Dark Side of the Street - Jack Higgins [58]
When he went up to deck, it was still raining hard, but the sea was a lot calmer. Youngblood's face was lined with fatigue in the grey light of morning, but his smile was as indefatigable as ever.
"We've just raised Alderney," he said and pointed to a grey-green smudge on the horizon.
"How long?"
"Half an hour. I'm giving her full power now things are calmer. The only thing we have to worry about is the fog."
"Is it likely to be bad?"
"Can't say, but it's coming in fast. On the other hand it does give us some kind of cover for the approach."
"I've just been having words with our friend below."
"Get anything out of him?"
"Apparently the Baron comes in and out by helicopter."
"Is he there now?"
"Says he doesn't know."
Youngblood shook his head. "I can't believe that. Maybe we'd better try a little persuasion."
"You'd be wasting your time. I get a distinct impression that he's the type which doesn't crack easily and I think he was telling the truth. Most of the time there's just a caretaker in residence up at the house."
"Then what do we do?" Youngblood said. "I've had a good look at the chart and Bragg was right. The jetty is the only possible anchorage. If we go in there, we could run slap into trouble."
"I've been thinking about that and I've had an idea of sorts. Let's have another look at the chart."
Youngblood switched to automatic pilot and joined him. "You're wasting your time if you're hoping to find somewhere else we can land. I've been over that chart a dozen times."
Chavasse nodded. "I had something different in mind. The house is in a hollow on the western slope. If we approached from the east where the highest cliffs are, we wouldn't be seen, especially in the fog."
Youngblood shook his head. "There isn't any possible anchorage on that side."
"Maybe not, but it looks to me as if there are plenty of places where a small boat could land."
Youngblood looked dubious. "It sounds all right in theory, but I know these waters. It's more than probable that a small boat couldn't survive in the kind of surf you'll find at the bottom of those cliffs."
"It could well be that we just don't have any choice." Chavasse shrugged. "We'll just have to wait and see."
They crept in towards the island through a grey shroud that seemed to go on forever and somewhere the surf boomed angrily like distant thunder.
The Pride of Man was making no more than two or three knots, her engine muted and Youngblood stood at the wheel, straining anxiously into the fog, feeling for the cross currents that would tell him he was getting close.
Chavasse was in the prow and suddenly, he pointed dead ahead and called excitedly. In the same moment the wind which had been strengthening noticeably for at least half an hour, tore a great hole in the curtain, giving a breathtaking view of the cliffs dead ahead.
They were perhaps two hundred yards away, the tops completely shrouded in grey, thousands of sea birds nesting on their rocky ledges and beneath them, the surf pounded in across jagged rocks.
Chavasse moved back to the wheelhouse as they went closer. "What do you think?"
Youngblood shook his head. "It doesn't look too good to me."
He approached to within fifty yards of the base of the cliffs and turned as the waves started to pull them in. Chavasse pointed to a horseshoe amongst the rocks and the strip of shingle beyond it.
"That looks something like."
Youngblood shook his head. "I still say the dinghy wouldn't last five minutes in that surf."
"What if I wore the aqualung?"
Youngblood turned quickly. "Now you're talking. I'd give you a better than even chance, always remembering that arm of yours."
"Well, you can't go, that's obvious," Chavasse said. "It looks as if I'm elected."
He went below, opened the locker in the saloon and took out the skin-diving equipment. Whatever else happened it was going to be cold out there--damned cold and he stripped quickly and pulled