Sapphire's Place - Prudence Walker's " The Inheritor "

The Inheritor

by: Prudence Walker
© 2001

You, you"---she spluttered, "yes it will be a squeeze, my foot." She lightly punched Sara on the shoulder for her deception then hugged her, saying, "I don’t know whether to laugh or cry."

Chapter 5

"Don’t cry, you’ll ruin your makeup," Sara responded, hugging back.

Climbing aboard, Phoebe went on another tour, starting at the engine room. Kim was very proud of her baby as she called it, a supercharged V12 Allison aircraft engine, nestled in an immaculate engine bay. You see Catherine got more and more paranoid about her safety, and wanted to be able to get from one place to the other as fast as she could, if need be."

"I wonder if my uncle was after the estate before her death?" Mused Phoebe thoughtfully.

"It would explain a few things she did then, if true," answered Kim. Then sighing a little, she patted the engine lovingly.

" I wish I could get to open her up to full throttle more often. Catherine used to like going out for a spin, but usually only at a modest rate of knots. It’s been modified from the original design, it has a secret weapon, Kim added cryptically.

"Well how about now, I’d like to see her put though her paces."

"YOU mean that," exclaimed Kim excitedly, she blushed and apologised, saying, "sorry I feel so excited."

"Me too, laughed," Phoebe. "Come on, let’s see what’s holding the others up." Climbing back up to the main deck they saw both Karen and Sandra bringing loaded trays of food. Pickles, was trailing behind carrying a cooler, ogling the girls behinds as they walked down the path. Phoebe smiled, as she knew just what he was thinking, the randy devil.

Helping get the food aboard, Phoebe could smell fresh baking coming from the covered trays and when Pickles arrived he handed her the cooler, saying, the bottles were chilled and didn’t need to be placed in the boats fridge. Looking up at her he commented on her hair, saying he liked blondes, but preferred black hair, which got him a dirty look from Kim until he smiled back at her indicating he was just pulling her leg.

Kim pretended to be hurt and walked off towards the stern, where she started casting off the mooring lines. Phoebe watched this by play between them and giggled, getting a wry smile from Pickles.

"I’m going to learn a lot from these two," thought Phoebe. "It should be fun watching them both."

At last everyone was aboard bar Pickles, as he said, "someone has to get dinner ready."

As Kim throttled up the engine and she began manoeuvring the boat astern the boat-shed doors started opening, "remote control" Kim said, when asked. As the boat gathered speed, Kim expertly reversed directions and headed out on the lake. As the speed built up the engine throbbed with the throaty roar of bridled power, Kim yelled out to Phoebe, asking her, if she wanted to navigate.

"Where are we heading?" Phoebe yelled back, grinning like a maniac as she took the helm.

Kim shrugged and waved her hand vaguely in the direction of open water then grinned, as she went below to tinker with her baby.

After about 5 minutes Phoebe pulled the throttle back till the boat was dead in the water, gently rocking in the backwash. Going back to where the others had arranged the food, she sat as Kim stuck her head out asking if the picnic had started.

Karen laughed, saying, "Kim had a 6^th sense whenever food was ready."

Kim blushed, muttering something about needing refuelling because she burnt it off, working so hard.

Sitting round the cabin while the boat drifted in the light breeze, they ate scones and muffins, while drinking chilled white wine. Phoebe was curious about the lake, asking if there were any fish in it. Sandra looked at Kim and grinned,

"Kim caught the trout we had at lunch, from the lake," she said.

"Yes there’s bass and lots of other varieties," said Kim smiling.

"I love fishing too, so tell me next time you go," Phoebe mumbled, with a mouthful of scone.

Finishing, they started putting things away, while Kim went back and fired up the motor. Just as Phoebe bent down to get her bag, she heard a loud splat and looking up she saw a hole in the bulkhead where her head had been moments before. Puzzled, she had just turned to mention it as something tugged at her hair and she heard a tinkle as glass broke behind her. She ducked instinctively and spotted the remains of the barometer on the wall.

Yelling out that someone was shooting at her, she ran forward to where Kim was standing near the bridge.

"Move it," she shouted, crouching down out of sight.

Kim opened the throttle to full and the boat accelerated so rapidly the girl’s back in the cabin were thrown off balance.

"Can you see anyone who might be shooting at us?" inquired Phoebe.

"Well, there’s a craft behind us with three guys in it," replied Kim, "its coming after us."

"Can we out run it?"

"It’s one of Jose’s hire boats, we should be able to keep ahead of it, as long as they don’t keep shooting at us. Here is a pair of binoculars, check them out."

Grabbing them, Phoebe managed to hold them steady long enough to focus them on the following craft.

"It’s him, and one of the others has a rifle with him." Phoebe exclaimed.

"Your uncle?" Queried Kim.

"Yes, the bastards trying to kill me, he must be really desperate to try this."

"I have an idea," said Kim, as she swung the boat around in a sharp turn and started heading for the other craft. As they began heading towards the smaller boat, it slowed as if uncertain of their intentions, but as it became clear that they were intent on ramming them, they turned tail and tried running away from them.

Kim laughed, "not so high and mighty now, are we? Well you’re not getting away that easily." As she pulled on another lever, Phoebe heard a low thrumming sound and the boat started to lift upwards and the sound of the bow wave changed.

"What’s happening?" Phoebe asked as she felt the boat increase it’s speed.

"Our secret weapon, hydrofoils, with them, we can overhaul that boat in minutes."

Looking at the fleeing boat with her uncle on board, she could see the gap closing, then suddenly, she saw a puff of blue smoke come from the overtaxed outboard motor and the boat slowed dramatically.

Kim chortled in glee, "I’ve told Jose a hundred times to service those motors properly." The gap closed fast and Phoebe could see the frightened faces of those aboard, as they loomed nearer. When they were only 10 yards apart the men, seeing death advancing, jumped overboard swimming frantically away.

Kim expertly judged the distance between them, turning away at the last possible moment, there was a slight bump as the edge of the hydrofoil wing just grazed the boat ripping a gash along one side. As Kim turned and slowed, retracting the hydrofoils back into the hull. The small boat started to sink, only the built in flotation devices kept it from disappearing under the water.

Kim slowly moved the boat forward towards the men, who by now, were widely separated, Phoebe pointed to one of them.

"That one, we need to bring him aboard, leave the others, they can swim back to their boat."

Kim inched the vessel forward until Phoebe, with the help of the other girls, managed to hook onto the clothing of her uncle with a boat hook hauling him towards the stern so he could clamber aboard.

Wet, cold, and bedraggled, he spluttered indignantly.

"Let me go this instant, or you’ll hear from my lawyers and I’ll sue you for everything you have."

"Oh shut up you blustering old fart," Phoebe returned, just as vehemently. "We know you tried to have me killed as you did my parents. Now we find you shooting at me, I think I have every reason to punish you myself."

Hauling him below decks they found some ropes and tied him securely then gagged him for good measure. Phoebe asked Kim if she had a phone on board.

"Yes, go into the forward cabin, there’s a cell phone there and you can have some privacy," was her reply.

"Hi, Michelle, Phoebe--- Can you come over to my house tonight for dinner--- Oh, and I want you to pick up something for me first--- Make sure Bill comes."

"Oh! You have news about the girls? --- Hmm--- Interesting, we’ll discuss it later."

"Yes, I have my uncle here---- No, he’s all tied up at the moment—ha ha--- Okay, here’s what I want you to get me."

Phoebe continued speaking for a few minutes then put the phone down with a satisfied grin on her face.

On the way back, Phoebe asked everyone for their silence on the matter with her uncle, saying she had a plan to get him out of their hair permanently.

"Your not going to kill him are you?" Asked a worried looking Karen.

"No, I’m not letting him off that easily," replied Phoebe cryptically. "He’s going to learn a lesson that will last a life time. One that is rather different from his present one," she added, under her breath. "Remember your own safety depends on my plan succeeding, if he gets away, your own lives could be in peril. I’m sure he wouldn’t stop at killing you, to get at me."

Kim informed them, that she had radioed the plight of the others in the craft to the police, saying she was unable to affect a rescue as they were experiencing problems of their own. And that she had radioed the house for Pickles to meet them on their arrival.

Phoebe asked if that wouldn’t cause problems if the police wanted to verify her claims.

Kim grinned, saying, "As soon as we dock, the engine will get overhauled and there would be no questions she couldn’t handle, should the need arise."

Phoebe hugged her in thanks and said she would have dinner sent down to her with someone extra---something extra she corrected, laughing at her slip of the tongue.

Kim laughed with her, knowing exactly what she meant. Phoebe felt very happy at this camaraderie between them, thinking, ‘I’m going to love living this life.’

Pickles met them when they docked, expressing concern over the closeness of the shooting. He took her uncle back up to the house, and secured him into a storage locker in the basement. Arriving back upstairs in time to meet Michelle and the girl’s, who had arrived with Bill. Introductions over, dinner was served and conversation ceased as they started eating another marvellous meal. Pickles excused himself, saying he would take his and Kim’s meal to have in the boat.

The meal over, Phoebe got back to business, asking if she and Michelle could speak alone with Bill. Moving into the main living room, leaving the girls with Karen, Phoebe asked Michelle what she meant on the phone.

"Well, it seems there’s been some mental changes with them," replied Michelle.

"Oh! I though the nanites were not supposed to be able to do that," said a surprised Phoebe.

"Normally they can’t, but remember these are normal nanites anymore."

"So what changes have there been."

They seem to be acting more childlike, more like the girls they physically are, certainly not like men, anyway. I have a theory that combined with the altered nanites, their brains are becoming more physically childlike and the extra knowledge they have is being slowly unwritten, mainly memories, I quizzed them and it seems that they are losing most of their old memories. Their intelligence isn’t affected and they seem to be quite happy. Actually, I think in some ways they are doing it to themselves."

"What do you mean?" Asked a curious Phoebe.

"It’s as if, their brains can’t store all their old memories, being mostly unformed yet, as would most 5 year old brains. They are choosing to rid themselves of anything that conflicts with their changed bodies, so in fact, they will become girls, retaining only memories that are suitable with being happy in their bodies. They still know who they were, but accept who they are now. The trauma of becoming girls seems to be fading away."

"Well that will probably be best for them in the long run," Phoebe said looking at Michelle. "Oh no,"----

"What’s wrong, Phoebe? Why the worried look?"

"I need to ask them something that’s been on my mind, I need to find the original Phoebe’s body. Not only do I owe her so much, but it would complicate things if her body showed up somewhere."

"Let me do it then, I have their trust and I think we are bonding together with a mother daughter relationship."

"That’s great news, okay you do that while Bill and I take care of my uncle. Have you got those items I asked for?"

"Yes they’re in the package by the front door, Bill? Will you get them for Phoebe, while I question the girls."

In the basement a few minutes later, a strange scene was going on.

Bill, having released a struggling, angry man. Was stripping him of his clothing, ignoring the protests and curses. Finally, stripped, he stood shivering looking at Phoebe in undisguised fury.

"Now stand still, while I release you, if you much as move an inch I’ll use this," Bill said, brandishing a meat cleaver.

Phoebe got out her can of HB spray, and used it all up on her uncle’s body, while he cursed. Then bringing out the selected items, she slowly began the job of dressing her uncle. His outburst of laughter as her intentions of trying to get them on his body seemed ludicrous, changed to shocked silence as his body began to shrink. Then screams of outright disbelief turned to plea’s of mercy and then, as he continued to change, his voice started to change in pitch as well. Finally, only sobbing was heard as the changes reached the final step.

Sometime later that evening, a thunderous knocking on the front door announced the arrival of the expected police. After being invited in they, said that because of a serious complaint, they needed to search the house.

"What are you looking for officer --- er--- Sergeant McTavish?" Phoebe inquired, looking at his badge.

"We have reason to believe you have Mr Dobson in your house under duress. Now we don’t have a search warrant at this short notice. But if you object to our search we will leave, keeping a man outside while we get one."

"Please, search away, we have nothing to hide, but I’ll tell you now, we

have no one of that name here. Please look around, Karen will show you around if you like."

"That’s okay I’d rather you assembled your staff here so we can question them while we search your property."

Gathering in the living room, Michelle walked out cradling a baby in a pink sleeper and wrapped in a blanket, a bottle of formula held tightly in the baby’s mouth. As the baby wriggled and tried to make itself heard, it kept choking on the milk Michelle was feeding her and as the milk dribbled out of her mouth, a solicitous Michelle cooed at her. She asked the officer in charge if she could leave, as she needed to put Linda to bed.

Getting the okay, she whispered in Phoebes ear for a moment, then bid everyone good night. Bill said he would be back tomorrow, and would help her on that chore she wanted done.

After they left, the police came back from their fruitless search and started questioning the staff. Finding that all their stories matched about being shot at, then fleeing from the pursuing craft. Apologising for troubling them, they said they would investigate the shootings. After retrieving one of the bullets from the bulkhead, the police then left.

Looking round at everyone and they way they had stuck by her, Phoebe came to a decision, gathering them together she told them everything about her, from finding the can, till now.

Waiting anxiously for their reactions, she was surprised when they gathered her into a group hug,

"Your secret is safe with us, we need you to stay here with us. We would have to leave this place if you weren’t here to take over."

"I can’t get over the fact that your uncle is now a baby girl," Pickles said.

"Well, if what Michelle said about the girls is true, then soon, he WILL be just that," laughed Phoebe.

Karen grinned," it’s only what he deserved, from a creep to a darling little baby, how appropriate."

Pickles looked at Phoebe in a new light. Knowing that she had once been a man, he couldn’t see anything about her that seemed masculine.

"I can’t believe I kissed an ex man," he said, with a wry grin.

"What about me? I kissed a man, and found I liked it" Phoebe replied, with an answering grin.

Kim stood up and said, "well I’m off to put my baby back together, we are going to need her tomorrow."

Sandra sighed, "I suppose Michelle is going to keep Linda."

"I don’t know, why do you ask? Don’t tell me you want her?" Laughed Phoebe.

"I like the idea of raising her, and Michelle has her hands full with the girls," replied Sandra, wistfully.

"I’ll talk to Michelle, but we had better wait till things settle down and we get this other business over with," Phoebe continued.

To be continued