Jack Beale 00 - Dangerous Shoals

voice barely above a whisper. Jack put the note down, got up, and climbed out into the cockpit. He needed some air.
    His imagination began to kick in. Where was he? When did he leave the note? Was he watching now? Jack slowly looked all around the boat. He looked up at the pier. It was empty. He knew that there were cars in Ben’s parking lot even though he couldn’t see them from down on the boat. He could see people out on Ben’s deck. No one seemed to be paying any particular attention to him. He looked out over the harbor. Since it was still early in the year, many moorings were empty, waiting for their boats to return. Most of the fishing boats were already out for the day, and the remaining boats bobbed peacefully as gulls turned lazy circles in the air above.
    Finally, he scanned the floats and piers of the Rye Harbor marina. Boats were lined up in the large parking lot, ready to be launched over the next few days. He didn’t see anyone on the floats, and the commercial pier was deserted save for two parked trucks. He knew their owners were out fishing. He didn’t know what he was looking for, and he had to be satisfied that he didn’t see it. He went back below and read the note again.
    What could Daniel have that was so important, and why was he bringing it to Jack and Max? He dropped the note on the nav table and then paced aimlessly around the cabin. He opened drawers, closed them, and checked the contents of the lockers, even though he knew exactly what was in them. He picked up the note, read it again, and then returned to the cockpit outside. He opened the cockpit lockers, counted life jackets, and re-coiled unused docking lines. “What is going on?” The thought kept reverberating through his mind.
    With the last line coiled and the last locker checked, he went back below, picked up the note, read it one last time, carefully folded it, and slipped it into his pocket. After a final glance around the cabin, he closed the forward hatch, climbed out into the cockpit, replaced the hatch boards, and snapped the lock in place. Walking up the ramp, he thought about what he should do. Go see Tom? Tell Max? Wait and see what happened? At the top of the ramp, he stopped and took one more look back at Irrepressible , followed by a quick scan of the harbor. Then he headed over to Ben’s. He needed a beer.
    * * *
    “Hi, Jack. How’s things down on the boat?” Max asked with a smile.
    “How’d you know I was down there?” He tried to sound normal. He could feel the note in his pocket, and as much as he wanted to tell her about it, he decided to keep it to himself for the time being.
    “Patti saw you.”
    “Everything is fine. I just like to check on her, especially if I haven’t been on board for a few days.”
    “You want to go to a movie tonight?”
    He was relieved that she seemed to have no clue as to what was going on inside of him. He didn’t like keeping things from her, and he wouldn’t, but now was not the time to tell her. “Sure. You pick.”
    “Great.”
    He finished his beer, got up to leave, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “See you later. I’ll be at home or in the shop.”
    “See you soon.”
    Pick a good one,” he called over his shoulder as he left the bar. She waved and nodded. As he walked back to his place, he decided that he would wait to tell Max until he knew more. He also decided to wait before involving Tom. He wanted first crack at Daniel.

CHAPTER 27
    THE MOVIE HAD been just what Jack knew it would be, a sappy, romantic, chick-flick. It really wasn’t all that bad, and he enjoyed it more than he would ever let on. What was more important was that Max really liked it, and he knew that when they returned to his place she would already be in the mood, which made it all worthwhile.
    Arriving home, he shut the engine off, but neither of them made any move to get out right away. The darkness that had seemed so complete, when the headlights were first shut off, slowly gave way to a world of nearly black colors. With only moonlight and the stars lighting his yard, there was just enough light so that each object’s true color could still be seen as a shade of black. First the larger shapes became visible. Then smaller shapes slowly took form. Eventually, he could see the gardens and the wheelbarrow he had left out in the yard. “C’mon Max, let’s go in.”
    Her answer was the click of the door handle releasing the latch and the creak of the door being pushed