by Joya Fields
Chapter Fourteen
Brooke knew too much. He’d underestimated her diving abilities and knowledge of the ocean. She might lead the police to the box. He needed to quiet her forever. In fact, he needed to kill all three of them. Without the college kids around, the police would surely lose interest in the case. Tax dollars only stretched so far.
Local weathermen were forecasting another severe thunderstorm. He didn’t want a thunderstorm, he wanted a hurricane. He could throw another girl’s body overboard and have it disappear. Who could he get to help him lift the heavy crate this time? Another druggie?
But maybe he’d have some fun first…mess with her boyfriend’s boat…make sure Ciavello and his nosy friends didn’t find anything. One more hurricane. That’s all he needed to bury that first box for good.
And if he paid them a visit, he wouldn’t be in the guise of an old man this time. No. He’d be someone else—and he’d play another part to perfection. After all, it was what he was born to do.
****
Brooke gazed out the pickup truck window and said a quick prayer that the billowing clouds would travel further west today.
“Might rain later.” Garrett reflected her thoughts as he stared through the windshield.
“Hope not.” She could hardly look at him without wanting to touch him. She found herself constantly wanting to hold his hand or reach up to put her arms around his neck.
Stephie and Diego were happy to move the dive to an earlier time to accommodate Brooke’s appointment.
They were going to borrow a bigger boat today—one that belonged to a buddy of Diego’s. It offered more protection on the water than a smaller vessel if the weather turned rough again.
Garrett steered the truck into the near-empty parking lot and parked next to Diego and Stephie. It was the same pier where Linda and Jeff’s boat had exploded. Trickles of fear darted up her spine and she shivered.
Garrett pulled her close for a hug. “Diego and Stephie already searched. No explosives.”
She did feel much better knowing trained professionals had scoped the area. The memory of the explosion haunted her every time she stepped on a new boat now.
Brooke waved to Diego and Stephie and the four of them stood behind their vehicles.
“Okay. We’ve combed this area already, Brooke hasn’t. Let’s walk through this vicinity like Tessa might have.” Garrett glanced around the stone lot.
“The pier was the last place she was seen?” Brooke asked.
“She wasn’t seen here. Her car was found here,” Diego said.
Brooke nodded toward the little wooden shack a few yards from the water. “How about the Bait Shack?”
“We checked it out,” Stephie said. They walked toward the shack. “But it doesn’t hurt to look again.”
Brooke opened the screen door, and a loud squeak made the man behind the counter glance up.
“Gilly!” she said, recognizing the man’s tanned and weathered face as the one who’d helped her pull Linda out of the water.
He looked puzzled at first, and then his expression cleared. “Hey there, missy. How’s your friend doin’?”
“Thanks to you, she’s getting better every day.” A pang of guilt hit her gut. She didn’t want to be overly cheerful. Not when today could be the day that they’d find Garrett’s cousin’s body.
“Good.” Gilly nodded his head to greet Garrett, Diego, and Stephie.
Small but well-stocked, the shack boasted every kind of bait imaginable from worms to shrimp—even hot dogs. Snacks and cigarettes lined a few shelves and a small glass-front refrigerator housed cold drinks. The place smelled of raw fish.
“What can I do for you folks?”
Garrett opened the refrigerator. He grabbed four water bottles and took them to the cash register. As Gilly rang up the sale, Brooke tried to think like a twenty-year-old girl. Why had Tessa come to the parking lot…the pier? Did she meet a friend to go on a watercraft? Had she stopped in to get a drink here?
She scanned the room and hoped for a feeling, a sense of what Tessa could have been doing in this area.
Garrett handed her a water bottle. Absently, she opened it and took a drink. “How late is this shop open every day?” she asked.
Gilly shrugged. “Usually close up around four thirty or so. Not much fishin’ goin’ on after that.”
She nodded and let the feeling go. The feeling that she was missing something. The police had already been here. Archaeologists specialized in finding hidden clues, but maybe there were no clues to find here.
“Thanks, Gilly, good to see you again.” Brooke turned to leave.
She started for the door, but froze in her spot as a display caught her attention. Lures…fishing lures. A dangling crystal peace sign on a bent wire hung in the middle of the lures. “What’s this?” she asked, reaching up to touch it with her finger.
Gilly squinted from his spot behind the counter. “Lures and spinners. Some fish go after anything that moves…anything that catches sunlight.”
Brooke lifted the clear crystal. “It looks like an earring.”
“Yessum,” he said. “Sometimes we use earrings. Usually find ’em washed up on shore. As long as they’re not rusty, I resell them.”
“When, Gilly? Do you know when you found it?” Brooke’s heart jumped. The earring stood out to her because she had the same type. She’d bought them at a flea market when she first got to town. Not one-of-a-kind, but enough to catch her attention. And it was the same kind of earring that Tessa was wearing in the Missing poster picture. She turned, closed the distance between herself and Gilly. She grabbed Gilly’s upper arm, surprising the man.
“I-I don’t know for sure.” Gilly’s eyes opened wide as he stared at her hand gripping his arm.
“What is it, Brooke?” Garrett moved beside her.
Brooke released her hold on Gilly, lifted the earring, and held it out in her palm. “This could have belonged to Tessa.”
Diego lifted the earring with his fingers and studied it. “How do you know?”
“It’s the same kind she’s wearing in the picture in the Missing poster. I only noticed because I have the same pair, got them over at the Flagler Beach Flea Market.”
Garrett’s body stiffened. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah, I am.”
Brooke released the earring to Garrett and he held it between his thumb and forefinger. His expression changed, and he stood rigid as he put on his police face and turned to Gilly. “You’re not in trouble. When did you find this? It might belong to a missing girl.”
Gilly frowned and shook his head. “I don’t know. I just remember finding it at the shore, near the dock.” He scratched his head and frowned.
“Can you think hard, Gilly? Did you find anything else on the shore when you found the earring?” Diego asked.
Gilly’s frown deepened, and after a moment, he shook his head. “I haven’t found anything other than an earring or two, some lures, and trash in months.”
“Could you find us a small bag? We need to turn this over to the police.”
Gilly reached into a cubby and pulled out a small plastic bag.
“We didn’t find any clues two months ago when we searched here.” Garrett stared at the earring in his hand as if it was a crystal ball and might direct them to Tessa.
Gilly nodded and handed over a plastic baggie. “I remember.”
Brooke nodded. Inside her mind, she thanked her mom. She had been the one to teach her attention to detail...notice the small things, Brooke, she’d say as they painstakingly scraped dirt off of artifacts. Those will be the things that tell you the story.
With the earring secured in a bag, they moved outside. Gilly followed them into the cloudy morning light. “You all going out on a boat?”
They nodded.
“Careful. Looks like a storm coming later. Heard talk of another hurricane coming soon.” He turned and walked back into the bait shop and they headed down the pier toward
the thirty-foot vessel.
“Think he had anything to do with it?” Diego asked.
“If he did it, why would he put the earring in the display case?” Garrett said.
****
Forty-five minutes later, Brooke pulled on her swim mask. Garrett moved beside her.
“Same underwater signals?” she asked.
Garrett nodded, his face solemn. He’d been very quiet ever since they’d found the earring.
“Brooke, you’ve been a big help. Maybe you should stay on the boat and—”
“Garrett, you can’t stop me. Don’t even try.”
He huffed out a sigh, turned, and pulled on his swim mask.
With a good-bye wave to Stephie, Brooke slid the mouthpiece between her lips, leaned back, and splashed into the water.
Clouds and a stiff breeze made the water feel cooler, thicker somehow, than yesterday. Brooke didn’t know if it was the lack of sunshine making it feel that way, or the fact that they’d found evidence in Tessa’s case.
She spotted two splashes into the water—Garrett and Diego. Stephie stayed on board, hoping to shoot somebody.
Garrett gave the signal and they started their descent. Fifteen minutes after diving into the water, they swam along the sandy ocean floor.
Again, the feeling of being home, the weightless comfort of the water, sang out a silent call to Brooke.
She’d triangulated the spot by considering Tessa’s weight, the approximate weight of a metal box, and the currents of the tropical storm. If the bodies were dumped from a boat at the same time, she felt confident they would find Tessa within two miles of the spot where Rico had been found.
She swam along the silt, stirring up small amounts of sand with her movement. She turned to check on Garrett and Diego. When she angled her body to swim forward again, she almost bumped into a small eel that wiggled out of a rock bed.
She grabbed a stationary section of rock with a gloved hand and pulled her body around the formation. Debris from shipwrecks or other remains often washed up against rocks. The resulting corrosion cemented the pieces to it. Maybe a metal box would do that. She swam around the structure, carefully shooting a beam of light into the larger crevices.
Garrett and Diego stayed close, but let her set the pace.
She didn’t find anything in the rocks and motioned for them to follow her to another rock formation.
Ahead, the beam of light from her flashlight reflected light back at them. Her heart stood still as she spotted it—a metal box, partially rusted, with a spray of red silky tresses flowing in the soft ocean current. Her pulse raced and, like Linda, she had no doubt the red strands were human hair.
Garrett and Diego caught up to her and shined their lights on the box. She couldn’t see Garrett’s eyes in the dark water, but she guessed at the sadness they likely held. They kicked closer, pausing next to the crate.
Garrett handed her his flashlight. Brooke knew he wanted to open the box, get to the truth as fast as possible. She tapped his shoulder and shook her head. If they opened the box under water, parts would float out and be lost. However tempting it was to find out for sure if Tessa was in there, they had to wait to get the box safely out of the water before opening it.
She handed Garrett his flashlight and took his hand from the rusty lock that held the lid clamped. Brooke shined her light along the box, then reached out to touch one of the two side handles, testing its durability.
This time Garrett was the one who stopped her. He pointed to the surface. Law enforcement divers would need to be the ones to lift the container.
She held up a finger and handed Garrett her flashlight, indicating that he should train it on the box. Then she pulled out her camera and snapped pictures from different angles.
The three of them headed to the surface. They stopped at the fifteen-meter mark for a three-minute break that seemed excruciatingly long.
Garrett yanked off his mask the second his head broke the surface. Thunder rumbled in the background. “Get the Coast Guard and the underwater diving team here!” he yelled to Stephie.
Stephie pulled out her cell phone and made a quick call. She held the phone away from her mouth. “Sheriff wants to know what you found,” she said.
“The box.” Diego tossed his gear aboard.
Stephie’s eyes grew round as she relayed the message and then snapped her phone closed.
Brooke held onto the ladder. “Garrett, I’m so sorry.”
He nodded and held out a hand to help her up onto the boat. “We wouldn’t have found it without you.”
They situated themselves on the boat, and the sky grew darker. Brooke heard the distant rumble of thunder again, and her head pounded with the beginning of a headache. They’d finally located the spot, but if the weather got worse, the Coast Guard would postpone the search.
Stephie’s cell phone rang. After a quick conversation, she hung up. “Storm’s coming. Sheriff said as soon as it’s over, they’ll send divers. Might not be until tomorrow.” She shook her head. “I’m one of the assigned divers.”
Garrett opened his mouth as if ready to argue, then a streak of lightning lit up the dark sky. He nodded slowly and then stared down at the water. He would have to leave Tessa.
His hand shook as he started the motor. He lifted his chin and focused his attention on driving the craft. “We need to get off the water,” he said.
Brooke stood near him, wanting to be as close as possible. She wished she knew a way to ease his pain.
By the time they approached the pier, lightning pierced the sky on a regular basis, and big heavy raindrops fell from the dark gray clouds.
They dashed from the boat to Garrett’s truck. Brooke noticed a shadow under the awning of the closed bait shop. When Garrett turned the windshield wipers on, she glanced at the shop again. Not a shadow. A tall, thin black man with a large afro stared back at her. She’d seen him before, but where?
Brooke shivered and moved closer to Garrett. She dared one more glance at the shop and realized the shiver didn’t come from the chill of the water. It came from the cold stare of the man whose glare penetrated the distance between them. When she turned to point him out to Garrett, the man was gone.
****
Brooke walked down the hospital corridor and swallowed hard, hoping to rid herself of the self pity that enveloped her. She’d been an hour late for her appointment with Merrick because they’d waited for the Coast Guard. The doctor was gone by the time she arrived at his office. Probably on his way to Mexico by now.
She paused with her hand on the door to Linda’s hospital room. She took a deep breath, plastered on a smile, and pushed open the door.
“Brooke!” Linda grinned and Brooke relaxed as the sight of her healthy friend. “Did you bring it?”
Brooke smiled and dragged a plastic chair next to Linda’s bed, then handed her the chocolate milkshake.
Linda winked and took a long pull on the straw, then leaned her head back against the pillow. “Umm…contraband.” She took another sip, eying Brooke. “I couldn’t talk my parents into sneaking one of these in to me.”
“So, where are they?” Brooke settled into the chair and admired the renewed color in Linda’s complexion. The sparkle was back in her eyes and her trademark spunk worked its way into her expression.
“They’re out shopping. Mom only threw a few things in her suitcase when she caught a flight here.” Linda threw her a conspiratory look, lowering her voice. “And I guess they wanted to give me privacy. Guess who’s coming to visit any minute?”
Linda’s neck turned a light shade of red as the blush spread all the way to her scalp. Brooke didn’t have to work too hard to guess why. “Jeff?”
“The doctor said they’re going to keep him a few more days, for observation, to make sure he doesn’t have any more seizures.”
Brooke looked up at a sound outside the open door and spotted an African American man pushing a cart. She narrowed her eyes and focused on him. She’d
seen him at the elevators last night. Similar to last night, he fixed his gaze on his shoes as he pushed the cart past Linda’s room as if he were too shy to talk with anyone. Many of the hospital staff were from other countries, so Brooke wondered if he even spoke English. She blinked. Was he the same man she’d seen earlier at the pier?
Linda snapped her fingers. “Brooke? You okay?”
Brooke smiled and scooted the chair closer. “So…you’re married, huh?”
Linda pulled the straw in and out of the cup. She lifted her face and looked at Brooke. “I’m sorry about not telling you.”
Brooke waved her hand to dismiss the thought. “I don’t expect you to tell me everything.”
Linda smiled. “Yeah, but telling your best friend that you’re married is kind of a big one.” She twisted to set her shake on the nightstand, and then stared over Brooke’s head as if she were afraid to make eye contact. “I didn’t want it to upset you. And I didn’t want my parents to talk me out of it.” Her gaze connected with Brooke’s. “We thought we could just have another wedding ceremony later.”
Brooke placed her hand on Linda’s arm. “Give me some credit, okay? I understand. I really do.”
Linda smiled, then grabbed her shake again and took a long gulp. “So how did the dive go?”
“We found it. Found the box.”
“You did?” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Was there a body?”
“You were right. It looked like human hair to me, too. We called the police and the Coast Guard, but then this storm hit.” Brooke frowned and glanced out the hospital window at the rain sheeting against the glass. Her heart squeezed as she remembered the defeated look on Garrett’s face.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Brooke shrugged.
Linda raised a brow. “Brooke?”
Brooke leaned back. “Well, I don’t know how to explain it...”
“Well, I don’t know if the reason you’re blushing has anything to do with a visitor I had the other morning or not. A certain brown-haired hottie named Garrett.” She studied Brooke as if to gauge her reaction.