Black Tide by Del Stone

exasperated. ‘Somebody. Anybody. Or I’ll get a boat. I’ll play it by ear. For Christ’s sake, it’s better than sitting around here waiting for one of those things to come up …’
    â€˜I don’t want you to go,’ Heather cut in. ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea. Fred is right. The police, the National Guard, whoever, will be moving in today, and we should stay here and wait to be rescued. We should stick together.’
    Stick together. Yes, I thought. That’s why I didn’t like the idea.
    I was afraid.
    Scotty stared at her with an expression that was equal parts bafflement and anger. His eyes got big. ‘Heather! Please! I’m trying to get us off this island …’
    â€˜You won’t accomplish anything if you get yourself killed,’ she said, gazing sullenly at the beach.
    â€˜I don’t plan on getting killed,’ he insisted, his voice lower and tinged with what sounded like gratitude. ‘It’s a short swim across the sound. I find a clear spot on the beach and go ashore. I stick to the open areas – hell, I’ll find a car and drive to the nearest marina, get a boat and come get you and the Professor,’ and with that he glanced back at me sneeringly.
    My thoughts were hopping frantically from one scenario to the next. Finally, an idea occurred to me. ‘We’ll all swim across.’
    Scotty turned to me and laughed, a totally spontaneous gesture. He said, ‘You gotta be kidding! You couldn’t make it halfway across. We’d drown trying to save your ass.’
    I knew he was right. You’d think a marine biologist would be more at home in water than dry land, but I had never been a strong swimmer. And with my current flabby lack of conditioning a quarter mile might well as be the entire breadth of the Gulf of Mexico. But before I could offer another alternative Heather spoke up.
    â€˜I can’t swim.’
    We both stared at her. She dropped her head apologetically.
    â€˜I never learned. In fact, it’s almost a phobia with me.’
    â€˜You’re getting a master’s in marine biology and you can’t swim?’ Scotty asked incredulously. ‘I don’t believe it.’
    â€˜Look, it’s the subject material and the labs I like, OK,’ she shot back defensively. ‘I usually don’t go out on these field studies. But I’d planned to learn. I’d even signed up for lessons at the Y.’
    Scotty threw up his hands. ‘Well, that settles it. The two of you stay. I’ll swim across.’
    But I still wasn’t having it. ‘Look, that’s stupid. Just like Heather said, it’s better if we stick together. They’re sure to have recovery teams in the area soon – maybe they’re here right now. We signal to one of them and get off the island. And besides,’ I added ominously, ‘if we have to spend another night on this island, it’ll better if there are three of us instead of two.’
    â€˜I am not spending another night on this island,’ Scotty said through gritted teeth.
    â€˜The Coast Guard always tells people who are in boating accidents to stay with the boat,’ I answered, trying to sound reasonable. ‘Think of this island as a boat that’s overturned. We stay with the boat until help arrives.’
    â€˜I’ll tell you what I think of this island,’ he raged back at me. ‘I think of it as the buffet at Barnhill’s. She’s the dessert,’ and he pointed at Heather. ‘I’m the prime rib and you’re the greasy, overfried chicken. And we’re ALL on the menu once the sun goes down!’
    God, how I hated him. At that moment I hated him more than I hated my own jealousy and pettiness. No matter how badly I wanted him to stay. I could’ve wrapped my fingers around that scrawny throat and squeezed until his eyes bulged and his lips swelled, like the