Wood's Wreck Read Online Free Page B

opening, he turned hard to starboard and went underneath the new span, crossed a small section of choppy water, and passed under the old span now used as a pedestrian walkway to Pigeon Key. The Gulf opened in front of him and he navigated past a sand bar, its top exposed by the low tide, keeping the single pole that marked it to port. He looked over at the shallow water barely covering the obstacle and turned east. 
    He passed a few deserted islands and turned to starboard into a cove with a boat ramp and small harbor. There was the usual morning traffic on the ramp and he waited for the dock to clear before pulling the boat up and tying off. He had to admit he was a little surprised when he saw Cayenne waiting, and couldn’t help but smile, watching her bounce toward him, almost falling out of her skimpy top. This might be a good day after all , he thought as he offered a hand and helped her onto the deck, then grabbed her dive bag and tank. 
    “You just make yourself comfortable and we’ll be right out of here,” he said as he coiled and stowed the single dock line he had used to tie off. Back at the helm, he pulled away from the dock. “You might want to give me some direction here.”
    She came over to him and shaded the screen of her cellphone. “Here. That’s where we need to go.”
    He squinted at the small screen, which showed a pin near an island. “That’s a little hard on the eyes. Can you read them numbers off so I can put them in the chart plotter?” 
    “Numbers?”
    “Yeah, the coordinates. You know, the GPS numbers. I’d help you, but my eyes ain’t what they used to be.” 
    “OK, Give me a minute and I’ll figure it out. I know it’s out there.” She pointed to the open Gulf.
    “Out there’s not as easy as it looks. There’s more sand bars and shoals than the bayou’s got backwater. You’re gonna need to be more specific.”
    She was pecking at the screen with her finger. “I think I have them. One starts with a 1 and the other an 8?” 
    He nodded and started to enter the numbers in the large screen set into the dashboard. When the last number was entered he pushed the GOTO button and the screen changed to a chart, centering on a pin dropped on a cluster of small islands. 
    “Sawyer Keys? Sound familiar?” he asked.
    “That’s it. They’re right off there.” She put her hand around his waist.
    “You know there’s a sanctuary out there.”
    “I’m sure they’re out of the boundary.”
    “If you say so.” He pushed the throttles forward, the reaction of the boat caused her to grab him tighter, and he smiled to himself as the boat got up on plane and he checked the course. He looked down at the autopilot and thought about taking her down for a quickie, but knew the waters here were too dicey. Smiling at the idea, he decided to postpone it for when they got there. 
    He set a course north/northwest to get into open water and, once clear of the line of barrier islands, turned west. The ride was easy and soon the GPS beeped, indicating their proximity to the coordinates. 
    “There’s markers here.” He pointed at the buoys.
    “They’re mine. We can tie up there,” she said.
    “That’ asking for trouble,” he said.
    “Nothing to worry about. No one’s out here.” 
    He ignored her and moved closer to the waypoint before setting the boat in neutral. The windlass stalled as he tried to drop the anchor and he went forward to fix it. When he came back, she grabbed his hand and led him below.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
    They emerged from the cabin a half-hour later. Cayenne gave him a sheepish smile, then went to her dive bag and started unloading her gear onto the deck. Trufante watched her move as she started assembling the BC and regulator to the tank. 
    She turned toward him, all business now. “How do we do this?”
    “Do what?” he asked. “You’ve been a little light on the details. I got the part about abandoned traps, but these have