The Sound of Whales (20 page)

CHAPTER 35

H
is brother had done it, had
dunnyed
it,
dunnying
being defined as ‘arranging the assistance of a humpback whale to stop a boat'. A gift few possessed. Fraser pressed his hands against the rusty hull and accepted that whatever happened from here on in, the way he saw Dunny had changed for ever. His wee brother might not speak, but he could summon whales from the depths of the ocean. There was not a boy in Skulavaig or a school friend on Skye or a soul in Scotland who could boast of a brother like that.

‘What now?' Hayley whispered.

The dinghy bobbed against the side of the boat and the deck above looked a long way up.

‘We need to get to the stern,' Fraser said. ‘There's a ladder there.'

‘Then what?'

Fraser turned and smiled. ‘Think like a pirate.'

He used his hands to move the dinghy down the hull of the boat, glancing up every few seconds, expecting Ben to be peering down at them.

‘Where's Ben?' Hayley whispered, clearly thinking the same thing.

‘He's on the other side, where the whale is.'

‘And where's your brother?'

‘Probably sitting on the tail, talking with the beast.'

The dinghy reached the stern of the boat and Fraser carefully peered around the back. There was nothing to be seen, so he pulled the dinghy up to the ladder that hung down towards the water and tied its fraying yellow rope to the bottom rung. He took hold of the rusting metal and swung himself out of the dinghy.

‘Where are you going?' Hayley hissed.

‘We can't stay here.'

‘If you climb up there, you'll be seen.'

‘If I can get to Jonah, I can free him. Then it's two against one.'

‘Three.'

‘Dunny's not much of a third man.'

Hayley growled. ‘I was talking about me.'

Fraser looked down and gave her a smile. ‘Aye, of course.'

Slowly he pulled himself up the ladder. The sun was warm, the sea had barely a ripple, and the only sound was the occasional blowhole breath from the whale that lay becalmed against the hull. For a moment Fraser had the strongest urge to delay the rescue of a castaway and instead go and watch the humpback do its thing. He might only get one chance to see such a whale up close and personal. Then again, he had a
gairmie
for a brother; it might be humpbacks, belugas and blue whales every other week. Nin would be the whale-watching capital of the world and he would be the world's most celebrated whale scientist.

At the top of the ladder he peered cautiously over the stern gunwale. The deck was empty up to the wheelhouse. Jonah was stowed away somewhere and Ben was at the bow. Fraser had no idea where Dunny was – either hiding or among the whales. He pulled himself on to the deck and lay flat on his stomach. The wood felt warm beneath his face and it had a rich aroma of fish and charcoal, as if someone had been barbecuing sardines. He slithered across the deck towards the wheelhouse. His commando crawl felt vaguely ridiculous, but the dread of discovery kept his elbows working, pulling him forward.

He reached the wheelhouse unseen, sat up with his back to the wooden structure and considered his next move. That he had got this far, this close, was a miracle, but now he had to commandeer the boat and set Jonah free.
Think like a pirate
, he reminded himself, wishing there was a cutlass clenched between his teeth. He slowed his breathing, tried to slow his thumping heart but that was much harder. He was more angry than scared. He had trusted Ben completely and had been betrayed. Lied to as well. Ben McCaig was not the man Fraser thought he was. It almost felt like the whales weren't real either.

He crawled along the narrow strip of deck towards the bow, raised himself up and sneaked a peek in the wheelhouse window. Jonah was there, lying on the floor beside the wheel, his arms and legs tied together with thick, ragged rope. His eyes were closed but he sensed the boy's presence and lifted his head. As he opened his eyes the African's face showed a moment's surprise and then a flicker of sudden hope before Fraser ducked back down by the side of the wheelhouse.

All he had to do now was distract Ben, free Jonah, find Dunny, return Hayley safely to shore, outwit police, coastguard and customs, and then get the African to London. His head hurt from the thinking of it and no plan came, nothing cunning, nothing crafty. He crouched with his face to the ocean and it felt like the whale was waiting for him to do something, anything that might match the humpback's dazzling efforts.

And as he lay there on the deck he thought about Dunny's shell and the ridiculous thought came to him that its message was not from his brother but from the whale itself. Then he felt a hand grab the collar of his shirt and before he could turn he was sprawled across the deck.

‘What in God's name are you doing here, Fraser?' Ben McCaig yelled.

Ben's throw had knocked the wind from him, so he said nothing, instead tried to breathe.

‘How did you get on board? Have you been here all the time?' Ben paced towards the bow then turned and paced back. ‘You can't have been, I saw you on the jetty.'

Fraser lifted himself carefully to his feet.

‘Did you swim?' Ben asked. ‘You're not even wet.'

Fraser nodded towards the whale. ‘I hitched a ride.'

From his face Ben seemed to think it almost a possibility.

‘Let Jonah go.'

Ben shook his head. ‘I can't do that, Fraze.'

‘Why not?'

‘It's complicated. You shouldn't have got involved.'

‘Where are you taking him?'

‘To the place he was supposed to go in the first place.'

‘You told me you were a scientist. And I believed you. I totally believed you. I wanted to
be
you.'

A look of despair crossed Ben's face. ‘I
am
a scientist. That's what I do. This
 . . .
' He waved his hand around the boat. ‘This is just a sideline, that's all.'

‘People smuggling is hardly a sideline.'

‘It's harmless. I'm a taxi service, nothing more. It's the only way to fund my research. My university grant doesn't come close to paying for a boat.'

‘You must let Jonah go,' Fraser said.

‘I can't. He hasn't paid for his passage yet.'

‘What do you care?'

‘Because I
have
been paid. I ferry them to shore and other people help with the onward journey.'

‘Why Nin? It's an island.'

‘It's not supposed to be Nin. I drop them on Skye. From there it's across the bridge and on their way.'

‘Then take Jonah to the bridge and let
him
go on his way.'

Ben gave a grim laugh. ‘If only it were that simple. Your friend will be free to go where he pleases but first he has to pay what he owes.'

‘And if he doesn't have the money?'

‘That's hardly my concern. I told you, I'm just the taxi.'

‘I doubt Mr Wallace will see it that way.'

‘Wallace? That man is a buffoon. A binoculared buffoon. He has no proof. What can he do?'

Fraser took in the boat with a sweep of his arm. ‘This is proof.'

‘Your African friend will be long gone.'

‘I am proof.'

Ben jolted as if he'd been slapped. ‘You wouldn't do that.'

‘If you don't let Jonah go, I'll tell the harbour master everything.'

‘That's blackmail.'

‘I call it helping a friend.'

‘I thought
I
was your friend.'

‘Aye. So did I.'

In that moment Fraser knew that there was an ending here, if not yet an outcome. The carefree boat trips up the sound were over.

‘You forget, Fraser,' Ben said. ‘We were both on the boat the night two Africans went swimming. As far as the world is concerned, you are every bit an accomplice.'

The word jarred but Fraser saw the truth in it. He had thought of himself as a ‘seasonal voluntary assistant researcher', but ‘accomplice' fitted just as well.

‘Is that why you took me sailing in the storm, so you would have an accomplice?'

Ben gave a bleak laugh and said, ‘Allow me some credit – I'm not that conniving. No, we were actually going whale spotting. I was meant to collect your friend here the next morning, round the top of Skye. It's actually less suspicious to transfer by day. That night the storm caught us all by surprise.'

‘It all worked out in the end, didn't it? It's quite convenient for you.'

‘Hardly, Fraser. None of this is convenient, quite the opposite; it's beyond inconvenient.' Ben held up his hands and his voice took on a tone of reconciliation. ‘But forget about all this. This is just silly stuff. Look there
 . . .
' He pointed to the water beyond the far deck and, as if prompted, the whale blew out a blast of salty air. ‘You must have seen it, Fraser. It's a humpback and it's here in the sound, right here. That's much more important. We might not ever get another chance to see this.'

He was right, of course, this was the moment, and Ben was almost persuasive. At any other time the humpback might have won the day, but not now.

The whale made a rumbling sound and Ben moved quickly across the deck, stretched out over the gunwale and peered down. He motioned for Fraser to join him for a look, as if he had forgotten all about the tied-up African. Fraser glanced back and Hayley's head peeked around the weather-beaten wood of the wheelhouse. Fraser caught her eye and her look implored,
What do I do?

A new plan formed in Fraser's head, one that required only distraction and a co-conspirator. He nodded at Hayley and then at the wheelhouse. The girl nodded in return. He then went to join Ben.

‘You're right, Ben, we might never have this chance again. A humpback whale in these waters. In our waters.' He stood at the bow of the boat, holding Ben's attention.

‘What do you think brought it here?' Fraser asked, knowing already the answer to his question.

CHAPTER 36

H
ayley had to move fast. She snuck around the wheelhouse and opened the door. Jonah was sitting on the floor offering his shackles. She grabbed the rope at his wrists. It was a tangled knot and the cord was thick and frayed and difficult enough to grasp, even harder to untie. She tugged for a few seconds until the knot loosened a little, pulled some more, fed an end through a loop, then another. She glanced up at Jonah and his eyes seemed to say,
Take your time and it will come
. She tugged and pulled again, felt the knot begin to dismantle, knew she almost had it.

Almost. Ben gave a guttural, nonsensical shout of surprise and she looked out of the window to see him striding towards her, his face a changing mask of bewilderment, dismay and anger. Hayley knew she was about to be tossed from the boat and right then she decided she was having none of it. This man Ben McCaig was all bluster and shallow charm, and she was a pissed-off Texas girl with a thousand axes to grind. If the wimpy Scottish boy helped, they could take him.

Hayley threw herself at the wheelhouse door. She watched Ben stop, look puzzled and perhaps just the tiniest bit scared, and then she was upon him. She flung her arms around his neck and squeezed and pulled at the same time. She wanted to generate a full-on throttle but it felt more of a cuddle than anything. She tried to squeeze tighter but Ben grabbed her around the waist and pulled her from him. With the slightest of pushes he sent her sprawling across the deck. She banged her bottom hard and the fight washed out of her like a receding wave.

‘What are you doing?' he asked with that same look of bewilderment.

He stood waiting for an answer only for a moment before Fraser jumped him from behind. He wrapped his arms around Ben's midriff and tried to drive him to the floor. Man and boy staggered across the deck until Ben grasped Fraser's head, spun him around and sent him sliding across the deck.

‘What is your problem?' Ben asked, standing over them. ‘Have you both completely lost it?'

‘You can't take Jonah,' Fraser said, scrambling up. ‘We won't let you.'

Ben gave an exasperated sigh. ‘You haven't a choice. The African will be delivered as promised. It has to be done and I'm not going to be stopped by two daft teenagers.'

‘It won't be us that stops you,' Hayley said with a smile.

It took Ben a short second to register what she meant. He turned and met a fist to the chin that lifted his feet from the deck and left him crumpled on the old bleached planks.

Jonah stood over him and said, ‘I have come a long way and endured many hardships but I will finish my journey.'

‘Nice hit,' Fraser said, getting to his feet.

‘I am not a man of violence.'

‘Tell that to his face,' Hayley said, impressed.

‘It is never the answer.' The African surveyed Ben's horizontal body and shrugged. ‘It is very occasionally the answer.'

Ben lay on his back with his eyes closed and gingerly rubbed his chin. ‘You've broken my bloody jaw,' he mumbled.

‘Next time it will be your neck.'

With his eyes still closed, he raised his hands in surrender.

‘What now?' Fraser asked.

‘We have to get away from here,' Jonah said.

‘Can you sail this boat?' Hayley asked Fraser.

‘Aye, I think so.'

‘So where are we going?'

‘London,' said Jonah.

‘Cool,' Hayley said. ‘I didn't think I would get to see London.'

‘We're not sailing to London,' Fraser said.

‘Oh, why not?'

Hayley knew it was a ridiculous idea, but it seemed in keeping with the spirit of the last few days. Why couldn't they sail to London? It was no more ridiculous than Africans in caves and swims in storms and bodies on a beach and whales close enough to touch.

Jonah reached down and roughly pulled Ben to his feet. ‘If you do as you are asked, perhaps you will avoid a swim home.'

‘Lock him in the cabin,' Fraser said.

‘You can't outrun them,' Ben said. ‘They'll find you. They're not particularly nice people.'

‘So why work for them?' Fraser asked.

‘I told you, it's just a sideline, for money. Everybody wins. No one is forcing these people to come here.' Ben looked at the African. ‘It was your choice. I'm helping you get where you want to be.'

‘I no longer require your assistance, thank you,' Jonah said coldly.

The man urged Ben towards the cabin. Hayley looked down at the humpback whale that floated in the water beside the boat. Why was it still here, and where was Dunny, for that matter? A sense of uneasiness grew in her as Fraser pulled open the deck hatch.

‘In here,' the boy said.

‘Down,' Jonah said, and Ben climbed down the steps and into the narrow cabin below. Fraser closed the hatch behind him.

‘There's a key to lock it in the wheelhouse.' He moved in that direction. ‘We can't sail to London but we can sail to the mainland. From there you get the bus to Inverness and then the train on to London. Exactly the plan as before, except I skipper the boat, not Ben. You still have the money and the ticket?'

‘I do.'

‘You're all set.'

‘Fraser,' Hayley said, her uneasiness taking form. ‘Where's Dunny?'

Fraser stepped into the wheelhouse and looked but it was empty. He stood and considered for just a second, then said in alarm, ‘The cabin!'

At that moment the cabin hatch popped open with a thud against the deck. First Dunny emerged, then Ben, his face set in a determined grimace. In his hand was a large knife – his whale-gutting knife. He held it close to Dunny.

‘The mutiny is over,' he said, ‘I'm taking back my boat.'

‘Dunny, come here,' Fraser said with horror.

Ben grabbed hold of the boy's arm and Dunny winced in pain. Ben said, ‘Dunny stays with me. And let's treat this with the seriousness it deserves.'

‘You would not hurt a child,' said Jonah.

‘Desperate men do desperate things. Don't put my desperateness to the test.'

‘That's your whale-gutting knife,' Fraser said.

‘That's right.'

‘But it's—'

‘Under your bed? I'm not going to leave it there, am I, in a shoebox, waiting for the police to find it.'

‘You stole it from my bedroom?'

‘I didn't steal it, it's my knife. I took it back.'

‘Put it down, please,' said Hayley.

‘I will, I will, just as soon as your African friend is tied up again in the wheelhouse and you two are off the boat.'

‘That's not going to happen,' Fraser said. ‘Let go of my brother.'

Jonah touched Fraser lightly on the shoulder. ‘Do as the man asks. The trade is fair: I stay, your brother goes.'

‘He won't hurt Dunny. He's a better man than that.'

Hayley watched Ben and his resolve seemed to waver for a second. The knife began to stoop towards the ground; he seemed on the verge of conceding the fight when Jonah said, ‘I will not take that risk. I will do as he asks.'

Ben again raised and pointed his knife, his mouth clenched.

‘Fraser?' Hayley said, but the boy shook his head, seemed afraid of what Ben might do.

So this is how it ends
, she thought. Me and Fraser and Dunny paddling meekly to shore while Jonah is transported into slavery and Ben makes his getaway. This wasn't an ending; this was a fizzling out, a dribbling away, a drying up in the sun. Her whole body heaved with disappointment. This was not the Texas way: in the Lone Star state you went out guns blazing.

And then she looked at Dunny. Despite a knife to his back, he was completely untroubled. In fact one of his inscrutable smiles spread across his face, and she heard him make his strange humming sound; a long, low note that rose in pitch and volume. The humpback whale blew: a jet of spume and salty water that cracked the air and rocked the boat before the beast sank beneath the surface, leaving only a mat of small bubbles. Dunny surveyed the ocean and his eyes shone, and Hayley knew there was more to come.