Dark of the Island: Island 6-17 and Honeymoon Island

By Joan O. Scharf

ISLAND 6-17 A radical change in the law occurs, and those convicted of capital punishment are now banished to uninhabited islands. A dedicated policeman, his beautiful pregnant wife, a deranged stalker, and the controversial ‘prisoner islands’ tangle with tragic results.
HONEYMOON ISLAND Lured to an uninhabited island with the promise of an exotic Honeymoon vacation, two couples find themselves is a horrific situation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Aug 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483535180

Book preview

9781483535180

DARK OF THE ISLAND

Island 6-17

Chapter One

Present Time:

The insistent beat of helicopter blades sliced through the silence of the pale morning sky. Below rolled the expanse of dark gray-blue ocean broken by thin white frothy lines; the aftermath of undulating waves.

The pilot strained forward as if to obtain a better focus on the horizon, but the line where sky met water remained unbroken.

Five men besides the pilot were seated in the aircraft. Four wore blue uniforms and sat with assault rifles positioned at the ready. The fifth man was dressed in camouflage, burdened with a large bulging backpack strapped over his shoulders, and a lesser knapsack, also filled to the straining point, fastened to his chest. All were hushed, concentrating on the distance. Suddenly the pilot spoke.

There it is. Dead ahead. Island 6-17.

Seven months earlier:

Bart Eckerson attached his badge to the metal toggle in the flap pocket on the left side of his uniform and vacated the locker room. He made small talk with fellow officers while waiting his turn to pour a cup of coffee from the steaming pot on the tan Formica counter of the precinct kitchen, then carried it into the briefing room where he eased his tall muscular frame into one of the folding chairs.

Taking the empty seat in the row beside Bart, Angelo Deletti jostled him with an elbow, nearly spilling his coffee. So I hear you’re gonna be a daddy. About time.

Responding to Angelo’s greeting, Bart replied, How did you get the news so soon? We just found out for sure ourselves yesterday.

Your Dad told me. After waiting for three years, he’s pretty damn excited about having his first grandchild!

Bart grinned. Angelo had been on the force for twenty four years, and he was one of the reasons Bart became a cop. Bart’s father always said Angelo Deletti was like a brother to him. Bart grew up calling him Uncle Ange.

I might have known there would be no secrets between you and Dad.

How’s Mia feeling? Angelo asked.

Bart and Mia were high school sweethearts, and married three weeks following their college graduation. An attractive brunette with vivid blue eyes and gifted with a versatile singing voice, Mia worked during the day as a bank teller a couple of blocks away from the police station, but on week-ends she transformed into the sultry singer, Lady M at the Oasis Club. Because of this, Bart drew a considerable amount of good-natured kidding from his fellow officers.

She’s doing great! Bart took a swallow of his coffee. What’s up today? I see ‘Captain hard-ass’ and the Lieutenant both are on deck. Must be something big going on. Gotta clue?

Angelo lowered his voice. Yeah. I found out it’s about a new capital punishment act. Very controversial. Nobody’s supposed to know about it yet. That’s why it’s being kept under tight wraps.

Bart looked at Angelo closely. If it’s such a big secret, how’d you find out about it?

Angelo threw a quick glance around, and then leaned closer to Bart’s ear. Let’s just say I have my ways.

Captain McCormick, with Lieutenant Davis standing beside him, rapped on the desk for attention.

I’m going to be quick about this. I have a priority announcement and I know there will be plenty of questions. Until now we haven’t leaked any information because of its importance. The public has yet to be informed. That will happen later today in a special Presidential news conference.

The Captain paused, enjoying the spotlight and aware of the impact his opening words had on his men. As you know, the new administration has implemented many changes at great expense. The government now finds itself seriously in debt. They also have another major problem. Increasing crime and prison overcrowding. The big change I’m about to unveil to you will accomplish two things. Substantially reduce prison overcrowding, and at the same time save the country billions, yes, I said billions, of dollars.

Shuffling his papers around, he looked up. The eyes of all thirty two men in the precinct were pinned on him. His next statements had the effect he knew they would. No more death penalty. And no more life time in prison. Starting with the first of the month, --which is four days away.

Immediate mutterings and rumblings were clearly evident among the men.

Wait a minute. Let me explain. The US government owns four islands situated in the Pacific Ocean somewhere between Hawaii and Tahiti. In the past they’ve been used for military training purposes. They are now our new maximum security prisons. Questions?

A dozen or more hands immediately shot up.

The Captain pointed to one.

Are you saying we have prisons already built on those islands?

No. No cells. No bars. And no guards.

Some hands lowered and puzzled expressions appeared.

Only those prisoners who receive the death penalty, or life without chance of parole, will be put on the islands. Once there, they will remain for the rest of their lives.

A hand rose. What if they try to escape or someone tries to rescue them?

No boats. The islands are hundreds of miles from civilization in rough shark infested waters. In addition, there will be constant satellite surveillance and periodic aircraft fly-bys.

Another hand was raised. How big are these islands and how many prisoners will they hold?

Good questions. The sizes vary, but roughly about 9 to 10 miles wide and 15 to 17 miles long. The four islands are spaced approximately 30 miles or so apart, and are not visible to each other. It’s estimated they will eventually support 20,000 or so each, maybe more. That’s about 100,000 criminals being re-educated in self-survival, and off our payload!

How about food and water?

Each island has fresh water and has already been planted with substantial vegetable gardens and citrus trees. Coconut trees grow wild. In addition, there are herds of goats and pigs on each island. It’s up to the prisoners to maintain themselves.

The questions and answers were beginning to clarify the new capital punishment concept, and the questions became more focused.

Will they have houses?

On the islands there are a few abandoned cement block barracks that haven’t been used since the Viet Nam War. That’s it.

You mean they’re all gonna live in those barracks?

The Captain smiled thinly. If some choose to. Each prisoner will be fully equipped with a pack containing a sturdy tent, gardening tools, fishing equipment, seeds, medicines, extra clothing, several books of their choosing and a supply of food rations. What they do with it is up to them.

At first, Bart sat mute, stunned by the radical concept of a penal colony, but the idea was beginning to grow on him. His arm rose.

Captain, how do the prisoners get moved on and off the islands?

They don’t get off, Eckerson. They get moved on by a brief helicopter touch down. Armed guards ride along to stave off any attempts of prisoners rushing at the copter. Once the prisoner is unloaded, they’re free to make their way in a society of their own kind. No more contact with the outside world …ever.

Bart rubbed his fingers over his closely cropped hair. There must be some way they can be rescued off the island. What about cell phones?

The Captain waved his hand in annoyance. Each prisoner, of course, will be carefully searched before being transported, and the survival kits will be scrutinized and sealed. Cell phones wouldn’t work anyway. There is no electricity on the islands; no cell towers; no batteries; no mail; no more communication of any kind. And no one will know ahead of time to which island they will be assigned.

A question came from the back row.

Why can’t they build boats to escape?

Well, first of all, it would be difficult to build a boat with the limited tools they will have, but even if they were to put together some sort of flotation device, the cross currents in the area are treacherous and nearly impossible for a small craft to navigate. Plus, as I previously mentioned, we have constant satellite surveillance. We could send out an armed aircraft at a moment’s notice. If by chance they were to get to one of the other islands, does it matter? The prisoners on that island would likely kill them for their boat or food. All other civilization is hundreds of miles away. They would never make it.

The officer sitting in front of Bart had a