by Susan Boles
"You'll be fine." He says. "We haven't lost anyone yet."
"But have you had anyone vomiting over the crowd as they zip?" I ask, only half joking.
With an alarmed look, the attendant moves to Alex and checks that he is strapped in correctly, and then moves to the lever to release us.
And we’re off. Sky, ocean, people on the ground all blurring together.
I can't help it. I let out a banshee scream that lasts until my feet touch the ground at the other end. Scarlet with embarrassment, relieved I hadn't spewed undigested ice cream over the unsuspecting crowd on the ground and also strangely exhilarated, I laugh a bit hysterically as the attendant on the landing releases me from the straps.
A round of applause and cheers from the crowd standing around the zip line causes heat to creep up my face again.
Alex catches me as I stumble free from the seat, helping me carefully to the sidewalk.
"Are you okay?"
At my nod, he goes on. "That was the most astonishing scream I've ever heard."
"Sorry about that." I whisper, still getting my shaky legs under control. “My mama always said I had a scream that could wake the dead.”
"No apology necessary. I talked you into this. Even when I knew you were scared." He shakes his head. "I didn't realize just how scared of it you were. I'm the one owes you an apology."
Later, as we sit watching the harbor and sipping a drink, I decide I'd done good today with the zip line—even though I'd embarrassed myself with screaming. In the bags tucked at my feet are souvenirs of the trip—and the afternoon. Alex has proven to be a fun partner in exploring the interesting shops. I'd bought my cousin Ben a hermit crab as a joke.
"Tell me more about the genealogy research that shocked your town." Alex asks in the silence.
"Well. It turns out that there's a genetic anomaly floating around town." I pause, thinking about Vlad. "Maybe more than one."
Alex's eyebrows go up. "Really! What's that about?"
I hesitate, not wanting to spill the beans about Vlad's secret testing during his sleep study. However, the whole town knows about it at this point. Would it really be so terrible if I talked about it here?
"Nothing." I say, finally. "Just a bunch of small town gossip and innuendo."
"Aw. Come on. Spill. I love small town gossip and innuendo." Alex responds.
"Truly. It's not worth a hill of beans to anybody." I insist, sorry I'd even brought up the subject.
Alex sits back in his chair, taking a sip of his drink. "A hill of beans. What an interesting phrase."
Relieved he'd let the subject drop, I grin. "It's common enough where I'm from."
We finish our drinks as the setting sun paints the harbor water with a scarlet and orange brush. And, as stars began filling the sky, Alex drove us back to the condo.
Tired from all the sun and excitement of the day, I was content to let silence reign on the drive.
As we enter the lobby of the condo, I hear Alex curse quietly.
As I look over to see what he's gotten upset about, I hear a voice call. "Alex! Over here in the bar."
Glancing that way, I see an attractive woman with short dark hair sitting at a table by the door.
"Come on and have drink with me." The woman calls. "And bring your friend with you."
Alex curses under his breath again. To me he says. "It's my sister. I wasn't expecting her and it looks like she may be a bit tipsy. Would you mind if I don't escort you upstairs?"
Full of curiosity, I nevertheless nod. "I'll be fine. It's pretty unlikely anything will happen to me on the way up in the elevator."
Alex gives me a brief side hug, then strides across the lobby with an annoyed look on his face.
I can’t help wondering what that had been about as I lean against the elevator wall on my way up to the eighteenth floor. Never having had siblings myself, I’m fascinated by the interaction of my friends who do have them.
CHAPTER SIX
"I wonder why Alex was mad about his sister showing up." Dixie muses the next morning as we eat breakfast on the balcony.
I’d told her all about the previous afternoon, including the screaming. And about Alex’s interesting reaction to the arrival of his sister.
I point out a school of dolphins swimming past in an emerald green portion of water below us. "Look! That's two days in a row we've seen the dolphins. They're so beautiful. We need to book a dolphin tour while we're here."
"I've looked some up and we can go tomorrow - or this afternoon - if you want." Dixie replies. "Why are you dodging the question about Alex?" She narrows her eyes. "You're not falling for him are you?"
"Of course not. I need a long distance boyfriend like I need a hole in the head." Propping my bare feet on the balcony railing, I lean back, sipping my hot tea. The hot tea Dixie had made fun of in this heat until I'd pointed out she is drinking hot coffee. "I've gotten a funny feeling about him thinking back over everything that happened yesterday."
Dixie perks up. "Really? When he was so annoyed about his sister?"
"No." I admit. "It was actually before that. He was asking a lot of questions about my genealogy work."
"What's strange about that?" Dixie wonders. "Don't most people want to know more about it when you tell them that's part of what you do for a living?"
"Yes." I admit. "But he was really more interested in the anomalies in Mercy. Almost overly interested, seemed like."
"I'd think anyone who'd read a newspaper a couple of years ago when the wolfman story broke would jump at the chance to talk to you about it."
I shake my head. "No. He wasn't all that interested in the wolfman story. Although he did act like he was. Then he wanted to know about any other anomalies around Mercy."
I shift in my chair, pour another cup of tea from the ceramic pot I'd brought to the table with me. "It felt kind of like he was on a fishing expedition."
"Did he get pushy about it?"
Sipping thoughtfully from my cup, I go back over it in my mind. "No, I can't say as he was pushy about it once I let him know there's wasn't anything I wanted to say." I sigh. "It was just a passing feeling."
Dixie picks up the last piece of bacon from the plate between us, breaks it in half and puts a section on each of our plates. "Well, you know I didn't take to him from the start. So you won't see me defending him at this point."
I crunch my bacon. "It's a mystery all right." Glancing at my watch, I stand and brush crumbs from my lap. "I made an appointment to get a massage downstairs this morning and it's time for me to go. Will you book us a dolphin trip for this afternoon if you can?"
"Sure thing." Dixie says, gathering plates from the table.
***
The door to the massage therapist office is locked when I arrive downstairs. Semi annoyed, but assuming the masseuse will be along shortly, I opt to stand in the cul-de-sac leading to the office rather than sit in one of the chairs in the lobby. Leaning against the wall, I pass the time thinking over what Dixie and I might do in the next couple of days before heading back home.
The dolphin tour should be a hoot. And we should definitely visit as many seafood restaurants as we can to take advantage of all the fresh shrimp, lobster and scallops to be had locally.
A heated conversation around the corner pulls me from my thoughts.
Cocking my head to listen intently, I realize it’s Alex and a female. His sister? Edging a bit closer, I press against the wall separating me from the argument.
"While you're wasting time with Ellie Mae, we're about to be in some very big trouble with our gene sequencing algorithm." Says the female voice.
I bristle at the reference to Ellie Mae. Who did this chick think she was dealing with here? However, the words gene-sequencing algorithm cause me to stay right where I am. Ears nearly flapping with the effort to hear the comments from the couple.
Could this tie into Alex's interest in the genetic anomalies in Mercy? Maybe he did know about the wolfman case! Had he
targeted me to gain information? But how could he have known I was from Mercy? Shaking off the unanswerable questions for now, I tune back into the argument.
"And that bleached-blonde bimbo you're listening to is giving you bad advice." Says the female voice.
My hand goes to my own hair. Okay. I do have Dixie put in some nice blonde highlights regularly. But surely, that creature running her mouth can't be referring to me. Besides, I haven't offered Alex any advice. Moreover, I’ve just met him. Whomever the sister is referring to must be someone who's been around for a while. Hmm.
From the corner of my eye, I see the elevator door open and Dixie step out and scan the lobby. Uh oh. She’s spotted me. Waving my hands frantically, making throat-cutting motions, I try to stop her from calling out. However, apparently Dixie's best friend radar is on the fritz today.
"Lily Gayle!" She hollers across the lobby.
I close my eyes, trying to will myself to disappear into the floor. The wall. Thin air. Anywhere. I wouldn't be picky.
The voices on the other side of the wall stopped abruptly. I peer through the tiniest opening of my eyelids, hoping against hope they wouldn't realize I was hiding so close by. Alex peers around the corner.
The door to the massage office opens behind me just then, and with a last glance at Alex, I scoot inside.
CHAPTER SEVEN
That evening, strolling alone on the beach after convincing Dixie I'd be fine on my own, I try to analyze the argument I heard earlier in the day. It was a bit windier than I'd anticipated, but I had my favorite hatpin securing my hat and kept going.
There were a lot of things I needed to process.
So. Alex was involved in some kind of gene sequencing thing. And it sounded like there were some issues involved. Money? Legal? Both? Who was the blonde bimbo giving advice his sister had referred to?
Gene sequencing. How was that done? I had absolutely no idea. Did it involve DNA analysis? Should I contact Vlad and ask questions about it?
No. I shook my head. That was silly. And the kind of overthinking Ben was always accusing me of doing. Most of the time he was wrong about that, but this time it could be true. I needed to dial down my curiosity bug.
Besides, I don't give a gosh darn about what Alex might be up to. I only care that it felt like he'd been trying to use me for some nefarious purpose. And that’s the kind of thing that gets all over me.
I'd been born at night, but not last night.
Picking up a broken shell from the sand, I fling it as far into the ocean as I can. It plops down with a little splash. Nothing satisfying. Nothing that makes me feel better.
Scanning the sand for a log, a toy abandoned by a child, anything bigger to throw, I think I see something scuttle alongside the shed where the beach umbrellas are stored overnight. Senses on alert, I strain my eyes, but nothing else happens so I go on looking around. And spot Alex walking down the beach toward me.
He has a heck of a nerve.
Standing my ground, I wait for him.
In my current mood and after what I overheard earlier, it’s time for a showdown. And I won't be the one calling uncle.
He comes even with me and stands silently. Well. Two can play that game. Hands on hips, I cock my head.
"I saw you walking down here by yourself." He finally says. "Don't you think that's a bit reckless?"
"Why? The beach is lined with condos. A lot of balconies probably have people on them this time of the evening. Watching. Just like you were."
He smiles sardonically. "Touché'."
Not returning his smile, I ask. "Was there something you wanted to say to me? Or are you just making a nuisance of yourself?"
He motions to the empty wooden chairs nearby. "Will you sit down with me while I tell you some things?"
I glance at the chairs, then back at him. "Don't you mean give me an explanation for your behavior?"
He inclines his head. "If that's what you want to call it, that's fine. I can assure you it's not going to be an apology for anything."
"Hmph." I say, but moved to sit on one of the chairs. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but I wanted to hear what he had to say for himself.
"Vlad Templeton and I are old frenemies."
If he'd punched me in the face, I wouldn't have been more surprised.
"Wh-what?" I stutter feeling like a fool as a tiny glimmer of what his agenda must have been begins to surface in my mind.
"He and I go all the way back to medical school. And so does our desire to out do each other." He shrugs his shoulders. "Vlad was always a bit of an outsider. Kept to himself. But, even back then, I had a feeling he'd be going places. So I made it my business to stay informed about what he was up to after we graduated." Alex laughs. "And when he called to tell me—no, brag to me—about his state funded sleep study, it seemed like a crushing blow to me. How could I top that?"
He stands up and begins an agitated pacing. Six steps, turn, six steps. "I couldn't let him best me. Then he bragged about his beautiful lady friend. Well. That was just the cherry on top, wasn't it?"
He stops directly in front of me. "I had to find out more about what he was doing. I knew he must have another agenda behind the sleep study. And I vowed to find out what it could be."
He bends over, placing his hands on his knees to gaze directly into my eyes. "And when, during the course of his bragging, he let slip that you would be in Destin this weekend at the same condo building where I own a unit, it seemed meant to be. I conceived my plan to meet you and find out the truth from you." He laughs. "And you made it so easy to lead you on. However, I do give you credit for keeping your mouth shut about what I really wanted to know. You surprised me on that part."
I've heard enough. I stand up, pushing him hard as I do, sending him sprawling in the sand. A rage I didn't know I possessed takes hold of me. I've heard of people seeing red, but this is the first time it'd happened to me.
"Get away from me before I kill you dead where you stand." I shout. "I ought to kill you anyway you lyin' piece of dog crap. Don't show your face to me again or I will kill you." Turning away, I struggle in the loose sand back toward the condo. Heart thumping fit to burst out of my chest.
"Vlad's here in Destin." He shouts from behind me. "Spying on you. I saw him sneaking around yesterday like the loser he is. The two of you deserve each other."
Hunching my shoulders up toward my ears, I mentally chant the old charm against not hearing something. Watermelon. Watermelon. Watermelon.
However, his voice finds its way to my ears despite the charm. "I'll find out what he's up to. And I'll get the best of him just like I always have."
A strong gust of wind rips my hat from my head, including the hatpin. My favorite hat and hat pin. I glance around quickly, but the hat is rolling quickly along the sand and I know I'll never find the pin in the fading daylight. Besides. I have to get back to the condo. Where my phone is laying on the breakfast bar.
I have a bone to pick with Vlad.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I had no luck getting Vlad to answer his phone the previous evening. So, I left some fairly scalding voicemails. I hope they singed his ears off when he listens to them. Equally, I hope he’ll call me and tell me everything Alex had said is a lie.
So as soon as the sun began to rise, I drag a reluctant Dixie to the beach to look for my hatpin. And maybe the hat. I need to do something to burn off my mad, and some restless energy that just keeps building every time I think about that snake, Alex, and what he tried to pull on me.
It’s probably a lost cause trying to find the hat and pin, though. The hat more than likely is halfway to Puerto Rico at this point. On the other hand, maybe on the head of some fabulous beach bunny in Miami. Who knows which way the wind might have blown it in the night.
However, the hatpin is a beautiful antique. Solid gold. One of a kind. And heavier than the hat, so it might have come loose from the hat and be lying on top of the sand. Hopefully glinting in the sunrise.
> "Lord help, Lily Gayle." Dixie grouses as we make our way across the loose sand. "There's no way we're gonna find a little ol' hatpin in all this sand." She covers a yawn with her hand. "Haven't you ever heard of a needle in a haystack? This here is 'bout near the same thing to my mind."
“I know. I know. But it’s a very special hat pin and I have to try and find it.” I scan the sand with every step, moving closer and closer to the water with Dixie staunchly keeping up with me a few feet to my left to widen the search area.
As we near the beach chairs, something catches my attention.
"Look there." I point down the beach to the chairs in front of the next condo over. "Looks like somebody passed out on the beach last night. I'd hate to have that hangover this morning."
Criss crossing the sand, with Dixie still complaining the whole time, we make our way in the direction of the person passed out next door.
"Come on, Lily Gayle." Dixie moans. "We're never gonna find it. I'll buy you a new one. I promise. Cross my heart. Let's call it quits and go get some breakfast. I'm starving."
"Just a bit longer." I say. "I have a feeling we're going to find it."
With a long-suffering sigh, Dixie moves further along the beach to scan the sand. Watching her and feeling a tiny bit bad about the search, I move toward the boundary between the condos.
Nothing but sand, sand and more sand. Dixie is probably right about finding the hatpin in all this.
Looking up for a moment to get my bearings, I realize I've come all the way to the next condo and the chair where the person is lying. Ugh. Hoping not to wake him—I can see now that it’s a dark haired man—I move past him quietly. Unable to resist glancing at him as I pass, I come to a halt when his face comes into view.
It’s Alex.
And I've found my hatpin.
"Dixie." I squeak.
Dixie looks over. "Did you find it?"
I point a shaking finger at the man on the beach chair while trying to back pedal in the soft sand. My feet go out from under me and I land with a soft thud on my rear end. Crablike I try to keep moving backward.