Part 5 of 18
Next morning, at a phone booth in a sleepy little village
Richard runs from shop to shop along the little street, getting change and racing out to hand it to Johnny before haring off to the next shop. When they have the pertinent information, he collapses into the car's back seat and naps all the way to their next destination where they stake out the yacht and take turns watching it while the others rest and find meals.
For his part, Richard is thrilled to be on a spy stake-out. Within the hour he is reminded of how utterly BORING stake-outs are… and how utterly impossible it is to find a proper cup of tea anywhere that isn't British!
That evening
Richard is flattened in the back seat by the exploding raft and almost asphyxiates before he is rescued. The shock to his system causes him to elect to stay with the car where he watches through binocs. He is enthralled to see them climb the side of the yacht but then sees them captured. He wonders if this is part of Johnny's plan and decides to stay put. When he sees the crew find the little raft and sink it, he frets himself into action.
He scours the pier and shore line, finds a little boat, jump starts the tiny motor and sneaks out onto the dark water, staying well out from the yacht and hiding in the shadows. For all he knows, Johnny and Angus might be able to swim underwater like otters! Who knows the skills of British spies? Certainly not a lowly non-spy such as Richard Poole.
But his concern is proven correct when Angus bolts out of nowhere and hurls himself into the water. Richard flashes his red laser measuring device. Angus indeed dives and comes up beside the boat just like an otter and startles Richard mightily! As he guides Angus up over the gunnel, Richard mutters, "Does Celeste know you have gills?"
Angus wipes water out of his eyes, "No and don't you tell her. That's a classified secret!" They grin to each other than hear a loud splash. Security muscle rushes to the side closest to them and scans the water but they scan fruitlessly as Johnny is nowhere to be seen!
Angus moans, "If they throw a spotlight this way, they are sure to see us!" Faintly, they hear another splash but it is on the other side of the yacht. The security men rush away and do set up a searchlight but now they are looking in the wrong direction. Richard and Angus are now seriously worried. Where is Johnny?
Just as Angus is getting ready to slip back over the side, Johnny's head breaks the surface only a few yards away. He is spluttering and coughing but the noise is masked by the shouting and orders being hurled about on the yacht. Another splash is heard from the far side. Whatever is distracting them is doing a good job but they need to leave!
Together they fish Johnny out of the water and escape. By the time they get ashore, the searchlight is playing over the place they'd been but they are already gone up the steps and melted into the night. Ghosts. Phantoms. Spies in Her Majesty's Secret Service!
Angus is chaffing Johnny's frozen hands in the back seat of their car as Richard drives them quietly away with the headlights off and the powerful motor barely purring. Johnny comes to and quips, "So, she let us go, eh, Bough?"
"Oh, yes indeed. Perhaps the old English charm is at work, sir?"
"Perhaps." A long loud pause, then, "Don't tell Catherine."
Both men cross their hearts.
As Richard carefully maneuvers them through the night, he says back over his shoulder, "And what about you, Johnny? I know Angus has gills but I didn't think you could swim."
A long silence from the back seat and finally Johnny says low, "I can't. Not a stroke."
Richard thinks about this for a moment, "Then, how did you…?"
Johnny puts a hand on Richard's shoulder, "I will deny this to my dying day but…" both men frown, "… something came up beneath me and carried me." Now both men gawp in surprise.
Johnny chortles weakly. Being gawped at by identical pairs of green eyes is quite novel, "Yes, it was two, perhaps three, somethings. Very sleek. Very firm. Roughly man-sized. They lifted me up, caught at my vest, and brought me out to the boat. What do you think of that, eh?"
Angus puzzles it, "So those splashes that we heard on the other side of the yacht, the noises that drew off the search, that wasn't you?"
Johnny shakes his head, "Nope. I didn't hear it, of course, but if several somethings were helping me on one side of the yacht, what's to stop several other somethings from decoying our enemies to the other side of the yacht?"
Angus meets Richard's eyes in the rear-view mirror. Both men daren't speculate but Richard finally nods and says, "Um, that letter you showed us, the one that Catherine gave you…"
Johnny nods, "Yes, my boy. I believe that might have been our first 'help' on that front. Which god or goddess holds sway over dolphins in these waters?"
Angus keeps absolutely mum. Talk of this sort has always disturbed him deeply back on the island. He knows Celeste has her own opinions but he is a god-fearing man and he'd rather not think about this sort of thing at all!
Richard scoffs, "Take your pick! Every nation has their water gods."
Johnny rolls down the window, leans out, and calls down to the dark sea below, "Thank you, whichever one of you did that! Was it you, Neptune? I will let Erzuli know…"
Angus drags him back inside and cranks the window back up. He pats Johnny and settles him, "Best not to address yourself directly to the elements, sir. You don't actually want them answering back, now do you?" His voice is calm but the whites of his eyes show in the dark.
Johnny flashes Richard an amused look via the mirror then answers, "You are entirely correct, my good man. I will let Catherine do it for me once we are back home. Let us return to our hotel. We've had enough adventure for one night. Let's get some sleep and be back at it first thing in the morning."
End – part 5