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Show 14 Back at the landing, the guard at the bottom of the ocean retreated by climbing up the submerged boulders and as his head broke through the water's surface he sputtered and gasped and continued his sodden crawl onto the landing where Mrs. Jovanovic stood helplessly holding Delilah's robe. He stood up, shook himself like a giant, hairly dog and drew a pistol from inside his coat, causing Mrs. Jovanovic to flee back across the rocks. He threw his coat off, growled at a kid nearby on an air mattress, and shook his gun in the air. The kid pushed the air mattress towards the island and swam away as the guard threw off the rest of his clothes leaving his pants and, somehow, his shoulder holster, and made a running dive for the blue plastic craft. He lit with a tremendous impact that submerged his mattress and himself, but then they bobbed to the surface, he adjusted his position and paddled toward his boss. The search had not produced results. Although the way was cleared for Delilah to look unobstructed and Tito occasionally would spot something, point to a swimmer, and order him down for closer inspection, in the end Tito's assistance and the work of a multitude of freelancers was unable to locate a lost fin in that small section of the ocean. After fifteen minutes in the water Tito was tired and they swam back. The air mattress guard returned first and gave a winded Tito his hand, helping him onto the landing and into his beach robe. Delilah made her way out followed by the other three guards. |