Chapter 67

When the wind stops blowing or it's blowing over there ... the ripples on the water ... see? And David is determined to save fuel ... the boat sits and heaves ... it heaves because there is always the swell. Or they chase a breeze full circle. Mostly ... they sit.

After awhile ... water is water ... the sky is the sky ... the boat is the boat ... the crew ... well ... sometimes they're idiots.

Not ... conversationalists ... the same same old. Joke? Heard it ... six times. Book? Read it. Of the eighteen people aboard ... really? Eighteen?

Twelve junior Sanchez's ... can't call them minor Sanchez's ... two senior Sanchez's ... Celandine Papadopolis Sanchez ... Jake ... David ... Andrea...

If we count the cats ... cats are people in furry suits ... there is the Escobar cat ... kitten. Twelve Sanchez cats. Thirteen cats.

Thirteen Cats ... sounds like a children's book.

"If it weren't for the cats and the sunrise and sunset, I'd go nuts," Andrea confided in Nyoman.

"Why aren't you scratching your womanly itch with that man of yours?" Nyoman is nothing if not practical.

"I don't have a man to scratch it."

"At least you haven't said you don't have the itch." Nyoman grinned, "A woman needs her itch scratched."

"Oh, you are so right ... I miss my husband."

"You were married?"

So the story came out ... probably the only life experience unrelated to the crew by the crew.

"Killed him?"

"Yeppers."

"No!"

"Yes. I have the gun."

"Show me."

That brought out the story of the sledge hammer and the ATF ... most everybody knew the results of that fiasco ... they were floating on it.

"So, you couldn't fix it?"

"It still shoots around corners ... the barrel is straighter than it was but not perfect.

"I'm not done trying but they gave me a new one to replace this. I just can't let it go."

The new one was an M82A1, a recoil-operated, semi-automatic developed by the Barrett Firearms Manufacturing company.

She opened the fancy aluminum case and started to monologue, "From 1982 to 1986 each rifle was made, mostly by hand, by Ronnie Barrett in Tennessee. A curiosity and a bragging rights rifle for rich gun owners, Barrett sold about 100 M82A1 rifles to the Swedish Army just this year. It's heavy and awkward to carry but it By God Shoots!"

She hefted it out of the case and held it out ... with both hands... "Have a look," she suggested.

Nyoman tried, for a tiny woman she was surprisingly strong, but it really was heavy. She passed it back.

Andrea had, by this time, retrieved the magazine and a massive scope. Extending the bipod she set the rifle on the deck and attached the scope.

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but the scope cost more than the rifle. Why don't you lie down on this padding and have a look. It's not loaded ... but you should check. Pull back the bolt. Empty chamber? No magazine? Ok ... I knew it wasn't loaded but you didn't. Now you do. Take this red plastic cartridge ... it's called a 'snap cap' ... all it does his give the firing pin a cushioned place to fall when you pull the trigger. Won't hurt the firing pin and it gets you used to the 'breakpoint', the place in the trigger pull where the sear releases."

While she was giving lessons to Nyoman, the rest of the tribe not on duty were sitting behind her listening. Pretty soon the only people not watching her was the sidescan sonar/radar watch ... in other words ... everybody but Barbara. Barbara was watching an interesting object on the sidescan.

"Captain to the sonar console, Captain to the sonar console."

There wasn't any way David could answer her... 'Note to self: pocket radios.' He got up and walked back to the sonar/radar/chart room.

"What do you have, Barb?"

"I don't know." She pointed at silhouette on the sidescan.

"Shipping Container." He turned on the intercom, "Lookouts to the Mast, bow and port side." He said, "Good job, Barb. We'll have a look. We'll probably have to sink it." He picked the radio microphone and called, "Holbox Coast Guard, Holbox Coast Guard, Nevis and St. Kitts Naval Vessel, Pretty Penny, Nevis and St. Kitts Naval Vessel, Pretty Penny..."