The laugh seemed to do Jelly good. Even after she stopped laughing, she was still smiling. She pulled the rest of her sandwich out of her pack and took a bite. An appetite had to be a good sign.
“PB and J, PB and J.” Parker gave her a sideways look. It was the only kind of sandwich she ever seemed to have for lunch anymore. “Don’t you ever get tired of it?”
“Never,” she said. “And I never will. I wish you weren’t leaving.”
“I can’t get out of here fast enough,” Parker said. “I just wish our dads would get transferred at the same time.”
“Maybe I can go with you.” She glanced at him. “Think your parents would mind me moving in with you guys until my dad gets the new assignment? I could take your room, and you could sleep on the couch.”
Parker laughed—but part of him wasn’t so sure that she was joking. “Back to Maria and Kingman. At least they’re broken up. So that’s a good start for Maria getting free from him, right?”
“I wish it were that simple.” She hesitated. “There’s something I want to tell you . . . but I’m not supposed to.”
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in hearing. “Hey, if your dad told you not to talk about it, I don’t want you getting in trouble or anything.”
She shook her head. “My dad doesn’t know. It’s stuff Maria told me.”
Jelly stopped as if wishing she hadn’t just said that. And suddenly Parker wasn’t sure he wanted to know more than he already did. What if she told him something that really shouldn’t be kept a secret from her dad? Something he needed to know so he could protect her. Wouldn’t Parker be obligated to tell her dad? Wouldn’t that be the right thing to do? Maybe it was best Jelly didn’t say more. But the truth was, Parker wanted to understand what was going on.
She glanced over her shoulder once.
Who did she think would’ve overheard her out here? “How about we get out on the water and you can tell me all about it. If you want to, that is. And if you don’t want to talk, at least you’ll get your mind off of it.”
She looked like she was weighing something out. “I think that’s exactly what I need.”
There was something about the way she said it. Whatever she was hiding, it was really bothering her.
“He scares me, Parker. I don’t think I dare say more than that. Not yet.” She stared out over the water. “There’s no light inside Clayton Kingman, Parker. Only darkness.”
“Are you afraid for you—or Maria?”
“Both.”
A chill flashed through Parker. Is that how it was every time Kingman was at Jelly’s house to see Maria? Was Jelly secretly afraid? “But you said it yourself. They’re busted up. What can Kingman do now? There’s no reason to be afraid of him anymore, right?”
Jelly shook her head. “I’m still scared of him, Parker. More than ever.”
CHAPTER 19
ANGELICA WATCHED PARKER TWIST the plug into place on the transom of the Boy’s Bomb, then helped drag the skiff off the beach just beyond Smallwood’s Store. Both climbed aboard without a word. He’d been quiet ever since she told him she was truly afraid of Clayton.
Parker primed the gas and adjusted the choke. Jelly looked toward Smallwood’s Store. The old wood building was built on stilts like it didn’t want to touch the beach below it. Like it knew that somehow the sand was tainted with blood—and wanted no part of it.
And there was blood in the sand. Ed Watson’s blood. Somewhere within a hundred feet of where the Bomb normally sat on the beach, that murderer had been murdered a long time ago. The area had a dark history of attracting rough characters—and Parker was right . . . it still did.
The motor caught and sputtered to life. Parker worked the throttle and choke until it idled smoothly and a steady stream of water shot out the side of the outboard. He threw it in reverse and backed away from shore.
He opened the throttle and headed southwest. But he kept looking at her. Like he expected her to burst into tears or something equally ridiculous. When he rounded one of the nameless islands he cut the motor and let the Boy’s Bomb drift.
“I have to tell you more,” Jelly said. “But I can’t tell you everything.” She had to be careful. If Parker believed that the right thing to do was to tell her dad, he’d do it. Or he’d do something to fix this—and make things worse.
“Nobody can hear us out here, Jelly.”
He leaned back. Looked relaxed. It was the Boy’s Bomb—and being out in the bay where there were no gators. It had that effect on him. Her too. But for Angelica it wasn’t so much about being out on the water. It was more about being off the island. And maybe it was the size of the boat—or the teal color? Or maybe it was the way Parker loved the thing. But being out in the boat always made her feel safe. She opened up. Told how Maria and Clayton had been arguing more. How Clayton was more vicious. Cruel. But instead of pulling away, Maria seemed drawn to him all the more. That’s what really worried Angelica.
To his credit, Parker listened—without peppering her with questions.
Angelica told how she talked to Maria about it—but how Maria had defended Clayton. And how Maria even made her promise not to tell her dad.
Angelica explained that she didn’t want to snitch, but how she’d played a game of twenty questions with her dad until he’d learned enough to force the breakup.
When her dad told Maria she couldn’t see Clayton anymore, she’d run out of the room and called Clayton. The guy was over minutes later—and had the nerve to argue with her dad.
“Clayton had a smirk on his face the whole time. You know what he said?”
Parker shook his head.
“Maria is mine. She’s going to marry me, and there’s nothing you can do about it, old man.”
“How’d your dad handle that?”
“He threatened Clayton right back. Got all in his face and told him to stay away from his daughter. Said he’d get a restraining order out on him. Told Clayton if he stepped one foot on our property he’d fill him with buckshot.” And he said a lot more, too. Even with the sun beating down on her she shuddered. “He doesn’t have the same standards as your dad, Parker. If it really came down to protecting one of his girls? I think he’d do it, too.”
Parker nodded. “How’s Maria?”
“Furious.”
“After the way her boyfriend talked to her dad? She should be.”
Angelica squinted into the sun. “I wish. According to Maria, it’s my dad who is totally out of line.”
Parker shook his head in disbelief. “So, after all that Clayton said, Maria still wants to date that animal?”
“If she was eighteen right now, she’d marry him.” Stop, Angelica. You’ve said enough. Don’t tell him another word.
Parker winced. “That is so sick. It’s like you said. Maria’s been brainwashed. As long as she stays away from Kingman she’ll straighten out and see him for the monster he really is.”
Kingman being a monster? Parker got that part right. But he didn’t understand Maria at all. He didn’t know how messed up her thinking was right now—or what she might do. “A day away from him isn’t going to cure her. Neither is a week.”
“But it will help. As long as your dad keeps them apart, her mind will clear and she’ll see the kind of guy he is,” Parker said. “Do you think Kingman will stay away from her?”
Angelica knew the answer to that. But Maria had made her promise not to tell—complete with a very nasty threat if Angelica spilled the beans this time. As much as she wanted to tell him more, she couldn’t. “Clayton Kingman is dangerous, Parker. Really, really dangerous. Don’t underestimate him.”
Parker seemed to be searching her eyes for what she wasn’t saying. “How dangerous?”
“He’s a predator in his own way—and really good at it.”
Parker shook his head. “He’s bad, but I’m not sure I’d call him a predator.”
“That’s my point,” Angelica said. “You can’t figure
this guy out. You don’t think like he does. You’re too nice a guy. Too trusting. His mind is sick, Parker. When he gets angry—” She had to stop. Say no more.
“When he gets angry . . .” Parker let the words hang there.
She would tell him just this little bit more—and that was it. “I get the feeling he’s got no conscience. That there is something absolutely evil about him just clawing to get out.”
“And if it does?”
“There’s nothing he won’t do.” She locked eyes with him, trying to say with that look what she didn’t dare say aloud. “People will get hurt. Bad.” Her dad—and eventually Maria. Anybody who got in his way.
“Do you think he’s capable of—”
“Don’t even say it, Parker. I can’t say more. Not another word.”
Parker looked at her like he knew she was serious. “It’s going to be okay.”
Angelica wanted to smile back. Nod. Agree with him. But she couldn’t—because right now things didn’t look like they were going to be okay. The worst was yet to come—she could feel it. And right now, she was afraid to imagine how bad that might be.
CHAPTER 20
BY THE TIME PARKER NOSED THE BOY’S BOMB onto the tiny beach by Smallwood’s Store, Jelly had gone quiet. Like she was off in her own world somewhere, imagining worst-case scenarios. Typical Jelly.
Even though she’d said plenty about Kingman, he had the gnawing feeling that she was holding back. Something important. But he couldn’t imagine anything worse than what she’d just told him.
Jelly vaulted over the side into the ankle-deep water, dock line in hand. The thing with Jelly was that everything she said was calculated. She was way more careful than he was that way.
He ran through the conversation in his mind. She wouldn’t answer his question about Kingman staying away from Maria. Maybe he had to look at this a different way. “You think your sister will stay away from him?”
“My dad laid the law down on that one.”
Parker lashed the bow line around the base of a cypress tree. But she didn’t really answer his question, did she?
“What do you think?” He watched her body language. “Will she stay away?”
She hugged herself. “I pray to God she will.”
Again, not really a direct answer. “Jelly . . . do you know something you’re not telling me?”
“I know I’d better be home by dinner or my dad will come looking for me.”
Parker smiled. She did know something . . . but she didn’t want to feel like a snitch. “Want to play twenty questions?”
She looked at him. Long enough for him to know his instincts were right. “No more questions, Parker. I gotta go.”
“I’ll walk you.”
“I’m a big girl.”
“That’s what Mr. Night Crawler thought too.” Parker hustled to the back of the skiff and pulled the transom plug and dropped it in the storage compartment under his seat. If a storm rolled in, he didn’t want to come back to a boat half filled with water.
She hugged herself again and nodded. “But no more questions.”
Parker raised both hands. “Not one.” By not giving him a straight answer she’d already told him what he needed to know, right?
“Sorry . . . I hope that didn’t sound bad. I just need to think.”
Oh yeah. She was holding back. “We don’t have to talk at all, Jelly.” Which was good, really. It would give him time to make some plans to keep Kingman and Maria apart until Jelly’s older sister got her head screwed on straight.
They walked side by side. They’d barely passed Smallwood’s Store before a plan popped into his head.
The little plot was crazy simple, but it wasn’t the type of thing Parker would even try to pull off by himself. It made no sense to ask Jelly to be a player. With whatever secret she was hiding from her dad—and from him—she was already in a tough enough spot. She might even try to put the kibosh on the whole thing. At this point, the less she knew, the better.
But Parker knew exactly who’d love to be part of the scheme.
Parker picked up the pace. As soon as Jelly was safe at home Parker was going to make a quick phone call. There wasn’t much time to pull this together. But he couldn’t wait until tomorrow to put his plan into motion. What if Maria and Kingman tried to meet before then?
Ready or not, he would start tonight.
CHAPTER 21
TWO HOURS AFTER DINNER Parker was up in his room, getting ready. He strapped Jimbo to his calf and covered it with his pant leg. Not that he figured he’d need it, but he liked the feel of having a survival knife cinched to his leg. Besides, it made the whole plan seem a bit more dangerous—and that just added to the excitement.
The more he tried not to look at the INTEGRITTY sign, the more he couldn’t look anywhere else. Dad was on shift. Mom was away on an assignment. There was nobody home to ask him where he was going, what he was doing, and how long he’d be gone. Nobody to make him question if he was doing the right thing. But if he really wanted to be a person of integrity, he needed to ask himself the tough questions.
This new plan of his . . . was he doing the right thing?
Fact: It was all about keeping Kingman from Maria. That was a good thing.
Fact: Jelly wanted to keep her sister away from the guy—so did her dad. But Parker wasn’t so sure either of them could do that. So anything Parker did to help ensure they’d stay apart was definitely a good thing.
Next question: Was he doing a good thing—but in a bad way? He played out the plan in his head. Like he was watching a movie of the whole thing. Everything went perfectly. Nobody got hurt. He wasn’t going to damage anything permanently. He wasn’t doing anything more than delaying Kingman long enough to keep him from seeing Maria tonight.
But what if something went wrong? There were a million ways it could, but the beauty of the plan was its simplicity. The chances of anything going wrong were low. And if something did start going south, they could always abort, right?
Final question: What would Dad say if he knew? One thing for sure—if Parker didn’t talk to his dad before he did this, he’d figure Parker was home. If he let his dad think that, Parker would be dishonest.
He wrestled with it for a few moments. If he was serious about integrity, he couldn’t choose when he’d be honest, right? But did he really want to risk Dad pulling the plug on this? He’d been honest with Dad about the whole Gator Hook Trail fiasco—after the fact—and he’d taken it really well. Appreciated his honesty, and all that. But what would it do to Dad’s “trust meter” if Parker didn’t tell him about this until after he’d done the deed? He’d be making the same mistake. Wouldn’t that be pushing it? He’d break trust for sure.
“Ugh,” he growled. “Sometimes I hate trying to be this person of integrity.” He whipped off a quick text to his dad before he changed his mind.
Planning to run out tonight. Uncle Sammy busted Maria and Kingman up. I think Kingman plans to sneak out to see her. Wilson and I are going to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Dad texted back seconds later.
Pump the brakes, Parker. Not sure I like the sound of that.
Parker just had to reassure him.
We won’t be seen. We won’t get near him. We won’t destroy anything. We won’t be out late. We won’t get hurt.
A moment later a new text came back.
Sorry, need details.
Parker laid out his plan quickly—and explained why he felt he needed to do this. There was a long pause before Dad’s response. And it wasn’t a text. Dad phoned—and listened while Parker gave the best sales pitch ever. But Dad finally gave him the okay, with a short list of conditions.
Honestly? Parker was shocked that his dad had agreed. Maybe his dad picked up on that somehow.
“Look, Parker,” he said. “Clayton is bad blood. He’s dangerous. And he’s hurting Maria—and my best friend’s family. I’m not going to stand by and let that happen, and neither is
Uncle Sammy. Not without a little resistance.”
Parker’s pulse practically doubled.
“This is war for Uncle Sammy. And for me and you, this is spiritual warfare. We trust God to work things out for good all the way around . . . but that doesn’t mean we sit on our hands.”
He reminded Parker of the Bible account of Jonathan—King Saul’s son—who along with his armor bearer attacked an entire garrison of Philistines. God had been moving Jonathan to do something . . . and a huge victory came as a result.
“So be careful. Stay under the radar. Don’t be talked into doing something you don’t feel is right—not by Wilson or Angelica or anyone else. You keep asking God what He wants you to do, and don’t deviate from that. And pull the plug if things don’t feel right, son. Maybe God is moving in your heart to take some action here. I can tell you He’s been moving in mine.”
Parker wanted to ask him what he meant by that. But at this moment he was flying high. He’d done the right thing—talked to his dad—and his dad didn’t say no. “Thanks for the green light, Dad.”
“Call it a yellow light,” Dad said. “A yellow flashing light. Proceed with caution.”
And that was the thing with Dad lately. He’d been giving Parker more leash—because he’d proved himself trustworthy. Not that he got everything right, but he was honest with his dad. There was no way Parker wanted to mess that up.
“Call me when you get home,” Dad said. “And don’t disappoint me.”
He had no intention of letting Dad down.
He biked across the bridge from Chokoloskee to Everglades City and met Wilson three blocks from Kingman’s place. They rode to the stand of mangroves bordering the Kingman house and ditched their bikes out of sight.
Wilson grinned. “I love this stuff.”
The truth was, Parker did too.
“You sure you’re okay with this?” Wilson had that mischievous spark in his eyes. “We’re doing a bad thing, Bucky.”
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