Keith C. Milne, Author
CHAPTER 1: HAVING ANOTHER ROUGH ONE
“ . . . They were radiant together. Happy and, at least for now, on top of the world. The people all around them were celebrating the two newlyweds, while they walked the aisle smiling and nodding back with gratitude and love in their hearts.”
“ . . . Here, on Casco Bay, off the coast of Maine, Ben has seen whale pods, Japanese poachers, pirates, treasure hunters, refugees, survivors of shipwrecks, scuba divers, chartered fishing boats, and more tourists than the stars that shine at night. Everyday is a new adventure out on the water. Ben enjoys having the solitude and time alone, something most people never know.
Romance, danger, suspense, deception, redemption, action, and more along the shores, and off the coast of Maine.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 2: THE SURPRISE PARTY
. . . “Shoot, I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t know what to do. Damn truck had always started just fine, but not this particular morning. So, I left the kids at home with their mom, forcing them to miss school that day, and me to walk four miles to work and show up late.”
Everyone in the room got quiet, as they tuned in to Tom’s story, “So, tired as hell when I got there, Ben could tell something was wrong and that I was upset, and he asked me what was going on. When he heard what happened, he put off launching the trawler, giving the other fishermen going out that day a big head start on the day’s catch.
He told me to get in his truck and he drove me home. We picked up my two kids and took them to school. After that, he drove back to my house and called a tow truck. He told the man on the phone to tow my truck to Gill’s garage over off of I-295 and have the truck fixed, and to put the whole thing on his credit card. On the way back to the dock, he told me I could pay him back over time, and it would be for me to decide how much and how often, and whatever amount I came up with would be fine, and not to worry. Who does that?”
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 3: JUST ME AND MY MONSTER
. . . Once down below, Ben took stock of all the liquor he had on board. He had more than he could believe, and he knew that unless he got straight with himself now, he would likely keep drinking heavily, and eventually drink himself to death.
Ben gathered up everything except one unopened bottle of Irish whiskey. He went back topside and, one-by-one, opened and emptied all the bottles into the ocean. As he poured out each bottle, he could hear the ocean hissing in satisfaction, pleased with each offering. He threw the bottles into the recycling bin and headed back in for the day.
. . . he was heading far out into the Gulf of Maine, and planned to stay there until he was dry. If he succeeded, he would be living his life without drinking for the first time in nearly thirty years. This was one of the single biggest, most important tasks he was going to face in his life, other than choosing the correct woman to marry. He knew it in his bones that he had to choose. Either it was him and good health, or the booze, and a premature death. He also knew that he’d been living on borrowed time with this little secret habit of his. Last year during his wellness check, Doc Fitzgerald told him that he would be dead in five years or less if he didn’t immediately change his ways.
Ben didn’t bullshit himself about quitting drinking. He knew it would be the hardest thing he’d ever do. Hell, if he didn’t have a little whiskey in his coffee in the morning, he’d have a mini-case of the DT’s by eleven a.m. Besides, he’d really grown to like that drink. The strong, muddy coffee would wake him up, and the whiskey would keep his nerves calm and take the edge off of the coffee buzz. It was a match made in heaven, and a perfect way for Ben to hide that he was drinking. If anyone came around, there he was, usually working on something, a coffee mug right next to him, and an ironclad reputation as being someone who really loves his coffee.
. . . As soon as Ben grabbed the thirty-pound test line, the strong nylon instantly found its way to the spot where the bandaid covered his injured finger. Like watching a high-speed movie, he watched the nylon fishing line rip right through the bandaid, dive directly into the previous cut and, just like a band saw, cut the tip of his left forefinger right off, and with enough velocity that it flew overboard along with some fresh blood—all before he could blink twice.
. . . A skeletal male doctor with thick red hair and equally thick glasses appeared and began talking to him, but Ben couldn’t hear him. He watched the doctor’s mouth moving while he unwrapped Ben’s finger, but didn’t hear a word that he said. Ben looked down just in time to see the tip of the bone of his forefinger looking back at him. The entire finger had turned several different shades of purple, red, and black. Ben passed out.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 4: TWO ANGELS MEET AT A REHAB CENTER
. . . He was convinced that her true job was to make sure that he was kept alive so they could use him later for a secret project. He wasn’t sure when it was going to happen, yet, but he knew it would be soon. He saw everything as sinister rather than kind. He knew one thing for certain: he didn’t trust her because she made him feel things, and that meant she was powerful and dangerous.
. . . Ben wanted to just get up and get dressed, then drive home and pour himself a nice big glass of whiskey. After that, he’d flip on the tube, and maybe take in a taped NFL game and just zone out for a while pretending that this whole incident was either a figment of his imagination, or a weird, somewhat bad dream. Thinking like that is how you got here in the first place. Look at you. You can’t stop drinking without help now. If you don’t do this, you may never have another chance. Maybe it’s all downhill from here with my health if I don’t do this. I’ll stay drinking and get worse, he thought.
Over the next three days Ben felt like he’d gone to hell, visited the devil himself, made a horrible deal with him, and now owed his soul to him for all eternity. Then he realized he was safe because by going to rehab, he had made a pact with an angel first.
. . . With the curtains open, and the daylight streaming in through the big picture window, Ben could see her better than he had earlier while in the midst of the thick onset of alcohol withdrawal. But even then, he hadn’t been mistaken at all. She was extremely attractive and he could see that she was closer to him in age than he had previously thought. Ben felt excited by her presence. He felt his heart rate increase. He hadn’t experienced feelings like this in years. He didn’t want to take his eyes off of her. The bright illumination in the room seemed to backlight her, surrounding her like an aura, magnifying her beauty. Right now, to him, she looked to be a vibrant, healthy, well-proportioned, sixty-something Angel.
. . . He drove straight over to Maude’s Dockside Spirits a couple of blocks from his docking berth as if he were in a Formula One race. He made his purchase quickly, then drove his truck directly behind the store and immediately opened the bottle of whiskey, drinking directly from it. He was so desperate, he actually managed to take a couple of gulps without stopping, then put the bottle between his legs and just sat back, letting the feeling of the whiskey spread through his veins, soothing his ragged nerves, and relaxing every part of his body. Just like a heroin addict Ben thought, before closing his eyes. He let the whiskey seep into his system. Within minutes, he received the relief he had sought so desperately to get, as he felt the whiskey begin to take away all the stress, pain, discomfort, anger, and frustration he felt.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 5: PURGING THE PAINFUL PAST
. . . The following Monday, Janine shared some of her past with Ben. She was formerly married for 23 years to her one and only husband, Bill, before he died at work of a cardiac arrest. That was twelve years ago. As Janine put it, “Bill worked for Merrill Lynch, and hated it, especially after they merged with Bank of America. He stayed frustrated, ate too much, didn’t exercise enough, and was far too angry most of the time. One day it all just came together like a perfect storm of death leaving him hunched over, dead, lying on top of his tuna fish sandwich. His secretary found him that way after returning from her own lunch break. She called 911, but it was too late. He was already long gone.”
. . . Janine came around from the other side of the table and sat close to him. She turned towards him, wrapped her arms around him, and pulled him in so she could hold him closer. Ben cried for nearly five minutes straight, staring down at the table the whole time. “Let it out, Ben. Let it all out. It’s going to be okay, I promise. Play the tape as much as you need to. Mourn her loss, Ben. I know how much you loved her, and I know she loved you equally. I know she is watching over you too, Ben. It’s no accident that you hurt yourself. That’s what saved you and brought you here. Bessie knows about your pain, Ben. She does. She doesn’t like it at all, and very much wants you to be happy. I know she does, and you know it in your heart, too. The pain is hard, I know. It gets easier, but it never goes away completely. There, there, my friend. I’m here. I’ll stay here as long as you need me or want me to. I’m not going anywhere, Ben.”
. . . Later, she shared that Bill and she were never able to have children. “After giving it almost ten straight years with nothing to show for it, I just grew tired of trying. I told Bill he’d better find himself another wife if he wanted kids. He told me he was fine without having kids, but I could tell he was super disappointed. A year later, I was cleaning out a drawer in the den and I came across a lab test result that was stapled to a letter from Dr. Peterson, Bill’s former doctor. The lab result showed that Bill’s sperm count was really low. So low, that the odds of me being able to conceive a child were worse than the odds of winning the lottery. I was livid. The letter was dated almost six months prior to me telling him I was giving up.”
“What did you do? Anything?”
“Yes, I confronted Bill about it, and I also saw Dr. Peterson and gave him a piece of my mind about it. The doctor cited federal privacy regulations, but I told him I didn’t care. How dare they keep that information from me when they knew how much we both wanted a child. Well, I thought we both did. I couldn’t believe it. I felt so deceived.”
“That is very disappointing for sure. After ten straight years of having your hopes up. Did he tell you he was going to have the test done to see if the reason for you not being able to conceive was his fault?”
“Nope, not at all. He just went on his own. Maybe he suspected it, I don’t know. But here’s the real kicker, Ben, when I saw Dr. Peterson, who assumed that Bill and I shared everything with each other and, after citing HIPAA regulations, he just happened to say, ‘Well, Ms. Johnson, I’m not certain why you’re upset with the results considering your husband’s masturbation addiction.’ Janine looked disbelievingly at Ben, like she had just learned this for the first time herself all over again, “Can you believe that?”
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 6: DEAFENING SILENCE
. . . He was so grateful for the way things turned out, and being able to get the help he needed to stop drinking, even if it did cost him the tip of one of his fingers. It had been a gift, and he knew it. Now, every time he looked at his missing fingertip, he reminded himself that it was the beginning of the end of his alcohol dependence, and it was also what caused him to meet Janine. Ben already had the feeling that she was going to become more than just his sponsor.
. . . Janine grew quiet, listening and observing Ben carefully. She was very concerned that he’d brought up so many safety-related things that could potentially happen, things that she’d never thought about before, but was glad that he seemed to have it all well in hand, and seemed to have a plan for how to deal with almost every situation. “I wouldn’t have taken the time to share all of this with you if you were only going to be visiting this one time.” Ben said. “However, since we’re planning on meeting here regularly, then it became necessary, as well as making a good faith effort at being compliant with numerous marine passenger safety ordinances.”
Janine looked intently at Ben, “Really? I would think that the safety protocols would only be shared with passengers when the boat is for hire for public use.”
Ben answered, “Yeah, that’s how it used to be, but about ten years ago a family sued one of the local lobsterman for negligence on behalf of their family members. Apparently, he took a couple out privately to fish. He tried to leave before the storm got too close, but the man who hired him got angry and wanted to stay longer, saying that he wasn’t going to be ripped off by paying all that money for such a short time.”
Janine looked a little horrified, anticipating the rest, “So, what happened?” she exclaimed.
Ben looked at her, knowing that she knew the likely outcome, but gave her ears what they were stretching out to hear. “The storm caught up with them. The captain was trying to turn the ship around and caught a huge wave. It hit them sideways, and the boat capsized. Everyone ended up in the water. Luckily, the captain had contacted the Coast Guard before the capsize, and they were already on their way. However, both passengers were never seen again. The captain held onto a piece of floating wreckage long enough to be rescued, but was later sued by the family of the deceased couple. The couple’s family lost their case, the captain went back to sea, and that was the end of it.”
Janine looked down at the deck, “Wow. How sad. How lucky for the captain . . . I guess.”
“Yeah, not sure about that,” Ben added. “A few of my friends that know him say that he still feels guilty that he didn’t exert his authority as Captain, instead of placating the stupid idiot who was willing to risk his life, and his wife’s life, just so he could feel a fish pulling on the end of a fiberglass rod.”
. . . “What do you say? Line fishing with a pole for a while?”
“Sounds perfect. I haven’t fished since I was forty-two or so, when my husband took me out on our former boat for the last time, the day before selling it. He bought it after getting a nice Christmas bonus from Bank of America that year. Then only two months later, he told me that he wasn’t making commissions on new client business like he used to, and he’d really over- estimated his commission income, and had to sell the boat so we could pay the mortgage that month! It was awful. Something I’ll never forget. Ben just sat and listened, noticing her sincerity, and her beauty. Janine continued, “I was always scared about running out of money when I was with him, because most of the time we were already out of money, and I could never figure out why and where it all went, and I hated it. Then I found out that it wasn’t really him not getting enough new clientele commissions at all. Nope. It was my husband’s gambling addiction. He was always giving up almost his entire pay to these thugs that he played high-stakes poker with, and he kept losing. Well, that’s enough about my past.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 7: REVELATIONS
. . . I can’t really see myself paying people to take care of this huge property forever, nor can I imagine myself walking an extra five miles per day just going to all the places that I need to inside this huge house. It’s a lot to keep clean. It’s a lot to go up and down all of these stairs all the time, and it’s getting ridiculous how much time, effort, and money it takes to keep the grounds tended, the plants happy, and to pay the taxes on this place.”
. . . . “You said you had a sponsor from rehab coming to spend four hours per day for three days per week until you can be solo with no issues. Can you tell me a little more about that? About her?
”Ben didn’t hesitate. “Her name is Janine Thompson. She’s 63, pretty as heck, widowed for about twelve years now. She works as a registered nurse in the surgical recovery ward, and other parts of the hospital as they need her to, part time, but she spends most of her time in the hospital’s alcohol rehabilitation center as a one-on-one counselor. That’s where I met her. Apparently, she’s been working there for almost twenty years. I really like spending time with her. She makes me laugh, and I feel happy when she is near me.” Ben’s eyes grew wider, and he could feel his cheeks getting warm from intense blushing when he said that. He avoided looking over at Andrew, but he could see Andrew staring at him out of the corner of his eye.
Not able to stand it, Andrew said, “Dad, did you just hear yourself?”
“What? It’s nothing. I’m just describing—” Andrew cut him off abruptly,
“—You’re just describing your feelings for Janine, and it sounds like you’re falling in love with her. Is that the truth?”
“Nah! I think I just have warm and fuzzy feelings for her a bit right now because I am so needy for some female companionship, and because she was there for me every minute of my withdrawal while I learned how to abstain from drinking. She taught me how, but held my hand while I puked, and eventually I learned how to do what she was teaching me. I will never forget what she did for me as a total stranger.”
. . . She is an Angel sent to help me recover from booze, help me recover from losing your mother, and to help me recover my own sense of self-mastery over my life. She is special, Andrew. Very special. Love? Yes, but not romantic . . . wait . . . no . . . You know, I just might be falling in love with her after all. It can’t be though, I barely know her, but there is this good energy I feel when she’s with me. Maybe because I associate my healing journey with her kind presence. I don’t know.” Ben abruptly stopped talking, looking shocked, while he analyzed this new revelation a bit more. With his eyes still wide, Ben looked over at Andrew, who met his gaze, but remained motionless. “I am smitten with her, and she makes my heart do somersaults in my chest just from seeing her walk towards me. When I look into those dancing candle lights flickering in her eyes, I lose myself in them. They’re downright mesmerizing.” Suddenly, Ben stopped mid-sentence, finally snapping out of his romantic trance. “Oh gosh. I’m so sorry, Andrew, to be talking this way about someone other than your mother.”
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 8: Señor Juan Santiago Hernandez.
. . . “Mr. Hernandez wants to talk to you. Get in.” Ben knew that this was a non-negotiable command, and that any further resistance would likely result in physical injury and pain, so he got into the SUV, and was promptly blindfolded.
Ben wasn’t sure where they took him, until he heard hundreds of seagulls screeching overhead and the foul odor of the landfill fully engulfed his nostrils, overloading them with the stench of monumental rotting. Once out of the vehicle, someone pulled his blindfold off. Ben could see another black vehicle coming towards him. It was a limousine, and it was in no hurry as it slowly glided past the mountains of buried, throw-away treasures that the seagulls seemed determined to excavate. The long, black, low profile and quiet engine of the vehicle seemed to emanate evil, adding to Ben’s uncertainty. He suddenly felt a sinister energy grate coarsely against him, like monstrous tentacles reaching out from somewhere unseen, finding its prey and holding it in place until the mouth can get close enough to consume it. Despite the bright sun, darkness increased by the second as the limousine slowly cruised closer, finally coming to a stop a mere two feet in front of him.
. . . he already knew that doing business with Hernandez, or anyone else like him, was a slippery slope. Do one job for them well, and they want another one done, and another. They don’t care about the agenda, or the schedule, or what the rules are of the person they’re asking.”
. . . “So, you’re turning me down, Señor Scot? Think carefully about your real, final answer. Remember, I have friends and connections here in the States that you wouldn’t believe. Aside from me simply having you killed or maimed, I can still make your life a living hell as the inspectors, and fishing regulators, and U.S. government IRS agents all decide to start combing through your records, tax filings, and your fishing vessel.”
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 9: THE PLAN, PART 1
. . . Ben never kept much in the way of armaments, but he did have a .357 magnum, a double-barreled shotgun, and a deer hunting rifle with a scope. Some of his friends belonged to various gun clubs and kept far more dangerous arms, but Ben always felt that he was adequately protected with what he owned and, in reality, he was.
. . . The sky was darkening fast from a massive Nor’easter moving in, pushing all reasonable weather aside like a monster kicking and batting aside anything, and everything getting in its way. Even before Ben could finish the ten-mile trek home, the wind gusts were pushing his truck around quite a bit, and massive snowflakes began falling in earnest. Luckily, for now, it was melting as soon as it hit the pavement. The weather forecast called for more overnight, but along with a warmup, so the rest of the storm would be all rain, albeit heavy at times. Basically, fall getting warmed up for winter.
. . . Before Andrew could make it into the house, Ben felt his phone buzz him. It was Celia texting him that she wasn’t coming due to the weather, but wanted to know about the danger. Ben replied, Just stay home. Do not go out anywhere. Lock your windows and doors, and your car doors, and make sure you have a charged phone for 911. Call 911 and report an intruder if any strange vehicles come to your house and park and just sit there. Celia texted that she would lock up and wait to hear from him. Andrew walked into the kitchen, locking eyes with his Father. Ben looked back at him, “I turned him down, Andrew. I told him I wasn’t interested in hauling his cargo, and he won’t take no for an answer. He gave me until Sunday to say yes . . . or else.”
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 10: THE PLAN PART II BROMLEY AND DECKER
. . . They decided to go to Ben’s favorite one stop store, the Portland Marine Mega-Mart, and found everything they needed to make the plan a reality. Ben pretended to be fiddling with something in his wallet so he could avoid the checkout clerk’s eyes when paying. He thought about what it might look like: two men shopping together with dead serious looks on their faces, coming to the checkout with a spark plug, a transceiver, two electronic relay timers, a small container of lighter fluid, a box of rags, and two burner phones . . .
. . . Ben worked with Andrew. Together, they managed to get everything hooked up, and completed two successful dry runs. Each time, Andrew dialed the number, the transceiver received the call, then sent signals to both the timer, and the solenoid valve to flood the floor with fuel behind the engine. The timer initialized and counted twenty seconds, then sent power to a spark plug that would ignite the fuel on the floor, and eventually cause a fatal explosion.
. . . Here is how this is going to go, Señor. You will be at your boat at the marina by 4 a.m. tomorrow morning. My men will arrive promptly at that time to load your boat. Once the boat is loaded with the cargo and the ice that we will bring, your friend Janine will be accompanying you to deliver the cargo to our friends from the north. Once that is complete, I will wire the two million dollars into your account, and that will conclude our business. Understand?”
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 11: THE PLAN, PART III
Ben met Bromley’s eyes and said, “We’re planning to start a fire on Bessie, my boat, as a distraction, then escape to my inflatable boat tied to the aft end of her, and get far enough away before she blows up from leaking fuel.”
Bromley and Decker’s eyes were just about popping out of their heads after hearing this. Decker couldn’t contain himself. He pushed himself past Bromley, leaning in close to Ben’s face, so much so, that Ben backed away a little. “What’s the matter, worried I might hurt you?” Decker hissed.
“No. Just backing away from that graveyard in your mouth spewing death gas in all directions while you talk. Pop a mint!” Ben spat into the sink for emphasis.
. . . Andrew cut in, “Well, gentlemen, let’s just say for the sake of argument that you can get everything in time, what is your plan?”
Decker answered, “We can be your distraction, we can start with engaging the crewmen with heavy gunfire while you get away. Then, with the assistance of the Coast Guard, we’ll surround, then board your boat, and arrest anyone left standing. In the process, we’ll recover the illegal cargo, and preserve your boat.” He looked at Ben, giving him a quick nod and smile.
Ben seemed pleased. “Now we’re talking, gentlemen!”
. . . When the time arrives, we can swoop in and pounce down on that location with so many boats, loudspeakers, helicopters, and a couple of drones, that the situation will get chaotic very fast.”
“Can you set it up with all law enforcement on the scene to not fire on the old man from Maine running to the aft of the boat and getting into the inflatable boat to escape?”
Again, the room grew silent for a few seconds, then Bromley and Decker busted out laughing. But when the agents saw the looks on both Ben’s and Andrew’s faces, they stopped laughing instantly. “Sorry, it’s just that . . .”
Ben cut him off, “I know, it is a pretty funny scene to imagine, and it sounds funny, but when the shit hits the fan, the situation is going to be as serious as a heart attack. Don’t forget, it’s me. I’m the old man who’s doing the running in that scene that you find so hilarious.”
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 12: HURRY UP AND WAIT
. . . Ben woke up disoriented and in a cold sweat. In his lucid dream, he was stranded in icy ocean water with no land in sight, trying to fend off a group of hungry sharks taking turns coming at him from all directions. He could feel his fear rapidly growing inside himself. As the dream continued, the energy inside him coming from that fear is the only source of light, and warmth, and is actually goodness itself. It is also the only thing keeping him alive against the dark, penetrating cold that seems just as determined to kill him as the sharks.
. . . the crewman thought he had Hernandez alone down in the engine room. He didn’t realize that I was still in the very back of the room when he came in and confronted Hernandez. The crewman finished saying that he was taking over, and that Hernandez would no longer be needed. He raised his gun to shoot, and that’s when I hit a home run on the right side of his skull with a long piece of inch and a half rigid pipe. Some of his brains hit the deck before his body did.
. . . The wait for the rest of the day seemed like an eternity. All Ben could think about was Janine. He hoped nothing else would go wrong. He was beginning to realize that his feelings for her ran deeper than he originally thought. She meant the world to him now, and he knew deep in his heart that he didn’t want to spend any more of his life without her in it.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 13: THE UNLIKELY RENDEZVOUS
. . . His heart rate and blood pressure were already sky high from fear. He quickly dressed, grabbed a bite, and was just finishing up when he saw the icy blue headlamps of the SUV coming down the long driveway towards the house.
. . . “Anyway, that driver guy came in with two others to get a bunch of ice. Too much. They wanted all that I had. I told them that I couldn’t sell all the ice I had stockpiled just for them. When I said that, he pulled a gun on me and told me to stand aside. I almost shit myself! He had his two buffoons take about 80 percent of the ice I had on hand and . . .”
“Señor Scot, it’s time to go!”
“Oh, geez. You’d better go.
. . . Ben had Janine stay in the galley while he went up to the helm and started the engine. The boat rumbled to life, the deep bass sounds of the idling engine emanated from below like a monster waking from a long sleep. Adding to the symphony, a trillion tiny bubbles quickly rose up from around the entire circumference of the boat, popping at the surface, giving the engine noise a slight gurgling and hissing quality. The sound helped soothe Ben’s nerves a little.
. . . When he entered the galley, Janine was sitting alone with her clasped hands in front of her, both on top of the table. There was a strange object sitting next to her coffee mug on the table. There was only one person stationed to guard her, and he was facing the inside of the galley, right next to the exit hatch, standing motionless. He looked like a no neck, military trained, wax museum statue, ready to kick some ass and looking for anyone to give him a reason.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 14: SURVIVAL AT SEA
. . . Just as the chopper passed over Bessie, she blew sky high sending a ball of fire into the air that looked like a mini-Hiroshima nuclear bomb going off, complete with a nice little mushroom cloud. The percussion from the blast instantly bent two of the blades on Hernandez’s chopper. The bent blades hit the side of the helicopter two to three times before forcing it down. It fell straight down, directly into the sea, landing right next to Bessie, which was now nothing more than a mass of flame, and wreckage.
. . . In a matter of five seconds, Ben managed to submerge enough to see underwater just in time to see a huge Great White shark coming up from deeper waters to take a bite of Janine’s right leg. Ben swam closer and kicked down, then brought his legs back up to his chest and kicked down again, over and over. The second time, he felt his foot connect with the shark’s nose and, luckily, it swam away and disappeared back into the icy darkness.
. . . Ben was as close to freaking out as he’d ever been in his life. The fear had kept his heart rate and blood pressure way up, and for too long. So long, that it had given him a potent headache. He was on borrowed time, and so was Janine, and he knew it. He glanced back at Salvador’s head, and saw a tangle of tendons, arteries, and connective tissue hanging from the bottom of his neck. Tiny scavenger fish were swimming and hovering just below the mess, taking turns moving in and sucking small pieces of the tissue off for food. He couldn’t submerge easily to free himself without great difficulty, and he couldn’t swim away until he did exactly that.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 15: RECOVERY
. . . In his mind he replayed Bessie blowing up. Watching her blast into a fiery ball, sending debris out in all directions for nearly a hundred yards. He felt sad about losing her. They’d had quite a long history together. In the end of her life, she’d saved his. She’d given him a way to escape his own likely execution, while simultaneously killing his enemies.
. . . She smiled back, and went to the door. She opened it halfway, then leaned out a bit and said, “Gentlemen, Mr. Scot will see you.”
Bromley and Decker came right in. They looked extremely stressed and very concerned. Bromley blurted, “Ben, we’re so sorry that we didn’t arrive to help you. How on earth did you manage to survive?”
Being reminded of their ordeal so soon rubbed Ben the wrong way. “Where the fuck were you guys?”
Decker answered, “Going crazy looking for you guys. I thought it would be a fairly simple task to locate you, but first we lost your signal before you left. We figured that the cartel located the tracking device and got rid of it.”
Ben cut him off, “Yeah, they located it alright. It was sitting in front of us on my former galley table, already de-energized.”
Bromley said, “We figured that’s what happened.”
Ben fired back, “So, you guys, the famous FBI, didn’t have a plan B set up?”
. . . Ben really didn’t want Janine to go home. After what they’d just been through what he really wanted was to help her recover, and he simply wanted to be with her as much as he could. So, instead of asking her if he could drive her home, he took a really deep breath and asked her to come home with him. “Janine, I have a house so big it’s like a hotel. You’re more than welcome to come and stay for as long as you like. It’s really not any trouble, and I would love to have you close by. We will both still be able to help one another, as needed, while you finish recuperating.”
Janine was secretly hoping that he would ask her if she wanted to stay with him, and didn’t hesitate to accept his offer. “Thank you so much, Ben. Yes. What a generous offer, but I really couldn’t.”
“Janine, please. Besides, I think it would be better for us to be together to help each other process what happened.”
She heard his sincerity, and believed him. He was looking at her with such caring and love in his eyes. “Okay. Now that you put it like that, how can I say no?” She stepped closer and hugged him. She placed her body against his, and Ben felt the same jolt of loving energy and excitement pass through him that he’d felt when she’d first kissed his cheek at the rehabilitation center.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 16: THE NEXT STEP
. . . Janine expressed pleasant surprise at Ben’s house. She listened to him talk about it before, but only a little here and there, and never enough for her to get a complete picture of it. Ben happily showed her around, really enjoying watching Janine’s eyes light up as they entered a new space or another bathroom.
“Have you thought about turning this into a hotel, or bed and breakfast before?”
“It’s crossed my mind, but the truth is, I don’t want the hassle. The only thing I’m really interested in as far as money making now, is money making me more money. For instance, I don’t have to do anything at all here except maintain the property, upgrading it as needed and, like magic, the value of the property and the price others would pay to own it goes up over time. Ask what you want, and nowadays, someone will come along and add 30 percent to it just to ensure that they are ultimately the new owners.”
“I had no idea real estate could be that lucrative.”
“It can be. When you end up with a place like this, with a lot of square footage, multiple rooms for family and guests, a gourmet kitchen, and detailed woodwork throughout. All on a huge manicured property that ends at the water’s edge and, well . . . it is very lucrative, or at least it has become so. Wine? Tea?”
“Tea, please.”
. . . Janine put her things down on the kingsize bed. She was flabbergasted. She had never stayed in a room this nice before in her entire life, even when at nice hotels on vacation. The room was plainly decorated in pastels, and had a timeless modern look that Janine instantly fell in love with. On one wall there were two doors leading into two huge, walk-in closets that lit up when entered, and had full-length mirrors covering the wall at the far ends of both of them. At the far end of the bedroom, there was a short corridor leading to an enormous bathroom with double sinks in front of a mirror that covered the entire wall. There was a private commode, with a bidet in its own closet, an ultra modern glass shower stall, and a spa tub with a view of Casco Bay. The bathroom was well stocked with towels, washcloths, and bathrobes. The shower had liquid soap, shampoo, and conditioner already there, but in stylish, self-contained glass vessels that appeared to be built into the wall of the shower stall just to the right of the shower control lever.
. . . She looked up at Ben with a serious, concerned look on her face, then pulled back from him a little and gently wiped his tears with her hands. She never said a word. Their eyes connected and locked. Slowly, they moved closer to one another. She reached up and slid her hand behind his neck and gently pulled him towards her lips. She slowed, stopping short, just before their lips were about to touch, savoring their breath exchange for one more second, poised, looking into his hazel eyes, before closing hers and kissing him passionately. When the kiss ended, they remained standing together in each other’s arms. Ben felt exhilarated and light headed, like a schoolboy getting his first kiss all over again. He felt good energy coming from her. It filled him up inside, and stirred him in a way he hadn’t felt in years.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 17: SPARE SAVIOR
. . . To Ben, Janine seemed to have nearly boundless energy. She was fit, often taking the stairs two at a time. He constantly found her utterly intoxicating. He wasn’t missing his former, solitary life whatsoever. In fact, he didn’t want to let her out of his sight. Her beauty and energy often fooled him, but only in positive ways. She seemed so much younger, more youthful, more vibrant than other women he’d met who were in their mid-sixties. Their first intimate night, Janine had been exceptionally skilled and thoughtful while making love. Once she began working her magic on him, all of his doubts, insecurities, and anxiety rapidly melted away. He was grateful, and reciprocal.
. . . Ben’s speed boat was moored in Bessie’s old spot, right where Andrew texted she would be. It looked odd sitting there now, so small in comparison to Bessie. He suddenly realized that he’d never gotten around to naming this smaller boat. Not only that, the boat seemed more like Andrew’s, because Andrew used it more than anyone, and when he wasn’t, it just sat tied up. A spare waiting to be used. A just in case boat which he always felt strange about. Like a spare car that sits on the side of the garage, outside, getting covered with pine needles, just in case it might be needed, while having to watch the shiny, garage-kept car coming and going everyday, always getting driven, refilled, maintained, cleaned, and polished regularly. Ben looked the boat over carefully, “I hereby name you Spare Savior.” Ben said it out loud so his ears could hear it spoken. He liked it. It rang true, and didn’t sound half bad. He texted the name to Andrew. Hey, I just named the small speedboat, ‘Spare Savior,’ I hope you’re okay with that. I know it’s my boat, but you use it the most. Almost immediately, Andrew texted back, Love it, Dad.
. . . Ben restarted the motors and pulled forward fast and hard, before turning the boat back towards the harbor in a long, high-speed arc. He couldn’t wait to get off of the ocean. That had been the most surprising revelation of all today. For the first time in his life, Ben was afraid of what might be below the waterline. Since being in the water, and having to fight so long to stay alive, Ben had been having nightmares regularly. They’d been interfering with his sleep, and beginning to impact almost everything else: his mood, his appetite, his energy levels, and his ability to think clearly at times. Twice, he’d had flashbacks of the near misses with sharks, even while doing minor chores around the house during the day. He was even becoming a little afraid to drive, worried that he might have a flashback while driving. With the same speed as someone snapping their fingers, he would be there with Janine, in the water, watching the mouth of a huge shark open right before attempting to take a bite of him. The shark’s teeth were fully visible from the bright sunlight illuminating them, as he swam just below the surface only feet away from doing serious harm to Ben. Just as the shark would take his final lunge towards Ben, Ben would snap back to the present.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 18: THE PROPOSAL
. . . The next morning, Janine seemed a little icy. Ben tried not to read too much into her behavior, mainly because he was keenly aware of what she did for a living, and knew that she had to take on a lot of the psychic pain of her clients while they went through the initial withdrawal from alcohol.
. . . He felt restless, uncomfortable, nervous, and scared. Thoughts about his future with, and without her, floated in and out. Questions about his ultimate safety from Hernandez intermingled with them, as did even more questions around the strange way Bromley and Decker had suddenly swooped into his life. They’d wrapped him up in their illusory veil of the power, and scope of the U.S. Government, and then conveniently excused their inability to find them to other people’s incompetence, and mistakes. Mistakes that almost cost them their lives. So many things struck him now as being more than a little off.
. . . Unfortunately, despite all good intentions, the party celebrating him and his acts of kindness and compassion seemed to have left him cursed, despite him even managing to give up alcohol and not go back to it under extraordinary circumstances. Ben put his coffee mug in the dishwasher and headed to the bathroom feeling heavy and angry.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
. . . JSH? Why just initials? Why not John Steve Haley, or Sandra T. Henderson? Janine was still in her bedroom. Feeling a bit like a criminal about to steal candy at the corner store, Ben went back to her phone and gently tapped the screen. It lit up again, and Ben could read some of the text. Got your final list for this week. A little shy aren’t we? I expect . . . Ben couldn’t read anymore, as it was only a preview or summary of the whole message. Now it was going to bother him, and he knew it. Does she have someone else in her life? he thought.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 19: MR. AND MRS. BENJAMIN MORSE SCOT
. . . They both went to Mainly Events, over in Biddeford to see about an enclosure and other supplies. Steve, the owner, looked at their list, and had almost everything they needed. Steve agreed to have his small crew arrive Friday afternoon and install a temporary enclosure with lights, set up the tables and chairs with linens, and put up streamers and other decorations. Saturday morning they would bring the ice, soft drinks, and water. Finally, a band called Unnamed Band known by their ability to play all different types of music, from Big Band Era to the Beatles, and Country, to Ozzie Osbourne would be there to play for both the wedding and the reception.
. . . Ben called his good friend, John Stillman, over at ABC Lobster, and ordered fifty pounds of fresh lobsters, 30 pounds of steamed clams, 50 haddock filets, and enough corn on the cob, coleslaw, and baked beans for 50 people. John said he would come and get the food set up in the early afternoon, right before the wedding. Ben tried to sound stern when he told John, “You make sure you bring a change of clothes, and your wife, John. This is the last time I’ll ever get married again, and I’d love to have both of you see me do it.”
“Sure, thing, Ben. I wouldn’t miss it, even in my jeans while wearing an apron.” he said, giving Ben a thumbs up and a big smile.
. . . Ben was getting a little nervous. Everything seemed to be coming together effortlessly, and he wasn’t used to that. He was having a hard time trusting it. He checked the weather forecast. Friday, and through the weekend, and even into the early part of the following week the weather was supposed to be comfortable and dry, with highs in the fifties, and lows in the thirties, with light breezes out of the west, and partly cloudy, with mostly sunny skies. It was amazing, and a good omen.
The weather in Maine is extremely changeable and can come from any direction. Sunny and warm today, snow tomorrow, it happens all the time. For Maine to know that many days of gorgeous, comfortable weather—back to back—was very unusual. Ben was very grateful, but still remained somewhat skeptical.
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
CHAPTER 20: THE ORGANS AND WHOLE BODY DATABASE
. . . Even though he was exhausted, Ben was too keyed up to even think about sleeping. He paced around in the den trying to figure out what to do next. He went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of cold water. He kept pacing, thinking about all the things that had transpired since he’d got out of rehab.
. . . Ben was awakened by the feeling of a warm, moist, tender mouth pressing against his. He opened his eyes to see Janine kissing him with her eyes closed. “Good morning,” he said when she pulled away.
“Good morning, sleepy head. What are you doing down here still semi-dressed? I wasn’t sure what to think when I woke up and saw that your half of the bed hadn’t been slept in.”
“Ah, I wasn’t ready to go to bed yet, so I stayed up for a while, watched some late night comedy, read a little on my phone, AP news and the stock report.”
. . . Ben texted Andrew while he was in the bathroom. He told him to come over in the early afternoon, instead of calling him in the late afternoon. Hey, please come over tomorrow at 2 p.m. instead of calling. Bring your Glock, park around back by the pool house, and wait for my text. I’ll explain tomorrow. You’re not going to believe it. I can’t. Andrew texted back almost immediately, Will do!
PURCHASE The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay
