felt she was
far enough away that they couldn’t see her head, she switched to a survival
stroke, a “dead-man’s float” with a kick at the end. It took longer, but
allowed her to rest and still keep her body under the water.
The head was the heaviest, and was the part of your body that
you needed to let the water support. By letting most of her head stay in the
water, she didn’t have to fight trying to keep it up. Just forward kicks and
strokes to move, and take a breath now and then. In mid-lake she checked to
make sure they weren’t headed her way, then switched to a relaxing backstroke.
She had just started doing the backstroke when the boat pulled
away from the search area and headed out into the lake. Had they seen her?
She switched into vertical, ready to start swimming underwater
again. The boat turned north and headed up the lake, then turned into the inlet
with the yellow windsock and disappeared from sight.
Were they checking out the doctor’s place to see if she’d gone
back there?
With them gone for now, she started a crawl stroke, getting more
distance covered. Nearing the other side of the lake, she checked for
boats...there was now a group of them around the “accident site” but so far
away they were hard to see. Ahead of her was a resort-type marina of some sort.
She wanted to avoid that. It might be the place where the killers’ boat came
from.
There were homes north of the marina, so she headed south using
a back stroke once more. She could see no homes along this stretch of the lake.
It looked rugged, but she should be able to find somewhere to climb out.
She would like to continue on her back, all the way to land. But
it was less than a mile away, and someone might be there, watching.
She was a fish. She would just have to start swimming underwater
again as she got closer.
She was doing fine, except
that her right leg had started to cramp. She went into float mode once again
and reached down to work on it. She wondered what Hugo was doing.
Kyle finished his workout and got into his rental car. He went
to put it into gear and the wipers swiped mightily until he turned them off and
found the gearshift. It reminded him of Stormy. He didn’t want that. He clicked
on the radio to take his mind off her.
“...oria Drake, sister of the boxing contender, Jerry Drake, is
missing and presumed drowned on Lake Havasu.”
What was this? Stormy? A cold chill swept over him.
“ The
contender is in seclusion right now and will not talk to anyone. Elston “King”
Drake, who is both his father and trainer, is going out to the site to look for
his daughter.”
An exploding car and now this? Someone was actually trying to
kill her?
“Evidently Ms. Drake was visiting at Lake Havasu and went jet
skiing. Witnesses said a boat hit her jet ski. They have found remnants of the
ski and also her lifebelt. Police are looking for the boat and driver to see if
alcohol was involved. Again, that is Victoria Drake, missing and presumed dead
in a boating accident.”
Kyle swerved over to the side of the road and stopped, his body
shaking. This was no made-up faery tale. He listened for the details. Why was she out
there?
“Another update on that boating accident on Lake Havasu. It was
reported by a doctor’s wife who had been out jet skiing with Miss Drake.”
The doctor. Of course.
“A boat ran over the jet ski with Miss Drake on it. They are
conducting an extensive search, but haven’t found the body. It was reported as
a hit and run accident. The boat stayed around for about ten minutes, then left
the scene. Police say the boat was just reported as stolen.”
Kyle couldn’t breathe. A sickness churned the pit of his stomach
and black spots appeared before his eyes. He fought back the desire to faint
and struggled against an overwhelming sense of loss.
He waited until he could see again. He could barely drive, but
he pulled out into traffic and took the road south towards Lake Havasu instead
of
far enough away that they couldn’t see her head, she switched to a survival
stroke, a “dead-man’s float” with a kick at the end. It took longer, but
allowed her to rest and still keep her body under the water.
The head was the heaviest, and was the part of your body that
you needed to let the water support. By letting most of her head stay in the
water, she didn’t have to fight trying to keep it up. Just forward kicks and
strokes to move, and take a breath now and then. In mid-lake she checked to
make sure they weren’t headed her way, then switched to a relaxing backstroke.
She had just started doing the backstroke when the boat pulled
away from the search area and headed out into the lake. Had they seen her?
She switched into vertical, ready to start swimming underwater
again. The boat turned north and headed up the lake, then turned into the inlet
with the yellow windsock and disappeared from sight.
Were they checking out the doctor’s place to see if she’d gone
back there?
With them gone for now, she started a crawl stroke, getting more
distance covered. Nearing the other side of the lake, she checked for
boats...there was now a group of them around the “accident site” but so far
away they were hard to see. Ahead of her was a resort-type marina of some sort.
She wanted to avoid that. It might be the place where the killers’ boat came
from.
There were homes north of the marina, so she headed south using
a back stroke once more. She could see no homes along this stretch of the lake.
It looked rugged, but she should be able to find somewhere to climb out.
She would like to continue on her back, all the way to land. But
it was less than a mile away, and someone might be there, watching.
She was a fish. She would just have to start swimming underwater
again as she got closer.
She was doing fine, except
that her right leg had started to cramp. She went into float mode once again
and reached down to work on it. She wondered what Hugo was doing.
Kyle finished his workout and got into his rental car. He went
to put it into gear and the wipers swiped mightily until he turned them off and
found the gearshift. It reminded him of Stormy. He didn’t want that. He clicked
on the radio to take his mind off her.
“...oria Drake, sister of the boxing contender, Jerry Drake, is
missing and presumed drowned on Lake Havasu.”
What was this? Stormy? A cold chill swept over him.
“ The
contender is in seclusion right now and will not talk to anyone. Elston “King”
Drake, who is both his father and trainer, is going out to the site to look for
his daughter.”
An exploding car and now this? Someone was actually trying to
kill her?
“Evidently Ms. Drake was visiting at Lake Havasu and went jet
skiing. Witnesses said a boat hit her jet ski. They have found remnants of the
ski and also her lifebelt. Police are looking for the boat and driver to see if
alcohol was involved. Again, that is Victoria Drake, missing and presumed dead
in a boating accident.”
Kyle swerved over to the side of the road and stopped, his body
shaking. This was no made-up faery tale. He listened for the details. Why was she out
there?
“Another update on that boating accident on Lake Havasu. It was
reported by a doctor’s wife who had been out jet skiing with Miss Drake.”
The doctor. Of course.
“A boat ran over the jet ski with Miss Drake on it. They are
conducting an extensive search, but haven’t found the body. It was reported as
a hit and run accident. The boat stayed around for about ten minutes, then left
the scene. Police say the boat was just reported as stolen.”
Kyle couldn’t breathe. A sickness churned the pit of his stomach
and black spots appeared before his eyes. He fought back the desire to faint
and struggled against an overwhelming sense of loss.
He waited until he could see again. He could barely drive, but
he pulled out into traffic and took the road south towards Lake Havasu instead
of
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