Following his capture and torture and the death of his
wife Anna, Sam had decided on San Juan Island as the site of his
convalescence. His relationship with his Uncle Ben and Haley turned
out to be the perfect balm. In his growing up years, he on occasion
came to visit Uncle Ben and now deceased Aunt Helen, and quickly
grew fond of them.
During the summer of his
twelfth birthday, he had spent the entire three months working
with Aunt Helen on the landscaping and Ben had taken time from
work for a number of salmon fishing expeditions. There were various
other visits and more salmon. For a time, when she was 19 and
he was 29, he and Haley had almost been an item. Over his recent
months on the island, Sam had found this dormant bond with Ben
was growing. Haley was more complicated.
Life had kicked Haley
to the ground, but Sam admired her because she kept trying to
get back up. The prestigious Sanker Foundation had thrown her
out in disgrace, claiming she’d stolen the work and ideas
of her fellow scientists. That was shocking because she was the
adopted daughter of the eminent Dr. Ben Anderson, also at Sanker,
known to be the straightest of the straight.
Sam knew that Haley’s life had
been a strange mixture of ups and downs. Before her adoption at
age 9 life had been very tough. With Ben and Helen her intelligence
flourished. By 16 she could fly Ben’s float plane and run
any boat that floated.
Academically she excelled obtaining
a PhD degree in marine biology at age 27.
Because of her success Sam knew the
last great fall was very hard.
For the present she had taken to operating
a bicycle and motor scooter rental business thirty feet from Sam’s
sitting spot. She owned it, and had part-time employees, but lately
seemed to be showing up herself. Sam’s return to the island
had just followed Haley’s expulsion from her job and concurrent
ostracization from local scientific society. She hadn’t
wanted to talk about the scandal much. He glanced her way and
waved. She used that iron will of hers to return a good smile
left over from better days and waved back. Then she came closer.
