The Boatman's Wife(30)

‘But it got so bad, what with the boat taking on water, your daddy changed his mind, said let the traps be, and we needed to head back sharpish.’

Lily stared at Ryan. Saw his face go still with the memory of what he’d endured.

‘It takes just one big wave, Lily,’ Ryan said to her, his face solemn. ‘I saw the lightning forking on the horizon, and the ocean boiling and frothing. I saw that big wave coming. I shouted to Connor, “Hold on,” but that’s when he tripped, got caught up in the line.’ Ryan’s voice was hoarse with emotion. ‘He’d left it out, see. And then the end of the line went over the side, and all the traps were pulled off the boat.’ Ryan paused. ‘Connor after them.’

Lily squeezed her eyes shut. She could see the whole scene in her head. The terror, the panic. Had Connor been swept away immediately, pulled down to the depths of the ocean in a moment? Or had he desperately tried to swim back towards the boat?

‘I should have been there, Ryan.’

‘I’m glad you weren’t, Lily,’ Ryan said.

Lily looked up at Ryan, his eyes glassy in the half-light. She crushed her cigarette beneath her shoe. She was shivering with the cold now in her black wool dress.

‘Me and your dad both made it to the life raft, and we were hollering and hollering for Connor. But Lily, he was just gone.’



Her daddy was talking to Pastor Anderson. He had a glass of bourbon in his hands, filled with ice, and was taking small sips of it, as if it were medicine. Her father had never been much of a drinker. She couldn’t help noticing he seemed to have shrunk. He looked broken, his back stooped as he held on to the drink.

It was the wrong time and place to ask him, and yet she needed to know right now what had happened on the Lily May. In all her father’s decades fishing, he’d never let himself get caught out in such a bad storm. Had he really ignored the weather warnings?

She marched across the room, ignoring her mom, who was calling her over. The snow had melted on her woollen dress and she felt damp, halfway between cold from outside and hot from the warm room.

‘Daddy, I need to talk to you, alone,’ she told her father, not caring if the pastor thought she were rude. This was her husband’s memorial and she could behave how she liked.

Her father looked over at her. She saw something in his expression. An apology? Shame? Dread began to seep into her heart.

‘Now’s not the time, Lily,’ her daddy said, as the doorbell rang.

‘There will never be a good time, Daddy,’ Lily said, but her father wasn’t looking at her anymore. His eyes had widened as he looked over her shoulder. For the first time in her life, Lily saw her daddy look frightened. She turned around to see two cops approaching them. She recognised one as their local sheriff, Bill Frederickson.

‘Mr Jack Smyth?’ Frederickson asked her father in a formal tone of voice, as the whole room fell silent. Lily sensed the eyes of all their family, friends and neighbours on her father as the sheriff and his fellow cop, Seth Bailey, walked into the centre of the room.

‘What the hell, Bill!’ her father exclaimed, his face turning a deep shade of red. ‘What’re you doing here?’

‘I’m sorry, Jack,’ Frederickson said.

Lily’s father looked furious. ‘God damn you, Bill, you can’t come barging in on my son-in-law’s memorial! Have you no respect?’

‘I got my orders, Jack,’ Sheriff Frederickson said as Seth Bailey produced a pair of handcuffs. Lily heard her mother gasp behind her, and the ripple and hush of shock that ran through the whole gathering.

‘I’ll come by the station later if you want to talk to me,’ her dad said to the sheriff. ‘But you can’t do this, not right here, not now – in front of Lily!’

Frederickson kept his head down, unable to even look in Lily’s direction as she stood in stunned silence.

‘I’m sorry, Jack, but on the authority of the US Attorney’s Office I am placing you under arrest on the charge of seaman’s manslaughter.’

Lily took a step back, gripping her shaking hands. Seaman’s manslaughter? It was so rare for anyone to be accused of such a crime. The last time she’d heard of it was eight years ago. Another captain over in Portland had been sent to prison for ten years for being responsible for the deaths of two of his crew. They’d all gone out drunk and stoned, and got swept overboard. But because he was captain of the vessel, he was responsible for their welfare.

Lily watched in horror as Seth Bailey approached her dad with the handcuffs.

‘Hey!’ her dad challenged him. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

‘Don’t resist, Jack. Don’t make it worse for yourself,’ Frederickson said, as her father put his hand out in defence.

‘Leave him alone!’ her mom screeched.

‘I’ve got to cuff you, Mr Smyth,’ Seth Bailey said, looking apologetic. ‘I don’t want to have to use force.’

‘I don’t believe this is happening,’ her mom said tearfully.

‘It’s okay, Sarah,’ her daddy said, looking at her mom, and then at the whole silent group of witnesses – although he turned his gaze away when it came to Lily. ‘I sure am sorry for the drama, folks.’ He turned to the sheriff. ‘I’ll come, but you don’t need to cuff me, okay?’