Medusa

‘You’ve been over all that,’ I said. ‘Once those guns can be brought to bear …’

‘The guns — yes.’ He nodded. ‘A direct hit and he’d be blown out of the water.’ He shook his head, standing very still. ‘To throw it all away for that woman.’ He glanced round at me, the teeth showing white again. ‘No offence, but Christ! I don’t understand.’

‘Then you’ve never been in love,’ I said.

He laughed. It was more like a guffaw. ‘A four-letter word or a three-letter word, what the hell? It’s sex, isn’t it, and my mother taught him about that on board the Betty Ann. Didn’t he tell you?’ The clank of the anchor chain started up again. ‘In a mud berth.’ He seemed to find that funny, laughing still as he watched the ship. ‘Quite a girl, my mother. But to throw away his whole career, everything he’s worked for … Or is he scared? Is that why he’s getting his anchor up, scared of being blown to hell if he stays?’

He looked at me for a moment, then his gaze switched back again to the black shape of the ship, his body quite still, almost tense. The navigation lights were on now, the anchor just coming clear of the water. The frigate was beginning to move. ‘Poor little bugger!’ I heard him murmur. Then he turned on me suddenly. ‘Suppose I don’t let her go? You going to gun me down?’ The searchlight was switched off and I heard him laugh, everything suddenly very dark. I stepped back, expecting him to rush me, and tripped over a stone.

‘He’s going astern,’ Evans said.

I switched on my torch again. He hadn’t moved, but now his head was turned back, his gaze fixed on the dim shape out there on the water. The frigate’s bows were swinging, the stern coming towards us. The sound of the engines suddenly increased. Or was it just one engine? The sound died abruptly as the ship lost way. Was there really something wrong with her machinery after all? The sound increased again, the bows swinging. It was as though they were having difficulty with the steering. I could see the stern light, the ship again coming straight towards us and growing steadily larger.

Several times she started to go ahead, but each time she veered to port, finally entering the narrows on the north side of Bloody Island stern-first. It wasn’t exactly the most direct route if he was making out to sea, but it seemed it was only at slow astern they could steer a reasonably straight course.

Evans followed them back along the north shore of the island as far as the dig. I kept about twenty paces behind him. By this time the frigate was so close I was looking straight into the bridge, and in the brief moments I dared take my eyes off him, I could actually identify individual officers. Gareth was there and I saw him slip out of the captain’s chair and move to the front of the bridge. Mault followed him.

The next time I glanced at the bridge the two of them seemed to be arguing, and they had been joined by Peter Craig. Evans had now crossed the dig and was standing by the beacon, staring at the frigate, which was then level with us, the slightly waved metal side of her gliding past within biscuit-toss. I stopped, and as the bridge came level with me I saw Robin Makewate had joined the other three. At that moment Mault turned and walked off the bridge.

I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye and half turned. Evans had shifted his position and was looking behind him, towards Cala Figuera. I heard it then, the buzz-saw sound of an outboard coming nearer. At the same time Medusa’s stern came clear of the narrows and began to swing towards us. There was a great threshing under the counter and she checked just in time, moving slowly ahead, her bows swinging all the time to port.

Evans left his post by the beacon and came towards me. ‘I should have stayed on board.’

I motioned him to keep his distance, the gun pointed at his stomach. ‘Why?’

Then I’d have some idea what the hell’s going on.’

The sound of the outboard died, but I was barely conscious of it, my eyes half on Evans, half on the frigate, which was now going astern again and swinging more sharply. In this way it turned itself completely round until it was lying just off the landing place with its bows pointing almost directly at the big hotel above our house. ‘Has he really got engine trouble?’

I didn’t say anything, wondering about that glimpse I had had of Mault arguing with Gareth on the bridge.

The frigate was beginning to go ahead again. I thought she was endeavouring to round the island and head seaward through the wider southern passage, but the bows started to swing again so that it looked as though the whole grey bulk of her would land up stern-first in the hospital ruins.