part0024

The Captain leaned into the throttle. He lifted his hand and drove the heel of his palm into the L-shaped handle. It didn’t budge.

“It’s at its maximum,” the Doctor said. “You’re going to break it if you keep pushing.”

“You insisted we come all the way out here. It’s getting late and we’re moving way too slow. We should already be back by now.”

The sun had broken the horizon and now illuminated the eastern side of the Beavertail lighthouse, about two miles behind. The Captain’s concerns were legitimate. There’d be more traffic on the water as it got later. But once they got rid of their cargo, it would no longer be as much of an issue.

“You should be thanking me,” he said. “Without me, you would have dumped her in the bay like you did the last time. And we know how that turned out.”

The Captain didn’t respond. He held the wheel steady, keeping the boat on a southwesterly course.

“Another mile,” the Doctor said. “Then it should be safe.”

“I’ll decide where we’ll do it. This is my vessel. My rules.”

The Doctor wasn’t so sure. The first time he’d accompanied the Captain, only two weeks prior, it was as if the man had never operated the boat in his life. He fiddled with the controls, flicking switches on and off to see what they did. Finally getting the motor started after five minutes of trying, he spent another ten minutes working out how to put it in reverse.

If he had to guess, he’d say the boat was stolen, or at least borrowed. Knowing the Captain, stolen seemed more likely.

“Did you bring something to weigh her down with like I told you to?” the Doctor asked.

“No need. By the time she pops up, she’ll have been swept so far out to sea, no one will ever find her.”

“That’s what you said the last time. What if she’s carried back toward shore?”

“She won’t be. I know these currents like the back of my hand.”

A gust of wind tore through the cockpit. The captain laid his hand on his head to prevent his hat from flying off.

“This should be far enough, then,” the Doctor said.

The Captain disengaged the throttle and killed the motor. “It is. But not because you say it is. Help me bring her up.”

“I’m not helping you with anything. This is your problem. I’m only here to make sure you don’t get us caught.”

The Captain slid the hatch board from the companionway and stepped down. He grabbed the girl’s ankles, dragged her to the base of the ladder and propped her feet against its rungs.

He climbed onto the deck, then reached down, wrapped his hands around her ankles and hoisted her body topside.

“The bitch is heavier than she looks.”

“Her name is Leigh,” the Doctor said. “Not that you’d ever cared to ask.”

“What do I care what her name was?” He motioned toward Leigh’s mangled corpse. “You want to do the honors?”

The Captain squatted down, slid his arms under her and lifted. Leigh’s head hung heavily from her fragile neck. Then, without further ceremony, he tossed her into the murky green ocean.

The Doctor watched as another viable subject receded into the depths.

“Cheer up.” the Captain said. “I can get you another one. Just say the word. Do you want me to find you a new one?”