Now she was going to throw herself to the media hounds, and everyone would think she was crazy. No one believed her when she’d claimed Lena’s psychic vision. She would lose all credibility now.
And so would he, if he went with her.
She’d relieved him of the choice. She’d also relieved him of choosing whether to reach out to her or not. All he had left in his life was his business, and even that was suffering. If he was to have a chance at resurrecting it, he had to cut ties with her, as she’d said.
He had to let Teddy go. And he had to let Chloe go, too. He closed his eyes at the sharp pain that accompanied both thoughts. Walking away was going to be the hardest thing he’d ever done.
CHAPTER 21
Chloe took several deep breaths once she reached her car. She’d stayed tough. Well, as tough as a tender woman could be. On the way to the police station, she stopped at a phone booth and called three of the reporters who’d covered Teddy’s disappearance.
“I have information that Chloe Samms had a vision about Teddy McKain not being dead after all,” she told them in a deep voice. “She’s going to the police right now to force them to keep looking. Hey, you never know. They might even throw her in jail.”
She hoped not. But for Teddy, she’d endure anything. Maybe even a hunger strike. Nah, she was rather fond of food. Something else then. She hoped it would come to her, a brilliant idea that would rock Naples.
Chloe pulled into the police parking lot and took another deep breath. Don’t stop now. Remember, this is for Teddy.
“Detective Yochem, please,” she told the woman behind the glass. “Chloe Samms. He’ll know what it’s about.”
Ten minutes later, the detective came out from the back offices. He had a slightly annoyed expression on his face as he approached.
“Miss Samms, what can I do for you?”
Chloe smoothed down her blazer. “Hi, detective. I have some information about Teddy McKain’s case.”
“That case is closed.”
“It isn’t closed until you find Teddy. Can we talk?”
She hoped the reporters would come in about then, but apparently this wasn’t hot news. “I know that Teddy is still alive.”
“You do, huh? Is this one of your aunt’s visions?”
“No. Absolutely not. This one is mine.”
“Yours. Yeah.”
She started to reach for his arm, but stopped herself before making contact. She didn’t want assault on the list of charges. “That little boy is out there, and he needs to be found. All I’m asking is that you put more effort into finding him. He’s somewhere in the Ten Thousand Islands.”
“Look Miss Samms, we’ve put considerable effort into this case.”
“It’s not a case. It’s a boy! A little boy who doesn’t understand why no one’s come for him.”
“I understand your emotional involvement in this … case, but we’re ninety-eight percent sure that boy is dead. We do have the marine patrol on the lookout for him, but it won’t be a tearful reunion when he’s found. If he’s found.”
“Ninety-eight percent sure? What about that two percent?”
“We only have so many resources.”
A skinny man her age walked in wearing a baggy shirt and pants.
“Can I help you?” Yochem asked the man.
“I’m Wes Sherman from the Naples Daily News here to talk to detective Marshall about a domestic abuse case he’s working on.”
“No! You’re here to talk to me,” she said. “I’m Chloe Samms, and I know Teddy McKain is alive. The police refuse to keep looking! Are we going to let this travesty of justice slip by?”
The man looked disconcerted for a moment, but then he narrowed his eyes. “Chloe Samms. You’re the one who helped find that missing boy in the Keys.”
“Yes! And I’m still trying to find the missing boy here in Naples. I’ve had another vision about him, and he’s still alive.”
“Wasn’t that vision your aunt Lena Stone’s?”
“No, it was mine. Only mine.” She let out a breath of exasperation. Couldn’t anyone focus on the real problem? “Teddy is the issue here. I’m connected to him. I met his mother when I had a near-death experience. You know, the light at the end of the tunnel, seeing loved ones who have passed on. His mother was in that tunnel, and she begged me to find her son.”
The guy finally took out a notepad and started writing. She let out a sigh of relief. Finally! “Near-death experience, you say?”
He took notes as she told him about the accident that had changed her life. “And I’m going to hold the police responsible if Teddy is found dead,” she finished, turning to Yochem. “I’m talking lawsuits, Court TV, Judge Judy —”
Yochem crossed his arms over his chest. “Miss Samms, you’re overreacting. We’ve done everything possible to find that boy.”
“Not everything. He’s not here, is he?”
“Our business is finished,” he said, turning to leave.
“Did you write that down?” she asked to the reporter. “He turned his back on me. And he turned his back on Teddy. We need to get people together, anyone who has a boat, and get them to look.”
The man closed his notepad. “Look, I’m sorry, but this isn’t a story. It’s interesting, yeah. I’ll try to get it in the paper, but there’s no real hook here.”
“Hook?” She grabbed him by his shirt. “Hook? A boy’s life is on the line! How much more of a hook do you need?”
He tried to gently remove her hand. “I said I’d do what I can.”
She narrowed her eyes. “All right, you want a hook? You’ve got one. Come with me.”
Now would be a really good time for that brilliant idea. As she drove, she searched her mind for stories that had grabbed her attention. What about that guy who swam over an old mine in the Keys for twelve hours to protest dolphin abuse? A little crazy, a lot brave. That’s what she needed. Unfortunately she couldn’t think of one mine nearby. But there was water. Water where you couldn’t see the bottom. Deep water. Everyone was so fascinated by Lilithdale’s annual New Year’s Eve swim. The brilliant — but crazy — idea began to form.
She drove to the city dock, the reporter right behind her. She gathered up her homemade posters of Teddy and her heavy-duty stapler. He followed her from the car to the entrance of the docks. She stapled two posters to each post and handed another one to the reporter.
“You want your hook? Here it is. I’m swimming in the bay until the police, or the public, gets out there and looks for Teddy. And … and I’m going to do it naked.”
At that, she swiveled, tossed off her pumps, and started walking to the end of the dock — taking off clothing as she went. First her jacket, then her scarf, then her pants. She could hear the camera whirring behind her. Just what she wanted, her backside splashed across the front page.
It wasn’t quite the way she’d intended to get attention, but then again, she hadn’t had a game plan anyway. At the end of the dock, she turned back to the reporter. “Remember, I don’t leave until somebody takes some action. Better yet, until a hundred people take action!” She set the remaining posters on the dock, anchored by the stapler.
Then she shimmied out of her panties and bra, keeping her back to the reporter–no need to show him anything more than her big, white butt–and dove into the water. The dark, deep water. The cold water that took her breath away. Oh, God, what am I doing? Are you sure you really want to do this? When she surfaced, the man was laughing.
“Lady, you’ve got your hook.” He snapped several rounds of photographs. “And you’ve got style. I’ll turn this story in for tomorrow’s edition. Let me ask you some questions.”
Chloe answered his questions through chattering teeth. Damn, she hadn’t thought about the water being cold. Not icy, but still cold. Well, she’d have to get used to it. If she’d already wimped out by the time the story hit, no one would give her any credence at all.
As it turned out, she didn’t
have to wait until the story broke. A crowd started gathering immediately, followed by two more reporters. She churned water as she talked to anyone and everyone who would listen. What better place to motivate people to search for Teddy than at the docks?
After a while the water felt warmer. Or maybe she was as chilled as she could get. Between talking to people and churning water, she was maintaining some warmth. Not to mention decency. She had to remember not to lift her arms too high. Not only did she want to keep this from being a peep show, but she wasn’t sure how long ago she’d shaved under her arms.
The dock manager had collected her clothing for her. The guy in the mini store sent down a hot cocoa once in a while.
“How long do you think you can actually stay in the water?” one woman asked, taking notes for her paper.
“As l-long as it takes, or until I drown, I suppose.”
Then the television crews arrived. Chloe couldn’t help but smile. Pay dirt.
“Why protest naked?” the reporter asked.
“I n-needed a hook,” she said. “N-no one would listen to me standing there with my clothes on.”
“Chloe, what if they find Teddy dead?”
“They won’t. N-not if they start loo-looking for him now.”
“What about the boy’s father? There were rumors that you were romantically involved with him.”
“I’m not.” She glanced across the bay. His house was over there somewhere. “He has nothing to do with this. Or me.”
“What do you think his reaction will be to what you’re doing?” another television reporter asked.
Oh, he’d probably want to throttle her. “This isn’t about his reaction. Or about him at all. It’s about finding Teddy. That’s all I care about.”
“What about the women who live in Lilithdale with you? Why aren’t they here supporting you?”
Ouch. That question stung. “There’s n-no need to drag them into this.”
The crowd behind the reporters shifted, and detective Yochem pushed his way through. He shot her a disapproving look. “I figured it was you. This woman is nuts,” he told the reporters. “She’s only looking for attention, just like her mother. This is a waste of all our time.”
“So you believe the child is dead then?” the reporter asked him.
“Yes, I do. We are searching for his body, but we have no hope of finding him alive at this point.”
“But she does,” a man called out. “Maybe she is nuts, but I’m willing to look. What if the kid is still alive?”
“Yeah, you said you haven’t found a body,” another man said.
“I’ll look,” another man offered.
A dive boat named The Bimini Twist that had come in paused to catch the story. The captain exchanged glances with his divers and shrugged. “I’m game if you all are.”
“Sure,” the two couples on board said simultaneously. “Let’s go!”
“What fun!”
Before the boat left, they pulled up to her. “Here’s a BC,” the captain said, handing her a vest.
“A what?”
“It’s a buoyancy compensator, used for scuba diving. Slide it over your shoulders and blow in that tube. It’ll inflate. I’m Stacy Mullendore. Just give me a call later, and I’ll come get it.”
She wrangled herself into the thing and blew it up. Buoyancy! “Thanks, Stacy!” she called as they headed out.
Within a few minutes, five boats had departed. Chloe watched with satisfaction.
“The Marine Patrol is coming to get you, Miss Samms,” Yochem said. “I suggest you cooperate.”
“Not until I know there’s a full-scale effort underway to search for Teddy. That means ninety-five more people.”
He had a smug look on his face. “What are you going to do when it gets dark?”
The dock manager stepped forward. “We’ll shine lights on her, so no one will run her down.”
“And we’ll supply her with food and water,” another man said. “I work at the Dock Restaurant. You like lobster, Chloe?”
“Sure,” she said, glancing around at the water. “I j-just hope they don’t like me.”
More laughter filled the air with sweet hope.
And all the while, the cameras rolled. She’d never taken a chance, never put herself on the line. Maybe she’d never had a reason before. But now she did. She glanced across the bay again, wondering what Dylan would think. It saddened her to think she’d sealed her fate with him by doing this. He would never let himself be associated with her now. And she didn’t blame him.
The Marine Patrol sidled up next to her a few minutes later. “Listen, lady, just let us help you into the boat. You don’t want to be arrested, do you?”
“How can you arrest me? I’m n-not doing anything illegal. Am I? It’s p-public water, I believe. I’m not drunk or disorderly.”
The younger officer laughed. “You’re disorderly, that’s for sure.”
“I’m n-not coming out. You can j-just put a warrant out for my arrest. You know where I’ll be. When I know Teddy’s being searched for, then I’ll t-turn myself in.”
He shook his head, then said in a low voice to his partner, “We can’t just strong-arm her into the boat with the cameras rolling. Especially considering she doesn’t have any clothes on.”
“What a nut,” the other one said.
They both looked up at Yochem, who shook his head with resignation.
“You gotta admire a woman who goes the length for what she believes in,” the younger officer said. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to take another look.”
Chloe smiled, until she felt a fish slide by her thigh. She nearly jumped out of the water. “Are there sharks in these w-waters?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound as scared as she thought she did.
“Yep,” Yochem said.
“We’ll keep an eye out for any,” one man said. “Turn on your fish finders, guys!”
“Gee, th-thanks,” she said, forcing a smile. “I feel so much better.”
Was she nuts? Without a doubt. All she knew was she couldn’t give up until they’d found Teddy.
“Is she nuts?”
Dylan had been rebuilding his Lego creation when Camilla had called and said, “You’d better put WINK news on. Jim McLaughlan just announced a whopper of a story coming up next.”
He’d turned it on to find Chloe’s face looking up at him. Her wet face, surrounded by water! She looked small, wearing what looked like a life vest. Spotlights lit up the area where she was churning water and talking to reporters.
The camera panned to the female reporter crouched on the end of a dock. “Jim, Chloe has a point to make. After going to the police and finding no help there, she’s turning to us. She believes that Teddy McKain is still alive. And she’s willing to make that point in a most unique way to get our attention.”
They panned in on Chloe again, blond hair plastered to her head and cheeks. “I’m not leaving the water unt-til I know a h-hundred people are out th-there looking for T-Teddy.”
“Why a hundred specifically?” the reporter asked, oblivious to Chloe’s chill.
Dylan’s heart lurched. She was somewhere out there in the cold water.
“Where is she?” he asked the television.
“I n-needed a goal, something to sh-sh-shoot for. With a hundred p-people, we have a g-good chance of finding him. I’m hoping for more th-than that, though. There’s a cold front coming in tonight.”
“How many people are looking now?”
“Eighty-one,” a man to her left said, consulting a note pad.
“Chloe’s been in the water for ten hours now. Food and hot chocolate are being brought to her via boat. But she won’t leave the water.” She turned back to Chloe. “And tell us, why did you choose to stage this protest naked?”
“Naked!” That shot Dylan right out of his chair. He started walking away from the television to find a phone, but turned right back to it.
“I n-needed a h-hook,” she s
aid with a quivery smile.
She wasn’t kidding about this, was she? No matter how crazy it sounded, she was committed to finding his son. She looked tired and cold, and he’d never seen such a beautiful sight in his life. The heart he thought was dead came to life again. She believed in her vision, or whatever it was. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but she had pinned everything on her own hopes that Teddy was alive.
“You’ve denied any romantic involvement with Dylan McKain, Teddy’s father.”
“Right. N-nothing romantic. This has n-nothing to do with Dylan.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“B-because I have to. T-Teddy’s out there, and I h-have to find him.”
She was protecting him, just as she’d promised.
“Something’s working,” the reporter continued. “People are taking out their boats and looking for the lost boy. There must be something about a naked woman in distress.”
Despite the fact that she looked cold, her face glowed. “They’re looking — that’s all I c-care about.”
Dylan tore his gaze off Chloe and studied the docks and surroundings. He was pretty sure he knew where she was. He walked out back and looked across the bay. His hand came up to cover his mouth. Lights and boats and people. Chloe.
If he showed up, everyone would know he was involved with her. It would be the death knell to what was left of his respectability. Wasn’t that all he had left now, that and his career? Salvaging his business’s reputation meant steering clear of Chloe.
He forced himself back into his chair. The news had gone on to other stories, but Dylan kept seeing Chloe in that water. Nothing would happen to her with all those people around. Give her an hour or two and she’d give up. His fingers gripped the arms of the chair.
“Leave her be. Remember the look on her face when you walked away from her. You blew it then.”
He searched the channels and caught the final seconds of another spot on Chloe. He felt his body strain to get to his feet. He forced himself back. “Teddy’s gone and none of her crazy antics are going to bring him back.”
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