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Back Blood in the Water
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

Nate glanced at the other men on board. There were three of them, not counting Nate. Cap was the owner of the boat, a thick man with a long beard and heavy, gnarled hands that looked like they could break concrete. Peter was a deckhand, taller and thinner, with a patchy scruff covering both his head and his face. Spots of flesh shone through the hair both on his scalp and on his cheeks and neck, making it look as though moths had been gnawing on him. Nate guessed that tracks ran up his arms under the heavy rubber coat he was wearing. Cap and Peter directed Nate as the three of them worked the traps, pulling them from the water and cleaning the lobsters out, baiting the traps and sliding them back into the water.

The fourth man on the boat was a complete mystery. He hadn’t spoken since Nate came on board. He stood next to the wheel up in the open pilot house, looking forward, calm and still. He was short and nattily dressed in a suit and topcoat, a fedora perched on his head. Nate had no idea what the man’s face looked like because he had not turned around once. His presence on the vessel suggested to Nate that the day would not solely involve lobstering. He guessed that they would be receiving some illicit cargo at some point, and delivering it somewhere on shore. That certainly would explain the demand for Nate’s presence, and the thought gave him some hope that the day would not be a total loss. If this was a drug run, Nate would be given a bonus on top of the day’s wages.

“That’s the last,” Cap said, as one more of the giant traps disappeared into the dark, icy water.

“We’re done?” Nate asked.

Cap shook his head grimly. “We gotta head out past the islands.”

Nate nodded his head knowingly. If there was going to be a drug pickup, it would take place some distance from the harbor, where no one would see.

Cap trundled forward to the helm, had a quiet exchange with the mystery man who still hadn’t moved, then eased the throttle forward and headed out toward the open ocean.

No one spoke as the seas grew rough and the water turned black as coal. After close to twenty minutes, Cap eased back on the throttle. Nate scanned the ocean, looking for a boat approaching, but there were no other vessels nearby. To the northwest he could see the shoreline, but it was a thin, undifferentiated line on the horizon.