Northwest Night Voyage by Joshua Swainston

For four hours in the middle of the night, Erik motored his 32ft Bayliner recreation boating vessel from Commencement Bay to Totten Inlet. Gnawing on the remaining nub of a Maduro cigar, he watched his plotter count down the way points around Hope Island until he reached the exact point he previously determined. Erik studied weather and tidal charts for the past week. The location was secluded with minimal traffic. The inlet held a steady fifty feet of water and would not see any strong currents. The hardest part of all was waiting for a night with heavy cloud cover to block out celestial light, mitigating the possibility of a witness from shore.

The cell phone resting on the boats instrument panel buzzed with a text message:

IS IT DONE YET?

Erik responded:

JUST GOT HERE. WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.

Erik dropped the diesel engines to an idle and tossed the cigar into the water. He found the hatch key embedded in the aft deck. Popping open the compartment revealed a lanky man in his mid-twenties, bound at hands and feet with manila three strained line.