Joe and Ned looked accusingly at Victoria. She was looking at her hands, unable to look at any of them. Joe asked, "Is Nancy right, Victoria?"

"You don’t understand. I didn’t want to get involved...I didn’t have a choice."

"Why?" Joe asked quickly.

"Two years ago you put an innocent man in jail. Dave Michaels."

"Dave Michaels!" Joe exclaimed.

"Do you know him?" Nancy asked.

Frank and I helped Dad on the case that put him in jail. He murdered a neighbor of his after he was reported for growing and selling marijuana."

"You’re wrong. He didn’t kill anyone," Victoria stated.

"The proof was there," Joe said. "But that doesn’t explain how you know him."

"He’s my father," Victoria said softly, a tear running down her cheek.

"He didn’t have a daughter."

"I was away at boarding school. My father wrote me while in jail. He told me he didn’t kill his neighbor, even though you thought he did." She spat the last sentence out.

"But that still doesn’t explain anything," Joe said.

"I was only supposed to distract you and your brother," Victoria said looking off in the distance. "I was planning to make you pay for what you did to my father."

"Your whole story was a lie, wasn’t it?" Joe asked, his eyes blazing. "And that guy wasn’t your friend either."

"He was my contact, but someone else killed him. There is someone else involved and I took my orders from them." Victoria looked at Joe and touched his leg. "Joe, I’m telling you the truth. You have to believe me."

"Nancy, give me the oar," Joe said angrily. "We’re getting out of here."

Joe rowed for a while trying to get some frustration with Victoria out. He couldn’t believe she was using him. She attached herself to him to use him. Joe realized she had been lying to him from the moment they met. Joe couldn’t believe he’d been used by a girl.

Nancy realized as Joe rowed that Victoria had broken down because she was afraid they would never be rescued. Even though they had been in the water for only a few hours, it seemed like more. Nancy looked off in the distance and wondered if her father was all right. She couldn’t imagine her life without him because he was all she had. She hoped he also made it to a lifeboat and was uninjured, but she needed to know he was all right.

* * * * *

Joe continued to row the boat hoping to reach land, but there was nothing in sight. They sun began to set as they sat in silence. Ned moved next to Joe as the temperature dropped.

All of a sudden the storm picked up once again tossing the boat around. Ned and Joe struggled to keep the boat from capsizing while the girls resumed bailing. As the storm raged, they frantically searched for land or another boat, but were unable to see a thing. All the boats they had seen earlier were no longer in sight.

Hours later the storm finally passed and the ocean began to settle down. Ned stopped rowing and settled in the bottom of the boat with the others while Joe stayed on the seat. Joe sat with his back to Victoria.

"Why don’t you get some sleep? I’ll keep an eye out for the search party."

"Joe, you should really rest, too," Nancy said. "You’re exhausted."

"I’ll wake you when I get tired," Joe said. "I promise."

"All right," Nancy said.

Joe sat quietly scanning the horizon for any sign of a rescue ship. They had been out there for 12 hours. He looked at Nancy and Ned and saw they were asleep. He wondered if Nancy felt the same about her father as he did about his parents. He wasn’t sure if his parents were alive or dead, and he couldn’t be sure if Frank was going to survive. Joe glanced at Frank. He and Callie had tried to revive Frank, but nothing worked.

"Joe," a voice said breaking into his thoughts.

He turned and saw Callie was sound asleep with her arms around Frank. Nancy was leaning her head against Ned and they were also asleep. That only left one person and without turning around, Joe said, "I don’t want to talk to you."

"Please, Joe," Victoria begged touching his arm. "You need to know I never expected things to go so far. You have to believe me."

"I don’t have to believe anything you say."

"Joe, I’m sorry. Things have gotten out of hand."

"It’s always too late when you say you’re sorry." Joe turned to look at her, disgust in his eyes. "If my parents are dead, you’ll be sitting in a jail cell next to your father for the rest of your life. You’re just as bad as your father and will pay for everything you’ve done. I promise you that."

"Joe, your parents could still be alive."

"They could be," Joe said quietly. "But it doesn’t seem likely." He turned his back on her. "The explosions that ripped the ship came too fast. If they didn’t get off after the first explosion, they didn’t make it."

"Joe."

"I don’t want to discuss this with you anymore. When we reach land, you will be arrested. That I guarantee."

Joe tried to think positively about his parents, but he couldn’t push away the feeling they were gone and he would never see them again.

A few hours later, Joe watched Nancy open her eyes and focus on him. "Joe, would you like me to take watch?"

"No," Joe said. "I’m fine."

"I can tell you’re not fine. What’s bothering you?"

Joe said quietly, "I don’t think they could have made it."

"How do you know?"

"It’s a feeling I have." Joe glanced at Frank.

"We can’t be sure of anything," Nancy said. "I bet your parents and my dad are probably wondering if we made it."

"Could they have made it?"

"We did." Nancy smiled.

"I guess you’re right," Joe said with a smile realizing he needed that reassurance. "Thanks."

"No problem. You’d do the same for me." Nancy tried to stifle a yawn. "Are you sure you don’t want to take a break?"

"I’m fine. Get some rest."