by Mark Stone
“You have a gun for a mouth, don’t you?” I asked, grinning at the woman.
She looked at me, still sitting, and grinned herself. “It’s practically a pistol.”
“That’s all right,” I said. “I don’t mind where it’s pointed.”
“Be careful,” Cameron said, sitting back down. “Ellis has been known to change targets from time to time.”
“I’m a big boy,” I said. “I can handle myself.”
“I bet you can,” Ellis said, extending her hand for me to take. “Mr. Chase, I presume.”
“That’s right,” I said. “And you’re the Nobel Prize winner? I suppose that means you’re not gonna take it easy on me?”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said. “But if you haven’t done anything wrong, I doubt you have much to worry about.”
“Do I look worried, Ms. Winters?” I asked.
“You look like you’d rather be anywhere else in the world,” she answered.
“You’re observant,” I mused.
“They don’t give those Nobels away for nothing, Mr. Chase.” She sat down herself, and instantly, her plastic smile disappeared. “Here’s how this is going to go, gentlemen. I’m going to ask you a question, and you will answer that question to the best of your ability in the following manner. Don’t bother being concise or to the point. We want to get into your thought process. We’d like to feel what you were feeling. Also, when possible, I’d like for you to restate the question in your answer. This helps with advertising and sound clips later on.”
“God forbid we don’t help with the sound clips,” I muttered.
“I like your friend, Cameron,” Ellis said, smirking again.
“I’m not his friend,” I said flatly.
“Now I like you even more,” she admitted.
“Let’s not do this,” Cameron said. “We all know what this interview is and isn't supposed to be about. Can we keep it on track? The last thing I’d want is to turn this into a—”
“Requiem on the past?” Ellis asked. “With your past, I don’t blame you, especially your recent past.”
My eyebrows jerked upward curiously. I had no idea what Ellis was talking about. I didn’t keep up with Cameron’s life, but I also hadn’t really heard anything about him for years.
“Ellis, this is about how I took down a drug ring and saved the mayor’s daughter,” he said. “That’s the path this interview will go down.”
“It’s cute that you think you can tell me what direction to take my work, Cameron,” she answered. “Are you under the impression that you still hold any sway over me whatsoever?”
He looked at her diligently. “I remember a time when I held a lot more than sway over you,” he said, his voice lowering to an almost whisper. “Come on, Ellis. We had fun, didn’t we?” He reached out and put his hand on her knee. She jerked it away.
“Fun is one thing. Business is another,” she argued. “Besides, we stopped having anything at all quite some time ago.”
Cameron’s face steeled over. “I don’t want to fight you, Ellis.”
“I don’t blame you,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to fight me either. The odds are severely stacked against you.”
“Jacob Turner,” Cameron said, leaning back in his chair and looking at the woman like he had just pulled out a trump card. “Do I need to say anything else?”
“You son of a bitch!” Ellis said, her eyes flaring with anger.
“Who is Jacob Turner?” I asked, looking from one of them to the other.
“A man who boarded Ellis’s boat a few years ago and subsequently was never seen again. If I remember correctly, the police determined that what happened to him was a horrible accident, right?”
“Cameron,” she started through clenched teeth.
“I wonder if there might be any evidence that might contradict that?” Cameron mused, staring daggers at the woman. “I wonder if there might be some testimony that might change that determination, that might open that case back up.”
Ellis looked at Cameron for a long moment, her face unchanging, unwavering.
“Turn the camera on,” she finally growled to someone behind her.
A voice from behind her, a figure shadowed by the bright lights in my face, replied, “In 3. 2. 1.”
As soon as he finished the countdown, Ellis’s face went from stern to bright. Her mouth twisted into a smile that looked more genuine than any she’d worn since she got here.
“Hello, everyone,” she said chirpily, looking into a camera that sat right over my shoulder. “This is Ellis Winters, here with you to discuss what has to be one of the most interesting and unbelievable stories I personally have ever come across. Complete with twists, turns, an attempted murder investigation . . .” Her eyes cut, for just a moment, over to Cameron, and her face flashed with the slightest tint of disgust. “And a pair of heroes who would no doubt become household names for their bravery if one of them already weren’t.”
Cameron let out a relieved sigh. He knew he had won this particular exchange. This interview was going to go exactly the way he wanted it to. Or at least, that was what he thought.
“You at home already know Olympic gold medalist Cameron James for his many stellar accomplishments in competitive swimming as well as his vast array of humanitarian efforts,” Ellis said, her face still warm and smiling.
“Humanitarian efforts?” I said under my breath. There was no way that could be right.
“But let me introduce you to another hero, an everyman who is just as impressive as the American icon sitting next to him,” she said.
American icon? I was going to be sick.
“Meet Lieutenant Lifeguard Daniel Chase,” Ellis said. “Now, Danny, I’ve done some digging around on you, and I have to say, I’m impressed. After suffering through a tragic auto accident during your senior year in high school, you fought through it and forged a path as the premier lifeguard in all of Hollywood, Florida. How does it feel to spend every day saving lives?” Her eyes flickered to Cameron for just another second. “To use your talents and gifts to do something that is actually important?”
“It feels . . . it feels good,” I said, suddenly very aware that I was talking to both Ellis and the millions of people that the red dot on the camera represented. I cleared my throat and shuffled as I continued, “It’s the honor of my life, really. Oh, I’m sorry. Being able to be a lifeguard and save people every day is the honor of my life,” I said, remembering that she wanted me to restate the question in my answer.
“Well done,” she muttered under her breath as I continued to speak.
“I have been through some things in my life, you’re right. What’s more, I haven’t always thought those things were fair or that the people who contributed to those unfair things have ever really taken responsibility, but I can’t let that define me. I can’t—”
The steady red light of the camera behind Ellis started to blink, slowly at first but then more and more rapidly. The words stopped coming, and I looked at it like the stupid thing was about to overload.
“Are you okay, Danny?” Ellis asked when I stopped mid-sentence.
“It’s–it’s the camera,” I said, staring at the blinking red light.
“Try not to worry about the camera,” Ellis said. “I know it can be hard, but try to pretend it isn’t there. You’re just talking to me.”
“Maybe I should chime in until my partner here gets his sea legs about him,” Cameron said. As he spoke, though, I heard a low humming coming from the camera. That wasn’t right. Something was going on. Something was—
“No!” I shouted. Leaping off my seat, I grabbed Ellis, picked her up, and turned the other way as the humming of the camera got louder.
As I turned, I saw Cameron’s face. He was looking at me like I was a lunatic, like I had just done what he knew I was going to do and ruined this entire thing.
Those thoughts wouldn’t last long in his head, though, as he saw the panic on my face.
&nb
sp; “Get out of here!” I yelled, taking a few steps forward as quickly as I could. My words were quickly drowned out, though, by the loud Pop! behind me. It took me a second to realize what was going on as the warmth rushed over me, as the force of the blast tossed me into the air.
The last thought that crossed my mind before I passed out was that I should have known. I should have been quicker. There was a bomb in the camera, it was for me, and I should have known.
But I didn’t know, and now everyone in the room was going to die because of it, me included.
26
I woke once to the smell of smoke and a heat unlike any I had ever felt before. My eyes stung as I opened them, blinking away whatever fog had settled in the time they had been closed.
“Danny!” a familiar voice said from over me. Blinking again. I saw Riley, his blond hair hanging like tendrils as he leaned over me. God, I had forgotten he was even here. Was he hurt? Were any of them hurt? I had tried to save Ellis and warn Cameron, but only seconds had passed. Had I saved either of them? And what about the other people in the room? The crew and maintenance—they could have all been hurt too. I had no idea how big the explosion behind me had been, but it was strong enough to toss me around like a ragdoll. So, I knew it wasn’t inconsequential.
“Danny, can you hear me?” Riley asked, as through the smoke, I thought I saw tears in my friend’s eyes. “Danny, just try to stay awake if you can. Help’s on the way, but I need you to keep your eyes open, okay, man?”
I tried to answer him. I tried to tell him that I was gonna do my best to try to do what he asked of me, but my body wouldn’t respond. I couldn’t open my mouth to talk. I couldn’t move my hands to signal. I couldn’t do anything but lie there, looking up at my friend as I failed him and let sleep overtake me again.
The next time I woke, there was no smoke, there was no heat, and there was no Riley. In their place was the cool, crisp air of a serene teal blue room, the soft luxury or a mattress under my back, and a beautiful woman curled up on a chair beside me. Jules’s eyes were closed. She had a pillow under her head and was curled into the fetal position on a chair that would have been uncomfortable to sit on, let alone sleep on. Still, she snored lightly in the most adorable way imaginable.
Taking a deep breath, I found that my head was aching and swimming in almost equal parts. I didn’t need to be told I was in a hospital. I spent enough nights in rooms like this after the accident that I knew what one looked like. Still, being back in a bed like this caused my throat to clench and my stomach to twist into uneasy knots.
Instinctively, I reached for my legs. No cast. No bandages. They were fine. Presumably, I was fine, but what about everyone else?
Looking to my left, I saw flowers on a table beside me and a window with a closed curtain. Still, enough light came in from behind the curtain that I knew it was daytime.
“Almost nineteen hours,” Jules said, her voice a sleepy groan. Turning, I saw her rubbing her eyes, smiling at me as she stretched like a cat on the chair.
“What?” I asked her, surprised at how sore my throat was and how weak my voice sounded. Instinctively, I cleared my throat and repeated myself, trying to exude a much stronger tone. “What?”
“That’s how long you’ve been asleep,” she said, placing her feet on the floor. “That’s what you were going to ask, right?”
“Maybe,” I said, blinking hard, remembering everything that had happened. “There was a bomb.”
“In one of the cameras, yeah,” she said. “They have no idea how it got in there, but it turns out one of the cameras had been switched out last night. They’re dusting it for prints or something, trying to figure out who is responsible.”
“They were trying to kill me again,” I said, running a hand through my hair and sighing loudly. My chest ached as I breathed in and out.
“You don’t know that,” she argued.
“Of course, I do,” I said, swallowing hard. “Someone tried to kill me just a couple of days ago, and now there’s a bomb sitting a few feet from my face. It’s not a coincidence.”
“It’s also not your fault,” Jules added quickly.
“I didn’t say it was,” I answered.
“You didn’t have to. It’s all over your face,” she said. “So is drool, by the way.”
I wiped my mouth, shaking my head at the woman. “I should have known.”
“That there was a bomb in the camera?” Jules asked. “I can’t see how you could have, but if you’re gonna beat yourself up over things that aren’t your fault, my rent went up fifteen percent on my new leasing period, and I’m really looking for someone to blame that on.”
“Is everybody okay?” I asked, ignoring Jules and her comment. “Ellis, Cameron, all those people.”
“Ellis is fine,” Jules said. “She’s the reporter, right? She said you saved her from the brunt of the blast. She’s calling you a real hero.” Jules shrugged. “I mean, she was calling you that before, but I think she actually means it this time.”
“What about Cameron and the others?” I asked.
“The crew got out with minor burns and scrapes. They’re saying it’s not as bad as it could have been,” Jules said. “Hell, all you got from it was some bruising and a concussion. All in all, it wasn’t the tragedy it could have been.”
“You didn’t say anything about Cameron,” I said, sitting up straighter in the bed.
Jules shuffled in the seat, visibly tensing up. “Danny, I—”
“He’s dead, isn’t he?” I asked, a shiver running through me.
“No,” she answered quickly. “He’s not dead. He’s not going to die. He did get hurt, though. Pieces of the camera went everywhere as it blew apart. A part of the stand went right through his shoulder.”
“Oh, no,” I said, my forehead wrinkling up. “But he’s—”
“He’s fine. I just left him not too long ago,” Jules said. “They had to do surgery to take it out, and there was damage. The doctors say there’s going to be scar tissue.” She took a deep breath.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but the doctors say he’ll probably never be able to swim again.”
“Oh, my God,” I muttered, looking down at the bedsheet over me.
“Danny,” Jules said, and I could tell from the sound of her voice, from the break in it, that she wasn’t finished.
My head whipped toward her. “It’s Nate, isn’t it?” I gasped. “Did something—”
“No,” she said. “You don’t see me on the floor right now, do you? Nate’s not the one who died.”
My heart skipped a horrible beat. “What does that mean?” I asked. “You said that like someone did.”
Jules closed her eyes and clasped her hands together on her lap. “While you were asleep, there was an incident on the beach, a shooting.”
“A shooting?” I said. “On my beach?”
“I really, really don’t want to have to say this to you right now,” Jules said, tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, but they did it, Danny. While you were here, someone shot and killed Gina Russell.”
A weight fell down onto me, slamming over my chest every bit as hard as a crashing wave. It took me a second to register what Jules had just told me. It couldn’t be real. There was just no way. While I was healing, while I was sleeping, I had failed. Gina Russell was dead. That poor woman. She had been so scared. She had tried so hard. She trusted me to keep her safe, to find and stop whoever was trying to do this to her before it was too late.
But it was too late. While I was lying in bed, Gina was fighting for, and losing, her life. It seemed insane. I had pulled her out of that water just to lose her at the beach again. I had saved her at the bar just to let her down days later. I couldn’t process this. This couldn’t be it.
“That’s not the worst part, Danny,” Jules said, and there was even more apprehension in her voice now.
“What?” I said. “How could that be pos
sible? What could be worse than Gina Russell being murdered on our beach?”
“The person they said is responsible for doing it,” Jules said, sighing loudly. She looked down at the floor, punching the arm of the chair she was sitting on with a delicate clenched fist. “They pulled him off to jail, Danny! They slapped handcuffs on him and marched him off like he was some animal.”
“Who, Jules?” I asked, my entire body jerking.
“He said you asked him to watch her,” she said, shaking her head. “The whole time they were taking him away, reading him his rights, he just kept saying you could clear all of this up.”
“Oh,” I muttered, realizing just who she was talking about. “Oh, God, no. They couldn’t think it was him.”
“They do,” Jules said, looking back up at me. “They think Brick is responsible for Gina’s murder.”
27
I marched into that police department like a rabid dog. With my hands clenched into fists, my heart beating like an overworked engine, and my nostrils flaring as wide as my face would allow, I couldn’t believe what was happening. I would have waited hours to see Abby if I would have had to. This was important to me. Brick was important to me. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait to see her. She was standing right in front of me, leaned against her desk with her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pursed like she had been waiting for me this entire time.
“What the hell is this?” I asked, thankful that I hadn’t been made to wait, thankful that the anger inside me hadn’t been given the chance to quell. I wanted these people to know just how upset I was about all of this. I wanted them to know exactly how big a mistake she’d made.
“This, in case the room full of cops with bright shiny badges wasn’t an indicator, is a police department,” she said. “What I’d like to know is why you think you have the right to come running in here like it's a hot dog stand during the lunch rush.”
I could tell from the tone of her voice exactly what was going on here. She had turned on me. I must have been right about everything. I knew from the second I saw Abby with Nate that the woman must have been protecting her brother. Gina was afraid of the man. She knew what he was capable of, and she told me. But she only told me after Abby wouldn’t listen. She only told me when I was her last hope, and now I had failed her and she was gone.