Bodies in the Boatyard

CHAPTER TWO | THAT SINKING FEELING-2

THANKFULLY, Marjorie Jane’s engine sputtered to life. We hadn’t fired up the boat since we’d bought her a few months ago. Come to think of it, there were a lot of things we hadn’t done since we’d bought the boat, like take her out of the slip.

“Okay, here goes nothing,” Scooter said as he started to reverse the boat.

“Watch out to your port,” Ben said frantically as a wood piling came precariously close. “Put it in neutral, quick!”

I shut my eyes and clutched my hands together. While I didn’t see the boat hit the piling, I felt the thud. Mrs. Moto yowled and cowered in my lap.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard Ben tell Scooter that it seemed like a minor scrape. What’s one more dent? Marjorie Jane already makes us look like trailer trash at the marina with all the marks on her hull. This one will just blend in with the others, I thought to myself.

“I guess he’s a little rusty,” Ben said in an effort to calm my nerves. Or maybe it was to calm his nerves. I wasn’t sure.

I rubbed my temples. “I’m not sure a little rusty actually covers it. Completely oxidized would be more like it. I don’t know when the last time was that Scooter drove a boat. Certainly not in all the time we’ve been married, and that’s been ten years now.”

Ben gulped. “Scooter, want me to take over?”

I watched as Scooter gripped the wheel tightly and stared straight ahead. “No, it’s okay. It’s a straight shot from here to the haul-out area.” I think the last thing he wanted to do was admit to Ben that he was in over his head.

As we passed by other boats, people waved at us and yelled out encouragement. “Finally taking Marjorie Jane out for her first sail?” “You’re going the wrong way—the open water is that way.” “Whoa, that was awfully close.” “Hey, watch where you’re going! You almost hit my stern!”

“It’s a shame the first time you’re taking Marjorie Jane out is because she has a leak,” Ben said. He reached down and playfully batted at Mrs. Moto’s cute little rabbit-like tail, which was a hallmark of Japanese bobtails. She was so entranced by the other boats that she didn’t even notice.

After we passed the dinghy dock and the fuel dock, a blue fishing boat cut in front of us and slipped into the area where they haul boats out.

“Hey, isn’t that The Codfather from last night?” I asked. “The captain is one of the guys who got into a fight. Can you believe he just cut right in front of us?”

“I’m busy trying to steer the boat,” Scooter said. “I can’t check to see who that is. But whoever it is, that was a really crappy thing to do.”

Ben leaned forward to get a closer look. “Yeah, that’s Norm Thomas’s boat. It doesn’t surprise me in the least. He’s such a jerk.”

“I recognize him too,” I said, pointing at a young sunburned guy with short red hair who was standing on the dock. “He was there last night. Norm is his uncle.”

“Yeah, I know him as well. We went to high school together.” Ben walked out to the bow and yelled down at Liam. “Hey, man, what’s going on? These folks arranged for an emergency haul-out. Tell your uncle he has to wait his turn.”

The redhead sneered. “First come, first served.” He glanced at Marjorie Jane dubiously. “I’m surprised that thing is even floating. I still can’t believe anyone would be suckered into buying this excuse for a sailboat.”

Scooter looked like steam was coming out of his ears. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly that I thought he might bend the metal. “She’s a great boat, bud,” he snapped. “She just needs a little TLC. Now get that other boat out of the way, so we can get hauled out before we sink!”

Liam laughed. “Nah, you can wait. That’s what bilge pumps are for. Besides, we’re running a business. Time is money, you know.”

He sauntered over to The Codfather and had a few words with his uncle, pointing back at us occasionally. Then he walked over to the Travelift operator and handed him something.

“What was that?” I asked. “Did he just bribe him?”

Ben shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think it was a bribe, just a tip. Lots of folks tip those of us who work at the marina.” He grinned. “I know I sure like it when it happens. Keeps me in beer.”

“Ben, what are we going to do here?” Scooter asked anxiously.

“Hang on a bit. Let me go check down below.” After a few minutes, Ben popped his head back up. “It looks okay. The water doesn’t seem to be rising. Why don’t we tie her off here and wait for them to come haul you out when they’re done with Norm’s boat?”

“Wait? Why should we have to wait?” I asked. “That Norm guy is really getting on my nerves.”

“Well, don’t take it personally,” Ben said. “He treats everyone that way. He thinks that because he’s a successful businessman, he’s in charge of the town.”

“Can you really make that much money from running a fishing charter business?” Scooter asked. I was relieved to notice that his grip on the wheel had loosened slightly.

“Oh, that’s just one of four charter boats he owns. Plus, he has his finger in a lot of other pies in town. That guy is ambitious. If he had his way, he’d own everything in Coconut Cove.”

While Ben and I got Marjorie Jane tied off, I thought about how Norm had threatened to drive Melvin out of business the previous night. Exactly how far would he go?

* * *