He keeps an eye on Jill as best he can. Her face is ghost white. He doesn’t know if it’s because of the peril they are in, or because of what they have done. He underestimated how difficult the boat would be to handle in water as rough as this. The waves must now be at least ten feet high– much worse than predicted. There’s a moment when the boat almost capsizes and he wonders if he and Jill will die out here too, if this will be the end of them. He’d grabbed a life jacket and shrugged it onas best he could, his hands full with steering the boat. These terrible conditions will only back up their story. He tries not to think about the moment he shoved his brother off the boat. He must focus on keeping them alive. But he already knows he will sell theFortune Seeker. He never wants to set foot on her again.
Ted’s nerve momentarily falters as he battles the wind and sea. What if they’ve made a mistake? But what’s done is done, and there’s no going back now. He glances again at Jill, who has scuttled back to the companionway and is holding on for dear life. Can he count on her? Will she lose her nerve? No– they’ve talked about this. They must stick to their story. They will be perfectly safe, as long as they remain a united team. She will never turn on him, even if the pressure becomes intense. Because if she does, she gets nothing. The inheritance goes to him, and they both know that if he’s convicted of Greg’s murder, he can’t inherit anything. He’s made sure she’s aware of that. And he knows, now, that she’s as cold-blooded as he is. They’re made for each other.
Suddenly she points ahead of them. In the distance, he can make out a large US Coast Guard vessel churning through the waves toward them, flanked by two smaller boats, each with several uniformed coastguardsmen aboard. He’s so relieved he sags momentarily against the wheel, exhausted. As he does, he keeps an eye on the approaching vessels.
One of the smaller boats soon hails them and pulls closer, coming up alongside. It’s done, Ted thinks. They’ve done it. With rescue at hand, he feels a surge of triumph pierce through his exhaustion and overcome his doubts.
Two men from the smaller boat manage to board theFortune Seekerto assist. They approach Ted at the wheel and shoutover the keening wind. Ted points at the orange rings bobbing wildly out on the waves and yells, ‘My brother went overboard! We can’t see him!’
The coastguardsmen quickly radio all the information he gives them to the other boats. Ted begins to sob raggedly. It comes easily to him, the crying. They will think it’s because he has lost his brother, but it’s just a reflex. One of them takes the wheel from him and Ted sees the other crouch down to speak to Jill at the companionway near the middle of the rolling boat. Her wet hair is plastered to her face. She looks like she’s in shock.
After that things happen in a kind of blur. He surrenders control of the boat and makes his stumbling way over to Jill. He kneels down with her in the companionway and holds her shivering body close while the two coastguardsmen skilfully head the boat toward shore. Ted and Jill watch the larger Coast Guard vessel and the two smaller ones circle the area as they leave, continuing the search for any sign of Greg.
Ted knows they won’t find him. He has sunk beneath the waves. He’s told them Greg wasn’t wearing a life jacket. They aren’t even looking in the right area. They will probably never find him, Ted thinks. He and Jill watch the Coast Guard vessels until they can’t see them any more.
He cups Jill’s face in his freezing hands and looks her in the eyes. ‘Are you okay?’ he asks. She nods briskly. He searches her eyes to be sure.
They’ve planned this, they’ve thought of every eventuality. There are no witnesses, no one out here to see what really happened. As long as he and Jill tell the same story consistently,they will never be able to convict them of murder, because there will always be a reasonable doubt. But it will never get that far. There will be an investigation, and it will be labelled an accident, a misadventure. That’s the great thing about an incident at sea, he thinks; accidents do happen. And no one could have seen it. They will be asked why they went out in these conditions, and they will say it was Greg’s idea, and Greg’s boat, that they wanted to turn back but he laughed off their concern. Everyone at the marina knows what a risk-taker Greg was, what a show-off.
When they arrive at the marina, a small crowd has already gathered. It’s late afternoon, under a pall of clouds. There is an ambulance waiting, and police. Ted feels his nerves jump at the sight of the police car. When he gets out onto the dock and tries to walk, he finds he’s staggering. His clothes are soaked through and he’s shaking with shock and cold. Jill is the same, and she needs to be helped off the boat. She’s unsteady on her feet.
They are immediately draped in silver shock blankets. He wraps his around himself and helps Jill with hers, standing near her protectively. They are guided over to the ambulance and looked over by medics. It all seems to happen in a kind of fog. People are speaking to him but he’s not quite taking any of it in; he keeps an anxious eye on Jill. They are given hot, sweet tea in Styrofoam cups from the marina. Ted’s uncontrollable shivering begins to subside. ‘I’m fine,’ he tells them gratefully. Jill also insists she’s fine. They are able to persuade the medics that they do not need to be taken to the hospital.
They are led inside the marina building and then into a quiet room overlooking the harbour. They are given clean sweatpantsand sweatshirts to change into, while their clothes are taken away to be dried. They wait for a few minutes, afraid to speak to each other. Soon a stocky man wearing a Coast Guard uniform arrives and says, ‘I’m here to take your statement.’
Chapter Eight
THE MAN INTRODUCEShimself but his name goes right over Ted’s head. He realizes he is in a bit of a daze, and he must be sharp. He tries to pull himself together.
‘We just need to get some details first,’ the man says. ‘Your name, sir?’ he asks. He has a laptop with him.
‘Ted Westcott. And this is my wife, Jill Westcott.’
He types it in. ‘Address?’
Ted gives their address and telephone numbers.
The man nods and enters the information. ‘Who else was on board?’
Ted answers, feigning anguish. ‘My brother, Greg Westcott. We called for help. They’re out there looking for him. The sea got very rough. He lost his balance and fell overboard. We couldn’t find him. We couldn’t see him in the waves. He… he wasn’t wearing a life jacket–’ Ted breaks off in distress.
‘Okay,’ the Coast Guard officer says gently. ‘Who owns the boat?’
‘My brother.’
‘I’ll need his details.’ Ted provides them. ‘Okay, so tell me what happened. Take your time.’
Ted swallows. ‘Greg invited us out to go sailing today.’ He realizes how stilted he sounds. ‘We sometimes go sailing with him. We bring a picnic, make a day of it.’ He clears his throat. ‘It was a bit choppy, but Greg wanted to go out to open water. He likes it when conditions are challenging. He’s an experienced sailor– we both are.’
‘And you say he wasn’t wearing a life jacket?’
‘No, neither of us were.’ He turns to Jill. ‘Jill was.’
‘And why’s that?’
Ted shakes his head. ‘We often don’t. We’ve done a lot of sailing together, we’re both strong swimmers and comfortable on the water. It didn’t look that bad when we set out.’ He hesitates and adds, ‘We’d had a couple of glasses of champagne.’
‘Not very smart,’ the other man says.
