SEAS THE DAY

by Maggie Toussaint

  “Keep doing that and we’re not going to make it back to your place,” Pete warned. “Watching you with that ice cream makes me hot.”

  Nothing wrong with this man’s libido. “This is a family place. Rein it in. We’re trying to solve this case, remember? You said ice cream would clear your head.”

  “I did experience clarity.” He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it. “Something Estelle said about bridge. What if she wasn’t talking about her bridge group? What if she meant a physical bridge?”

  “Which one? There are five river bridges on the causeway, and numerous culvert style bridges over ditches and such on the island.”

  “Any of them strike you as relevant? Any place that has a connection to Chili and Kale?”

  “No-o-o.” I answered automatically but something glimmered on the edge of my thoughts. Took me a moment but I dredged it up. A couple of times, Estelle brought us out to the old drawbridge to crab in the creek. The bridge remnant lurked in the footprint of the new tall bridge that didn’t need to stop traffic to let a boat pass. “Maybe.”

  I explained about the games we used to play at the old bridge. Pete nodded. “Let’s go there.”

  As the crow flew, the old bridge was midway between the bustling new marina and the old one, between prosperity and people scratching out a living. To drive from one marina to another took about fifteen minutes due to how the roads were laid out and the traffic circles. From the ice cream shop, I took King’s Way as if leaving the island, then veered off to the right at the last possible moment, taking the ramp down to the old bridge.

  We had the place to ourselves. The metal signs about the swift-current dangers and being kind to manatees were faded nearly to white. The recycle box for old fishing line overflowed as did the fifty-five-gallon drum that served as a trash can. Bird droppings lined the concrete siderails and the big concrete barricades where the old bridge had been lopped off.

  “Didn’t know this was here,” Pete said, looking around. “It’s like a moment out of time.”

  Except for the constant swoosh of cars overhead on the elevated causeway. “It’s early in the year for crabbing, but this bridge is used heavily in the summer. We used to come out here about twilight. It is truly a kids’ paradise. Chili loved playing the troll under the bridge and scaring me and Kale.”

  “Sounds like we should look under the bridge.” Pete pointed to the path with his cane.

  “Not much space under there. I should go.”

  “I’m coming too. I don’t want you down there alone.”

  My self-reliance bristled. I wasn’t used to having someone watching out for my safety so closely. It cramped my style. He meant well, I told myself as I headed under the bridge. To my delight, there was still a narrow, worn path. Kids today must still do as we had done.

  I got down on all fours to crawl under the structure. Pete stood watch on the path. Underneath the bridge was tidy, no garbage here. Nothing with flashy neon lights that screamed clue either.

  “See anything?” Pete asked.

  “If there’s a clue about Chili’s whereabouts, it’s hiding in plain sight.”

  “This feels right. The message was one only you would understand,” Pete said. “Tell me everything you see.”

  “Dirt. Grass. Weeds. A spider web on the far side. Some spray paint that was painted over poorly.”

  “Can you make out what it says?”

  I studied the paint along one of the girders, sussing out red letters bleeding through white paint. “Maybe ‘girls rule, boys drool.’ Again, not helpful.”

  “Any place where someone might put a note?”

  “Like the secret stash?” I answered glibly.

  “What’s that?”

  “Chili called the dirt hole up near the bank his secret stash. I haven’t thought about that in fifteen years.”

  “If this is the right bridge, something will be there.”

  “Okay, but I’ll need a shower afterward. I have to inch up the bank on my back to reach the secret stash.”

  “Sounds more and more like the right place. A little dirt never hurt anyone.”

  Easy for him to say. He wasn’t wearing a yellow blouse. River mud ruined light colored fabric. But this was for Chili.

  I inched up the incline on my back, reaching the top and hoping I’d made enough noise to scare away any snakes that lived down here. I reached into the alcove and felt the palm-sized metal box. “Got something.”

  “Come out of there,” Pete said. “Let’s examine it together.”

  “On my way.” I scooted down the bank with the box in one palm. Delight at finding something mingled with regret. I should’ve thought of this sooner. Had Chili been stuck in the woods all this time expecting me to find him? Would there be anything inside this box?

  Pete followed me back up to the old bridge, brushing the dirt out of my hair and off my back when we stopped. “What is it?” he asked.

  “The box of secrets,” I said, then burst out laughing. “This little mint tin was the Holy Grail for Chili. He loved leaving coded messages inside. I never understood them, so even if we find something, it may not make any sense.”

  “Open it,” Pete said.

  I pried the box open, hinges creaking, and there was a tiny slip of dirty paper inside. Two strings of numbers were penciled on it. “What do we do with this?” I asked. “What does it mean?”

  Pete took one look at it and his face lit up. “It means we know where to find Chili.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Pete hustled me in the van. “They’re GPS coordinates,” he said once we were buckled in and on the road. “Drive around in a neighborhood and park. I need to check if anyone is following us.”

  “How do you know they’re a GPS location?” I asked, following his suggestion. “They look like two strings of numbers with decimal points.”

  “Trust me. They’re GPS coordinates.”

  I pulled out and motored over to King’s Terrace, looping around on different residential streets before parking at Mallery Park. Kids played on the multiplex climbing set, adults swatted tennis balls beside us. “What do we do with GPS coordinates? How do we even know if Chili left them?”

  “We don’t, which makes me think I should take you back to your place while I check it out.”

  “No way. First, with your hurt ankle you’re in no condition to be tromping through wilderness, and even if you went alone, the chance Chili would come out of hiding for you are zero.”

  Pete hesitated. “I don’t like the thought of you being in danger.”

  “We’re in danger sitting in the car. One of those big oak limbs overhead could shear off and fall on us before we could react. Someone could careen into us on the road.”

  “We need each other,” he said.

  “Yes, we do and we’re making relationship progress.” I turned my thoughts to Chili. “How do we follow the numbers?”

  “Our smart phones can do it.” He plugged the numbers into his phone. “Head north.”

  “Roger that.” I made my way to Frederica Road and sped past a gamut of offices and shops. “This is so cool. We’ll find Chili and our lives will go back to normal. I’m looking forward to taking a shower.”

  “You’ll get that shower tonight, that much I can promise. As for the rest, there’s so much we still don’t know. It’s been over a week since you received the bridge clue. Chili might have moved on to a new place.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that. I wanted Chili to be safe and alive, but Pete was right. Even if we found Chili, whatever caused him to go into hiding most likely hadn’t changed.

  The miles rolled by. We passed the turnoff to Sea Island and came to the fork to go toward the fort or toward the point. “Which way?” I asked.

  Pete checked his phone. “Go right.”

 
; I hung a right, and a memory surfaced. “Estelle’s great uncle had a fish camp on the north end twenty years ago. He didn’t have any kids and the land passed out of the family. If Estelle inherited it, she sold the property.”

  “We’re on the right track then.”

  My foot eased off the accelerator. “No, we’re not. The fish camp became a destination site for special occasions. I’ve catered a few weddings there in recent years. We already passed the turn-off for it.”

  “It’s less developed out this way. Let’s try the GPS location first,” Pete said, glancing over his shoulder. “Keep going.”

  We drove two miles. “Hold up,” Pete said. “We’re close.”

  “How close?”

  “Very. See any opening to turn left?”

  To my right and left were well-ordered rows of pines as far as I could see. I scanned the left looking for an access road. “No turn-ins, but the shoulder is wide enough we can pull over.”

  “Everybody and their brother recognizes your van. We’ll bring more trouble Chili’s way if we do that.”

  I passed a spot that looked like we could nose into it. “I’m gonna try that place,” I said, turning around and heading toward the gap in the trees. I took it slow on the shoulder, inching my way into the tree line. I got us all the way in, turned to Pete, and said, “How’s that?”

  “Not bad. Someone would have to be looking to spot our vehicle. When I’m on this stretch, I usually push my speed a bit to quicken the trip. We’ve got no one behind us, no one coming our way. We should be perfect nestled in here.” He jerked his thumb toward the rear. “What do you have back there in the realm of food?”

  “Not much. Some water bottles and a stash of energy bars. If he’s out here, Chili might enjoy fresh water and the bars.”

  “Great idea. Let’s grab as much as we can carry and then head north, northwest.”

  At first it seemed like a grand adventure, following the compass on his phone. Then it became a slog. Despite his injuries, Pete soldiered on without complaint, but I couldn’t hold my frustration inside any longer. “This is ridiculous. I can’t see the van, and I have no idea how to get back to the van before dark.”

  “Let’s take a break for a few minutes on that fallen tree over there.”

  I followed him step for step until we sat down. “Drink your water, River,” Pete said.

  “Saving it for Chili,” I replied.

  “He wouldn’t want you dehydrated.”

  “How is he surviving out here?” I asked.

  “Not very well,” a male voice rumbled behind me.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  My tiredness fled in a heartbeat and I jumped up. “Chili! Oh my gosh, we found you.”

  A wreck of a man shambled out of the trees. I wouldn’t have recognized my friend without hearing his voice. Like Pete, he walked with a limp. Fading bruises camouflaged his dirty, bearded face. Leaves dotted his tangled hair.

  I moved to hug him but Chili waved me off, then he sat beside me on the log. “Anybody follow you?” Chili asked.

  “Nope.” I thrust the bag of goodies his way. “We brought you water and energy bars.”

  Chili took the bag, opened a water bottle, and gulped its contents.

  “I’m Pete Merrick,” Pete said, extending a hand around me. “Not sure if you remember me, Chili. River and I dated before I moved to California.”

  “Yeah. I heard about you,” Chili said, looking Pete dead in the eye. “You’re the guy who broke her heart.”

  “Working on that,” Pete said, retracting his hand. “What’s your story?”

  “What’s going on in the outside world?” Chili countered after he drained the water and started on the energy bars.

  I brought him up to speed about his mother’s death. “I’m really sorry about your Mom.”

  “It liketa broke me. I’m gonna kill the man that did this.”

  “You know who killed Estelle?”

  “Got a passing-good idea it was the same guy who nearly beat me to death.”

  “Who?” I asked. “Tell me, and I’ll have him arrested so fast your head will spin.”

  “No names, jails, or cops,” Chili said. “I can’t go home yet. Besides, it’s too dangerous for you.”

  Air hissed through my clenched teeth. “I don’t know about your place, but not much is left of your Mom’s house. Two guys took it apart.”

  “Names?”

  “Ferarrelli and Barnegas. Mob enforcers, so we’ve been told. What did you get into?”

  “Figured there’d be a Ferarrelli involved. They’re behind the money laundering. It was supposed to be easy money for Mama. Everything was going great until a shipment vanished. Kale was so scared. They confronted him first when our lives went to hell. They threatened to hack off all his fingers and toes, one by one.”

  I shuddered. “About your brother. There’s good news. He’s alive and in federal custody.”

  Tears filled Chili’s eyes. “Kale’s alive and safe? Fingers and toes?”

  I nodded. “He asked for me, and I visited him in jail. I saw his fingers and assume his toes are still attached too. He asked me to do something for him.”

  Chili tugged my sleeve. “What? Please tell me he found out where the missing shipment is. This is a matter of life and death.”

  “He didn’t mention any missing money. He wanted me to ask Jude Ernest to be his lawyer. The ambulance-chasing guy from TV.”

  Chili’s head popped up, and a calculating look filled his eyes. “Uncle Jay is helping Kale?”

  “Yep. I didn’t recognize him at first. Looks like he ceased personal hygiene two years ago.”

  “Take it from me, when your belly’s empty for days, cleanliness pales in significance.”

  “No judgements from us. We’re here to help.”

  Chili jerked a thumb toward Pete. “You trust this guy?

  “Yep. He’s the one.”

  “Day-am. He don’t look like much. You two get into a fight?”

  Pete cleared his throat. “I just pissed off the wrong people. Anyway, I left that life behind. I’m with River now.”

  “You better not hurt her,” Chili said. “I may not look like much, but River’s always been L’il Sis to me. You hurt her again, and I’ll make your life a living hell. You’ll wish you were dead. That’s a promise.”

  “Tough words for someone in your position,” Pete said.

  “Pete won’t hurt me,” I said and changed the subject. “What can we do to get you home?”

  “Not going home. Look, I sent the money for Mama’s funeral to Pastor Debra. Kale and I kept emergency cash in the woods, in the event something happened. I used every last cent on Mama’s funeral. Please keep her ashes until I can figure this out.”

  “Her ashes are safe. You haven’t said what ‘this’ is yet. What happened? I’m not leaving here until you tell me the whole story.”

  “I’ve been broke all my life, but truly I never struggled to survive like this before. I appreciate how Mama scrimped and saved to keep a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs. She did what she had to do, and I don’t want you to judge her poorly.”

  “I would never do that. Tell me how y’all got in this mess.”

  “After years of trying to make the dry-cleaning business efficient and profitable, Mama heard about this easy money job. All she had to do was make her business look more profitable on paper and bank the exterior cash flow in certain designated accounts across the region. Did it for a couple of years with no problem whatsoever. Then a shipment went missing. A million dollars. The Ferarrelli’s demanded their money, but we didn’t have it. I thought my brother committed suicide over this, but I’m glad he faked his death and hid out in Florida. I tried to keep watch over Mama, but the bastards jumped me and beat me within an inch of my life.
I couldn’t protect her in this shape, so I hid in the woods. I couldn’t go to the cops because the money laundering operation was illegal, and I couldn’t risk Mama going to prison. I spent a couple of nights in the woods by her house, and I left my hat upside down in the chair at my place so she’d know I was alive. When they didn’t go after her right away, I thought she was safe, so I ranged further from the house. I should’ve stayed close to her. I screwed up. Not sure what I could’ve done to help her in this shape, but at least it would’ve felt like I did something more than look out for my own sorry hide. It pains me with every breath I take that I let her down.” He glanced at me. “Did the missing money surface?”

  “No. Who took it?”

  “If I knew I’d get it back. You sure Kale’s safe?”

  “As sure as I can be. He wanted out of our county jail, so he’s cutting a deal with the feds. They’ve agreed to move him to a federal facility. Jesup is the nearest one, and I hope that’s where he goes.”

  “He doesn’t have much to bargain with. Someone stole the money from the new drop site.”

  “Where’s that?” Pete asked.

  “Nope. Not getting you in any deeper.” Chili nodded to the woods around us. “After Mama died, I’ve been hanging close to this place, in case you found the message. Now that you know I’m alive, stop looking for me.”

  “I don’t understand why your mom asked me to look for you if you two had a prearranged signal you were okay. What did she hope to gain?”

  “Sorry for everything, River. I don’t know why she dragged you into it, but this trouble is more than any of us could handle. It wasn’t my choice for her to get involved with money laundering. She did that on her own without telling Kale or me. Maybe she involved you to make sure someone kept asking questions.”

  “I would’ve asked questions no matter what. I’ve heard nothing about missing money, except from some crazy person who invaded my commercial kitchen. Look, this isn’t your fault, Chili. Your mother got the family into this without considering the downside. You and Kale paid a stiff price already, Estelle paid with her life, and the money is still missing.”