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eyes.
    â€œIt’s okay,” my mom said, now sounding a little more like herself. “I’m sure it’s all a misunderstanding. I’ll be home later today.”
    The cop walked towards his car and waited for my mom to say goodbye to me.
    She gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, “Tell our friends that whatever happens, we’ll help them. We won’t let them go back. I promise.” And then she gently pushed me away and walked to the police car.
    I froze on the spot. I couldn’t tell her right then that Tamara’s family was gone. She’d react and then the Mountie would know they
were
around here somewhere. I watched as the car backed up and drove off. At that moment, I had the feeling that Tamara’s father was right. The authorities couldn’t be trusted. And it was my fault that my mother was in trouble.
    I walked down towards the wharf lookingfor a friend, looking for Harold. He found me first. He poked his head out from one of the fishing shacks.
    â€œGreggie, saw that Mountie up at your house. You should have sent him down here. Looks like somebody stole old Calvin’s dory—oars and all. Not something that usually happens around here. Must’ve been a tourist. Hard to figure.”
    I could tell that he thought it was a big joke and that one of the local kids had probably just taken it as a prank. But I knew better.
    â€œWhen was it taken?”
    â€œCould have been any time last night. Calvin came down to go fishing this morning and nearly fell straight in the drink when he tried to climb into a boat that wasn’t there,” Harold said. Then his brow wrinkled. “Why?”
    â€œRavi, Tamara and Indra are gone. They saw the Mounties yesterday. They’re scared. Ravi thinks they’ll get sent back.” I looked out through the channel to the open sea. There were whitecaps out there from a strong easterly breeze coming up. “They’re out there somewhere.Even if I could find them, I don’t know if I could convince them to come back.”
    I looked at my little Laser tied to the dock. I let out a sigh. “Well, I guess I better try.” I jumped down into the boat and began to undo the rope that kept the sail tightly furled around the mast.
    Harold sat and scratched his jaw for a few seconds, then walked over to me. He scrunched down on his haunches to be at eye level. “Not gonna be a good day for sailing, mate,” he told me.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” I asked, lifting the boom into place.
    â€œLook out there. Winds will be up to fifty miles an hour before noon. Big nor’easter. Mean as she gets. Not fit for man nor beast.”
    â€œRavi doesn’t know the sea. They’ll drown out there.” I began to tighten the sail. I dropped the centerboard. “Wanna undo that line back there?” I asked Harold.
    Harold just looked at me and held onto the side of the boat. “I’m not gonna let you leave this wharf.”
    â€œThe hell you’re not!” I shouted at him. I was just waiting to get good and angry with somebody. Harold was it. I kicked at his hand. He pulled his arm back and shook his fingers where my boot had connected.
    He remained cool. “Let’s call the Coast Guard. Maybe they can send a ship by.”
    â€œNo,” I said. “Ravi wouldn’t let the Coast Guard take them. He doesn’t trust anyone in a uniform. He might rather see his family sunk to the bottom of the sea before they turn themselves in to the authorities. He has good reason not to trust anyone.”
    Harold shook his head. His eyes were fixed straight on me. “Anyone but you, right?”
    â€œRight,” I said, reaching for the mooring rope.
    â€œWrong,” he said. “Anyone but us. Now forget this bathtub toy and get your ass in my boat. We’ll find “em.”

Chapter Ten
    As we pushed out of the cove into the open sea, the waves began to roll the boat