The bus station was closed, the lights were off. Mitchell’s headache was almost forgotten as Andy and a companion behind him stepped up into the bus. This was a surprise. This was a real surprise.

"How’s it going?" Andy was cheerful. "This is Jeff."

"Hello," Mitchell said. "How did you know I was coming?"

Andy seemed almost excited. "I called this morning. Maggie said she took you to the bus station. How’d you get on?"

"I asked someone."

"For a lift?"

"Uh-huh."

"That’s great," Andy said. "How’d you know you’d find us?"

"I didn’t. I’m meeting them."

Andy and Jeff turned to find two young men waiting on the steps behind them. One of them was the blond coxswain who had ferried them to the yacht club.

"Thanks for coming," Mitchell told them. "What are your plans, Andy?"

"I feel pretty good," he said, a little bewildered as he turned to Mitchell. "I thought I’d head up to Portland with you."

"Well then. Here we are again." Mitchell turned his head to lessen a cramp in his neck. "Are you ready for this?" Andy seemed uncertain what this meant. Mitchell looked to the coxswain and his companion. "Will you lend us a hand?"

"Just tell us what to do," the coxswain said.

Andy lifted and carried Mitchell while Jeff walked backward in front of them, keeping a hand on Mitchell’s back down the steps and into the parking lot. The coxswain and his friend closed in and their arms shared Mitchell’s weight across the asphalt to the open door of a dented red compact covered with rust scabs. Andy lowered Mitchell toward the torn seat and their weight dropped suddenly. Mitchell caught himself into the seat and quickly lifted his legs into the car. "Are you okay?"

Andy winced as he straightened up. "Yeah. Are you in?"

"Oh, yeah. This is a beauty."

The coxswain leaned over the top of the door. "Are you all set?"

"We’re good," Mitchell said. "Sorry to bring you out. Can I give you some gas money?"

The coxswain waved it off. "No problem. See you at the club."

Andy and Jeff loaded the wheelchair and gear into the trunk and it sounded like a crate being ripped apart just behind Mitchell’s head. The trunk slammed, reverberating through the tiny interior. They climbed in and Mitchell and Jeff were shoulder to shoulder. Jeff started the engine and shifted, grinding the gear. "I like your boat," he said.

Mitchell braced himself. "Come with us. We can use a man like you."

"I wish I could."

From the back seat Andy stuck his head between them. "How’d you find those guys?"

"Jack hooked me up with them," Mitchell said. "He told me the Island Lady had headed north."