Twisted Lies

by C. B. Clark

  Otis’s ears pricked to attention, and his nails skidded across the deck as he raced off.

  Athena perched on the edge of a wobbly wooden chair. “You were a good friend of my parents, weren’t you?”

  Burroughs nodded his grizzled head and took a long pull of beer. “Your father was the only man I ever met who liked sailin’ as much as me.”

  “Dad loved to sail, that’s for sure.” She sorted through the multitude of thoughts clogging her brain, struggling to find the right words to ferret out the truth without flat-out accusing him of lying all these years.

  An awkward silence settled over the trio.

  A huge black raven croaked from the top branch of a towering cedar.

  Otis’s booming bark echoed from deep within the forest.

  Finally, JD spoke. “I was real sorry to hear about your parents.”

  Unbidden, tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them back. “Thank you.” She had no idea why she thanked him, but over the years she’d learned that thanking people was the expected response when someone offered condolences. “Do you remember anything about the day they disappeared?”

  He choked on a swallow of beer. “Me? I don’t know nothin’. Only what I saw on the television news.”

  Her heart sank. She’d been so certain he could help. They’d traveled all this way for nothing.

  “I need another beer.” He tossed the empty bottle into a large, metal oil barrel filled to the brim with broken beer and liquor bottles.

  “I’ll get it.” Russ strode to the door and opened it. “You and Maggie talk.”

  The older man looked as if he were going to argue, but he shrugged. “Beer’s in the fridge.”

  “Got it.” Russ nodded, and the door closed with a slam behind him.

  She sucked in a breath. “I was just a kid, but I remember overhearing my father talking to you on the phone. He was asking about a boat you were selling. He wanted you to bring it to Shelter Island so he could try it out.”

  JD’s pupils were the size of quarters in the shadowy blue depths. “Yeah? Your dad was interested in boats. That’s pretty much what we always talked about.”

  “You were supposed to bring the boat by on the day my parents disappeared. Did you?” She gripped the arms of her chair and held her breath, her heart pounding.

  JD scrubbed his hands over his whiskered cheeks. “Why are you askin’ me all these questions?” His eyes narrowed. “I told the police years ago I don’t know nothin’ about what happened to your parents. That hasn’t changed. I still don’t know nothin’.”

  “You weren’t on the island that day?”

  A slew of unnamed emotions crossed his craggy face. “Like I said, I can’t tell you nothin’.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  She jerked around.

  Russ stood behind the screen door, a beer bottle in his hand. He shoved open the door and handed the bottle to JD. “Well, Burroughs? Are you going to answer the lady’s question?”

  Chapter 36

  JD’s age-spotted hand shook as he grasped the bottle and downed half the contents in one long swallow. Wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, he fixed her with an unfocused look. “There’s nothin’ I can tell you.”

  Distracted by the sickly sweet reek of alcohol, it was a heartbeat before his words sank in, along with a sudden, overwhelming exhaustion deep in her bones. This was another dead end. Pushing up from her chair required an insurmountable effort. “I’m sorry we bothered you, JD.”

  “Hey, no problem.” He struggled to stand, a relieved smile plastered on his wet lips. “It was sure good to see you.”

  She shifted to leave, but hesitated. Something was off. She couldn’t put her finger on her unease, but her intuition buzzed. “Look, JD, I’m desperate to find out what happened. If you know anything, anything at all, I’d really appreciate you telling me.” In spite of her best intentions, her lower lip trembled. “You…you don’t know what it’s been like…all these years…not knowing if my parents are alive or dead. Thinking maybe they abandoned me, or…or worse.”

  “Awww. Maggie girl, I’m sorry.” He wobbled and grabbed onto the back of his chair. “I wish I could help you, but—”

  “Isn’t it time you stopped lying?” Russ’s voice was laced with steel.

  “Lying?” JD spluttered. “What the hell you talkin’ about?”

  Russ strode to the door, flung it open, and stepped inside the trailer. He was back in a second with a camera in his hand. “This is yours, isn’t it?” He tossed the camera to JD.

  “Hey. Careful with that.” JD grabbed for the camera, fumbled, and the bulky box slipped, but he caught it by the thin leather strap before the camera hit the deck and hauled it onto his lap. He clutched the expensive-looking camera in both hands.

  “What’s going on?” She studied the large digital camera. The attached telephoto lens was at least six inches long. Her mouth dried, and her heart skipped a beat.

  “You should see the photos in his living room.” Russ sneered. “Lots of close-ups of whales and bald eagles. JD here is pretty good with a telephoto lens.”

  “The camera’s not mine. It belongs to my son. He took those photos.” A hint of pride crept into his rough voice. “He sells them at the island market. He’s real good at taking pictures.”

  “It was you, wasn’t it?” She glared at JD. “You took all those pictures of me.”

  “I told you. My son—”

  Russ advanced until he loomed over JD. “We saw them, JD. We found the boxes of photos in Angus’s cottage. Your son would have been a baby when the early ones were taken. Admit it. You took those photographs.”

  JD’s shoulders sagged, and he shrank, all his bluster vanishing. He regarded her with hollow, red-streaked eyes. “Angus told me to take them. I didn’t want to, but—” He licked his lips. “—he paid me good money. I didn’t see how they hurt anyone. I mean, it wasn’t like you were naked.”

  Her head spun. “Angus paid you to take pictures of me. Why? What did he want?”

  “I never asked.” He chewed on his bottom lip. “Why would I? It was easy money. I…I had to pay child support and—” He shrugged. “I wasn’t doin’ nothin’ wrong. I mean, I was real careful. You never knew I was there, so what was the big deal?”

  Russ leaned over JD and placed his hands on the back of the chair, crowding the old drunk. “The big deal is you violated a young girl. Creeping around in the bushes and taking pictures.” Russ’s lip curled in a sneer. “That sort of thing gets you arrested.”

  JD’s florid face paled, and his chair squeaked as he shifted in a futile attempt to escape the confines of Russ’s arms. “It wasn’t like that.”

  “Okay. Tell us what it was like.”

  He shot her a pleading look. “All I know is that when I made my deliveries to the island, Angus wanted me to take pictures of you.” Beads of sweat popped out on his forehead. “I’m sorry, Maggie girl. I never meant to hurt you.”

  She rocked back on her heels and stared at the forest, but she wasn’t seeing the trees. JD had taken the photographs for Angus. Clara had suggested Angus wanted to acknowledge she was his daughter. Since he couldn’t do that, he’d hired JD to take photos so he could follow her life, if only from a distance.

  A lump swelled in her throat. Maybe Clara was right, and Angus regretted his poor choices. Maybe he had loved her. Looked at from a different angle, that room on Shelter Island with the boxes of photographs of her could be interpreted as a father showing his love for the daughter he could never acknowledge.

  Or not. She shuddered.

  “What about this, JD?” Russ tugged a small, plastic-wrapped white package out of his back pocket and tossed it on the deck at JD’s feet. It landed with a thump. “How do you explain that?”

  JD’s eyes widened, and he scrambled to his feet, nearly dropping the camera. “What the hell?”

  She stared at the rectangular package. “Russ, what is that?”

 
“Go ahead, JD. Tell her. Explain why you have a packet of cocaine hidden in the back of your freezer.”

  “You were snooping in my house?” JD’s offended expression would have been comical if the situation weren’t so dire.

  “Cocaine?” Her voice squeaked. “You have drugs in your house?”

  “It’s not what you think. It’s not mine.” He snatched the white packet and stuffed it in the front pocket of his pants. “I don’t use drugs.”

  “Whose is it then?”

  JD licked his lips, and his gaze skittered around as if he were searching for an escape.

  “You might as well tell us, JD. We’re going to find out.” Russ backed away, giving the older man space.

  JD’s gaze flicked from Russ to her and back again. He scrubbed his fingers through his thinning hair. “If we’re goin’ there, beer ain’t gonna cut it. I need somethin’ stronger, but I’m all out of the hard stuff.” He lurched to his feet, set the camera on the table, and fished in the front pocket of his baggy, stained jeans. Tugging out a set of keys, he staggered across the deck.

  “Where are you going?” Russ asked.

  “I told you. I want whiskey. There’s a store just down the road a ways.”

  Russ stepped in front of JD, blocking him. “You’re not going anywhere in your condition.”

  “What the hell you talkin’ about? I’m fine.” JD snickered. “Believe you me, I’ve driven in a lot worse shape. Besides, the store’s not far, and there’s next to no traffic on this island.”

  Russ snatched the keys out of his hands. His gaze met hers, and he shrugged. “I’ll go. Just give me the directions.”

  “Are you sure, Russ?” she asked. The last thing JD needed was more booze, but the stubborn set of his chin made clear he wouldn’t reveal anything more until he had his whiskey.

  “As long as you’re okay with staying here with JD.” Russ arched his brows.

  She grimaced at his all-too-obvious ploy to provide her with an opportunity to talk to JD alone. Though she doubted she’d learn anything worthwhile. The man was a drunk. He probably suffered from alcohol-related dementia, but maybe he’d be more forthcoming if Russ was gone. “I’ll be fine. JD and I’ll catch up on the old days.”

  Russ nodded and headed down the steps.

  “Make sure you get the good stuff. None of that cheap crap,” JD hollered after him.

  Russ climbed into the car. The engine roared to life, and he drove out of the yard.

  JD staggered back to his chair and plopped down. “So, what do you wanna know?”

  A frisson of unease tickled her spine. Was it her imagination or were his eyes more focused than they’d been a minute ago? She swallowed. “You know what I want. Tell me the truth about what happened that day.”

  His brows bumped together in a scowl. “I gather you know your mom and Angus Crawford were lovers, and he fathered you.”

  Her mouth fell open. Had everyone but her known the truth of her parentage? “I just learned of their affair. A few weeks ago, I found letters from my mother in a safe in Angus’s cottage on the island.”

  The corners of his lips twitched. “Did you know they continued their affair even after you were born?”

  “What?”

  He smirked. “That’s why your mother moved to the island. She wanted to be close to Angus.”

  “What are you talking about? She married my dad—” She shook her head. “—I mean, William O’Flynn. They loved each other. She wouldn’t have cheated on him.”

  He rubbed his hands together. “That may be what she wanted you to believe, but she wasn’t tellin’ you the truth. Anna and Angus screwed around for years. Oh, they hid their relationship from you and William all right, but they were always sneakin’ off to be alone.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “How did you know about their affair?”

  “I saw them.” He rubbed his hands together. “One time when I was creepin’ around taking pictures of you, I came across them kissing.” He shook his head. “Could have knocked me over with a feather.”

  She collapsed on a chair, almost knocking it over. “My father didn’t know about their affair?”

  He picked up the beer bottle and rolled the amber glass between his hands. “Not until that last day.”

  “What happened?” Heat swelled in her chest, and tears blurred the warped boards at her feet.

  “William didn’t know about Anna and Angus’s affair. He didn’t even know you weren’t his kid. Poor sap.” He smacked his wet lips. “The news was a real blow.”

  The world spun, and she clutched the sides of her chair and held on. “When…when did he find out the truth?” Clara had told her that her father knew she wasn’t his child before he married her mother, and he’d married her anyway. Had her aunt lied? Or was JD spinning tales in his drunken stupor?

  JD set the beer bottle on the table and sat back, crossing one leg over the other. “You were right. I arranged to meet William that afternoon so I could show him a boat I wanted to sell. The Silver Shadow was a top-notch catamaran. She was fast and sleek and could turn on a dime. As soon as William saw her, his eyes lit up.”

  He grinned, exposing crooked, yellow teeth. “I knew right then I’d made the sale, but he wanted to try her out and see how she handled on the water. So, I—” The words slurred, and spittle sprayed. His eyes glazed over, and he seemed to lose his train of thought.

  “What happened?” Her heart stuttered. No matter how painful the truth, she had to know.

  He blinked and refocused, as if surprised she was still there. “Don’t you remember? You…you weren’t feelin’ so well, so you were restin’ in your room. Your mother wanted to wait ’til you woke up so you could all go for a sail, but you know your father. He was as excited as a kid with a new toy.” His eyes were bleary. “He wanted to try the Silver Shadow out before dark. He didn’t want to wait.”

  He scrubbed his hand over his chin, the rasp of whiskers loud. “They were supposed to be gone an hour, two at the most.” He picked up the bottle, leaned his head back, and guzzled. “I guess I shoulda been more careful. I forgot I had a bunch of pictures for Angus that I took the last time I was on the island.” The lines in his face deepened. “They were on the boat, hidden, I thought, but William found them.”

  “Dad found photos you took of me?”

  “There were other pictures too.” His ruddy cheeks flushed. “I took some of Anna and Angus in…shall we say…a compromisin’ situation?” He grimaced. “Nothin’ too racy, but enough to get the point across. I figured the photos might come in handy.”

  His gaze settled on her. “You have to understand. I needed money real bad, and Angus was rich. He could spare a few extra thousand.” He studied the beer bottle. “I knew he’d pay big bucks if I threatened to show the photos to William or sell them to the media. His shareholders wouldn’t be impressed if the president of the company was exposed as having a fling with another man’s wife. Add in a bastard child, and the press’d skewer his balls.”

  Bastard child!

  He was talking about her. She was the bastard. The word tasted foul on her tongue, and her stomach roiled. “You blackmailed him.”

  “I wouldn’t use that particular word, but that was the general plan.”

  “What did my dad do when he found those photographs?”

  “William told me he confronted Anna. She confessed to the affair and admitted you were Angus’s brat.” He winced theatrically. “Ouch. I gather the fight got pretty ugly.”

  She blinked back tears. Her father deserved the truth, not the lies and betrayal he’d been faced with. No wonder he was angry. The urge to give in to grief was overwhelming, but she inhaled a steadying breath. This nightmare wasn’t over. One glance at JD’s face told her more shocks were still to come. “You’d better tell me the rest.”

  “You sure you want to know?”

  No. She definitely did not want to hear any more. The ugly story was killing her, but she had to finish this, ha
d to finally face the truth, no matter how awful. “Tell me.”

  “All righty then.” He sat up straighter. “Bear in mind, I got all this from William after I fished him out of the ocean.”

  Chapter 37

  The birds stopped chirping, and the wind in the branches stilled as if the world and all its creatures waited for JD’s next shocking revelation. The air was charged with something indefinable, and ordinary, everyday sounds took on an ominous note.

  “Are you saying Dad fell overboard, and you rescued him?” Athena’s headache ramped up. Following JD’s rambling story was like sinking into quicksand. The more he revealed, the more confusing the story. “What happened? Did the catamaran capsize?”

  “William told me that he and Anna were so wrapped up in their argument they didn’t pay attention to the wind and ocean currents. They got caught up in Deadman’s Banks.”

  She sucked in a breath. Everyone who lived on the islands in the Salish Sea feared Deadman’s Banks where massive volumes of water squeezed between the headlands and were expelled in fierce spouts. If an unwary sailor sailed too close to the treacherous rocky shoals, they risked being swept against the rocks by the force of the dangerous riptides.

  She shivered as she recalled the tales her father told her of the many sailors over the years who’d drowned in those unforgiving waters. “Dad wouldn’t have risked the Banks. Not in a vessel he didn’t know.” Her father had been a cautious sailor. He never took unnecessary risks. “He knew better.”

  JD tightened his mouth into a thin line. “He was mighty upset. Who could blame him after what he’d just learned? By the time he realized where they were it was too late. The waves caught them, and the boat capsized.” He fumbled for the beer bottle and upended it over his open mouth, sucking back the dregs.

  She shifted on her chair, wishing she were anywhere but where she was. All too vividly she visualized her parents’ terror as their boat overturned, throwing them into the freezing waters of the North Pacific. “Go…go on.” She hardly recognized the thin squeak of her voice.

  “They weren’t wearin’ life jackets. When William surfaced, he treaded water, fighting the undertow, but he couldn’t see your mother.”