A Remote Island Retreat...Maybe

Donald Platt was accused of embezzling money from the company he worked for as the head accountant. He denied wrongdoing and fled to a remote island in a boat, where he discovered a disused hut. He had brought plenty of supplies so he could stay a while and think about how to clear his name. If not, where to next?

One day Don is out collecting driftwood along a stony beach. He hears a boat engine and hides behind nearby rocks and watches. The boat pulls up to the beach and a woman gets off. The woman walks along the beach and then turns in horror as the boat reverses and departs. She runs back toward the boat, but in vain.

Don wonders what to make of it. On a cold, remote island, survival is all but impossible for very long. The woman looks around in desperation, then sits on the beach. Don doesn't want to let his whereabouts be known to a stranger, so stays hidden.

After about half an hour, the woman stands up and starts walking inland. She ascends a rocky knoll and looks out to sea. Then she sits and starts to cry. Don decides he has to do something as the boat is not returning.

Don approaches: Are you alright?
The woman jumps and stares at Don in fear, tears streaming down her face.
Don: I come in peace. Can I help you?
Woman: Who are you?
Don: My name is Don. And you are on a very lonely island.
Woman: I'm Gail Rossiter. What are you doing here?
Don: I've been here for a while. Why are you here?
Gail: I was on a boat with my step-brother and step-sister..and they left me. They just...left me!
Don: Come with me. I have a place where you can stay. You look cold.

Don takes Gail back to his simple hut and puts the kettle on: Tea?
Gail: Thank you, Don. I can't believe they just left me.
Don: Is there a reason that you can think of?
Gail: My mother married a wealthy man with two children, Harold and Monica. My new siblings always treated me like an outsider. We all stand to inherit a third of the money each, a source of anger for Harry and Mon. They think I don't deserve it. They planned this secret getaway trip and...left me here.
Don: They want you to disappear? You wouldn't survive very long here, out in the elements. The weather is harsh and changeable.
Gail: I know. They think they've won. I'll get back to the mainland, and I'll make them regret this. Where is your boat?
Don points out to sea: I went out fishing one day and got swamped by a freak wave. I was lucky to get back to shore. So, the short answer is I don't have one anymore.

Gail looks at Don, her expression shifting from desperation to a focused, steely determination, her jaw tightening as she processes the fact that she is stranded with a stranger. 

Gail: Well, then I have a problem. I need a way to get off this island. Gail paces the small interior of the hut, her eyes scanning his supplies and the layout of the room. Tell me, Don, you seem resourceful for someone living in a hut. What else do you have besides a kettle and a lot of driftwood?
Don: I have a supply of food that I brought, mainly tinned. Anything with a reasonable shelf life. The dark chocolate is my treat. Just two squares a day. It's nice to have something to look forward to.

Gail pauses her pacing, looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and a flicker of respect for his discipline.  I can appreciate that. But we can't eat chocolate and wait for a miracle. She steps closer, her voice lowering, the grief from earlier replaced by a cold, driving ambition. If we are going to get off this island, we need to find a way to signal a passing ship or build something. I don't care what it takes. I am going home to claim what is mine and get justice. They left me here to die. 
Don: You're here by foul play. I'm here by choice, although I can't stay here indefinitely. Anyway, I'll boil some noodles and fry some fresh fish I caught off the rocks this morning. You do like fish?

Gail takes a seat, watching him move with a practiced efficiency around the small space. 

Gail: Yes, I do thank you. I'll eat anything that keeps me strong. She watches him, wondering what he's doing here. You don't seem like the typical hermit, Don. Who were you before you came to this place?
Don pauses but then decides to open up: A man who was an honest head accountant of a large firm, responsible for large sums of money. A man who was accused of taking some of it. Let's just say we're both running from people who think they've won. You want to be found, but unless I can clear my name, I don't want to be found.

Gail leans back, a small, genuine smile touching her lips as she realizes they are both outcasts in their own way. 

Gail: It seems we're in the same boat, even if we don't have a boat. She looks at the fish and then back at him, her eyes shining with a new sense of partnership. We'll get out, Don. And we'll put the wrongs right.

They eat, the warmth of the stove permeating the cabin. To keep warm, wood hunting is a major preoccupation and Don has to go further and further to find it. At least it is fairly abundant along the stony breaches as well as in the small wood the cabin is nestled in.
Don: Ah, now sleeping arrangements. One bed is all there is and enough bedding just for that. But I do have a comfortable couch.
Gail: The couch is fine.
Don: I don't even have a spare blanket. 
Gail: I've got my coat, Don. It's a quality, extreme weather type, so I'll be fine. Now, tell me more about this embezzlement. Did you do it?
Don pauses: No. I didn't. But someone was doing it, and when the company got suspicious, they investigated. The senior position I held made me the only one with access to the funds, which understandably put me under the spotlight. The one or those behind this were clever, as I couldn't see any paper trail. 

Gail: So you were presumed guilty?

Don nodded: I was charged and due for a court appearance. I don't know if circumstantial evidence would have been enough to convict me but my defence lawyer wasn't optimistic. I didn't hang around to test the judicial system out, so I devised a plan to disappear, and here I am.

Gail: I'm sorry to hear that....I'm tired though, all this fresh air. Do you mind if I retire for the night?
Don: Not at all. Once it's dark, I hit the sack.

They both sleep soundly. Don gets up early and tip toes past Gail, who is totally obscured by her coat. He starts the stove fire and Gail pulls her head from under her coat. She yawns and smiles at Don.
Gail: If you hadn't been here, I would now be cold and hungry, shivering under a tree.
Don: Your step-sibling's plan was well thought out, except for one thing they didn't plan for and couldn't have foreseen. Me.
Gail: I am so lucky. Pauses thoughtfully. So I am determined to get off this outpost. Are you also wanting to do the same?
Don: Like I said earlier, I can't stay here indefinitely, and I don't want to. The problem is, losing my boat was a blow, and few, if any boats come around here. The next time one does, you could catch their attention and get a lift back to civilisation. I could join you or stay behind.
Gail stands up, stretching her limbs, her eyes narrowing with that same driven intensity. You're coming with me. We're a team now and we're going to make sure those who set us up pay the price.

They spend the next few days working together. Gail is surprisingly efficient at the heavy lifting and foraging. They spend their spare time on the rocky knoll, watching the horizon and hoping for a glimmer of a ship.

Just as food supplies are running low, a private boat swings into a nearby bay. It pulls up to the beach, a man alights and walks around out of curiosity. From a vantage point, Don sees him arrive and lets Gail know.

Don: I have to decide what to do. You're right, we are now a team. So, shall we head home and fight our respective corners?
Gail reaches out and grasps his arm, her expression warm and determined: Let's go. We have a lot of work to do.

They grab some things and walk out to the man, who just about jumps out of his skin on seeing them.
Don: Hello. Can you please take us back to the mainland with you?
Man: Of course I can. Hop on board.
On the way back, the man asks what they were doing on such an isolated island. They say it's complicated, but it wasn't by choice.

Gail's return is greeted with dismay by step-siblings Harry and Mon, who are promptly arrested after Gail goes to the police. Don is surprised to find out that the fraud squad continued gathering evidence against him, only to find out it was a senior manager who was on the take. The offender was now in custody, with Don cleared, and had been for some time!

Don and Gail meet up for a celebratory dinner.
Don lets out a long, relieved sigh, leaning back in the chair of the restaurant, the scent of fine food and red wine filling the air. I still can't believe the phone call I got yesterday. To be told that the man who framed me is now staring at a prison sentence... it feels like a dream. I spent months thinking my life was over, only to find out the truth was just waiting for a detective with enough patience to look at the digital trails.

Gail reaches across the table and squeezes his hand. Her eyes reflecting a mixture of triumph that only a woman can display when she is proved right, along with genuine affection. I told you it would work out, Don. I have now exposed Harry and Monica's scheme. She smiles, a satisfied glint in her eye. Our parents have changed the will and I will have it all when they go, not that I wish that to happen.

Don chuckles: You're a fighter. But honestly, Gail, the money is secondary for you, unlike your greedy siblings. Don then stares into the recent past, his eyes tinged with a look of nostalgia. I must admit, I do miss the silence of the island sometimes. Just us, the wind, and the struggle to keep the fire going. It was harsh, but I look back on it with fondness too.
Gail laughs and she leans closer. The silence and wild beauty were lovely, but the luxury of a hot shower and a bed is hard to beat. She pauses, her expression softening as she looks at him. You saved me, Don. Not just from the elements, but from the feeling that I was completely alone in the world. I haven't forgotten that.

Don looks at her, truly seeing the woman she really is, not the terrified woman on the beach, but a confident and bubbly person. 

Don: We saved each other. I don't think I would have had the courage to face the mainland if I hadn't seen the way you looked at that horizon. You gave me a reason to return and fight my battle.
Gail takes a sip of her wine, her mind already pivoting toward the next goal. I've been thinking. That island was a bit too rudimentary.
Don raises an eyebrow, recognizing that specific look in her eye: Here we go. What have you got planned?
Gail: Not go back, no. But one day buy a part of it. I want to build something there, Don. A sanctuary for people who need to disappear for a while before they find themselves again. A resort, perhaps, but exclusive. Private. She watches him, her voice becoming warm. And you could help me run it and do the accounts. She winks, as if hinting at something more.
Don picks up on her hint and feels confident to run with it.

 Don: A sanctuary, eh? I suppose it could work. However, I'd only consider such a close working relationship with someone if it was....more than just two business partners. What say we spend some time getting to know each other.

Gail reaches over and clinks her glass against his: Deal. I would never have thought of that, said with a teasing innocent smile.