by W.J. May
Chapter Six
An hour later, after getting a few secret tours on some of the largest yachts I’d ever seen, we followed Duncan into the main shop to meet his dad, Sonny.
“Hello,” said Sonny, who was an older version of Duncan, minus the hair, “nice to meet the both of you.”
Nathan held out his hand and shook Sonny’s. “Thanks for letting Duncan give us a glimpse of some of these sweet yachts,” he said. “You must be extremely busy with all of those boats out there.”
“Tell me about it,” said Sonny. “I can barely keep up. I’m going to have to hire someone to help around the shop, especially now that fall is just around the corner. Many of these boats need to be winterized, and soon.”
I looked at Nathan, who was already way ahead of me.
“What kind of experience do you need? I’m looking for a job,” said my brother.
Sonny rubbed his bald head. “I can’t imagine you’d know how to repair boat engines at your age, although Duncan does, but that’s because he’s been around them most his life. You know, I could still use someone to take care of the customers, order parts, and do some of the lighter maintenance. That would free up a lot of time for me and my son.”
I could see that Nathan was getting really excited. “Listen,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “I’m your man. I’m a very hard worker and learn quickly.”
Sonny leaned back in his chair. “Okay. We’ll have you fill out an application and I’ll certainly consider you. I do have a couple mechanics who work the graveyard shift, so what I could really use is someone who doesn’t mind doing a little grunt work.”
“Grunt is my middle name,” smiled Nathan.
Sonny smiled. “That’s what I like to hear.”
While Nathan started filling out the application, Duncan asked me if I wanted anything to drink.
“Um, sure... water?”
“Come on, I’ll show you our luxurious break room.”
I followed Duncan to the back of the shop and we entered into a small room with pop and snack machines.
“Here,” he said, handing me a bottle of water from the back of the fridge. “I’ll give you one from my secret stash. If I don’t hide them, they seem to disappear overnight.”
I laughed. “Really? Thanks.”
“So,” he said as he sat down and stretched out his long legs. “How do you like Shore Lake so far?”
“Seriously, it’s kind of a hard question to answer. Last night we found a body near the lake, and today, one of the waitresses at Ruth’s passed me a note that warned us to stay inside after dark and not invite any strangers inside.”
His eyes widened. “Seriously?! Are you kidding me?”
I took a sip of the water. “No, I wish I was.” I set my water down and pulled out the note Amy had given me.
He read it and frowned. “Very strange. So, do the cops know whose body you found?”
“Some girl around my age, Tina Johnson?”
He scratched his head. “Tina Johnson? To tell you the truth, I don’t really know many of the locals. I only stay with my dad during the summer and then for the rest of the year, I live with my mom in Minnesota.”
“Oh, so you’re going back to Minnesota next month when school starts?”
He smiled. “I graduated last spring, so now I can stay wherever I want.”
“What are you going to do now?” I asked.
He sighed. “Probably help my dad out while I take some engineering classes at the local college.”
“What about your mom?”
“She just remarried and is pretty busy with her new husband,” he said. “My dad doesn’t really have anyone else but me, so I’m probably sticking around here.”
I took a sip of water and set it down. “Well, it sounds like your dad really needs you in more ways than one.”
He nodded. “What about your old man?” he asked and then looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t have asked. If he’s passed away or something, I apologize for my lack of tactfulness.”
I smiled humorlessly. “Actually, there are times that I wish he had passed away. I know that sounds really cold, but he’s an asshole. Thank goodness my mom is no longer with him.”
“Then cheers to that,” he said, tapping my water bottle with his.
“Cheers.”
He re-capped his water. “So, you mentioned the dead girl, do they think she was murdered?”
“No, it sounds like she liked to party a little too much and may have accidently killed herself.”
“What about the waitress at the diner?” he asked, biting his lower lip. “That was a pretty weird.”
“Very.” I sat back in the chair. “So, um, have you heard anything about missing people or other bodies being discovered near the lake?”
He looked thoughtful. “No, not really; although, there have been plenty of people moving recently. That’s why I mentioned the cabins. Either people are selling or just renting out their lake homes.”
“Hey, Nikki,” said Nathan as he stepped into the break room, “are you ready to get going? I want to pick up those steaks for mom before it gets too late.”
I looked at my watch and noticed it was already after seven. “Yeah, we’d better leave.”
“Thanks for stopping by, guys,” said Duncan, standing up. He lowered his voice. “I’ll work on my dad so he’ll hire you.”
Nathan laughed. “Sounds good. I’ll give you a call in a couple of days if I don’t hear from him, to see what’s going on. If anything, we can go cruising.”
“Definitely. And don’t forget about the barbeque this weekend,” said Duncan. “Now that Nikki’s practically begged me to be your date, Nathan.”
Nathan’s eyes widened innocently. “Oh, what ever will I wear?” he asked, standing kind of prissy. “Do you like pink, Duncan?”
Duncan looked at my dress and then winked. “Actually, I prefer blue.”