Aston took a swallow of coffee, giving himself a moment to think. “What’s his game, do you reckon? You think he’s going to report us?”
Makkonen shook his grizzled head again. “No. Your lady, Slater, asked me the same thing and I talked to Gazsi about it. He said he didn’t care for the authorities and had no intention of reporting anything, but he didn’t like what we were doing and he wasn’t sure he wanted to be a part of it, Holloway’s money be damned.”
“Why not just ask us to take him back? Why leave in the night and steal our dinghy?”
The captain laughed ruefully. “Embarrassed, I expect.” He tapped one finger to his temple. “Kids, you know, they think strange stuff.”
“So what do we do?”
“If Holloway agrees, we’ll make a trip back to town. There’s a good chance Gazsi left the boat there. If not, we have a couple of inflatables on board for emergencies.”
“Couldn’t help but overhear.” Alvar Laine appeared from the stern. “I just unpacked one of the inflatables, actually, when I saw the dinghy gone. I was planning to head back to Kaarme. Holloway wants some supplies restocked.”
“You’re up early,” Aston said.
“I don’t want to be away and miss too much here, so thought I’d leave first thing.”
“I would have thought Holloway would send Joaquin for supplies.”
Laine nodded. “He did, last night. But I wanted the excuse to visit home, check in on my wife and son, so I offered to go instead.”
“Cool. Then maybe you can look for our tinny in town, yeah?” Aston said. “Bring it back if you find it?”
“Of course.”
“Watch the shoreline all the way back.” Makkonen said. “It’s possible Gazsi only rowed to shore, then walked. He likes to walk everywhere, that boy.”
“Okay,” Laine said. “I’ll see you all in a few hours.”
“It’s a hell of a long row to town,” Aston said.
Laine grinned. “We’re lake people. We’re used to long rows. Besides, if Makkonen is right I’ll hopefully find the… what did you call it, the tinny?… along the way. Then I can use its motor and tow the rubber one.”
“All right. Good luck.”
Laine nodded and headed off to the rear of the Merenneito.
Aston leaned on the gunwale, sipped his coffee. Splashing rose up and he leaned out to see Laine rowing away from the dive platform. Driven by the man’s strong and practiced stroke, the orange and blue rubber dinghy plowed away toward town. He raised his hand in a wave and Laine nodded, grinned, not breaking stroke.
Over breakfast, Aston passed on the news that Gaszi had jumped ship. Holloway was angry about it while Slater ensured Dave filmed the news, making Aston repeat himself for the benefit of the camera.
“Does the captain know why Gazsi left?” she asked.
“Says it’s because he believes all the lake monster stories and was too scared to stick around,” Aston said. “The kid got spooked, basically.”
Makkonen entered the galley and Holloway turned to him.
“Is this going to be a problem, your first mate deserting us?” Holloway’s knuckles shone white from his clenched fists.
The captain tore off a mouthful of bread, grinned around it. “No problem for you. Just makes more work for me.”
“Are you all right with that?” Holloway sounded a touch calmer.
“What choice do I have? You want to wait while we motor back to town and I find somebody else?”
Holloway snorted. “Certainly not if you can cover for him.”
“It’s fine for now. I’ll ask for help from you lot if needed.”
“So where do we stand?” Slater asked the room in general. “What’s on today’s agenda?”
Aston finished the last of his third coffee of the morning and stood. “Well, Laine has gone into town for a supply run, and to look for the boat Gazsi took. Meanwhile, we keep mapping and searching. We’ve barely covered half of yesterday’s grid and that’s only a tiny fraction of this lake. But first!” He raised an index finger theatrically.
“Yes?” Slater prompted.
“First I have to piss. I’ve drunk too much coffee today.” He grinned at her exasperation and headed for the door.
Chapter 11
Alvar Laine moored up the dinghy and cut the engine, thankful it had been so close to the Merenneito. He didn’t mind a bit of exercise, but it was a long way and he wasn’t a youth any more, regardless of what he’d told Aston. He climbed up onto the dock and paused to take in Kaarme, the tiny town nestled on the shore of its namesake lake. Weatherboard buildings dominated the narrow street. All around he saw brick and stone, steep roofs, and small windows. Some buildings were giant inverted vees, made to hold up beneath even the heaviest snowfalls. Deep green pine trees and bright green grass framed the scene in vibrant hues
A wistful smile painting his face, he headed across the marina for home. It wouldn’t take long to check in with Charlotta and say hi to Nikla, if the boy hadn’t left for school yet. In all honesty, he would rather stay out on the lake, and be sure not to miss anything. But his family was already annoyed at his absence and he was keen to keep things on an even keel if he could. He might even be in time to sit down and have breakfast with them both. It would give him a chance to remind Charlotta just how much Holloway was paying him. If one thing would appease his wife, it was the thought of how much more quickly their mortgage might be paid from this venture. There was no way he could risk his involvement; it was the chance of a lifetime. If that meant a day with his family instead of on the expedition, so be it. He was unlikely to miss much.
“Enjoying your adventures?” The voice dripped disdain and Laine sighed.
He turned to face Mo. The old man stood on the corner, the early sun bright through his mop of pure white hair. “What are you talking about?”
Mo sneered. “Taking these Americans out onto the lake, no doubt stirring up things best left undisturbed. You should know better, Alvar.”
“Are you jealous they didn’t offer you some of their dollars for your expertise?” Laine tried to inject as much derision in his tone as Mo, but he lacked the old man’s cynical skills.
“I’m sure they’ll come to me when they’re ready. Once they need someone who actually knows what he’s about.”
That stung, but only a little. “You think so?”
“I’ve been watching you all,” Mo said. “They told Rinne they’re making a nature documentary.”
“That’s right.”
“Bullshit!” Mo managed to pour generous helpings of condescension into the two syllables.
Laine bristled. “What’s it to you? Why do you care?”
“You know why I care!” Mo spat, disdain melting into hot anger. “You’re trouble, Alvar. And so are they. All of you together? There’ll be hell to pay.”
“Will there really? Because of a few cameras?” He clucked his tongue. “Are you sure it’s not you who’s causing trouble? Spreading your lunatic stories, whipping up fear whenever the town gets too relaxed?”
Mo shook his head slowly. “Is that really my job? The way I see it, I care about all of this.” He waved his hand in a sweeping gesture that took in the town and the lake. “You care about yourself. Are you maybe projecting a little bit here?”
“You know what I think?” Laine demanded. “You’re just fishing for information. You’re just a bored old man wishing you hadn’t wasted your youth, wondering how long until you die, and if maybe you can suck something from other people before you go. Tell a few more tall tales that some loser might remember you by.”