by Kathi Daley
“Okay.”
The woman looked worried, but I had a feeling the shark the boy said he saw was just a figment of his jealousy.
“Hi; my name’s Lani,” I introduced myself to the boy, who looked more angry than scared.
“Toby. Did my mom tell you about the shark?”
“She did. Can you tell me exactly what you saw?”
“I already told you, I saw a shark.” The boy pointed into the distance. “Out near the group on the raft. You really should make them come in.”
“Were you on the raft when you saw the shark?”
The boy shook his head. “They said they had too many people and I couldn’t go.”
“I see. Can you tell me exactly what you saw and where you were when you saw it?”
The boy looked back out toward the water. “I was standing here and I saw a fin. A big one.”
“Was the fin you saw between the raft and the beach?” I asked.
“No, it was on the other side of the raft.”
Based on the boy’s location, as well as that of the raft, Toby would have needed binoculars to have seen a fin from that distance. “I bet you’re mad at your friends for going out into the water and leaving you behind.”
“Yeah.”
“It doesn’t seem quite fair. And I understand you might want to get them back for what they did, but reporting a fake shark sighting is a very bad thing to do and it could get someone in a lot of trouble. Are you sure you saw a shark?”
The boy looked scared, but I waited for his answer.
“I saw a shark. I did.”
“Okay. Then I’ll clear the water.”
I grabbed my megaphone and instructed everyone in the water to return to the beach. I still didn’t think Toby had really seen a shark, but I couldn’t take the chance that he hadn’t. Once everyone was out of the water I called Mitch, who said he’d check out the area with the rescue boat. If he cleared the area I’d allow the swimmers and surfers to reenter the water.
I climbed back onto my tower and scanned the water with my binoculars. By this point I sort of hoped there was a shark so the resort guests wouldn’t be upset that we’d interrupted their day for nothing. You’d think our guests would want us to err on the side of caution, but more often than not that wasn’t the case.
“See anything?” I asked Mitch over the two-way radio.
“Not yet. I’m going to do another sweep, but it looks like if there ever was a shark he’s long gone.”
“I’m pretty sure the shark was a ploy by a ten-year-old to get back at his friends for not letting him join them on the raft.”
Mitch chuckled. “Smart kid. There’s no way for us to prove or disprove what he said he saw as long as he keeps to his story. Hang on; I see something in the water up ahead.”
I waited for Mitch to get back to me.
“Close the beach and call HPD. The thing I saw in the water was an arm.”
Chapter 2
Cam and I had the beach cleared by the time Jason and his partner, Colin, showed up. Mitch had retrieved the arm and had it waiting back at lifeguard headquarters. I had no idea if one of the swimmers or surfers had been attacked without anyone noticing—very unlikely—or if the arm had drifted toward the beach from another location. The really strange thing was, once Mitch found the arm, Toby backtracked and said he’d made the whole thing up.
“So, what do you think?” Mitch asked Jason when we’d all gathered in his office.
“The arm has been in the water for a while,” Jason answered. “I’m going to say at least ten or twelve hours.”
“What are the odds some kid would report a fake shark sighting only to have the fake report lead to the actual retrieval of a human body part?” Cam asked. “The whole thing is too absurd.”
Jason, who was wearing a pair of gloves, turned the arm and the attached hand to the side. “It looks as if it belonged to a female. Probably middle-aged. The hand is intact, so we should be able to pull prints. Hopefully, there will be something in the database to match them to.”
“Do you think this arm is related to the dead body I found on the beach this morning?” I asked.
“I would say that’s very likely,” Jason answered. “I have a couple of men in boats looking for additional remains. I’ll need you to keep the beach closed and the water clear for the remainder of the day.”
“It’s not going to be easy,” I commented.
“I have a feeling once the shark attack story gets around folks will be willing to comply,” Jason reasoned.
I returned to the beach to post signs letting the resort guests know the beach and water would be closed for the remainder of the day, but they were welcome to use one of the three resort pools. Mitch wanted me to patrol the beach for a couple of hours while Jason’s men did their thing, so although there was no one in the water or on the sand to watch, I still hadn’t been released to go home.
I decided to use the downtime to call Luke and fill him in on my very eventful day. The problem was, he didn’t answer. I left a message and called Brody.
“Hey, Brody, it’s Lani.”
“Hey, girl. What’s up?”
“Dead man on the beach this morning and a severed arm in the water this afternoon. Other than that, not a lot.”
“What?”
“Oh, and it gets better,” I added. “The body I found on the beach this morning belongs to a man who’s been dead for the past five years. At least everyone thought he was dead. Given the fact that the body hadn’t decayed in the least, I’m going to guess everyone was wrong, unless Cam’s idea about a time warp turns out to be valid.”
Brody was silent for a moment before he replied, “Are you pulling my leg? Is this a prank of some sort, or maybe payback for the dead fish I left in your locker a while back?”
“That was you? I assumed it was Drake. Why would you do such a thing?”
“You know boys and dares.”
I groaned. “I almost got fired when I retaliated by putting a dirty diaper I found in the bathroom in Drake’s locker. I can’t believe it was you the whole time.”
“Yeah, I felt bad about that. But enough about that; did you really find a severed arm?”
“Mitch did, while checking out a fake shark report. Jason doesn’t think the arm was severed from a body as the result of a shark attack, however. Maybe Cam is right. Maybe we are in some sort of a time warp or alternate dimension, because a lot of really weird stuff is happening.”
Brody chuckled. “Leave it to you to get wrapped up in another stranger-than-strange mystery.”
“Yeah, lucky me. Listen, have you heard from Luke lately?” I asked, steering the conversation toward the real reason for my call.
“Yeah, I spoke to him this morning. Why?”
“I keep missing him, so we haven’t talked for a few days. How did he seem?”
“Seem?”
“Was he still worried about his dad or did it seem as if things were getting better?”
“I don’t know. We didn’t talk about his dad or his feelings. He called to let me know that a buyer was coming by to look at two of the horses this afternoon. He wanted to be sure I’d be here and he gave me instructions on what to say and what not to say while the man’s here.”
I frowned. “He’s selling two more horses? Doesn’t that make six since he’s been gone?”
“Yeah. So?” Brody asked. “He’s a horse breeder. He breeds and sells horses for a living.”
“I know that, but I’ve never known him to sell so many horses in such a short time. Are you sure he didn’t say anything about how things are going with his dad?”
“I’m sure. If you want to know how things are why don’t you call him and ask?”
I bit my lip as I stared out at the empty water. “Yeah, I will. Did Luke happen to say when he’d be back?”
“I don’t think he knows for sure yet. He asked if I was doing okay handling the animals on my own and I assured him I was. I told him
to take the time he needed and he thanked me. While he didn’t specifically mention his dad, I got the impression things were pretty bad. Poor guy seemed to have a lot to deal with, if you know what I mean.”
I took a deep breath and tried to calm the feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. “I know. I’ll call him later. But if he calls you again and if you get any interesting news will you call me?”
“Sure. Okay.” Brody paused. “Are things okay between you and Luke?”
“I don’t know. I’ve left messages he hasn’t returned, and when we do connect our conversations are short and he seems eager to get off the phone. I know he’s dealing with a lot and I don’t want to seem needy, but if I’m honest with myself, I’m starting to feel a little needy.”
“I’m sure Luke’s just worried about his dad. Everything will be fine once he gets home,” Brody assured me.
“I hope so. By the way, before I forget, Cam, Kekoa, and I are going to the beach after work. Burgers, beer, and surfing. You in?”
“Totally.”
“I’m bringing Sandy,” I said, referring to my dog. “You should bring Duke and Dallas,” I added, naming Luke’s dogs. “It’s been a while since they’ve had a chance to hang out.”
“I’ll do that. We going to the usual spot?”
“Depends on the waves. I’ll text you once we settle on a location.”
After I hung up with Brody I called Luke again. Still no answer. I’d already left a message, so there was no use leaving another. I decided I needed to burn off some energy. I was supposed to keep people off the beach, but there was no one in the water to keep an eye on, so I jogged up and down the shore while I waited for Mitch to tell me it was okay to leave.
******
The waves that evening weren’t great, but they were acceptable, and the food and conversation were excellent. I found myself beginning to relax and have fun. There’s a saying that the worst day on the water is still better than the best day anywhere else, and most of the time I found I agreed. The days were getting shorter, so the sun had already begun its descent beyond the horizon when Brody showed up with Duke and Dallas. As I watched the dogs greet each other with doggy enthusiasm, it hit me how very much I missed Luke. He’d called me back while I was in the shower and left a message letting me know he was going to his sister’s for dinner and he’d try to catch up with me the following day. I wanted to call him and beg him to call me when he got back to his parents’, no matter how late it was, but again I found myself feeling needy and emotional, which wasn’t something I cared for at all.
“Why the long face?” Brody asked after I’d paddled in and joined the group by the fire.
I forced a smile as I wrung water out of my long hair. “I guess I’m just tired. It’s been a long day. I’m glad I have tomorrow off. Did Mitch call you about my idea to save Makena’s job?”
“Makena’s job needs saving?”
I explained my idea about all the four WSOs—me, him, Cam, and Drake—donating eight of our forty hours a week to give up enough hours to cover the job for Makena, the most recent hire, so Mitch wouldn’t need to cut the twenty percent staff now that Jess was leaving anyway.
“That sounds like an excellent plan, but I think I may take a leave anyway, which would mean Makena could stay on in my place.”
“You’re taking a leave? Why?”
“I spoke to Luke again this afternoon after the guy came to look at the horses. He asked if I’d be interested in signing on with him as a ranch hand. Living for free in his pool house means my expenses are minimal, but he figured he could use the full-time help. He offered to pay me to manage the property while he’s away.”
My heart sank. “So, he’s going to be gone longer than he expected.”
Brody squeezed my hand. “Yeah. It sounded to me as if his stay in Texas was going to be indefinite. He mentioned that his dad is going to be coming home from the hospital in a couple of days, but there’s no way he can run the ranch. They have reliable long-term employees, but Luke said his dad was nervous about not having any oversight. I could tell he was conflicted, but I also sensed he was willing to do whatever it took to put his mom and dad at ease.”
I suppressed the tears that threatened to spill down my face. “I guess it makes sense for Luke to put his parents’ needs before his own. He’s a good son.”
Brody put his arm around my shoulders. “I know this is hard on him, but he’s the sort of man to put his family first.”
“Do you think he’s ever coming back?”
Brody paused before answering. “I think so. If he wasn’t I figure he’d sell the rest of his livestock rather than paying me to keep an eye on the place.”
I supposed Brody had a point. If Luke was definitely staying in Texas it would make the most sense to cash out.
“Thanks for letting me know,” I said. “When he springs it on me tomorrow I’ll be prepared.”
“I’m going to go take a final run before it gets totally dark,” Brody informed me. “Want to come?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. I have some energy to burn.”
******
When the phone rang later, after we’d returned home, I hoped it was Luke, but it was Jason.
“Hey, Jas, what’s up?” I asked as I sat on the chaise on the lanai overlooking the ocean, pondering the emptiness in my heart.
“I have news I thought you’d be interested in.”
“Okay, shoot.” I certainly could use some good or even just interesting news at that point.
“First, both Clifford Cramer’s body and the arm we found—which happened to have belonged to Anastasia Cramer—had been previously frozen.”
I frowned. “So Cramer and his wife both did die five years ago but someone froze them?”
“We can’t know for certain when they died yet, or how long they’ve been frozen, but it seems likely they’ve been dead since Mrs. Cramer went missing and Mr. Cramer jumped from the bluff.”
“But Cramer’s wife was reported missing the day before he jumped from the bluff. It was assumed he killed her. Do you think he was the one to put her on ice? And if he was, who put him on ice?”
“Both good and unanswered questions.”
“Are you reopening both cases?”
“HPD is taking another look, although I won’t be assigned to the case. They want me to continue to focus on more recent murders unless something relevant surfaces in the Cramer case. For the time being, the case has been assigned to a rookie. Given the fact that it won’t be my toes you’re stepping on but someone who’s out to prove themselves and won’t take kindly to interference, I’m suggesting you sit this one out.”
I let out a long breath. “Yeah, okay. I understand, but I’m curious why after five years of being frozen both bodies were dumped into the ocean. I mean, why now? Is there some link between those cases and something going on right now?”
I heard Jason groan. “You aren’t going to leave this alone, are you?”
“You know how I get. Sometimes I can’t help myself. There are just so many unanswered questions. Who killed Anastasia Cramer? Was it her husband, as Dad assumed, or someone else? And when did she die? It was thought when she never turned up after her sister reported her missing that he killed and buried her before he died, but did he? Or did someone else actually kill and freeze her? And how did Clifford Cramer end up frozen as well? Did the person who froze him find him floating in the ocean after he jumped from the bluff, or did he survive the fall after all, only to have someone kill and freeze him at some later point? And then there’s the timing of both bodies ending up in the water today. Who put them in the water and why? Have they been on ice for five years, or were they somewhere else and they died more recently?”
Jason paused and then replied, “So you really aren’t going to leave this alone?”
“I’m not sure I can.”
“I used to think having you on the force was a bad idea, but now I think it may be the only way to keep you out
of trouble. They’re selecting names next week for the next academy class, which I believe starts in a month or so. If you promise to sit this one out I’ll put in a good word for you.”
I grinned. “Really? You would do that?”
“I’ve been thinking about it anyway. You seem to have matured lately. I think you’re ready.”
“You’re damn right I’m ready.” Suddenly my mood had improved quite a bit.
“So, do you think you can stay out of the way of the rookie assigned to the Cramer case?”
“I will. And thanks, Jason. For everything.”
I won’t say my day had turned into the best one ever, but I did feel better than I had. I knew in my heart that if I was patient, things would work out the way I’d always dreamed.
Chapter 3
Friday, October 27
Luke called before I’d even gotten out of bed this morning, but I didn’t care in the least that my sleep had been interrupted. I was just happy to hear his voice after tossing and turning all night, wondering if we had a future together or if all we’d ever have was the past.
“I’m so glad you called. I’ve missed you,” I said.
“I’ve missed you too. More than you know.”
I sat up and leaned against my pillows. “How’s your dad?”
Luke sighed. “Not good. He’s alive and he doesn’t have any life-threatening injuries, but he isn’t able to get around on his own and he seems to be in pain a good deal of the time. I hoped to be home by now, but I don’t feel like I can just desert my mom when she needs me.”
“I understand. I really do. And I’m so sorry your family has had to go through such a difficult ordeal.”
Luke didn’t answer right away and I found myself grasping for something to say that would make the conversation less awkward. “I spoke to Jason last night. He told me that he’s going to put in a good word with the academy review committee for me. There’s a class starting in a month and if all goes according to plan, I should finally get my shot.”