Page 27 of Renewal After Dark

Mason drove away in his department SUV, smiling the way he did most of the time since Jordan had come into his life in the most dramatic way possible. She’d turned his life completely upside down, which was fine with him. He’d never been happier than he was with her, and he knew she felt the same way about him.

They needed to get serious about planning their wedding as soon as they got past Nikki’s big day in November.

On the way into town, he drove around massive puddles and crews working to remove the debris that continued to come ashore since the storm.

As soon as things calmed down a bit with storm cleanup and the search for the missing men, they would start making plans for their own big day.

Chapter6

Coast Guard Commander Linc Mercer filled a travel mug with coffee and headed to the dock for another day of searching for the missing men. They’d focused their efforts on the Salt Pond since Billy Weyland’s boat had been found partially sunk there. Linc, his officers, Harbor Master Deacon Taylor and others had warned Billy against riding out the storm on his boat.

But Billy hadn’t listened.

A week later, Linc was fielding almost hourly calls from Billy’s frantic friends and dealing with his brother, Morgan, who’d come to the island to assist in the search and keep the gym open. Linc wished he had something he could tell them other than that they were continuing to search for Billy and his friend Jim Sturgil, who was also missing.

Morgan Weyland had been helping by walking the perimeter of the pond at least twice a day, looking for any sign of either man. Linc appreciated that the man was helping where he could while allowing them to do their jobs. He was also relieved that Morgan wasn’t doing anything risky that would only make their efforts more complicated. He’d also seen Sturgil’s father out every day in his boat for hours, navigating the pond as he looked for his missing son. The whole thing was heartbreaking, and the worst part was that it never should’ve happened.

Dealing with the family members of missing boaters was part of Linc’s job, but one of the more difficult aspects. As was managing the media that had gathered on the island seeking updates on the missing men.

Linc wished he had something to tell them all. He took a call from the admiral in charge of the Southern New England region.

“Good morning, sir.”

“Morning, Commander. I wanted to let you know we’re giving the search until sunset tonight before we call it.”

Linc had been waiting for that directive and had been surprised it hadn’t come sooner. “Yes, sir. I’ll notify the families.”

“Please tell them we’ll continue to search during routine patrols, but we can’t devote the full resources any longer, unfortunately. You know I hate this as much as you do.”

“Yes, sir. I understand. Thank you for the update.”

“Keep me posted on how today unfolds.”

“Will do.”

They said their goodbyes, and Linc continued toward the dock to break the news to the crews that’d spent a full week searching during every minute of daylight—and often well into the evenings on their own time, in their own boats.

“Just heard from the admiral that today is it for the official Coast Guard search.”

“I wondered how much longer we were going to look,” Harbor Master Deacon Taylor said.

He, too, had been missing for a time during the storm before being rescued at sea by Joe Cantrell and his crew on one of the ferries.

“I’ll continue to send out a boat every day for as long as it takes,” Fire Chief Mason Johns said.

“Of course we’ll continue to search during routine patrols,” Linc said.

“Understood,” Mason said. “Let’s get to it.”

Linc captained one of the Coast Guard boats with a crew of three on board to assist. Another boat transported the divers who’d work underwater for a seventh straight day. They were focused on the eastern half of the pond, near where Billy’s boat had been moored.

In truth, he’d expected to find them days ago since the pond was large but somewhat contained, making for a much easier search than would’ve transpired in open ocean. But after more than a week of twelve-hour days, they hadn’t found a trace of either man. They hadn’t even known they were looking for Sturgil until his parents made them aware he was missing.

They’d had the help of numerous agencies and departments, including those who mapped currents and tides to direct them on where to look. He wished that no news was good news, but at this point, he had no hope of finding either man alive.

At lunchtime, they returned to the station to eat and take a short break before resuming the search.

Linc checked his phone for the first time in hours and found a text from his new friend Monique. She was Dara Watson’s sister, and he’d met her when Monique recently came to the island for a visit. They’d kept in touch since she returned home to Boston. Linc had started to look forward to hearing from her because her commentary was always entertaining.

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