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Back Blood in the Water Save as PDF
Chapters (82)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. Praise for Blood in the Water
  81. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  82. Newsletter Sign-up

The fire was almost directly above him, and he wondered whether it would spread from the building to the pier itself. If that happened, there would really be no saving him. Perhaps, he thought, it would be better to give up now and slip away beneath the water. He suddenly felt more tired than he ever had in his entire life. It was, he knew, a sign of extreme hypothermia, and yet somehow he didn’t really care.

Just then he heard the sirens. They started like a distant, high-pitched moan from a forlorn animal, and grew quickly to a long, sustained shriek. They shook him back toward consciousness, and he forced himself to focus. He had very little time, he knew, and probably only one chance for survival. He could hear the firemen and police above him hollering to each other as they started to work to control the blaze. He let go of the piling and willed his leaden arms and legs to push him out away from the pier, where he might be seen. Then, with what little energy he had left, he filled his lungs with the frigid air, ignoring the pain, and called for help as loud as he could.

He could see firemen running along the pier, and one was close to the edge. When Cormack yelled, the fireman’s head came up and he looked around, trying to locate the source of the noise. He was looking up at the building though, logically assuming that someone was trapped. Cormack summoned the last of his energy and took another breath.

“Help! In the water!”

This time the fireman turned toward the right way, and after a moment Cormack could see him raise his arm and point directly at him. “Man in the water!” the fireman called out to others. “Get a rescue team!”

Cormack felt some relief, but knew he was far from safety. He was rapidly losing the ability to move any of his extremities. He was only barely keeping his head above the water, and that battle was about to be lost. His head slipped under for a moment, and he caught a mouthful of water. Thrusting his useless arms down, he managed to get his lips to the surface and take one last breath. Then he was gone. The world faded through a liquid lens, and the harbor that had fed him and clothed him and provided his livelihood took him.

THIRTEEN

Friday, February 1

Kit remembered everything about that awful day, years before.