Tim picked up a phone on the console but heard only a dial tone.

"Ah, hello, John, this is Freddy, over?"

"Answer it" Lex said.

Now they were all picking up phones, lifting every receiver in sight, but they heard only dial tones. Finally Tim saw a phone mounted on the side of the console with a blinking light.

"Ah, hello, control. This is Freddy. Do you read me, over?"

Tim grabbed the receiver. "Hello, this is Tim Murphy, and I need you to-"

"Ah, say again, didn't get that, John."

"Don't land the boat! Do you hear me?"

There was a pause. Then a puzzled voice said, "Sounds like some damn kid."

Tim said, "Don't land the ship! Come back to the island!"

The voices sounded distant and scratchy. "Did he-name was Murphy?" And another voice said, "I didn't get-name."

Tim looked frantically at the others. Gennaro reached for the phone. "Let me do this. Can you get his name?"

There was the sharp crackle of static. "-got to be a joke or else-a frigging ham operator-omething."

Tim was working on the keyboard, there was probably some kind of a way to find out who Freddy was…

"Can you hear me?" Gennaro said, into the phone. "If you can hear me, answer me now, over."

"Son," came the drawled reply, "we don't know who the hell you are, but you're not funny, and we're about to dock and we've got work to do. Now, identify yourself properly or get off this channel."

Tim watched as the screen printed out FARRELL, FREDERICK D, (CAPT.).

"Try this for identification, Captain Farrell," Gennaro said. "If you don't turn that boat around and return to this island immediately, you will be found in violation of Section 509 of the Uniform Maritime Act, you will he subject to revocation of license, penalties in excess of fifty thousand dollars, and five years in jail. Do you hear that?"

There was a silence.

"Do you copy that, Captain Farrell?"

And then, distantly, they heard a voice say, "I copy," and another voice said, "All ahead stern." The boat began to turn away from the dock.

Lex began to cheer. Tim collapsed back in the chair, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Grant said, "What's the Uniform Maritime Act?"

"Who the hell knows?" Gennaro said.

They all watched the screen in satisfaction. The boat was definitely heading away from the shore.

"I guess the hard part's finished," Gennaro said. Grant shook his head. "The hard part," he said, is just beginning."