Torchlight (18 page)

“Trevor’s not that kind of guy! You know it as well as I do. Miles, on the other hand—”

“Is working hard on his business to make a good life for us. He told me!”

“Where will that life be, Julia?”

She had no answer. “Let’s drop this, okay?” she asked, feeling suddenly weary.

“Okay, for now. Look! Road to the shipyard dead ahead!”

J
ulia had spotted the old shipyard two months earlier, and the foursome found it with little trouble. The road was overgrown with trees and brush, but a few weathered signs pointed them in the right direction. As they maneuvered around potholes and foliage, the road suddenly opened up into a large expanse of shoreline.

According to Tara, the two schooners that were languishing in the water had been abandoned in the thirties. At one time they had each had spars for four masts, but the masts were completely gone from one ship, which was also nearly overtaken by barnacles, and were reduced to but two and a half on the other. The second ship appeared to be mostly afloat, even though the planking was popped around the curves of her bow and she listed slightly to starboard.

Jake let out a long, low whistle while the others stared at the vision from the past.

Trevor was the first to speak. “These ships are younger than Shane’s would’ve been, but they’re still intriguing, huh?”

“I’ll say!” Jake said. “Let’s go aboard!”

“Let’s!” Julia agreed excitedly. “If we’re careful, we just might be able to reach her along the old pier.”

Trevor shook his head. “I don’t know, Julia. She looks mighty rickety to me. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Come on, Trevor! Don’t be a wimp! Let’s check her out. It’s the next best thing to a real clipper.”

“I hear there’s a restored version in Portland. We could go down there tomorrow …”

His words fell on deaf ears. The Rierdons were already making their way toward the dilapidated pier. Emily looked back at him and shrugged. “There’s no stopping them now.” She turned to follow Jake and Julia.

With a sigh, Trevor parked his bike alongside the others and ran to catch up with them. “I don’t like this,” he muttered.

The pier stopped just ten feet shy of the old ship. Between the dock and the starboard edge of the ship stood six pilings that, though slightly wobbly when pushed, appeared to be basically stable. Julia turned around with an adventurous glint in her eye.

“It looks like we’re out of pier,” Trevor tried. “So much for that idea.”

“Not so fast, Trevor. Come on, you’ve hiked dozens of dangerous mountains around the world. You’re not telling me this intimidates you!”

“I’ve hiked with experienced trekkers. I haven’t done a tightrope act on moving pilings to a rickety old ship … with two women.”

“So that’s what you really think! I bet Em and I’ll make it over easier than you guys.”

Trevor sighed and looked at Jake. “You think this is wise?”

“What’s the worst that could happen? Maybe I’ll get to see my big sis take a dive into the drink. Sounds fun to me.”

“This water is forty degrees. Not very fun.”

“Trevor! Why are you being such a spoilsport?” Julia looked at him with irritation in her eyes.

“I just have a bad feeling about this. I can’t explain it.”

“I’ll go first.” Julia gave Trevor one last puzzled look. “You were
the maniac on the highway—and the one who dared me to go into the hidden passageway at Torchlight. Suddenly lose your nerve?” She turned away.

He grabbed her arm and immediately wished he hadn’t.

“Come on. Let go.” Her eyes flashed with anger.

“Julia …”

“I’m perfectly capable of making decisions for myself.”

As they stared at each other, Trevor knew she wasn’t just speaking of this moment. It was as if she was trying to convince herself.

He released her reluctantly. “I’ll go first.” He brushed past Julia and climbed up the first piling, which was still attached to the pier. Leaning over to the next weatherworn post, he found his balance and stood. After taking a deep breath, he moved forward, working his way from one piling to the next. On the last piling, he turned to gloat and almost fell when the old cutoff log moved a few inches under his weight. The trio laughed, then held their breath until he was safely aboard the ship.

Julia was next, then Jake. Trevor had expected Emily to refuse at the last moment, but the woman showed surprising nerve and easily shimmied up and over the piling.

He was distracted from Emily’s last step aboard by Julia’s excited exclamations. “Check it out!” she said, looking up the tall mainmast. “Can you imagine climbing this bad boy to the crow’s-nest?”

Trevor stood by her side and took a careful look at the wood. “I bet this is one of the last old-growth pines that were forested.”

Jake and Emily worked their way over to Trevor and Julia, maneuvering around black holes in the floorboards that looked particularly foreboding. “I read that Maine was once famous for giant white pines,” Jake said. “The Brits used to come and select the best for their own masts. Until we drove them out, that is.”

“How’d they get the trees from the forest to the shipyard?” Emily asked.

“Well, at first the pines along the coast kept them in good supply. But after a while, there were too many ships being built, a lot of them by Shane Donnovan.”

“Gramps didn’t do much for the environment, did he?” Julia said sardonically.

“Better sail-powered ships than oil tanker spills.”

“Then where’d they get their wood?”

“They had to go deeper into the north woods to cut them, drag them to the nearest river, and wait for ice-out.”

“ ‘Ice-out’?” Emily asked.

“They’d log all winter,” Jake explained, “bring the felled trees to the river’s edge, and when the water rose in the spring as the snow melted, the river brought down all that lumber to the seaside towns below. Gramps suddenly had his building material.”

“You got all that from the history books?” Julia asked.

“Some. Plus I found Shane’s logs in the library late last night.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. He was more prolific than Granny. Twelve books, bound in oilskin. Mostly ship stuff. Latitude, longitude. You know, the works.”

“Oh, Jake! That’s so exciting! Between Anna’s and Shane’s writing, we can piece together a large part of their lives,” Julia said.

“Well, Anna’s writing is much more interesting than Shane’s. He just sticks to the logistics. Anna is the one who gives us the real scoop.”

“Leave it to a woman,” Trevor said, looking down at Julia.

She smiled back at him, then raised her eyebrows impishly. “Let’s go explore.”

“Julia, this deck is barely holding together.”

His warning was ignored. She was off.

He was moving toward Julia, carefully watching her as she looked over the edge of one gaping hole to the deck below, when the rotting boards beneath her groaned and gave way.

Letting out one short, frightened scream, she vanished before his eyes.

“Julia!” Trevor shouted again, his heart frozen in fear.

There was no answer.

“Hold my feet!” he directed. Jake could only nod in agreement and comply.

Edging out to where she had disappeared, Trevor stretched to his entire six feet four inches in length, but still could not see. He looked back at Jake, who held his ankles firmly, then forward to the rotten boards in front of him. “I’ll have to stretch farther to see! Hold tight!”

“You won’t go anywhere,” Jake promised.

Gritting his teeth, Trevor gingerly pulled himself forward, half anticipating the same crack and plunge that had sucked Julia into the ship’s depths.

The wood held. Carefully, he peered over the edge of the huge hole. “Julia!”

“I’m … I’m here!” she cried.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, he could see her directly beneath him.

“Are you okay?

“I think I’ve broken a leg. What scares me the most is that I think I might fall through to the next deck if I move a muscle.”

“Okay. Stay still. I’ll be right back. I promise.” He called over his shoulder, “Jake, pull me back!”

Jake moved with such force that dozens of large splinters edged into Trevor’s shirt and chest. Consumed with fear for Julia, Trevor was oblivious to the pain. He stood and removed a Swiss army knife from his pocket. Moving to the ancient ropes still attached to the mainmast, he cut in at a place where the lines had begun to fray. As he worked, he explained the situation to Emily and Jake.

“Emily, I think Julia’s going to need medical attention. If you can make it back into town on your own, go see Tara at the little restaurant. Tell her what happened. She’ll know who to call.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Jake, once I’ve got the rope cut, we’ll make our way to the next deck. I think it’s our best bet. She’s halfway through that level and is liable to break through at any moment.”

“I’ll go look for a way down.”

Loaded with adrenaline, Trevor pulled a large section of the old sail down and struggled to cut away the rope he needed. “Julia!” he called through gritted teeth. “Talk to me!”

“I’m here!” Her voice sounded faint, in spite of its intended bravado. He had never heard her sound so vulnerable. It made him frantic to get to her.

“Are you cold?”

“Yes! How’d those sailors keep warm?”

“They didn’t go belowdecks unless they had to!” At last the rope gave way. Trevor caught his breath and fought the urge to simply jump through a nearby hole to the deck below. He wanted his hands
on her now. He wanted her safe beside him.
Dear Lord, I’m in deep here. Help me out. I don’t want her to die. I’ll tell her how I feel, I promise. Please show me the way.

“Over here!” Jake called.

Trevor coiled the rope and threw it over his shoulder. “Coming! Julia, we’re on our way!”

Jake had found the stairs that led belowdecks. Trevor descended into the darkness and then paused to let his eyes adjust.

“Well, it’s about time.” Julia tried to keep her voice light.

Jake moved to Trevor’s side. “Julia? Are you okay?”

“I’m alive. Just feeling stupid for getting us into this mess. Listen, boys, we have a problem. These boards feel like they’re about to give way.”

“Here,” Trevor edged toward her as far as the solid flooring would allow, and threw her the rope.

It fell a foot shy of her.

She leaned toward it in an effort to grab hold.

“Julia, no!” Trevor yelled.

As she moved, the last boards splintered, and Julia once again disappeared belowdecks.

“No!”
Trevor and Jake yelled together. The sound of a sickening crash and the splash of water greeted them. Without worrying further about the stability of the deck, Trevor ran to the second hole and peered beneath him. The shaft of light from above shone through to the oily water below. Julia was not in sight. There was only a flurry of bubbles rising to the surface and bursting.

“She’s not coming up!” Trevor yelled, frantic. “Stay here with the rope! We’ll need you!”

With that, he slipped through the hole, hanging on to a buttress that held firm. Hoping he would not land on top of her, Trevor released his grip, falling nearly twelve feet before slicing through the icy water. He plunged, deeper and deeper. His muscles contracted in protest at the change in temperature as he swam for the top.

Breaking the surface, he gasped for breath and called out to her. “Julia! Julia! Do you see her, Jake?” He whirled around, unable to determine where she had gone.

“She has to be under still! Maybe she’s caught on something!”

Trevor inhaled deeply and dove again into the black waters. He could not see a thing. He reached out in all directions, desperate.
God! Please help us!

He felt nothing. He had to come up for air. As Trevor broke the surface, his teeth chattered uncontrollably.

“Nothing?” Jake called, with terror in his voice.

Trevor ignored him, inhaled again, and dove deeper. He was about to come up again for air when his hand brushed through a wave of what he thought might be hair. Fighting the need to emerge for oxygen, he moved closer to where he had felt the silky strands and caught Julia’s arm. She was limp, not responding. He pulled, but she did not budge.

She was caught.

Trevor had no choice but to go up for air and then return. He felt like crying out.
She’s dead! Good Lord, how can she be dead?
His head broke the surface, and his lungs sucked in the air they demanded. He no longer heard Jake’s anxious yelling. Trevor inhaled deeply, held his breath, then dove again, fighting to concentrate on the techniques he had learned as a scuba diver.
Let the air out slowly to alleviate the pressure.
Tiny bubbles escaped his mouth in a steady stream.

A strange calm surrounded him as he once again dove down to Julia. Instinctively he swam to her feet and felt along them until he found what held her. One leg was bent awkwardly, while the other had broken straight through the bottom of the ship. Fingering the edge of the wooden board with both hands, Trevor placed his feet against the mossy boards of the ancient ship and yanked with all his might.

The board gave way. Trevor grabbed Julia’s arm and swam for the surface. When both their heads came up, Jake let out a shout of relief. Trevor fought to keep Julia’s face out of the water, carrying her in a lifeguard hold toward a portion of deck that remained intact.

He reached the deck and quickly pulled Julia out of the water. Panting, he immediately began CPR, pausing only to check for breathing or a heartbeat. Nothing. “Come on, Julia. You can’t leave me now! We have work to do. Think of Torchlight. Think of me! I haven’t even gotten the chance to tell you how I feel. Come on, Julia. Come back to me! I need to tell you … that I love you.”

“I’m coming down!” Jake yelled.

“No! We’ll need you to pull us out!

“Please, Father, help me.” Trevor pinched Julia’s nose, tilted her head, touched her cold lips with his own and blew air into her lungs until they rose. He repeated the procedure several times. There was no responding breath, no heartbeat.