Terrors of the High Seas 163

“Wow.” She pointed at her reflection. “Check out the drowned rat.” Her skin showed a few light scrapes and the red mark where she thought she’d been stung by a jellyfish. It still throbbed, and she winced as she pressed lightly against the spot.

The boat moved and she grabbed quickly at the dresser, holding her balance. She waited for the turn to be completed and the bow to straighten out, then she tugged dry clothes from the dresser and slid into them. She grabbed a rain slicker from the closet and pulled it over her head, pausing to chuckle when the garment fell all the way to her knees. “Whoops.” She started to remove it, then stopped in mid motion and resettled the rubberized fabric around her.

Without really stopping to think about why she’d done that, she walked to the galley and grabbed a bottle of water from the small refrigerator. Twisting the top open, she sucked down a few gulps to get the taste of the sea from her mouth, then headed for the door.

Dar settled soggily into the captain’s chair, wincing at the uncomfortable dampness of her clothes. She adjusted the throttles and guided the boat away from the dock, reasoning that she could get Kerry to take the helm long enough for her to change once they were out into open water. The rain beat steadily down on the roof covering her, and Dar leaned forward to see better through the plexiglas as she guided the boat out into the channel. She turned at the buoy and nudged the engines forward, setting off after the disappearing speck that was DeSalliers’ craft.

She’d barely had time to relax when she heard Kerry climbing up the ladder. Dar turned to see her lover appear on the flying bridge, dressed in a blue slicker obviously not her own. “Nice jacket,” she commented as Kerry scooted under the bridge cover and pushed back the hood on her raincoat, exposing disheveled blonde hair.

“You like it?” Kerry presented her with the bottle of water and then draped her arms over Dar’s shoulders. “I think I got stung by a jellyfish, Dar.”

“Yeah?” Dar set their course and then turned her attention to Kerry. “Where?”

Kerry pulled up her overlarge jacket and then her shirt, exposing her belly. “There.”

Dar peered at it, gently touching the angry red mark. “Does it hurt?” She looked up at Kerry’s face. “Not just sting, actually hurt?”

“A little,” Kerry admitted. “It’s sort of throbbing. Otherwise I wouldn’t have even mentioned it, Dar. I mean, I’ve gotten hit by men o’war before.”

“Did you clean it off with anything?”


164 Melissa Good Kerry shook her head. “Didn’t think I needed to; do I?”

“I don’t know.” Dar frowned. “Did you see what kind of jellyfish it was?”

“No.” Kerry sat down next to her. “It’s okay, I think. It hurt a lot when it first happened, but now it’s just annoying.” She scanned the horizon. “What’s the plan?”

Dar opened the small cabinet under the console and removed a brown bottle and a small packet of gauze bandage. “Pull that jacket back up,” she ordered, opening the bottle of alcohol and wetting the gauze.

“Shouldn’t you be watching where we’re going?” Kerry teased gently, “instead of playing with my navel?” Nevertheless, she hiked up the fabric and the shirt underneath, sucking in a breath as the gauze touched her skin and burned. “Ow.”

“Some of those stupid things leave stinging cells,” Dar told her.

“Hold the wheel while I do this.”

Kerry curled her fingers around the metal, keeping them on course as she felt Dar carefully clean the still-painful spot on her belly. The throbbing seemed to be getting a little worse, but she figured that was because Dar was touching it. “What are we going to do when we catch up to them?”

Dar finished her task and gently pulled Kerry’s shirt down, then arranged the rain jacket over it. “Just watch,” she said, giving Kerry a little pat on the side. “Maybe we can maneuver him into revealing what his game is.”

“I hope so.” Kerry sat down with a sigh.

Dar glanced at her. Kerry’s profile seemed tense, and she could see tiny creases around her eyes. “Hey.”

Kerry looked over, her green eyes visibly bloodshot. “Hm?”

“We don’t have to do this.”

The blonde woman cocked her head. “Huh? I thought you wanted to go after them.”

“You don’t look so hot.”

Kerry swallowed, her brow contracting. “I’m fine,” she insisted.

Dar looked doubtfully at her.

“Dar,” Kerry’s voice took on a hint of impatience, “I’m not a little kid.”

“I didn’t say you were.” Dar fiddled with the controls, fidgeting over the throttles. “I’m just wondering if being out here chasing down a nutcase in the rain is such a good idea,” she said.

“Maybe we should just drop it, Ker.”

Kerry propped one bare foot against the console and studied it.

She could hear the upset in Dar’s voice and knew she was at the root of it. “I think…” She paused, and really considered her words. “I think if we’d dropped it at the very start, that would have been okay.”


Terrors of the High Seas 165

Dar watched her out of the corner of her eye.

“But now, I think we have to see this through. You know?”

Kerry said. “I don’t like the idea of running away, and if we just ducked out now, knowing what we know, then that’s how I’d feel.”

“Mmph,” Dar grunted grudgingly. “This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation,” she grumbled. “For both of us.”

Kerry reached out and circled Dar’s arm with her fingers. “Do you want to stop?” she asked with quiet sincerity. “Sweetheart, if that’s what you want, we’ll do it.” Her hand tightened slightly.

Dar fastened her eyes on the horizon, pondering in silence for a very long minute. She felt torn between her desire to know the truth, and her equally powerful desire to protect Kerry.

“Dar?” Kerry uttered softly.

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t we compromise? Let’s not follow them. Let’s circle around the other side of Charlie’s island and watch from behind that point on the west side. “

Dar adjusted the throttles a little. “And?” She probed the idea cautiously.

“That way, we don’t force a confrontation, and we can just sort of satisfy our curiosity,” Kerry reasoned. “And if there’s nothing going on, we can...um...” she plucked gently at Dar’s damp sleeve,

“get a lot more comfortable downstairs.”

It was an acceptable plan, Dar decided. “Okay,” she agreed. “I can go with that.”

“Cool.” Kerry grinned briefly. She slid over on the seat and leaned against Dar’s damp body, laying her head on Dar’s shoulder.

The throbbing from her sting seemed to be getting worse and she now had a headache, but she reasoned that it was nothing a little relaxing in Dar’s proximity couldn’t cure.

The boat shot on in the rain, now in a curving path that left DeSalliers to disappear over the horizon.

THE SECOND TIME she felt the chill, Kerry realized something was wrong. Despite the protection of her rain slicker, she felt cold, and her throat seemed to be closing, making it hard to swallow.

She debated trying to ignore the feeling, but her better sense intervened. “Dar?”

Her partner looked quickly at her. One hand lifted and touched the side of her face. “You okay?”

Kerry’s lips twitched. “I don’t think so. I feel kind of lousy,”

she admitted. “I’m cold and my throat hurts.”

Dar put a hand on her forehead and cursed. She turned and surveyed their surroundings with anxious eyes. They were nearing the north side of Charlie’s island, but otherwise they were in a large 166 Melissa Good patch of quiet, empty sea. She slowed the engines and then stilled them, checking the depth meter as they drifted.

“Wh...” Kerry stopped, finding it a little hard to breathe. “What are you doing?” She watched Dar work the boats controls, and realized suddenly her hands were shaking. “Dar?”

“Need to get you below.” Dar spoke quietly, a world of tension in her voice. “I’m going to drop anchor.” She did exactly that, and the rattle of the deploying anchor was suddenly loud as she cut the engines. “C’mon. I’ve got a kit downstairs I think we’re gonna need.”

Kerry wasn’t really sure what was going on, but she stood, holding on to Dar’s arm when her knees suddenly threatened not to hold her. “Oh boy.”

“Hang on to me.” Dar clasped her around the waist, and guided her to the ladder. “I think you’re having a reaction to whatever stung you.”

“Oh.” Kerry shivered, feeling like she was trying to breathe underwater. “My throat…feels kinda thick.” She saved her breath for climbing, feeling the utter security of Dar wrapped around her.

“Feels funny.” They reached the deck and Kerry’s legs buckled under her. “D...”

“I’ve got you.” Dar picked her up and carried her into the cabin, kicking the door open and taking Kerry from the confusion of the rain and warm air into the cool quiet.

Kerry sucked in air, hearing the rasp in her own breathing, and it occurred to her suddenly that she should be scared. She felt the cool fabric of the couch against her lower legs as Dar put her down.

“D...Dar?” She clutched Dar’s arm in shivering fingers as she felt Dar slide a pillow under her head, propping her up a little.

“Just stay quiet and try to relax. I’ll be right back,” Dar assured her.

Kerry just watched, her breathing now coming in shallow heaves. She felt like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the air, and as Dar came back and knelt next to her, she noted that her fingers and toes were tingling. An unreasoning fear swept over her, and she started to panic.