Time Storm Shockwave (6 page)

“You keep saying that, but how do you know she will
make the same choices as you would?”

She sat down on the port side berth, took off her shoes thoughtfully, and let out a long breath. “I’m really sorry for wh
at has happened to you,” she answered, ignoring his question entirely.

It was the first time that she had actually looked at him. She got up and started
searching through cabinets until she found a first-aid kit, then she walked over to where he was sitting.

“Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“So you are a pretty decent doctor too, is there anything you can’t do?”

She answered simply, “Nothing that I‘m aware of.”

He didn’t expect that, it made her sound egotistical. He smirked a little and asked, “Do you really mean that?”

She raised an eyebrow, “Y
es.” She turned to her bunk and pulled the blanket back.

Her manner had been strange, and she hadn’t said anything more before shutting off the light and climbing into her berth.
He just laid there in the dark, contemplating the situation. He couldn’t see why Mark even liked her, and then there was Justin. Stewart hoped he was safe; possibly, she was just insane—he would find out soon enough.

***

Mark woke early. He felt much better than he had, but he was still tired. He felt uncertain that the correct number of hours had passed. He laughed aloud at himself. That had bee
n such an incredible experience. He had a whole map full of magnetic anomalies and evidence, as well as being an eyewitness—
I am going to solve the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle
—he smiled to himself.

Dierdra
was nowhere to be found. He went to her door and knocked. “Ashlyn, are you awake?”

She didn’t answer him.
After a moment, he went into the galley to make himself some food.
I guess the honeymoon is over
, he lamented,
and it hadn’t even begun
.

Dierdra
showed up just as he finished frying his eggs.

“You didn’t make any for me?” She pouted.

He turned around and questioned her with his eyes.

“What?”
she asked.

“I thought our arrangement was that you would cook for me?”

He felt annoyed—
why is she acting so different
ly
?
—It was as if he didn’t know her at all.

“I’m
sorry”—she covered quickly—“I just overslept.”

“It’s alright. It’s been a weird couple of days I suppose.”

“So has anything really interesting happened out here?”

“What’s wrong
with you? Did I dream the other night or what? You act like you don’t even know what we did.”

Dierdra
glanced away for a second, and then said coyly, “Don’t be silly—” she walked closer to him and put her arms around his neck “—how could I possibly forget something like that?”

He focused on her eyes, and then pulled back a little.

“Hey”—she tilted her head—“if I seemed insensitive last night, I‘m sorry, I was just tired.”

“I know
.” He leaned down and kissed her.

Kissing her felt different somehow, but he couldn’t explain it. When he
had finally started to forget his irritation and relax, she abruptly pulled away from him.

“Feel better?”
she asked as if kissing him would change his sour mood.

He didn’t answer; he
just studied her.

“
Are you going to dive here?” she asked.

“You know where we are
—” he eyed her strangely “—right?”

She made a dismissive gesture, “Of course.”

“And you don’t have a problem with that?”

“Why would I?”

Her nonchalant attitude had him quite perplexed.

“You were terrified before; I thought you said you never wanted
to come back here?”

She hesitated, “Well, I’ve thought about it and I’ve decided that I was being silly.”

He was beginning to wonder if she had multiple personalities. He needed to get away from her. He headed up to the pilothouse, and then chose to go up to the flybridge instead.

When
Dierdra realized he wasn’t in the pilothouse, she began rummaging through his papers and charts.

***

Ashlyn was pushing the motor as hard as it would go, but the waves were not cooperating.
The boat was pitching a lot, and it seemed as if the wind was fighting them too.

Stewart came up on the
deck. He was having a panic attack from the way she was driving the boat. They were riding high in the water and going so fast that it felt like they were pounding over speed bumps.

“Can you slow down at all?”
The dread in his voice made her turn around.

“Are you scared?”

“I hate the ocean.”

“You’ve got to be kidding
! Aren’t you working on your PhD in oceanography or something?”

“Yes, I’m trying to overcome my fear by being out here.”

She shook her head. “Look, I’m really sorry I have to go this fast, but Mark is in danger. Don’t you care?”

He was stung by her question, but he didn’t answer her.
She turned back to the ocean ahead and sped up the boat as much as she dare.

“
I’m sorry, but I know what Dierdra is capable of doing, and I don’t want Mark to—” She stopped speaking abruptly and tears started rolling down her face, but her expression didn’t change.

Stewart was surprised by the tears and wondered if he might be wrong about her after all.
“How do you know where they’re going?” he asked.

She didn’t turn around but pulled a crumpled note out of her pocket,
the one Mark had given her with the latitude and longitude. She flashed it at him and said simply, “GPS.”

Holding his stomach,
Stewart headed back down to the cabin.

***

Mark
finally came down to the pilothouse where Dierdra was sitting on the sofa.

“
I’m going to dive now,” he spoke without looking at her. He walked past her to go down the stairs.

“Mark
—” she waited for him to turn around “—sorry, I can’t let you do that.” She said it with a smile, but she had a gun pointed directly at him.

Chapter 6

Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply

unveil them to the eyes of men. — Bishop Westcott

~

Ashlyn
saw
the yacht before she was close enough for the boat motor to be heard. The wind was blowing hard now, and the rocky waves had turned into substantial swells that were going to make it difficult to get close to the other vessel.

She
maneuvered her craft as close as she dared, and then turned off the motor. The waves weren’t working in her favor; collision was a possibility. However, the noise of the wind might mask her approach.

“Stewart, get up here,” she
commanded.

I’m starting to wish that
Dierdra had just killed me. At least then, I wouldn’t be on this tiny boat.
He was so sea sick that he could hardly raise his head without being overwhelmed with nausea. He didn’t respond.

“Stewart
—” she hissed “—get up here now!”

He glared at her, but
forced himself to go up on the deck.
Staring at the moving waves in the bobbing boat, he felt as if he might collapse—up—down—up—down, it wouldn’t stopped.

She focused on his pale face for a moment, but said,
“Stewart, I know you are suffering”—she took him gently by the shoulders—“and I want to help, really, but right now I have to get on that yacht before Mark …” She didn’t finish as she turned to look across the water.

He followed her gaze and for the first time realized that they had found the yacht. A wave of relief washed over him.
Maybe this torment will finally end.

“I need you to take the wheel
. Wait until I’m on the yacht; give me five minutes, and then start the motor—get as close as you can, and then drop the anchor—” she glanced across the water “—and, please try not to hit the yacht, okay?”

“How are you going to get
over there?” he asked, bewildered.

She
stared at the fifty feet of swelling-ocean that separated the two vessels, and then back at Stewart. “Swim.”

***

Mark studied
Dierdra as she stood there, gun in hand.
I ruined my relationship with my best friend for this.
He felt sick.

“Why are you doing this, Ashlyn?”

Dierdra didn’t bother correcting the name. “You’ve been sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, and some people are not happy with you.”

“Who
—” he threw up his hands “—what are you talking about? I haven’t been doing anything, to anyone.”

“
At least you haven’t put it all together. That’s good, but I will probably still have to kill you.”

Her voice was
as cold as if she were choosing between hash browns and toast.
How can this be Ashlyn?
She had seemed so different, so caring. This woman was as cold as ice. It occurred to him that Stewart might not have sent that note willingly.

“What did you do to Stewart?”
Mark demanded an answer, ignoring the gun.

Dierdra
rubbed her neck and gave him a half smile. “He’s dead.”

Sudden
waves of nausea hit him, but it wasn’t from the movement of the sea or the pitching of the boat. He sat down on the stairs leading down to the aft deck, his back to her. All of this was his fault. He didn’t care anymore. She might as well get it over with and kill him.

“Mark,
” she spoke his name.

He
didn’t turn around. He just sat there for a second, and then stood up and walked down the stairs.

She
didn’t shoot him because the curve of the staircase had blocked him before she realized what he was doing.

“There’s
nowhere to go”—she called out to him—“so why don’t you come back up here, and make it easier on yourself?”

“
No”—he was resigned—“I don’t want the blood to make a mess in my pilothouse.”

“You’re
right”—she began moving silently toward him—“I might as well keep this boat and make you walk the plank. Kind of poetic, don’t you think?”

“Might be a
problem”—he moved quietly toward the rear of the boat—“since I don’t have a plank.”

She laughed.
“I can improvise. Besides, you will make a satisfying snack for a shark.”

“I’m a pretty good swimmer,
” he responded.

“
Nobody is that good,” she stated flatly.

Staring out at the water on the back of the aft deck,
with the boat bobbing up and down in the swells just off the starboard side of his yacht, he heard something. He listened for a moment. It sounded like coughing. He walked further toward the steps and looked down.

Ashlyn was clinging to the back of the aft deck, still in the water.
That’s impossible
. He turned to look up behind him, and then back at her. She was trying to grasp the ladder as she fought against the jostling waves. She lifted a hand while trying not to lose her balance, and made a shushing motion with her finger.

He hesitated only
for a moment, and then quietly climbed down the stairs to help her up.

S
he leaned into him, and whispered, “She’s going to try to kill you.”

He glanced
behind himself quickly. “She already has, and she has a gun. Why does she want to kill me?”

“I’ll explain
later”—she gave him a meaningful look—“right now I need you to hide.”

“But
—”

S
he shushed him by putting her hand over his mouth. “Mark, I love you, now hide.” He tried to respond, but she silenced him with her repeated demand, “Hide!”

Dierdra
was coming down the stairs. Ashlyn listened for movement, and then she made a wild gesture with her arm for him to duck.

There was no way for
Dierdra to see them because of the sofa that blocked the end of the aft deck, and they were still down on the lower landing.

They crouched lower. Ashlyn kept her voic
e low, and spoke into his ear, “I’m hoping she will think you went the other way.”

He considered that for just a second and then nodded his head in agreement.

“As soon as she is past the salon, I want you to go up to the pilothouse. No, wait, she’ll hear you. Go into the closet at the bottom of the stairs.”

They must be identical twins.
Mark didn’t like this plan; he wasn’t going to hide. Surely, Ashlyn was in danger too, and he doubted that she would be protected by family loyalty. He was relieved to find out that the woman he had fallen in love with had not turned into the cold-hearted bitch up the stairs, he was not going to let Ashlyn get hurt protecting him.

“I’m not going to hide while you’re in danger,”
he contested resolutely.

She studied
him; brow furrowed, and glanced over at the smaller boat. Stewart was supposed to start the motor up at any moment to get closer to the yacht, but now it was clear that he wouldn’t need to—the drift had done it for him.

She pointed
to the boat so that Mark would know where it was. While his attention was diverted, she hastily shoved him into the water. The wind covered the sound.

He went under for
only a few seconds, and then came up shaking his head.
Apparently, she isn’t going to let me help.
Treading water, he glanced over at the yacht.
Maybe I can help more from there anyway.
He swam for the boat.

There were no weapons on the yacht
; at least none that Mark had access to, and he had no strategic advantage there. Possibly, he could find something on the littler craft that could help. At the very least, it would be faster if they needed a quick getaway.

He planned to align
the boats, and then jump back on the yacht and save Ashlyn. He traversed the short distance. His plan sounded weak, even to him, but he didn’t have a better one. He found the ladder easily enough. Thankfully, it was on the side facing him.

He
climbed up and over the side. He froze when he saw Stewart standing there, beaten and bruised—from the look of it, sick as a dog, and couldn’t help himself; Mark ran the couple of steps that was between them and threw his arms around his friend—a big bear hug.

Embarrassed by his display of emotions, he released Stewart, and said,
“I thought you were dead!”

He
smiled weakly. “I thought you were too,” he said, and then ran to the side of the boat and heaved.

Mark wished he could help, but there was no time right now. He
ran to the helm, trying to determine how best to maneuver the boat into place without being noticed. It was going to be extraordinarily difficult with the pitching of the two vessels. He cursed under his breath, wishing that it were a calmer day.

***

Ashlyn had flown up the stai
rs to the aft deck, and then had run across it without being seen. Dierdra’s back had been turned, but any sound would most certainly send her racing up the stairs. Ashlyn was shoeless and dripping wet, being chased by someone with a gun, and all she had was a knife. The only thing she had in her favor was that
Dierdra
would think she was Mark. At least that would buy her a second or two of surprise.

She heard
Dierdra call out, “Mark, I thought you wanted to keep the blood out of your pilothouse?”

Ashlyn cringed
at that. She glanced around the pilothouse but saw nothing more dangerous than a few throw pillows on the sofa. An idea struck and she ran up onto the flybridge, locking the door behind her. Mark was on the boat with Stewart, and she waved to him.

When Mark saw
her waving, he was relieved that she was all right, but couldn’t shake the nagging fear that she wasn’t Ashlyn. He tossed the idea out, she was still sopping wet. He had thrown out the rope again, for the third time, finally catching it on the yacht hook he had been aiming for. He tethered the two crafts together, and then pulled the boat as gently as possible. Even with so much care taken, there was still a small thud when it touched the yacht.

Dierdra
was in the pilothouse trying to get the door open when the boats touched. She looked around warily, not sure of what she felt. “What are you up to?” she called, but there was no answer.

There was an outside walkway starting at the middle section
of the yacht, running up to the bow. Ashlyn was trying to climb over the edge of the flybridge to get to the same place where Mark and Stewart were trying to climb aboard.

Dierdra
assessed her options, and then she walked down the stairs, tiring of the game. She inspected the aft deck, which was empty. As she went through the glass sliding doors into the salon, she spotted the small boat tethered to the starboard side of the yacht. It was too short to be seen from the aft deck.

“Ashlyn,”
Dierdra mumbled angrily, teeth clenched. She heard a noise, turned her head, and saw the men. She clinched her jaw angrily and spoke to Stewart, “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“
If you’re expecting an apology or something—” he sneered “—I’m fresh out.”

She took a step toward him, and said,
“Don’t think you can get away from—”

Ashlyn
grabbed her around the neck from behind. Simultaneously, she knocked the gun from Dierdra’s hand. Ashlyn had Dierdra in a chokehold, but Dierdra broke out of it with a full body jerk downward, flipping Ashlyn over in one smooth motion. She landed hard on the floor, but rolled over onto her stomach, and instantly reached for the gun. Dierdra jumped her before she could get to it, but Ashlyn managed to twist around and throw Dierdra headlong into the glass coffee table, shattering it as she landed.

By then, Mark had traversed the few yards between them
to where the gun had landed on the floor. He grabbed it and pointed it at Dierdra, who had somehow managed to get to her feet.

“Stop,”
he commanded.

Dierdra
was bleeding from the wounds she had sustained on her impact with the coffee table, but she wasn’t about to give up. She ran through the open glass door and flung herself over the half-wall of the starboard side of the aft deck, and into the water.

That took all of them by surprise. S
tewart collapsed onto the sofa—he simply couldn’t take anymore. They could chase
Dierdra
if they wanted, but he was happy to be on the bigger boat. Maybe now the nausea would subside.

Ashlyn ran to
Mark. “Give me the gun.”

When he didn’t move, she shouted at him, “She’s going to take the
boat! Give me the gun.”

Before he had a chance to react, he
heard the boat motor start next to them.
She must have gone up that ladder fast to have started the boat so quickly
. He ran to the double doors and through them to the outside walkway. She had chopped the tether line with an ax. He still had the gun, but he didn’t shoot.