Hoax

by C. L. Stone

  I imagined Doyle was cursing up a storm. I shared his sentiment.

  I was about to turn around to wave a quick thanks to the men from the boat when I spotted someone else starting to climb the rail. Avery went over, helping him up, and I realized it was Liam. He scaled quickly, landing on his feet with a thud, grunting as he did.

  A cool breeze swept his red hair into a mess before he took a few steps away from the rail and Avery, brushing his hands over his jeans and blue sweater. “I didn’t rip anything, did I?” he said, his voice a little husky.

  “What are you doing?” I asked. “Shouldn’t you go back?”

  “It’s okay,” Corey said. “They’re here to help.” He reached out to Liam with an open hand. “Welcome aboard.”

  Liam took his hand and shook vigorously. “We’re always there when you need us,” he said, smiling, something he hadn’t done until now. When he did, he seemed charming.

  Avery assisted another man who climbed over the rail. He wore black pants and a dark sweater with a dark collared shirt underneath. His hair was black, graying at his temples. His face was familiar, but he turned away to talk to Avery before I could figure it out.

  Once everyone was safely on the ship, Liam gave a short whistle, and the little boat’s motor started up again, pulling away. It bobbed on the water and sped off into the dark.

  Avery spoke, seemingly to no one, but I assumed it was to Doyle. “All right, everyone’s on board. Get word to the captain. Time to get us back on course.”

  Corey had an arm around my waist, and it drifted up to my back. His palm was a source of strength, and I found comfort from knowing he was at my side. I imagined I was a nightmare to look at and probably smelled, too. He looked over his shoulder down the hallway, then turned back, studying me, particularly my face.

  I felt more eyes on me. I peered over Corey’s shoulder at the other guy that had come with Liam. He was clean-shaven and his looks reminded me of old black-and-white movie actors: handsome and refined. I suddenly remembered where I’d met him. He’d loaned me his car when Brandon was kidnapped, and then he’d given me his business card. I recalled his name was Henry.

  “We need to get to Doyle,” I said to Corey, turning away from the man and returning my focus to the present. I tried to remember exactly where Doyle was hiding and what might be a good route to get there without being spotted. “We need to find out if he saw anything.”

  “We asked him…” Corey said and then pressed his lips together, giving me a look.

  There were dark circles under his eyes, strain on his face.

  I cocked an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  Corey’s stern look started to fade. He looked over his shoulder at Henry and Liam and then back to me. “We need to find someplace to talk quietly. I need to catch them up on what’s going on. They haven’t been debriefed.”

  I didn’t know them, so I was reluctant to reveal what we’d been doing and what was going on, especially if they were from the Academy. Perhaps because I was tired, I agreed with Corey instead of questioning him.

  Where Were You

  Avery made sure the door closed properly behind us. Once he was done, he took the lead, guiding us down the deserted, narrow hallways of the ship. A few times he stopped and had us wait before moving on. He’d slightly tilt his head, as if listening. Doyle must have been talking to him, guiding him through areas with as few people as possible.

  The ship moved under us, but otherwise, it seemed so quiet, a little eerie. We stuck to the stairs; at this low a level—where only the crew and never guests would be—they were metal. We took them slowly so the clanging sounds of our footsteps didn’t echo too far. Once we went up a couple of decks, the steps became carpeted, which made it easier to climb in silence.

  I could only guess as to the time. We’d left the motel at around three. It might have been five, still early.

  As we moved, Corey was on one side of me. Blake was on the other. The corridor was so tight, we were squeezed in.

  A hand rested on my lower back, I assumed Corey’s, and didn’t think anything of it until a second hand touched me between my shoulder blades.

  I placed my palms against my stomach, tightening my elbows into my sides. In a way, I was trying to allow them to see what they were doing. I stole glances at Blake, who was focused ahead of us. Corey was the same.

  Neither looked at me until Blake’s hand slid down, and I felt their arms collide.

  Instantly, their heads turned toward me, their eyes darting down to their arms, and then up to each other.

  I could almost hear the explosion between them. Corey gripped me by the waist, slightly pulling me toward him, his eyes firing at Blake.

  Blake smirked coyly, tugging me by the shoulder in his direction.

  In midstep, I lost my balance, leaning into Corey to correct myself before I could fall.

  Corey caught me, holding me steady. Blake released my shoulder; he looked unhappy, but he must have realized they were trying to pull me in two.

  Corey had gotten almost friendly with Blake before last night, but right now, he shot bullets with his eyes, aiming them right at Blake’s face.

  We had to keep moving, but as we continued, I reached to give a sympathetic squeeze of Blake’s hand as if to say, “Don’t blame him. He was just worried about me.”

  Corey wasn’t a concern to him, anyway. Brandon had told me a while ago that Corey was gay, even if Corey never admitted it to anyone. I’d mentioned this to Blake before, though it either hadn’t sunk in or he’d forgotten. Corey was, however, the best friend I’d ever had and I’d always adore him.

  Corey’s reaction caused a pit in my stomach, making me nervous as to how the others might react learning about Blake.

  When Blake squeezed my hand back, it was a solid, tight squeeze, with the pads of his fingers pressing into the back of my hand. When I moved to release him so he could walk easier, he continued to hold on. His face was determined and roguish.

  I tried not to show how excited I was about that. Maybe it was silly, but I reveled in Blake’s determination to stay connected.

  Once I had a moment to discuss relationship issues with the others, he might be the only one standing by my side.

  I’d promised myself last night, after almost dying, that I’d be completely honest with my feelings. I’d tell them all I cared. I’d sort of told them last night, but deep down, I knew it hadn’t been enough.

  They all needed to know why I couldn’t choose. I couldn’t hold this secret anymore.

  I felt too deeply about them to choose between. Blake meant much more to me than I ever imagined he would, and I felt similar about Axel, Marc, Brandon and Raven.

  As much as I worried they might hate me enough to have thrown me and Blake overboard, I was hoping that wasn’t the case, and I still had a chance to be honest with them.

  Eventually, we came to a familiar storage room door. The corridor was quiet, dim. I sucked in fresh air while I could, although the scent of cigarettes had already escaped Doyle’s lair into the hallway.

  Avery entered first, and I waited, getting an over-the-shoulder view of the room as the stink of smoke poured out. The storeroom had been rearranged; shelves had been shoved against the wall to make room for a portable table. One of the shelves had been cleared to make room for a couple of laptops, a stack of hard drives, and a cell phone I’d stolen yesterday.

  There were computers underneath the table, glowing with dull green lights to indicate they were on, a gentle hum coming from the fans inside. A cot had been set up nearby, with a pillow and blanket, and on top was a food tray containing a dirty plate and cartons of cigarettes.

  The three monitors were currently the only significant light sources. Doyle slumped in his desk chair, eyes closed, head on the one arm draped over the table. His mop of brown hair had been mostly pushed over to one side of his pale face. A cigarette was nestled between keys on the keybo
ard, unlit.

  “Sleeping on the job?” Liam asked loudly, his voice reverberating against the walls.

  Why’d he have to wake him? I cocked my head, shaking it once, and readied myself for a verbal attack.

  Doyle instantly sat up, a bit too quickly, as the computer chair rolled sharply against the linoleum flooring. He grabbed the edge of the table with one hand, and the other shot out against the shelving nearby, allowing him to catch himself.

  Once he was steady, he scrubbed at his face with his palms and turned, eyeballing Blake. He opened his mouth to talk, then spotted me and scowled before noticing Corey and the others. He stood up, facing us. “Hang on,” he slurred, his Irish accent heavy. “This isn’t a time for a party.”

  “Wait, Doyle,” Blake said, his voice rougher than earlier. He cleared his throat and then returned to his usual baritone. “We just need a few minutes.”

  “I’ll give you one single minute and I’m counting the seconds,” Doyle said with a frown. He held up a hand and showed five fingers. “One,” he said, lowering a finger.

  Blake broke himself from me, walked toward Doyle and smacked his hand down. Then he turned on the others, looking to Corey and Avery. “Catch us up quickly on anything we need to know.”

  “Hang on,” Liam said, coming forward. He found a bit of space near a wall to lean against as we all reshuffled to figure out where to stand with so many people in the room. “Why don’t we go back a bit and start over, and then catch us up?” He looked at Doyle and Avery. “No offense, but I don’t know anything about you two. Tell us what’s going on.”

  There was a brief discussion then of where to start, but Avery eventually took over, starting from the beginning: He had found a spreadsheet with numbers not matching any accounting books, and had come to understand old Mr. Murdock, Ethan’s father, had stashed over two billion dollars in secret accounts. There was no telling where the money came from, although it was suspected it had been siphoned illegally from the Murdock empire of companies. Later it had been discovered that other affluent clients might have invested their fortunes with Mr. Murdock.

  Since old Mr. Murdock’s disappearance, his son had been trying to fix the issues without getting officials involved, afraid that if he did, the people responsible would disappear with the money, forcing some companies to close without warning while under inspection. This would leave many innocent people without jobs, and create other problems for the city of Charleston.

  Avery told Liam how he and Blake had become friends with Ethan Murdock and had brought in people they trusted—namely myself and Fancy, an ex-bond enforcement agent. They’d had an opportunity to observe most of the CEOs and board members of the numerous Murdock corporations and were looking for any evidence that indicated where the money had come from and where it was now.

  I was the one who had encouraged Axel and his team— Corey, Brandon, Raven, Marc, and Kevin—to come along and help. Axel and his team had disliked this plan but said they’d give me the length of the cruise to prove we could find something to convince their Academy to assist us.

  We had started by investigating funds disappearing from a nonprofit within the Murdock empire, and while examining the board of directors more closely, we’d discovered that at least one of them had invested into the secret funds. Several more were suspicious. However, just as we were getting started, Blake and I had been thrown overboard. Someone had tried to kill us, probably because we were getting too close to uncovering something.

  Or due to jealousy, but I kept that to myself.

  Liam and Henry listened, standing close to each other. Their expressions were difficult to read in the dim light. Blake had rolled over the only other computer chair in the room for me and stood behind me as I sat down. I didn’t want to accept the seat, but I was tired. I leaned back, arms around my stomach, trying to keep awake.

  Corey leaned against a shelf and Avery stood near the door as he talked. Liam and Henry asked minimal questions if something wasn’t clear. The further along they got, the grimmer their expressions became.

  “This sounds like something the police should be investigating,” Henry said. He had his arms folded over his chest and shot a critical look at Corey. “I think we should leave. All of us. That’s the best option given the situation.”

  “There’s a lot of innocent people who will be affected if the police are called in,” Corey said. “We need to be sure we’re not abandoning something and causing more problems doing that than if we stayed.”

  “We can’t save everyone,” Liam said. “And if you’d been caught, you would likely have been charged as an accessory. Keeping this from the authorities makes you all appear to be in it for the money.” He paused, wiping at his brow with his fingertips. “This isn’t what we do. And is it worth risking our lives here? Money can be replaced and it isn’t worth the risk of one of you getting killed.”

  Axel and the others had said that the Academy they belonged to wouldn’t like us being here in the first place and that we would have to convince them. Telling them that we’d almost been killed wasn’t going to help. Too late for that, though.

  I went for the sympathy angle. “A safe home for teens was almost shut down because of this missing money,” I said. “We don’t know how many other programs might have been affected. An investigation would freeze everything, wouldn’t it?”

  Liam shrugged but then looked me straight in the eye. “Do you really think you can find this money? People are ready to kill you over it. Do you really want to be back here? So a few people have to find new jobs. Maybe they’re better off.”

  “But those teenagers,” I said, balling my hands into fists, my breath short and raspy. “Don’t you even care? We need to know more. And we need to make it right.”

  “We can take care of the teenagers ourselves,” Liam said. “If anyone looks to be in danger, we can take care of it then. This financial mess is just beyond what we’re able to handle.”

  “Ethan Murdock is trying to make things right,” Avery said, stepping in front of me. He faced Liam, his shoulders back. “There’s no need to lose all that money when better people can use it. If they were willing to go so far as to try to kill someone, it must mean we were getting close, right? He’d rather deal with it and set it all right as quickly as possible.”

  “It makes me wonder why he’s working so hard to sweep this under the rug,” Henry said, his voice deep, echoing in the room. He tilted his head, his features becoming shadowed in the dim lights. “Ignorance isn’t an excuse, according to the law. He’s saving his own ass.”

  Blake staggered forward, leaning on his good leg. “Enough,” he said sharply. He sliced a hand through the air. “I get it. You don’t want to be here and don’t approve. We’ve been through this already. We appreciate your help getting us back on board…” He looked to me for confirmation.

  I nodded, wanting to add a few choice words of my own. I wasn’t ready to leave. We needed to know who had done this to us, and to get to the bottom of it. I didn’t like quitting after giving my word I’d help. It wasn’t even about the money Ethan had offered. How could we leave now? Someone might go after Ethan next.

  Blake nodded once to me before he continued, turning back to the others. “You can make a choice to walk away anytime you want. The immediate danger right now is whoever tried to kill us and whoever else they might be after. For all we know, it’s not even related, and there’s a serial killer here, and we need to find out who it is. If you want to help, that’s where we should all focus for now.”

  “Right,” Henry said, dropping his arms to his sides and then looking down at Liam. With the two of them next to each other, Liam seemed so much shorter, as Henry was a tall guy. “That’s the least we should be here for. It’s not up to us if they pursue this financial stuff. They have to make their own decisions.”

  Liam pressed his lips together but nodded his agreement. “Do you have any leads? Anyone you all pissed of
f? Let’s start there.”

  I could rattle most of those names off. “We were starting with the board members of a nonprofit called Nightingale. I talked to a handful of them personally. Mr. Smith thinks I’m a secret accountant.”

  “He demanded you get his money back for him,” Blake said. “I doubt he’d throw you overboard before he got it.”

  “Unless he found out I wasn’t the real deal,” I said. “Also, Tara Ward we suspected might be in a relationship with the elder Mr. Murdock. I think she assumed I was involved with him somehow. Then there’s Colt Baker. I stole his cell phone, but I don’t believe he knows I did it. Mr. Cline I met briefly, under unusual circumstances.”

  “I’ve talked to all the same people,” Blake said. He looked at Liam. “And maybe a few others, but honestly, those are the only ones that have spoken with both of us.”

  Liam smirked. “One day on board and you’ve got quite a list of enemies already.”

  Henry turned to Avery. “I suppose the next question is, has anyone else disappeared? Can we get a head count of everyone on board?”

  “We’re in the process,” Avery said. “So far, it seems everyone is here, but Axel wanted visual confirmation, and to ensure there’re no stowaways on board. That’s going to take some time, especially if we’re not including the rest of the crew in the search.”

  “Right now, the crew is suspect as well as the guests,” Blake said. “But I feel it’s best to start by ensuring no one on this team was involved.”

  At that, Corey, who had been leaning against a shelf, immediately stood up straight, eyes flashing with anger. His mouth opened and his hand flew up to press into his chest. “No one on my team would ever do something like this,” he growled.

  “And we’re trying to prove their innocence first. Eliminate them as suspects,” Blake said. “That’s all we’re saying.”

  I winced. He’d said we, and while I agreed with him, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to say anything.