To Have And Have Not

The narration shifts into third-person omniscience as the setting jumps from winter to fall. Harry and a deckhand, Wesley, drift back towards Key West, both injured by gunshot wounds—Wesley in the leg and Harry in the arm. It is apparent from the bags of broken liquor bottles scattered over the deck that Harry’s new venture (running illegal alcohol between Cuba and Key West) has not been successful. Harry ignores Wesley’s continued cries of pain, and Wesley reprimands him for being “hardly human” (69).

After dropping anchor near the Keys, Harry takes stock of his boat and finds the cockpit and windshield shattered by bullets, blood covering the deck, and alcohol soaking into every crevice. Relying on his one good arm that isn’t yet destroyed by bullets, Harry begins dropping the bags of broken bottles over the side of the boat to hide the evidence of illegal activity while Wesley lies on deck, unable to move or help.

While dumping the liquor overboard, Harry hears and sees a boat approaching. Wesley recognizes Willie, a well-known charter boat captain, but does not recognize the two men fishing in the back of the boat. Harry sees the two strange men glaring and pointing at him and rushes to cover Wesley with a blanket while he himself tries to maintain a sense of normalcy.