piece of string that was wrapped around one of the cleats and hauled in the attached can. He leaned over the side and reached for it. Water dribbled from a hole near the base. A crude smiley face had been drawn on it with a permanent marker pen.
“We’ll make a Billy the Kid out of you yet,” Joel said, mussing Jessie’s hair. He turned to Jordan. “Would you like to try?”
Anne’s breath caught. She tried to catch Joel’s eye and shake her head to tell him not to make the offer, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t want to.
“I’m fine,” Jordan said.
“Anne said you were at Sandhurst.”
“Only for a few days, so far as I can remember.”
“You don’t want your skills getting rusty, do you? ”
“I entered soon after graduating from university. I probably don’t have many skills to get rusty.”
“Come on, it won’t hurt. It’ll be good for Jessie to see a professional. Have a go. It’ll make you feel better.” Joel loaded the gun and held it out to Jordan. “It might even help you to remember something.”
“Joel, don’t,” Anne said. “He’s not up to it.”
“I can try,” Jordan said, rising unsteadily to his feet and stepping forward. There was the sense he might fall over at any moment. Anne held up her hands in preparation to catch him. Jordan took the gun and held it between his fingers like it was an alien object.
Joel tossed a new can out to sea as far as the string would allow , some thirty yards. “Have you shot a gun before?”
“I’m… not sure.”
“Here, hold it close,” Joel instructed, “tight to your shoulder, then-”
H e didn’t get any further. Jordan squeezed the trigger. There was a faint ting as the tin can was struck. The can ducked beneath the surface then did a little hop into the air. Jordan shot two more times, each time hitting the can. He lowered the gun and handed it back to Joel.
Jessie stared in awe.
“Looks like you remember something, huh?” Joel said, beaming.
Jordan shook his head. “I don’t remember anything about shooting. Somehow it just feels right.”
Joel slapped him on the back, but it was too strong for Jordan in his current state. He stumbled forward from the blow.
Joel straightened Jordan up. “Oops. Sorry pal. I don’t know my own strength.”
Jordan’s legs shook and he looked even paler than before. “I think the shooting’s taken it out of me. I’m going to head back downstairs. It was nice meeting you all again.”
They all nodded, smiling back at him. Jordan’s eyes swept past Anne’s, and she thought for an instant they’d caught.
“Do you want help down the stairs?” Anne asked.
“I’ll be fine.”
As his footsteps disappeared down the stairs, Anne whirled on Joel. “What did you do that for? You knew he didn’t feel well.”
Joel took hold of the string an d started pulling up the can. It had taken on too much water and had sunk. “At least now we know he wasn’t in the catering division in the army.”
“We don’t know that,” Stan said. “I’m sure all divisions have to do some kind of basic training.”
Joel lifted up the can and chuckled to himself. “With all due respect Stan, you’re wrong.”
“And how could you possibly know that?”
“I doubt if basic training could have done this.” He lifted the tin can. Water spilled from three bullet holes , each one having poked perfectly through the eyes and nose dots drawn on the can.
Wide-eyed with amazement, Jessie said, “How do I learn to shoot like that?”
One corner of Joel’s lips curled up. “With one hell of a lot of practice.”
6.
Stan flicked the line above his head, wound it around in a big circle, and then threw it forward with all the skill of an expert angler. The line whirred as it flew away and landed on the sea ’s calm surface six metres out. Stan sat the rod in its mount and lounged in a deck chair beside Joel.
Joel lay back with his hands behind his head, feeling the relaxing rock of
“We’ll make a Billy the Kid out of you yet,” Joel said, mussing Jessie’s hair. He turned to Jordan. “Would you like to try?”
Anne’s breath caught. She tried to catch Joel’s eye and shake her head to tell him not to make the offer, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t want to.
“I’m fine,” Jordan said.
“Anne said you were at Sandhurst.”
“Only for a few days, so far as I can remember.”
“You don’t want your skills getting rusty, do you? ”
“I entered soon after graduating from university. I probably don’t have many skills to get rusty.”
“Come on, it won’t hurt. It’ll be good for Jessie to see a professional. Have a go. It’ll make you feel better.” Joel loaded the gun and held it out to Jordan. “It might even help you to remember something.”
“Joel, don’t,” Anne said. “He’s not up to it.”
“I can try,” Jordan said, rising unsteadily to his feet and stepping forward. There was the sense he might fall over at any moment. Anne held up her hands in preparation to catch him. Jordan took the gun and held it between his fingers like it was an alien object.
Joel tossed a new can out to sea as far as the string would allow , some thirty yards. “Have you shot a gun before?”
“I’m… not sure.”
“Here, hold it close,” Joel instructed, “tight to your shoulder, then-”
H e didn’t get any further. Jordan squeezed the trigger. There was a faint ting as the tin can was struck. The can ducked beneath the surface then did a little hop into the air. Jordan shot two more times, each time hitting the can. He lowered the gun and handed it back to Joel.
Jessie stared in awe.
“Looks like you remember something, huh?” Joel said, beaming.
Jordan shook his head. “I don’t remember anything about shooting. Somehow it just feels right.”
Joel slapped him on the back, but it was too strong for Jordan in his current state. He stumbled forward from the blow.
Joel straightened Jordan up. “Oops. Sorry pal. I don’t know my own strength.”
Jordan’s legs shook and he looked even paler than before. “I think the shooting’s taken it out of me. I’m going to head back downstairs. It was nice meeting you all again.”
They all nodded, smiling back at him. Jordan’s eyes swept past Anne’s, and she thought for an instant they’d caught.
“Do you want help down the stairs?” Anne asked.
“I’ll be fine.”
As his footsteps disappeared down the stairs, Anne whirled on Joel. “What did you do that for? You knew he didn’t feel well.”
Joel took hold of the string an d started pulling up the can. It had taken on too much water and had sunk. “At least now we know he wasn’t in the catering division in the army.”
“We don’t know that,” Stan said. “I’m sure all divisions have to do some kind of basic training.”
Joel lifted up the can and chuckled to himself. “With all due respect Stan, you’re wrong.”
“And how could you possibly know that?”
“I doubt if basic training could have done this.” He lifted the tin can. Water spilled from three bullet holes , each one having poked perfectly through the eyes and nose dots drawn on the can.
Wide-eyed with amazement, Jessie said, “How do I learn to shoot like that?”
One corner of Joel’s lips curled up. “With one hell of a lot of practice.”
6.
Stan flicked the line above his head, wound it around in a big circle, and then threw it forward with all the skill of an expert angler. The line whirred as it flew away and landed on the sea ’s calm surface six metres out. Stan sat the rod in its mount and lounged in a deck chair beside Joel.
Joel lay back with his hands behind his head, feeling the relaxing rock of
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