes.”

I slithered across for a couple of feet, then an edge of the board split off and my knee dropped into space. I was dead meat. The wood wasn’t going to hold. My life splashed before my eyes. Don’t bury me at sea. I can’t stand getting my face wet. The plank cracked and fell from beneath me. I heard it hit bottom as I followed, dropping six feet and then being yanked back up with a snap. If this was what bungee jumping was all about… forget it. The rope held but dug into my waist like a dull butcher’s knife cutting me in half.

Granddaddy Earl reached out and grabbed my wrists. “I got you, girl! You don’t weigh nothing like Stillpork.” He gave one last
oomph,
like when he was rescuing the three-hundred pound pig, and heaved me onto the deck. I landed on my back. Annie stroked my head, her eyes spinning in two directions at once.