CHAPTER 29 WINGS OF HOPE Fingers of fog wrapped the Carpe Diem. The morning star was lost to sight behind the clouds. Dawn was only a couple of hours away, and would break cool and gray. I hadn’t been able to get a signal lower down on the aft deck, so I climbed to Carpe Diem’s sun deck. I held the phone out before me to the distant sky and searched for a signal. One bar appeared; a faint signal glowed for an instant, then disappeared. Down in the depths of the yacht, despairing in my stateroom, I hadn’t cared who the message was from, but the cool sea breeze had cleared the fug of whiskey from my brain and I felt a sense of urgency. I roamed the top deck, side to side, searching for the elusive signal, my bare feet silent in the night. I felt the excitement building inside me, as if I was on the verge of an epiphany. I would stay here the rest of the night if need be. The signal flashed on again by the aft rail, but it was still too faint. I should have given up then. Lost faith yet again, grabbed the bottle of whiskey and retreated to my luxurious cave below.
