C James

A uniqe angle, indeed. The haunted aspect comes across well, as does a sense of foreboding.

The darkness of the mind, and its manifest triggers, is always an interest of mine. Thanks!

That was very moving... I think the most telling part was at the end, when even the steely detective showed some feeling. It also goes to show that, in so many cases, our daemons lie within.

Chapter 39: Lost and Found The British Airways jet shuddered slightly in the light turbulence, waking Joel from his fitful sleep. He stretched and yawned, taking a glance out the window, only to see nothing but water far below. A few minutes later, Joel noticed a change in the sound of the engines, as their hum became lower and quieter. That signaled that the jet had begun its descent towards Orlando, a fact confirmed by the white strand of beach coming into view ahead. Joel took his fl

Thanks!! It is a bit of an unusual subject. I was worried that it wouldn't go over too well, which is why I resolved to make it a short novel, 15 to 20 chapters. And, umm, I might have been just a tad off on that estimate. They did try to set him up in a motel, but he doesn't want to leave Atlantis. As the son of an Australian, Trevor does have a right to birthright citizenship in OZ, so he would stay if he wanted. They'll ask him more question in the morning... they know he's exhausted. He's sure in a perfect place to run a charter boat biz... Shark Bay in the main center for that in Western Australia. If Trevor doesn't get some new shorts soon, it will indeed be revealing. I'm not at all sure whether they would cover the garlic press... They would cover the damage Trevor did to Atlantis when he used the paneling and flooring for sails (a needed action to save the boat and himself) and they would cover stuff he had to throw overboard to lighten the boat, but... I'm not exactly sure how they'd deal with that garlic press, because Trevor left it on the drifting log... Hrmmm... On the other hand, I have a hunch Trevor is not exaclty eagar to be reunited with a garlic press. Yep, the gun could be found, he hasn't hid it yet. He'd have had to open his stash spot in total darkness. So, if they go aboard in the morning, it depends if it's still covered or not. The insurance would not be willing to pay out more than Atlantis is worth; she's only covered for that much, so that's the maximum they'd pay. It's like a car; they'd total it out and cut him a check. Trevor would have the option of paying the difference himself, though... The question is, is it going to cost more than Atlantis is worth? We don't know (and neither does Trevor). Rest assured it's in the hundreds of thousands, though. And good point on the insurance. Trevor would be safe on the insurance; the statute of limitations for any insurance fraud related to Ares is long past. So, no possibility of any convictions on that. Thanks! Yep, those two are good guys... Touch but fair, and eager to help. They will be recurring characters for a while, too. Thanks! Atlantis is registered in Trevor's name, and has been ever since he was a toddler. The EPIRBS, however, were registered to Dirk. He owns a chandlary that sells them, so he just filled in the registration cards with his name and phone number. Generally, they need to be registered with the Coast Guard. The insurance is capped at the value of the boat. If the damage is more than that, they'll want to total it out and cut Trevor a check. I don't think Trevor would mind that last one, not one bit. **************************** The next chapter is "Stranger in a Strange Land".

Caressing the old and battered watch, studying this treasured memento of your first campaign, you hear again its faithful ticking, keeping cadence, as it always had, with your heart. You have attained the lofty pinnacle of power, but at what bitter cost? The price, oh, the price... A lifetime of lies, the true self subsumed, locked away, banished to the darkest recesses. Outwardly you portray, as you must, the confident air of success, of dignity and wisdom, a presence crafted with care to fit

Chapter 38: Parting of the Ways When they were done with customs and checking in, Joel pointed inland at the busy city of Paphos. “They’ll have a grocery store close by, and you need to restock after that charter.” Trevor shrugged. “I want to get the food here and not Egypt, but I can get to it after you go. Besides, I’ve still got all that canned stuff.” “Canned hot dogs and generic pork chili,” Joel said, wrinkling his nose. “Trev, I’m taking you grocery shopping. I want to be sure yo

Chapter 37: Cyprus The morning after their run from Rhodes, Joel awoke in his cabin, feeling the motion of Atlantis as she cut through the gentle swells. Stretching sleepily, Joel tugged on a pair of shorts and headed for the cockpit, where he paused for a moment to watch the golden sunrise. He stretched again, and then he noticed Trevor, asleep in the beanbag. Joel glanced at the radar screens, finding them clear, and then ambled into the galley, heading for the freezer. When Joel retu

Chapter 36: Safety in Numbers Lisa, with a determined stride, walked towards Dirk’s chandlery. She wasn’t supposed to be there at all; the plan had been for her to coordinate the pick-up by phone. However, Steve, the captain of Trevor and Joel’s swim team, had been uneasy about facing alone a man he thought to be a killer. The swim team had discussed the issue, and they’d soon decided that all eleven of them would show up that Saturday morning to pick up Trevor’s satellite phone. Then, afte

Chapter 35: The Art of the Deal Two hours after sunrise, Trevor was the first to wake up. Feeling a little hung over, he pulled on a pair of shorts and padded out. He started the coffeemaker, and then did his usual morning survey of Atlantis; checking the bilges, the electrical system, and then the weather report. Trevor stared at the weather screen for a few moments, his fuzzy mind taking time to comprehend what he was seeing in the updated forecast: a return of the Meltemi winds, start

Chapter 34: Truth & Honesty Officer Gonzalez drummed his pencil on his desk, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Investigating a suspect’s attorney was a highly unusual move, but in Jim Ainsworth’s case, Officer Gonzalez had decided to dig a little, only to discover that one of his ‘false leads’ given out in the canary trap had apparently been true all along. That development was disquieting enough, but it was the other ramifications that had Officer Gonzalez becoming ever more

Chapter 33: From Turkey, with Love As Atlantis lolled in the calm, azure waters, Joel began to fidget. Trevor nudged Joel’s bare shoulder with his own, just the lightest of touches, and asked again, very quietly, “Why Turkey?” Joel swallowed once and gazed out the horizon. “I read that they have great prices on jewelry.” Trevor blinked a few times, trying to put the clues together. ‘Joel’s nervous about something, and it’s jewelry?’ It took him a few moments. “For Lisa, right?” Trevo

Chapter 32: Meltemi Sitting on Jim’s teakwood deck, looking north up the beach, Dirk and Jim watched the seagulls wheeling lazily overhead, listening to their plaintive cries, carried on the warm breeze. Dirk took a drink of his gin and tonic and kept looking north. “Jim, what should I be doing about Trev?” Dirk asked, his gaze fixed in the distance. Jim blinked, pondering the question for a few moments before replying, “I think you’ve done the right thing, under the circumstances. He

Chapter 31: Standing into Danger “Ready to go to Mykonos?” Trevor asked, with a big grin. Joel answered by beginning to deploy the Zodiac. “Hell yeah. How far is it, anyway?” Trevor glanced to the east. “Five miles, or just under. At ten knots, that’s under half an hour. I’m taking an EPIRB, a GPS, and the handheld VHF radio; they’ll go in the Zodiac’s locked emergency kit, plus there are oars in the Zodiac. The forecast is for the north wind to strengthen in the late afternoon, and th

Chapter 30: Making Plans Aboard the luxury yacht The Great White North, Trevor and Joel were enjoying their beers and the company, when a clanging sound interrupted them. François appeared, ringing a crystal dinner bell. In a heavy accent, he announced, “Dinner is soon to be ready, and I will begin serving in ten minutes. I have prepared the table, please follow me.” In the saloon, they took seats at the linen-covered table as François, with a formal flourish, lit a set of candles. The c

Chapter 29: Meetings Surrounded by the smell of dust and old paper, Lisa browsed through the archives at the county courthouse, pursuing her newfound cause: investigating anything and everything to do with Dirk Carlson. A great deal of information is available to the public, including title filings for property and vehicles, which, under Florida law, includes boats. Flicking through the microfiche pages, Lisa found one she’d been looking for; the title transfer for Atlantis. Her eyebrows

Chapter 28: Mysteries With the first light of dawn still an hour away, Joel awoke from a fitful sleep. He pulled on a pair of shorts and walked out into the galley, where he made a pot of coffee, poured himself a cup, and then walked out on deck to check that all was well with Atlantis. After his inspection, Joel grabbed a second mug of coffee and sat down at the nav desk in the salon to check the latest weather information. Little had changed since the night before, and Joel, though s

Chapter 27: Unraveling The Florida sun beat down on Bridget Bellevue’s tennis court, its heat made to feel all the worse due to the high humidity. “Your game is sharper than ever today,” Bridget said, as she met Lisa at the net. Lisa smiled and nodded. “Thanks. I’m feeling better about a lot of things. I took your advice and put aside Daddy sending that e-mail. I can understand that he was trying to protect me, and he had no reason to believe that it would harm Trevor or Joel. He did th

As he arrived at the Atlantis, Joel used his key to let himself into the salon. He locked the door behind him, glanced around the quiet yacht, still feeling a good buzz, looking for something with which to amuse himself. His eyes fell on the navigation desk, and he sat down and powered the system on. He then spent half an hour checking weather, charts, and projected courses. After a while, Joel grew bored. Not quite ready for sleep, and still enjoying his buzz, he began looking for somet

After a long and tiring flight, Jim had arrived in Orlando. In the hustle and clatter of the terminal, he’d made a fast phone call to Dirk from a pay phone, telling him that he had confirmation that the warrant had been lifted, but advising him to stay hidden for a while longer, just to be sure. Jim retrieved his car and drove to the chandlery in Fort Pierce, and after checking to make sure it was okay, he went to Dirk’s home and slept for fourteen hours. * * * Officer Mike Gonzal

As dusk settled over the calm seas, Atlantis crossed the traffic lanes at the north end of the Strait of Messina, and then turned southwest to enter the busy strait. Joel remained at the helm, but Trevor kept a close eye on the navigation and radar displays. “That’s one hell of a big radio tower,” Trevor said, pointing at the seven-hundred-fifty foot tall tower on Punta del Faro, the northeasternmost place in Sicily. “That’s no radio tower. It used to be the west end of a big high-t

Trevor had heard the unfamiliar voice and looked out the salon door, seeing the tall, muscular stranger, with a briefcase in one hand and the other reaching into his jacket, taking a step towards Joel. Perceiving a threat, Trevor stepped into the open doorway and said, “I’m Trevor, and you can get the hell off my boat.” Jim withdrew the photo of Trevor that he’d been reaching for, and looked at Trevor, then at Joel, and then his gaze fixed on Trevor. He turned the photo so that Trevor co

Trevor and Joel walked across the gleaming white beach, towards the azure waters. Stepping quickly across the hot sand and pebbles, looking out at his beloved Atlantis, Trevor said, “I hereby volunteer you to get the Zodiac.” “Why me?” Joel asked. “You’ve got the salon door key, and you said you wanted a workout, so here’s a chance for another swim,” Trevor replied, while sitting down on the beach to wait. “Tyrannical slave driver,” Joel grumbled, putting his bags down beside T

The room was austere and a little threatening. That was Lisa’s first impression as Officer Gonzalez ushered her inside. Taking a seat in the police station conference room, Lisa cast a baleful eye at a large box of donuts at the far end. It was the room’s sole inviting aspect. Smiling, Officer Gonzalez motioned at the donuts, “Some stereotypes are real, I suppose. Go ahead, help yourself.” Lisa reached for a donut, chuckling, not realizing that she’d smoothly been put at ease. “Poli

Officer Gonzalez leaned back in his worn desk chair, staring out a window that had not been cleaned in over twenty years. The recent developments in the Carlson case weighed heavily on his mind. He glanced down at the documents in his hand: the sales contract and title transfer for the Ares, which Bridget Bellevue had given him. He knew he needed some advice. Exiting his cubicle, he walked down the crowded hall, barely aware of the noise; the constant murmur of voices, of phones ringing,