Authors: Charles Williams
Scorpion Reef (25 page)
Then he saw what he had been watching for, astern and slightly inshore from the
Freya.
It could be driftwood, or it could be a head, or two heads. He peered aft in the gathering twilight, and almost raised the glasses.
No
, he thought reluctantly;
if I
know,
I have to report it. But nobody is interested in the unverified vaporings of a sentimental old man.
He wondered what Mr. Davidson would think of all this moonshine. The mate was a good man, who knew his job, and he had searched the sloop thoroughly. But being a sound and practical seafaring man not given to foolishness, he had, understandably, not bothered to look under it. It would have been easy for them to ditch the diving gear and climb back aboard on the offboard side just before the towline tightened.
They would make it ashore without any trouble, with the life belts. And they probably had enough money to buy some clothes to replace their bathing suits. Not that they would be likely to attract any attention in Florida, however, if they went around in their bathing attire for years.
But they were drifting back rapidly. Would he have to lift the glasses to satisfy himself? Then the objects separated momentarily for an instant before they merged again as one. And one of them had been definitely lighter in color than the other. The master sighed.
“
Bon voyage
,” he said softly. He turned and went into the chartroom with the glasses still swinging from his neck.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
copyright © 1955 by Charles Williams
cover design by Kristina Damkoehler
978-1-4532-6619-9
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CHARLES WILLIAMS
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