璇玑之心刃·冷血悍将-第111部分

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‘You‘re　a　pretty　good　line…handler；‘　he　observed；　mainly　to　make　the　man　feel　better。
‘Surgeons　are　pretty　good　with　knots；　too。‘
‘You　a　doc；　too；　ma‘am？‘　Kelly　asked　Sarah。
‘Pharmacologist。　I　also　teach　at　Hopkins。‘
‘How　long　have　you　and　your　wife　lived　here？‘　Sam　asked；　and　the　conversation　ground　to　an　awkward　halt。
‘Oh；　we　just　met；‘　Pam　told　them　artlessly。　Naturally　enough　it　was　Kelly　who　was　the　most　embarrassed。　The　two　physicians　merely　accepted　the　news　as　a　matter　of　course；　but　Kelly　worried　that　they‘d　see　him　as　a　man　taking　advantage　of　a　young　girl。　The　thoughts　associated　with　his　behavior　seemed　to　race　in　circles　around　the　inside　of　his　skull　until　he　realized　that　no　one　else　seemed　to　care　all　that　much。
‘Let‘s　take　a　look　at　that　propeller。‘　Kelly　stood。　‘e　on。‘
Rosen　followed　him　out　the　door。　The　heat　was　building　outside；　and　it　was　best　to　get　things　done　quickly。　The　secondary　bunker　on　the　island　housed　Kelly‘s　workshop。　He　selected　a　couple　of　wrenches　and　wheeled　a　portable　air　pressor　towards　the　door。
Two　minutes　later　he　had　it　sitting　next　to　the　doctor‘s　Hatteras　and　buckled　a　pair　of　weight　belts　around　his　waist。
‘Anything　I　have　to　do？‘　Rosen　asked。
Kelly　shook　his　head　as　he　stripped　off　his　shirt。　‘Not　really。　If　the　pressor　quits；　I‘ll　know　pretty　quick；　and　I‘ll　only　be　down　five　feet　or　so。‘
‘I‘ve　never　done　that。‘　Rosen　turned　his　surgeon‘s　eyes　to　Kelly‘s　torso；　spotting　three　separate　scars　that　a　really　good　surgeon　might　have　been　skillful　enough　to　conceal。　Then　he　remembered　that　a　bat　surgeon　didn‘t　always　have　the　time　for　cosmetic　work。
‘I　have；　here　and　there；‘　Kelly　told　him　on　the　way　to　the　ladder。
‘I　believe　it；‘　Rosen　said　quietly　to　himself。
Four　minutes　later；　by　Rosen‘s　watch；　Kelly　was　climbing　back　up　the　ladder。
‘Found　your　problem。‘　He　set　the　remains　of　both　props　on　the　concrete　dock。
‘God！　What　did　we　hit？‘
Kelly　sat　down　for　a　moment　to　strip　off　the　weights。　It　was　all　he　could　do　not　to　laugh。　‘Water；　doc；　just　water。‘
‘What？‘
‘Did　you　have　the　boat　surveyed　before　you　bought　it？‘
‘Sure；　the　insurance　pany　made　me　do　that。　I　got　the　best　buy　around；　he　charged　me　a　hundred　bucks。‘
‘Oh；　yeah？　What　deficiencies　did　he　give　you？‘　Kelly　stood　back　up　and　switched　the　pressor　off。
‘Practically　nothing。　He　said　there　was　something　wrong　with　the　sinks；　and　I　had　a　plumber　check　it；　but　they　were　fine。　I　guess　he　had　to　say　something　for　his　money；　right？‘
‘Sinks？‘
‘That‘s　what　he　told　me　over　the　phone。　I　have　the　written　survey　somewhere；　but　I　took　the　information　over　the　phone。‘
‘Zincs；‘　Kelly　said；　laughing。　‘Not　sinks。‘
‘What？‘　Rosen　was　angry　at　not　getting　the　joke。
‘What　destroyed　your　props　was　electrolysis。　Galvanic　reaction。　It‘s　caused　by　having　more　than　one　kind　of　metal　in　saltwater；　corrodes　the　metal。　All　the　sandbar　did　was　to　scuff　them　off。　They　were　already　wrecked。　Didn‘t　the　Power　Squadron　tell　you　about　that？‘
‘Well；　yes；　but　…‘
‘But　…　you　just　learned　something；　Doctor　Rosen。‘　Kelly　held　up　the　remains　of　the　screw。　The　metal　had　the　flaked　consistency　of　a　soda　cracker。　‘This　used　to　be　bronze。‘
‘Damn！‘　The　surgeon　took　the　wreckage　in　his　hand　and　picked　off　a　waferlike　fragment。
‘The　surveyor　meant　for　you　to　replace　the　zinc　anodes　on　the　strut。　What　they　do　is　to　absorb　the　galvanic　energy。　You　replace　them　every　couple　of　years；　and　that　protects　the　screws　and　rudder　by　remote　control；　like。　I　don‘t　know　all　the　science　of　it；　but　I　do　know　the　effects；　okay？　Your　rudder　needs　replacement；　too；　but　it‘s　not　an　emergency。　Sure　as　hell；　you　need　two　new　screws。‘
Rosen　looked　out　at　the　water　and　swore。　‘Idiot。‘
Kelly　allowed　himself　a　sympathetic　laugh。　‘Doc；　if　that‘s　the　biggest　mistake　you　make　this　year；　you‘re　a　lucky　man。‘
‘So　what　do　I　do　now？‘
‘I　make　a　phone　call　and　order　you　a　couple　of　props。　I‘ll　call　a　guy　I　know　over　in　Solomons；　and　he‘ll　have　somebody　run　them　down　here；　probably　tomorrow。‘　Kefly　gestured。　‘It‘s　not　that　big　a　deal；　okay？　I　want　to　see　your　charts；　too。‘
Sure　enough；　when　he　checked　their　dates；　they　were　five　years　old。　‘You　need　new　ones　every　year；　doc。‘
‘Damn！‘　Rosen　said。
‘Helpful　hint？‘　Kelly　asked　with　another　smile。　‘Don‘t　take　it　so　seriously。　Best　kind　of　lesson。　It　hurts　a　little　but　not　much。　You　learn　and　you　get　on　with　it。‘
The　doctor　relaxed；　finally；　allowing　himself　a　smile。　‘I　suppose　you‘re　right；　but　Sarah‘ll　never　let　me　forget　it。‘
‘Blame　the　charts；‘　Kelly　suggested。
‘Will　you　back　me　up？‘
Kelly　grinned。　‘Men　have　to　stick　together　at　times　like　this。‘
‘I　think　I‘m　going　to　like　you；　Mr　Kelly。‘
‘So　where　the　fuck　is　she？‘　Billy　demanded。
‘How　the　hell　should　I　know？‘　Rick　replied；　equally　angry　…　and　fearful　of　what　Henry　would　say　when　he　got　back。　Both　their　eyes　turned　to　the　woman　in　the　room。
‘You‘re　her　friend；‘　Billy　said。
Doris　was　trembling　already；　wishing　she　could　run　from　the　room；　but　there　was　no　safety　in　that。　Her　hands　were　shaking　as　Billy　took　the　three　steps　to　her；　and　she　flinched　but　didn‘t　evade　the　slap　that　landed　her　on　the　floor。
‘Bitch。　You　better　tell　me　what　you　know！‘
‘I　don‘t　know　anything！‘　she　screamed　up　at　him；　feeling　the　burning　spot　on　her　face　where　she‘d　been　hit。　She　looked　over　to　Rick　for　sympathy；　but　saw　no　emotion　at　all　on　his　face。
‘You　know　something　…　and　you　better　tell　me　right　now；‘　Billy　said。　He　reached　down　to　unbutton　her　shorts；　then　removed　the　belt　from　his　pants。　‘Get　the　rest　in　here；‘　he　told　Rick。
Doris　stood　without　waiting　for　the　order；　nude　from　the　waist　down；　crying　silently；　her　body　shaking　with　sobs　for　the　pain　soon　to　e；　afraid　even　to　cower；　knowing　she　couldn‘t　run。　There　was　no　safety　for　her。　The　other　girls　came　in　slowly；　not　looking　in　her　direction。　She‘d　known　that　Pam　was　going　to　run；　but　that　was　all；　and　her　only　satisfaction　as　she　heard　the　belt　whistle　through　the　air　was　that　she　would　reveal　nothing　that　could　hurt　her　friend。　As　searing‘as　the　pain　was；　Pam　had　escaped。
C3
　　　　CHAPTER　3
Captivity
After　replacing　all　the　diving　gear　in　the　machine　shop；　Kelly　took　a　two…wheel　hand　truck　out　onto　the　quay　to　handle　the　groceries。　Rosen　insisted　on　helping。　His　new　screws　would　arrive　by　boat　the　next　day；　and　the　surgeon　didn‘t　seem　in　any　hurry　to　take　his　boat　back　out。
‘So；‘　Kelly　said；　‘you　teach　surgery？‘
‘Eight　years　now；　yeah。‘　Roeen　evened　up　the　boxes　on　the　two…wheeler。
‘You　don‘t　took　like　a　surgeon。‘
Rosen　took　the　pliment　with　grace。　‘We‘re　not　all　violinists。　My　father　was　a　bricklayer。‘
‘Mine　was　a　fireman。‘　Ketty　started　wheeling　the　groceries　towards　the　bunker。
‘Speaking　of　surgeons　。。。‘　Rosen　pointed　at　Kelly‘s　chest。　‘Some　good　ones　worked　on　you。　That　one　looks　like　it　was　nasty。‘
Kelly　nearly　stopped。　‘Yeah；　I　got　real　careless　that　time。　Not　as　bad　as　it　looks；　though；　just　grazed　the　lung。‘
Rosen　grunted。　‘So　I　see。　Must　have　missed　your　heart　by　nearly　two　inches。　No　big　deal。‘
Kelly　moved　the　boxes　into　the　pantry。　‘Nice　to　talk　to　somebody　who　understands；　doc；‘　he　noted；　wincing　inwardly　at　the　thought；　remembering　the　feel　of　the　bullet　when　it　had　spun　him　around。　‘Like　I　said　…　careless。‘
‘How　long　were　you　over　there？‘
‘Total？　Maybe　eighteen　months。　Depends　on　if　you　count　the　hospital　time。‘
‘That‘s　a　Navy　Cross　you　have　hanging　on　the　wall。　Is　that　what　it‘s　for？‘
Kelly　shook　his　head。　‘That　was　something　else。　I　had　to　go　up　north　to　retrieve　somebody；　A…6　pilot。　I　didn‘t　get　hurt；　but　I　got　sicker　‘n‘　hell。　I　had　some　scratches　…　you　know　…　from　thorns　and　stuff。　They　got　infected　as　hell　from　the　river　water；　would　you　believe？　Three　weeks　in　the　hospital　from　that。　It　was　worse‘n　being　shot。‘
‘Not　a　very　nice　place；　is　it？‘　Rosen　asked　as　they　came　back　for　the　last　load。
‘They　say　there‘s　a　hundred　different　kinds　of　snake　there。　Niy…nine　are　poisonous。‘
‘And　the　other　one？‘
Kelly　handed　a　carton　over　to　the　doctor。　‘That　one　eats　your　ass　whole。‘　He　laughed。　‘No；　I　didn‘t　like　it　there　much。　But　that　was　the　job；　and　I　got　that　pilot　out；　and　the　Admiral　made　me　a　chief　and　got　me　a　medal。　e　on；　I‘ll　show　you　my　baby。‘　Kelly　waved　Rosen　aboard。　The　tour　took　five　minutes；　with　the　doctor　taking　note　of　all　the　differences。　The　amenities　were　there；　but　not　glitzed　up。　This　guy；　he　saw；　was　all　business；　and　his　charts　were　all　brand　new。　Kelly　fished　out　another　beer　from　his　cooler　for　the　doctor　and　another　for　himself。
‘What　was　Okinawa　like？‘　Kelly　asked　with　a　smile；　each　man　sizing　up　the　other；　each　liking　what　he　saw。
Rosen　shrugged　and　grunted　eloquently。　‘Tense。　We　had　a　lot　of　work；　and　the　kamikazes　seemed　to　think　the　red　cross　on　the　ship　made　a　hell　of　a　nice　target。‘
‘You　were　working　while　they　were　ing　in　at　you？‘
‘Injured　people　can‘t　wait；　Kelly。‘
Kelly　finished　his　beer。　‘I‘d　rather　be　shooting　back。　Let　me　get　Pam‘s　stuff　and　we　can　get　back　in　the　air　conditioning。‘　He　headed　aft　and　picked　up　her　backpack。　Rosen　was　already　on　the　quay；　and　Kelly　t