Cliff

Chapter 21 -- The Rescue

Time:Tuesday, September 22, Noon.

The instant Sally hit the sidewalk, Professor Lockridge ran to her assistance, helped the unconscious young woman to her feet and led or rather carried her into the building. From there, he escorted her straight to the back door and loaded her into the back of the University van. He then slowly drove the van down to the docks and parked, waiting and watching to see that he would not be observed, and again carried as though he were leading Sally to the research boat. The boat was tied up alongside the pier and it was not difficult to "help" Sally over the side into the boat, although she did slip from his grip and fell rather heavily into the bottom of the boat.

When Sally regained consciousness somewhat, she felt the boat moving over the water. She then discovered that her hands and feet were tied with nylon cord and that she was not able to sit up. She could turn her head to see Professor Lockridge, who was explaining things to her in a quiet lecture style.

"I regret very much having to do this, Sally, but you know it's your own fault. If only you had not meddled in affairs which didn't concern you at all, you wouldn't be making me do this. I'm running a ridiculous risk taking this action, but really, Sally, I don't know what else to do."

"What are you going to do,"

"I'm going just outside the bay and very reluctantly drop you into the bay inside one of my fish cages. It has a release line so I can open the bottom of the cage from the surface. Once I am sure you are no longer alive, I will open the fish cage and your body will sink to the bottom of the bay. It will wash ashore in time, with no marks of any restraint on it. It will look like suicide."

"Are you completely stark, staring, mad? You will never get away with this. You will only add another murder to your list? Are you going to try to murder all of the others who know about this? And how do you plan to explain my disappearance right after I visited with you in your office. People know about that, you know."

"I honestly don't know. Everyone knows how upset you have been about the death of Bob. I'm hoping they will believe you took your own life."

"My disappearance will cause an investigation. You will surely be suspected."

"Quite possibly. You and your side-kick did a really phenomenal piece of research, you know. I quite congratulate you. I never thought anyone would piece the story together as you have."

"Professor Lockridge, you are absolutely, categorically, insane."

"I'm not insane enough to allow you to tell your story to anyone else, young lady. We're about to reach the fish cage now. Take my advice and don't fight it, just let it come. I'm told that drowning is a very nice way to die, after the first few moments. With any luck, you will be unconscious or very nearly. I intend to use another tranquilizer dart to put you into the cage."

The research vessel arrived at the buoy marking the presence on the harbor floor of a fish cage. The professor latched the winch cable to the line going to the fish cage and unlatched the buoy. He started the winch motor and the line started coming out of the water and winding on the drum.

Once it was clear of the water, the professor pulled it over the stern of the boat and lowered it to the deck. Then he turned it over on it's side and opened the bottom. The cage was a wire-enclosed rectangular box about 6 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall. It was used to place fish in the harbor environment without allowing them to escape. The bottom hinged along one long side and when the catch was released by pulling sharply on the release line, the bottom would fall open and whatever had been in the cage would fall to the ocean floor.

Once the cage was on it's side with the trap door laying on the deck, Professor Lockridge went without speaking to the cockpit where he had put the tranquilizer gun. Sally had only time to twist around to look at him when he fired the tranquilizer gun into her upper thigh. She went out immediately, and the professor quickly untied her and rolled her over the door and into the cage. He closed the bottom, checked the latch and the line to be sure it was free from obstruction and moved the lever that operated the winch. The winch groaned under it's unaccustomed load, but the cage slowly lifted from the deck and the professor swung it out over the water. He was lowering it once more into the sea when the "Ahoy there" rang out from the Constable.

Professor Lockridge was so caught up in his own activities that he had not noticed the boat pulling up alongside. He held onto the lever lowering the cage and yelled over his shoulder for them to wait just one moment, he was doing something very important right now.

But Tom had already leaped aboard and knocked the professor away from the winch lever. He followed the winch line with his eyes to the half-submerged cage just a foot or two off the stern of the boat and was horrified to Sally's face just above the water line and her hands clutching the wire top of the cage. He moved the lever the opposite way from the way the professor was holding it and the winch began lifting the cage from the water once more.

Then the cage was on the deck, Tom was holding the nearly unconscious Sally as though he would never let go and the Constable, for one of the very few times in his career was actually in action. He was making radio calls from the police cruiser to the State Police, who assured him that backup was on the way as well as an ambulance.

The professor was sitting on a coil of rope handcuffed and staring glassily into space. Still acting unnaturally authoritative, he moved everyone to the police cruiser, attached a tow rope to the research vessel and the cruiser turned slowly towards the wharf with the research vessel in tow.

They waited at the wharf for the State Patrol cars to arrive and then the ambulance. Tom went to the hospital with Sally in the ambulance and the State Patrol took the professor in custody. It was not quite three o'clock.