Chapter 15 - The Mercy
Evelyn remembered Mercy from family vacations. It had once carried summer tourists between small Rhode Island harbors. Now rust streaked its white railings, and its cabins smelled of salt and wet plywood.
Rachel's team located the vessel at an isolated pier. Harbor police blocked the land exit. Coast Guard crews took positions on the water, keeping lights low to avoid alarming anyone aboard.
Inside the captain's cabin, Victor Hale listened to a portable radio. Beside him sat a small girl in an oversized sweatshirt, coloring three blue birds with a broken crayon.
“Can I call my grandma?” Nora asked.
“Soon,” Victor said.
“You said that yesterday.”
He stared at the floor. “I know.”
Charles Whitmore appeared at the door. “Stop talking to her. Get the engine ready.”
“The engine hasn't run in years,” Victor said. “This ferry isn't going anywhere.”
“Then we make sure nobody finds what we've been hiding.”
Outside, Sloane stood beneath a warehouse awning with Rachel and Marcus. She had returned voluntarily after delivering the final location. “He's inside,” she said. “My father has a pistol. Victor may not.”
Rachel checked her radio. “Nobody goes aboard until we have a safe approach.”
At home, Evelyn sat between Helen and Maya. She kept Nora's astronomy book open in her lap. Her phone rang once, from an unknown number.
A small voice whispered, “Grandma?”
Evelyn nearly dropped it. “Nora? Honey, I'm here.”
“I found your stars.”
“I'm so proud of you. Are you hurt?”
“I'm scared. The bad man says we're leaving.”
May you like
A man's hand evidently snatched the phone away. Charles spoke into it calmly. “You want the child? Sign the deed and come to Pier Nine alone.”
Then the line went dead.
