Telltale (Shelby Hope Book Two) (Shelby Hope Novels 2)

by Stephanie Parrish

  "You don’t know how long that’s been there," Ivan said. "It could belong to anyone."

  "No, it’s her, I bet you. She’s close by. Swimming." He continued to shine the light around. I submerged as far as possible, hoping to be invisible but keeping my ears and nose above water. "Grab the dinghy. We’ll take it with us."

  I watched with dismay as Ivan rigged a temporary tow line, and they pulled the dinghy out of the marsh. They didn’t go far, just about ten feet away from the edge.

  "Now, I think we’ll just wait. She can’t swim back from here. She can’t stay in the marsh forever. She’ll be out soon, begging us to take her back aboard. I’ll enjoy that."

  "Johnny, you just said she can’t swim back to Beaufort from here. Let’s get going. She’s taken care of. End of story. We need to leave before someone else comes looking for her."

  "I think you’re right, Ivan, that someone else helped her. But since the cavalry hasn’t showed up yet, I’m guessing that whoever it was didn’t tell anyone where we were. So stop your worrying."

  "This isn’t worry. This is about impulse control. Right now, all you can think about is getting your revenge, when you need to be thinking about getting out of here."

  "Be quiet, I already—" Rumbar was interrupted by the sound of a big boat, heading toward him. It was followed by two other boats, police lights flashing, heading toward the workboat.

  Ivan swore. "What did I tell you? Get on the radio and get the other guys back. We have to leave. Now."

  Rumbar thumbed his radio. "You saw? Okay, we’ll head your way. Pick us up."

  "Let me untie the dinghy so we can get out of here."

  "No, we’ll take it with us. Just in case she’s still out here. I want to make sure she can’t escape this time."

  "Johnny—"

  They were still arguing as Rumbar put the boat into gear and headed into the darkness, taking our dinghy with them.

  "Well," Grace said. "At least the police are close by."

  "Are you doing okay? Can you swim that far?"

  "I’ll have to, won’t I?" We maneuvered out of the marsh and began heading back toward the workboat. The waterlogged sweatshirt was weighing me down. I wriggled out of it and pushed it away from me. Grace, watching, did the same.

  "I’m getting cold," she said, after a few moments.

  "Me too."

  "It seems far away, doesn’t it?"

  "Yes," I said. "I guess we moved farther in the dinghy than I realized. The good thing is that the current is with us this time."

  From the distance, we could see police officers moving over the deck of the boat. The two police boats were tied off to the workboat. The powerboat, the first one to get there, was just untying from the ladder.

  "Come on, Grace, I think that boat will be looking for us."

  We swam toward it. Grace pulled a whistle from a string around her neck and began blowing it.

  "Where’d you get that?"

  She took the whistle out of her mouth. "I found it when I was looking for a knife. I thought it might come in handy."

  "Grace, you are full of surprises."

  She grinned at me, then continued blowing. A few minutes later, I heard a shout through a bullhorn. "Shelby! Is that you?"

  Lifting myself as far out of the water as possible, I yelled, "Yes! Yes! Can you hear me?" even though I knew we were too far away for my voice to carry. A bright searchlight swept in our direction, though not quite close enough to reach us. Grace hooted away on her whistle, and we began dog-paddling toward the boat. Relief flooded through me like warmth. Almost there. Almost safe.

  Grace was alongside me when I felt a tug on my ankle. Confused, I turned toward her, thinking she’d grabbed me. But it wasn’t her. Another yank, and I was jerked underwater. Twisting in panic, I kicked at whatever was holding me, swallowing water and choking. I managed to get my foot free and got to the surface, coughing and spluttering.

  "Grace! Help me!" Disoriented, I turned in the water, looking for her. I couldn’t find her, although I could hear her screaming. Then, a strong arm grabbed me from behind and a familiar, hated voice whispered in my ear, "She can’t help you now, Shelby Hope. It’s you and me."

  Johnny Rumbar.

  Chapter 30

  He dragged me underwater, and I could feel his legs scissoring as he moved us away from Grace. My lungs felt like they were on fire, and I scratched his arm furiously. I started to feel woozy and weak, unable to breathe and sure this was the end. Just as I thought I would black out, we surfaced. I gasped, sucking in air and coughing.

  In my ear, he laughed, as I struggled to push away his crushing arm. But he was too strong. I finally stopped fighting him and just concentrated on breathing. He was treading water, keeping us both afloat.

  "Didn’t think you’d see me again, did you, Shelby? I knew you must be around somewhere, and I figured you’d head toward the police boats. I had Ivan leave me behind in your dinghy, then I hid in the weeds and just waited for you to come by. And here you are. It’s kinda like fate, don’t you think?" He began swimming, a sidestroke, keeping his tight hold on me as we moved through the water. I let myself be dragged along, not helping him, hoping that making him swim for both of us would wear him out enough that I could get away.

  I tried yelling for Grace, but all I could get out was a strangled whisper. Vaguely, in the distance, I could hear her, calling for help, calling for me. But she was too far away. Rumbar was a strong swimmer and had taken us away from the marsh, away from the workboat, swimming parallel to the current.

  He laughed again. "It’s not going to be the Atlantic, but I think this will do. I sent Ivan on ahead to meet us. He’s circling around, staying out of the way of the police boats so he can come back and pick me up. As soon as I see his boat, well, pretty lady, that’s gonna be it for you."

  Angry now, despite my fear, I said, "Why not just do it now? Why wait for him?"

  "Good question. Well, you’ve gotten away from me too many times now, Shelby Hope. You’re my insurance policy. Just in case."

  "Just in case what?" I panted. Keep him talking, I thought. He likes scaring you. Keep him talking and maybe help will get here before…before... I couldn’t finish that thought.

  "Just in case Ivan gets picked up by the police, and the police find me with you. Then you get to be my hostage. Won’t that be fun?"

  "Yeah, a laugh riot," I panted. The sarcasm was lost when I accidentally sucked in water when I said it and started coughing again.

  "So we’re just gonna keep swimming here, until I see him. It may take a few minutes. But enjoy it while it lasts."

  We moved through the water in silence for a while. I was gratified to hear that Rumbar’s breathing was sounding more labored, as I floated along. I had finally managed to catch my breath, although my heart was still beating rapidly.

  Suddenly, he stopped moving, turning me upright while he craned to see something.

  "Looks like there’s a police boat out there now, about where you and your friend were. They must have picked her up. How does that feel, Shelby, knowing that she got rescued and you didn’t?" He laughed.

  I didn’t answer him, because now I heard the sound of a small engine, somewhere off to my right and behind us. Rumbar heard it too, spinning us in the water so he could see. I could see a dim shape moving through the water, a small boat without running lights.

  "Ah, there’s Ivan. Ready to say goodbye to me, Shelby Hope?"

  I twisted around. The police boat, the one that had picked up Grace, was about twice as far away as Ivan. It was moving slowly in a zigzag pattern, looking for me, most likely. Farther away, I saw a second boat with flashing lights join the search. I turned back toward Ivan’s boat. On his current course, he’d miss us by about a hundred feet.

  Rumbar watched Ivan for a moment, then looked over his shoulder.

  "Well, here’s a little dilemma. How do I get Ivan’s attention without the cops noticing?"

  Without waiti
ng for an answer, he began swimming again, in the direction that would take us closer to Ivan’s course. I noticed with bitter pleasure that his breathing was more ragged and his stroke was much slower. The muscles in his arm quivered against my throat. He was getting fatigued. Cautiously, I stretched my arms out to my sides, creating as much drag as possible. We weren’t making much headway, and it looked like Ivan might pass right by us without being close enough for him to see us. I craned over my shoulder. The police boat was still too far away, but was heading generally in our direction.

  Rumbar stopped again, treading water while he caught his breath.

  Unable to resist, I said, "This isn’t turning out as easy as you thought it would be, is it?"

  Not laughing now, he panted in my ear, "Desperate times call for desperate measures." I felt him fumbling behind me, pawing at something in his waistband. He held it up in front of me. "Waterproof flashlight. I’ll turn it on for just a second, long enough for Ivan to see it."

  With his thumb, he switched on the light, then switched it off. He repeated that twice more. Ivan’s boat didn’t change course. I resisted the urge to look behind me, to see if the police boat had seen us.

  Rumbar held the flashlight in front of me, his hold around my neck slackening for just a moment as he concentrated on holding up the light with his other hand. This time, I was ready. I grabbed for the flashlight, at the same time twisting away from him. He yelled and tried to hold me, but I’d already slid out of his grasp. I swam as fast as I could, away from him and toward the police boat, holding the light as far out of the water as I could. After a moment, I stopped, treading water, trying to get oriented. He was about fifteen feet from me and coming my way. I dove underwater and changed direction, surfacing to his left. As soon I came up, I held up the light, flashing it repeatedly. Behind me, I heard shouts. The police had seen me.

  Unfortunately, it seemed that Ivan had too. And he was closer. And Rumbar only had to follow my light to find me. I was slowing down, tired after tonight’s exertions. I knew that Rumbar was fatigued too, but he was still stronger than me. He swam toward me. I switched off the light and dove underwater again. When I surfaced, Ivan’s boat was only about thirty feet away. The police boat was still at least a hundred feet away.

  Now I couldn’t see Rumbar anywhere. I didn’t want to risk the light again, with Ivan so close. I could him now, calling for Rumbar. I twisted in the water. Where was Rumbar?

  With a suddenness that shocked the breath from me, he surfaced just behind me, wrapping both arms around my neck, so tightly that I couldn’t move. He yelled, "Ivan! Over here! I have her! Give me a minute and then pick me up!"

  His grip tightened.

  "Now, Shelby, remember what I told you, about what it’s like to drown? Have you been thinking about it? Because the time is almost here. I’m going to take you down and hold you there, until I can start to feel you panic, until you get weak, until at last I can feel you getting ready to take that fateful breath of water. Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be able to hold you under while I still come up for air. I’ll be able to feel when the life leaves your body, and it will give me great pleasure, after all the trouble you’ve caused me."

  I now heard the police bullhorn, not far away, and suddenly we were washed in brilliant white light.

  "It’s now or never. Say goodbye, Shelby Hope," Rumbar said. I took as deep a breath as I could, first breathing in through my mouth and then taking in just a little bit more through my nose, just like my swimming teacher had taught me twenty-five years ago.

  He dragged me under, deeper and deeper, then held me.

  Five seconds went by. I stayed still, willing myself not to panic and not to struggle until he released his grip a little so he could surface.

  Ten seconds.

  Thirty seconds.

  It was getting harder to be still, and I fought the urge to push away from him and swim to the surface. Nearby, I heard a churning sound and realized one of the boats was very close. It had no lights, so it must be Ivan, still trying to rescue Rumbar although he must know it was hopeless: The police were too close.

  Fifty seconds. The churning sound got closer. Much too close. Rumbar must have thought so too, as he unexpectedly let go of my neck, grabbing my hair instead, and began swimming toward the surface, most likely intending to tell Ivan to back off. My lungs felt like bursting and now I began fighting him, scratching his hand and bending his fingers backward to get him to release my hair. He fought to hold on, to hold me under. He turned toward me, pushing me down. He was now directly over me, standing on my shoulders with my head clamped between his feet, using his entire body to push me further into the water. I knew I couldn’t last much longer. I felt blackness washing over me and my fingers, still scrabbling uselessly against his feet and legs, felt weak and rubbery.

  Drowning is just like he said it would be, I thought. Just like he said. Just like he said.

  Abruptly, Rumbar’s body jerked above me, and he released his grip. For a moment, I hung suspended, not understanding while he wasn’t pushing me down any longer. Then I kicked away from him and toward the surface, bursting out of the water and sucking in as much air as I could.

  A wash of bright light fell over me.

  Chapter 31

  A moment later, I was being hauled into the police launch. Shivering, I collapsed onto a seat. I heard Matt’s voice asking anxiously if I was all right.

  "Yes," I said, still panting. "Rumbar. Rumbar is out there. And Ivan."

  Matt looked away from me. "Everything’s okay, Shelby."

  "But they’re out there."

  "No. The police just took Ivan into custody." He pointed, and I saw that the second police boat was not far away, tied off to Ivan’s boat.

  "But Rumbar. What about him?"

  "Ma’am," came a new voice. I looked up. One of the cops was holding out a blanket and talking to me. I took the blanket while he went on, "Can you tell us what happened? We know from your friend everything that happened up until the time you got separated. Can you tell us briefly what happened after that?"

  Wrapping myself in the blanket, I told him about Rumbar dragging me away, about telling me he would drown me as soon as Ivan got close. My voice shaking, I told him about Rumbar pulling me under and holding me there. Matt, sitting with his arm around me, went tense.

  "Then, he just let go of me. I don’t know why. What happened? Did you get him?"

  The police officer looked at me and tilted his head to one side. "Well, it seems that his friend misjudged where he was and ran over him with their boat. Rumbar got hit by the propeller."

  "Hit by the propeller?" I repeated, feeling slow.

  "Yes, he must have come up right underneath it. I think his friend was trying to get close enough to grab him and get away, but he made a mistake."

  "So is Rumbar…?"

  "He’s dead. The propeller cut right across his neck."

  I sank back, leaning into Matt. I thought, Safe. I’m safe.

  Matt said, "Poetic justice. He killed his brother. His cousin killed him."

  ✽✽✽

  THE POLICE LAUNCH took us back to the workboat, as they said they needed me to confirm some things. Alex, looking anxious, helped me aboard and asked if I was all right. "Yes, I’m fine." I saw Grace, sitting wrapped in a big blanket. I smiled at her. She grinned back.

  Matt followed me aboard. "It’s all thanks to Grace, you know," I said. "She figured it all out, where I was. Without her, I’d be dead."

  They both turned to her. Alex was closest, so he reached her first, folding her into a hug so tight I heard her squeak. Matt was next, squeezing her and saying thank you. Letting her go, he said, "She only told us the bare bones. She didn’t tell us she was the hero of the hour." She looked gratified to be the center of attention, for a good reason this time.

  Matt pulled me close, holding me tight.

  "This is Al," Grace said, pointing to an older man with a beard and a cap. He gave me a quick
salute and a grin. "That’s his boat, over there. He’s the bartender, the man who told me where to find Rumbar’s boat."

  "Got Grace’s message," he said. "I decided to invite myself to the party. I haven’t had this much excitement in years. Plus, I always wanted to have a look aboard this boat."

  "What about the other guys, the friends that were meeting Rumbar here?"

  "They didn’t make it very far. They’ve all been arrested."

  There was a lot of official activity on board. I saw now that some of the cops were ATF agents, some were local police officers, and a few others I couldn’t decide. They seemed happy. Apparently, they’d found Rumbar’s latest delivery. A few minutes later, one of the local cops asked me to show him where I’d been. Matt insisted on coming with me. We walked down the corridor until we came to the right door. A hacksaw and bits of the padlock lay on the floor.

  "In there," I said, motioning.

  "That’s what we figured, but we wanted to confirm it."

  Matt said, "She’s cold, and so is her friend. Can we take them back now? You know where we are. She can answer anything else later on."

  The officer looked at me. I’d started to shiver. "Yeah, get her back home. You might want to have a doctor check her out."

  Matt hustled me out onto the deck, gathering Grace up and putting us into Al’s boat. "Let’s go before they change their minds," he said. Matt cast us off, and Al headed back toward Beaufort.

  Chapter 32

  The next morning, I awoke early, feeling happy, though it took me a moment to remember why. After breakfast, I talked to the Beaufort police, ATF, and finally, Detective Fairholm, who’d come down from Elizabeth City. When the formalities were over, I went to lunch with Matt and Alex.

  "How are you doing, Shelby?" Alex asked.

  "Great. I’m just so relieved."

  "Us, too," Alex said. "We couldn’t believe it last night when you disappeared. Matt waited for you, and when you didn’t come out, he went in and found your bag, but not you. He came and got me. We called the police, then started looking for you."