Chapter 2
Ryan and Jordan sat in the bobbing dinghy, mesmerized by the inferno. The bright, leaping tongues of fire lit up the night, casting an array of dancing shadows over the harbor. Jordan’s lamentations had subsided into soundless sobs, her body shaking with grief. The distant crackling of flames was all that could be heard in the otherwise eerie silence.
Speechless, Ryan turned the dinghy back to shore. Jordan protested. “We can’t leave them here!” Oblivious to their own safety, she lurched up and reached out her hand as if to grab Ryan, nearly capsizing the launch.
Ryan forced his voice to remain calm. “If they were on the boat, there’s nothing anybody can do for them now. We’ve got to get away from the boat. There could be more explosions.”
Jordan sank back to her seat, her grief giving way to anger. “Damn this island,” she snarled. “God knows how long it will take for help to get here. Get this thing moving!”
A small crowd had gathered by the time they reached the dock. Stepping off the dinghy with the stern line in hand, Ryan shouted, “Has anybody called BASRA?!”
An onlooker told them that BASRA had been called and within a few minutes, Franklin and two of his Bahamian colleagues arrived in time to see the smoldering hull slip beneath the dark waters. All that remained was a smattering of floating debris and a pall of black smoke rising into the moon-lit sky.
With a tone that implied he knew the answer, Franklin asked the growing crowd, “Did anyone here see what happened?”
The crowd muttered and shook their heads. Ryan motioned to Franklin to come over to where he and Jordan were standing on the dock. Jordan was frozen, staring like a zombie out into the harbor, so Ryan decided to skip the introductions. He put his arm around Franklin’s shoulder and led him down the pier away from Jordan.
“Jesus Christ, Franklin, I’m shaking like a leaf on a tree. It was an unbelievably horrible sight.”
“What exactly happened and who is dat women you were with? She looks horrified.”
“Her name is Jordan Carver. We met tonight at Rosey’s. I was giving her a ride on the dinghy back to her uncle’s yacht when the damn thing exploded into a million pieces.”
“Dat’s terrible. Was dere anyone on board at de time?”
“Right now we are assuming both her aunt and uncle were on board when it blew. Jordan is beyond distraught.”
“Don’t sound like dere’s much of a chance dey survived.”
“From the force of the explosion, I would say zero chance if they were on board.”
“Thanks for the information, Ryan. My boat’s pulling up now. I will get in touch as soon as we have scoured the area.”
On his way to meet the boat, Franklin stopped to offer his condolences to Jordan.
“Ms. Carver, my name is Franklin Rolle. I’m with Bahamian Air Sea Rescue. Ryan explained what happened. I’m terribly sorry. Me and my men will be going out now and searching the area and I will get in touch with you as soon as I know more.”
Jordan had a blank face and did not respond to Franklin’s statement. But as Ryan approached and Franklin hurried off to meet up with the BASRA boat, Jordan snapped. “I can’t stand here and do nothing. I’m going back out there.” She headed for the dinghy.
Knowing the authorities wouldn’t let them return to the blast site by themselves, Ryan took hold of her arm and called out to Franklin. “Hold on. We’re going with you.”
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The RX Factor
Mystery / ThrillerAfter emerging from a five year hangover on the Bahamian Island of Exuma, Dr. Ryan Matthews begins his quest to find the truth behind the real cause of the death of his family. Sobered up by the sensational murder of the family of the new women in...
