While swimming, he kept glancing around, terrified of seeing a fin break the surface. His heart beat like a drum in his chest, furthering his panic as he wondered if the sound was amplified in the water, another distress beacon to attract a hungry predator.
He swept his right hand into the water and something clammy brushed against his fingers. The panic he felt before was magnified a hundredfold.
Shark!
Terrified of losing his hand, Jack lifted it out of the water – to find there was something attached to it. In a fit of panic, he flung it away, but it was only a piece of seaweed. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard someone laughing.
Desperate to get out of the water, he continued towards the boat and hauled himself up using the tyres that hung from the sides of the boat. The weight of his soaked clothes made it difficult, but eventually he clambered over the side and lay on the deck, breathing hard.
The deck smelled slightly of fish. He didn’t know how anyone could stomach working with such a stench all day and he quickly stood up. The thought of all those helpless fish slopping around underfoot made him angry.
A quick glance at the harbour revealed no sign of Rocky. Shazam stood at the edge of the quay, looking back with her tail wagging and her tongue lolling.
It must have been Rocky that pushed him, but Jack was surprised he hadn’t hung around to gloat. He berated himself for not hearing him come up behind him. Even Shazam had apparently not heard anything, otherwise she would have alerted him with one of her ear-piercing barks.
The wet clothes made him feel uncomfortable, and he shook himself to try to shake some of the water off. As he passed the wheelhouse, he glanced inside and caught sight of a small package on a table, similar to the one Zander had thrown down to the man on the dock, but far smaller.
He stared quickly at the outbuilding Zander had entered. Satisfied no one was around to see, Jack tested the door. It was unlocked. With his pulse pounding in his ears, he opened the door and slipped inside the room. He had never broken in anywhere before, and he felt both guilty and exhilarated. Shazam barked loudly, and he silently urged her to be quiet in case she alerted Zander to his presence.
All manner of electrical devices filled the wheelhouse. Jack recognised sonar screens and a transmitter, but nothing else. With glass windows all around, he felt vulnerable, and not wanting to waste any time, he picked the small package up and immediately smelt the familiar aroma of cannabis. He opened a corner and pressed his finger into the brown substance beneath the wrapper. It felt soft, which meant it was fresh cannabis resin. He didn’t know how, but Zander was smuggling drugs.
Although it was tough to break, he managed to tear a chunk off before wrapping the package back up.
With the cannabis safely in his pocket, Jack scurried out of the wheelhouse, ran across the boat, and scrambled up onto the quay. Shazam bounded across to meet him and licked his hand.
Satisfied no one had seen, Jack turned, intending to find somewhere quiet to roll a joint, only to find Lillian Brown standing before him. Before he could react, the old woman grabbed his arm and squeezed until he squealed.
Chapter 16
“You little bastard,” Lillian Brown snarled as she squeezed Jack’s arm. A wild look sparkled in her eyes. Shazam barked loudly.
“Let go of me, you crazy bitch,” Jack screamed.
Lillian squeezed tighter. Jack wanted to punch her, but he couldn’t hit a woman, not even one as mad as this bitch. He grabbed her hand to try to prise her fingers apart, but her grip was too strong.
The two grey streaks in Lillian’s hair accentuated her piercing grey eyes. Her lips curled back, and when she spoke, spittle flew out and struck Jack’s cheek.
“It’s all your fault,” she said. “You and your kind come down here and bring all the bad luck with you.
“Just let me go you stupid cow,” Jack said, trying to remain calm. “You’re coming with me,” Lillian said as she started to drag him towards the road.
Jack tried to resist, but despite Lillian’s thin stature, she seemed to possess the strength of the damned.
Shazam ran around the pair of them, barking wildly, seeming unsure what to do.
“What’s all the commotion?” Zander asked as he appeared from the outbuilding.
“You’ll see. You’ll see,” Lillian screeched. “Come with me, you’ll see.”
“Tell this crazy cow to let me go,” Jack said.
“You look wet kid. Been swimming with your clothes on?” Zander replied, ignoring Jack’s plea.
Jack tried to brace his feet on the pavement, but it was no good. Pain radiated from his injured leg.
Rather than intervene, Zander followed.
Lillian pushed Jack into the Sheet and Anchor bar. Jack counted at least fifteen people inside the room.
“Here he is,” Lillian screeched.
Everyone turned to look. Graham stopped cleaning glasses on the bar and leaned forward. “What’s all this about?”
Lillian pushed Jack into the middle of the room. “Ever since this lad and his father arrived, there’s been nothing but bad luck.”
A man with ginger hair stood up from his seat at the bar and raised his hands. Jack recognised him as the man from the shop, Duncan someone or other.
“Come on now, Lillian. Let the lad go.”
“She’s right,” Zander said as he walked into the bar. “I’ve never had it so bad. It’s as though the fish have all disappeared.”
“Yes, what about the Silver Queen?” Lillian snapped.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Jack said, his cheeks starting to burn.
“The Silver Queen was a boat that disappeared just before you arrived. Went missing with all hands,” Lillian said.
“That’s nothing to do with me.”
“Of course it’s to do with you. You’ve brought bad luck to the village. I told everyone it would happen. Didn’t I tell you? When you start letting outsiders buy up the houses, it creates bad karma.”
“Leave the boy alone,” someone said.
“No, let her speak,” a man with short hair and leather hardened skin said.
“She’s got a point,” piped up a middle-aged woman with her black hair tied back in a ponytail. A few of the other patrons nodded in agreement.
“And then there was that attack,” Lillian said. More patrons nodded.
“And there was that woman, pulled from the sea like she’d seen a ghost,” someone said.
Graham held his hand up. “There’ll be a logical explanation.”
“We don’t need an explanation. We know what’s happened. We need to get rid of the newcomers,” Lillian said.
Jack trembled. He couldn’t believe they were talking this way. The animosity directed towards him filled the air. He fought back tears. Didn’t want to show any sign of weakness.
“So what, you want to chase them out of town, is that what you’re saying?” Graham asked.
“Something like that,” Lillian replied.
“Hey now hold on,” Jack said, finally finding his voice. “We didn’t come here looking for trouble.” Rather than appear timid, he held his head up and maintained eye contact with Lillian. Judo had taught him that predators choose victims who appear unaware, timid or lost, and this was no time to be any of those.
“Then what did you come here for?” Lillian spat back.
“To make a fresh start.” All eyes turned towards the door, where Jack’s father stood. “Now can someone tell me what the hell’s going on?”