The Sea Duck bobbed gently on the small waves. It had taken them nearly a year of exploring to find this spot after the incident with Moby Dimple and Seymour had revealed the location of their previous secret cove. As it turned out, this one was much better. Despite a storm raging over them, only minor chop existed where they were anchored. This cove was shaped like a large horseshoe, with sea level no less than 700 feet below the top of the surrounding cliffs, and they were further sheltered in a small inlet at nearly a right angle to the outlet of the cove.
Their best guess was that the small island was actually the collapsed caldera of an ancient volcano, long extinct. Whatever it was, the island was mostly rock and sheer cliffs. It was roughly a mile and a half in circumference, and only a hundred yards wide at it's widest point. There was no reason for it to be inhabited, nor was it. It was not on any map, and they had never seen another soul anywhere near it.
By now, the trash can was a good deal more filled than was the cooler, and they were both feeling well past tipsy as they sat just inside the open cargo doors watching the rain pour down, listening to the thunder. Both aft doors were also open and a refreshing light and cool breeze wafted through the empty cargo bay. Though normally they bantered at length with fishing poles cast, today they had said very little. They simply sat staring out the open doors, each leaving the other to his thoughts.
"She was right, ya know," Baloo said eventually.
"Who?"
"Sam. Samantha. About you."
He scoffed. "If it was anyone, it was you. You're the one who acted first."
"Naw, I did a foolish thing. I shoulda stayed on my face. Besides, I wasn't acting. I was mad for other reasons, and trying to take it out on a man who, but for the grace of God, woulda turned me into Swiss cheese. I saw you push Sam down and cover her up. That second volley went right through where she was standin' and just barely missed you. You didn't even know her and you saved her life. And then you backed me up when what you shoulda done was stay on your face. So ya saved my life too. Those were truly heroic actions, kiddo."
"Well I don't feel like a hero."
"I know ya don't. And a real hero never does. I'm proud 'a ya, son."
Baloo didn't call him "son" that often. It was usually reserved for special occasions. Baloo knew that Kit considered him his father in every way that mattered. It seemed though that he still felt the need to respect the man who really was, just in case Kit hadn't been abandoned, but orphaned for some other reason. It wasn't necessary, but it also made the times Baloo did refer to him that way more special.
"Thanks, Papa Bear."
There were a few minutes of silence.
"Cute though, isn't she?" Baloo said.
"Who?"
"Sam."
"Oh, Baloo, I'm not thinking about that right now."
"Why not?"
"Baloo, I killed someone earlier today! Romance is about the furthest thing from my mind right now. In fact, I'm doing my best to not think anything at all. So let's just let it drop, okay?"
"All right, whatever you say, kiddo."
He was quiet for a few moments more.
"She is cute though, isn't she?" Baloo said.
Kit smiled. The first one since the robbery.
"Yeah. Yeah she is. Real cute."
"And ya saved her life. You'll never get a better in than that."
"I don't know…She owns a bank, and had that Stearman restored…she's got to be rich. And she's older than me too."
"Now, Kit, you know none of that matters. It's all about a connection. And trust me, you connected with her today."
"Yeah, I guess. But as pretty as she is, and with money…she's got to have a boyfriend."
"You'll never know until you ask. Worst thing she can do is say no."
"Ah…I guess. So what were the "other reasons" you were mad about?"
Kit's subject changes were normally more subtle, but Baloo let him get away with it.
"It's all this stuff with Becky. Even though I'm not mad at her anymore, the anger's still there. Haven't been able to put it to bed. And then he killed that man's wife…just out of spite…out of spite! And I thought to myself, 'what if that were me and Becky?'. After that, I just had to act."
Kit nodded.
"So what made you change your mind about her all of a sudden?"
"I can't tell ya, Little Britches. I wish I could, and if it were just me, I would. But if I told ya I'd be violating Becky's trust."
"I understand."
"Just say that she explained herself to me, and it was a damn good explanation."
"That's plenty." He paused a moment before asking. "So then what now?"
Baloo drew a great breath, let it out slowly. "I want to be with her, Kit. I'm in love with her, ya know."
"Oh, Papa Bear, of course I know. I've known longer than you have."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Baloo, the only people who didn't think it was obvious that you and Rebecca were in love with each other were you and Rebecca. You were always too busy trying to pretend that you weren't in love with each other."
"Kit boy, you're spinning your propellers, but I'm afraid you're not goin' anywhere."
"Baloo, you two belong together. You're…soul mates, for want of a better term. But circumstance, meaning primarily Molly and I, made you guys a couple before you were even friends. You're as much a father to her as you are to me, and Rebecca's as much a mother to me as she is to Molly. Once you got to the point where you liked each other, love was inevitable. And trust me, you guys could have taken this step five years ago."
Baloo scoffed.
"No, seriously. Think, when did you first have the slightest inkling that you might have feelings for Rebecca that were beyond platonic."
He groaned. "Oh, I don't know." He mulled it over for several moments. "If I had to nail it down to any one particular event, it was probably at Lake Flaccid after that mission to Mars thing."
"Nope."
"Listen to you, you little pissant! Trying to tell me about my own feelings!"
"That's because in this one instance, I know better than you. That was when you first started having feelings for her. When did it first cross your mind?"
"Kit!"
"-En Kaboodle."
"What?"
"The Starrywood thing. After Rebecca saved your life. That was when the idea first occurred to you. And to her too, for that matter. Because you both started treating each other just a little different after that."
Baloo thought a moment, and his mouth fell open.
"By George, I think you're right," he said, slightly awed.
"Of course I'm right. I'm always right."
He tipped up his bottle, stood, and stretched.
"And I think I'm right off to bed."
"All right, kiddo. I don't think I'm too far behind you."
"See ya in the morning, Papa Bear."
"Good morning, Higher for Hire."
"I was wondering if Kit was available?"
Becky was surprised enough that it took her a moment to find her voice.
"Um, no he's not, might I ask who's calling?"
"Is this Miss Cunningham?"
"Yes it is. Who is this?"
"Miss Cunningham, I'm Samantha Beckett, owner of First State Bank of Decatur. I was just calling to check on how Kit…and Baloo too…how they were doing after everything yesterday."
"I don't know what you mean."
"After the robbery. I was wondering-."
"Robbery?! What robbery?"
"Oh…um…I'm sorry…I guess I assumed that when they came back yesterday…"
"Look, Miss…what did you say your name was?"
"Beckett. Sam Beckett."
"Miss Beckett, Baloo and Kit had a cargo run to Decatur Island yesterday, after which they were taking some leave time. I haven't, and don't expect to, see them for a couple of days. And I don't know anything about a robbery!"
"Oh, Miss Cunningham, I am so sorry. You see…"
She went over the incident in as much detail as she could, starting with why they were even at the bank in the first place.
"I'm sorry you have to hear about it like this, I didn't realize they weren't flying back to Cape Suzette or I wouldn't have called."
"It's quite all right. I guess I'm a little upset they didn't phone me about it yesterday. But if I may…your interest seems a little more than professional concern."
Over the line came the not quite concealed sound of a cross between a girlish giggle and a nervous clearing of throat, as though the receiver were being muffled by covering it with a hand. Becky felt her temper begin to boil. If some crusty old banker though she was gonna get her hands on Baloo after everything that had happened the past week, she had another think coming.
"Well, yes, actually…it's Kit. He seemed-."
"Kit?!"
"Well, yes, ma'am. He seemed pretty shook up, which I completely understand. And just between us girls, he is a very handsome young man, and he did save my life."
Becky was very quickly becoming disgusted when all of a sudden the name clicked.
"Beckett!" she blurted out.
This stopped Sam in the middle of her sentence. "Um…yes?"
"You're the one who's father was-." She cut herself off. "Oh I-I'm sorry, that was terribly insensitive."
"That's all right, I get that a lot. I'm used to it."
"I'm sorry for your loss. I read about it in the business trades after it happened. But…didn't you…um…"
"I blew that sonofbitch's brains out."
That was more blunt than Becky would have put it, but it was what she remembered from the story. Her mental picture of the woman morphed from the white haired old lady she had been envisioning to the trim white furred young woman she remembered from the photos last year. And the conversation was suddenly making much more sense.
"I'm sorry, Miss Beckett-."
"Sam."
"I'm sorry Sam, I was just…momentarily confused."
A genuine laugh rose from the other end of the phone. "Picturing an old cougar instead of a young bear were you?"
Becky joined in the laughter. "Yes. And as I'm the person who's been as much a mother to Kit as anyone, I can say you were just about to get an earful."
"Oh, is his mother…?"
"Kit's an orphan. But I probably should be letting him tell you that."
"Yes, I understand. I was just wor…um…concerned. Kit seems like a…very nice person. And even though I had every reason to hate that man, it still weighed on me that I took his life. Kit must be going through the same thing. I wanted to let him know that he could talk to me about it and I would understand. If he wanted to."
"Well, he'll appreciate that."
"He can reach me at the bank most times during the day, but let me give you my home number."
Becky took it down.
"Well I hope to meet you someday, Miss Cunningham."
"Rebecca. If I've got to call you Sam, you've got to call me Rebecca."
"Well, then I hope to meet you someday, Rebecca. I have great respect for your reputation. I know how very hard it is for a young woman to make it in the business world."
"Well, I'm not so young anymore, but thank you."
"You're quite welcome. Talk to you soon."
"I'll look forward to it."
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
She set the receiver down slowly, her concern growing as the distraction of the conversation faded. She was mildly annoyed that they hadn't called her, but she allowed that a phone call to her was probably one of the furthest things from their mind when they took off, and once they got where they were going they certainly wouldn't have access to a telephone. And Sam described Baloo's injuries as minor at the worst. But Kit was a different story. Physically he was unharmed, but having gone through it herself, Sam was obviously concerned enough about what Kit was dealing with psychologically that she wanted to check up on him.
She smiled as that thought crossed her mind. There was a lot more to it than that. According to the news stories, Sam had shot the man responsible for murdering her father with extreme prejudice, and rightfully so considering the gruesome nature of the crime. Obviously she came to terms with it without too much trouble. If she knew Kit any better, she would know it would be the same way with him. Once he got it straight in his head, he would be okay. But she had a sneaking suspicion that the reality of the situation was more likely that Sam was looking for an excuse to talk to him again. It took a modern, strong-minded woman to be able to step into her father's shoes the way Sam had. Such a woman was not likely to wait around for a man she was interested in to pursue her.
Which brought her back to Baloo. What was she to do about him? Follow Sam's example? Or settle back and wait for him to come to her? She had cried for nearly half-an-hour yesterday morning after he told her that he loved her on his way out the door. Tears of both joy and relief. But he had also made it clear that he still had some things to work out in his mind.
She decided she would give it a week. One week and she would go on the offensive again. Until then, there was nothing she could do but wait…and hope.
Kit was violently turned out of his bunk as the Duck's two big double row radial engines roared to life. The throbbing rumble of 3700 horses did absolutely nothing for his head, which felt like it was underfoot as those horses stampeded by.
"Rise and shine, Kit!" Baloo shouted from the cockpit.
He dragged himself forward towards the cockpit. Baloo was a much more experienced drinker than Kit was, and seemingly felt no effects from the previous night, despite outpacing him at a rate of better than three to one.
"What's going on, Baloo?" he asked as he fell into the right seat. "I thought we were gonna hang here for another day or two. We've got plenty of supplies."
"Nah, changed my mind. We're heading back today. Got unfinished business with a certain brown-eyed beauty." He pushed the throttles to their forward stops. The engines howled and the Duck surged forward.
Despite the fog surrounding his brain, it was obvious to Kit that Baloo's mood could only be described as jovial. That knowledge didn't help Kit's own mood any. He rubbed his eyes and held his head in his hand.
"You could've at least waited a little while longer."
Baloo laughed grandly.
"Hangovers, Kit…they're the wrath of grapes!"
He yanked back hard on the yoke. The Duck leapt from the ocean and Baloo put it in a steep banking climb, making a full circle in the sky before adding the left turn that would take them out, then exited the open end of the horseshoe shaped cove on a knife edge before rolling through another 270 degrees of bank to put them right side up.
After eight years of flying with Baloo, Kit normally had a cast iron stomach, but it was far too sour to handle the high-g gyrations only moments after waking up. He quickly rolled down the window and coated the right flank of the noble Sea Duck with the contents of his stomach.
Baloo looked properly contrite, but that didn't prevent the evil eyed stare he got after Kit pulled his head back inside.
"Sorry 'bout that, Little Britches."
"Yeah, well, I'm hauling those britches back to my bunk. Wake me when we start our approach to Cape Suzette."
"Sure thing, Kit."
"And Baloo…"
"Yeah?"
"A little more subtlety this time."