Flutter

by L. E. Green

  Alan followed the GPS faithfully and successfully reached Mackie’s Bar and Grille at Pier 6. The restaurant was a reddish brown shack that sat ocean side. It was a nice break from the drive. They found a parking space on the side of the road and pulled in. Parking in the parking lot was a bit difficult since they were towing a boat. Dennis and Jiang exited the car and stretched their legs. It wasn’t a long drive but it was long enough for the joints in their knees to get stiff. The two men walked into Mackie’s. It looked like an old boat house with wooden panel walls. There were family pictures on the wall and pictures of the owners with famous people who occasionally stopped in to have lunch or dinner. There was a picture of the original owner with a young Ted Kennedy at the beginning of his political career.

  They chose the table near the window overlooking the ocean. What a view. Alan ordered grilled shrimp and a lobster roll with a gin and tonic. Dennis ordered crab cakes, clam chowder and pasta salad with a soda. The smell of the fresh ocean water was in the air. Dennis had never been able to relax and enjoy the beauty of the sea. He was excited just to be able to finally smell the ocean breeze without inhaling pollutants. During dinner, they spent the majority of their time talking about the earlier meeting, women and sports. Dennis was intrigued by anything Alan said. He knew Alan had the magic bullet of success and he would do just about anything to learn how Alan ticked.

  Jiang asked, “How did you find this place? The food is pretty good.”

  “A friend of mine, Garrett, he told me about it. I spoke to him on Facebook yesterday and he said, ‘if you ever get a chance, check out Mackie’s’ so here we are. His parents have a timeshare out here. They come once a year in August, so he’s pretty familiar with the area.”

  Jiang was always a skeptic. He didn’t like people knowing where he was. He knew Dennis wasn’t familiar with much of anything outside of Boston so he wondered if someone had put him up to coming to this place. He loved Dennis like a little brother, but didn’t put anything past anyone. Everyone is an opportunist given the right persuasion and opportunity. He wondered if Dennis had become buddy–buddy with another executive at the firm. Alan often had to stop his mind from wandering. He figured, “If I can imagine it, then someone has already done it or is going to do it. So act first.”

  “Garrett… from where?” Alan questioned.

  “Oh from B school. We chat once in a while.” Dennis had picked up on Alan’s natural instinct to question motives. He smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s no one you know or who knows you. He gave up business and became an art student. He has no interest in the world of finance and I didn’t tell him exactly when I was coming this way. You are paranoid about the smallest things, man. Chillax!”

  Alan smirked, but he didn’t find it funny.

  It was mid–afternoon when two men finally got on the water. They were off the coast of Portland, Maine blue and striper fishing on Alan’s boat. Alan knew it was a little early in the season, but he was more excited about just being on the water. Alan showed Dennis how to set the proper knot for the eight ounce diamond jig. He explained how to use the fishing pole and what to do if he caught a fish. Alan had herring and chicken breast that he would attach to the hooks if they decided to go with bait instead of a jig. Alan loaned Dennis an older pole with a Penn reel on it. It’s the pole he had used up until two years ago. That pole has done some great fishing.

  “The sea is a little rough today. I’m surprised you’re not sea sick,” Alan joked as he dropped his line to the ocean floor. “No no. Let the jig hit the bottom, then crank it up about 20 times before you drop it again.”

  “I did!” Dennis scrunched his face. His arms were fatiguing.

  “No, you didn’t. I watched you, and I counted.”

  “Well, maybe you lost count. You’re getting a little old, you know.” Dennis smiled a wide smile while squinting his eyes.

  “Your ass is right behind me, fucker!” Alan smiled back.

  They laughed.

  Dennis had something on his mind. “What do you think about Moore?”

  “You mean Erin? Erin Moore?” Alan was no longer thinking about the fishing. “I must admit she is brilliant. I just don’t like the fact that I can’t read her. I don’t know whose side she is on or if she is even listening. She nods and scrunches her eyes while taking notes at every meeting. She makes really good decisions and tough ones too. She takes her time and doesn’t care if anyone tries to rush her.”

  Dennis agreed. “She is very smart. It’s almost scary how wise and creative she is. The board loves her. If they ever decided to jerk you, she’s next in line.”

  “Yes I know. I see it,” Alan responded.

  “Do you think the board is gonna jerk you?”

  “Dennis, everyone gets jerked at some point. One minute, you’re their star player, the next minute you’re riding the bench hoping you will be substituted in. Then, the owners are wondering why they are paying you so much and they’re not using your services anymore. I see them whispering behind closed doors. I don’t care whose business they put on the table. Each one gets the same scrutiny as the next.”

  Slowly the sky turned dark and large dark gray clouds move in overhead. There was a crack of lightning that shook the men in their boots. Dennis grabbed his chest in horror. He tried to laugh it off, but then another thunderous boom followed. Alan didn’t want to take any chances.

  “Well, this was unexpected. Reel up!” Alan shouted nervously.

  Dennis and Alan reeled up their lines vigorously just as the rain began to pour. Alan drove the boat. He was extremely nervous thinking about how he didn’t pay enough attention to the weather reports. He turned back and headed to the Falmouth shore. They were about 20 minutes out, and the sea got rougher. Alan was sure he could make it back so he stayed on the course. I have been on rougher seas than this. But Dennis had not. They shouted inaudibly. Alan tried to signal Dennis to put on a life jacket, but Dennis didn’t understand. He was too afraid to walk over to Alan and Alan was too afraid to stop driving the boat. Lightning cracked again as the rain flooded out Alan’s warnings to Dennis. The sky turned blacker than ever as they sped off over the rough sea.

  THE NEXT DAY

  Saturday morning, London Bradley was a young woman on a mission to do some fishing off the Portland coast for stripers. She arrived in her army green 2001 Jeep Wrangler at about 10:00 in the morning and pulled out her equipment. She put on her neoprene Cabelas suit so that she could wade in the shallow ocean water as she fished. She slipped her legs in one by one and pulled the straps up over her shoulders, then slipped her feet into the waterproof boots she had purchased a few weeks earlier. She gathered her long black hair into a ponytail and slipped on a cap. London grabbed her bait from the floor behind her seat, took out her tackle from the trunk, put her phone in the chest pocket of her jacket and headed across the rocky path that lead to the beach. It was a short walk from where she had parked to the little cove.

  Her uncle, Benjamin Simms, was supposed to meet her there within the hour. He had to run a few errands for her grandmother before he could reach the beach where London had asked him to meet her. She argued with him repeatedly that the season was a little early, but his friend at work had told him blues and stripers were biting since a week before due to the warm winter that year. All winter, London and her uncle had friendly arguments about who would catch the most fish or the largest fish this season, so she made sure she was there early, hoping to catch the first saltwater fish of the season. Last year their fishing buddy, Oscar Youngblood, won the title for saltwater fishing. Benjamin took the overall freshwater fishing title; and London, who called herself the “BASS MASTER,” earned the bass fishing title in their friendly competition.

  As she got closer to the water, the rocky path slowly turned into a small, sandy beach. She had been there many times and was familiar with the depth of the water. There were fissures in the sand from the previous night’s storm where rain had washed over the beach. London was c
areful to walk around them for fear she would trip and twist her ankle. She received a text from her uncle. “BE THERE IN 15.”

  She knew she’d better hurry and at least get a few casts in to increase her odds of catching the first fish. She was so competitive with her uncle and other fishing partners; she prepped all her tackle at home the night before and hoped she would get right to it. She dropped her tackle box and bait bucket on the shore and placed herring on the hook. She turned on her iPod, plugged in the ears, and then went directly into the water until it was about waist high. The neoprene suit kept her warm as she released her first cast into the water.

  Ten minutes of casting and London hadn’t caught a thing. She didn’t even get a nibble. Her bait was beaten up from repeatedly smashing against the rocks, so she decided to change the bait. As she changed the bait, she looked toward the path and noticed a familiar figure coming toward her. Although she wanted to beat him to the punch, her uncle Benjamin had reached the beach sooner than she had expected. He, too, was dressed in a neoprene suit. She was happy to see him.

  “Any luck?” He shouted as he walked closer.

  “None yet.” She rushed to get her bait secured on the line.

  “You’re supposed to be the Bass Master– or does that only apply to freshwater bass? Are you having trouble with sea bass?” He laughed loudly, almost snickering.

  “HA HA HA! You wait old man! The Bass Master will prevail.”

  He smiled, noticing that she was anxious to get back into the water, and said, “No worries. The professional is here.” He put his tackle box on the beach and opened the bait bucket. In the bucket he had eels. “You aren’t using the right bait. Use these.” He smiled.

  “Well why didn’t you tell me to pick up eels instead of letting me buy all these herring?”

  “Because I knew you wanted to beat me so I wasn’t going to let you in on my secret until I got here.”

  They both laughed. London took the herring off her line and replaced it with an eel. Her hands were getting cold but she was ready to get back to the task. They both walked back toward the beach and immediately stopped in their tracks.

  Benjamin dropped his pole in the sand and said, “Call 911!”

  London dropped her belongings and began to dial 911 in her phone. Her hands were shaking. Meanwhile, her uncle ran back to his truck and returned with a camera.

  London stared at the water as she called, “Yes… I’m at Yellow’s Point in Portland. It’s a little cove across the street from Jerry’s Pizza Palace. You need to get here ASAP.”

  Her uncle Benjamin snapped pictures.

  “You have to get here quickly! A body just washed up on the shore.”

  CHAPTER 2

  ALAN’S FUNERAL

  FIVE DAYS LATER

  The 200–year–old basilica held approximately 300 guests attending Alan Jiang’s funeral. Cherry blossoms were sprinkled along the steps of the main entrance. Reporters from various television stations were on the perimeter and were roped off away from the family. The pipe organ could be heard blocks away. Many of Jiang’s colleagues and friends came to pay their respects. Without question, everyone respected him, and it was clear where the power would shift after this day. Alan’s parents were somber as they walked into the church. Jiang’s mother was a stout Chinese woman. She had straight, silver hair and rosy cheeks. His father was tall and strong looking for his age. His hair was gray. He wore glasses and peeked over them from time to time, whenever he was unsure of something he saw. Jiang’s father seemed unshaken as he helped his wife up the front stairs.

  The other Chinese people with Jiang’s parents must have been other family members and close family friends about whom Jiang never spoke. There were about 30 people in attendance. Jiang didn’t want people involved in his family life. He didn’t want them to be watched or be used as a means to influence Jiang’s decisions, so he lived as if he was estranged from his family. Secretly he loved them very much and created false business meetings to pay them an occasional visit. The parents and family stood outside of the front door awaiting the arrival of Alan’s wife.

  Erin Moore pulled up in a limo. She exited the limo with Darren Hall, another executive from Chapel and Case. Moore was wearing a simple, all–black dress with four inch stilettos. A slim gold belt was tightened around her waist. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun. She wore a pair of small gold hoops, conservative makeup and a gold Tiffany necklace. Darren Hall had on a dark gray Armani Suit with a white handkerchief in the jacket pocket. He wore a pair of Armani eye glasses with a slight burgundy tint. He was rather flashy for corporate America and had been warned to keep his color choices to gray, blue and black. Many thought he might have homosexual tendencies, but Erin Moore had been sleeping with him for two years. There was even a pregnancy scare rumored about the office. When the former CFO heard about it, he and the board had a serious conversation with the couple. Nine months later, there was no baby in sight. Erin whispered something in Darren’s ear once he was out of the limo.

  She reached over and helped him straighten out his tie. “You look stunning.”

  “As do you.” Darren winked.

  “Let him know we are here, and we will head back as soon as it is over.”

  Hall nodded and pulled out his phone. He began to text someone and put the phone away by time they reached the stairs. He straightened his tie. On their way into the sanctuary, Erin and Darren acknowledged Jiang’s parents and expressed their condolences. She handed Alan’s father a card from Chapel and Case containing a check for $10,000. Erin Moore noticed a tear drop down the face of one of the Chinese women standing behind Alan’s parents. She reached in her purse and handed the woman a tissue, then nodded and walked in. Erin and Darren chose a row on the right side of the room next to a few corporate colleagues they knew from business dealings, both shady and legitimate. They shook a few hands before settling in and finally sitting down.

  Another limo approached. It carried Alan’s wife, Katherine, and Katherine’s mother, father and her brother, Jake.

  “You ok, Katie?” Jake was very protective of his big sister. She nodded and looked to make sure no one heard him call her Katie. Jake hugged and kissed her on the forehead. Jake had just returned from Afghanistan three weeks earlier. He had been seeing a psychiatrist for post–traumatic stress disorder. Jake felt that he didn’t need to see a psychiatrist, but the service was free and mandatory as instructed by his superiors. He had intended to marry his girlfriend of five years when he returned to the States except she had gotten pregnant by another man while he was gone. Jake went into a rage when he received her letter in the mail the day before he was set to return home. His rampage put him on watch and thus the mandatory appointments with a psychiatrist were required. He insisted he didn’t need it. What man wouldn’t go on a rampage over something like that? But the army had insisted, just in case.

  Katherine was trying to be strong because she knew many business colleagues were in attendance: CEO Joshua Gorman from Eckerson and Bland Investments, COO Mary Aboku from Interspire Inc., and Henry Lloyd from Blackstone Construction, who were responsible for just about all the new construction projects in the Northeast. Katherine wasn’t sure if crying would make her look weak or if not crying would make her look inhumane. She decided to hold her tears. Seeming inhumane was never a bad quality in the business world. Seeming weak was never a good idea. She was extremely sad and wondered how she would ever manage to keep her tears hidden, so she wore a black hat with a veil just in case she lost control of her emotions. She had on a sleek black dress with black leather shoes with silver studs on the heels. She wore a silver brooch on the lapel of her blazer. Her red hair blazed from underneath her black hat.

  Katherine reached the top of the stairs where Alan’s parents stood. She gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and a soft hug. Mrs. Jiang was extremely fond of Katherine. Katherine loved to spoil her mother–in–law with expensive purses, shoes and perfume. She spoiled Mrs.
Jiang even more than she did her own mother. Last Mother’s Day, Katherine took her mother and Mrs. Jiang to St. Martin where they stayed at the Sonesta Maho Casino and Resort. They had an all girls weekend on the beach; they explored the fancy boutiques and the cuisine on the French side of the island. Katherine’s mother wept softly and hugged Mr. and Mrs. Jiang. The funeral director came over to the family. She wanted them to process into the sanctuary.

  “Are we ready to pay Alan his final respects?”

  No one said anything.

  “Whenever you are ready we will be ready. Take your time,” she smiled and backed away.

  Mr. Jiang gave the final nod before they walked in as a family. Suddenly, Katherine was grabbed by the family lawyer Joseph “Terri–bull” Terbull. He was also called THE BULL for short because of his cut throat tactics in the court room and in negotiations. Joseph was heavy set and dark skinned with even darker circles under his eyes. He had a scar from his right eyebrow down to his nose. Some said it was the result of a fight with a client who didn’t pay him. The truth was that he had been in a car accident the night after he passed the bar exam. He and a few buddies went out to drink. His friends, Mitch Loomis and Travis Carry, were also in the car. Mitch was driving on I90 heading back to Framingham. When he got back onto the city streets, he ran a stop light, swerved to miss another car and crashed into a mailbox. They were so afraid when they came to that Joseph followed his first instinct, hopped out of the car, moved Mitch, backed the car up and drove it to his house. He hid the car in his garage and his wife drove them all to the hospital. They told the cops they had been jumped when coming out of a bar and left it at that.

  “Dennis Matthew’s parents want to know what we plan to do to investigate further,” Mitch informed her at every step.