Chapter 4

Nate exited the car with a prickling sensation of being watched. He turned, and was surprised at the proximity of the intruder.

"You're good at sneaking up on people, you know that?"

"Sorry," said Danny. He looked at the trunk. "Can I help you carry in the groceries?"

They unloaded the bags and refilled the almost bare refrigerator. Danny stared doubtfully at a package of spinach before handing it to Nate.

"Does Sully like this stuff?" he asked.

"Haven't you ever heard of Popeye?" said Nate. "It's good stuff. Makes you strong." He placed the last package in its place and eyed their handiwork before shutting the door. Danny hovered silently behind him.

"Something else on your mind?" asked Nate.

"It's Friday," Danny replied.

Nate waited, with no further explanation. "And?"

"We always clean the boat on Friday afternoons."

"You and Sully?"

Danny nodded.

Nate grinned at his answer, remembering the countless hours of his youth that were spent cleaning the same boat. "Every Friday?" he asked.

The boy nodded again.

"He's got you trained pretty well, huh?"

Danny shrugged. "I like doing it."

Nate feigned an expression of horror. "Don't ever tell him that. He'll make you polish a hole through the stainless steel."

Nate began walking to the back of the house, followed closely by the younger boy. "Okay, let's go see how the boat looks."

The wooden dock extended from the back yard into a river that fed into the Atlantic. Sullivan's Travels was a sufficiently sized motorboat that could be used for ferrying a load of stolen treasure, a quick getaway, or spending a day fishing in the ocean. It stood proudly at attention, gleaming in the afternoon sun.

Nate whistled as he climbed aboard. "Looks like you guys have been keeping it up pretty well."

Danny procured the cleaning supplies from below deck. Nate watched as he began to mop the deck, cleaning each section twice to make sure nothing was missed. After a couple of minutes, he grabbed a cloth and cleaning spray, and began to work on the wheelhouse windows himself.

The two worked in silence for the next hour, until the boat was reflecting off more sunlight than the water it rested on.

Nate stood to stretch when he heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. A minute passed, before Sully and Leonard appeared from the sliding porch door into the back yard. He smiled as the two men began walking towards them.

"Good to know the boat's being taken care of in my absence," Sully said as he neared. Leonard stood by his side.

"Hey, old man." Nate said as he stepped off the boat and grabbed Sully in a full hug. "Welcome home."

Sully returned the embrace. "Thanks, kid. I'm glad you're here."

Nate nodded as he pulled away. Sully's Havana shirt was too large on him and the skin on his cheeks sunk in as he spoke. For as long as he could remember, Sully had never really been sick. A cold would keep him down for a couple of hours, but he'd be piloting the getaway plane the same day. He had the flu once and swore by three glasses of orange juice with each meal of the day. By the next morning, all symptoms had vanished. Sully was the strongest man he knew. The thin frame of the man that stood in front of him scared him in more ways that he cared to admit.

"I gotta say I'm surprised," said Sully. "You always avoided cleaning the thing like the plague."

Nate crossed his arms. "I think old age has gotten you confused, Sully. I remember plenty of days spent wiping imaginary dust from this thing."

Danny's head popped up from below deck at the sound of the conversation.

"Ah," said Sully. "Now this makes more sense. I'm guessing this was all Danny's idea."

The younger boy beamed at his words. "Welcome back, Sully."

Leonard, who was admiring the boat, inhaled sharply at the sight of the kid.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he said as he gestured toward Danny. "This is the kid?"

"Yeah," said Sully, "that's him."

"Jesus, Sully," Leonard said as he started to back away. "I didn't see this. In fact, I'm leaving and I was never here. You wanna go back to jail?" He gestured toward the boy again. "That's how you get there. Trust me. Leave him alone. The both of you."

Danny bit his lower lip as the three of them watched Leonard's retreat.

"I should get going," he said.

"Look, Leonard's just a crazy lawyer," said Sully. "Don't listen to him. You can stay if you want."

Danny looked between both Nate and Sully. "I'm glad you're back, but I should get home." He gathered the cleaning supplies quickly to store them.

"Hey kid," said Sully, as Danny stepped off the boat.

Danny turned, looking back.

"We'll go fishing next time. Bring some bait, okay?"

Danny smiled, and nodded. "Okay."