The boy hears the person’s voice again and tries without success to make out the words.
“Fine. Get your panties out of your ass,” his dad says, sounding like he’s talking through gritted his teeth like he does when he’s pretending he’s not angry. The boy giggles, thinking he can tell his best friend to get his panties out of his ass. He stores the words for later.
The porch person speaks.
“No way is that ever going to happen, Buddy. You can’t have her,” his dad says.
The boy is confused. Who is her? Their cat? Daddy loves the cat. His parents rescued Sheba months ago. His dad’s not going to give her back to the owners now if that’s who’s at the door. His stomach tightens. He loves Sheba, too.
The porch person says something, and the boy hears shoving.
“You didn’t want her. Now piss off,” his dad says.
He replays the point in the video where his dad says, “No way is that ever going to happen, Buddy. You can’t have her.” The only person his dad ever called Buddy was Uncle Bobby. And now he knows who his dad was arguing with.
He flashes to the newspaper article reporting his parents’ death. A car had been seen leaving the accident. The same type Bobby drove.
He jumps from scene to scene of Shannon and Debi. His mind is in overdrive, and he’s starting to feel queasy. Debi and Shannon with the same dimples, the same walk, the same smile. Everything about them screamed they were the same.
He sees himself at the kitchen table on his eighteenth birthday. Debi and Bobby were telling him about his inheritance. He flashes farther back to Shannon’s eighteenth birthday. Why had she only gotten a third of what he’d been given?
And then he knows. Shannon isn’t his sister. She’s his cousin. Debi and Bobby are her birth parents. He is sure of this. The pieces click into place. It’s why they love her more. It’s why she fit in their household and he never did. It’s what Bobby meant when he said, “We want her.” He hadn’t meant the cat. He’d meant Shannon.
Charlie believes Bobby killed his parents to get Shannon back. Maybe he hadn’t meant to, but he sped off after them. The accident was his fault. Now Charlie had to figure out if Debi knew.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Shannon
George Town Area
Shannon’s phone buzzed and bounced across the table, notifying her she had a text message. She glanced at the display. Lance. Crap. She hadn’t heard from him in a while. What did he want? And did she want to find out?
Curiosity won over anger, and she clicked on the text.
Send my stuff.
No hello, how are you. Just an order. She sighed. She supposed he had a right to get his things back. She hadn’t thought of him or his stuff in a while. Her life was moving away from the life she’d had with him. The ease with which she was letting him go made her think they hadn’t been meant for each other.
She would send his junk the cheapest way possible. She heard it took ages for mail to get from the Bahamas to Canada, and that gave her a little revenge pleasure. She texted him, saying she’d send the stuff and then he could wait. Forever, for all she cared.
The sheets needed washing. She stripped the bed and folded the sheets into a pillow case. The laundry service in George Town usually took a day or less to wash, dry, and fold the laundry. She’d do Jake’s at the same time. And maybe as a peace offering, even Charlie’s.
She dragged the mattress off the bed and lifted the lid to the wooden storage compartment below the bed. Uncle Bobby’s suitcase rested on top of Lance’s duffle bag. She hoisted the duffle and a side zipper caught on the air conditioning unit. She tugged, and the zipper opened. Shannon spotted an envelope addressed to her tucked in the open pocket. She recognized Charlie’s handwriting and remembered Lance had told her Charlie had visited him and left her a letter.
Using her fingernail, she broke the seal on the envelope and pulled out a note.
Shannon,
There are some things we need to talk about. Things you don’t know about your precious Aunt Debi and Uncle Bobby. Phone me when you get this. It’s important. Your life is not what it seems. I’ve thought a lot about this, and it’s time you understood who you are. I’m not your brother. Call me.
Charlie.
“What does that mean?” Shannon said to the empty room. Did Charlie mean he wanted to disown her? He didn’t want to be her brother anymore? He must have been angry when he wrote the letter.
The familiar pit of dread pushed against Shannon’s ribs. When Charlie first arrived in George Town, he’d asked her if Lance had said anything about him. She’d said no. Maybe Charlie had been hinting about the letter and wondering if she’d read it. He must have decided he didn’t want her to know what was in the letter. So should she talk to him about it or avoid the subject?
“Anyone here?” Debi asked from the cockpit.
Shannon had been absorbed in her own thoughts and hadn’t heard her aunt come on board.
“Down here.”
Peanut jumped down the stairs to the starboard cabin and rolled on the mattress that lay on the floor. Shannon remained where she was and waited for Debi to poke her head around the corner.
“You look pale,” Debi said. “Do you have another headache?”
“Try heartache.” Shannon leaned forward and handed Debi the letter. “I found this in Lance’s bag.”
“What is it?”
“Read it.”
Debi did as instructed, then sat on the main salon floor with her feet resting on the steps. With the mattress on the floor, she couldn’t get near Shannon.
“I’ve been wondering if he knew. He’s been dropping hints, but I hoped it didn’t mean anything.”
Shannon’s throat tightened. “Knew what?”
“Oh, Shannon.” Debi let out a deep breath. “You know I love you.”
“Now you’re scaring me. What did Charlie know?”
“Charlie’s not your brother. He’s your cousin.”
“I don’t understand. Did Mom and Dad adopt him or something?”
“Not exactly.”
Shannon clenched her jaw and forced herself to relax the muscles that had suddenly tightened in her shoulders. She hadn’t had a headache before, but one expanded to her temples as she watched her aunt’s face.
“Then what exactly?”
Debi stepped across the mattress and joined Shannon on the bed. She took Shannon’s hand and held it to her cheek.
“You and I are so much alike. People have commented on our resemblance ever since you were a child, long before you came to live with us.”
“I know. Mom used to get jealous.”
“She wasn’t jealous. Her heart was too generous for that. She was frightened.”
“Of?”
“The truth, I guess.”
“This is starting to piss me off. Maybe you could get to the point.”
“I’ve thought about this conversation since the day you were born, even let myself dream about it, but I never thought we’d actually have it. And now, I can’t seem to do it right.”
“Do what right?”
“You know Bobby and I met when we were fifteen.”
Shannon nodded. “I’ve heard this love story before.”
“We were careless. We thought life was ours and nothing could hurt us.”
“But nothing did hurt you, right?”
“You have to understand. I wanted to finish high school. I wanted to be a lawyer, just like my mom. Veronica and Kevin were older, already married and established.”
Shannon never thought of her parents as older. They would be young in her mind forever.
“We did what we thought was best for you and for us. It doesn’t mean we didn’t love you. We gave you up for adoption only because it was to Veronica and Kevin, and we could see you all the time. We wouldn’t have given you to strangers.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true. Veronica would only do it if we promised n
ever to tell you. She thought it would be too confusing for you, and she wanted to be your mother, not a stand-in mom. Two years later, Charlie was born and you became such a tight family that we kept our promise. What hurt the most is being so close and not telling you.”
* * *
“She’s bullshitting you.” Charlie sat across from Shannon in his dinghy. They were floating in the body of water between Stocking Island and Grand Exuma where they couldn’t be overheard.
“You mean she’s not my mother?”
“That part’s true. You and I are cousins.”
“How long have you known?”
Charlie plays the video in his head of the night he’d understood. The hatred he’d felt at that moment was worse than any feeling he’d ever had.
“I figured it out a couple of years ago.”
“How?”
“Don’t you want to know what she’s lying about?”
“I’m not sure. It’s weird thinking Mom and Dad weren’t my real parents.”
“Don’t say that. They treated you more like their own than Debi and Bobby ever treated me. You had no idea they weren’t your parents. That’s how good they were at it.”
“I didn’t mean it that way. I can’t think of Debi as my mom. She’s my aunt.”
“She’s also a liar. She and Bobby tried to take you back the night Mom and Dad died. I heard Bobby arguing with Dad. Dad refused and said they could never have you.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“I didn’t understand at the time.” Charlie laughed. “I thought Bobby wanted the cat. Remember Sheba?” Charlie shook his head. “I was only eight, and they died that night. I didn’t connect the conversation to Bobby until much later.”
“Are you sure you heard right?”
“A couple of years ago, I did a story about a kid who found out by accident his parents weren’t his birth parents when he was about to marry his biological sister. Somehow talking to the family triggered the memory of Bobby fighting with Dad. You don’t know how my memory changed. I started to remember everything, but only stuff after they died. I could never remember much from before. All of a sudden the conversation was clear, and I knew they were talking about you. It made sense because Debi treated you like a daughter and me like a visitor who stayed too long.”
“Did you ever talk to Uncle Bobby about it?”
“Don’t you think it’s weird they died so young?”
“I think it’s weird you’re avoiding my questions and only telling me what you want me to hear.”
“I’m telling you what I know.”
Now or never. “Why are you hiding that you were in George Town last year for a month?”
“That’s bullshit.”
“It’s not. I met Daisha. She told me you stayed at the hotel in town for a month.”
Charlie picked at a gray thread, hanging loosely from one of the dinghy seams.
“So what. I came to see Bobby.”
“Why did you tell me you were only here for a couple of days?”
“Because he went missing right after I was here. I knew what Debi would think, and I didn’t want the hassle.”
“You didn’t go sailing with him.”
“Nope. We tried to talk a few times. I just wanted him to tell me the truth. When he refused, I flew home. No big deal.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Jake
Top To Bottom, George Town
Jake perused the aisles of Top to Bottom, looking for a hose he could use on the dinghy engine. Technically a hardware store, the retail outlet prided itself on selling everything a home could need. The owners filled the small space efficiently, and the claim was close to the truth.
After finding the part he needed, Jake stood by the till waiting to pay. A breeze entered the store through the open door, and he watched the street, entertaining himself by counting how many people he recognized from the small cruising community.
One of the employees exited the store and leaned against the outer window, lighting a cigarette. “Hey Charlie,” he called.
Jake craned his neck and saw Charlie sauntering down the main drag as if he owned the place.
“Sup?” Charlie called back.
“Did you get rid of the rat?” the guy asked.
Jake froze, hoping Charlie wouldn’t see him.
“Nope. Didn’t work.”
“Need some more poison?”
“Naw. I’ll figure something else out.” Charlie continued walking without looking back.
Jake paid for his item but stayed in the store. He didn’t want Charlie to know he’d heard him, and he needed time to figure out what to do.
Shannon and Debi would find a way to make this look innocent. All this time Jake had believed Darren poisoned the dog. Why would Charlie want to hurt Piddles? He must have a reason for wanting to get at Debi. He knew how much she loved the dog. Until now, Jake hadn’t been one hundred percent sure Charlie had kicked Piddles overboard.
Jake decided he wasn’t going to tell Debi what he’d heard until he figured out what to do about Charlie. He didn’t fully understand what was going on between the trio, and he needed a solution before he made any accusations, but he would discuss it with Shannon.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Shannon
Stocking Island
Shannon and Jake sat together at the back of the Dolphin’s Hideaway restaurant. Shannon turned on her computer and opened her calendar. She’d made notes of everything they’d discovered and saved the information on the date they’d made the discovery. She’d also recorded when and where Bobby’s boat had been seen.
She no longer called him Uncle Bobby, and she couldn’t call him Dad, so she’d settled on just Bobby. Kevin would always be her dad and Veronica her mom. She couldn’t believe how frustrated she was at not being able to talk to Bobby and at how angry she was at being lied to for so long.
“Is something bothering you?” Jake asked.
“I haven’t had a chance to tell you. I don’t even know how to start this conversation.”
Jake waited. A skill he must have picked up while being a cop. Silence had a way of making people talk.
“I found out that I’m adopted. That Debi is my birth mom. Charlie is my cousin.”
Jake placed his beer on the counter, pulled Shannon to his chest, and hugged her. She rested on his shoulder for a moment.
“How did you find out?”
Shannon gave him a replay of her conversations with Charlie and Debi.
When she finished, he said, “Are you okay?”
“I am. It’ll take some getting used to, but I’ve been close to Debi all my life. I guess this explains our tight relationship. And maybe a bit about why Charlie’s been so hostile.” She pulled out a fresh piece of paper and a pen. “Maybe it’ll help if we write down everything we know. I think better when I scribble my thoughts.”
Jake sipped his beer. “Do you remember the photos Debi took of Waterfall?”
“What about them?”
“Did you notice that both berths were messed?”
“So?”
“Both beds had sheets and a comforter and both looked like they’d been recently slept in. Was it typical of Bobby to be messy?”
“No. The opposite really. What do you think it means?”
“It’s been bothering me, but it could mean there were two people on board when Bobby went missing.”
“No. That would mean…”
“It would.”
“I can’t believe that.” Shannon twisted her wine glass by the stem and stared over the harbor. Hundreds of boats were anchored in the bay. Any one of the people on a boat could have known Uncle Bobby. Maybe one of them saw him leave the harbor for the last time. Maybe one of them knew if he’d had crew. “I can’t think that way. Bobby fell over by accident.”
Jake pushed his beer can out of the way. “Let’s talk about Darren.”
“We know his hat was on Night Wind
and he poisoned Peanut,” Shannon said.
“That’s not quite right. We only think he poisoned Piddles.”
“I know you love the dog, so you can stop with the Piddles comments. Besides, she hasn’t peed on anyone for a while.”
“That’s because she knows I’m the alpha of the pack, and I’ll protect her.”
Shannon laughed. “See? You do like her.”
“There’s a difference between liking her and feeling obligated to protect her.”
“You’re so full of it. Now you don’t think Darren poisoned her?”
Jake exhaled deeply as if he were avoiding telling her something. “It’s possible. We just don’t know for sure.”
“But you have another idea?”
Jake nodded. “You won’t like it.”
“When did that ever stop you from telling me something?”
“You’ve been through a lot, and I’m not sure about my idea.”
“I’m tough. Spit it out.”
“Charlie could have poisoned her.”
“Charlie? Why would he do that?”
“He hates her. Don’t you see the way she avoids being near him? She won’t let him pet her. She won’t sit beside him. She won’t even take a cookie from his hand.”
“Her behavior doesn’t mean he poisoned her.”
“I saw him do something, but I never told you.”
“What?”
“He was alone on the boat. I was in the dinghy, heading toward A Dog’s Cat. Piddles stood on the bow and peed. Charlie kicked her in the stomach. He booted her hard enough that she fell off the bow. Then he went below and ignored her. She dog-paddled toward the shore, but the waves were over a foot high and kept pushing her underneath the surface. I thought she might drown.”
Jake paused, waiting for Shannon to comment or maybe to let her take in what he’d said.
In her heart, she knew he wasn’t lying.
“But why would he do that?”
“Who knows? He might hate the dog. He might have been mad that she peed on the deck. Anyway, I drove the dinghy to her. The poor girl was so happy to see me, she peed on my lap when I picked her up.”
Look the Other Way Page 24