The storm was as brutal as forecasted, and Christopher did his best to keep track of the news as he drove. It was sixteen hours from Manhattan to Sister Bay, Wisconsin, and Christopher stopped only for gas. When he did, he kept his sunglasses on his face and his ball cap pulled low over his eyes. By the time he reached Connie Clarkson’s sailing camp it was six in the morning and the sun was rising. When he opened the door to cabin 12 he was met with the smell of fresh brewed coffee and pancakes, and said a silent prayer of thanks that he had Connie in his life. He clicked on the news and ate like a wild animal.

His biggest regret—even greater than asking Claire to sacrifice the Oyster 625, and risk her life for him—was that the money Connie Clarkson had given his father for safekeeping was gone. Like many of his father’s victims, Connie Clarkson was blind to the fraud until she learned the cold, hard truth that any money given to Montgomery Investment Services had disappeared like smoke in the wind.

It was noon before Christopher found the story on CNN’s Web page. A sailboat had sunk off the coast of Manhattan during a violent storm. One passenger, a woman, had been rescued by the Coast Guard. A search and rescue operation had been launched for a second passenger.

Up to that point, things had worked. He had planned to hide at Connie’s for a couple of weeks. He never imagined it would take three years to leave cabin 12 and the sailing camp.

CHAPTER 77 - Westmoreland, Jamaica Friday, October 29, 2021

CHAPTER 77

Westmoreland, Jamaica Friday, October 29, 2021

THE PORT OF SAVANNA-LA-MAR WAS A THIRTY-MINUTE DRIVE FROM Negril. Avery sat in the front seat as Walt drove the Land Cruiser toward the ocean. A week earlier Walt had accepted receipt of the sailboat at the small marina there. The slip had been rented for a month, paid in full and in advance. It only took three days to spin through the checklist of repairs the boat needed after making the long journey from Sister Bay. Over the last three days they stocked the vessel with nonperishable food, water, and everything else someone might need to spend weeks on the water.