D8,’ Ellie said, pointing. ‘This way.’
Up the last pontoon, along to the eighth berth and there was the Porpoise, the boat she and Ben had owned for a decade. Named after their little purpose, of course. A scruffy 1980s Hunter Horizon, twenty-three footer, twin keel, with a crappy four-stroke outboard slung on the back. Off-white with blue trim and in serious need of a paint job. She wasn’t much but she was all they could afford.
Ellie pulled on the mooring rope to bring the bow next to the pontoon, held it tight for Sam to get on board then followed him.
‘This is yours?’ he said, taking it in.
‘Mine and Ben’s.’
‘So you can sail?’
‘Ben’s the real sailor, but yeah, I can sail.’
The mast and rigging clanked as the boat rocked. There wasn’t much room on deck with the two of them there, and the motion of the boat made Sam stumble then steady himself.
‘It’s better below deck,’ Ellie said. ‘Come into the cabin.’
There was a padlock on the small wooden door to the cabin. She took out a key and unlocked it, then went inside and sat down. He followed, ducking to avoid banging his head. They sat on opposite benches with the tiny mess table between them. She put the plastic bag of his clothes down and took the rucksack off her shoulder.
She pointed to the forward cabin, where a snug berth was squeezed into the space. ‘That’s your bed for tonight. There are blankets in the drawer underneath.’
She unzipped the rucksack and began pulling things out. She’d spent five minutes at the house packing a bag, trying to think what Sam might need. She laid it all out on the table now. Cheese sandwiches, crisps, three Wispas, bananas and a large bottle of water. She pulled out a metal box. ‘This is a portable battery. I presume your iPhone is running out of juice?’
He checked his phone and nodded. ‘Ten per cent.’
She pulled a connector out and plugged it into the battery. A small blue light went on. She offered the other end of the connector and he inserted it in his phone.
She pulled toilet roll out the rucksack and pointed a thumb to the side of the entrance. ‘There’s a chemical toilet over there.’
He nodded.
‘Are you hungry?’
A shake of the head.
‘You should eat,’ Ellie said. ‘Here.’
She picked up a Wispa and undid the wrapper for him, handed it over. He bit and chewed like it was made of dust.
‘And drink plenty of fluids,’ she said. ‘It’s important.’
She pointed to the small stove in the corner. ‘There’s a kettle, coffee, teabags and UHT milk in the cupboard above the ring. You want a cup of tea just now?’
‘No.’
He put the chocolate down and reached for the water bottle and she watched as he glugged, Adam’s apple rising and falling.
‘Get some sleep,’ she said.
She took two pills out her pocket and placed them on the table.
‘They’re herbal,’ she said. ‘Nothing to worry about. They’ll just help you to go over, that’s all.’
He stared at them but didn’t speak.
‘Stay here for now,’ she said, ‘until I find out what the situation is out there.’
She pointed towards the porthole behind him.
‘You said we were going to find Libby?’ he said.
Ellie nodded. ‘I am. That’s the first thing I’m going to do.’
She got her phone out her pocket and nodded at his phone on the table.
‘I presume you’ve got a picture of her?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Send it to my phone, and forward me her number too.’
Ellie told him her number and he began pressing buttons. She got the picture on her phone and looked at it. A selfie taken in a bathroom, lips pouting, obvious make-up, blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders like she’d just shaken her head a second before. She wore large-framed geek glasses and a white T-shirt with a small black heart over the breast. She was still a kid, trying to be a grown-up like all girls that age. She was pretty in a gawky kind of way, a seriousness in her eyes that made her look
Up the last pontoon, along to the eighth berth and there was the Porpoise, the boat she and Ben had owned for a decade. Named after their little purpose, of course. A scruffy 1980s Hunter Horizon, twenty-three footer, twin keel, with a crappy four-stroke outboard slung on the back. Off-white with blue trim and in serious need of a paint job. She wasn’t much but she was all they could afford.
Ellie pulled on the mooring rope to bring the bow next to the pontoon, held it tight for Sam to get on board then followed him.
‘This is yours?’ he said, taking it in.
‘Mine and Ben’s.’
‘So you can sail?’
‘Ben’s the real sailor, but yeah, I can sail.’
The mast and rigging clanked as the boat rocked. There wasn’t much room on deck with the two of them there, and the motion of the boat made Sam stumble then steady himself.
‘It’s better below deck,’ Ellie said. ‘Come into the cabin.’
There was a padlock on the small wooden door to the cabin. She took out a key and unlocked it, then went inside and sat down. He followed, ducking to avoid banging his head. They sat on opposite benches with the tiny mess table between them. She put the plastic bag of his clothes down and took the rucksack off her shoulder.
She pointed to the forward cabin, where a snug berth was squeezed into the space. ‘That’s your bed for tonight. There are blankets in the drawer underneath.’
She unzipped the rucksack and began pulling things out. She’d spent five minutes at the house packing a bag, trying to think what Sam might need. She laid it all out on the table now. Cheese sandwiches, crisps, three Wispas, bananas and a large bottle of water. She pulled out a metal box. ‘This is a portable battery. I presume your iPhone is running out of juice?’
He checked his phone and nodded. ‘Ten per cent.’
She pulled a connector out and plugged it into the battery. A small blue light went on. She offered the other end of the connector and he inserted it in his phone.
She pulled toilet roll out the rucksack and pointed a thumb to the side of the entrance. ‘There’s a chemical toilet over there.’
He nodded.
‘Are you hungry?’
A shake of the head.
‘You should eat,’ Ellie said. ‘Here.’
She picked up a Wispa and undid the wrapper for him, handed it over. He bit and chewed like it was made of dust.
‘And drink plenty of fluids,’ she said. ‘It’s important.’
She pointed to the small stove in the corner. ‘There’s a kettle, coffee, teabags and UHT milk in the cupboard above the ring. You want a cup of tea just now?’
‘No.’
He put the chocolate down and reached for the water bottle and she watched as he glugged, Adam’s apple rising and falling.
‘Get some sleep,’ she said.
She took two pills out her pocket and placed them on the table.
‘They’re herbal,’ she said. ‘Nothing to worry about. They’ll just help you to go over, that’s all.’
He stared at them but didn’t speak.
‘Stay here for now,’ she said, ‘until I find out what the situation is out there.’
She pointed towards the porthole behind him.
‘You said we were going to find Libby?’ he said.
Ellie nodded. ‘I am. That’s the first thing I’m going to do.’
She got her phone out her pocket and nodded at his phone on the table.
‘I presume you’ve got a picture of her?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Send it to my phone, and forward me her number too.’
Ellie told him her number and he began pressing buttons. She got the picture on her phone and looked at it. A selfie taken in a bathroom, lips pouting, obvious make-up, blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders like she’d just shaken her head a second before. She wore large-framed geek glasses and a white T-shirt with a small black heart over the breast. She was still a kid, trying to be a grown-up like all girls that age. She was pretty in a gawky kind of way, a seriousness in her eyes that made her look
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