Jack Beale 00 - Dangerous Shoals

pulled back on Max’s head again and pressed the tip of the knife blade against her neck. A drop of blood completed the statement, like an exclamation point.
    Jack stood, trying to control his panic, and turned to look up at Courtney. “Hey Court. What’s up?” He hoped that he sounded as normal as possible.
    “Where’s Max?”
    “Below. Anything I can help you with?”
    “I just need to know if she can work tomorrow.”
    She began to walk down the ramp.
    “Court, you don’t have to come down. I’ll ask her for you.” He turned and leaned in through the companionway hatch.
    Kurt hissed at him, “Get her away from here or your friend dies.”
    Jack turned back. “Court, she says that will be fine. What time?”
    “Four.”
    “Okay. She’ll be in at four.”
    Courtney must have believed him because she turned, went back to the pier, and waved goodbye. Jack breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to Kurt, who still had his knife pressed against Max’s throat. “Come on, you don’t have to do this.”
    “That’s where you’re wrong. I really don’t care about you or your friend,” he said. Then, he slid his bandaged hand off of her forehead, grabbed a fistful of hair, and pulled back again. “I’ll do whatever I want, and there is nothing you can do about it. Here are your options. Do what I say, and maybe, if you are lucky, you’ll die quickly. Ignore what I say, and it will be slow and painful.”
    Max moaned, her eyes pleading with Jack.
    Jack fought to remain in control.
    “Now, the disc.”
    “Okay, okay. I’ll get it for you. But I’ve got to come down.”
    Kurt stared at Jack and tightened his grip on Max’s hair.
    Jack watched him closely. He noticed that Kurt was beginning to sweat, and there was a slight shaking in his hands. His eyes seemed slightly glazed, and when Jack said he’d come down to get the CD, his eyes began to dart around the cabin.
    “I’m coming down,” said Jack as calmly as he could.
    “Okay. Slowly. No sudden movements.”
    Jack climbed through the companionway and down the steps. Once inside he suddenly felt dizzy. He leaned back against the steps to steady himself. Although the hatches were open, providing a steady flow of fresh air, the cabin smelled fetid. The odor was subtle, and yet, at the same time strong enough to be overwhelming. He had to make a conscious effort to not be sick.
    “Where is it?”
    “Behind you on that shelf.” Jack pointed to a shelf on the bulkhead. Kurt glanced around quickly, but he turned back before there was any chance for Jack to move.
    “Get it,” Kurt said, as he pulled Max to her feet. Jack remained motionless. Kurt’s head jerked permission for Jack to move toward the front of the cabin. At the same time, keeping Max firmly in his grip, he began to slide to the spot where Jack had been. It looked like a very slow, deliberate tango.
    While they exchanged positions, neither took eyes off the other. When Jack was finally in front of the shelf, he stopped.
    “Get it,” commanded Kurt. He gave Max’s head another jerk back. She moaned. “Quiet!” he hissed at her, never taking his eyes off Jack.
    Slowly Jack turned. With his back to Kurt, he reached for the case of CDs. Then he turned back and showed it to Kurt. “It’s in here.”
    “Open it.”
    Jack slowly unzipped the case and spread it open.
    “Take it out.”
    Jack paused, looking down at the two rows of CDs, each tucked neatly inside its sleeve. He remembered that at one time he had put a blank disc into the case. Now as he looked at those two rows of shiny plastic circles, he hoped and prayed that it was still there. A data disc would not play on the stereo, and he hoped to convince Kurt that the blank was what he was after. Beyond that, he didn’t know what to do. Still, maybe the ruse would buy some additional time. For what, he didn’t know.
    “Take it out,” Kurt commanded again.
    Jack began thumbing through the discs. He didn’t see the blank disc on the front side of either sleeve. His heart began to pound as he flipped each sleeve over, praying that the disc would be in the backside. He ran his finger down the row of discs. Finally, at the bottom of the row, he saw it. Inside he wanted to let out a whoop, jump up, and high-five, but instead, he slowly withdrew it and held it up for Kurt to see.
    “How do I know that’s it?”
    Jack looked at him. “You don’t. You’ll have to trust me.”
    “Hand it to me.”
    Jack extended his