Before anyone had knew it, Christmas had come and gone, and Joelle and her uncles were in Dutch Harbor heading back from Cod fishing. It was less than a week before Opilio crab season had started, and the crew was on the boat getting things ready for the new catch. They were busy restringing the pots so that they caught opies, and not Cod. January up in Alaska was always harsh, but Joelle never tried to complain. Complaining got people nowhere, and only seemed to piss people off. She just kept her mouth shut and said nothing.
"Alright guys. Our new greenhorn is here." Sig said, walking on the dock with another guy, who looked a little older than Joelle's age.
"Nick, that's your nephew, right?" Matt asked.
"Yeah, on my wife's side." Nick said, going back to his work.
"This is Jake Anderson. Jake, this is my brother and deck boss Edgar, my other brother Norman, Matt Bradley, and my niece Joelle." Sig said, introducing him to everyone.
"Wow, Nick, you weren't kidding when you said there was a chick on the boat."
Joelle just glared at him, and then turned back to her work, not even greeting the guy.
Jake tried to shake hands with the guys on the crew, but nobody shook back but Nick.
"You have to earn a handshake." Edgar said.
"I'm ready to learn! I'm after one thing, and that's that jacket. I will prove to you that I earn that jacket." Jake said with a smile.
Joelle just glanced at him, shaking her head. She looked over at Matt, who rolled his eyes.
Edgar showed Jake the room he would be sleeping in, if there was any sleep at all, and then showed him how to set bait, the job that every greenhorn started with. Near the end of the night, the boat was nearly done, only needing a few preparations, but Sig decided that they all deserved a night out before heading out to sea. They all showered and changed on the boat, and then headed into town to the bar that they always met up at.
"Sorry if we got off on the wrong foot." Jake said to Joelle while walking towards the bar.
"Glad you're sorry, because I can run circles around you on that boat." Joelle said, looking over at him.
"Joelle, be nice." Matt said, but still smiled at the sight of the greenhorn sucking up to Joelle.
"I'm always nice." She said, then jumped on Matt's back. He carried her into the bar that way, and immediately, was greeted by the many people that were in the bar. Joelle hopped off Matt's back, and bounced ahead of them, going straight to the bar to order herself a drink.
"Lemme guess, crown and coke?" the bartender asked with a smile.
"You remembered." Joelle said, smiling.
"It's all you drink. Of course she remembers." Keith said, putting his arm around her and patting her shoulder.
"Why mess with a good thing?" Joelle asked, and then thanked the bartender, whose name was Jamie.
Joelle light up a cigarette, and then looked around the room.
"You guys ready to head out?" Joelle asked Keith.
"Yeah. How about you guys? Have a good trip out catching cod?"
Joelle nodded. "A lot safer than crab fishing."
Keith nodded in agreement, taking a sip of his drink.
"But I enjoy crab fishing more." She said with an evil smile.
Keith smiled at the comment.
"Joelle! Get your ass over here!" Joelle heard Johnathan yell from across the room.
"I'm being summoned."
"Good luck." Keith said with a laugh.
Joelle walked across the busy room to where Johnathan was sitting with his brothers and the rest of the crew. Joelle went over and sat on Russel Newberry's lap.
"It's time for our traditional shot." Andy said, handing Joelle a shot that she didn't dare to ask what was in it. Even though she wasn't in their crew, they all insisted on her joining them in their crew shot. As Johnathan always put it, she was an 'honorary member' of the crew.
"To a safe season!" Russel said, holding up his shot.
The rest of the group held up their shot, and then drank them quickly. Joelle made a face, not sure what she thought of it, then chased it down with her drink.
"Thanks for the interesting shot." Joelle said, smiling.
"Did you like it?" Russel asked, laughing.
"I can't bring myself to say that I did." She said, laughing.
Joelle heard the door to the bar open and she turned to see if she knew who was walking in. She saw Jake Harris walk through, all smiles when he saw everyone else. Following behind was Phil, Freddie, and Murray. When the door shut, Joelle wondered where the rest of the crew was. She shrugged her shoulders, turning back towards the Time Bandit crew.
"So, what's the captain's wager this year?" Joelle asked, smiling at Andy, who was the captain of the Time Bandit for the opilio season.
"We haven't discussed it yet. We were waiting for Phil to arrive. Lets go Johnathan."
Joelle watched as Andy and Johnathan left, and she slid over to the empty seat.
"Aw, why did you go and do that?" Russel asked, smiling.
Joelle smiled, and then noticed Josh Harris walk in the door, and then head over to join the rest of his crew. She saw Crosby from across the bar look over at her, and then motioned in his direction. Joelle nodded quietly.
"What? You look like you're putting together some devious plan."
"Not at all." Joelle said with a smile, and then got up. She drank the last of the drink she had, and then went to the bar to get a refill. Monty was sitting there and leaned over and gave Joelle a kiss on the cheek hello. She returned the gesture, and then decided to quit playing shy, and to start acting like her old self again. She walked right over to the table where the Cornelia Marie crew was sitting and walked up behind Jake and threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug.
"Hey gorgeous. How ya' been?" Jake said, smiling.
"Been doing great. Bout time you're lazy asses get here." She said, smiling at the whole group. She could feel Josh's eyes on her, and she wondered if he recognized her at all.
"We're lazy?" Freddie asked, looking insulted.
Joelle went around Jake to give Freddie a big hug.
"Josh, this chick is the only chick that I am cool with up here. Never will you see a better fisherman." Freddie said. Joelle blushed a little at the compliment. He wasn't the type of guy who got along with many people. He was there to fish. The greenhorns on the Cornelia Marie always said to her that he was a hardass, and never gave them the time of day. She had to prove herself to him as well, and whatever she did, it must have done the job.
"So you're the famous Joelle that Jake always talks about." He said, smiling at her. She felt then that he didn't recognize her. She figured as much, since she was wearing her Northwestern baseball cap. She didn't look anything like she did the night they met.
"I guess I am." She said, sitting down in an empty chair between Murray and Freddie.
"How long have you been fishing for?"
"This is my fourth Opie season." She said, lighting a cigarette.
"This girl is the only person I know that went from greenhorn to full share in one season." Murray said, looking over at Joelle.
"Well, I did have an advantage there. Edgar was teaching me for years how to do everything on the boat before I even joined the crew."
"Doesn't matter to me. There are guys out there that come onto a boat and have already been crabbing for years and don't become full share in one season. Usually takes a couple of years."
Joelle shrugged her shoulders.
"She don't like to brag." Freddie said, putting his hand on her head and shaking it a little. It caused her hair underneath the hat to fall out. She pulled her cap off and then pulled the hairtie out of her hair, her hair falling down past her shoulders.
"Hey, do I know you from somewhere?" Josh asked while she was fixing to put her hair back up in a ponytail.
Joelle looked over at him.
"The show maybe?" Joelle asked, sticking her hat back on.
"No, never seen the show." He said, sitting back, looking at her.
Joelle looked over at Jake, who looked confused.
"Maybe not." He said, shaking his head.
"You really don't remember, huh?" She said with a smile.
Now Josh looked confused.
"You asked me for my number a month ago, when I was with my friends at the Oasis bar." She said.
Josh's mouth dropped open.
"Didn't think you remembered." She said, sitting back, taking a drink.
"I knew you looked familiar."
Joelle just stared at him with a smile on her face.
"Wait, you never called her, did you?" Freddie asked.
Josh was then silent.
"That's what I came over for. Thanks Freddie. See you around Murray and Jake. Nice talkin' to you Josh." She said, patting his shoulder, and then walked off.
"You dumbass!" Jake said, hitting his brother. "I can't believe you never called her!"
"Yeah, that was a pretty dumbass move."
"Jake, remember when my phone fell in the pitcher of beer, and it ruined my phone. That happened the day after I got her number."
"Sure it did." Jake said, laughing at his brother.
"I'm serious about that." Josh said.
"No wonder why she didn't want to meet you at the Christmas party!" Jake said, grabbing his pack of cigarettes.
"She was there?" He asked.
"Josh, that is Joelle Hansen. Sig's niece! Of course she was there."
"Wait, she didn't tell me her last name was Hansen. The name she told me started with a W."
"No, that's Joelle Hansen. Her uncle's practically raised her."
Confused, Josh looked over at Joelle, who was talking to Crosby at the bar. He then got up and walked over to the two and just stood there, waiting to be acknowledged.
"What's up?" Joelle asked.
"What's your last name?" He asked.
"Hansen." She said, confused.
"You told me the night I met you that your last name was something that started with a W." He said.
"Ohh, yeah. I told you it was Williams, right?" She asked.
Josh nodded.
"That is my last name." She said.
Josh looked even more confused than before.
"I go by Hansen though. I just never had it legally changed. I really need to do that, don't let me forget when we get home." She said, turning her attention back to Crosby.
"I'm confused." He said.
"Larry, who shares the same genes as me and tries to call me his daughter. His last name is Williams. After I moved in with the people who I consider more of a father than Larry, I decided to go by Hansen. I never really got around to changing it legally."
"Why did you tell me it was Williams then?"
Joelle shrugged her shoulders, taking a drink.
"Why does it matter anyway?" She asked, looking over at him.
Josh just looked at her, and then walked away without answering.
"I think you upset him." Crosby said with a smile.
Joelle shrugged her shoulders again, smiling at him.
"This is the Joelle I know and like! Time for a shot." Crosby said.
"Shots all around!" Andy said, yelling.
"Whoa, aren't we generous."
"I mean, I'm not paying for them. Just, everyone get a shot so we can all take them at the same time." He said, realizing how many people were really in that bar.
"Too late, you already said it." Phil said with a smile, smoking his cigarette.
"Fuck off. I'm not that rich…yet."
"That's why we need to get out there and go fishing!" Johnathan said.
"So shots are on you when we get back? I say that's a deal." Joelle said, smiling at him while taking a drink at the same time.
"Funny." He said, flipping her off.
Jamie started to pour about 60 of the same shot, and then started to hand them out to everyone. Joelle crawled into Crosby's lap by that time and was sitting comfortably while waiting for everyone to get their shot and for someone to say something.
"Here's for a safe and quick season!" Sig said, holding up his shot.
Everyone agreed, and then took the shot. She grabbed the pack of cigarettes that sat on the counter that belonged to Crosby, and took 2 out. She handed him one of them, and put the other between her lips, waiting for Crosby to finish lighting his cigarette. He then held the lighter out to help her light hers.
"Why is she being so pissy if she had no interest?" Josh asked his brother, watching Joelle sit on Crosby's lap talking away to him and Keith.
"How do you figure she had no interest?" Jake asked, looking over to where she was sitting. Edgar had joined the group by then as well.
"Well, isn't she dating that guy?"
Jake and Edgar busted out laughing.
"What?" Josh asked.
"Dating Crosby? That's funny." Jake said, finishing off his drink.
"What's so funny about that?"
"Those two would be laughing too if you said that to them." Edgar said.
"What? Is she related to him too?"
"You would think, but no. I think they feel the same about each other in the fact that they are just friends, and nothing more than friends. She sees him more as a brother than anything." Edgar said, signaling for Jamie to fix him another drink.
Josh looked over at them again.
"Very close brother and sister." He said.
"Why so sour?" Edgar asked.
"I want to know why she lied to me." He said.
Edgar looked over at Jake, confused.
"When Joelle met him a month ago, she told him her last name was Williams, not Hansen."
"Dude, it is Williams. She hasn't changed it legally yet, unless she had and hasn't told me."
"She hasn't." Jake said.
"She introduces herself as Hansen, unless she is meeting someone for the first time and they don't realize who she is. She doesn't like it when people give her a hard time about what she does for a living. She gets more criticism than anybody I know." Edgar said.
"Well I can see why. It's not a woman's world out here." Josh said.
"Don't let her hear you say that. She'll make you eat your words." Edgar said, taking another sip of his drink.
"Right." Josh said, smiling.
"Seriously. That girl is stronger than most of the men in this room. She beats me in arm wrestling."
"Me too." Jake said, making a face. He didn't sound proud of admitting it, but said it anyway.
"Yeah right." He said, laughing. "That little girl over there is stronger than you two."
"Josh, have you ever beat dad in arm wrestling?" Jake asked.
"No."
"He struggled a little against Joelle."
Josh looked over at Joelle, who was deep in conversation with Crosby, Keith, and Monty.
"I don't believe it."
"Joelle!" Jake yelled.
Joelle turned and looked over in the direction her name was called.
"It's time for an arm wrestling challenge."
"I'm really not in the mood." Joelle said, glancing over at Josh, who then gave Jake a look of 'I told you so'. She then crawled off Crosby's lap and said "But maybe I am now. Who's the challenger?"
"I'm up for the challenge. I can't lose every time." Frankie said, standing up.
"Alright, lets do this." Joelle said, sitting next to him. The whole bar stood up and circled around the table they were sitting at. The two of them interlocked hands, and Joelle looked at Frankie with a smile. He had tried to beat her in this little game about 3 times now, and lost every time. Lifting weights almost daily helped her win against the guys, otherwise she wouldn't stand a chance.
Edgar gave them the cue to start, and the two struggled to win the wrestle. Everyone cheered, mostly for Freddie to not lose to a girl again. Josh just sat in his chair, watching the two, not knowing if he was believing it or not.
After a long struggle, Joelle won the match. She shook out her arm, giving Freddie a hug.
"You know what that means."
"Yeah yeah yeah, I'll buy you your shot." He said, smiling at her.
"Whose next?" Joelle asked, smiling.
"Alright, you want to try me again?" Phil asked, smiling.
"Watch this." Jake whispered to his brother.
Josh watched as Phil walked over to the table and took the seat that Freddie had been sitting in.
"I have faith that one day, I will beat you." Joelle said, smiling at him.
"Keep dreaming darlin'." He said, taking her hand in his and getting ready for the cue to start.
Josh sat back as he watched Edgar give the cue for the two to start. Hardly believing his eyes, he watched as his dad had a little bit of trouble getting Joelle's arm down. After a few moments of fighting, and wondering at one point if Joelle was going to pull it off, Phil won the hand.
"You're a strong one." Phil said, kissing Joelle's forehead.
"I will beat you, I swear to it."
"Yeah, when I'm old and gray." He said.
"Umm, Phil. Aren't you already…" She started to say, but stopped, knowing very well he knew where she was going with the conversation.
"You better watch yourself little one." He said, laughing.
"Dad, did you let her do that?" Josh asked.
"Let her do what?"
"Struggle a little?"
"Why would I let this little chick almost take me on arm wrestling?"
"Little chick?" Joelle asked, giving Phil a look. He just laughed at the look.
"I'm telling you Josh. Try to beat her."
"You'll lose." Jake said.
Josh stood up for the challenge, and Crosby saw nothing but bad things coming out of it.
"This is gonna' be bad." Norman said to Crosby quietly.
"Yes, it is."
"You think she's gonna' throw it, don't you?" He said.
Crosby nodded, giving Norman a look.
Joelle locked hands with Josh and looked him dead on. Edgar held their hands, and then gave them the cue to start. The two struggled, and Josh even had the thought cross his mind that she was a hell of a lot stronger than she looked.
"She's gonna' throw it for sure." Crosby said quietly.
"She likes him." Sig said, who was standing on the other side of Crosby.
The three of them watched as Joelle threw the match and let Josh win. He stood up in victory, laughing at his brother, proving him right.
"I think the whole room now knows it as well." Crosby said, turning back towards the bar.
Sig just shook his head, looking over at Edgar, who shrugged his shoulders back at his brother.
Joelle walked over to where her two uncles and Crosby were.
"You threw the match, why?" Sig asked, looking over at her.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Joelle said, stealing one of her uncle's cigarettes, and then lighting it. The four of them were quiet. She looked over to where Josh was at, and he was sitting next to Jake, smiling.
"I can't believe you lost to her." Josh said to him.
Jake shook his head, not understanding what just happened.
"She threw the match. Why would she do that?"
"Beats the fuck out of me." Murray said.
"You think she threw the match?" Josh asked, looking at the guys.
"We know she threw the match." Freddie said. "If you and I had a match right now, I'd take you down."
"Why would she throw it?" Josh asked.
"She didn't want to embarrass you your first night out with everyone." Edgar said, picking up his drink.
"Why would she not want to do that?" He asked.
"You really are dense." He said, and walked off.
"She likes you, you dumbass." Jake said, getting up and walking off.
Josh looked over at Frankie, who just lifted his glass up in the air, and then took a drink out of it. He looked over at Joelle, who had crawled back up into Crosby's lap, and the two of them were talking quietly to each other. He saw her glance over at him, and then turn back to Crosby. Josh sighed, and finished his drink.
"Alright you guys. Our first pot of the string is coming up. Be ready." Sig said over the hailer, getting his crew ready.
Joelle stood by the rail and watched as her uncle Edgar watched for the buoys. The greenhorn, Jake, stood close by Edgar, waiting to see what the pot carried. All of them silently hoped for a good catch. None of them wanted the trip to be a long one, and hoped that Sig had chosen a good spot to start fishing.
Joelle watched as Edgar threw the hook to catch the pot. He got it on his first try, and quickly brought it in and put it in the block. Norman, who was at the hydraulics, brought the pot in. Joelle watched over the boat and saw the pot come close to the surface. She knew what she saw, and couldn't keep her excitement in. She saw a full pot, stuffed with crab. The crew cheered in excitement, and even Sig had come out of the wheelhouse to see what the first pot of the season had in it.
"Now that's a full crab pot." Sig yelled, smiling.
Joelle helped her uncle untie the door to the pot, and the crab poured out of the pot onto the sorting table. Jake crawled into the pot to help get the crab out of it, and took out the old bait jars.
"We are on the crab!" Matt said, starting to sort through the massive amounts of opilio crab. Joelle quickly helped her uncle set up the pot to set it back. Once the door was closed, she ran over to the sorting table to help sort out the crab. The first pot had a total of 546 crab in it.
"Not a bad way at all to start the season." Joelle said with a smile.
Joelle watched as her uncle taught Jake how to sort the crab. Joelle just smiled as she watched the eager new addition to the boat kiss her uncle's ass. He was more than determined to prove himself to her uncle's to get the jacket.
The crew worked for the next 18 hours straight on hauling in crab pots stuffed with crab. Joelle knew that if things kept up, they would have the boat full in no time.
Sig sat in the wheelhouse, smoking his cigarette in silence. The Discovery Channel camera crew were always bugging him with questions, and he seemed to not be in the mood to answer any of them at that moment. The sun was down, and the only thing shining on him was the lights from the many screens in the wheelhouse.
"This is the last pot in the string." Sig said to his crew, and then set down the microphone.
Sig put out his cigarette, but quickly lit up another one. He was getting tired after being in the seat for 26 hours straight, but wanted to finish the string before even thinking about taking a break. He was grateful that it was the last pot, and grateful that the numbers were consistent. Even though the numbers dropped off significantly, they were still on a 250 average. He was fine on grinding with that, but wished that they would find more soon.
"Alright guys. Come on in for a quick nap. Edgar, come up here and relieve me. I need to get some sleep." Sig said.
"Roger!" Edgar answered.
The tired crew made their way inside and immediately started to take off their rain gear. Matt went downstairs to start cooking some food before everyone went to bed. Joelle ran up to the wheelhouse to see how her uncle was doing.
"How are you holding up?" Joelle asked her uncle, sitting on the bench behind the captain's chair.
"Nothing I can't handle." Sig said, smiling at her.
Joelle stood up slightly, and then took one of Sig's cigarettes. She lit the cigarette, and then sat back down.
"How long are you giving us?" She asked, staring out the front window. It was dark out, but the waves were getting bad.
"I figure about 4 hours will be good enough for everyone."
Joelle nodded.
"You going to get some sleep?" Sig asked.
"Matt's cooking, and then yes."
Sig nodded.
Edgar came up to the wheelhouse at that moment, and Sig gave him the directions as to what he wanted him to do. He patted Joelle on top of her head, and she just gave him a weird look, and then he disappeared down the stairs.
"What do you think of junior?" Joelle asked Edgar as he got comfortable in the chair.
"He's definitely an eager little son of a bitch, isn't he?" Edgar said, laughing. He lit his cigarette, looking at all the GPS to make sure he was going in the right direction.
"He's a little kiss ass." Joelle smiled, sitting back in her chair. Every muscle in her body ached, but she didn't let it bother her. She was in for a long season if she gave in then.
"He's got some real potential though." Edgar said, getting serious then.
Joelle nodded in agreement.
Just then, Jake ran up the stairs to the wheelhouse holding a plate of burgers and potatos. He handed the plate to Edgar.
"He's got everything ready downstairs." Jake said to Joelle.
Joelle smiled, and followed him downstairs to the galley. The food smelt amazing, and Joelle sat down next to Nick, grabbing some food.
"Thanks Matt." Joelles aid, digging into her food.
Matt nodded, eating his own food.
"Looks like we are going to have one hell of a storm heading our way." Joelle said, not looking at any of the guys sitting around her.
"Bring it on." Jake said with a smile.
Joelle eyed him. She wasn't sure about him really. He did seem to be picking up things on the boat quickly, and definitely was eager to learn new things. She just didn't know if he was being real or not. She didn't want someone on the boat that was going to end up screwing them over in the end. He just rubbed her the wrong way, and she didn't know why.
Joelle finished up her food, and then started to clean. It was something she volunteered herself to do after every meal. Mainly because she didn't cook. It wasn't that she didn't offer, it was that everyone asked her not too. Cooking was not one of her many talents, and had been known to mess up instant macaroni and cheese. Whenever she did offer to cook, everyone begged her to not even try. So, instead of cooking, she cleaned. The guys seemed to like the arrangement they had with her, and never complained one bit.
Once the galley was clean, she walked into the room that she shared with her uncle Norman. She crawled into bed and was fast asleep moments later.
She woke up to her uncle Sig yelling at both Norman and herself to get out of bed. Joelle rubbed her face, and then rolled over out of bed. She grabbed some sweats, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt, all that had the Northwestern's logo on it, and quickly went to the bathroom to change. Once out, she put on her deck boots and headed up to where her raingear was at. Once everything was on, she walked out onto the deck to see that there was a huge storm that they were in the middle of. She stayed under the shelter while she waited for the rest of her crew to join her. Jake was one of the first to join her.
"Ready for another day?" Joelle asked, making conversation.
"Yeah. I'm ready to catch some crab." He said, lighting a cigarette.
Joelle took the blowtorch from him and lit her own cigarette.
"I do want to say something to you." He said, taking the blowtorch back from her and putting it back where he got it.
"What's that?" She asked, her arm wrapped around one of the posts to keep herself up.
"I underestimated you, and I'm very sorry. You keep up with everything better than these guys do, and never once have I heard you complain." He said.
Joelle nodded.
"I was hoping that we could start over." Jake added when he realized she wasn't going to say anything to him.
"When you prove yourself, then I'll consider it." She said. She saw the rest of the guys join them at that point.
For the next 10 hours, they spent it hauling pots and sorting crab. They were back on the crab again at this point, and were bringing in pots with a 700 crab average. With such great numbers, they didn't even mind that they were hauling pots in the middle of a hurricane.
"Aren't you a little worried about the storm?" Dave, the camera guy in the wheelhouse with Sig, asked.
"I'm worried about catching the crab in a safe way. I want the crab on the boat, and they are doing fine. I'll pull the plug when I see some 30 foot waves and it's blowing 70." Sig responded, looking at the camera.
Just then, the Satellite phone started to ring. Sig ignored it, lighting a cigarette. His leg bounced up and down as he paid attention to the waves, making sure he kept his crew as safe as possible while they worked. After awhile, the phone stopped ringing, and Sig heard a loud commotion behind him. He looked on the TV that overlooked the deck and saw one of the crab pots on the ground.
"What the hell happened?" he yelled over the microphone.
"The dogs failed." Edgar yelled up to his brother.
The SAT phone started to ring and Sig cursed under his breath, and ignored it again. He watched out the door behind him to see what had happened, and watched the crew scramble to get the pot back on the launcher. The fall had killed a lot of the crab, and Sig hated the thought of the waste they had on the sorting table.
"You guys need to be more careful." Sig barked at them.
"Roger!" Edgar yelled up to him.
Sig turned back to watching the front of the boat, waiting for the pot to be set to go back into the water. The SAT phone started to go off for a third time, and Sig angrily answered it.
"What?" He asked.
"Sig, it's June." A voice said on the other line. It was clear that she sounded upset.
"What's wrong?" His voice immediately went soft, sensing something was seriously wrong. "Are you okay? Are the girls okay?"
"We're all fine." She said. He could tell she was hesitant to tell him what she was calling for.
"Then what's going on? I'm in the middle of a big storm right now, and I really need to concentrate on keeping everyone safe."
"It's not good news." June said softly. She wasn't talking loudly, like she was trying to keep what she was going to tell him a secret.
"What's going on?" He had a bad feeling in his stomach at that moment.
"It's Angie." She said, and he could hear her start to cry.
"What about her?" He asked. They hadn't heard from his sister in over a year, and the fact that June was calling about her was definitely not a good sign.
"It's not good." She said again, crying.
"June, please just spit it out." He said. He didn't really want her to say it, but knew he was going to hear it either way.
"They found her body yesterday. She had been dead for close to two days." She said through her sobs.
Sig immediately stopped the boat from going. His face went blank, and he barely kept the phone up to his ear. He dropped the pen that was in his other hand and immediately rubbed his face, taking a deep breath.
"Their sure it's her?" He asked.
"Yeah. Larry was found dead too. They are saying it was a murder/suicide." She said, crying.
Anger took over Sig at that point.
"I'm so sorry." June said over the phone.
Sig couldn't speak at that point. He was numb. He could hear the crew at that point start to yell up to him, wondering what was going on.
"What are you going to say to her?" June asked, talking about Joelle.
"I don't know yet." He said. "I need to get off this thing though. Thank you for letting me know, and I love you."
"I love you too. Be safe." June said.
Sig slowly hung up the phone, and then sighed heavily. He sat there, staring out the window, wondering if he should tell his brothers first, and then tell Joelle all together, or tell her separately.
"What happened?" Dave asked.
"My sister, Joelle's mother, was found murdered," Sig said, rubbing his face.
"I'm so sorry." Dave said sympathetically.
"I don't know how I'm going to tell her." He said, sitting back in his chair, just staring out the window.
Just then, Edgar barged into the wheelhouse in full gear.
"What the hell is going on?" He asked, confused. Once he saw Sig's face, he knew something bad was going on.
"Sit." He said. He then got on the hailer and told Norman to come up to the wheelhouse. Joelle looked over at Norman with a confused look, and he just shrugged his shoulders.
"You better let me know what's going on." She said to him as he walked out.
"Roger." He said, smiling at her. He disappeared into the wheelhouse. Joelle and the rest of the crew walked inside out of the rain and sat down just inside the door. Joelle quickly lit a cigarette, and sat across from Nick.
"I wonder what's going on." Jake said quietly.
"It's some brother bonding time." Nick said with a smile.
Joelle just shrugged her shoulders, looking over at the camera guy, Adam.
"You look a little tired." She said to him with a smile.
"I give you guys a lot of credit. All I have to do is carry a camera. You guys have to handle those pots. You're nuts."
The four just laughed at the comment. They were silent after that moment, waiting to get back to work. Joelle leaned back where she was sitting and closed her eyes, enjoying the few moments of quiet, wondering what was going on between her uncles. Joelle then felt the boat kick into gear and turn around in direction, the complete opposite direction they should be going in.
"What is going on?" Matt asked, looking more confused than he already was.
Just then, Sig and Norman walked into the room.
"You guys can get out of that. Joelle, come with me." Sig said. Joelle looked over at Norman, who looked visibly upset, and mouthed 'what's wrong' to him. He just gave her a hug, crying, and then walked away.
"Don't follow us, or I will throw that camera off the boat." Sig said to Adam, walking out.
Joelle quickly took off her rain gear, and then followed her uncle into the galley. He told her to sit, which she did, and he sat next to her. She didn't like where this was going, and knew by the look on his face, what she was about to hear was going to crush her.
"What is it Uncle Sig?" She asked softly. Her voice was even unsteady, not wanting to really know what was up.
"June just called me." He said, not looking at her.
"Is she alright? Is something wrong with Nina or Mandy?" She asked.
Sig just shook his head, a tear falling down his cheek.
"It's about your mom." He said, his voice cracking.
Joelle knew at that moment before he even told her. She listened to him tell her everything he knew about the situation and Joelle just sat there, quietly, hoping it was all a dream.
Sig sat with her and watched her, waiting for some sort of emotion to come out. Before he knew it, she started to break down crying. He wrapped his arms around his niece while she sobbed uncontrollably.
"We're on our way into port, and we're going to fly back home for the funeral." He said, smoothing her soaking wet hair with his hand. She just nodded, not able to talk through her sobs. He just continued to sit with her. Norman walked into the room shortly after and joined his brother and niece.
"I'm so sorry Joelle." He said, sitting across from them.
Joelle just nodded. She was in her own nightmare. She just wanted everything to disappear at that moment.
The rest of the guys were up in the wheelhouse where Edgar was at. Norman had just told them the news, and they were all in shock, not saying a word. Both Adam and Dave were in their as well, cameras running. They had both agreed not to tape Joelle's reaction to the news, but that didn't stop them from taping everyone else.
"How are you holding up?" Matt asked Edgar.
Edgar just shrugged his shoulders, not facing any of them.
"I feel so bad for Joelle." Nick said.
"When was the last time you heard from Angie?" Matt asked.
"It's been well over a year. We were nobody's to her after she got back with Larry." Edgar said, taking a long drag from his cigarette.
Just then, Sig walked into the room, shaking his head.
"How's she doing?" Jake asked with concern.
"Not good at all." He said, taking his seat back from Edgar. Edgar immediately ran down the stairs to where Joelle was.
"She's not taking it well at all." Sig added, lighting a cigarette.
The rest of the guys sat in silence, listening to the waves crash the front of the boat.
"When we get back into town, I want you guys to stay with the boat. We'll do an offload, which you will be in charge of. My brothers and I are going to take Joelle home and attend the funeral, but will be back. I don't know if Joelle will want to come back, but Norman, Edgar, and myself will be back to finish out the season."
"Of course, anything." Matt said. Nick and Jake nodded in agreement.
Most of the trip back was in silence. Joelle never came up after finding out the news, and stayed in her room hiding, only letting one of her uncles in to see her. Whenever Matt, Nick, or Jake tried to come in, she screamed at them until they got out.
When they arrived in to St. Paul, Sig went to get Joelle, who was laying in bed staring in a daze.
"Come on Joelle. You need to get up so we can get you back to Seattle." He said, sitting on the bed next to her.
Joelle reluctantly rolled over and looked at him.
"She's gone." Was all she said, and the tears started to flow again.
Sig sighed, and helped his niece out of bed and helped her change. Once she was dressed, he led her out of the boat and onto dry land.
"I will call you as soon as we know when we will be back up here. I wouldn't think any later than Sunday." He said, which was only 4 days away.
"Roger." Nick said, holding a clipboard to start taking weight totals.
The four of them headed towards a truck that was waiting for them, and it took them to the small airport that was on the island. The small plane took them to Dutch Harbor, where they got on another plane, and headed towards Seattle. Joelle didn't speak at all on the way home, and the guys would occasionally hear her start to cry again.
Once in Seattle, Sig asked Joelle if she wanted to call Kendra to let her know about the news. Joelle nodded, taking her cell phone out of her bag. It had been turned off until that point. She turned it on, and ignored the notifications of voicemails that were left while she was out of town. She immediately called her best friend and waited for her to answer the phone.
"Hey! Are you back in town already? That was a very short trip!" Kendra yelled over the phone happily.
"No, trip was cut short." Joelle said.
Kendra knew immediately something was up.
"What's going on." She asked.
"Mom's dead." Joelle blurted out. She saw no need to drag it out. She heard her friend gasp on the other end. "That son of a bitch killed her!" She screamed, unable to control the feelings she had been dealing with for the past couple of days.
"I'm on my way there Joelle. Hang in there for me until I get there, please." Kendra said, and then hung up the phone. Kendra immediately called her mom and told her the news, and asked her if she wanted to join her in the trip to Seattle. Patti immediately agreed, and told Colin about what happened. The two of them packed, and headed towards the Playboy Mansion where Kendra was waiting for them. The three headed to the airport to get to Seattle.
The next few days were a blur for Joelle. She barely even registered the fact that Kendra, Colin, and Patti had shown up. She was surrounded by family and friends who had all shown up for Angie's funeral. Nobody would mention the name Larry throughout the whole ceremony, which Sig had been thankful for.
"Has anybody gotten a hold of Daniel?" June asked her husband.
"No." Sig said. He knew that Daniel had been sent overseas to Afghanistan, so getting in touch with him was nearly impossible. He left a message on his cell phone, which they sometimes got the chance to answer, but also left a message at the base in case they could get the message to him.
The funeral went by quickly, and everyone headed over to Sig and June's house afterwards for some food and drinks. Joelle had been staying there, and was going to stay there after her uncles left back to Alaska. She had decided that with her mind not being on crabbing, she didn't think that it was safe for her to get back on the boat just yet. She mainly wanted to be around for when Daniel called. She wanted to talk to him herself. Many people came up to her to express their condolences, but Joelle barely even registered the fact that they were there.
"Joelle, hun. We're going to go." Kendra said, sitting next to her best friend.
Joelle looked over at her with tears in her eyes.
"Call me if you need anything. I will be on the next plane here. I promise you that." Kendra said, giving her a hug.
Joelle hugged her back, holding her tightly.
Patti came up to her and sat on the other side of her. Joelle cried harder, hugging her as well.
"Same goes for me." Patti said in her ear softly.
Joelle nodded, staring at her with tears falling down her cheeks.
Joelle watched as they left, Colin following slowly behind. Joelle stared down at her phone, wishing that Daniel would just call her already. She knew he was busy, but she wanted to talk to him in the worst way.
Before she knew it, all of the guests had left besides Norman, Edgar and Linda.
"How are you holding up?" Edgar asked, sitting next to her.
Joelle shrugged her shoulders, leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder.
Edgar sighed, nodding his head.
"Same here." He said.