PART 11: On Open Water
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I lay on the wet pier, my knees scraped and my hands bleeding. The yacht slid further and further into the dark harbor fog, leaving white foam trailing in the dark water. My child... they were taking my child away. Lisa sprang onto the pier beside me and helped me to my feet. "Look! Over there!" she shouted, pointing toward the mouth of the quay.
With wailing sirens and flashing blue lights, three police cruisers tore up with screeching tires. Mr. Van Dijk sat in the lead police car next to a detective. The cars abruptly blocked the road to the quay, and officers leaped out with drawn weapons. "Don't move! Police!" echoed across the water. The yacht, which had just tried to accelerate to escape into the open sea, was instantly illuminated by the bright searchlights of a harbor patrol boat that cut off its escape route from the water.
I saw the man on deck panicking, looking around as loudspeakers ordered the engines shut down immediately. The yacht made a sharp, desperate turn, but was trapped between the quay and the patrol boat. At that moment, Mrs. Kramer, who was trying to flee on foot along the quay, ran straight into the arms of rushing officers who forced her to the ground and slapped handcuffs on her wrists. But aboard the yacht, I saw the man lift the pink bundle and threaten to step over the railing.
