Andrew experienced a mix of regret at not having rescued Ella, and relief that he would not now have to make such a dangerous attempt. “Too late!” he said.
“It is the thin man with the pony tail,” Carmen commented. “I didn’t hear his name.”
Brother and sister watched as the man wound the anchor up. It was soon aweigh, and the dive boat began to drift astern, pushed westwards away from the reef by the wind and tide. The man obviously knew what he was doing because the anchor was lifted up and secured within a couple of minutes. The man then made his way to the wheelhouse. A few seconds later Andrew saw a puff of black smoke spurt out of the exhaust behind the mast.
“He’s started the engine,” he said.
Then the sound reached them. A few seconds later the dive boat began moving forward and swung its bows towards them. It then began travelling north just clear of the reef.
“Coming this way. We had better hide,” Andrew said. Once again, he made preparations to dive. This time he spat in his face mask and rinsed it before pulling it on. Then he checked the regulator and put it in his mouth. By the time both were ready the dive boat was only a hundred metres away and approaching fast. Andrew knew it could do about 12 knots at full throttle and it looked to be doing that now.
Carmen took her regulator out and said, “I can only see that one man in the wheelhouse. There is no-one else on deck.”
“You are right. I think this fellow is just moving it out of this area,” Andrew agreed.
“You don’t think he is looking for us?” Carmen asked.
Andrew shook his head. “No. He is going too fast. He might have a general brief to locate us if he can, but I think he is going somewhere. OK, we had better dive.”
With that he replaced his regulator and let enough air out of his BCD to allow them to sink just below the surface. Carmen sank with him, again holding her nose and the air tank while Andrew held onto the coral and to her. He checked that they could move around into the shadows behind the coral outcrop and then rested to listen and watch.
I don’t think we need to go any deeper, Andrew told himself. But his heart rate still went up as the dive boat got closer. Underwater the sound of its engine and the grind of its propeller shaft were very clear.
Then the boat came into view. Andrew tensed, ready to flee and he nudged Carmen to keep sliding around to keep the coral outcrop between them and any observers in the boat. From underwater the hull looked dark brown to Andrew, but he knew that close up it had a coating of marine growth and looked green. He could even see the whirring blur that was the rotating propeller.
The dive boat did not deviate from its course or slow down. Instead it just went on northwards. Andrew really wanted to take a peek to see if he could spot Ella but decided the risk was too great. To his own shame he thought that his survival and that of his sister were more important.
Only when the sound had receded and he was sure that the dive boat was at least two hundred metres away did he slowly surface, again making sure he was behind a coral outcrop. First, he stayed with only half the face mask above water until his eyes confirmed the location of the dive boat. Then he surfaced and took the regulator out of his mouth and pulled his mask down.
By then the dive boat was at least three hundred metres away and looked to be almost stern on. Andrew noted that it was towing the rubber boat and the sight of a dark lump in it made him feel ill.
That might be Tristan’s body, he thought.
Carmen joined him and they both watched until the dive boat was half a kilometre away and rapidly dwindling into the distance. “Going north,” Carmen said.
“Maybe to our camp on Prescott Island?” Andrew suggested.
“Possibly. If they know it is there. Now, let’s get ashore. I am getting really cold,” Carmen replied.
Andrew was too but had put his shivering down to shock. He looked around and could not see any sign of the game fishing boat. “We will still be careful,” he said. “We will look silly if we just stagger ashore and those men are watching.”
“Swim then. There is just enough water if we are careful,” Carmen agreed.
“I am taking this air tank,” Andrew said. “Lock it onto my BCD please.”
Carmen shook her head. “Don’t you think of doing anything silly,” she said.
“I won’t. Now hurry up,” Andrew replied.
He turned his back to her and waited until Carmen had secured the air tank to the bracket on the BCD. Then he partially inflated his BCD by mouth. Satisfied it provided sufficient buoyancy he pulled on his face mask and began breast stroking, breathing through his snorkel. Carmen followed, keeping her head out of the water.
The tide was now sufficiently high to allow them to skim across the top of most of the coral so progress was relatively easy. Andrew thought this was good because a lot of the coral was branch or staghorn and was sharp and brittle. As much as possible he tried to follow the small gullies and dips to keep as much water under them as possible. He also kept a wary eye below them for possible hazards like the spiny sea urchins or creatures like moray eels and sting rays.
It only took the pair five minutes to cover most of the distance to the sand cay. For the last ten metres they had to stand and walk. Andrew slipped off his fins, slid his face mask down and then struggled to his feet, weighed down as he was with weight belt and air tank. A quick look around revealed that the dive boat was now a small dark blob two or three kilometres away on the far side of the Challenger Channel but west of the main reef.
Not going to Prescott Island then, he deduced.
There was no sign of the game fishing boat. Watching where he put his feet to avoid standing on sharp objects or brittle coral Andrew waded and sloshed his way to the sand. The sharp pains in his buttock and thigh he ignored.
As he reached the cay Andrew was able to look over the top. The sand was only a metre or so above the tide level and was quite bare and flat on top. The first thing he saw was the top of the game fishing boat’s mast.
Carmen was right. It is in the Boat Passage, he thought.
But just the sight of it was enough to spark a panic attack and Andrew sank down behind the sand cay and signalled Carmen to keep low. As he looked back to check that she was doing that Andrew also looked northwards to check on the dive boat. By this time it was just a tiny dark spot on the horizon and he was sure they were not visible to people on it.
“The game fishing boat is there alright,” he said.
Carmen nodded and sank gratefully onto the lovely warm sand.
“What will we do now?” she asked.
“You are going to dig a small hole here in the lee of the sand ridge so you can hide and stay out of the wind. Make sure you don’t stick your head over the top and get seen,” Andrew replied.
“And what are you going to do?” Carmen asked.
“I am going to have a look at this submarine,” Andrew answered.
Carmen shook her head and looked very unhappy. “Oh Andrew, please don’t. It is too dangerous. We have managed to get away with our lives, let’s not risk them unnecessarily,” she said.
But Andrew was determined. He pressed his lips together and then said, “But it is our duty. If there really is a submarine, then our navy will want to know. We have to have details to tell them when we report,” he replied. That was true, but he did not add that not only was he now consumed by curiosity but as the shock wore off a burning desire to see the killers brought to justice was building.
Carmen shook her head but was still unhappy. “But if they see you they will kill you,” she said.
Andrew really admired her for that because in his