Soundkeeper by Michael Hervey Read Free Book Online Page A

on his desk rang, and he made the mistake of answering it. One of his victims was on the phone, complaining that her son had run away again. He pulled up an old report on the computer and changed the date of occurrence, saving himself the trouble of starting from scratch.

Chapter Ten
    “Can you assist us with a search and rescue mission?” Hall acknowledged the Coast Guard radio operator and switched the VHF base station in his kitchen to a channel that was restricted to use by emergency service agencies.
    “We need you to search the area north and west of 32 degrees, 16’31.75 North and 80 degrees, 39’03.19 West. We are looking for a missing boat and boater. The boat is a twenty-two foot center console with a white hull and pictures of dolphins and sea turtles painted on it. The operator is a white female, twenty-six-years old. Missing since yesterday afternoon. Report back when you arrive in your search area and monitor this frequency for further information.”
    He acknowledged the request and confirmed the area he was assigned to search. Gale was missing? He couldn’t believe someone hadn’t called him earlier. He was supposed to take her to Jimmy’s retirement party tonight. He guessed she’d gotten stuck on an oyster bar or had mechanical trouble. She was an old salt compared to him, and he knew he’d tease her about spending the night in her boat when he saw her this evening.
    He’d gotten into the habit of starting his work day the same way that Jimmy used to, listening to the marine radio in the kitchen while he ate breakfast and checked the weather reports. He was not expecting the call from the Coast Guard this morning. His route to his search area would take him past Low Country Seafood, and he decided to stop there on the way. The first thing Hall noticed was that none of the shrimp boats were tied to the pier, which was unusual for this time of the day. The second thing he noticed was the Native Son sitting at the dock.
    After tying his boat to the dock he went inside and saw the bearded dolphin rescuer hunched over a chart with an older man who Hall knew to be Gale’s father. Both men looked up when he walked in.
    “Can you help with the search?” Silas Pickens asked Hall.
    “The Coast Guard wants me to check Cowen Creek and the marsh behind Distant Island.”
    “Alright,” Silas said. “I’ll check Capers Creek towards Frogmore. Maybe the storm blew her up on an oyster bed in there.”
    “I’ll listen up on the radio,” the older man said to them.
    “By the way, I’m Gale’s brother.” Hall learned that Silas was the one who reported Gale missing.
    “I didn’t have a charter this morning, but I came in early to catch some bait for this afternoon. It isn’t unusual for Gale to be out early, but I saw the lights on in her office and came in to say hello. She wasn’t in her apartment upstairs, and I’m pretty sure she never came back last night.”
    “Do you know where she went yesterday? Hall asked.
    “No. She usually stays inshore, but the outgoing tide was late afternoon yesterday and the thunderstorm came from the west. Either one could have blown her out to sea if the boat was disabled.”
    The older man answered a shrimper who was on the radio, reporting that he had not located anything yet. He had a cup full of steaming coffee in one hand and a mind full of concern.
    Silas said, “We’ll find her Pop. Don’t worry.”
    Hall started his patrol boat, and Silas pushed his skiff away from the dock and drifted next to him.
    “Dad’s got his boats checking the ocean side of the islands with the Coasties.”
    “Are all of the shrimp boats out looking?” Hall asked. He thought that Low Country Seafood owned close to a dozen boats.
    “Yeah. I’m going upriver. There’s a couple of developments Gale was keeping an eye on up there. If she ran hard aground she’d be up there, maybe even out of radio contact.”
    The chances of Gale’s boat being stuck and her radio and