the power to stir his emotions at the moment.
Melody broke into his train of thought. “It looks like there are a couple of blokes on the beach ahead.”
“Maybe marines on their day off.”
As they drew closer, they saw that the two people were indeed men. They appeared to be wearing shorts, unremarkable on the beach. Melody, whose eyes were sharper than Drake’s, gave an exclamation.
“They’re two of our runners. One of them has a problem.”
Drake could see that one of the men had his shoe off, and both of them were examining his foot. Melody spoke again.
“That’s Aki, the Japanese lad. The other one must be Mike, his partner.”
Drake and Melody came up to them and stopped.
Drake asked, “What’s the matter?”
Aki looked up from his sitting position on the sand. “I cut my foot.”
Drake could see blood on the bottom of the foot. Aki’s sock, which was lying on the sand, was soaked with blood. He had twisted his leg to get a good look at the foot, as if he were a contortionist. He was in a position Drake could never hope to emulate.
Melody dropped to her knees to inspect the wound. “What happened?”
“I stepped on a sharp rock. It came right through my shoe. I kept running, hoping the pain would go away.”
“He slowed way down,” Mike said. “He was favoring that leg. I knew he’d never last, running like that. Finally, I told him he had to stop.”
Melody pulled a small first aid kit from her pouch, another weight addition that Drake had opposed. She cut a piece of gauze from a roll with a miniature pair of scissors, poured a little water on it from her canteen, and wiped the blood off the cut. Then she took another look at it.
“It probably needs stitches.”
“Shit.” Aki sucked in his breath. “Sorry. But if I take the time to go to a doctor, it’ll take hours, especially in this God-forsaken place. I’ll never finish today’s run. We’ll be eliminated.”
“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do.” Melody reached into the first aid kit and pulled out a roll of adhesive tape and a foam pad. “I’m going to cover the cut. That will protect it and should reduce the pain.”
She squeezed some disinfectant from a small tube onto a gauze pad, which she placed on the cut. She covered the gauze with a foam pad and taped it firmly to Aki’s foot.
“Wait ten minutes for the bleeding to stop. Then put on your sock and shoe. Start running slowly. If the pain is bearable, you can speed up. That should hold you for today. If we get to San Clemente before you, we’ll arrange for you to see a doctor.”
“Thank you.” Aki looked gratefully at Melody.
Mike said, “Most of the runners wouldn’t have taken the time to stop and help us.”
“It’s a long race,” Drake said. “We need to help each other. Good luck.”
He and Melody started running along the beach. After they had gone a hundred yards Drake looked back at the pair. They were still sitting on the sand.
“This is the first time we haven’t been in last place during a day’s run. And you’ve acquired a couple of new admirers. It’s a good day.”
“It will be a good day if we find out that my mum is okay.”
***
“I’m actually glad you called.”
Blade’s voice sounded upbeat. Drake suspected that he didn’t have a woman with him tonight that he had to impress.
“I take it you’ve got some information for me.”
“One of our girls tracked down Melody’s mother. I like Melody, so I gave it a high priority. Tell her that if she ever wants to come back, the agency has a place for her. And if she just wants to live the life of a princess, she can live with me. I’ll take care of her. Tell her that.”
“Fat chance. What about her mother?”
“Blondie went to her house; she wasn’t there. She went next door and talked to a neighbor. It seems that Mrs. Jefferson is off visiting a friend in Sheffield. Blondie got the number and called her in Sheffield. She’s having a jolly good holiday,
Melody broke into his train of thought. “It looks like there are a couple of blokes on the beach ahead.”
“Maybe marines on their day off.”
As they drew closer, they saw that the two people were indeed men. They appeared to be wearing shorts, unremarkable on the beach. Melody, whose eyes were sharper than Drake’s, gave an exclamation.
“They’re two of our runners. One of them has a problem.”
Drake could see that one of the men had his shoe off, and both of them were examining his foot. Melody spoke again.
“That’s Aki, the Japanese lad. The other one must be Mike, his partner.”
Drake and Melody came up to them and stopped.
Drake asked, “What’s the matter?”
Aki looked up from his sitting position on the sand. “I cut my foot.”
Drake could see blood on the bottom of the foot. Aki’s sock, which was lying on the sand, was soaked with blood. He had twisted his leg to get a good look at the foot, as if he were a contortionist. He was in a position Drake could never hope to emulate.
Melody dropped to her knees to inspect the wound. “What happened?”
“I stepped on a sharp rock. It came right through my shoe. I kept running, hoping the pain would go away.”
“He slowed way down,” Mike said. “He was favoring that leg. I knew he’d never last, running like that. Finally, I told him he had to stop.”
Melody pulled a small first aid kit from her pouch, another weight addition that Drake had opposed. She cut a piece of gauze from a roll with a miniature pair of scissors, poured a little water on it from her canteen, and wiped the blood off the cut. Then she took another look at it.
“It probably needs stitches.”
“Shit.” Aki sucked in his breath. “Sorry. But if I take the time to go to a doctor, it’ll take hours, especially in this God-forsaken place. I’ll never finish today’s run. We’ll be eliminated.”
“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do.” Melody reached into the first aid kit and pulled out a roll of adhesive tape and a foam pad. “I’m going to cover the cut. That will protect it and should reduce the pain.”
She squeezed some disinfectant from a small tube onto a gauze pad, which she placed on the cut. She covered the gauze with a foam pad and taped it firmly to Aki’s foot.
“Wait ten minutes for the bleeding to stop. Then put on your sock and shoe. Start running slowly. If the pain is bearable, you can speed up. That should hold you for today. If we get to San Clemente before you, we’ll arrange for you to see a doctor.”
“Thank you.” Aki looked gratefully at Melody.
Mike said, “Most of the runners wouldn’t have taken the time to stop and help us.”
“It’s a long race,” Drake said. “We need to help each other. Good luck.”
He and Melody started running along the beach. After they had gone a hundred yards Drake looked back at the pair. They were still sitting on the sand.
“This is the first time we haven’t been in last place during a day’s run. And you’ve acquired a couple of new admirers. It’s a good day.”
“It will be a good day if we find out that my mum is okay.”
***
“I’m actually glad you called.”
Blade’s voice sounded upbeat. Drake suspected that he didn’t have a woman with him tonight that he had to impress.
“I take it you’ve got some information for me.”
“One of our girls tracked down Melody’s mother. I like Melody, so I gave it a high priority. Tell her that if she ever wants to come back, the agency has a place for her. And if she just wants to live the life of a princess, she can live with me. I’ll take care of her. Tell her that.”
“Fat chance. What about her mother?”
“Blondie went to her house; she wasn’t there. She went next door and talked to a neighbor. It seems that Mrs. Jefferson is off visiting a friend in Sheffield. Blondie got the number and called her in Sheffield. She’s having a jolly good holiday,
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