In the rapidly increasing daylight, they could see Perez Soto’s man on the end of the pole. He was waving his arms, kicking his legs frantically.
“He looks like a crab,” Li chortled.
He did. The man, caught by the seat of his swim pants on the hook, was unable to reach back to free himself. He was suspended three feet above the water, still kicking and squirming furiously.
“What shall I do with him, Dad? Throw him back?”
Thomas Brewster was laughing.
“I’ve used many a weapon to defend myself in the past, but a boathook ... this is the laughing end.” Both boys made an “ouch” face at the bad pun. Mr. Brewster turned to Li. “Get a flashlight, Li. I want to make sure who this human shark is.”
Li darted into the cabin and darted right back. He didn’t want to miss a thing.
Thomas Brewster shone the flashlight on the hooked, would-be knife wielder’s face.
“Just as I thought,” Brewster said. “It’s the man who was guarding Dr. Weber. I heard Perez Soto call him Madeira.”
Madeira, in his frantic struggling, had dropped the knife from his mouth. He was no longer any threat to the Easy Action and her crew.