The Runaway by Robert W. Beard

About the book

A boy, twelve years old, runs away from his dysfunctional home, and finds himself alone and penniless in Apalachicola, a small coastal town in the Florida Panhandle. He steals a wallet, and is discovered by Robin, an older man living on a boat, who returns it.

The boy, Timmy Keaton, joins Robin and they set off on the boat for Clearwater, FL. The man's intention is to leave the youngster with his daughter, Diana, and her husband until they can find a way to best help him. Diana immediately becomes fond of the boy, but can't take him in just then. So Robin and his young companion leave on his boat for the Florida Keys, and then to the Bahamas.

In Bimini, Timmy is recognized by an acquaintance of his mother's abusive boyfriend, and Robin discovers that when the boy left home, he hid ledgers that implicate the boyfriend, Eddy, in serious crimes. So Eddy has to recover the books at any cost.

Robin and Timmy hastily depart for the Exuma Islands, where in the course of events they stumble upon a sailboat laden with drug money. Whether they take the money or not, the drug dealers will hunt them down. So they take it, and in the process, Robin is wounded by a gunshot.

They manage with considerable ingenuity to escape pursuit, and head for the Caicos Islands, where Robin enters a hospital for a few days. After recovery, he and Timmy turn toward the Cayman Islands where they deposit the money in an offshore bank.

While in the Caymans, Eddy shows up and threatens Timmy. The lad stands his ground, overcoming his fear for Eddy, but decides to reveal where the ledgers are hidden.

Robin and Timmy then return to Clearwater, where the boy becomes part of Diana's family.

The final chapter is a sketch of the next five years of Timmy's life as he emerges into manhood.

About the author

He was born in New Orleans, LA, in a hospital as many babies are, but doesn't recall much about it. And somewhat later, was awarded a high school diploma. Entering Georgia Tech at sixteen, he graduated in physics and mathematics. After three years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, during which he married his childhood sweetheart, he attended graduate school at Louisiana State University, receiving an M.A. in philosophy and political science. Before attending the University of Michigan, he worked briefly with Werner von Braun's group in the early days of space flight, specializing in guidance and control systems. He finished Michigan with a Ph.D. in philosophy and psychology, and was appointed an instructor there.

After a short stint with a Bendix Corporation think tank, and later with Chrysler Missile Corporation, he accepted a faculty appointment at Louisiana State, and subsequently at Florida State University. There were intermediate positions at Princeton and the University of Iowa -- academics are migratory creatures.

Bob had long wanted to build a boat and sail the Caribbean. So he did -- a fifty-six foot schooner. His wife and he, and two young men, sailed for ten months on their second trip. Encouraged by one of the young men, he wrote a brief account of their voyage, a fictional version about a lad whose adventures included some of the places they visited. Since then, he has written others. Fiction is a delightful departure from the numerous papers he published in academic journals through the years.

So that's how The Runaway, The Second Box, Turnabout, Natalia's Wedding, and other stories were born -- there will be more. Currently in progress is Follow into Murder, a true account of a double homicide in Colorado.