9
The land on the horizon grew larger and less hazy. It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at the island.
Jim had radioed ahead and arranged a berth for one night. He didn’t want to stay any longer.
At customs, they needed their passports and logbook to show their ultimate destination. Then they docked in the large yacht harbor of the island capital—Santa Cruz de La Palma.
In the fading light, he could see houses lining the hillside.
The girls were all for going ashore now, but Jim insisted they wait until morning, so instead they spent the evening playing a vicious card game which Staci eventually won. It was nice that they could all be together for longer than ten or fifteen minutes without having to be on the bridge. But the nicest bit was yet to come—the whole night in bed. Although he still woke early by force of habit.
The next morning over breakfast they decided to explore Santa Cruz first. Jim bought a guidebook in the first shop they passed, and amazed the girls by speaking fluent Spanish.
“Where did you learn that?” Lou asked.
“School. It was offered as a second language. I thought it might be useful.”
“It says here that it doesn’t rain at all between June and August and apparently some of the beaches have black sand because of the volcanoes.” Lou thumbed through the guide.
“Let’s find a food shop,” he said. “And we’ll start restocking the cupboards.”
As they walked down the street, Staci pointed at each site. “Look. A concrete ship.”
“Don’t be silly, kiddo,” Jim said without looking.
Lou scowled at him. “No, she’s right. It’s a replica of the Santa Maria—even though Columbus never actually landed here. It’s the maritime museum.”
“I knew it was a mistake to give you the guidebook,” Jim said.
“Can we go in please, Jim?” Staci asked. “I know we’re not sightseeing, but as we’re here and not likely to come back again. It won’t take long.”
“OK, kiddo. Deefer, you stay here.”
“Next, I want to go see the black beaches and the volcanoes.” Staci folded her arms across her chest. “I’m gonna keep asking until you give in.”
Jim rolled his eyes. This wasn’t a holiday. This was why he hadn’t wanted to bring her in the first place. He put his foot down. “We’ll come back,” he promised. “I want to get going, find Mum and Dad.”
“OK,” Staci sighed.
“Before lunch how about I go and food shop? There’s a beach just down there, according to the road signs.” Lou pointed. “You can take Staci to see her black sand, and I’ll meet you back on the boat. We can have a late lunch and then set off.”
“Seconded,” Staci said quickly. “We should make a list. I’ll make the suggestions while you write them, Jim.”
“OK.” Jim pulled out a pen and paper.
Staci quickly rattled off a list of food, which included dried milk powder.
“Eyuk.” Lou interrupted.
“Even if we freeze milk it won’t last five weeks the rate we drink it. The freezer isn’t big enough. Anyway, Mum used to make up a pint at a time and keep it in the fridge. Dad never could tell the difference.”
“OK. Dried milk powder it is.”
“Righty-o,” Jim said and added that to his list. “Anything else?”
“Can’t remember what we said.”
Jim read back the list to them.
Lou yawned. “Paper and pencils for the logbook.”
“OK. Anything else? Cleaning stuff?”
“Wouldn’t hurt. Cereal, preferably something different.”
Jim added that and a couple of things he thought of. “Anymore for anymore, chaps?”
With no more suggestions, Jim handed Lou the list and he and Staci headed toward the beach.
~*~
Lou finished the shopping and walked back to the boat. The others weren’t back, so she and Deefer walked slowly along the quay towards the old town. She had taken her camera, which was just as well as she discovered a beautiful stone fountain. As she took a few shots, she noticed a newsagent in the background.
Finding an English paper, she walked in and paid for it. The man behind the counter looked at her strangely. She assumed she’d got her Spanish wrong and left it at that.
The smell of fresh bread at the baker’s shop was inviting and tempting, and in her spattering of Spanish, she placed an order. The baker also looked strangely at her. It must be my Spanish. The baker told her how much it was, and she automatically paid, responding in kind. It was only as she untied Deefer, that she realized he’d spoken to her in English.
She turned the paper over and glanced at the date—yesterday’s. Not that old then.
The photo on the front page caught her eye. It was her. Her own photo and that of Jim and Staci gazed back at her. She quickly read the report which mentioned the text message they’d sent, and the fact it had been traced to the vicinity of the Canary Islands.
Lou scrambled to her feet. How could she have been so stupid? She gathered her shopping and walked back to the boat, hoping she appeared normal.
No wonder people were looking at her.
The trip back seemed to take forever and when she arrived it was locked. “Now where have they gone?”
Once inside, Lou locked the door behind her. She put the bread and cake away, and then, taking the paper to the bridge, started the pre-sailing checklist.
Footsteps on the deck made her jump.
She quickly dropped to the floor and crawled to the stairs. She waited, her heart in her mouth.
Deefer watched her, his tail wagging. He barked a greeting and whined as Lou put a finger to her lips.
“Hello? Lou?” It was Jim.
Lou released a cry of relief and went flying to the galley. “It’s you.”
Staci placed the bags she carried on the table. “Of course. Were you expecting the FBI?”
Jim glanced from Lou to his sister. “Are you OK to put the stuff away, Stace? I want to show Lou the stamps I bought.”
“You and your stamps. Go on then.”
“The light is better on the bridge. Come on, Lou.” He led the way and once there, turned to face her. She was physically shaking now, and Jim took her in his arms and hugged her. “I’m sorry if we scared you.”
She handed him the paper. “Look.”
Jim paled under his tan as he read the article. “You really were expecting the FBI, weren’t you?”
“The local cops, at any rate. I’ve done the pre-sailing checks and got food for six weeks. Have you refueled?”
“Yes, diesel and water. I don’t want Staci seeing this. I’ll put it in the bin on the quay. We leave ASAP.”
“Are we all paid up here?”
“Yeah. I did it last night when we arrived. I’d intended to leave today anyway, but we go now rather than after dinner.”
As Jim headed out, Lou went to the galley. “We’re going now,” she said. “Jim wants to get as far in daylight as we can.”
“Can’t we have lunch first?”
“Apparently not. I’ll go and help him cast off.”
Lou caught the mooring ropes as he threw them to her, stashed them neatly on deck and covered them with the tarpaulin. As she returned inside, the engines started and the anchor hit home as Jim raised it.
Avon moved from the dock.
Jim had become quite expert at handling her and turned her on a dime, heading out in to open sea.
By the time lunch was ready, La Palma had vanished from view and some of Lou’s fear with it. Unnerved just wasn’t the word although she tried to convince herself it was.
The sun began to set, and with the night came a strong tail wind.
Jim cut the engines and let the wind take her. He plotted the course and set the autopilot. The stage was set for the next leg of their journey.
The crossing of the Atlantic.