The Chase: One Courageous Skipper Battling The Perilous Evil Out To Destroy Him. (Sea Action & Adventure) by Herzel Frenkel Page B
Authors: Herzel Frenkel
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implications of his collision, the consequences it may have on his own country... and, of course, Danny. Would Danny show up... did he get the message... was he right in entrusting it to Ruth? Maybe she could be reliable if he communicated more often. Maybe she could still be his wife had he navigated the stormy waters of their marriage with greater skill.
Somewhere through this tempest of reflections he dozed off, his thoughts yielding to an unruly dream of wild pursuit, of Russians chasing him, Russians hunting Danny, Americans chasing both of them... It was one big jumble that, nonetheless, as dreams often do, made perfect sense of their own.
* * * * *
Avri snapped out of his dream, instantly aware that someone was boarding the boat. He could hear his heart pounding wildly although he was trying very hard to stay cool. It wasn't like him at all. Usually, be it in reality or in a dream, anybody could climb on board his Galatea to be greeted with a welcoming smile.
He took a deep breath and stepped boldly out into the cockpit. Indeed he did have visitors. Two men were climbing up the gangway and onto the boat. One of them was carrying a large toolbox and wearing a blue cap with a white logo - "VOLVO PENTA". The other man was Danny.
Avri was just about to shout a cheerfully irreverent greeting when he caught Danny's hand gesture and a warning expression in his look. Both signals were indiscrete and almost unnoticeable in the dim light.
"So, you are the gentleman with the engine trouble?” Danny said in a booming voice and reasonable American accent.
Avri greeted them aloud, "Yeh, that's me. Welcome aboard".
There were two more toolboxes ashore and Avri helped them haul them in. He was confused by Danny's act. He didn't know what game they were playing and what his role was in it, so he offered them some coffee and busied himself in the galley.
"Avri, this is Amikam," Danny announced with an extravagant gesture and stepped out into the cockpit.
Avri nodded to Amikam, a tiny smile creased the corner of his mouth. He saw Danny walking to the stern pulling the gangway halyard and lifting the board a few inches above the deck. He then bent the line taut on a cleat. A clever ploy, Avri thought. Now we have a basic alarm system. Anyone stepping up the gangway would bang it against the concrete dock, giving us a bit of warning. He was somewhat surprised at this level of caution - although it made sense. It made him realize how professional Danny was, how caution had become second nature with him.
Somehow he had envisioned this reunion quite differently - a cheerful hug, a few loud greetings, some smart remarks about thinning hair and thickening waistlines and an endless night of stories and tales. In the morning, he figured, Danny would be on his way to somewhere, carrying the Russian antenna, adding another anecdote to their memoirs.
Danny returned and joined them in the cabin. The three of them sat around the table, coffee in hand. Danny, as usual, spoke first.
"Avri, Amikam is one of us. I keep no secrets from him, so let's hear your problem first. We'll socialize later, if we have time for it".
Avri had a strange feeling that Danny knew a bit more than he, Avri, assumed. It made him feel uneasy, but he ploughed on, describing the Galatea's encounter with the Russian navy. He was about to retrieve the antenna from behind the water tanks but Danny stopped him.
"It won't do us much good to look at it," he said. "After all, you are the expert. Now, has anything unusual happened since the collision?"
So Avri told them about the repair job at Agathonissi bay, the encounter with the Turkish Coast Guard, his phone call to Ruth and meeting Jim Oakeley. Danny and Amikam listened intently until he was done.
"Your message about the jammed plug was very clear, and, I see how appropriate too." Danny smiled faintly and eased the tension a little. "Unfortunately, you are stuck with the antenna for a while longer.
Somewhere through this tempest of reflections he dozed off, his thoughts yielding to an unruly dream of wild pursuit, of Russians chasing him, Russians hunting Danny, Americans chasing both of them... It was one big jumble that, nonetheless, as dreams often do, made perfect sense of their own.
* * * * *
Avri snapped out of his dream, instantly aware that someone was boarding the boat. He could hear his heart pounding wildly although he was trying very hard to stay cool. It wasn't like him at all. Usually, be it in reality or in a dream, anybody could climb on board his Galatea to be greeted with a welcoming smile.
He took a deep breath and stepped boldly out into the cockpit. Indeed he did have visitors. Two men were climbing up the gangway and onto the boat. One of them was carrying a large toolbox and wearing a blue cap with a white logo - "VOLVO PENTA". The other man was Danny.
Avri was just about to shout a cheerfully irreverent greeting when he caught Danny's hand gesture and a warning expression in his look. Both signals were indiscrete and almost unnoticeable in the dim light.
"So, you are the gentleman with the engine trouble?” Danny said in a booming voice and reasonable American accent.
Avri greeted them aloud, "Yeh, that's me. Welcome aboard".
There were two more toolboxes ashore and Avri helped them haul them in. He was confused by Danny's act. He didn't know what game they were playing and what his role was in it, so he offered them some coffee and busied himself in the galley.
"Avri, this is Amikam," Danny announced with an extravagant gesture and stepped out into the cockpit.
Avri nodded to Amikam, a tiny smile creased the corner of his mouth. He saw Danny walking to the stern pulling the gangway halyard and lifting the board a few inches above the deck. He then bent the line taut on a cleat. A clever ploy, Avri thought. Now we have a basic alarm system. Anyone stepping up the gangway would bang it against the concrete dock, giving us a bit of warning. He was somewhat surprised at this level of caution - although it made sense. It made him realize how professional Danny was, how caution had become second nature with him.
Somehow he had envisioned this reunion quite differently - a cheerful hug, a few loud greetings, some smart remarks about thinning hair and thickening waistlines and an endless night of stories and tales. In the morning, he figured, Danny would be on his way to somewhere, carrying the Russian antenna, adding another anecdote to their memoirs.
Danny returned and joined them in the cabin. The three of them sat around the table, coffee in hand. Danny, as usual, spoke first.
"Avri, Amikam is one of us. I keep no secrets from him, so let's hear your problem first. We'll socialize later, if we have time for it".
Avri had a strange feeling that Danny knew a bit more than he, Avri, assumed. It made him feel uneasy, but he ploughed on, describing the Galatea's encounter with the Russian navy. He was about to retrieve the antenna from behind the water tanks but Danny stopped him.
"It won't do us much good to look at it," he said. "After all, you are the expert. Now, has anything unusual happened since the collision?"
So Avri told them about the repair job at Agathonissi bay, the encounter with the Turkish Coast Guard, his phone call to Ruth and meeting Jim Oakeley. Danny and Amikam listened intently until he was done.
"Your message about the jammed plug was very clear, and, I see how appropriate too." Danny smiled faintly and eased the tension a little. "Unfortunately, you are stuck with the antenna for a while longer.
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