Those kids are going to die.
Deep beneath the waves, Billy Hamlin plucked a fifth oyster shell from the sand. It was cool and peaceful down here, and quite beautiful with the sunlight shining its dappled rays through the water, casting ethereal dancing shadows across the seabed.
The chances of him finding a pea-sized pearl were almost nil. But Billy was enjoying showing off for Toni and the crowd on the beach. He felt at home in the water, confident and strong. In the real world he might be Charles Braemar Murphy’s inferior. But not here, in the wild freedom of the Ocean. Here, he was a king.
Grabbing the oyster tightly in his hand, he began to swim back up towards the light.
Wrenching the wheel to the right with all his strength, Charles Braemar-Murphy closed his eyes. The tender banked so sharply, it almost capsized. Clinging on for dear life, Charles heard screams ringing in his ears. Was it the boys’ terror he was hearing, or his own? He couldn’t tell. Salt spray doused him, lashing his face like a razor. The tender was still moving at a terrific speed.
How had it happened so quickly, the shift from happiness to disaster? Only seconds ago he’d been deeply, profoundly happy. And now…
Heart pounding, teeth clenched, Charles Braemar Murphy braced himself for the blow.
The crowd on the beach watched open mouthed as the tender careered uncontrollably to the right, further into the shipping lanes.
At first the wake was so huge and the spray so high it was impossible to make out what had happened to the rowboat. But at last it emerged, bobbing wildly but still intact. Two boys could be seen standing inside, waving their arms frantically for rescue.
The relief was overwhelming. People cheered and cried and jumped up and down, hugging one another.
They made it! He missed.
Then, somewhere amongst them, a lone voice screamed.
“Swimmer!”
For Toni Giletti, it all happened in slow motion.
She saw Charles swerve. Saw him miss the row boat by inches. For a split second she felt relief, so powerful it made her nauseous. But then Billy Hamlin shot up out of the water like a tornado, directly in the tender’s path. Even if Charles had seen him, there was no way he could have stopped.
The last thing Toni saw was the look of shock on Billy’s handsome face. Then the tender cut off her view.
Someone on the beach screamed.
Charles cut the engine and the tender sputtered to a halt.
Billy Hamlin was gone.
Also by Sidney Sheldon:
Fiction
The Tides of Memory
Angel of the Dark
After the Darkness
Mistress of the Game
Are You Afraid of the Dark
The Sky is Falling
Tell Me Your Dreams
The Best Laid Plans
Morning, Noon & Night
Nothing Lasts Forever
The Stars Shine Down
The Doomsday Conspiracy
Memories of Midnight
The Sands of Time
Windmills of the Gods
If Tomorrow Comes
Master of the Game
Rage of Angels
Bloodline
A Stranger in the Mirror
The Other Side of Midnight
The Naked Face
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