Page 70 of The Night Before (Savannah 1)

“What the hell?” Kelly had muttered but was still laughing as she tried the ignition. The engine ground and then nothing. “Jesus . . . this isn’t supposed to happen. I had the thing checked over by a mechanic. When I see him again I swear I’m going to wring his fat neck!” Suddenly it seemed darker than it had been, which, of course was impossible. But the lights of shore appeared miles away, the wind picking up eerily. “Shit.”

“Did you run out of gas?”

“I don’t think so. Christ, it’s dark out here.” She’d fumbled in a compartment for a flashlight and managed to switch it on. The boat had rocked on a swell and the night seemed eerie and stark . . . as if they were alone in the world.

Caitlyn’s nerves were strung tight. “Maybe we should call for help,” she’d said.

“Who?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the Coast Guard.” The wind had quickly died, and the water was quiet. Deathly quiet. Too quiet . . . just the lap of the water against the hull accompanied by the gentle rocking of the craft. Caitlyn stared out at the water, imagined she saw dark shapes shifting below the surface.

“There’s nothing wrong with the engine.” Kelly was still cranking on the ignition, muttering under her breath, when the damned thing started again. She gave it some gas. The engine roared. “See! It was nothing!” She turned to look smugly back at Caitlyn, but there was something in the air, the feel of electricity that Caitlyn sensed. Just a trace of smoke—the scent of electrical wires burning.

“And you wanted to call for help!” Kelly laughed.

“I think we should still—”

BAM!

The explosion tore through the boat. Smoke and fire erupted. Crackling loudly over the splintering of wood. Caitlyn was thrown off her feet. Her head banged against the deck. Pain blasted through her brain. Her head reeled.

From somewhere faraway Kelly screamed in terror.

The boat pitched and shuddered.

Caitlyn struggled to stay conscious. Frantically she wrapped her fingers through the railing.

“Kelly!” she tried to scream, but no words came. “Kelly!” She was swirling, the blackness trying to pull her under.

With a slow, ominous groan, the hull cracked, wood splintering, fire burning on the spilled oil and gasoline. The cruiser trembled, then crumpled in upon itself.

“Kelly!” Caitlyn forced out, but it was barely a whisper. Oh, God, where was she? “Kelly!” Panic strangled her, and blackness threatened to swallow her. She clung to a piece of the railing, her eyes narrowing through the smoke and darkness as Kelly’s dream boat sank deeper into the surrounding void. Cold water tumbled over her, pulling Caitlyn downward as she flailed and tried to stay afloat. God, please don’t let me lose consciousness, don’t let me drown here. Kelly! Kelly, where are you? A seat cushion floated past and she grabbed wildly for it, wrapping her arms around the bobbing piece of plastic and foam. “Kelly,” she cried, desperate, coughing and sputtering. “Kelly!” She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t keep her eyes open. And then the blackness consumed her. She felt the cold water pulling at her and from somewhere far away she thought she heard a bone-chilling, agonized groan, but she couldn’t locate the sound.

Water filled her lungs. She could no longer fight.

She closed her eyes and sent up a prayer to a God she didn’t trust and then she let go....

The accident had been a horrid experience, one she still couldn’t think about too long. Now, ten years later, as she sat in Adam Hunt’s office, she felt a chill as cold as the sea had been that night. Shivering, she looked up at him leaning back in his chair, his hand propping his chin, his note pad balanced upon a leg, his eyes centered on her. “Are you okay?” he asked when she stopped talking. Only then did she feel the tears in her eyes. She blinked. Looked away and heard the chair protest as he stood and picked the tissue box off the table.

Sitting next to her, he handed her a Kleenex.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, grabbing the damned tissue and swiping away the stupid tears. Why was she such an emotional wreck? Why couldn’t she pull herself together? She knew he saw people in this condition all the time. It was his job, for God’s sake. This was what he dealt with. Worse, if that was possible. Yet she felt like an idiot as he sat there all concerned.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Adam asked, his voice soft with concern as she threw Kelly’s nagging worries out of her mind.

“There’s nothing more to say.” She managed to stem the flow of those damned tears. “I was comatose when a passing boat found me, and I woke up three days later.”

“And Kelly?”

“Kelly always manages,” Caitlyn said. “She was picked up, too, and out of the hospital before me. I think she was more ticked off about the boat than anything else. She hadn’t bothered to insure it, and she’s been kicking herself ever since.” Managing a smile, she added, “And I haven’t heard her talking about buying another one.”

“Can you tell me anything else about her?”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “Tons. She’s the interesting one. The adventurous one. The bright one. She was always getting me and Griffin, my friend growing up, into big trouble. Now she’s a buyer for Maxxell’s. Isn’t around as much as I’d like and she . . . she and the family don’t get along.”

“Why is that?”

“Because of the boating accident. She not only blew through a big chunk of her trust fund but she nearly killed me and herself.” Caitlyn tore at the corners of her tissue.

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