A Time to Swill

by Sherry Harris

  “Be quiet,” I said. “Rhett will hear you.” I picked up a pad to write down orders.

  “Not over the noise that group is making. I wonder what they’re up to.”

  I shrugged.

  “Chloe, you’re still standing here, a single woman, and that’s one good-looking group of men. Get over there.”

  Thanks for rubbing the status of my love life in. I headed over. When I took drink orders I usually identified the people I waited on by what they wore, or some physical attribute. With these guys it might just be hot, hotter, and hottest. I wondered if they were firemen. Both Ralph and Rhett volunteered with Emerald Cove’s fire department.

  “Hey, Chloe,” Rhett said when I got to the table. “Ignore these guys. I think they’ve inhaled too much smoke over the years.”

  They all laughed.

  “You wish,” one of them said.

  “You know Rip?” another asked.

  “Rip?” I asked.

  Ralph pointed at Rhett with a half smile on his face. It was good to see after what he’d gone through yesterday.

  “We’d like a couple of pitchers of beer, please,” Rhett said.

  “And water,” Ralph added.

  Even I didn’t have to write down this order, and I could fill it without help. I picked up the first pitcher and angled it under the tap. My father had taught me how to pour a beer when I was fourteen. Most of my friends were being taught algebra by their fathers. Mine thought I needed other life skills too.

  I filled the second pitcher and put both on a tray. Then I filled another pitcher with water.

  “What are they up to?” Joaquín asked.

  “I’m not sure. One of them called Rhett ‘Rip.’ ” I lifted the tray, thanking the powers that be I’d spent so much time swimming and paddleboarding that I had strong arms. Over the summer I’d learned how to balance things on a tray too.

  “Rip? I’ll bring the water and the glasses,” Joaquín said, “because I want to know what’s going on.”

  We carried everything over. I poured glasses of beer and passed them around, listening to them talk about the fire they’d put out this morning. Joaquín poured the glasses of water.

  “And then Rip here had to save a cat from a tree,” one of the guys said. He winked at me. “That’s how the rookie got his nickname.”

  I set the two pitchers on the table. “The rookie?”

  They all pointed at Rhett. “Newest guy in the department.”

  “And he didn’t have a nickname until today?”

  Rhett turned to me. “I’m sure you have better things to do.” He sounded a little desperate.

  I glanced around the bar. “Nope. It’s pretty slow right now.” I looked back at the table full of men. “Tell me about this nickname.”

  “Last night a cat ran up a tree over on Palm Court, and his owner was frantic when it still hadn’t come down by this morning,” Ralph said. “Rookies are on cat duty.”

  “So Rip here uses the ladder.”

  “But he makes a rookie error by taking off his jacket.”

  “Because it’s hot out.”

  “Poor, poor rookie.”

  They were all talking over one another.

  “He climbs the ladder up to the cat.”

  “The cat was black as night.”

  “Only the cat didn’t want to come down.”

  I looked over at Rhett. He was looking down at his beer as if he’d like to disappear into it.

  “It ripped his shirt to shreds.”

  “Thus the nickname ‘Rip.’ ”

  “He finally calmed the cat and brought him down.”

  “Rip is a cat whisperer.”

  “And that cat stuck to him like Rip was catnip.”

  I could understand the cat’s feelings.

  “Rip finally managed to give the cat back to the owner.”

  “Who had to be eighty.”

  “She catches a glimpse of Rip’s abs through the shredded shirt.”

  “And says, ‘Oh, wow, you’re ripped.’ ”

  I was laughing at this point, imagining the whole thing playing out. Rhett looked up at me and grinned.

  They all laughed again. Then they raised their glasses.

  “To our brother, Rip.”

  There was a round of “hear, hears,” followed by long drinks. Rhett’s cheeks were pink.

  Joaquín put a hand on Rhett’s shoulder. “Drinks are on the house in honor of Rip.”

  I guess Rhett had just become Rip.

  “Chloe, please tell me there’s a what-happens-in-the-Sea-Glass-stays-in-the-Sea-Glass rule,” Rip said. “Otherwise, by tonight everyone in town will be calling me Rip.”

  “Sorry. That’s never going to happen,” I said, shaking my head. “Besides,” I swung my hand around at the other people in the bar, who included a couple of regulars, “everyone in here already heard.”

  The firefighters whooped it up and did another round of toasts.

  “Do the rest of you have nicknames?” I asked.

  “You bet they do,” Rip said. He pointed at the guy next to him. “That’s Bull, because he’s full of it.”

  “That’s Ax, because he can throw one.” Bull pointed at the man across from him. “He just can’t hit anything with it.”

  Ax pointed to the man sitting beside him. “That’s Smoke, because the ladies think he’s so hot.”

  Smoke shrugged a self-deprecating shrug.

  I turned to Ralph. “What’s your nickname?”

  He gave the men around the table a look. “It’s not to be repeated in polite society.”

  I laughed again. “I’m not that polite. Let’s hear it.”

  Everyone shook their heads.

  “No one messes with Ralph,” Ax said.

  “That’s right,” Ralph said. “If they know what’s good for them.”

  A man cleared his throat. I turned to see Bill and Alex from the Coast Guard standing there.

  CHAPTER 12

  From the looks on their faces and the way they were looking at Ralph, I knew they’d overheard that last bit. Their timing couldn’t have been worse.

  “Can I help you?” I asked, glancing back at Ralph, worried what they’d think about him after his comment. I knew Ralph was joking, but they might not.

  The rowdy firemen settled down when they noticed Ralph’s face. It had gone from laughing to serious in seconds. Eyebrows rose, glances were exchanged, and uneasy quiet settled over them. Alex was staring at Ralph, arms crossed, chin lifted.

  “We had some follow-up questions for you,” Bill said.

  “Did you find anything on the boat that will help you figure out how Raquel ended up there?” I asked. I wanted to put a hand on Ralph’s shoulder so he would relax. But the gesture would be noticed and might make things worse.

  “We need a few minutes of your time,” Bill said.

  “Joaquín?” I asked. Throw me a bone so I can get out of this. There must be something pressing I should do.

  “Go ahead. I’ll cover,” Joaquín said.

  Thanks.

  I reluctantly led Bill and Alex to Vivi’s office. I sat in her chair and gestured to the chairs across the desk.

  “It was very foolish of you to go out looking for the boat yesterday,” Alex said.

  “We’d just like to know exactly what you saw,” Bill said.

  I told them the same story I’d told the Coast Guard officers yesterday. Alex took lots of notes, scowling the whole time. Bill nodded sympathetically.

  “Did they find anything on the boat?” I asked.

  “A skeleton,” Alex said.

  “Yes. I told you that yesterday.”

  “Chloe,” Bill said, “we confirmed the one you found wasn’t real. Like you said, bones don’t hold together like that.”

  I closed my eyes for a moment and pictured the scene, felt the rocking of the boat and the creaking it caused. This was excellent news. It wasn’t Raquel. Ralph wouldn’t be in trouble. “That’s good ne
ws.”

  “But we did find a skull and some bones in the other cabin.”

  “Is that why I couldn’t get the door open all the way?” The thought made my stomach roil.

  “Yes,” Alex said.

  “So the people who boarded the boat left them there?”

  “Yes. They must have realized you’d radioed that you’d found the boat and that they didn’t have much time before someone from the Coast Guard would show up,” Alex said.

  “Do you have any idea who it is on the boat?”

  “A female. That’s all we know right now,” Bill said.

  If it was a female, it could be Raquel. “There wasn’t anything else that gave you any clues as to why they were there or what the people who were on the red boat wanted?”

  “We have forensic experts going over it,” Alex said.

  “Other than the remains, we didn’t find anything out of the ordinary that one wouldn’t find on a pleasure craft,” Bill added.

  “No drugs or guns?” I asked. “There must have been something of value on the boat if it was worth shooting at people for.”

  “Agreed,” Alex said, “because you led the bad guys right to the boat we may never know what.”

  He had a point, but if Rip—I smiled inwardly at the nickname—and I could find the boat why couldn’t the Coast Guard or the people on the red boat? “Do you have any idea how long the remains were there?”

  “A long time, because of the condition.”

  “So the boat was drifting around for years?” I asked.

  “It’s possible, but things don’t add up,” Bill said.

  “What things?” I asked.

  “The condition of the boat was too good,” Bill said.

  I was surprised they’d shared this much information.

  “How well do you know Ralph Harrison?” Alex asked.

  If they were asking this and the remains on the boat were female, they must have considered him a prime suspect. How well did I know him? “Well enough to know he’s a good man who has suffered incredible losses.”

  “How long have you known him?” Alex asked.

  “Four months. We met last June when I first came down here.”

  “So you don’t know him well,” Alex said.

  “He’s become a friend. I have good instincts about people. I’m a former librarian, and we are used to assessing people and situations quickly.” The library I’d worked for in Chicago was in an urban setting. All kinds of people, from CEOs to the homeless, came in. All were welcome as long as they complied with our rules.

  “Is there anything else you want to tell us?” Bill asked.

  Both Bill and Alex leaned forward. It was as if they knew I knew something and just wanted to hear it from me. I had nothing for them. I’d told them everything I’d seen. So their expectant expressions worried me.

  “I’ve told you everything I know.” They both sat back but didn’t look surprised. Maybe this was just some kind of intimidation technique the Coast Guard used to get people to confess things. However, when you have nothing to confess, it doesn’t work.

  “We’ve discovered the boat you were on is actually the Fair Winds.”

  “What’s the Fair Winds?” I asked. Then it hit me. “The boat that disappeared twelve years ago?” My voice quivered as I said it.

  “Yes,” Bill said.

  “How did you figure that out?” I asked.

  “We just did,” Alex said.

  Apparently, they didn’t want to share that information with me. I wasn’t sure why. “Where’s it been all these years?”

  “The name was no longer on the back, so it could have been almost anywhere,” Bill said. “Although I’m guessing not in this area, because someone might have recognized her.”

  Alex and Bill stood, so I did too. I followed them back out to the bar.

  “Ralph Harrison,” Alex said, “we’d like you to come with us.”

  Oh no. I watched them walk out and then sent Delores a quick text letting her know what had happened. This was bad.

  * * *

  The next couple of hours I went through the motions of my job, my mind a constant whirl of speculation about the Fair Winds reappearing. In the afternoon I turned to Vivi. “Do you mind if I take a look at the security camera’s video? I want to see if I can figure out who the man was who dropped me off.” I told them what happened with him last night at Two Bobs.

  “You were at Two Bobs last night?” Vivi’s tone suggested she didn’t approve.

  I wasn’t sure if the disapproval was because I was out late when she thought I should be home or if she just didn’t like Two Bobs. “I went to find Ann Williams.” Not that I had to justify my actions to Vivi, but I would for the sake of keeping the peace.

  “Oh, and after all you’d been through yesterday, that’s what you thought you should do instead of resting?” Vivi pressed her lips together as if she was holding back a lot of things she had to say. “Yes, you can look at the security camera footage. Use my office and take your time.”

  That was an interesting turn of events. She sounded worried about me. It made me happy. I hurried over to Vivi’s office, which was just off the bar, and settled in her chair before she could change her mind. With the new system all I had to do was type in the day and hour I needed. No scrolling back through hours of footage. The pictures were now high-resolution color too.

  I watched as we pulled into an empty slip behind the Sea Glass. A small crowd stood outside with their backs to the camera. I could pick out a few people I knew, like Ralph and Joaquín. I watched Joaquín hurry forward. I stopped the recording and zoomed in on the man in the boat with me. His head was down and he wore a baseball cap, so the camera didn’t capture his face. As if he didn’t want his face to be captured. What was that about?

  As soon as I was off the boat, he backed it out and in seconds was out of sight. Darn, that was frustrating. I watched until Joaquín and I entered the Sea Glass and were off camera. What was with this guy? And why did it bug me so much? It didn’t seem like it would help much to watch any video Wade might have. The angle of his cameras would be worse than ours.

  I printed a photo that had the best angle of him, where a lot of beard and a bit of nose showed. Not much to go on, but this was a small town, so someone should recognize him or his boat. And if they didn’t? What then?

  I took the picture back out into the bar. Joaquín was mixing something in the blender. We didn’t have any pre-made mixes like lots of beach bars did. Everything here was made from scratch with no artificial flavors. It was one of the reasons the bar was so popular. Vivi was checking on customers. She smiled and laughed. I had noticed over the summer that she never wrote down any orders, but never got anything wrong either. Maybe someday I’d be able to do that too.

  I took an apron from the small kitchen area behind the bar and tied it around my waist. I scooped up a pad and pen and went out to relieve Vivi. She could help Joaquín make drinks and do a better job than I ever could. It was something I needed to start working on.

  “I’ve got this,” I said. Vivi and I still had a lot to work out with me owning a quarter of the bar. We’d never discussed division of duties, but every month she deposited a quarter of our profits, along with my salary and tips, in my bank account. It was a lot more money than I’d ever made as a children’s librarian, but the summer was the busiest time of year here.

  Vivi headed back toward the bar as a man walked in from the beach. He was very definition of a silver fox with his thick, silver hair, expensive-looking, pink short-sleeved shirt, and khaki shorts. My head wasn’t the only one that swiveled to look at him. He was tall and fit. He paused in the doorway, as if he knew how to make an entrance. He pushed up his sunglasses up on his head to reveal light-gray eyes. He looked familiar to me. Maybe he’d been in over the summer, but honestly, I thought I’d remember someone this striking.

  The man scanned the room and then noticed Vivi.

  He walked half
way across the bar until he was almost even with me.

  “Vivi,” he called. He swept his arms open in a grand gesture.

  It made me wonder if he was an actor. Vivi glanced over her shoulder, froze, and pivoted toward the man. The whole bar went quiet.

  “Get out,” she said. Her voice was low and mean.

  CHAPTER 13

  Usually when Vivi was angry her drawl became prominent. Not this time. I’d never heard her speak to anyone like that. Not even me when I’d first arrived and she hadn’t wanted me here. Vivi had tried to buy me out almost as soon as she found out that Boone had left me part of the bar. However, I was stubborn and had promised Boone I’d be here, so Vivi was stuck with me. She turned on her heel and walked toward the back of the building. Seconds later the back door slammed so hard the whole building shook a little.

  Joaquín stood behind the bar, holding a glass. Our eyes met, and I’m sure mine were as wide as his. I had no idea why Vivi didn’t want this man here, but if she didn’t, he was out of here.

  The man threw back his head and barked out a laugh. “I guess she wasn’t happy to see me.”

  I stepped in front of him struck by his familiarity again. “Sir, you need to leave.” He tried to step around me, but I blocked him. I’d dealt with a lot of ornery people in my years as a children’s librarian, so I wasn’t afraid. Well, not much anyway.

  “I just want to have a drink and wait for Vivi. We both know that she’ll be back.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” I took a step closer. Expensive cologne and sea salt wafted off him.

  Joaquín came and stood beside me. “The lady told you to leave.”

  I wasn’t sure if he was talking about me or Vivi.

  The man put up his hands. “Okay, but you tell my partner Vivi, I’ll be back.” He turned and sauntered out.

  Joaquín and I looked at each other, eyebrows up. We were in the middle of the bar, so we didn’t want to make a big deal about it.

  “Anybody need anything?” I asked, smiling as if we kicked unknown men out of there every day.

  A table full of women waved to me. I went over to take their orders while Joaquín went back to making drinks. I checked with the people seated out on the deck before heading back inside. I was still using descriptors to help make sure I got the drinks to the right person. Woman, fluffy gray hair, lemonade and vodka. Woman in flamingo print dress, Riesling. Woman, silver hoop earrings, Bloody Mary.