Panic Pond

by Cole Baxter

  Ray put in the call while Amber sat watching him. "Vince? I have a new hire I'm interviewing for night shift—" he started and then paused, and Vince apparently said something. "I know, but we could use an extra set of eyes after what happened the other night, so I'm expanding the number of employees on the shift." He paused again. "Yeah, we're over at Fired Up. Come over when you finish. Have Denise keep an eye on things."

  When he hung up, she asked, "Should we order while we're waiting?"

  Ray nodded and waved a waitress over. "Pepperoni okay?"

  Amber nodded.

  He looked at the waitress and said, "Large pepperoni and two Cokes."

  "Oh, sorry, I don't drink soda. Too many calories. Just a water for me. And can you add a slice of lemon? So much better that way, don't you think?"

  The waitress nodded and left.

  Ray stared at her again, and Amber gave him a smile. "Got to admit, this is all a bit strange, sugar." He waved his hand up and down her.

  Amber leaned in and whispered, "Don't call me 'sugar', Ray. We're supposed to have just met. You don't know Carrie, remember?"

  "Right. Carrie, so tell me about yourself while we wait for Vince."

  Amber leaned back in her chair and smiled, but she made it seem like a sad smile. "Well, I was at Seattle North, you know, the college? Anyway, I was there until this last month. I just couldn't keep up with things, you know?" Amber gave him a sad look. "My boyfriend and I split up. We'd been together for like, forever, you know? Known each other since high school, back in LA. So anyway, I came out to the island for a change of scenery. Aunt Bryn has always been great about letting me stay at her place when I need to."

  "Aunt Bryn? You mean Bryn Forsythe?"

  "Sure, she's my mom's sister, you know?" Amber nodded. "Used to come here as a kid — to the island, I mean—with Mom, so when I needed a place to go, I called Aunt Bryn and she said I was welcome to stay here. She's in Greece right now. You know she and Uncle Wyatt like to go where the sun is."

  "I see. Well, sugar—I mean, Carrie—the job doesn't pay a lot. Are you sure—"

  Amber grinned, enjoying the fact that Ray was going along with things. "Oh, don't worry about the pay. I just need something to do, you know?" She drew the word 'do' out in an exaggerated way.

  He nodded as the waitress dropped off their pizza. They were halfway through when Vince walked up.

  Chapter Seven

  Vince wore a smarmy smile and held his hand out for her to shake. "Vince Kelley, and you are?"

  Amber pasted a smile on her lips. "Carrie Blake."

  "Sit down, Vince. I was just going over what her duties would be."

  "Why's a pretty girl like you want to work nights at a gas station?" Vince asked, laying on the charm.

  Amber felt a shiver of creepiness inch its way up her back, and she understood the waitresses' disgust over him in their interviews now, but she pasted a smile on her face and pretended to be charmed. "Just needed something to do, you know? I don't sleep much, so night shift works fine for me, and it's not like there's a lot of places hiring right now here on the island. I'm not ready to go back to Seattle yet, you know?"

  Vince grinned. "Is that a So Cal accent I detect?"

  Amber giggled. "Yeah, you caught me. I'm an LA girl." She tilted her head and shrugged.

  He nodded, that smarmy smile in place. "Well, what do you think, Uncle? Are you going to hire her?"

  Ray nodded. "Yeah, already got her application and documentation." He held up the application. "We're headed over to the station next. You want to show her the ropes?"

  "Sure. I can do that." Vince's smarmy smile turned more gleeful. He glanced at the half eaten pizza and said, "Mind if I have a slice?"

  "Go ahead. Just going to box it up for later," Ray answered.

  When they were done, they headed out together. "I'll meet you over there." Amber clicked the key to her rental.

  "Nice ride," Vince said, seeing the Range Rover. "Mine's over there." He nodded at a BMW convertible.

  Amber wondered how he could afford such a vehicle on the pay he made at the gas station. Even Ray only drove a Chevy truck, and it was several years old too. "Nice," she commented before climbing behind the wheel. She followed Vince and Ray over to the station and parked in the back next to their vehicles.

  "You can put your purse in the office. I'll get you a name tag made up while Vince shows you around."

  "Sure." Amber nodded and dropped her purse in the small cabinet in the office. She followed Vince out the door of the back room, but as they walked, he put his hand on the small of her back like he was guiding her, upping the creep factor by twenty.

  "So obviously, we have the liquor section back here, couple of cameras." He pointed at them. "You'll find the stock for everything in that back room we just came from, except for the cigarettes. We keep those up front in the cabinets behind the counter."

  Amber nodded. She already knew all of this, but she listened anyway. "Sure."

  "Bob, come meet Carrie. She's going to be working night shifts too."

  Bob's eyes brightened as he walked over. "Hey, I'm Bob."

  "Hi Bob, I'm Carrie. Nice to meet you." She smiled and shook his hand.

  "Bob, why don't you go sweep the aisles while I show Carrie the register?"

  Bob nodded and left the counter area.

  Vince and Amber moved behind the counter and he showed her the register. He hovered behind her, way too close for her liking, but she followed his instructions. It wasn't that complicated. Just scan the items and then select the payment type and proceed from there. He showed her how to ring up prepaid gasoline and how to turn the pumps on for that. Then he pulled out a box of cigarettes and had her climb the short step stool to load them into their proper slots. The entire time, she felt him staring at her ass. The pig.

  "And that's about it," Vince said once she finished filling the cigarettes. "Pretty easy, huh?"

  "Sure." Amber nodded as she climbed down and turned to face him.

  "So, when is Ray going to have you start?"

  Amber shook her head. "I don't know. I'll head back to the office and find out." She pushed past Vince who didn't move and made her press against him to get past. She didn't say anything but felt it was a sleazy move, the kind real creeps pulled, but that didn't make him a thief and that was what she was there to determine.

  "Well, I'll come with you."

  Amber glanced over at him and then nodded. She'd wanted a moment alone with Ray to talk to him about the case, but she'd have to do that at some other point now since Vince was joining her.

  "Bob, back on register," Vince said as they passed him.

  "Okay." Bob had been just standing with the broom, sweeping the same spot as he stared into space anyway.

  "Hi, Mr. Kelley. I think I know everything I need to know now except for my schedule." Amber smiled as they reached the office door in the back room.

  Ray looked up from the desk, but before he could say anything, Vince spoke up.

  "We could use her tonight, Uncle Ray. Plenty of staff on tonight so that we can make sure she's trained in right."

  Ray glanced at her and then nodded. "Are you up to starting tonight, Carrie?" he asked, remembering her fake name.

  "Sure. No time like the present, you know?"

  "Okay, here's your nametag. We'll have you work till eleven tonight. I think Bob's on till seven, then Ellie, Nick, and Selma will be on tonight also. Selma is only here till eleven too." Ray looked at the clock. "We'll have you clock in at five, so that gives you a little while before you start in case you need to do anything."

  Amber nodded. "Sure, that's perfect, actually. I want to go let William know."

  "William? Is that your boyfriend?" Vince asked.

  Amber shook her head and widened her eyes. "Oh, no, William's like ancient, you know? He's my aunt's butler."

  "Oh, great." Vince gave her that smarmy grin again. "It was great meeting you, Carrie. I'll see you tonight," Vin
ce said. "I'm gonna take off for a bit too, Uncle. Got some errands to run."

  "All right. Thanks for covering this afternoon while I interviewed Carrie."

  "No problem. I'll catch you later, Carrie."

  Amber nodded as Vince headed for the back door. Once he was gone, she relaxed some. "So, do all of the employees come in and out of that back door?"

  "No, generally, it's locked. Vince and I have keys, so we use it, but the rest of the employees come in through the front unless one of us is back here to let them in or out."

  Amber nodded. "Good to know. Okay, I'm going to head out and get some things done. I'll be back at five."

  "You might want different shoes. Those heels are going to make your feet sore after a while, sugar."

  Amber looked down at her feet. "Oh, good point. I'll change them. Everything else okay?"

  "Yeah, wouldn't wear anything you wouldn't mind getting dirty, though. Just in case."

  Amber nodded. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind too." She grabbed her bag from the cabinet. "Wanna let me out?"

  Ray stood up and went with her to the back door. "I'll see you at five."

  Amber headed out to the rental and then pulled out her phone. "Mahoney, it's Smith. Have you gotten to the background on Vince Kelley?"

  "Not yet. You got something?"

  "Nothing concrete. Just, he drives a Beamer. Bit pricey for a gas station manager, don't you think?"

  "Maybe. Want me to look into it?"

  "Yeah. I'm all set over here. I start at five tonight. I'll get to work with most of the employees at least for a little bit. Might have something for you after eleven, but I'll save it till morning."

  "Good, because I'm not sure Chief Lee is going to extend me that kind of overtime."

  Amber laughed. "Probably not. I'll catch up with you tomorrow."

  "See you then."

  She hung up and drove home, parking the SUV in the garage next to her car. She was actually looking forward to working later and wanted to be well rested for it.

  Chapter Eight

  A week into her undercover work and Amber was already exhausted. Working nights was tougher than she expected, especially since she was still doing work at the police department during the day. Mahoney had gotten back to her on Vince's car. Apparently, it had been a gift from his father before their falling out. He hadn't gotten much on that particular relationship, but he was working on it. He'd gone over to Seattle the day before to do interviews with several of Vince's past employers and former friends, but he wasn't back yet to fill her in on what he'd found.

  Amber had spent the last week getting to know her co-workers. Tonight, she was working with Ellie Greene and Nick Deakin, and of course, Vince.

  "Whew, I had no idea working nights would make me so tired, you know?" she commented to Ellie.

  "I know. It can get a little rough, but at least the pay is good, and we can get a decent meal at the diner without having to go too far. Plus, Ray gives us discounts on meals there when we're working, which is great for me. I'm on a budget, can't really afford to go out too much."

  "True," Amber agreed as she and Ellie stocked up the liquor section. "Hey, can you grab some more of the Crown Royal? We've got a couple of open spots."

  "Yeah, one sec." Ellie disappeared into the back but returned less than a minute later with a box. She set it down and started stocking the shelf.

  Amber straightened the vodkas and then moved on to the whiskey. "So, got any plans this weekend?"

  "Just working. I really don't go out much. Mostly, I just stay at home and watch Katie for Selma when I'm off."

  "So, you and Selma are roommates, right?" Amber questioned.

  "Yeah. Selma's had kind of a rough go of it. Katie's dad walked out when Selma was pregnant with her. Took everything too, cleaned out their account, left her with about fifteen thousand dollars in credit card debt, even took the car. He was a real asshole."

  "That sucks. Is that why she works two jobs?" Amber asked, trying to gain more insight on Selma and Ellie.

  "Yeah. She nearly lost the house when he took off. I moved in to help her with bills, but what I make, it's just not enough. Not like I'm qualified to do a whole lot. Never went to college, just . . . I got into a lot of trouble as a kid. Hanging with the wrong kids and all. My parents gave up on me. We're better now, but back then? Yeah, I was not in a good place mentally. I'm sorta getting my life back together and Selma's helped me a lot with that. She took me in, got me an interview with Ray. So, anything I can contribute, I do. She's been good to me. I just wish I could do more."

  "Really?" Amber looked over at her with curiosity. "I was in school—college, I mean—to be a journalist. I understand the not being in a good place mentally. It's why I left. Josh messed with my head."

  "I can see you being a journalist." Ellie nodded. "You listen and ask a lot of questions. It's kind of nice to have someone to talk to who gets it."

  "Ha. Thanks. Yeah, my mom said I was either going to be a journalist or a lawyer because I like to argue and I have an unquenchable thirst for answers."

  Ellie laughed. "I think you chose right. Lawyers suck, and I speak from experience. Bunch of vipers."

  "What do you mean?" Amber didn't look at her, just kept straightening the cases of beer.

  "Just they charge a fortune and then barely do anything for you and expect gratitude when they get you out of trouble, like you weren't paying them to do that."

  "You got in that deep of trouble?"

  Ellie frowned. "Yeah. It was stupid. I'm sorry I ever got involved with . . ." She trailed off and shrugged. "Anyway, I changed my life and I'm making better life choices. No sense reliving the past, right?"

  "Right." Amber nodded, frustrated that she didn't find out why Ellie had to deal with lawyers. She would have to have Mahoney investigate that. "I think that's everything." She stood back and looked over the straightened and stocked liquor section. "What's next on our to do list?"

  Ellie grinned. "I'll take makeup, you take cigarettes."

  Amber groaned. That meant being around Vince.

  "He's such an ass, isn't he?" Ellie whispered. "He stares at me when he thinks I'm not looking."

  Nodding, Amber said, "Yeah, I've noticed."

  "He just gives me the creeps. Worst part of working nights."

  "Yeah."

  "Girls!" Vince's voice came over the store PA system. "One of you is needed up front!"

  Amber rolled her eyes. "I'll go. Might as well if I have to stock the cigarettes."

  Ellie grinned as they both headed toward the front, but then she broke off and turned toward the makeup section while Amber went up behind the counter.

  "You called?" she said, seeing Vince and not a customer in sight.

  "Yeah, cover the counter. I'm taking my break. I'll be in the diner."

  "Whatever," Amber replied, actually thrilled that he wasn't going to be ogling her ass while she stocked cigarettes.

  As she checked what needed filling, she went over the things she'd learned about her co-workers. Ellie and Selma were both financially insecure, so they could have been behind the theft, but Selma was home with her daughter at the time of the theft. Ellie could have done it. She worked that night, so maybe she and Selma pulled it off together. That was a possibility.

  Then there was Nick Deakin.

  She glanced out to the parking lot where Nick was picking up trash and changing out the bags in the trash bins. Nick had been working for Ray since he arrived on the island, so six years. He'd grumbled the night before about Vince taking the job that should have been his. He had a serious grudge against Vince and tended to do the minimal amount of work on night shifts when Vince was in charge. So maybe Nick had masterminded the theft, wanting Vince to be blamed? That was a possibility.

  Bob crossed her mind then, but she just couldn't see the nineteen-year-old airhead being behind this. He wasn't all that bright. Unless that is just an act? she thought. Plus, he was the only one who really had
a good relationship with Vince. Maybe he and Vince were working together? she considered. That was also a possibility.

  Not one possibility stood out more than the other. Sighing, Amber rang up a customer and thanked them for their purchase. She just hoped that somebody would eventually let something slip that would give them away, and when they did, she'd be there to bust them.

  Chapter Nine

  “Where?" Amber frowned as she grabbed her purse and keys.

  "Down at the Marina. Since you're lead on the case, I figured we'd better have you come down and sort this out."

  "I'll be there in ten." Amber clicked off the phone. She glanced toward Mahoney's desk and then recalled that he was still in Seattle. She knocked on Chief Lee's door. "Ma'am?"

  "What is it, Detective Smith?"

  "Apparently, there's a man down at the marina trying to citizen arrest Matt Cook for the Kelley's theft, so I'm going to head over there."

  "I know you went and talked to him before, but is he good for it?" she asked, looking up from her laptop.

  "I don't think so, ma'am. Matt doesn't have an alibi, but I'm pretty sure this wasn't him."

  "All right, go and see why this man wants him arrested for it."

  Amber took that as a dismissal and headed out to her car. A few minutes later, she was at the Liar's Island Marina and parked as close to the docks as she could get. She found a couple of uniformed officers holding both Matt and another man apart as the man spewed curse words at them all.

  "What is all this?" Amber said as she approached them.

  "This one, Mr. Cantwell, says, Mr. Cook here was stealing from his boat, which proves he's the Kelley's Gas Station thief," one of the officers replied. "But we've found no evidence of his stealing from Mr. Cantwell's boat."

  Amber looked at his uniform to see his name was Billings. She turned to Matt, but before she could say anything, Mr. Cantwell started shouting again.

  "He did it! Arrest the fucker!" His face was red and puffy, and he seemed to be sweating a great deal. "He fucking stole from my boat, I know it was him! He's a fucking poor ass thief!" he slurred.