by Jack Stroke
The idea Amber thought he was tough clearly appealed to Grubby.
“All right, youse can call them I guess.”
About fifty minutes later a police car cruised up quietly. and two officers stepped out. A young bloke in his early twenties, who appeared most prim and proper. And an older black officer, in her thirties.
“Oh, here we go,” Grubby said, taking his feet off the counter. “Officer Dingbat is here.”
“What happened, Grubs?” said the male officer. “See another UFO?”
“No,” Grubby said. “I told youse. The UFO left. And only me mates can call me Grubs.”
“So no one calls you it then? Because you don’t have any mates.”
The female officer rolled her eyes. “All right, you too. Enough.” She turned to Amber and Vaughan. “I’m Officer Stacey. This is Officer Dash.”
“Officer Dingbat, you mean,” Grubby cut in.
“Don’t think we won’t arrest you, Grubby,” Officer Dash said.
“Arrest me? We called youse.”
“You still keep your stash in the same hiding spot, Grubs?”
“No,” he said, his words and his manner suggesting two different things.
Amber flicked her head at the door, and Officer Stacey nodded. They left Grubby and Dash to it.
“Sorry about that,” Stacey said, feeling the need to apologise for her partner at least. “They used to be best friends, those two, would you believe?”
“What happened?”
“I think Grubby felt betrayed when Dash became a cop. Like he was selling out or something.”
Amber gave Stacey a quick rundown on what had taken place, focusing more on the two guys that attacked Grubby and less on the missing sailboat. Stacey dutifully took notes.
“Is that sort of thing common around here?”
“Not generally, no. Although there have been a couple of similar complaints over the past few days.”
Amber’s mind buzzed, making connections. She was aware of Vaughan’s eyes cutting into her, observing closely.
A yell came from inside the bait shop.
“We better get back in there before those two kill one another.”
They entered to find Grubby and Officer Dash rolling about on the floor.
“Police brutality!” Grubby screamed. “Police brutality!”
With Vaughan and Stacey stepping in to break up the fight, Amber snuck back outside and placed a quick call to Diamond Logistics.
She had a bad feeling about all of this.
17
The sun rose slowly in the clear sky, the day in no hurry to get going, temperature shifting from pleasant to perfect. Amber and Vaughan took their time heading home. They wandered along the beach, water gently lapping their ankles.
“You don’t have to walk me back, Vaughan. I am perfectly capable of walking myself.”
“I know.”
“But your boat is right there.”
“Trying to get rid of me?”
In truth, Amber would have preferred to be alone, her mind wanting to process. She was still adjusting to having company at such times.
“That’s quite a shiner you’ve got there. Looks sore.”
Amber fingered her cheek below her black eye, having temporarily forgotten about it.
“Slightly tender. Not too bad. I did a good job, hey?”
The water massaged her feet as it gently stormed the sand, before retreating back the way it had come.
“Want to tell me about it?”
“Not much to tell. I walked into a concrete pillar.”
She couldn’t be bothered elaborating more than that. He either believed her or he didn’t.
“Why did you come to me about Grubby?”
“He’d been attacked.”
“So why tell me?”
“I thought you would like to know. You were interested in that boat.”
“Not really.”
Vaughan nodded, staying quiet. Amber reminded herself he had seen her climb aboard the sailboat that day, nothing else.
For a time the gentle wash of the waves was about all there was. Despite herself, Amber enjoyed the company. Maybe Mother was correct. Maybe life at Paradise Cove was too distracting for her. It was certainly harder to concentrate at times.
Vaughan had taken quite well to the suggestion they just be friends. She wasn’t sure what she had expected. There was no heartbroken wailing and gnashing of teeth. He handled it in the same fashion he handled everything, in his cool, nonchalant manner. Like the idea of a relationship was just a thought, but made no difference to him one way or another. He must want something though. Human beings craved company as a species. Companionship.
An idea ticked through Amber’s thoughts. One which had been brewing for a while.
She could picture Vaughan, at mornings like that morning, in the owner’s cottage. The five of them all sitting around the table, eating a feast Joan had prepared. Vaughan making everyone laugh, joking with Ben. Picking on Megan in that way happy couples do. Megan playfully hitting him in response.
Picturing Vaughan with Megan wasn’t hard. They would be good for one another. Maybe he could give her back that spark she was missing. The Megan Amber remembered so well from her youth. Full of life. Vaughan would be good for Ben too. And Joan clearly liked him.
Everybody happy.
“What do you want from life, Vaughan?”
“Bit early in the day for that sort of discussion, isn’t it, kid?”
“Seriously.”
“I try not to want from life if I can. There’s not a lot we can do about the future, even less about the past. So I just try and do now.”
They moved from the sand to the grass, heading up towards the cabins.
“But you must want something.”
“Must I?”
“Family. Kids.”
He shrugged. “Whatever. I’m not against them. If they happen, they happen.”
“I think you would make a good dad.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Sure. In your own way. I mean, you would drive your wife nuts with how laid-back you are about everything, but overall…” Yet again, she could feel his eyes on her. “What?”
“I can never quite understand what you are trying to say. You’re a challenging person to talk to.”
“Just making conversation.”
“Okay… What about you? What do you want?”
“I just want everybody to be happy.”
They found Lion in some long grass, having issues with his tail. The tip of it refused to stay still, and no matter how much chasing and grabbing and rolling he did, Lion couldn’t latch on to the thing and keep it under control. Seeing Vaughan and Amber approach, he composed himself, standing up and strutting between their legs. Vaughan squatted and scratched the little furry fellow behind his ears.
“He likes you.”
“What about you, kid?”
“Do I like you?”
“Do you want to settle down and have rugrats and all that?”
Did she? There was some deep-seated maternal instinct inside her that reared its head unexpectedly every so often. Or at least, it used to. But, on balance, no. She couldn’t see how kids would fit with her life at all.
“Not really.”
Lion’s purr vibrated loudly from his chest.
“How does he cope with so much fur do you think?”
“I don’t know,” Amber said. “When we were kids Megan and I used to think it would keep him cool.”
Vaughan furrowed his brow. “How would that work?”
“Who knows? We were just kids.”
Amber’s phone buzzed from her pocket.
“Thanks for walking me back.”
Accepting he was being dismissed, Vaughan nodded and ambled towards the beach. Good he was gone.
Amber was keen to hear what Mother had to say.
18
“What have we got?” Amber asked when Tony came on the line.
“Not a lot, I’m afraid. I’ve had a look at the Port Simmons police files for you. As the officer suggested, there have been a couple of other reports of assault from in the area over the past few days. Pretty unusual for this time of the year. You know, not tourist season. Same two men it appears. All stand over stuff. One, a low-level drug dealer in a pub.”
“Grubby was talking about a guy called Mick,” Amber said. “Could it be him?”
“Could be.”
“From what Grubby said, Mick didn’t seem like the type who would voluntarily go to the police.”
“No. The person in question refused to speak to the officers. A concerned third party reported the incident. Two men approached him, getting physical and appearing to be after some information.”
“Any description of what they might look like?”
“One of the men had some sort of facial scar. The other was wearing a hat apparently.”
“Let me guess, an old-fashioned hat.”
“Yep. A fedora or something. That’s why the witness noticed.”
“What about the other attack?”
“Similar story. A shakedown. Again after information. Violent though. Both victims ended up in hospital.”
And yet Grubby had barely had a scratch on him. Was he just fortunate, or was there something else going on?
Amber strode back to cabin six, far more purposeful now than on her walk with Vaughan. Getting into the groove.
“Is there anything else? What about video footage?”
“Ha! You’re mistaking where you are for civilisation.”
“I don’t know, Tony. You should come down here sometime.”
“No, thank you.”
“Never know. You might like Port Simmons, at least.”
“Fortunately, I will never have to find out. Yes, there could be CCTV footage somewhere, but the Port Simmons police evidently don’t move that quickly. I’ll keep digging. There’s a chance I might be able to locate some footage before the local authorities do.”
“Thanks, Tony.”
A twig snapped close by. Amber spun around. No one there.
“Anytime, Amber. Please hold for Mother.”
Opening up cabin six, Amber stepped inside. Mother’s voice greeted her and asked what she thought was going on.
“Not sure. Something though, definitely.” Amber paced. “Two men have turned up and are searching for information about the drug boat.”
“Yes. This wasn’t entirely unexpected. You said so yourself. Four people are missing.”
“And ten bricks of heroin. Someone was always gonna come looking for those. I guess I just hoped that they wouldn’t.”
The floor squeaked below Amber’s feet.
“Where are you?” Mother asked.
“My cabin. Why?”
“Just trying to picture it.”
Picturing it with a scowl, no doubt. Mother wasn’t overly impressed by her one-time visit to Paradise by the Bay Apartments.
“Are you picking up any chatter on your end?”
“No. Not so far. That doesn’t mean anything though. Radio silence may well be a tactical decision.”
Amber assembled the facts in her head.
“In your experience, drug dealers aren’t easily waylaid, are they?”
“Not usually. They’re like cockroaches. If they have product to sell, they try and find another avenue and make sure they get it sold.”
It was a good point. The smugglers had suffered a substantial loss - a boat, people, drugs. Likely that they would adjust their tactics rather than give up altogether.
“Would you agree it’s safe to assume these are the same smugglers?” Amber asked, talking out loud as much as running things through her head.
“It would appear so, yes. They may be killing two birds with one stone. ”
Amber couldn’t shake the distinct feeling she was being watched somehow, but how could she be? It was probably just the effect of talking with Mother.
“The main aim is to set up a new distribution outlet, but while here they’re looking to figure what happened to their previous shipment. How many were in the crew you took care of last time?”
“Four.”
“It’s likely to be that sort of number again. Four to six.”
“How should I proceed?” Amber asked.
“You tell us.”
Amber bit her lip. It was always easier being given explicit instructions.
“I think I need to get on the front foot with this thing.”
“Yes, that would seem prudent. Were you careful?”
Casting her mind back to that night, Amber went over what happened with Ava and her associates and destroying the drugs.
“Yes and no. Things were rushed. I was as careful as I could have been given the situation. I don’t believe anything can be traced back to me, but there is always a chance they could stumble across something if they keep asking questions.”
“They appear intent on asking questions. The good news is a group of four to six should be relatively easy to locate.”
Mother was right. The four to six people had to stay somewhere. They weren’t at Paradise Cove. Too large a number to go unnoticed around there.
Another noise drifted in from outside. This one was definitely a footstep.
“Just a moment, Mother,” Amber said, grabbing her Sig.
“What’s up?”
“I’ve got company.”
19
Moving quickly, Amber crept for the door. There was almost zero chance it could be the two men who attacked Grubby. At least not yet. But one could never be too careful.
Placing the gun at the small of her back, she threw open the door. No one about. She circled the cabin. There was a man there. No, a boy in man’s form.
Ben.
“What are you doing?” she asked the seventeen-year-old.
“Nothing.”
“Are you spying on me?”
“No. Ted is here. Joan wanted you to come meet him.”
Amber’s mind drew a blank. “Ted?”
“You know. Her walking date man.”
“Oh, of course. Right. I’ll be up in a moment.”
Amber watched Ben head back to the owner’s cottage, almost certain he had been listening despite his denials.
“All okay?” Mother asked.
“Yes. Just Ben.”
“The godson?”
“Yes.”
“We will have to meet him sometime.”
“Oh, he is dying to meet you. He wants to be an agent.”
There was a pause. “Would he be any good?”
“Maybe in a few years.”
“But he has potential?”
Amber regretted opening her mouth. “He’s just a kid. Still in school. Anyway…”
“To answer your earlier question, we agree. This mess with the smugglers? Clean it up. Right now.”
“Before it becomes a bigger mess?”
“Precisely.”
Ben had only made it as far as cabin four by the time Amber emerged. He trotted up, that fire in his eyes once more.
“Was that… them? On the phone? Mother?”
“I thought you weren’t listening.”
“I wasn’t. But it was pretty obvious you were on a call.”
“Fair enough.”
“Was it?”
“Yes. That was Mother. And Tony, her assistant.”
“Why do you call her that? Mother?”
“It’s just the name I was given.”
“So it’s a codename?”
“Well, she is not my actual mother.”
“Will I have to call her Mother too?”
“Ben…”
“There’s a connection here, isn’t there? Between Ava and the two guys who attacked Grubby? Don’t you think?”
Amber paused, looking at him. “How do you know about that?”
“Grubby being attacked?” His expression suggested she was a fool. “Th
is is Paradise Cove. If it is them, Ava’s people, that can’t be good news, can it? If they’re looking for Ava and their drugs?”
Ahead, Joan stood out front of reception with a man around her age. There was something off about her appearance which took Amber a moment to process. She was dressed for exercise, something Amber hadn’t witnessed Joan do in all the years she had known her. Amber wasn’t even aware she owned sneakers.
Amber stopped and faced Ben before they got too close to the couple.
“What are we going to do about it?” Ben asked.
“About what?”
“About the smugglers. If they’re back.”
“We? Nothing.”
Ben’s face dropped, all the excitement draining out. “But… You promised…”
“I didn’t promise anything, Ben. I get it, you want to be an agent. Okay, but that would take work and time and training, yeah? We can’t just flip a switch.”
He had the expression of a puppy who had just been kicked and couldn’t figure out why. Amber had thought… Actually, she didn’t know what she had thought. Yes, he had made it clear he wanted to be an agent, but he was also a seventeen-year-old kid. She figured he probably would forget or meet a girl or change his mind or something. That’s the type of thing she would have done at his age.
“I thought… with, you know, Ava and everything, that we were in this together.”
Amber changed tact. “We are. Absolutely. Those two guys who attacked Grubby, it’s probably nothing. Very unlikely to be related to the smugglers. The smugglers are gone, Ben. We took care of them.”
Joan beckoned them over.
“Better go and meet this Ted guy, hey?”
Ben nodded, doing nothing to hide his disappointment. Too bad.
He was a good kid, but there was no chance Amber would let him anywhere near something like the smugglers.
20
Amber wandered over to the beaming Joan and the elderly gent standing beside her.
“Amber, I would like you to meet Ted. Ted, this is… My Amber.”
Ted smiled but turned away from Amber’s gaze shyly as she shook his soft, chubby hand. His insecurities immediately made her feel kindly towards the old man. He had that kind grandfather type of vibe, which seemed perfect for Joan, provided he was content to let her do all the talking and never get a word in.