The Art of Rivers

by Janet W. Ferguson

  “Where’s the key to your boat?”

  Cooper fished in his pocket and pulled out his keys. He turned through them. The key to the loft, the gallery, his Jeep, the Re-Claimed men’s house, but no boat keys. He went through them again, more slowly, just to be sure. This didn’t make sense. He had an extra, but he’d always kept one on this ring. “I normally have one here. I don’t know where it is.”

  She wrote something on her notepad. “And how do you enter the gate at the marina where your boat is kept?”

  “With a code.”

  “When was the last time you saw Angelo?” The woman’s gaze drilled into Cooper.

  “The day he skipped out of Re-Claimed. He worked at the gallery.”

  “No contact since?” This time the question came from Sheriff Barnes.

  “None.” Cooper was dying to ask what in the world was going on, but maybe they had to get the preliminary questions out of the way first.

  “Can you make a detailed statement of your whereabouts and who you were with since the day Angelo left?”

  “I’ll do my best.” Though it would be awkward to admit how much of that time had been spent with Rivers. He hated that she might be dragged into whatever was going on.

  “Okay, when you finish, we’ll talk.” Sheriff Barnes handed Cooper a sheet of paper and a pen. He and the deputy left the room.

  Through the open door, Cooper slid a look toward Kevin, but his friend’s expression gave nothing away. If he was here for moral support, he wasn’t helping much. Cooper’s insides roiled.

  Something serious had gone down with Angelo.

  “HEY, LADIES.” GABBY met Rivers and Star on the sidewalk in front of Re-Claimed. “I’ve got subs at the houses for a little while. Daddy needs to talk with Rivers and me down at his office.” She directed her attention to Star. “You good with that?”

  “Sure. See y’all later.” Weary-eyed but offering a nod, Star turned toward the house. The girl had been giving sobriety a serious effort, even while grieving.

  Apprehension rippled through Rivers. There was something strange about Gabby’s tone. “My car or yours?”

  “You drive. I’ll direct.” Once they reached the VW, Gabby folded her long legs and sat on the passenger side.

  Rivers cranked the car and followed the directions Gabby gave. “What’s going on?”

  “Something with Angelo. Daddy wants to verify Cooper’s alibi.”

  “Alibi?” Good grief. She hadn’t expected trouble to come this fast.

  “I don’t know the details, so let’s not worry.” Gabby seemed to be making extra effort to keep her tone upbeat. “Turn here.”

  Rivers complied, and they continued on their course. Questions snaked through her mind, but she kept them to herself.

  Had she trusted too quickly? Was Cooper the man she’d believed? Was she a complete idiot?

  They’d know soon enough. She took a deep breath and blew the air out with a silent prayer. Show me the truth, God.

  At the parking lot, the yellow key ring lying in the cup holder reminded Rivers of her earlier escapade. “I meant to ask if you’d come with me to see what’s in a storage unit Cooper’s grandmother had. I would ask Cooper, but I didn’t know if there’d be painful memories for him there. And I know it sounds silly, but when I went over there this afternoon, I was totally creeped out by the place.” Not unlike the way she felt right now.

  “Of course.” Gabby raised her brows. “Is it in a sketchy location or something? Give me the key, and I’ll get Daddy to go.”

  “The key’s in the console. The area seemed all right. Probably just me being a baby.” She hoped.

  “That’s understandable.” Gabby pocketed the ring and then sniffed a couple of times with her nose scrunched. “First let’s take care of the current situation. And then maybe get some deodorizer for this Bug. How can you stand the sour smell?”

  “Years of practice.” Rivers tried to keep her voice and her posture steady as they walked across the lot, despite the nervousness crawling over her like she’d stepped in an angry pile of fire ants.

  Gabby opened the glass door and led her in, speaking to people she knew along the way. They reached an office doorway. A tall, beefy man in a sheriff’s uniform stood with Cooper and a female officer. The man’s face had that stern, don’t-mess-with-me aura, like a high school principal on steroids. Cooper’s expression held a twisted mix of emotion when he met her gaze. His eyes offered an unspoken apology, but his lips stayed pressed shut.

  The sheriff turned to Cooper. “Would you step into the hall and shut the door? I’d like to talk to Gabriella and Ms. Sullivan.”

  Cooper complied. Rivers followed Gabby and the sheriff and the female officer into an office.

  A wave of dread washed over Rivers, weighing down her steps into the dull room. The door clicked shut behind them.

  “Ms. Sullivan, thank you for coming down. I’m Sheriff Barnes and this is Deputy Walden.” He turned to shake her hand with the firmest grip Rivers had ever endured. If she weren’t so intimidated, she’d have squealed or at least complained she needed her hands for her work. The woman’s grip wasn’t much lighter.

  “Call me Rivers.” She made a pathetic attempt at a smile.

  “I hear you’ve helped over at Kevin and Gabriella’s project. It’s much appreciated.” He pulled one of the empty chairs from beside the wall. “Have a seat.”

  Wow, she felt like she was in a time-out. And she had no idea why. Her heart raced. What in the world had she gotten mixed up in?

  “Would either of you like some coffee or water?” Deputy Walden asked.

  “No, ma’am,” Rivers squeaked out.

  “No, thanks.” Gabby took another vacant chair and scooted it up beside her.

  “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve asked you down here.” Sheriff Barnes sat behind a desk.

  Understatement of the year. No. Too many things had gone haywire in the last twelve months for today to make the top of the heap. She could get through this, whatever this was. She’d been through worse. Lord, help me.

  “Would you write the times, dates, and locations you’ve been in James Cooper Knight’s presence since the disappearance of Angelo Thomas?” He pushed blank paper toward both of them. “I have a calendar if you need to look at one. I’ve marked the date Mr. Thomas last resided at the Re-Claimed.”

  This was serious. Rivers stared at the paper and picked up the pencil. A knot lassoed her midsection, pulling tight as her brain went blank. Was Angelo even alive? “Can I ask why?”

  “I can’t disclose the details yet.”

  Gabby grunted. “What’s going on, Daddy? If Angelo got into some mess, it didn’t involve Cooper. We keep him too busy to get into trouble.”

  “We’re covering all the bases before we move forward.” His voice became soft. “Honey, your statements could help Cooper.”

  “Fine.” Gabby huffed. “They better. I need him.” Then she gave her dad a humble look. “Thank you, sir.”

  Maybe the man wasn’t so scary. Rivers summoned her courage. “I think I’ll need that calendar, please.” She wanted to get this right. If Cooper was in the middle of some scheme, she’d be furious, both with him and herself. If he wasn’t, then she sure didn’t want her memory to be the cause of more trouble.

  She just wished she knew which it was.

  COOPER CHECKED HIS phone again. It seemed Rivers had been in Sheriff Barnes’s office for hours, but only thirty minutes had passed.

  “This is crazy.” Kevin shuffled his feet like a caged animal in the chair beside him. “I need answers.”

  “Answers would be nice, but like most situations in life, we’re not in control.”

  “Good reminder, bro.” Kevin chuckled. “Let go, and let God.”

  “That.” Cooper nodded. The AA slogan fit. Because like always, he’d have to trust that God knew what He was doing. He prayed that Rivers was trusting Him too. She didn’t deserve to go through more drama. A
nd again, it was his fault.

  The door to the office swung open, and Sheriff Barnes stepped out. “Come in. I’ll explain what I can, because some of it will be on the news at ten o’clock.”

  “Thank you.” Kevin breathed out an exasperated huff.

  They rose and joined Rivers and Gabby and the deputy in the room. Rivers met his eyes, but he couldn’t decipher what might be running through her mind. What must she think of him?

  “Have a seat if you want,” the sheriff offered two chairs that were pushed against the wall.

  “I’m fine.” He couldn’t sit another second. His nerves were way too ragged.

  “Me too.” Kevin must have reached his capacity as well.

  “Okay, here’s what I’m allowed to tell you.” Sheriff Barnes faced all four of them. “Angelo took Cooper’s boat late this afternoon. Not sure if this was the first time he’d taken it, but when he did, he clipped another larger boat.”

  Great. Cooper held in a groan. He hadn’t thought to look for Angelo on his boat. And his insurance would not be happy about paying out on some yacht.

  “The other boat called for the police because of the accident, but also because of Angelo’s erratic behavior.” He leveled a gaze on Cooper. “And because your boat began taking on water. It ended up sinking.”

  No. Cooper shook his head as his stomach plunged. What next? “I only had liability insurance.”

  Gabby took to her feet, shaking a finger at him. “Well, you can quit your guilt patrol. You are forgiven, Coop.”

  “My boat rides weren’t always about that.” He’d like to believe he might someday be able to let go of his culpability in Savannah’s death. But the blame seemed to be ingrained in him as much as it had been ingrained in the minds of his family. “I like nature—”

  “Where is Angelo now?” Kevin interrupted his lame explanations.

  “Booking.” The deputy spoke up. “Mr. Knight, we’ll need you to agree to not leave the county during the investigation. Would you agree to undergo a polygraph tomorrow?”

  “Yes, but this sounds like more than a boating accident.”

  “Angelo was in possession of a bag containing four kilos of uncut heroin when he got off your vessel and onto the other boat.”

  A collective gasp traveled the room. Gabby’s mouth fell open. For once, she was speechless. And Cooper understood her astonishment. Angelo was a small-time heroin user, only selling to pay for his own drugs. That amount was way out of line for the guy.

  Cooper shook his head. “Kilos?”

  Sheriff Barnes nodded, then stood and opened his office door. “He won’t be coming back to Re-Claimed. Not for a number of years, at least. He’s talking a bunch of jumbled nothing right now. Seems he’d sampled the product.” His tone was gruff. “Thank you all for coming down. We’ll be in touch to set up your polygraph.”

  Rivers stood. She and Gabby neared the doorway.

  Kevin pressed his fingers to his temple. “What did he get himself into?”

  “What did he get our good name into?” Gabby huffed.

  Turning his gaze to Rivers, Cooper searched her expression. Would she think he’d been involved? Whether she did or not, it didn’t matter. One week after agreeing to be together, if only temporarily, she’d been thrown into the midst of a criminal investigation.

  He was selfish to ask her to devote any piece of her heart to someone like him. That ended now.

  He didn’t know why Angelo had used his boat, but he’d rather step down than shine a bad light on the mission. “I’m resigning, effective immediately. I’ll rent a hotel room. Rivers and Gabby can find someone to take over the gallery.”

  Chapter 36

  STUNNED AND BRAIN-SCRAMBLED, Rivers followed Gabby out to the parking lot. This was definitely a roller-coaster moment, and she hadn’t expected the fierce drop so soon. Kevin and Cooper, a few steps behind on the sidewalk, spoke in hushed tones.

  Midstride, Gabby stopped and turned. She pointed at Cooper. “You are not resigning. I know you’re not guilty, and it’ll seem like you are if you quit now.”

  “She’s right,” Kevin agreed. “The polygraph will back up your statement, and you could voluntarily submit to a drug test.”

  Cooper raised his gaze from the ground to Rivers. He seemed to be waiting for her verdict.

  She swallowed hard, floundering to figure out what she actually believed to be true. Was she foolish or blind? The man she saw before her wasn’t a drug user anymore nor was he a drug dealer.

  Have I been deceived somehow, God?

  Only last night, she’d said she wished Cooper’s family could know the man she knew. Now a gentle nudge in her heart told her to trust her own words.

  Rivers took a step toward him. “I don’t believe you’re involved with whatever Angelo was doing. You shouldn’t give up your work. It’s too important.”

  He didn’t speak, but his eyes widened, as if he couldn’t imagine her still being on his side.

  “Why don’t you give Cooper a ride home in the Stinky Bug?” Gabby tapped Rivers on the back. “Kev and I will stay until Daddy can drive us. We’ll see if we can come up with a plan.”

  Cooper shook his head, his focus still on Rivers. “You don’t have to. Honestly, if I were you, I’d catch the next flight to Memphis and get away from my trail of misery.”

  “You’re not me.” Rivers retrieved the keys from her bag and motioned with her head toward her car. “Come on.”

  The hum of the motor and Cooper’s directions claimed the ride back. They both seemed embroiled in their own thoughts. Rivers churned ideas over and over in her mind. How could they make this situation better? There had to be a way to disconnect Angelo’s illegal acts from being tied to Cooper or Re-Claimed.

  “Angelo passed his last drug test. And it’s not one he could fake.” Cooper broke the quiet. “Sure, he’d admitted he was still struggling some, but nothing that would add up to this. I mean, the kind of cash it would take to come up with that much heroin—no way Angelo had it. He was a small-time carrier, only did it to be able to afford his own stash. And in less than two weeks, he’d have finished his probation.”

  “Maybe the temptation was too much. If someone offered him a lot of money or a lot of...”

  “Heroin. You can say the word. I won’t jump out of the car to look for some.” He banged his hand against the dash. “But dang-it, why take my boat? I see why you think of us as ruiners.”

  She wished she hadn’t been so honest about her inmost thoughts. “You aren’t that.”

  “Anymore, you mean. Because I was. Like Angelo, I took people’s trust and buried it in the Atlantic. Only I was worse. I took my cousin under.”

  At a stop sign, Rivers glanced at Cooper. His face contorted with pain. This situation had swept him into a black pit, and she wasn’t sure how to drag him out or even throw him a life ring.

  “Don’t give up hope.” She pressed the gas, recognizing the area, at last, and turned toward Re-Claimed rather than the gallery. There was no way she’d let him thrash in this mire alone in that tiny studio. Maybe Davis could help.

  Unless he’d been involved.

  No. She trusted her instincts about both Davis and Cooper. She’d not been around Angelo as much to have feelings one way or another about him. She pulled to a stop in front of the Re-Claimed houses.

  “Why are we here?” Cooper stared out the windshield.

  “I may’ve turned off those annoying alarms you set on my phone, but I still need dinner. I thought maybe they’d have some leftovers.” She offered him a smile and touched his arm. “Let’s get some food, find Davis, and sit outside to eat and talk.”

  He lowered his head, his eyes pressed shut. “What if I don’t want to?”

  “I didn’t ask.” She opened her door. “Let’s go.”

  “IF YOU’D SAID ANGELO’D wrapped himself in tin foil and claimed to be a Martian, I’d have been less shocked.” Davis kneaded his forehead and stomped the concrete. “I m
ean, I’m bumfuzzled and mad as a wet cat. I’d rip him a new one if he were here. How could he do this to us? To God? I thought I knew the man.”

  Cooper understood Davis’s bewilderment and anger. But what really confused him right now was the support Rivers was showing him. How could she still believe in him? Couldn’t she see he wasn’t worth it?

  Yet, here she sat on the front porch step of Re-Claimed, eating her dinner of chicken nuggets and trying to figure out how to prove his innocence. Other than Gabby and Kevin, no one had ever believed in him or stood up for him. Honestly, he often didn’t believe in himself. He should’ve seen this coming, seen some clue that Angelo was floundering.

  “What about surveillance cameras? Maybe one would show Angelo leaving. If he left with someone else, they might be recognizable.” Rivers pointed toward the security company sign on the front lawn. “There’s one at the gallery, too, right? The video might help figure out at least part of what happened.”

  “Yeah, if they haven’t been recorded over. The loop is only so long.” Cooper sighed. “I’ve never had the need to check into it before, but Kevin might know how long they last.”

  The sheriff’s car pulled up, and Gabby and Kevin stepped out before it pulled away again. The siblings made a somber trail down the sidewalk.

  “This is so frustrating.” Gabby waved both arms in the air. “God, send us some miracles, please, in the name of Jesus.”

  “Amen,” Davis answered. “Rivers had an idea. Can y’all find out if there’s anything of interest on the surveillance cameras at the houses and the gallery?”

  “Good thinking.” Kevin nodded. “They might have one out at the marina. I’ll call Dad and the security company. See what we can get going.” He squared off in front of Cooper. “We’re going to figure this out. You’re not going down with your ship.”

  Another car pulled up front. Shane’s red Audi.