Dead in the Water Read Online Free PDF

weren’t going anywhere until you brought up the aba-lone thing.” I glanced sideways at her. “He seemed worried.”
    She scowled and spat out her words. “That’s stupid.”
    â€œYeah, I know...but what if he suspected you were right about the guys on that cabin cruiser? You know, he was over there. Maybe he saw something odd.” I hesitated, not wanting to sound like I was criticizing him, and then I went on. “I don’t think we should have left Bull Harbour today.”
    â€œI guess he’s got a bit more experience than you,” Olivia snapped. “He’s sailed around Vancouver Island dozens of times.”
    I stared at her, taken aback by her tone. “You have a thing for older men or something?” I guessed Patrick would be considered good looking, but Olivia did nothing but argue with him.
    â€œDon’t be an idiot, Simon.” Olivia stared down at the chart, avoiding my eyes. “I just think he probably knows what he’s doing.” Her cheeks were pink.
    I started to laugh. “You’re blushing, Olivia. Admit it, you like him.”
    â€œShut up,” she said coldly. “Just shut up. Go back to whatever little dream world you live in.” She moved away from me and sat down under the dodger, bracing one foot on the wooden edge of the companionway.
    â€œHey...Olivia...”
    She ignored me and stared off at the horizon, her black hair blowing everywhere. Her cheeks were wet, but I couldn’t tell whether from spray or tears. Probably spray. She didn’t seem the type to cry.
    Up at the mast, Blair and Patrick finally managed to tie a second reef in the mainsail. It slowed us down a little, but we were still hurtling along with the wind behind us. The sky was a heavy gray, with banks of darker clouds hanging ominously over the horizon. The wind was blowing the tops off the waves,and there was so much spray it was hard to see where we were going.
    I thought about what I’d read last night. The cruising guide strongly suggested waiting for calm conditions before crossing the Nawetti Bar. If the conditions weren’t perfect—which to me sounded like slack tide and no wind at all—it could be one of the most dangerous places around. Boats a hundred feet long have been sunk in these waters, the guide book had said. I wondered if we were there yet, or if things were going to get even worse. “Where are we?” I shouted to Olivia. “How far have we gone?”
    She shrugged sullenly. “I don’t have a freaking clue. Every time I try to look at the chart, I start feeling sick. It’s worse than reading in a car, and I can’t do that either.”
    We were supposed to be using dead reckoning to navigate—keeping track of our speed and compass course, and using a pencil to mark our position on the chart. I was a bit shaky on all of that. Besides, if you actually took the chart out of its plastic case, it’d getsoaked. “Forget the chart then,” I yelled. “Are you using the GPS ?”
    Olivia held up the little electronic device. “I can’t get a fix with the GPS . It’s not working.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” I couldn’t help feeling a bit panicky, although I knew Patrick was probably keeping track of everything anyway. I looked over to see him and Blair heading back to the cockpit, bodies crouching low for balance and hands clutching railings and rigging as they made their way along the slippery deck.
    â€œThe little screen just keeps saying that it can’t get a clear satellite signal.” She looked up at the sky. “Maybe it’s too cloudy.”
    I snorted. “That’s not much use then, is it?” I stared into the spray and wished glasses came with little windshield wipers. “I can’t see a thing.”
    â€œBelieve me, you don’t want to.” Olivia wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered.