Page 30 of Tiki Hut Tragedy
It was too late. Sharky peeled his life vest off and dove into the water. He popped back up and began swimming toward the rocks.
Millie held her breath, watching the waves lift him up and drag him toward the rocks. “Be careful.”
“It’s a little rough,” he gasped. “I’m close. This oughta be fun.”
Sharky rode the next set of waves, landing hard on top of an outer pile of rocks. He struggled to grab hold, lost his grip for a brief second and fell back until the next wave rolled in and gave him a lift.
“Please be careful,” Millie whispered under her breath.
He disappeared under the wave and then shot back up, this time landing squarely on top.
“Over there!” Millie hollered, motioning toward the blob of blue.
“I see it.” He carefully climbed over the rocky jetty until he reached the exact spot.
“What is it?”
“I think we found the missing passenger.”
Chapter 13
Millie’s heart skipped a beat. “You found someone?”
“A body. It appears to be a female. Call Patterson and let him know we have a recovery, not a rescue.”
“Will do.” She fumbled inside the storage compartment. Removing her cell phone from the waterproof bag, she dialed Patterson’s number.
“Hey, Millie.”
“Hey, Patterson. Sharky and I are alongside the jetty. We found a woman’s body.”
“You’re familiar with the members of the excursion group. Do you recognize her?”
“We couldn’t get close enough on the PRV, so Sharky swam over to the rocks. I’m not sure.” Millie glimpsed two boats out in the water with logossimilar to those she’d noticed earlier. “I see two of the rescue boats.”
“Tell Patterson we can rendezvous with the rescue boats!” Sharky hollered.
Millie relayed the message.
“Let me make a quick call.” Patterson told her to hang tight.
Less than a minute later, he called back. “The rescue boats see you, but because of the shallow depth, they’re unable to get any closer. Ask Sharky if he’s able to transport the victim.”
“Patterson wants to know if we’re able to take the body to the rescue boats.”
“It’s gonna take a little rigging, but I think we can make it work.”
“Sharky says he thinks so. Tell the rescue people we’ll be there asap.” Millie ended the call. “What do you need from me?”
“There’s an inflatable vest and tow strap in the back.”
“This might be tricky.” Millie cautiously swung her leg over the side and turned so she was facing backward. Digging through the compartment, she removed the vest. With the flick of a button, the vest inflated.
“You have been paying attention during the safety drills.”
“Every week for years now. I see the tow rope. You want me to hook the vest to the strap and then toss it to you?”
“Correct.”
