I try not to think about how far away the shore is. I just count my strokes . . . 531, 532 . . . I’m swimming slow, but I know every stroke counts. One at a time . . . 533, 534 . . . There’s a fishing boat like Mei’s dad’s trawler further up the coast. But they won’t be able to spot me yet, so I keep making for the beach. A few motorboats hum. If I keep moving, surely someone will see me.
Barney dives around me, and disappears for minutes on end, maybe longer. So when the water is disturbed below me I don’t panic. Something surfaces to my right. ‘Back at last, Barney?’ I turn to look at him and my words burn the back of my throat. A fin, a huge one, is ten metres away, cruising in a circle. Only white pointers cruise like that. Smaller sharks dart. I drop my head underwater. Yep, a white pointer. Holy moly, that bloke wasn’t kidding. It’s three metres I reckon, huge compared to the shark Mei and I saw when we dived on the Clan Ranald. Will it attack me? Do I still smell like fish guts? Is the Pope Catholic?
I flounder and stop swimming. What can I do? Wait until it comes? Hit it on the nose? I wonder if that really works. But I’ll try anything. I can see the beach at last. I fiddle with my life jacket to find the whistle. I hope sharks are scared of piercing noises. I blow it as loud as I can. The fin is giving me a wide berth. But then it closes the gap. The shark brushes past me. It feels like a bus has just barrelled through. Is it checking me out? I keep blowing the whistle. Then Barney surfaces.
I look in horror at Barney. It’s like he has a neon sign on him: Eat me! I’m shark food. ‘Barney, get out of here. That shark will take you before me.’ Mei will be so upset if the shark eats Barney. I blow the whistle at him. He doesn’t like it and swims away. The fin follows him. I can’t watch. I keep heading for shore. I’m so tired now I’m dog paddling. Even a seahorse could catch me.
Something’s splashing behind me. I hope it’s not Barney. Then a motor idles nearby. How did a boat get so close without me realising? The guy must be back but I’m too tired to check. I keep paddling but it will be easy for him to pick me off with an oar.
‘Joel!’ Did the guy know my name? ‘Joel Billings! It’s Constable Jones. With Sea Rescue.’
I stop and tread water. I can’t believe it. The boat edges closer. Mei’s hanging over the side, her mouth wide in the cutest smile I’ve seen. ‘Nice work with the whistle, Joel. We heard you from ages away.’
‘Can you climb the ladder?’ Constable Jones says. I try, I really do, but my legs won’t work. He comes down the ladder to lift me up. When he puts me on the deck, Mei starts taking off my life jacket, and I’m so stuffed I can’t help her.
‘I’m sorry about this,’ Constable Jones is saying. ‘We didn’t realise someone else was involved, or we would have provided protection . . .’ He crouches beside me as Mei drapes a blanket around me. ‘So he dumped you in the sea?’ he asks.
I nod. My teeth are clattering so much I reckon they might fall out. How long have I been in? The sun’s in the western sky. Hours and hours.
‘We’ve caught him,’ Constable Jones says. ‘Felicity found him heading north and the trawler sent a boat out too.’ I can see the concern in his face, concern for me. ‘With what he tried to do to you, he’ll get a long time in jail. Along with his mates. You don’t have to worry any more, Joel.’
Yeah, that’s what I thought this morning. What happens when they serve their sentences? They won’t have turned into choirboys. I don’t say that though; there’s only one thing I’m worried about right now. ‘Dev?’
Constable Jones smiles. ‘He was determined to come while we searched for you. Can you stand?’ He helps me up. I wobble a bit but I manage to walk with him supporting me on one side and Mei holding my arm on the other. She feels so warm. Can’t wait to hug her when I get feeling back in my arms.
They take me into the cabin. Dev’s sitting up on a stretcher. His head is bandaged and he looks grey, but he’s alive. I practically fall on him. He groans, but manages a grin. ‘Takes a lot to drown us, hey mate?’
I can’t help it – it’s so good to see him alive – I cling to him and cry like a little kid.