I recognized the beach in front of the house. Raven and I were playing in the surf with Nana the black Newfie. I wore a black one-piece suit. My baby bump wasn’t evident, but I was spending most of my days being sick. I must have caught a break this day.
Raven wore a blue bikini that showed off her perfect figure. The camera stayed glued on my sister. I’d forgotten how breathtaking she was. Her long, thick hair had a red tint to it and swirled around her face. She laughed with abandon when Nana shook water all over both of us.
Raven found a shell, held it up, then made it disappear. Her famous sleight-of-hand trick.
A lump formed in my throat. I’d forgotten her laugh, her infectious sense of humor. Why had we not seen each other or spoken in so long? I’d get her email address and reach out. I could almost hear Mandy drawl, “’Bout time.”
We both waved at the camera and the edge of a hand waved back. One last closeup of Raven’s face and the DVD ended.
I found a few more family movies, but they all seemed so far in the past that I couldn’t see how they would be useful. Until I found the DVD of Sparrow.
* * *
Tucker stood and returned to his room, where he picked up the three stones and looked at them. He was most decidedly at another fork in the road. He had the ability to get Piper the answers she thought she wanted, but was that the best path? What could that cost him?
It would give Piper a second chance. What if she could have her daughter again?
What would he give to have another chance with his family? To bring back his wife and baby? His career? All that he’d lived for and then thrown away? To make That Night go away?
He kept the rocks in his hand as he returned to the office. What did Scott mean when he said, “When the time comes, you’ll know what they are and what to do with them”? Were they a magical talisman, some kind of rock dice that would show him how many moves he had? Did they change color with his mood, or should he paint on them? As far as he could tell, all they seemed to do was weigh down his pants on that side.
He dropped them into his pocket.
Piper hadn’t returned by the time he’d found his way to the office. He eased into the computer chair and stared at the blank screen. Scott had left the door open to reach out when he needed support.
Tucker turned on the computer and began typing an email.
Hey, Scott, You asked me to keep in touch. Without going into details, I need some advice.
He hit Send before he could change his mind.
The answer came almost immediately.
Tucker—glad you reached out. Do you still have the rocks?
Tucker smiled grimly.
Yes. Am I to consult them? Get stoned? Become a little boulder?
He hit Send.
Good to see your humor, or should I say sarcasm, is intact. What’s the problem?
Tucker rubbed his mouth.
What if I could help someone like you helped me, believe in someone who has lost hope, encourage someone even if it costs me?
He read that over, then deleted it.
I’m just not sure what to do about—
He hit Send before he finished the sentence.
Scott answered.
In the words of Corrie Ten Boom, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
Tucker leaned back, then folded his hands.
Yes.
* * *
This time the shot on the video was of the front of the house on the island. Tern, looking impossibly young, stepped outside. He was dressed in tan slacks and a blue button-down Oxford shirt, and he carried a small suitcase.
“Wave at the camera, Tern.” Mother’s voice was loud. Obviously she was the cameraman.
Tern waved self-consciously. Behind him, also holding luggage, came me, then Raven, and finally Sparrow. I must have been around sixteen or seventeen at the time.
“Raven, do a trick for us,” Sparrow pleaded.
Raven grinned. “Later. I’m driving.” Tern, Raven, and I raced for a cart. Tern got there first. “I’m driving.” He stowed his suitcase in the back and started to slide into the seat.
“No, you’re not.” Raven dropped her bag, grabbed him around the waist, and pulled him away.
While the two were laughing and struggling, I jumped into the driver’s seat. “It’s my turn.”
Sparrow stayed by the door and watched.
Raven released Tern, jogged over to Sparrow, and playfully tugged her toward the cart. “Come on, Sparrow. You can sit in the front this time.”
Sparrow jerked her hand away. “No!” I leaned forward and froze the action. Sparrow’s eyes were wide open, her complexion white, her mouth twisted in fear.
How did a woman who was terrified of riding in a cart end up dying while driving one? Now that I thought of it, Sparrow had never wanted to be the driver.
I turned off the TV. After collecting the two DVDs, I crept past the gym. I didn’t need to be careful, it turned out. Ashlee must have finished his workout. Tern and Mother were also gone from the living room, although Joel was still tinkering with the air hockey table in the game room.
I opened the door to the study and held up the recordings. “I’m not sure what I was looking for, but I did find something interesting.”
“So did I,” Tucker said. “You might want to sit down.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. I sat.
“Before I start, what did you find?” He took the chair opposite me.
“This one”—I placed the first DVD on the coffee table between us—“is mostly a football game, but at the end are some good shots of Raven. It’s probably one of the last times she was here on Curlew, at least that I know of. And this one”—I set the second DVD on top of the first—“is downright creepy. It has the four of us kids getting ready to take a short trip. At least based on the size of our suitcases.”
“That would put the timing . . . ?”
“Possibly the year Sparrow died. The weird part is that Raven tried to pull Sparrow into one of the carts, but Sparrow was afraid of the carts.” I let the significance of that fact sink in.
He frowned. “But you said she died while driving a cart.”
“Right. Or so we were told.”
“Can you show me?”
I opened the cabinet below the small flat-screen television, grabbed the remote, turned on the player and television, then loaded the DVD. The entire scene lasted less than two minutes. I played it through once, backed up, and the second time froze the screen on Sparrow’s expression.
“I see what you mean.” Tucker leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. “Maybe, maybe,” he whispered.
“What?”
His gaze sharpened on me. “I’m trying to put this new information into what I discovered.”
I returned the Sparrow DVD to its case, then loaded the second DVD into the player. “Did you want to see this one?”
“Not just yet. Before I tell you what I found, I have to ask—are you sure you want the truth, no matter how painful?”
I sucked in a quick breath. “Yes.”
“Okay then. I should first tell you that in college, in addition to art, I had certain . . . skills. Computer skills. Hacking skills.”
I jumped up and began pacing. The rain outside usually made this room seem cozy, but today the patter on the window sounded like drumming fingers. “Go ahead.”
“Okay, so I want you to look at this.” He stood and moved to the computer. A few clicks on the keyboard and a line chart appeared. “This is the Boone Industries profit and loss statement for the past twenty years.”
I stopped and stared at him. “You hacked into the Boone Industries accounts?”
“I told you I was going to look into what happened, but in this case, I didn’t have to hack. This computer was dedicated to Boone Industries and is unprotected here.”
“Probably because it is Mother and Tern’s computer.”
“I always start wit
h money. The company posted losses for two different periods.” He pointed to where the line shot downward. “The first starts here in 1997, when your father purchased the Faire Taire, and continues until 2001, then it dips into the red again in 2005.”
“There are always ups and downs, and twice we came out of it.”
“Your father died in 2001—”
“My father?”
“Let me finish. When I interviewed Silva, he mentioned that the Faire Taire was used by your father to entertain clients.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“In the four years after the purchase of that boat, the upkeep, combined with building this house on the island, put Boone Industries into a cash-flow crisis.”
I slowly sank down on my chair. “I’m not sure I want to hear this.”
“I think you should. In 2001, your father’s death, or should I say your father’s life insurance, carried by the company, bailed out Boone Industries. The second time, the insurance on the yacht brought in a much-needed boost, which it needed to cover payroll for expansion and new hires.”
“That can’t be true. My family owns the house and boats—”
“No. The corporation does.”
I started to shake. “Are you trying to say that to save the company, someone in my family stole the yacht and my father committed suicide—”
“Your father may very well have been murdered.”
The door to the study flew open and hit the wall, revealing my furious brother, nostrils flaring, teeth bared. “How dare you!”
Chapter 18
I leaped to my feet. “Tern! This is important—”
“This is how you repay our hospitality?” Tern stomped into the room and jabbed a finger at Tucker. “Hacking into our company’s computer?”
“Wait, Tern.” I grabbed his arm. “I told him to—”
“To what? Make up lies? Our father died in an accident. It was the most common accident among welders. We brought in experts.”
Tucker was standing by now. “I’m sorry—”
“Get out!”
“But—”
“Get out of this house!” Tern’s voice shook.
“Let me explain—”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
My heart pounded like a drum in my ears. I leaped between them. “Listen to him, Tern.”
Tern spun on me. “No, you listen to me, Piper. I looked into your so-called hero, Tucker Landry. Or should I call him Tucker Canmore?”
“What?”
“He works for a company called Clan Firinn.”
“He told me that.”
“What he probably left out is that Clan Firinn is a halfway house for washed-up, discredited law-enforcement and forensic experts. They’ve destroyed their lives, devastated their families, and shattered their careers. Clan Firinn picks up the pieces, dries them out or gets them off drugs, changes their identity, and puts them back to work.” He glared at Tucker. “You probably got religion while you were there, right?”
Tucker didn’t answer. He was staring at me.
“I’m sure he not only didn’t tell you about his work but left out the best part.” Tern’s voice dropped to almost a normal volume.
I didn’t want to hear. I tried to get around Tern, but he wouldn’t let me pass. “Did he tell you he was a drunk?” Tern smiled unpleasantly. “That while soused he drove off the road and into a river, killing his pregnant wife? That he went to prison for it?”
I flinched and looked at Tucker.
Tucker took a half step backward, placed a splayed hand on his chest, and looked down. His shoulders hunched as he hobbled from the room.
I started to follow him.
“Where do you think you’re going, Piper?”
I practically spat at him, “It’s none of your business!”
“Anything to do with this family is my business. Mildred’s about to serve lunch, so I suggest you forget about Tucker and join Mother in the dining room.”
My mouth dropped open and I gawked at him. “Are you serious?”
“Do you want to know just how serious I am? If you do even one thing to contact Tucker, I’ll have him arrested.”
“You wouldn’t dare—”
“Wouldn’t I? I’ll also call Clan Firinn and let them know what he did. He’ll be dropped from the program so fast he’ll never recover. I’d bet he’d be back on the booze before you could say Jack Daniels. Is that what you want, Piper?”
I put my hands up as if to ward off his words.
“Be reasonable and rational. Go wash your face and go to lunch. Forget about Tucker and anything he told you.”
After stumbling from the study, I somehow found myself in my room. Tucker had lied to me about his past . . . No, he hadn’t lied. He told me about his wife. He just left out his part of it. And who he really was.
I walked to the bathroom, turned on the cold water, and splashed my face. The mirror showed a pinched face with flushed cheeks. “I should move on, do as Tern said, forget about Tucker. That’s what the reasonable and rational Piper would do.”
But I wasn’t reasonable and rational at the moment. Someone had tried to gun me down. Tucker uncovered evidence that my father may have been murdered. The video I found indicated Sparrow’s death might have been more than an accident. My daughter had somehow survived and another child had died.
All I had to do was prove it was all true.
* * *
Tucker wanted to vomit. Closing his eyes, he dry-scrubbed his face. He’d blown this big-time. Why hadn’t he told Piper everything? Better to hear his story from him, along with how he’d changed his life, rather than the way she’d found out. She’d believe he’d lied to her and betrayed her trust. She’d never speak to him again.
I don’t deserve Piper anyway. Better it ended now.
He made his way to his room. Asking Joel, or anyone else, to help him with his suitcase would open him to questions he didn’t want to answer. He’d leave most of his clothes and art supplies here for now and send for them later. Placing his laptop into a messenger bag, he added a change of clothing, toiletries, and pain pills. After pulling on his rain jacket, he started for the door. He stopped, returned to the desk, took out a page from his sketchbook, and wrote, I’m sorry. Forgive me. Underneath he wrote his cell number.
He hobbled to the nearest exit and out into the rain.
Even with the jacket, Tucker was soaked by the time he arrived at the dock. A light was on inside the boat, and he focused on the illumination to take his mind off the dock and water below.
Silva must have heard his movements over the splashing rain. He appeared just inside the open galley/saloon. “Bad time to go for a walk.”
“Would it be possible to go to the mainland?”
“I suppose. Is anyone else going over?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Do you know how long you’ll be?”
“I . . . I’m not coming back.”
Silva pulled on his ear for a moment. “That so? Well, well, well. Let me help you on board.”
Once again Silva approached, grabbed Tucker’s arm, and drew him swiftly on board. Tucker trailed the captain into the saloon. On the left, a single plate with the remains of a sandwich rested on the otherwise immaculate counter of a small galley kitchen. Silva slid the plate into the sink as he passed. “Would you like some water, or a drink, or . . . ?”
“I’m fine.” Tucker sat on the light-gray sofa.
Silva grabbed a yellow slicker, ducked outside to untie the boat, then returned and powered up the engine. The wind and rain made for a bumpy ride, and Tucker kept a tight grip on the edge of the sofa. He couldn’t leave Piper alone to combat whoever was trying to kill her and destroy her family. He’d need to stay close, but how to do that when they were on an island—and he was terrified to cross any body of water?
Closing his eyes, he prayed. Dear Lord, guide me, direct me, show me what I should do. I’m lost. Amen.
“I don’t know if that’s You speaking or not, Lord,” Tucker whispered. “So if I am to finish, to help Piper, show me a way.”
* * *
Before I headed for the dining room, I returned to the study. Both of the DVD cases were missing. Tern must have taken them. I opened the player and breathed a sigh of relief. The one with the game on it was still loaded. Tern must have checked, then concluded it was just a football game. I removed the DVD, shot back to my room, then looked for a place to hide it. I didn’t know if that brief video of Raven and me on the beach at the end of the football tape was important, but at this point anything could be significant.
The Signs movie poster gave me an idea. I selected that movie’s case, removed the DVD and placed the Raven DVD in the case, then replaced the movie DVD on top of it. Not perfect, but I had thousands of movies and it would take more than a few minutes to go through all of them.
I headed to the dining room. Mother was seated at the head of the table, her expression pressed into frozen neutrality. Tern, opposite of Mother, was just about to sit down. He paused, waiting for me. Across the table from him was Ashlee. I could see from their faces that they’d all heard about Tucker.
“Piper, you remind me of the old saying about not having enough sense to get out of the rain.” Ashlee took a sip of wine. “Your face is wet.”
“At least my nose wouldn’t be up so high as to drown.”
Mildred entered with a soup tureen. “Turnip greens soup and a chopped quinoa salad with cranberries.” She ladled out the soup. I had no appetite. Using my fork, I rearranged the food on my plate. I had to move Hannah out of danger, get off the island, and find Tucker before he left town—and I had to do it without Tern knowing. Without anyone knowing.
“I understand the hurricane is moving up the coastline.” Mother spoke to Tern. “They’re keeping an eye on it. I’m not worried, but the rain could affect the turnout at some of your speaking events.”
Relative Silence Page 15