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‘OK, Sam, we’re ready.’ Polly walked towards him. ‘We’re going to use some shots of families on the beach doing normal things and then we’ll have you talking about sun protection. Are you ready?’
Sam nodded. As ready as he’d ever be.
The afternoon passed quickly while they filmed various shots and they were just finishing for the day, Polly finally satisfied, when there were shouts from the cliffs behind them.
John swung his camera round. ‘Someone in trouble up there?’
‘Not up there.’ Polly caught Sam’s arm and pointed. ‘Out there.’
He followed her gaze and saw a small rubber dinghy that had floated out past the rocks. There was one little girl in it and she was crying and waving. The sea was rough, the waves crashing around her and threatening to swamp the tiny dinghy. ‘Oh, hell, this beach is covered in warnings about the currents and the waves. Why do people ignore them?’
Even as he started sprinting towards the sea, he could hear the screaming, see the sudden surge of people as they sensed drama and danger and moved in to watch.
‘Get the people away, Poll,’ he yelled, ‘and call the coastguard.’
He dragged off his shirt as he ran, trying to identify the family of the little girl in the dinghy. ‘Do you know her?’ He sprinted past people, barking the question until finally he found the parents at the edge of the waves.
The father was frantically wading into the water towards his daughter.
‘I’ll get her.’ Sam pulled him back and the man gripped his arm hard, panic visible in his eyes as he explained what had happened.
‘It’s not just her. My teenage son was in that dinghy. He’s fallen into the water—he’s not that great a swimmer.’
‘Stay here.’ Sam waded into the water and then turned as someone sprinted up beside him.
It was Anna. Slender and poised in a black swimsuit, her gaze grimly determined. She didn’t waste time with words, just handed him a buoyancy aid and kept one for herself. He noticed that she was also carrying a life-jacket.
‘Let’s go.’
He didn’t argue, pleased to have her help. Anna was a first-class swimmer and he knew she had a life-saving certificate.
She dived into the waves with the skill of a dolphin, her strong overarm stroke powering her through the water towards the stricken dinghy. He followed swiftly, overtook her and reached the little girl first.
‘He fell in.’ The girl was hysterical, clinging to the edges of the tiny inflatable boat, which rocked precariously in the rough sea. It seemed ridiculously insubstantial. ‘He was being stupid, playing around, and then he fell in.’
Anna surfaced next to Sam and swam around to the girl, one hand on the dinghy. ‘Try not to panic. We’ll find your brother. What’s your name?’
The girl choked on a sob. ‘Lottie—’
‘Well, Lottie—’ Anna broke off and gave a gasp and a splutter as a wave broke over her head, almost swamping her and the tiny boat. Relieved that she was such a strong swimmer, Sam watched as she surfaced immediately and shook her head clear of the water. ‘Lottie, we’re going to get you somewhere safe.’ Her lashes were clumped together with seawater and she swept a hand across her face to clear her vision. ‘I want you to sit still in that boat of yours and hold on very tightly while we work out the best way to do this.’
Her dark hair plastered to her head, as sleek as an otter, she kicked her legs fiercely and looked at Sam.
‘This thing is going to capsize,’ he said, scraping the water out of his eyes and treading water himself while he marshalled his thoughts. The sea was becoming rougher by the minute and he knew that the dinghy wasn’t going to offer protection for long. ‘Get a life-jacket on her while I see if I can find her brother.’
She didn’t argue with him.
‘Lottie, I want you to put your arms in this and then we’re going to zip it up.’ Anna struggled as another huge wave hit them. She paused for a moment, waited for a lull and then helped the girl into the life-jacket. When she’d finished she turned and looked around her and realised Sam was gone.
For a moment her heart jerked with panic and then she realised that he must have dived down under the water.
Another wave crashed down on her and this time the dinghy was totally submerged. Relieved that she’d got the life-jacket on the girl in time, Anna kicked strongly and held the child above the water, trying to calm her each time a wave swamped them, her eyes flitting around frantically for signs of Sam.
He’d been under too long.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the lifeboat arrive, but all she cared about now was Sam. Damn, he shouldn’t have dived. It was too much of a risk. The waves were too rough, the tide was too strong…
And then he surfaced, right next to her, gasping for air, struggling to keep another body afloat.
