A Killing On The Water

by Blythe Baker

  I hung up to find that the man whose cottage we were in was staring at us suspiciously. I guessed being awakened in the middle of the night by two dripping wet people with ties to murdering kidnappers wasn’t part of his typical evening. “Thank you for your help,” I said. “We’ll just wait outside. Do you mind if we sit on the porch?”

  “Not at all,” he said, showing us through the house to the front door. “I’ll get you a couple of blankets. Do you need anything to drink?”

  I glanced at Jacob, who was shaking his head. “No, thank you, but blankets would be great.”

  I opened the door and held it open for Jacob. I waited for the man to return, and then took the blankets with gratitude and joined Jacob on the porch swing. We waited for almost ten minutes, but soon, I could hear Shep’s cruiser speeding toward us. He turned off the sirens when he entered the residential streets, but the sound of his engine competed with the thunder for dominance.

  When I could see him, I walked out into the yard and waved so he’d know where to stop. He pulled up and ran over to Jacob. “Are you okay, son?” he asked, looking the boy over.

  “Yes, sir,” Jacob said. “They didn’t hurt me.”

  “Are you hungry?" Shep asked. “Thirsty?”

  “They gave me food. I’m all right.” Jacob hugged his blanket tighter around himself.

  Shep nodded and turned to me. “And you, Piper?”

  “Fine, Shep,” I said. “Just cold and wet.”

  “Then tell me what’s going on here,” he said, gesturing for Jacob and me to sit back down on the swing. “Who had Jacob all this time? How did…?” Shep waved his hands in frustration, not knowing how to finish the sentence.

  “To start with, the kidnappers were Erica and Allison from the bed and breakfast,” I told him. “And they’re still out there, on the pirate ship. Is someone going out to get them?”

  “Not yet. I’ve got a dispatcher tracking down someone to take Marcuzzi and Anderson out there.”

  “The girls have a gun,” I warned him. “But we took their boat, so they can’t go anywhere.”

  He nodded. “Marcuzzi and Anderson will need to know the girls are armed,” he said, stepping away to make a call. When he’d passed the information on to Anderson, he came back over. “Okay, Jacob. Tell me what happened.”

  Jacob quickly recounted the story of Ms. Greenaway’s death and his kidnapping.

  When he finished, Shep said, “That’s quite an adventure you’ve had there, son.” He turned to me next. “How did you come to find the boy, Piper?”

  I said, “I was at Mason’s, checking on the house because he’s out of town. I went up in Mason’s studio to look around, and when I looked out to sea, I noticed a light flashing on the side of the pirate ship. I thought it might be Jacob, and I went to call you, but then Page called, and my battery died. I decided to find a boat and go check out the ship on my own, so I took the old canoe in Mason’s boathouse and rowed there.” Now that I thought about it, my arms were still aching.

  I continued with my story, and when I got to the end I was struck by a sudden thought.

  “Have you notified Jacob’s parents that he’s safe?” I asked Shep.

  “Not yet,” he answered. “I needed to wait until I was sure. I’ll make that call now. I’ll also get Shanda and Ward to take a look at Jacob, to be on the safe side.”

  “Of course,” I said. “When you’re done, can I use your phone to let Page know I’m all right?”

  I sat next to Jacob and let Shep transition from “worried citizen” to “capable sheriff.” He called the Prestons and asked them to meet us at the clinic. He called the doctors to let Shanda and Ward know we were coming, and then we drove toward the clinic. Shep handed me his phone as he started the car.

  I dialed Page’s cell, and she answered on the first ring. “Shep? Is Piper dead?”

  I laughed. “Nice, Page. No, you’re still stuck with me.”

  “Oh, thank goodness,” she said, the relief apparent in her voice. “She’s okay,” she said to someone in the background, probably Blaire. “Why did you hang up on me earlier?”

  “My phone died,” I explained. I retold the whole story to her, asking her to pick me up at the clinic and bring me back to Mason’s to get Jasper. She said she’d meet us there and hung up. I handed the phone back to Shep. “Thanks,” I said.

  “I’m glad you’re both okay,” Shep said. “I don’t think I’ve said that yet.”

  “Me too, Shep. Me too.” I lay my head back to rest my eyes.

  Ward was waiting for us when we pulled up to the clinic. Jacob yawned as Shep let him out of the backseat. I was surprised the boy hadn’t fallen asleep on the way over. I supposed he was still full of adrenaline from our escape. He’d collapse soon enough.

  Shonda checked me over while Ward took care of Jacob. I had some scrapes and would probably be bruised up in the morning, but I’d be all right. Shanda told me to take a painkiller before bed and to let myself sleep as much as I needed to for the next few days. I didn’t see that happening, but I told her I’d do my best. I still had a bed and breakfast to run.

  Ray and Elizabeth arrived at the clinic about ten minutes after we got there, and Page showed up with Blaire and a camera-toting Liam half a minute after that. Seeing Liam, I was ashamed to remember I had briefly considered him and his crew as suspects.

  Liam had the camera running as Elizabeth threw her arms around me, sobbing and thanking me for saving her baby. Ray was trying to get past Shep into the exam room, and Shanda promised to hurry the exam along so that Jacob’s parents could see that he was all right.

  When the Prestons’ reunion with their son was complete, everyone began to go their separate ways. Shep agreed to drop Liam off at the bed and breakfast so that Page could bring me to Mason’s to pick up my dog and my car. The Prestons drove back with Jacob asleep in the back seat, and Shanda and Ward stood outside, waving everyone off.

  Page drove me over to Mason’s quietly. Blaire had fallen asleep in the backseat and was snoring softly. I glanced at Page and chuckled, and she reached over and squeezed my hand. “I’m glad you’re okay, Piper,” she said so quietly that I almost missed it.

  When we got to Mason’s, I waved to Page and ran back to the studio. Going in, I was thrilled to see Jasper hadn’t made a mess while locked up in a strange place. I was pretty sure he had slept the whole time, oblivious to my absence. I remembered to lock the door to the upstairs before closing up the studio. I sighed as I realized that I still needed to come back and check on the house in the next couple of days.

  Jasper trailed me cheerfully as I lumbered back to the car. I put Jasper in and collapsed into the driver’s seat. When we finally got home after the short drive, I went up to my room, snuggled with Jasper, and passed out.

  Chapter 19

  When I woke up, it was a little after noon, and I was alone. Page must have let Jasper out so that I could sleep. I tried to stretch, but my muscles screamed in protest. Realizing I’d forgotten to take anything before bed, I threw on some clean clothes and padded down to the kitchen to find some medicine.

  “Hey, sis,” I said as I entered the kitchen.

  “Hi, sleepyhead,” Page said. She set a bottle of painkillers on the island and turned to get me a glass of water. “Are you hungry?”

  “Now, this is what I call service,” I teased her, knocking a pill into my hand and tossing it into my mouth. I took the water she handed me and swallowed the pill with a grimace. “Will you make me some pancakes?” I batted my eyes at her hopefully.

  “Only because you saved a kid’s life last night,” she batted hers right back at me. She started pulling out ingredients, and I sat on a barstool to watch. “Liam’s been waiting for you to get up. He wants to interview you about Jacob,” she said. “Shep said to give him a call when you were up, too. He’ll need your official statement. The Prestons are down at the station now.”

  “I’ll go give Shep a call, and then I’ll take a q
uick shower while you do that. I’m not going on any camera looking like I was nearly killed and then escaped in a stolen boat in a giant storm.” I smiled at my sister, before I went back to my room.

  Shep sounded haggard when I called to let him know I was awake. He must have only gotten a couple hours of sleep, but at least the case was winding down now. He’d have more free time now that Jacob had been found.

  I agreed to come by the station in an hour. Hanging up, I opened my photo app and looked at the pictures I’d taken last night. It was amazing, looking at them, that such a little thing as a light in a window could blow open the mystery that had consumed the island for the last few days. I texted my favorite photo to Mason with a request for a painted version of it, a hint that my birthday was coming up soon, and a promise to call him later. With that done, I finally got my shower.

  Afterward, Page brushed my hair as I stuffed myself with the chocolate chip pancakes that Page normally only made on Blaire’s birthday. I winced as she tugged through a tangle, remembering why we hadn’t done this since we were teenagers, but I let her continue brushing. It was apparently something she needed to do to be sure that I was truly safe. I thanked her repeatedly for the pancakes and hugged her before I went back to my room to finish getting ready.

  Half an hour later, clean and stuffed, I was walking into the station. Shep was waiting for me at the front desk, and I followed him into his office. He sat me at his desk and told me to “Type it all up, and don’t leave anything out.” With a significant look, he left the office so I that could work without distractions.

  Typing up the story took a couple of hours. Every time I thought I was finished, I’d remember another detail, which would set off a chain reaction, and I’d be typing another ten minutes. When I finished, I called Shep in. He printed off a few copies, gave two to Marcuzzi and Anderson, and sat down to read it.

  I excused myself while they read, walking around to try and loosen up some of my aching muscles. I moaned through a few yoga poses before giving up and accepting that I would be in pain for days. I went outside to get some fresh air for a few minutes, and when I returned, Anderson was at the computer. The three police officers asked me questions for another hour, and Anderson typed in additional facts and clarifications while I talked. When they were finally satisfied, they printed off a copy of the statement and asked me to sign it before releasing me.

  As I was going out the door, I asked Shep what had happened with the arrest of Erica and Allison the other night.

  “It turned out the gun they had only had one bullet left, which Allison used when she shot at you and Jacob,” he told me. “The girls resigned themselves to the fact they weren’t going to escape, and they surrendered willingly. We interrogated them this morning, and Liam is already trying to get access for the documentary.” He shook his head.

  “What’s going to happen to the pirate ship?” I asked.

  He said, “It’s currently being searched level by level for evidence. It’ll be impounded somewhere on the mainland and I’m not sure when they’ll release it.”

  I nodded and went home, exhausted and ready for more pain medicine.

  Page wrapped me in a blanket and set me up on a sofa, where Jasper joined me for snuggles. Even though he usually wasn’t allowed to be up there, Page let him stay, knowing we both needed the closeness today. She handed me a couple of pills and a hot tea, and I settled in with my boy.

  The Prestons came down and chatted with me for a while. Jacob was subdued, and I worried that the trauma would leave a permanent mark on him.

  “Have you thought about getting Jacob into counselling when you get home?” I asked. The family had to stay in town for another day or two while the police finished the investigation, and Page and I were letting them stay with us for free. That and the fact that I’d found their son had dramatically improved their attitudes, and they were almost pleasant to talk with.

  “We’ve discussed it,” Elizabeth said. “We’ll have to look for a new nanny, so we were thinking of trying to find someone with mental health training so that he’ll have someone who knows what to watch for and how to help.”

  “I think that’s a great idea,” I told her.

  “We’re also going to find a counsellor for ourselves,” she said quietly. “To work through some marital issues.”

  I gathered that Ray must have finally made his confession and explained why Ms. Greenaway had planned to blackmail him. Although their relationship had undoubtedly taken a hit, finding Jacob seemed to be the glue that would keep them together as they worked on their problems.

  Changing the subject, Ray asked, “Have you talked to Liam yet?”

  I shook my head.

  Ray explained, “He said he wanted to get different perspectives on the past few days to include in the documentary. They think the island’s history ties in well with what happened to you and Jacob, so we agreed to do interviews tomorrow.”

  “He’s talking to all of you?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Ray answered. “We’ll each do an interview on our own, and then he wants to get the three of us together. He said he doesn’t know what they will want to use, so it’s better to get too much footage than to realize later there’s something you wish you’d gotten.”

  Liam was currently at the station, trying to get information out of Shep. Imagining the gruff sheriff’s reaction to Liam’s presence made me smile. We talked for a few more minutes, and then the Prestons left to spend time together as a family.

  As soon as they were gone, Liam came through the door into the living room. Remembering what Shep had said about the pirate ship being impounded, I wondered if that would affect the documentary filming or cause Liam and his crew to have to extend their stay on the island.

  “It’s the big hero,” Liam greeted me. “How are you feeling?”

  “Just a little bruised and scraped up. And my arms are killing me from all that rowing,” I laughed.

  “I can’t believe you used an old canoe,” Liam said.

  “I didn’t really have a choice,” I told him. “I was afraid that something would happen to Jacob if I didn’t get out there right away. Now, I realized that it probably would have been faster to drive into town and find someone with a proper boat.”

  “A rowboat is a perfectly respectable boat,” Liam protested.

  “Not on a stormy ocean,” I argued. “And not that specific rowboat. I’m surprised it made it to the ship without sinking.”

  Liam shook his head. “The whole story is crazy,” he said. “I wanted to ask you, would you be willing to do another interview for me? Tell about your investigation and rescue?”

  “Actually, before we talk about an interview, I wanted to ask you,” I said. “How long are you going to need your room? I only ask because we have a couple of families coming in over the weekend, and the police haven’t released Allison and Erica’s rooms, and I’m not sure when the Prestons are planning on leaving.”

  “The current plan is to leave on Thursday. Will that work for you?”

  “Perfect,” I said. “Then, we can do our interview tomorrow, after you talk to the Prestons.” We sat quietly for a few minutes before a question occurred to me. “How did you end up coming to the clinic with Page and Blaire last night?” I asked.

  “I keep my eyes and ears open to what’s going on around here.” He grinned mysteriously and laced his fingers together behind his head. “I knew you’d be the one to find Jacob, so I’ve been carrying a camera around since he disappeared in hopes of catching the daring rescue. You really inherited the pirate’s need for adventure, I’ll give you that!”

  I laughed. “I don’t pillage and plunder!”

  “Yeah, but you’re either the bravest person I’ve ever met or the craziest.” He stood and stretched. “Heart of a pirate, you’ve got.”

  “Thanks, Liam,” I said.

  “Anyway, I’ll let you get back to resting,” he said with a wave. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
r />   I laughed when Page walked in just as Liam walked out. “What’s funny?” Page asked.

  “As soon as one person walks out, another one walks in,” I said. “Resting on the couch isn’t very restful today.”

  “You’re a popular lady,” Page said. “That’s what happens when you risk your life to save a child.”

  “I keep forgetting to ask about the call last night. You kept breaking up, so I didn’t catch any of it. What were you trying to say?” I asked.

  “You mean when you hung up on me?” Page teased.

  “My battery died!” I protested.

  “Sure,” she said sarcastically, finally letting her grin show. “I found some cut up magazines in Erica and Allison’s rooms and realized what they were up to. They were trying to make a ransom note.”

  “So, you solved the mystery, Page!”

  “I’m pretty sure we both figured it out around the same time,” she pointed out. “You were about to call Shep when I called.”

  “Yeah, but I still didn’t know who had taken Jacob,” I said. “I just figured out where they had hidden him.”

  “I guess we make a good team then,” Piper said, as she got up. “Let’s go outside, Jasper.”

  She held the kitchen door for my buddy to go through and waved as she followed him. I stood and wrapped my blanket around my shoulders and wandered into my room to check my phone. I had a text from Mason, so I decided to call and update him.

  The evening brought a stream of visitors wanting to celebrate Jacob’s rescue, including both Katie from the general store and Ed from the post office. Jacob and I sat together on a sofa, chatting with the well-wishers until neither of us could contain our yawns any longer. Page sent everyone on their way and gave me a big hug before sending me off to bed. Jasper waddled along behind me, seeming just as tired as I felt.

  As I was changing into my pajamas, there was a knock on my door. “One second,” I called, hurrying to finish dressing. When I was done, I opened the door. Blaire stood, holding a glass of water and a couple of pills.