Page 150 of The Session

“We can’t do that. Morris will be all over it,” Tru insisted.

“Are there any webcams in Nassau?” Marnie asked.

“One second,” Marnie said. She stepped into the cabin, where she had her laptop. “Green Turtle Marina has a camera. It’s dark, but I can see one boat, though I can’t quite make it out,” she said.

Mark stepped into the cabin to get a closer look. “Does that say Good Vibrations?”

“I think so,” Marnie said.

“Does that work?” Mark asked Tru.

“That’ll do,” she replied. “Just in case they’ve already put out a bulletin and start calling around, it’s better than using a made-up name.”

Mark pointed to the radio. “Can we set that to the frequency for the harbor?”

Tru adjusted the frequency on the radio, then handed him the microphone.

Mark keyed the mic.

“Chub Cay Marina, Chub Cay Marina, this is motor vessel Good Vibrations inbound. Over.”

A few seconds of hiss followed.

“Good Vibrations, Chub Cay. Go ahead.”

“Evening, Chub Cay. We’re about forty-five minutes out, coming in from the south. Request diesel on the fuel dock if you’ve got someone available. Over.”

Mark waited; then the reply came back, tired but professional.

“Copy. Confirm length, and confirm you’re under your own power.”

Mark glanced at Tru, who whispered the info he needed.

“Sixty feet. Affirmative, we’re self-propelled,” Mark told him.

“Roger. Fuel dock is open. Call us again at the sea buoy for final approach. What’s your ETA?”

“Still forty-five. We’ll call at the buoy. Good Vibrations out.”

Mark set the mic back in its cradle.

“You’d think you’d been doing this your whole life,” Tru said.

“Part of the paramedic certification was learning how radio communications work,” he said with a shrug.

Tru kept the bow pointed toward the harbor, adjusting for wind and current.

As they drew near, Lightman called down to his wife, “Any update?”

“The captain says they finished searching twenty minutes ago, but he was unable to report until they left,” Marnie said.

“How far out are we?” Mark asked.

“About ten minutes,” Tru replied.

Mark had a fairly good idea how different law enforcement services could communicate with each other when they shared a priority, although he wasn’t sure how that worked in the Bahamas. The fact that it was a small community might make it more efficient.

“When we get there, I need everybody to stay down in the cabin,” Mark ordered. “No lights, no talking, nothing. Just in case.”