emotion. “It’s the one I delivered to the fat one on Bald Head the night you and I met.”
“So you decided to go swimming again.”
“Yep. I made it over the transom just as I heard their dinghy motor revving up from the other side of your boat, so I hid in the pilot house. When the guy got close enough, I decked him.”
“Glass jaw?”
“Thankfully. Little Miss Lisa here was so surprised that she nearly threw her gun at me,” Molly added. “And here we are.”
“And here we are.” Sam inched closer, Molly’s strength and resolve apparent. Sirens wailed on the water and in the Causeway Restaurant’s parking lot. Sam saw Jenny waving from the shore.
Chapter forty-nine
“Sam-Man!”
“Hey, Hoops.” Sam stretched out on his cockpit cushion, measuring tape in one hand, phone in the other. “What’s up?”
“Just wanted to check on you. I got the full report here, so you can come by next time you’re in town.”
“Thanks, Hoops. I’ll get it when I can. I’m car-less right now. Mine was trashed in Navassa.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I thought I might go sailing. I’ve taken a leave of duty since the investigation is over. Now that August is here, I thought maybe I’d finally head up to Norfolk. My son’s stationed there, and it’s been a while since we had a chance to visit.”
“Too bad he’s not stationed here with me. Then you could come see him anytime you wanted.” Hoops was sincere.
“Yeah. Actually, I think I’m ready for a break from the beach. Things have been a little nutty.”
“I hear ya, Sam-Man. Listen; we’re having our end-of-summer barbeque tonight. Can you come?”
“Sounds good to me, Hoops. I need to say goodbye to a few friends, anyway. Can I call you later if I need a ride? I already sold my truck.”
“Sure. You call, I’ll be there to get you. Take care.”
“You too. And Hoops? Thanks for your help in all of this. I owe you one.”
“Fine. You can bring the steaks.”
“Fair enough.”
Sam got back to his measuring. This last cockpit cushion was giving him fits because its tattered cover was shredded beyond recognition. He had had to strip what was left of it and make a new pattern before he could make a new cover for it. This time, Sam chose a smart blue, green, and white striped fabric. Matching the strips at the corners was harder than he thought it would be. Anxious to finish his project, Sam wanted to return Jenny’s sewing machine and her inverter charger this morning when she came to pick him up.
Jenny had eagerly agreed to run Sam around, collecting supplies for his cruise, and Sam was pleased to give her something to focus on this week. Now that the investigation into Carolina Beach’s police force was over, Sam sensed Jenny’s adrenaline waning. He watched her grow pensive, so he came up with a list of things he “needed her help” with, and it seemed to be working. Today was her last trip to the Causeway moorings to fetch him and run him around.
Looking up from his frustrations, Sam saw the Acapulco blue Mustang pull into the Causeway Restaurant’s parking lot. He brightened when he recognized Molly in the passenger seat.
Rowing to the bank with the sewing machine safely between his feet, Sam played what-ifs in his head. His desire was clear, but the path to it was not.
“Thanks for the ride, Jen. Hi, Molly. Long time no see.”
“I’ve been busy.” Molly looked down at her red Keds. “Been working on Hullabaloo.”
“How’s it coming?”
“She’s up, but she’s a mess. Hoops pulled some strings for me and reported her as a hazard to navigation. My buddies own a boat small enough to get into the shallow waters, but big enough to have some mega-compressors. We filled her with giant balloons to get her up, then pumped her dry and towed her back to Boat Works in Wilmington. It’s going to take some doing, but I’ll get her going again. My friends are taking pity on me and doing the work at a greatly reduced rate. I’ll have to deliver a few boats to pay for her, but since a lot of snowbirds get tired of cruising once they finish the islands, I’ll have work bringing their boats home again.”
Sam took it in for a second. “So you don’t have time to take a sail?”
“Not really. I’ve got three boats lined up over the next six weeks. I caught a break today because I…. Well, I